"After everything I just told you, you still want to enter the trials? Why?" Val said as she stepped closer to D. A thin veil of pulsating shadows began rising from her shoulders as the room seemed to grow darker.
"Because I have someone I need to see, and if these stupid trials are the only way off this island then I'm doing them." Roxanne began stepping back away from D as Val grew closer, obviously poised to attack. However Max stood strong next to his friend.
"If you want to get into the trials you'll need recommendation from an upper classman in good standing with the school, where are you going to find that?"
"D just smirked and motioned to her and Nashoba.
"If you think I would sign off on your death wish you have me surely mistaken." She said walking back to the table where Nashoba said, "I don't know Val could be fun, look at this group of newbies." he said as he stood from the table and began gathering his belongings. "Could be fun to watch 'em crash and burn like the rest.
"Nashoba! You know..." Val didn't finish her sentence.
"Why don't I prove it to you two then?" D said sick of being treated like some stupid freshman by the two upperclassmen. "What if I prove to you that I've got what it takes, what about then?"
Val laughed, and Nashoba snickered. "Prove it to us how?"
A dark look went over D's face as he said, "The only way this place seems to work, by force!" He went to hit Val but was blocked and counter struck in the chest. He used the hit to absorb a bit of her glow and suddenly fell down into his own shadow as if it was deep stretch of water.
D opened his eyes, he couldn't breathe normally here. It was like a black fluid was filling his lungs but he wasn't drowning. He was in some weird state between both breathing and drowning. All he could see around him was a black inky abyss with a few items strewn about.
A couple seconds later a hand grabbed him by the hair and pulled him up through the black shadow on the floor his head broke the surface with a breathily gasp, asd he pulled the rest of his body out of the shadow puddle.
"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING?! YOU COULD'VE DIED!" Val was screaming and beat on the floor as she laid crouched next to D who was still getting reacclimated to the lights of the room.
D let out a couple of deep coughs, a black shadowy substance came flying out with a few of them.
"I n-needed to find out more about your power before we fight, and this was the best way." D stood up with help from Max and got into an impromptu fighting stance.
"What, I'm not going to fight you D-" Val said as a hand moved her to the side and Nashoba stepped in front of her to face D. "You think you're hot shit man, come in here using your powers to hurt my friend?" Nashoba threw his glasses to the table and slicked his hair back.
"You want a fight? well here it is."
D was the taller more physically adept fighter, but Nashoba had a certain calm and collected edge that was throwing D off. Before either could throw the first punch Val, Max and Roxanne threw themselves in front of the pair to try to stop them from beating each other senseless.
"Lets just calm down alright guys?" Roxanne said in a caring manner that didn't really suit the contours and emotions on her face. "Yeah let's just sit down and talk this through like actual adults" Max added.
Nashoba stepped back first and sat back down at the table and put his glasses back on. "It's fine fighting between students is something that happens every day here," He said as he reclined back in his chair looking at the ceiling. "Besides, the fact you were willing to fight me shows me you've got enough fight in you to at least attempt the trials."
"Nashoba!-" Val cried out.
D went slightly ecstatic "Yes, so you believe I could beat the trials?"
Nashoba let out a stuttering laugh as he said "I said attempt the trials, I didn't say it would be easy or that you'd actually pass," He sat forward and looked D over with an assessing gaze. "But, I don't necessarily think you'd end up dead from the trials either. So you've got my vote"
Val stepped in front of Nashoba and looked firmly at D as she said. "Well I still believe its a far stupider idea than either of you care to realize, but..." Nashoba but his over hers as it rested on the table beside her and he looked her in the eyes.
An unspoken softness laid in his eyes, a silent promise, something that convinced her even against her better judgement.
"Fine if you want to throw everything away, fine I'll give you my vote for the trials and I'll file me and Nashoba's votes with the school so they're official." She walked over to D and put a hand on his shoulder just like her older sister used to do for her before she asked him.
"And you're sure you want to do this? Once I file it with the school there's no going back and people will know." She put on a smile through the painful memories of her sister as she said, "Since people will bother you about it let me know if you get any bullies trying to mess with you." She said in a mocking overprotective manner.
Before she could realize she'd been too forward D went in and hugged her, as he said "Yes, this is what I have to do to, there's nothing I want more than this." Memories of his mom flooded his mind with those words, the same words she'd said to him the last time he ever saw her outside of a prison cell.
D was the first to break the hug and he looked over to his roommates as he asked, "Well who's hungry? All this sobbing has really made me hungry!"
Everyone in the room raised their hand.