After the lesson was over, Jake decided to go meet with Summer Class.
Toon had compiled a list of possible weaknesses, and foremost among them was photography.
Most abilities over Sixth Tier had certain weaknesses built into them. His was a notable exception, but in almost all cases, the stronger the ability, the greater the liability the weakness presents.
Of course, there was power to his ability, but it did nothing, as far as they could tell, so it made sense that he didn't have a weakness.
It stood to reason that, given the lack of a picture on file, she had some sort of adversity towards having her portrait taken. Of course, that could simply be because she didn't want to have her picture taken, but Xavier contradicted that line of thought vehemently.
After all, apparently her description implied that she was very attractive. Jake didn't know, because he paid more attention to the specific characteristics that would make her stand out than how they would look together.
After a bit of thought, and not a little unhappiness from Hashim, Jake tentatively asked Xavier to display what he thought she looked like.
After forcing the image to be confined to a school uniform to more accurately represent what they should be looking for, Jake studied it. It was detailed, that's for sure. More detailed than any casual guess should be.
Jake's suspicions rose. For about a week around when they first got here, he and, he assumed, everyone else in their brain, had sort of been obscured, like a heavy cloth was draped over their bodies. All Jake could feel was Xavier moving around, and that just faintly.
They all assumed that Xavier had taken control, and though he had probably done something that the rest of them would rather not have witnessed, it was concerning to know that things like that could still happen.
Jake shook his head, focusing, then he presented the question to Xavier.
Have you met Summer Class before?
Jake's resolve was firm, but Xavier's matched. He refused to disclose anything, though Xavier had a feeling they would find out very soon.
As the two of them clashed and Hashim tried to separate them so that they could focus on their goal, Toon was thrust into control.
And, of course, someone immediately bumped into him.
Toon fell to the ground, grunting. When he looked up, there was Abigail, the girl from earlier.
Toon's mind raced. He didn't know what to do.
What would Jake do? What would Jake do?
What would Hashim and himself not do?
Toon didn't know how to answer those questions. In the end, he ended up just standing up and reaching out a hand to her. Toon didn't smile. He didn't know how.
But Abigail did.
That smile immediately stopped Jake and Xavier from fighting.
Toon didn't know why, but they both began scrambling for control of the body instead of fighting over what had happened with Summer. Because it was Toon in control, Xavier was pushed back as Toon stepped down, and after Toon faded from the front, Jake took over.
He offered her a smile, and said, "Are you alright?"
She smiled back, then asked hesitantly. "Jake?"
Jake nodded, keeping the smile up. It hurt to smile just after Toon had been in control, like always.
"Um... Thanks..." she said, and she blushed. Hashim groaned, and then Xavier took over control.
With a cheeky smile, he used his ability to lift up the things that had spilled form the floor into her arms again. Xavier could see the wheels turning in her brain. She got it quicker than most, Xavier realized with a smirk.
"Xavier?" she guessed.
"Bingo," he responded. She blushed again. She really was cute when she was flustered.
"So, how long have you been watching us?" Xavier asked casually.
"Not long..."
She was lying. Both Xavier and Jake agreed on that.
"Right," Xavier said dryly. "So, how's your integration been?"
"Um..."
There was something she didn't want to tell them. Xavier wanted to push for it, but Jake said they should wait. After all, they were trying to build an actual relationship.
Hashim broadcasted annoyance, and thought, Not that kind of relationship, Xavier.
Xavier just grinned.
"Alright then. Well, want to come along?"
"Along to what?" Abigail asked.
"To meet Summer," was Xavier's answer.
"Who's Summer?"
But Xavier didn't respond. He just turned and walked away. Jake was able to push him out of control because of it. He really didn't know how to be friends with someone.
"I don't know," Jake said over his shoulder to her. Sure enough, she was following. "A friend told me to talk to her."
Technically true. Toon was sort of a friend. But Jake didn't have any problems lying, anyway.
We should fix that. Hashim thought. If we're going to try to... befriend her then we'll need to be honest.
Jake noticed, but didn't comment on the pause. Hashim didn't like that they were making a friend, but he went along with it because everyone else said it was a good idea.
Besides that, he was right. They should be honest with her. After all, she already knew their biggest secret, so what was left to-
STOP.
Jake blinked, halting, and Abigail almost bumped into him. Just before she did, he took another discreet step forward, then held up his hand to the side, gesturing her to stop.
At first, he had thought that he had stopped because of the sudden loud thought, but that wasn't it. Xavier had stopped them for some reason, it seemed.
Even though Jake was still in control.
Their balance was breaking. And it was breaking fast. First Xavier hid something from them, then he slipped into the Deep Consciousness, and now Xavier was able to control the body while Jake was in control.
They needed to get this sorted out.
Fast.
But in the meantime, they needed to talk to Summer Class. And something told Jake she was right in front of them.
Scanning the crowd, he didn't see anything. Xavier was drowning his own thoughts out with a low hum of amusement. He wanted Jake to figure it out himself.
Oh, well. Jake looked over the crowd again, then he paused.
Focusing, Jake activated his ability. Then he looked around again.
Wherever his eyes went, the students were nervous. All but one. That would be Summer.
When their eyes locked, she flinched. Not started in surprise.
She flinched.
In fear.
Jake slowly approached her.
"Hey," he said softly. "Summer, right?"
Whatever happened, it must have been Xavier.
"I'm Hashim, and this is Abigail," Jake said, continuing in the same tone as he gestured behind himself at Abigail.
Slowly, he extended a hand for a shake. But to his surprise, her grip on his wrist wasn't timid. She pulled him in close, and a whiff of something entered his nose. Something like... sulfur? So the fear must have been an illusion.
Jake soon found himself frozen next to Abigail. How strange. He couldn't seem to break free.
It was an interesting ability. It seemed that Toon had been wrong with his guess.
And just like that, Toon took control, and they were free.
No, he hadn't been wrong. It had been based on perception. Summer had manipulated the input into their system so that Jake thought that he was immobile, but it had gone when Toon took control. That seemed to suggest that she could only use it in a quick burst, which correlated with the guess that this was Summer, as her ability was said to be too strong, and if she used it for any extended amount of time, it wouldn't end well.
That was further supported by the many disoriented or entranced students around him and Abigail.
It would be a useful ability, to say the least. Being able to freeze your opponent? So long as that opponent wasn't Hashim, Toon, or any of the others, it would be quite powerful. You could hit them without a fear of getting hit back, and even if you still missed you could try again.
Summer was gone already. But Xavier broadcasted satisfaction, thinking that they had reached the goal, which was to show the more powerful ability users that they were a force to be reckoned with.
Toon wasn't so sure that that had been the true goal, but he couldn't ask Jake to make sure. Jake's mind was still suffering from the exposure to Summer's ability. Normally, Toon would be in charge of the planning, but not about people.
They would likely use Summer later, for her power output and fighting strength, but Toon had left the details to Jake, and he had allowed Xavier to weigh in a bit on the decision.
So Summer knew that they were strong, though she likely thought they were stronger than they really were. Without Corpse's ability, they weren't the strongest fighter.
Toon turned to Abigail, and found her frozen too. Then he realized that he wasn't bumping into anyone.
There were perks to everyone else being frozen.
Then Jake pointed out that they needed to get to their next class, apparently recovered.