the hunted

“I got through most of my life being a piece of shit and yet you’re still here.” She still wasn’t too sure about why he liked her so much, but he wasn’t bad to look at, now that she was letting herself look. For a while, she was stuck in a rut that kept her feeling low and her dating opportunities just as low. “Ok, I’ll do that, I guess. If there’s one thing that I’m good at then it’s breaking things.” She didn’t share the same sentiment as he did when it came to her own powers. Annie hoped to never see the day that her mutations really took over. It’d be a nightmare for her to wake up one day and find that everything she touched would turn into dust. “Because I will be Hunter. Amara let me off of the Apollyon roster, so that’s something right?”

“It sucks that we know how bad parents can be.” He was smirking and as much as she wanted to ignore him for it, seeing him smile was making her feel better. “I only held him a few times, Hunter. Maybe Dean shouldn’t be giving away his love so easily.” The last thing she wanted to do was to disappoint that kid and in turn disappoint Hunter even more. “Because I wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t, you know that. I didn’t get Grounded where it’s at by being shy about it.” She shook her head gently at him. “Maybe, but I don’t want to depend on miracles, Hunter. I like it better when you’re safe.” 

“Well, at least, I’m not dead…” She tried to to make a joke out of it, but she could see how seriously he felt about the situation. “I just don’t want you to be separated from your kid. I know he’s important to you and if I was parent, I’d choose my kid.” It wasn’t a choice between a partner and her child. She just wanted to make sure that Dean had someone, anything for him; things didn’t have to go sideways. Her parents hadn’t chosen each other or their children, and there were days when she felt like she hadn’t turned out so well. She just wanted to help Dean avoid that reality. She liked that kid and wanted the best for him. “I know I’m not strong, Hunter… but I really don’t want to take you away from your son.”

aureliaxvale‌:

Laughing at Mickey’s comment, she pressed her lips into a thin line and slowly nodded as if she was reconsidering the thought. “Mmm Hunter, I might have to reinstate your 3 months probation.” she joked as she looked over at Mickey for approval. “That is a start.” agreeing with their current focus. “I trust our judgment completely. Besides, I have faith that we’ll continue to upkeep Altimira’s values, despite the changes that we’re undergoing.” They will remain welcoming and open to all species and continue to lead and guide those who are in need. Now that they plan to grow, she doesn’t feel too worried about their strength. As Hunter mentioned, there is power in numbers.

Aurelia smiled, pointing at Mickey she then added, “That’s exactly why I’m kind of relieved you decided to join the same patrol as him. You can keep him in check.” They had their strengths and weaknesses that balanced each other out. She looked over at Hunter and tried to think of the same words of acknowledgement she’d given the warlock. “And uh, you…You just know…How to get the job done! Yup! That’s it.” Once they decided on a date, the Director skimmed through her calendar as she thought of the timeline. “Perfect! A month it is. Building up the hype will def give everyone something to look forward too while they settle down. The General Assembly can take place next week to give the students and staff something to think about. Get them ready for what’s to come.”

Pressing on a date on her phone, she sighed and looked up at both men. “You can come if you’re prepared to see them…tomorrow night.” She definitely lost track of time and didn’t realize the first Board Meeting since the dome was down was so soon. “I don’t know what mood they’re in, but you’re always a charmer Daniels. If you’re determined to win them over then I don’t see it being an issue.” However, her gaze darkened as she gave him a stern stare down. “But if you fuck it up then…No karaoke for you.” She knew he wouldn’t let her down, but she couldn’t help but poke fun at this doings. Putting her phone away, she gave Hunter an incredulous look and said, “Hunter, you could have said something along the lines of what Mickey said, but nooo! Now I’m second guessing myself here.” She held her pinky out and requested, “Pinky promise you will not start a fight unless deemed ultimately necessary—off Altimira property too.” // @unwrttxn

mickey chuckled at the threat that aurelia threw over at hunter before he agreed with her.  however, of all of them, hunter did seem to have better character judgement than most of the people that mickey knew.  although, it was difficult to admit it since they were speaking about hunter, after all.  "we all need to carry ourselves to represent altimira though,” mickey said before he looked over at hunter, “we’re representing not just ourselves anymore.  we can’t get caught up in situations that could make the suffer.”  he hated having to sound this strict, but with the academy’s reputation riding on their shoulders now, someone needed to push the actuality forward.  when it came to knowing how to conduct himself, mickey knew the ins and outs of it;  as the sole male heir of the merlin bloodline, he had been trained in codes of conducts before he could even start walking.

“of course,” mickey nodded, “i’ll keep him in check and i’ll start the warding process as well.”  although mickey knew the layout of the academy, it was better to get a better glimpse of it during the night-time;  the weaknesses were on display at times that they weren’t accustomed to.  he shook his head, letting a smile climb on a aurelia tried to compliment hunter as well.  a month was a solid plan to get everything completed and set.  "sounds like a good idea,“ mickey nodded, "having an assembly should get the students to start thinking about whether or not they wanted to volunteer as well.  although, i do think that we should get the current students involved with the event.  they can be a good representation of the temperament of the currently enrolled students.”

a boarding meeting tomorrow night?  mickey’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment before he stared at aurelia, “tomorrow night is your meeting?  maybe you should take hunter with you.  he does have a tendency to diffuse situations.”  mickey’s eyes bounced between hunter and aurelia before he said, “i’m beginning to think that we’ll be able to hold his karaoke dreams as hostage for nearly everything at this point.”  there was a softness in his expression before he offered, “i can come with you both to the meeting, if that’s what we’re going to do.  we can’t let hunter’s charm curdle in the wrong direction.” @twicehunted​

At this point, all Hunter decided to do was smile at Mickey and Aurelia.  He understood the pressure of maintaining a particular persona better than anyone else;  carrying himself in a manner that would represent Altimira Academy well might be a challenge but Hunter never backed down from challenges.  He nodded, "Okay.  I don't think I'm the one that you guys need to worry about."  Hunter's shoulders rose and fell as he admitted, "I'm pretty fucking transparent."  He had no ulterior motives;  he didn't become The Huntsman for fame or recognition, he chose to don the mask in order to make a difference.  Now that Hunter had the ability to make that difference, he wouldn't fuck it up with his usual antics.  He looked at Mickey and Aurelia, then pointed between the two of them and with a teasing tone said, "Now, you two?  You guys are the ones I'm worried about."  Hunter let out a loud laugh.

If Hunter was honest, he wasn't as worried as Mickey and Aurelia were about the Atlanteans or whatever - those creatures wanted to attack, they would have already.  His worry wasn't on the unknown but rather the known in the city.  With their return, the dark hand of the city would restart and echo into the academy;  he wanted to make sure that the students they were mentoring weren't tempted by the appeals of the darkness.  He shoved those thoughts aside and then grinned at Mickey, "Well, you can do the warding stuff you wanna do.  I am going to bring popcorn while you do that.  I love a good light show."  He wasn't actually sure what warding things would be like but he assumed that it would light up the night - in the back of his mind, he whispered:  Aurora Borealis.  Hunter nodded in agreement with the assembly idea, "I want to be the MC for that.  I think I would be the best at convincing students to get involved.  I'm at their level, you know."  He said with a nod.

Dean sounded like a cute kid and sometimes, the thought of having a kid like that made her rethink her stance on children. Annie told herself and others that she couldn’t have any because of her worries. She wasn’t sure what she’d pass on to them, with her mutant gene so strongly expressed. She wanted to avoid any and all trouble related to her powers, but now, she knew that it was impossible. Her boyfriend, if she could still call him that, was just frowning at her. She had really messed up and she felt worst than she did before. “Ok…” She walked after him. “I need to… I don’t want to get people killed… Hunter, some secrets are better kept as secrets.” She shook her head. “I didn’t tell you about all of this so you could be my knight in shining armour, Hunter. Don’t do that. I’m telling you because I’m sorry. Don’t do anything that’ll take you away from your son.”

aureliaxvale‌:

“It’s settled then. We’ll start the hiring process effective immediately and have the approvals go through the three of us.” Aurelia looked over at Hunter and rolled her eyes, “Don’t make us take it back.” she joked. In truth, having the three of them come to a decision was effective as they had different backgrounds in all walks of life. This was team building in the process and Aurelia felt that things were slowly looking up for the future of Altimira. “Agreed, we won’t make the hiring process public since anyone could join. We rely on our inner circle that we trust.”

Aurelia nodded in approval and began to thank them for taking the first shift. “Thanks guys. See how it goes and let me know if you need any resources to make things easier.” Once they settled on the idea of a General Assembly, the Director unlocked her phone and began looking through her calendar. “We’ll have both events during the same week. Should we do it three weeks from now? It’ll be a lot of work and preparation, especially while having to get the Academy up to speed with the present timeline. Or should we push till next month?” She then nodded in agreement with Mickey and said, “Agreed, I’m sure we’ll get the help we need.” They were definitely not alone in this. If anything they had their students and staff to rely on.

A hopeful expression crept onto Aurelia’s features as Mickey provided her reassurance. It would be nice if there had been a change in the Members. However, if she can’t have that then she hoped they’d have a change of heart and perspective on how she’d managed things in the Academy. As per usual, Hunter’s humoured comment caused her to narrow her gaze at him while she scoffed in response. “You can do that and separate myself and Mickey from your narrative.” A sudden thought came to mind, “Although, I’ll give you this one Daniels, you do have some Huntsman fans on the Board.” That admittance would probably lift his spirits and give him ideas to join the next meeting, but Aurelia actually didn’t mind. At least there’ll be some change for once. Nodding at both her peers, Aurelia agreed with the idea of heroes being present. “Mhm they’ll definitely hype things up around here.” However, her brows furrowed as a concern came to mind. “Make sure they don’t attract any villains our way. If they have to do the whole save the day thing, then take it outside Altimira grounds mmkays?” // @unwrttxn

"somehow, i feel like we just granted him power he won’t know what to do,” mickey said as he looked over to aurelia.  it wasn’t difficult to feel particularly overprotective.  mickey always kept his circle small, kept it close as well;  it was easier to find a leak when there weren’t many people to worry about.  "alright, i suppose our current duty is to bring the people to altimira,“ mickey said as he personally started to wonder about the people that they could bring in.  there were going to be a lot of favors to call in, now weren’t there?

at hunter’s mention about the patrol being a party, mickey shook his head and sighed.  he didn’t bother to respond to that comment - he was almost certain it would lead down a path he wasn’t exactly prepared to go down.  "i can’t rest easier if it was just hunter alone,” mickey explained, “not that i don’t think hunter could handle himself.  it’s just the magic factor has never been something that you’ve ever been good at,” mickey said as he turned his attention to hunter, “no offense, friend.”  as aurelia explained the situation, he nodded in agreement, “perhaps next month?  that way, what was it that godrick always said, we can build the hype up.”

mickey let out a laugh at aurelia and hunter’s exchange.  they were so different from each other and it was so entertaining to watch unfold.  he sighed and said, “maybe you should let the huntsman pay a visit?  it could be quite entertaining.”  mickey pressed his lips together as he thought about it.  where there are heroes, there would be villains - it was a constant push and pull, a common law of attraction between the forces of good and evil.  considering his closest friends, he was witness to their constant struggles.  "i think, we’ll just have to be on guard,“ mickey said, "but honestly, i think we’ll be okay.”

"You guys swear like I'm going to okay like Homer Simpson or something," Hunter said, cackling after he did before he shook his head.  He wore a bright grin, furnished with entiertainment as he shrugged and said, "Don't worry, I'll make sure that you two don't hire some boring stiff.  There's no way it'll work if you guys pick someone that boring.  We're running a school, not Impel Care."  Though, if Hunter was honest, Impel's security system was probably one of the most intense in the world.  He decided against bringing it up.  He cleared his throat and agreed with Mickey, "Yeah.  Let's bring a lot of people.  There's power in numbers, after all."  There was no point in being a hero if he couldn't save people, especially those who were just starting their lives.

Hunter didn't take offense from Mickey's comments.  He knew where the warlock was coming from.  "Me neither," Hunter admitted, "You're right, man.  I'm strong but I'm an even bigger idiot when it comes to magic."  That was something that Hunter wanted so desperately to learn more about, but it was a struggle.  There were things that made sense to him but magic wasn't something that clicked with him.  Part of living was to constantly try and learn.  Hunter nodded in agreement with them as he said, "Yeah.  Next month sounds like a good plan.  I can prepare my song."

Praise was not something that came to Curtis.  People happily praised The Patriot, but would never bother to touch Curtis with a ten-foot-pole.  The pink tint in his cheeks grew, even if he wasn’t trying to let it happen - compliments were definitely not something that he accustomed to.  His eyes shifted over to Hunter as he spoke, but only for a moment.  He couldn’t keep the gaze on him for long - there had been too many years of being trained to look away and hide his eyes, it was hard for habits to be broken.  With the compliments, he smiled at him and said, “Thank you.  The Patriot has always stood for justice and will continue do so.  Especially if the city is in need of it.”  There was a lot in this world that Curtis didn’t understand but what he did understand was justice and protecting those that couldn’t protect themselves.  That was never going to change.

Annie refused to show her abilities to her parents and she used to cry every time they manifested. “He’s at that age now… I’m glad that he’s a talkative kid… It’s good to be able to communicate what he’s feeling.” She knew how difficult it was to be awful at communication and also to be at the receiving end of a person who refused to communicate. One day, she’d get better. She sighed before biting her lip. There was no way that she was going to get better at anything if she just kept lying to the people she cared about. “A lot of things.” She started before she tried to sift through her memories to narrow it down to where it all began. She sighed again. 

“Whenever I became too agitated before, things would disappear around me, but I knew that it was my fault. So when I met her, she told me that she could help me… I joined Apollyon because I thought that she was going to fix me and I signed a contract…” She shifted her eyes away from Hunter. “Then I wasn’t me anymore and so Aurelia tried to help me by keeping me at Altimira, away from Amara.” She shook her head, not feeling like she was being completely truthful. “I worked for Apollyon and I still don’t know if I enjoyed it or not, but now, I want nothing to do with them or her.” She looked up at Hunter and furrowed her brows while she tried to read him. “I probably was one of the people The Huntsman would stop.”

Hunter shook his head and said, "Well, all of his feelings say that the kids on the playground like apple juice over grape."  He let out a chuckled at the mention of his son.  Their first dinner he shared with his son when he came was all about everything and nothing at the same time and honestly, Hunter was happy just to hear him.  Though, he hasn't been able to hear Annie as much as he would have liked.  He looked on at Annie, his brows furrowed as he took a breath.  A sigh came out as he released it almost at the same time as Annie let out the sigh.

aureliaxvale‌:

Aurelia broke her serious demeanour and giggled. It was refreshing to joke around effortlessly and a change of pace in a meeting such as this was needed. Easing into her seat, she nodded in understanding and flashed Mickey a reassuring smile. “No worries, we’ll figure it out eventually. For now we’ll make do with what we know and with the resources we have.” At his suggestion and warning, the Director pressed her lips together as her thoughts wandered off. She wore a concentrated look as she took in both men’s suggestions on how to better secure Altimira. “We’ll do four guards, split into two teams and eventually grow from there.” Aware of the budget, Aurelia knows that she can make it work. After being victims of the dome, she was certain that the Board will pour in funds for their security contract. “With the size of the Academy, including the outside property, we’ll need to ensure everything’s covered.”

“Agreed, our defenses should be the foundation of ensuring that the Academy runs smoothly. With the protestors and extremists…” Her voice trailed off as she sighed, “We’re an easy target, but with this meeting I’m sure we can all agree that this won’t be the case. We’ll stray away from the the thought of the Atlanteans and focus on what’s on the ground in front of us. We should have a General Assembly prior to the Open House to reassure the students and faculty of what’s going on and how we will be moving forward from here.” It was best to have everyone understand their plan of action now that they’re in the current timeline. A lot has happened during the five years and they all needed to adapt to the best of their abilities. As soon as Hunter volunteered to do the first night of patrol, Aurelia grinned and said, “Of course, no surprise there. Whatever you want Daniels, shifts all yours. Just try not to…wake up the whole Academy, let alone the City when you patrol…” Her tone was playful and she looked at both men with a relieved expression. “Thank you for helping me out with this! I appreciate it.”

Aurelia looked at Mickey with a scrunched face, a sign of distaste, “Ugh YES! I would love for a revamp, honestly it doesn’t help that I’m the only young woman there. They don’t take me seriously in comparison to my predecessors.” She paused as her expression faltered, “And they’re still bitter over the propaganda I’ve caused, but mind you my sister was just…messing with me.” Waving it off as if it wasn’t a big deal, Aurelia has already accepted that she can’t please everyone. “You know…Bringing the both of you in doesn’t sound like a bad idea…sorta.” She then pointed at Hunter, “You…You’re definitely going to either make it or break it.” She wouldn’t be surprised if he got kicked out the moment he stepped in and opened his mouth. At least something entertaining would happen for once rather than hear them question or complain over the littlest things. Chuckling at Hunter’s response, she grinned at Mickey and proceeded to sigh, “That is true. Hm, mmkays Daniels, sing your heart away. If you end up having the power to break our eardrums, I will personally knock the wind off your feet to stop you.”

// @unwrttxn

"mean?” mickey smiled as hunter accused both him and aurelia for being mean.  at this point, mickey was no longer affected by hunter’s antics;  he’d know the man for far too long.  he rolled his eyes in response to that stupidity hunter spewed.  however, his attention turned to aurelia with far more serious agreement.  "that’s a good suggestion.  even if we’re all very capable, it’s best not to get off guard,“ mickey commented.  he nodded and smiled, "i guess, if we start the hiring process, we’ll need to get the approval of all three of us.  i think that would be the best decision.”  they all had very different personalities and perspectives, making a decision between the three of them would probably be better than if one of them called the shots.  especially when it came to hiring.

mickey was certain that they could easily handle any fight that comes there way.  what was more concerning was handling the protestors - they always managed to find a way to turn everything against them, regardless of what their intentions would be.  he shook his head and turned his attention back to aurelia and nodded as she spoke.  he agreed with her statements, usually that seemed to be the case in this dynamic.  "i’ll help with the first patrol as well,“ mickey decided, "no need to bring in upchuck yet.  although, he’s not a bad person to have in our corner, if we’re being honest.”  there were plenty of abilities users in the city that got passed over and ignored, despite how big their abilities.  "i feel like the city will come help when we ask it,“ he said, "altimira is a place that many people care for.”

of all the people that knew what stuffy old councils would do, mickey could understand part of aurelia’s troubles.  he pressed his lips together and nodded, “don’t worry, you’ll change their minds soon enough.  they’ll realize that everything they’ve done to you is wrong.  it takes awhile to just change their mind.”  though, that propaganda did hinder their growth as an academy, mickey couldn’t let the blame fall all on aurelia’s shoulders.  he’d been overseas on a different assignment.  mickey laughed at the idea of hunter surrounded by stuffy suits. then he looked at hunter and suggested, “are you going to be singing as hunter daniels or gracing the stage as the huntsman?”  he paused and then said, “here’s an idea, we should extend the invite to other heroes.” @twicehunted​

"You guys want my opinion too?" Hunter said with a bright smile.  It was so strange to have people with such strong reputations to believe in him, especially with Altimira Academy.  He sighed, "Okay, I'll be great about it.  I'm a great judge of character."  Somehow, all the people that Hunter kept close were to be trusted but with everything, the more people he trusted, the more worried he was.  That was the case with everything, wasn't it?  He looked over to Mickey and then Aurelia, "We should only hire the people that can earn our trust."

Hunter came into Altimira Academy as a teacher at a very chaotic time and despite being there so frequently, he didn't understand all of the resources and funding talk that came with it.  So, he didn't think much about it but the truth about it was, they were lacking something other than funding.  Hunter didn't get the formal education that either of these two people, so his opinion wasn't based on that.  Rather, he aimed for the basics of trust with the students.  At this point, all he could do was nod in agreement with them.  "That sounds like a plan," Hunter replied and smiled, "It's gonna be like a party.  We'll probably need tons of coffee or whatever to keep it going and shit."  

Aurelia wanted to blame the effects of the dome for how Hunter was able to be the voice of reason at this very moment. However, she knew that would be immature of her and so she opted to swallow her pride instead. “It didn’t hurt to try.” she muttered. Her situation had always been complicated. She wasn’t supposed to be here or anywhere for that matter and she was grateful for the forces that kept her family away from coming after her. However, the only way for her to be at peace with herself would be knowing that Xavier and the Vales weren’t in existence to harm her or her loved ones. Her ears perked up at Hunter’s comment as she rolled her eyes, “Not sad Daniels, lucky. Have you ever met Miss Antoinette Warren during her sorority days? Hell, I tell you, literal hell.”

Aurelia looked away, this whole concept of discussing what’s underneath the underneath and the layers of her life were difficult for her to even face. She preferred to keep it all to herself in that storm born mind of hers. She attempted to force out a smile, but it naturally came out as a grimace instead. He had too much faith in her and she was grateful for that but…“I know Hunter.” she replied in a stoic tone. “I…” Her voice trailed off as she tried to find the right words to say. “I will do my best.” It wasn’t good enough, she knew that, but this was closest thing she could say without having to blow things out of proportion. Perhaps some things were better left unsaid. Chuckling softly, she sighed and nodded, “Alright then, should things get messy then you, Annie and Mickey got my back on this. The Academy’s all in your hands.” It was better to be safe than sorry. “And for the record there’s a difference between bad and dumb decisions Huntsman. Although somehow your bad slash dumb decisions usually work in your favour.”

With that being said, her compliment game was definitely weak as she flashed him a sheepish smile. “I’m on a roll with that aren’t I? Errr, my bad!” Aurelia waved it off, dismissing the topic. The lectures needed to end now as they both needed a break. “On the bright side, your dramatic assholes improved greatly and it’s the little things that count.” Both Antoinette and Aurelia’s time in Ceres influenced their growth and the kind of women they are today. She was certain that they both didn’t regret staying here for the time being. “I hope so. I’ve sheltered her this whole time and I trust her, I do. But I can’t help and have this gut feeling…” Facing both her palms towards the ground, she physically pushed herself upwards and began floating in the air. “I’ll search high and you search low?” she proposed. “If we can’t find her then we’ll just round back at the Academy or Grounded.” She was just about to fly off, but she stops herself midair and looked over her shoulder at Hunter. “Hey Daniels, I know I’ve said this countless times by now, but thank you.” Her gratitude shown through her smile as she ended it with, “I mean it.”

When Hunter was supposed to be in college, he had to bust his ass for a meal to eat.  So, while he would have loved to imagine what Aurelia and Annie could have been at college, he didn't have any reference except for what he saw in the movies.  He chuckled at her response and shrugged, "I hope you have pictures.  I'd love to see that shit."  Hunter heard plenty of stories fro Gray and Godrick about college dates, even Mickey had stories about those college times.  He smiled and said, "I think you and Annie need to share all of that with me one day.  I think that sounds like a plan."

Hunter watched Aurelia, his eyes scanning her expression before he shook his head.  "There's something you're not telling me," he decided aloud, "It's definitely there and that's why you're acting like this."  Whenever people dropped into talking about the future like that, it never meant anything good.  At least, not in Hunter's opinion.  He looked at her and let out a loud laugh, "Listen, you only get to see the things that news reports put out but there's so many things that don't ever get reported."  There had been things that The Huntsman did that Hunter thanked the Lord that nothing got reported;  good days and bad days come up all the time and it's only a matter of how he handles them and Hunter handled all of it with humor in every way.  He looked Aurelia, "I'm just adaptable is all, honest."

“I’ll have to check some of your work out, maybe give you some pointers here and there as a thank you for taking the time to talk to me.” It were the least he could do after interrupting him and his son’s afternoon out, for what ever it’s worth. “I’ll be sure to make it known not all things ended hor-…I’ll make sure we reflect on all the good that happened inside there.” What with all that’s been going on since Ceres’ return, Manning wasn’t blind or deaf. He saw. Always listened. Too much doom and gloom spread through the city streets and if he could shed a little light on all the good that occurred, then he’d find solace in that. “Awesome, thanks.” Altimira held a special place in Manning’s heart. They cared for and sheltered him after the man who he thought was his idol simply…tossed him out. There was a certain debt he felt needed repaid. “Altimira was basically my second home, so whatever you need, count me in. As for the press, leave that to me. I might be a little biased,” He smiled, giving a quick wink in Hunter’s direction. “but no one needs to know that.”

Magic. Out of all the things this world they live in has to offer, magic was the one thing Manning struggled to make a sense of. Writing down a few key notes, he pondered on the words spoken. Yep. Didn’t make a lick of sense. “No worries. I have no knowledge whatsoever, either.—That’s a lot to comprehend, but you don’t have to say anymore on the subject.” He said, closing the notebook and tucking it under his arm, “I’m not saying I know how you feel…but I’m sure it’s difficult to talk about. So once again, thank you.”

Hunter beamed at Manning's comment and started to laugh at the idea of an actual reporter reading his words.  Though, he wouldn't be upset if that kicked off his career as a food critic.  His eyes flashed over to Manning and he nodded, "Everyone knows the bad.  Or they think they know, but there have been good things that line it too."  Hunter had an innate ability for optimism.  Even if it seemed foolish to everyone else.  Which was why he held so tightly to Altimira Academy - the world needed it, the world needed hope.  "Hey, the same goes for you man," Hunter threw out.  He didn't know Manning other than this interaction, but he smiled and said, "We're part of the Altimira Academy family and we got each other's backs.  You should check in some time though.  I'm sure there's some people there that would love to see a familiar face, especially right now."

This man’s excitement was infectious.  All Curtis could do was smile and then nodded along as he spoke.  He had never expected that a man such as this one to be this excited to meet him - times really had changed.  “Thank you, sir,” Curtis said with a bright smile, “I must thank you for your kind words.  I am quite happy to be known for such a good trail.”  Hunter’s questions made him go quiet.  There were many reasons, plenty of things that he couldn’t remember.  It had to do with science.  He shook his head and said, “I knew I was in a deep sleep.  I did not expect to wake up from the slumber again but I was found by some good people.  I hope I can help bring some light back into this world.”

“Blame our upbringing.” Aurelia stated flatly. It was a poor excuse, but old habits die hard and both Annie and Aurelia grew accustomed to how they coped with certain things while they grew up. “If it helps, we’re not as bad as we used to be back then. You’re actually lucky that you’ve met us at our prime time.” Although there was humour in her tone, their lives weren’t a joke as they had their fair share of suffering. However, that was the kind of approach the Director took when she had to speak of it. “Touché Huntsman, touché.”

Chuckling softly, Aurelia allowed him to assume. Once he accepted her proposal, a gracious smile crept onto her lips. “Thank you.” she said at first. “However, I’m not talking about death. With Death as my literal daughter and the Antichrist on my side, I don’t think they’d let that happen to me…However, I promise to do my best to stay alive.” She then reached out and place a hand on his shoulder to get his undivided attention. “What I really meant is geared towards me and not being deemed fit to be Altimira’s Director. If you haven’t noticed, I’m not like the past predecessors. I’m prone to making bad decisions instead of taking the high road or going by the books and so, I don’t want to bring the Academy down with me.” This time her smile came out forced as he reassured him some more, “You’re a natural born leader Hunter and I truly believe you’d be an amazing Director. You give so much people hope, including me and that’s something I haven’t believed in before I came here.”

Her gaze softened as he spoke on. He truly wasn’t the type to lecture since it was usually the other way around. As such, the tables have pretty much turned. “It’s called maturity.” retorted the Director with grin. “Awww Hunter!” Without any hesitation, Aurelia couldn’t help, but give him a big hug. “Thank you for being a great friend. I won’t deny it, me and Annie do need you in our lives.” She then pulled away and genuinely laughed, something she hadn’t done in a long time. “Although for the record, you actually got a couple of things wrong: it’s not a big mistake that you’re my friend—it’s actually a blessing in disguise. Annnnd I think you’re stretching it—out of the three of us you’re definitely the dumb one. Annie and I are just dramatic assholes.” She paused and raised her brows as she looked at their surroundings. “And speaking of Annie, where the fuck is she?…We should try to find her. Knowing her, she might have wandered…” 

"Can't do that.  You're beyond the age of blaming your parents," Hunter said as he nodded at her.  Then he shrugged and said, "I mean, my parents only raised until I was 8.  So, everything about me after that is my fault and I accept it."  Eight years old was an early age to have to be on your own, but Hunter could never claim that the people at Griselda's took care of him.  Hunter shrugged and asked, "So, I'm meeting you guys after you peaked?  That's so sad."  He laughed.

The thing about being mortal that Hunter liked so much was that it made him want to live his life to the fullest.  Although he knew there were people who could live forever, it wasn't something he could bring himself to ever desire;  he had one life and that was all he needed to make a legacy of himself.  He shrugged and said, "You'll stay alive but if you're living like this," - he gestured to all of her and then to the imaginary stress bubble above her - "You're not really living.  It's like you're just going through the motions. "  He looked at Aurelia and rose an eyebrow at her.  Though he wanted to protest, he knew what she was referring to and shrugged, "Why are you going all Hallmark channel on me for?  If you make a bad decision, you make a bad decision.  That's why your team's here to back you up and clean up whatever mess it is.  You think I always made good decisions as The Huntsman?  HA!  Fucking HA!"  

aureliaxvale‌:

“Mhm.” agreed Aurelia as she thought of her students. Ever since she became a trainer, she’d seen the influence the Academy had on them. Many of them recommended their friends and family to join, which meant a growth of different generations that attended. This place had history and they were going to preserve that. “Top 8?” questioned Aurelia as she turned to Hunter. “Hm, funny I expected more than that.” she teased before getting back on topic. At Mickey’s warning, her gaze hardened as she took this as vital information. “I’d appreciate that. As for the Atlanteans, we’ll proceed with caution if they make themselves known. We should also make sure that the students don’t engage with them at all costs. Their curiosity will get the best of them.” She paused as an inquiry came to mind, “Is there any way to identify them? Or is this going to be some sort of waiting game.”

At Hunter’s suggestion, she didn’t think twice and proceeded to approve the notion. “We can move forward with the patrol guards effective as soon as possible. Also with the dome down, I know things have changed. So if the both of you know anyone looking for work and don’t mind doing this, then I’m all for the referral. I trust both of your judgements.” It was evident that security was their top priority and she knew that in a City like Ceres, they’d be able to find skillful individuals who can execute the task of protecting the Academy.

Bouncing off ideas from one another proved how efficient they worked as a team. The three of them were able to prep the Open House plan and now it was a matter of putting it into action. “A new era indeed.” agreed Aurelia with a proud smile. “Right? This wasn’t sooo bad. In fact, this has to be one of my favourite meetings so far…Why haven’t we done more of this? It’s like super productive. Then again I’m probably biased seeing as I despise the meetings with the Board.” Narrowing her gaze at Hunter, the Director wore a hesitant expression and slowly shook her head. “Yeah um…I don’t mind the karaoke section, but you serenading to others might be…Eh…I don’t know about that.” He looked over at Mickey to see if he’d agree. “Can the Huntsman even sing?” Aurelia then pulled out her phone to take a look at her calendar, “We should decided on a date by the way. Should we host this at our earliest convenience or by the end of the month?” // @unwrttxn​

"hunter,” mickey said as he turned to face him.  he drew in a soft breath as he said, “i’m from britain and even i know that joke deactivated before it arrived.”  though it was easy to say that the could protect the students or warn them against interacting with the atlanteans, it was impossible to figure out - atlantean magic was thought to be lost power, even mickey hadn’t had a chance to study it.  he frowned at the idea and rose an eyebrow, “unfortunately, like the rest of the magical arts thought to be lost, atlantean magic isn’t something that i have any real background on.  all i can do is grasp at small mentions in the lore that i can access, but nothing concrete.”  he bit the side of his cheek as he shook his head.  a frown came as he realized that this time around, if the atlanteans ever chose to attack, he might be completely outmatched in terms of magic - that was terrifying.

at the mention of people looking for work, mickey cast a quick glance at hunter and said, “i think we might know a few people who are in need of some part-time work.”  just like hunter, mickey was connected to the gamble.  so he knew that there were people who needed some part-time work during the temporary hiatus for their favorite watering hole.  then he suggested, “i think, we should aim for having at least two on night patrol.”  he paused as a sudden thought dawned on him - the attackers might not even be other powered people.  the dome and the events that came with must have bolstered up and emboldened those who were against powers to begin with.  "we need to be more defensive than offensive, however,“ he said, "i feel as though we’ll be getting protesters of powers rather than being attacked by those with powers.”

mickey looked at aurelia and smiled, “the board of directors needs a revamp.  i honestly think they’re they might be the same people as those in the council i go to.  they’re all old and stuffy.”  though he might have been one of the youngest members of the magic council, it never meant he was the most liked;  they thought his way of magic was far too different from the traditions and rituals they knew.  mickey’s attention was brought back as aurelia asked him and he laughed, “unfortunately, i wish i could say he wasn’t able to but the huntsman has always been able to do impossible things.” @twicehunted​

"Why are you all so mean to me?" Hunter asked with complete faux offense in his expression.  He put his hand to his chest as he left his mouth open, dramatically blinking as he looked at Aurelia and then Mickey.  Then he pointed at Mickey, "I forget that you're funny sometimes."  Hunter always looked forward to the times when Mickey decided to visit Ceres Centropolis;  when Mickey said he was going to stay in Ceres Centropolis for much longer than his normal visits, he was one of the most excited people at that announcements.  Although, this talk of the Atlanteans being present still didn't sit well with Hunter.  Mickey's warning rang true but he didn't like it.  "I don't think we should think too much about it.  If people start searching for Atlanteans among us, it'll just turn everything into a witch hunt and we don't need that.  Not right now," Hunter said.  A hunt for Atlanteans would only further the prejudice that came toward powered people.

At Aurelia's acceptance and then Mickey's suggestion, Hunter grinned.  There was definitely nothing better than bringing people that he loved together.  So, he gave a thumbs up and said, "I know exactly who I'm going to bring in."  He paused dramatically as he said, "Upchuck Ulyssesys."  Then he laughed really loud and shook his head, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding ...or am I?"  People make fun of Upchuck plenty but despite what they say, that guy knew more about his power control than anyone gave him credit for.  He shook his head and nodded in agreement at the more serious turn of their conversation.  "Oh, oh, oh," Hunter said as he raised his hand, waved his hand around and said, "I wanna volunteer for the first night.  Me, yes."

“That is correct, yes. If you’re uncomfortable with that we can always use a pseudonym, or the offer still stands if you’d like to remain anonymous, Mr. Daniels.” Manning obviously has no clue about who the man before him was or what ever situations he went through. It were clear as day Hunter and his son didn’t deserve to be bothered more than they already were. Whether he was willing to talk or not. “I’m glad to see not everything was grim.” He said, jotting down the two names he were given. He then nodded, turning his attention away from the notebook as they spoke about Altimira, “I was there for five years and I’ll say wholeheartedly that those years were the best days of my life. I’m so tired of them, of you guys, getting slandered left and right for all the good you guys do for the superpowered youths.—I’m hoping to change that, though.” Manning’s met some great people during that time, many of his friends being fellow alums. It wasn’t fair Altimira Academy got the rep it did. “Duly noted. I can’t wait to see what you all have in store; you’ll have to send me an invite.”

A frown came upon Manning’s face at the words. Not all the heroes. More than anything did he wish he’d been inside that Dome along with everyone else, perhaps then one or two other people might had made it back. “I’m sorry.” To Hunter, the apology seemed like any other, but to Manning it meant so much more; he were sorry to the city, sorry to those that’d lost their lives. “—The Elementalists, I’m assuming they had something to do with it, no?”

"Nah, I'm not uncomfortable with anything," Hunter said proudly as he said, "I mean, I'm a regular food critic, myself.  I do Yelp.  It's not as well published as your work with The Ceres World, but it's a little something-something I do on the side."  However, he hadn't had much time to write a review and with the way the city was, many of those buildings didn't get a chance to stick around for much longer.  Hunter looked at him and said, "We needed to find a little happiness.  There are terrible things going on but the world doesn't have to be as cruel as it is."  Though, that was little solace in terms of the awful events that they had to endure.  However as he spoke about Altimira, Hunter formed a grin - that was a place that brought light into the darkness of the world that they were currently in.  "Yeah, for sure, we'll get you an invite," Hunter said with a grin, "We'll need the help of alumni for the event.  We're trying to garner up more good press for Altimira."

Hunter caught the frown that came upon the journalist's face.  He took in a soft breath as he realized that he wasn't sure if he should share more.  However, it would be an injustice to the people that they had lost.  "Yeah," Hunter said, "According to Mickey, they interrupted a ritual that caused a ripple effect and then it was like a domino effect.  I don't know much about magic, so I can't tell you anymore than just that."

aureliaxvale‌:

Recalling her previous conversation with Hunter, this was the exact reason why she was having this meeting. With Altimira out in the open and rebuilding its status after recent events, the Director needed to take precaution in which direction she’ll take the institution in. Therefore, reaching out to both men meant that they were the most trusted confidantes in her eyes. “I’m not opposed to the idea of warding off the school.” It was a good idea to enhance their security for the time being. “I appreciate it Mickey, thank you.” Once he explained the process of having the lacrima in their possession, Aurelia looked at both Hunter and Mickey whilst nodding in understanding. “In that case, we’ll rely on the lacrima as the basis of our security. Hunter you can follow up with Godrick. If he knows a way to fuse the Academy’s security sector with magic and whatever force that could assist us, then I’m open to it.”

A frown followed suit after learning that information on the dome situation was at a dead end. However, she shook her head at Mickey and said, “It’s alright. You did what you had to do. I just hope your meeting with the Council can shed some light on what happened.” She then nodded in agreement with Hunter as she sat there in silence, biting the inside of her cheeks out of habit when she was in deep thought. A lot has happened over the years, what if this was just the beginning of something more? This wasn’t the right time, nor place to be a negative nancy and so she went for a general response instead. “The students are our priority. If something like this were to happen again, it’s easy to lose out on hope and we can’t have them do that. They need to have faith in themselves that they’ll overcome this and a gazillion more chaos that the City brings. It’s easier said than done, but I believe that’s the foundation we can build on. Hope.”

To bring such intangible feeling to life, the open house would definitely be a great start. Pointing at Mickey, she nodded in agreement to his suggestion. “Both alumni and past donors would help. It’ll be great for press and our donors can definitely assist with sponsoring the event.” She then diverted her gaze at Hunter and smirked, “For once, you have a brilliant idea.” she teased, while gesturing a wave to proceed with his suggestion. “Festival…Carnival…Family friendly?? All that can work. The City needs a break indeed and Altimira can definitely bring that to the table. It’s spring isn’t it? We can do some sort of Spring Festival, the idea of growth and new beginnings? It’ll be cute.” // @unwrttxn

mickey smirked in amusement as hunter mentioned godrick.  "he’s been your favorite as of recently, hasn’t he?“ he asked with a teasing tone before he nodded, "i do agree that is a good idea.  we can’t be too cautious.  people entrust their loved ones to us, after all.”  this was responsibility that went further than what regular teachers had to deal with - an algebra teacher would never have to worry about villains ransacking their school in order to kidnap potential, after all.  the warlock wondered about the other options that could be put in place to protect the school but at the same, he worried about overly policing the academy;  it was definitely a difficult predicament that they were in.

there was guilt that settled into the back of mickey’s mind.  it wasn’t uncommon to carry the weight of guilt when he knew he could have done more than what he did;  being graced with such strength and abilities made it difficult to feel comfortable that he survived, but countless others didn’t.  "i’ll inform you once i hear from the council.  i would be on guard though,“ he began the warning.  he slowly nodded and said, "when atlantis rose, there were many atlanteans that came with it.  so, i would be wary.  i’m not sure if they’ve chosen to be friend or foe after the elementalists attacked.”  he hated to set worry to people, but it could end up being a matter of life or death if they were careless.  the staff at altimira had different responsibilities after all.

“a family friendly carnival,” mickey said as he let the corners of his lips tug themselves in a smile.  he nodded as aurelia suggested the spring festival, “basically, a new era to altimira academy.” the preparations would need to start as soon as possible.  luckily, magic could make everything easier.  "well, i guess that was much easier than i expected it to be,“ he admitted. @twicehunted​

Hunter was always impressed by his friends.  Every single one of them always managed to do something incredible and excell in whatever they decide to do - he was so happy to have them as friends.  He smiled at Mickey's comments, "I married him and Christine.  Of course, he's currently my favorite.  Don't worry, my Top 8 cycles around every few days.  EVeryone gets a chance on top."  When it came to Altimira Academy, Hunter would never be scared to put more effort than he needed to.  He liked to be the person that he needed when he was a child and Altimira Academy was the best way to do that.  All he could do was nod in agreement as they discussed the upgrade to their security system at the school.  "Should we also add a night patrol?" Hunter chimed in.  "We could cycle it around.  If someone's on night patrol, their classes the next day would be cancelled.  That way, someone'll always have their eyes on the academy."

When it came to magic, Hunter knew he was a complete dunce.  He wouldn't ever pretend to know the slightest thing about magic - that was something he could leave to the experts.  He wouldn't bring up that he thought the Magic Council was a set of 10 wizards in a robes and really long beards that waved around sticks - that would be rude.  So, when Mickey brought up the warning for Atlantis, Hunter's eyes widened and stared blankly at Mickey, "What do you mean they're still here?"  That was a thought that had passed him by entirely.  He didn't even realize that they could be amongst them.  However, he nodded in agreement to Aurelia's statement and said, "I'm going to hold on to Hope even if the Atlanteans attack again.  God, I hope they don't attack again."

Despite what everyone said, Hunter decided that he always had great ideas.  If people could them a chance, they would understand.  He smiled as excitement filled his eyes with childlike wonder.  "A Spring festival for the us and the city," Hunter said, "That's going to be pretty fucking awesome.  Let's have a karaoke section.  I would like to dedicate some songs to people."  // @aureliaxvale​

“I’m Manning Caldwell with The Ceres World, it’s a pleasure Hunter.” He said, jotting down and underlining the man’s name. At the mention of Altimira, an eyebrow cocked, eyes lifting from the notebook. “I’m an Alumni of Altimira, actually. My last year attending was the year before it vanished.—Great place I must say.” He owed everything to that place after his father had shipped him away ten years ago. Everything his father failed to show him, the staff there made up for in every way possible. Without them, the possibility of being Brick would never have became a reality, something he’ll always be thankful for. “I’m ecstatic to see it return and what other marvels it’ll produce.”

Listening to Hunter’s recollection from the moment the Dome consumed the city, his pen feverishly jotted down the key words and phrases, bolding some and underlining others. Eyes focused on Hunter as he continued to write and asked, “Can you elaborate any? Though I can assume the masses went into panic.” In an attempt to view the story as Brick, from a hero’s eye in the back of his mind and the amount of obituaries coming in, he didn’t need to be told. It was really, really bad.  

“The Ceres World, huh?  So, whatever you quote from me will be read by the rest of Ceres Centropolis?”  Hunter asked, then grinned as he held a finger up.  He paused for a moment, letting the air fill with dramatics before he said, “Please put that Quentin Godrick and Christine Knight got married, by me, in the Dome.  I would very much enjoy having that in the paper.”  Although, he wasn’t sure if Godrick and Christine would have, but that was something that future Hunter could worry about.  Hunter smiled at the guy when he mentioned he was an Altimira Alumni.  He nodded, proudly before he said, “Well, then you and I are on the same team.  Different eras, of course but same team.  Altimira’s definitely a place that deserves the recognition.  After that Dome incident, we definitely need a place like Altimi--OH!!!”  Hunter gasped as he remembered, “Oh, oh.  Put it in your paper.  That Altimira’s gonna do something.  Am I allowed to say?”  He couldn’t remember what was agreed upon with Mickey and Aurelia.  So, he ended up just shrugging.