【The Variable Project: Psyche】

"That's one way to end things decisively." If the whole pinning the simulation to a wall and smashing its head bothered her, she didn't show it. "Suppose now we just wait or something, huh?" Nobody had come on over the PA to congratulate or immediately fail them, at least. Probably meant they'd have to sit around and stew in uncertainty.

"At least we figured out how to work together, but I guess when you get thrown in a situation like that you'll find something pretty quick or get chewed up. Not sure I'd say we're a perfect team yet, but things worked out. Mostly." She gave Minato a look of sympathy. "Though to be fair, that was probably gonna happen to one of us anyway. You holding up okay over there, Minato?"

"Hope we don't hit that usual post-exam realization of how we could've solved that one problem correctly."
 
"Yes, speaking of," Anchovy turns to the unconscious Minato, "what will become of him after all this?"

Turning to Prier, she replies, "this is not a written exam, but a rather physical one. There are always multiple ways to perform it. But I suppose we will have to accept the school-approved answers for now, and given our..."

The sight of the broken, smashed simulation.

"... I do have a bit of doubt that our methods are school-approved, but in my books, a job well done is a job well done."
 
"Gee, so cold, Anchovy," Haruka teased, slinging an arm over the shorter girl's shoulder, "We're not ideal teammates, you know? This is what you call friendship!"

Others worried about whether or not they were correct to do all this, but the rose haired girl was optimistic herself, slapping Prier on the back as well.

"Your gravity variable was super sweet as well, you know! Even if the rest of us get kicked out for being violent barbarians, I think you have a real good chance of getting in solely on the merit of your spatial, Prier! And honestly? If beating up a super powerful being doesn't make us pass, then nothing would. Why give us weapons and toss us at something with bigger weapons if they DIDN'T want this result?"

A pause, a shrug.

"Anyways, it'd totally explain why the entrance exams are so difficult, yea? Gotta beat a boss with strangers and all."
 
Yvette Lecce

Yvette could feel the air leave her lungs as the smoke cleared and the group was left to witness the results of their efforts. Smashed against the far wall, held in place by a spear, was their adversary. Not a second later did the spear expand outward, thus bringing about the definitive end of their battle.

"Excess damage noted on target: Simulation. Target defeated," was all that rang out over the intercom. Eevee was expecting any minute now that they'd be told whether they passed or failed. Nothing though. Maybe they were busy relaying messages to other groups? Or, perhaps...

"Five minutes remaining," the intercom rang out once more. So that was it. They were really expected to sit there for five minutes. Yvette was worried everyone would assume that meant they hadn't passed — that they'd all take up arms thinking they had to fight each other after all. Luckily, that wasn't the case. Despite knowing they needed to wait, everyone seemed more or less proud of what they'd accomplished. As they should. The enemy they'd just managed to take out was an A rank Constant. Sure, it was only hostile if they were, and it had managed to take out one of their own, the mere fact they managed to not only turn things around, but also defeat it... If that wasn't warranting enough for a pass, then what could be?

Both Claire and Prier had made mention of Minato, who'd decided not to join the group in "celebration" of their victory. She couldn't blame him. If she'd been the first to be eliminated, and so quickly... Despite what her normal reaction would be — to rush over and tease the boy for a job poorly done — for some reason she couldn't feel anything but guilty. It wasn't anyone's fault but his own what happened to him, but they had to question whether his defeat could've been prevented had they been more forth putting in their efforts.

"Ya think we should talk to him?" Yvette asked the group, realizing this was the first she'd spoken since before they'd launched their final assault.

@Crow @R-9 Pilot @Kit-n-Kat @ERode
 
"Friends, you say?"

Anchovy wasn't sure how to feel about that, but she knew how to feel about their victory. She crossed her arms and looked away for a bit, a light smile decorating her.

"Well, you all do make me happy with your actions."

Anchovy soon finds herself engaging in conversation with Yvette. She seemed a bit less energetic than usual. It may not say much, at first glance.

"Personally, I think we should talk to him... after five minutes. Our examination is still ongoing, after all, which leads me to wonder - what is there left to do?"

Anchovy wonders.

"It can't be possible that we're just waiting for every other team out there to be done, are we?"
 
"D'aw, that's super cute!"

Haruka reciprocated Anchovy's smile with a big grin of her own, mushing up the blonde's hair. But the topic of Minato popped up once more, and with that, the rose haired girl pursed her lips together. Quick steps brought her over to where the white haired youth laid, eyes vacant in introspection. Leaning down slightly, she offered both a hand to pull him up and a smile.

"C'mon dude, no need to mope. You showed more hustle than the rest of us combined, so chin up, yeah? It's always the first step that's the hardest, and there's always a next time anyways."

It WAS pretty scumbaggy of the others to talk about him without talking to him, after all. Not like the lad couldn't hear them considering whether or not they should ignore him.

"Better see your face next year, Minato."
 
Hearing Yvette pose the question of Minato, Claire started to speak. "I wouldn't really enjoy people poking at me after I fa-" Aaaaaand the tall one was already there. Claire sighed, shaking her head but slightly admiring the girl's attitude. Just do it. Really the only thing stopping her from doing anything similar was Claire's own nerve.

She took a deep breath, then exhaled. A short pause, then she spoke, "Good job, though. Y'all did good." Claire complimented the rest of the group, then turning directly to Prier. "Pretty creative on the gravity." She added, not quite wanting to poke at any possible ways of doing it better without knowing exactly how it worked.

Looking to Anchovy, Claire's eyes shot around the room. Was there another objective? Nothing really seemed up, but still, Claire was a bit worried that they might have missed something. "Nothing invisible yeah?"
 
"The gravity's just how my spatial variable seems to work, really." Prier shrugged. "Can't do much with it yet, but it can come in handy. Not sure I'd call it creative, though."

She took a seat on the floor. "If there's something invisible, we're probably all screwed anyway, so might as well just wait and see." So, might as well relax for the moment.
 
Yvette Lecce & Minato Chikao

Despite Anchovy's suggestion to wait it out until the testing period was over to approach their fallen comrade, to which Pier and Claire seemed to agree, Yvette followed Haruka over to Minato. The young man's face only looked towards the wall, not shifting in response to their approach. It was only when Haruka offered a hand that he bothered to look at the pair. The smile she offered sent mixed signals with the words she spoke. Always a next time. Would they accept that as an answer?

Hesitantly, he accepted the girl's outstretched hand. Was this last offering of kindness something he truly deserved? As justified as his actions might've been in the past, he couldn't help but feel like he was still guilty of doing something he shouldn't have. In that last moment, right before the simulation ended his run... Certain he could've gotten away had he tried, he could only blame his subconscious — filling him with that constant feeling that he wasn't redeemable; that he deserved to fail.

His only hope now was that the higher ups would appreciate his 'take initiative' attitude. None of them could be sure it was his taking the initiative that ultimately led to their victory. "I appreciate the sentiment..." was all he'd say.

Yvette wanted to offer words of encouragement, but she failed to find them. Was this really the kind of feeling 90% of the prospects would be faced with? Her heart couldn't help but beat a bit faster knowing that even those of them that managed to defeat the simulation weren't guaranteed a spot. If it weren't for Prier, they would've more likely than not have lost. Maybe she'd be the only one left in, on the merits of her ability.

Thoughts like these must've rushed through everyone's minds, as the remaining five minutes passed them by in utter silence, the only noise being the occasional outburst from the rambunctious Haruka.

DIIIIING! "The examination period has concluded. Will the following people please report to the corresponding classrooms immediately..."

The intercom went on listing several names. Were these those that passed? Those that failed? Would they be among them? It was all nerve wracking.

"Bishop, Claire, Blanc, Prier, Darvish, Trey, Fujiyama, Haruka, Lecce, Yvette, and Scarletfever, Anchovy, classroom B-4."

Yvette could swear everyone's eyes turned to the same person. That person who could only afford a cheap smile. "Guess we can safely assume what this means, huh?"

Petty farewells were all anyone could offer. After all, the young man known as Minato Chikao was still very much a stranger to them.

"All those that were not named are to report to the courtyard and await further instructions."

That last message came as a shock. Sure, they had to give those who'd failed instructions as to where to go too, but it sounded like those being sent to the courtyard might be the ones to pass. Yvette shook her head. No reason to believe they'd list all those who failed by name.

The quintet approached the door leading out. Minato opted to wait for them to go their own way, not wanting there to be any awkward conversations before they inevitably parted. In the end, all Yvette could do was wish him luck.


The group made their way to the classroom using Yvette's notes on where everything was located. Little discussion was had on the way there. Little was to be said.

The insides of the class buildings were surprisingly normal. One would expect an academy of this caliber to go all out on the interior design, but it seemed most of that investment went into the central dome. The hallways and classrooms followed a layout pattern adapted from those often seen in Japan. Maybe the headmaster viewed is as more organized, compared to the jumbled mess some other American schools seemed to have, even now.

There were a few advancements here and there over the past 100 years or so. Flying cars were common now, as well as the self flying variety. Resources had come to be better managed, and advancements in environmental sciences were slowly working towards undoing some of the damage mankind did in what would now be considered its infancy — the time before they'd evolve into beings with Psychokinesis. Buildings changed little, scientists warning that their work in bettering the world would mean little if we sought to adopt the "electronics everywhere" world model often portrayed in science fiction movies. That's why the interior of the school was what one might expect from a typical high school. Excluding, of course, the high tech dome located at its center.

Yvette looked up from the makeshift map she'd drawn. B-4.

They were here.

Yvette slid the door open. Inside was a 3 by 3 seat model. Smaller than the average classroom, but then, only so few of them were expected to pass. By that standard, 9 seats was too many.

They were the first ones there. Whoever was to meet them had yet to arrive. Wasting no time, Yvette took the seat closest to the door. Where the others sat was up to them. As they all settled down, something suddenly struck Yvette's mind.

"Who's Trey Darvish?"

 
"Well, maybe I wouldn't have been hit if you could have been drawing its attention!"

"I DID, asshole, why didn't you shoot the thing?"

"It shot ALL of us! Why didn't your magnetic variable work, Stu?"

"Well maybe if dorkboy over there hadn't just sat there glass-eyed, I could have figured it out in time."

"Yeah, it's all Trey's fault!"

It had been at least three minutes of this. Just listening to the rest of his group bicker about why they all were going to fail. And finally, it seems they had made the logical conclusion and turned on him. Trey sighed weakly, a hand ruffling through his snowy white hair as he found himself completely unable to make eye contact with those who were supposed to be his groupmates. He had failed them....or at least he had once they decided without him that attacking the simulation was the best idea. The entire group had been wiped out within seconds of each other, just three sets of exploding psychokinetic shots enough to wipe the unprepared team out. Only Trey had been spared; he assumed it was because he had never engaged with it in the first place.

Seeing his squad's unconscious forms on the ground had done very little to inspire Trey's confidence. Yes, he had a short-range physical variable in his hand, shaped into the form of his favorite bow staff, but it wasn't like he really knew what he was doing. All the others had the idea of how to use their mental, spatial, and physical types. Trey could...whack someone with this. That was about it, really. He had been the oddball of the group. Even though he had tested positive for both a mental and physical type, only the physical seemed to react to his energy. Moreover, something even more curious had happened-when his trainer, a helpful woman by the name of Ms. Womack helpfully supplied him with the information that his mental type would react once he filled it with his Psychokinetic energy, he found that sentence to be pitifully untrue. It was a curious mishap-his Psychokinetic energy was rejected by his mental type, instead choosing to remain dormant. Throughout their entire hour, they tried everything they could think of, but no reaction had been determined. Trey was left with an optimistic speech from his trainer before being rejoined by his group for the exam.

And because of his group's quick elimination, Trey had determined that there was no point in even trying. With a mental type he didn't even have a clue on how, or even IF, it worked, and nothing but a bow staff of a variable, he knew an attempt at taking out the sim would just end with him falling on top of one of the others. So in the corner he sat, staring up at the simulation as it coldly stared back, no reaction given from either one of them. His mind was utterly blank until he heard the movements of his team once again.

He had failed. What was he going to tell his father? One of Psychen Academy's deans...the news that his own son had failed the test would be quite the embarrassment. His cheeks flushed with humiliation just at the thought of the scolding he would surely be receiving when he returned home that evening. Just then they had finally concluded that everything was his fault. They had begun to converge upon him...

DIIIIING! "The examination period has concluded. Will the following people please report to the corresponding classrooms immediately..."

Oh, thank goodness, the sim was over. He could leave without a possible beating and go home, hopefully to hide from his father the rest of the night.

"Bishop, Claire, Blanc, Prier, Darvish, Trey, Fujiyama, Haruka, Lecce, Yvette, and Scarletfever, Anchovy, classroom B-4."

Wait. Why was he being assigned to a classroom? He had figured that the failed students would be sent somewhere closer to the entrance. And why was he the only one of the group whose name had been called?

"Hah! Turns out Trey's the only one who failed! I guess just proving you had the guts to attack was the test!" While he was halfway certain Jackson was just wishful thinking, he couldn't deny the possibility. Regardless, the classrooms were nearest the door he had hunkered down by. As it unlocked at the completion of the sim, he slipped through it and bolted, hoping he could get out of sight before the group could even think to chase him.

Unfortunately, in that short burst of speed, he had managed to get lost, despite knowing nearly all the halls by heart; he had toured them with his father at least a dozen times. Eventually, he finally made it back around to the classroom he needed to be in. It seemed the students from the other group who had been called had already arrived.

"Who's Trey Darvish?"

And they were talking about him, too! Trey's cheeks burned scarlet as he quietly walked up to the doorway after everyone else had gotten inside, sticking his head inside the doorframe.

"Um, I'm Trey Darvish..." His voice was quiet, his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he slunk into the room. "...do you think we passed...? I'm the only one of my group who got called." He took the seat in the middle and on the left, taking somewhat nervous glances at the other students in the room. Were these his new team or something? He wished someone would just come in and tell him something, get the weight off his chest. Did he pass, or was he going to have an awkward story for his father tonight....
 
"Woah, Minato, did they give you a makeover?!"

...

"Ok, yeah, that was a bad joke."

Sitting on the table while waiting for the teacher to make his announcement, Haruka smiled and waved at the white haired newcomer (new fashion for boys?). Looked like they really were trying hard to at least make some attempt at gender equality, huh?

"Sup dude! I'm Haruka Fujiyama," the rose haired girl said, "Did you solo kill the simulation or something? That's super wild, dude."
 
Alright, Haruka's still kind of an ass.

Claire sighed, crossing her arms once Trey stepped in. Looks like someone else actually passed the test. But how did only one person pass out of a group? Did they all wipe except for him? She'd have to ask the boy later. Unless he wiped his team in order to win, in which case..

Shaking her head, Claire reminded herself of her goals here. Not everyone was a shit person. "Claire, nice to meet you." She introduced herself to Trey, before hesitantly reaching out to shake his hand. "How'd your test go?
 
Prier looked around the classroom, the petite girl wasting little time in wandering around and exploring the place. "Man, with so few desks, that could practically fit us into a closet." It didn't really feel like a classroom no matter what it was labeled as. The small number of desks suggested just how exclusive the Academy really was, but Prier would probably miss actual larger classes. It'd be too easy to stand out in one this size.

"Guess they keep the classes pretty small." She shrugged and looked over to where the others were greeting the newcomer, who naturally was the only name she didn't recognize called to the room. Prier and her fie feet of hair skipped over to join in. "Hey there. I'm Prier. Nice to meet you."
 
"A small classroom for a small class, that is the logical path, is it not?" Anchovy indicates as she claims a seat - a front seat.

"It certainly isn't one of us, that's for certain," Anchovy responds, before she turns to see the one known as Trey Darvish.

"... I stand corrected."

Anchovy walks forward to Trey.

"Introductions are in order. My name is Anchovy Scarletfever. So, you are Trey Darvish, I assume?"
 
Everyone had crowded around Trey, like he was some kind of attraction. All the attention was rather embarrassing, causing the shy albino child to look at his desk in quiet humiliation. They were probably going to laugh at him once he told them exactly what happened. In fact, he wouldn't be shocked if they all did. He gingerly took the one called Claire's hand, shaking it lightly. Despite his looks, there was a bit of strength behind his grip, enough to cause a second glance at the otherwise stick-thin kid.

"Y-yeah. I'm Trey." He fell quiet for a moment, not wanting to have to answer the looming question-how did the test go with him? After all, he was the only one. Surely he had to be some all-powerful psychokinetic wizard!....right. Trey's ruby-colored eyes scanned the group one by one. Claire, Haruka, Prier, and...Anchovy. That was a different sort of name. And the one who had originally asked who he was, as of yet unintroduced. Trey put those names in the backlog of his memory, certain he'd probably need them again soon, if they were his new groupmates.

"Well, um..."
He started, then paused, stuttering a bit. "Th-the group, er...decided to try and fight the sim without me since I didn't think it was particularly hostile. It took them all out with just one or two attacks. I wasn't really watching at the time. I just wanted it not to notice me." Trey shifted uncomfortably. "Once it had beaten my whole group, it just kinda stared at me, so I stared back the whole ten minutes. It wasn't like I stood a chance against it one on one." Yeah. He didn't fight it. Not in the slightest. He let that sink in for a minute before he spoke up again. "Well, at least you guys are listening to me...I suppose I should tell you. I apparently resonate with a short-range physical and a short-range mental type, but I honestly have no idea how my mental type works, and neither did my mentor. So in a fight I'm just kinda...the beat you with a stick kind."
 
Yvette Lecce

Trey Darvish, an albino boy that didn't look as though he could be anymore than 12, but was. Now that Yvette saw him, she knew exactly who he was. An orphan boy taken in by the headmaster. It couldn't be any surprise that, once he'd come of age, he'd been allowed to participate in the entrance exam for Psychen Academy. Not to say the headmaster was the type to pull any punches for his adoptive son — because he very much wasn't. Going by what the boy admitted, the opponent his group was made to face was as strong, if not even more so, than their own enemy. That was implying there were adversaries though.

"No worries, shortstack #3," Yvette finally chipped in, extending a hand in greeting. "I wasn't even compatible with a physical type, but my mental type more than makes up for that." Now that all was said and done, the raven-haired girl couldn't help but take pride in her ability, despite the disadvantage it would have in a one on one fight against someone with a physical type. It just meant she had to push herself harder to overcome that gap. "Yvette Lecce," she offered. "My mental type allows me to copy others' brainwaves by touching them, though it only lasts three minutes at the most. Still pretty useful though, right?"

As the group's conversation continued, a figure approached the door, stopping halfway through the entrance. "This is what I have to work with, hm?"

Everyone turned around almost instantly. Their overseer would be none other than Mr. Gaz. His deadpan expression and lackluster tone gave the impression that he didn't really want to be there, but that wasn't true. Not entirely, at least. "Seats, everyone."

Returning to the spot she'd chosen for herself, Yvette felt a gulp catch itself in her throat. No doubt her trainer would be the person to tell them whether or not they passed. Five people that defeated the simulation, and one that stared it down. Was it possible that both were acceptable methods for passing?

The group would be left wondering for a solid minute, as Mr. Gaz simply looked over the group, staring at each of them for about ten seconds. Closing his eyes and clearing his throat, he spoke.

"You all probably already know why you're here. Think you do, anyway. I wanna tell you all that you've passed..."

Yvette could've sworn her face lit up. Sadly, that relief would be short lived.

"Unfortunately, I can't."

@Crow @Kit-n-Kat @ERode @Iwazuma @R-9 Pilot
 
Anchovy, contrary to her prior dialogue, did not start breaking from possible failure. She seemed very calm, actually.

"You cannot tell us that we have passed, so I would assume that we have done the opposite," Anchovy questions, "with all due respect, Mr Gaz, my next enquiry - if we did not pass, then for what purpose are we here then, as opposed to being removed from the school's premises? Your analysis has proved that we are not the cream of the crop, not the school's ideal."
 
Seeing Mr. Gaz come in, Trey expected they'd be getting assignments for classes or training or whatnot, and had already taken out a little notebook to scribble down some messily written notes on schedule and locations. But instead...he was telling them he couldn't say that they'd passed. Trey frowned. So he had failed after all? All that buildup, just to make it seem like they had passed only to pull the rug out from under him. It seemed particularly cruel, especially coming from the staff. Trey closed his eyes, his face otherwise expressionless. No, something was off. This didn't make sense.

The other five had outright defeated the simulation. Unless the goal was to keep all six of them from being beaten, they should have passed with flying colors. And based on the way Mr. Gaz had spoken, he wasn't about to fail only one of them-which would indicate Trey's failure. No, something else was getting in the way. Perhaps they hadn't passed...

"...yet." Trey's crimson eyes opened once again, staring down the adult in the room with a mildly quizzical yet determined expression. He had waited for Anchovy to finish speaking before uttering that single word in the silence of the classroom. "We haven't passed...yet. But I don't think we failed, either. Otherwise you wouldn't have brought us further into the school as opposed to towards the exit. So then I can only assume one thing, Mr. Gaz..."

Trey smiled softly, confidence unlike his small frame and nervous demeanor emanating from him. "There's another test coming, isn't there? Unless you're just messing with us."
 
Well, Haruka more or less had an idea of what was going on, especially when Trey went out to vocalize her thoughts, so the rose haired girl grinned cheerfully instead, perfectly fine with playing the role of the jester.

"Geez, so serious, guys," the buxom youth said, a joking wink directed to the dour man, "You can't say it because you're going to say that we 'passed with flying colors' instead, right, Gaz?"
 
Claire's breath was held through the entrance of the same guy she recognized form earlier. Her own stress and anxiety has built up from that one minute of silence to what seemed like half an hour. And to hear that they didn't pass...

She huffed, kicking back and leaning in her chair. Figures that stupid moron got them disqualified. She did everything she could have done, and realizing that the reason she failed was something out of her control was seriously aggravating. She wanted to speak up, she wanted to speak her mind, about being duped, but at the same time, the thought crossed her mind that maybe this was the test?

No. She was over analyzing again. Figures as much. Claire wasn't expecting anything but the sounds of them getting booted off campus all because their mission persmeters were a flawless victory as some games back in the day would say. Claire spoke up this time, with only the slight hesitation, "Come again? I'm with Anchovy on this one, if you're gonna say someone else ruined the test for us by wiping out and then us making up for it-"

Claire looked to Haruka after taking a deep breath, realizing she had kind of lost it for a moment. She took a deep breath, readjusted her glasses and spoke calmly now, "I'd still like to ask where we screwed up."