Training Session

Bridget stood in the weapons room, alone, the Institute beginning to lighten up with the sunrise outside, dawn just now approaching. The window outside showed the pinks, salmon and light orange in the sky, streaks of red interrupting the pastels. There was an old saying that popped into Bridget's head when she looked outside, something about warnings and red in the morning, but she coudln't quite remember how it went.
Frustrated, Bridget turned to a target. In one swift motion, her hair was around her in wavy curtains, and a flying disk had pierced the bullseye. She marched over to her chakram and yanked it out. Briefly debating on whether she should pin her hair back up, the Shadowhunter spent a moment standing there before she walked even farther away from the target and threw again. Her weapon hit dead center, and this process continued until Bridget was all the way across the room, arm raised, prepared to once again fling it.
The door opened just as she realeased, and a dull thud was heard as her disk hit the mark yet again, right in the middle. If she impressed whoever walked in, she didn't care, and retrieved her weapon before turning to see who it was. Derek nodded to her, and that was the extent of their greeting. Bridget assumed they were still in an argument, and she sat down to wait for everyone else, not wanting to continue her throwing if someone else was in here.
Bridget assumed everyone else was still at breakfast, maybe Derek had finished early. She'd decided to skip the meal, passing up the forced interaction. Her new found desire to be alone might have been fed off of the misery she was enduring, but she was strong, so more than likely it was her inability to get along with people for the past few days. Both Derek and Oliver had clearly expressed their dislike with biting words. Nina wasn't an option, as she was with Oliver all too much now. Kaleb spent his time bouncing between impressing Godric and talking to Mikki, whenever the latter wasn't hanging around the infirmary, where Jasper was being patched up by Olivia. Vanessa helped some, and she'd made up for everyone else's lack of effort by showing around Egan.
Last night, Jasper finally no longer confined to the infirmary, joined everyone at dinner, which had been one of the very few meals Bridget attended since the funeral. With the recent healing, Godric and Olivia had announced that a training session was needed, something about getting to know each other and bonding over a little friendly competition. Bridget found it amusing that they were somewhat oblivious to all the awkwardness that lay around the teenagers.
To avoid seeing everyone this morning, Bridget had come here early, after yet another sleepless night of staring at the ceiling in her room. A nice energy rune fixed that problem, but there was no marking to help her with any of her other issues.
Slowly, everyone else trickled in the weapons room, with the heads definitely being the liveliest of the bunch. Bridget tried to ignore Nina, laughing about something with Oliver, but it was difficult when her childhood friend waved across the room and blew her fake kisses. Bridget gave a weak wave back, avoiding Oliver's gaze and the fury that burned in her empty stomach.
Kaleb also greeted her from across the room, but he was currently occupied with Mikki. The blonde looked bored, maybe a little irritated, but Kaleb persisted with his charm, and Bridget rolled her eyes. The door opened one last time, revealing Jasper, followed by Vanessa and Egan.

Derek dropped the annoyingly chipper demeanor he'd been holding up all through breakfast, as he exited the brightly lit and still very crowded dining room. Godric and Olivia had announced in twin voices of enthusiasm that Derek and all the others were expected to head straight to the weapons room after they finished eating. They had both talked about it and agreed that a training session would be just the thing to bring all the Shadowhunters closer together. Normally, Derek would have shared their energized feelings towards the session; it would be a great time to get to know everyone and their strengths. But, at present, he wasn't feeling the whole golden boy Shadowhunter bit. And, of course, he'd be expected to play just that in the public eye. Alone, he could be anybody and wouldn’t have to worry if his thoughts visibly showed through his face. Alone, he could think of her without actually having to talk to her or deal with what had been hanging in the air ever since that night in the hallway.
Bridget hadn't been at breakfast. Derek had been relieved. Walking down the hallway to the weapons room, he wondered if fate was on his side. The minute he opened the big, wooden door, he got his answer. Her hair hung free and beautiful around her shoulders, gently moving with the force of her throw. The door thudded closed behind him, and he knew she would turn to see who had just entered. And, yet, he still wasn't ready for the emotions that came with seeing her face. He'd avoided her for over a week now. Maybe she had been too. But, in these moments, Derek felt harshly the pang of missing her, wondering if she was still dealing well with her parent’s death. He could have cut the bullshit and asked her, smoothed out all the tension that lay between them. But, in the end, all he did was nod and cross the room to submerge himself in the Institute's choice of weapons.
~~~~~~~~~
"Oh, I think that's just a wonderful idea," Alexia trilled in reaction to the Head's announcement. Hers was one of the few positive reactions, most barely awake as it was.
After the night she'd had, Lexi should have been face down in her bowl of cereal, like the rest of them. Fortunately, she hadn't slept more than four hours since she was 13. Slade had hammered into her and Kaleb that sleep was a trap for the weak and could be easily eliminated if one was strong enough.
She'd slipped back to her room just as everyone else was getting up. Making as much noise as possible, Lexi basked in the jealousy filled eyes that peeked out from behind Bridget's door. She sent a fluttery wave Bridget's way, the hem of Oliver's shirt rising higher up her thigh. The door had closed sharply, bringing a smirk to Lexi's face. After putting on a pair of jeans and a flowery blouse, she had returned to Oliver's room, where she spent the good part of an hour getting him out of bed. At one point, the cold feeling of the blade she always kept strapped to her leg and the ever increasing level of annoyance she held for Oliver's stubbornness almost caused her to ruin the whole operation. But, she'd been trained to deal with much worse than a jack ass in Shadowhunter clothing. The smell of food wafting up from the kitchen had eventually won him over, and Lexi, ever so sweetly, followed him down to the dining room.
"Doesn't that sound fun, Ollie?" Alexia turned to the Shadowhunter next to her, his hair still tousled from sleep. "You know how much I like to get down and dirty." The last part she whispered under her breath, so that only Oliver heard her. Slipping her hand under the table, she gently trailed her fingers down his leg and rested her hand on his knee. Too bad Bridget wasn't present to benefit from his reaction.
After the Head's dismissed them to head to the weapons room, Lexi threaded her arm through Oliver's, starting up an idiotically simple stream of words, a giggle placed here or there to keep up the 'girl next door' appearance. Anyone watching would have thought she was completely submerged in what she was saying, when in fact she was everything but. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Kaleb's gaze, her brother in the midst of the impossible task of charming the mundane. In that one look, she communicated that there was to be no serious injuries today during the training session. She knew Kaleb. Her brother could make a completely intentional stabbing look like the most innocent of accidents. But, they weren't yet at the stage in the operation to do any permanent damage. Now, a broken bone or two was completely within reason.
Walking into the large, wood paneled room, Lexi immediately spotted Bridget and stoked the blaze of a drama she'd created with air kisses and sweet little waves. Maybe the Head's would pair them together for some hand to hand combat. She'd love to see the look on Bridget's face when innocent little Nina ground her pretty face into the mat.
~~~~~~~~
Mikki once again resisted the urge to punch Kaleb straight in the mouth. It was a sure fire way to get him off her ass, but she was pretty sure the other's wouldn't see it as positively as she did. The guy just wouldn't stop! Every word dripped with an oily charm that made her want to immediately rush to the nearest shower and scrub away the horrible crawling sensation off her body. She'd done nothing to encourage him, just the opposite! She all but ignored him, mocked him whenever he’d spout out a particularly cheesy line, and avoided him when at all possible. And, yet, he still persisted.
The only good thing that had come since she'd moved into the Institute was the announcement at breakfast. After that first night, the Head's had insisted she take residence with them in order to assist them with the whole vampire thing. She was all ready to refuse when she remembered Jasper and her promise to herself to figure out what exactly lay between them. Plus, who knew what these Shadowhunters could teach her. So, after making sure her mother would be taken care of and grabbing a suitcase full of close, Mikki became the first mundane to live in the New York Institute. Within the span of a little over a week, she'd started to regret her decision. Things were just so goddamn boring! But, a training session? Now, that she could live with.
By the time Mikki had reached the weapon's room, she was on the brink of volunteering herself and Kaleb for the first demonstration, the image of pummeling the charm right off his face front and center in her mind’s eye, when she glimpsed Jasper. Somewhere, in the back of her head, she knew it would do her no good to break out in a brawl in front of Jasper. He'd seen a different her in the mirror that night, and, since then, she'd been trying her hardest to live up to it. Maybe somebody else would give Kaleb the beating he so dearly needed.
~~~~~~~~~
At the first mention of the training session at breakfast, Vanessa had wanted to crawl under a rock and never show her face again. Sure, in the good ole days, she'd been counted as one of the best in the physical side of being a Shadowhunter. But her family’s deaths and her time pretending to be a mundane had buried that part of her away, maybe forever. She flinched at any word associated with combat now. Vanessa had even gone so far as to express her feelings to Olivia after breakfast. The Head was probably her one true friend in the whole Institute, and she had hoped that she would understand. Olivia had just smiled and placed a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder, saying that everyone had to participate and that she'd be fine once she warmed up to the idea. In Vanessa's opinion, she was a stone cold block of ice that would never warm up to the idea of exhibiting her fighting skills to the whole Institute.
Nevertheless, being the obedient little girl scout that she was, Vanessa made her way to the weapon's room, Egan and Mia following behind her. After showing the new Shadowhunter around that night, she'd kind of become his guide of all things Institute related. He was a nice guy and didn't make her uncomfortable like the rest of them, so she didn't mind his company. Slipping into the weapons room, wishing that she were anywhere but where she was, Vanessa wondered how Egan was feeling with the prospect of the training session nearly upon them all.

Godric had gotten up early with his wife in the morning to make breakfast like usual. Only today was a more happy day, as they were about to start training with their new kids. Godric loved training with the kids, it gave him a chance to see each of their talents and help them with what needed improvement. He may be a very fatherlike figure, but he was a very accomplished warrior.
His spirits were a little dampened when not everyone showed up for breakfast, and so very llittle of them seemed excited about the training session. He could tell something was wrong but he couldn't place a finger on what it was, so he just continued to play up the idea of some friendly competition at breakfast. "It'll be good for you all to know one another and have some friendly competition." He said with smile on his face. As everyone started finishing breakfast Godric and Olivia rose from the table, dismissing everyone to the training room. With everyone filing out in their training gear he asked Japser to stay behind to talk for a moment, "Jasper hang on one moment please."
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It had been such a relief to Jasper to get out of the infirmary. Unfortunately the "accidental" cut of his left shoulder muscle caused him to have to wear a sling for another two weeks. Today's going to be so boring he thought to himself as he walked down the hall to breakfast. While everyone would be dressed in shadowhunter training gear he was dressed in black jeans and a long-sleeved white shirt, with his left arm resting in a blue medical sling. He knew Godric was going to be against him training today so he was already in an annoyed mood when he walked into the dining room and saw the new boy, the one who'd cut his muscle, flirting with Mikki. Needless to say his day just worsened ten-fold. He walked to the other side of the table and pulled the chair out with a little more force than needed, greeting Godric and Olivia as he sat down. Jaspe ate his breakfast in silence, even as Godric spoke, "It'll be good for you all to know one another and have some friendly competition." Oh yea I'll show the new kid some friendly competition....when I throw a knife through his sternum Jasper thought morbidly to himself. As everyone was dismissed from the table Jasper got up to leave but as he knew when he came to breakfast, "Jasper hang on one moment please." It was Godric. Jasper stopped and turned to face his basiclly adopted father, "Yes Godric?"
"I'd prefer it if you stayed out of the training room today. I know you want to train but I don't want you getting into any training until your shoulder heals fully."
Immediately Jasper felt his annoyance flare up be he controlled himself, "That's hardly fair Godric, I'm fine. I just won't use my left arm."
To his dismay his arguement didn't sway Godric who simply repeated himself. Angry, Jasper walked out of the dining room all set to just go to the roof, until he saw the new kid, walking a little closer to Mikki than someone that was just being friendly. Jasper didn't like it. He hated not listening to Godric but he knew he was going to. He stopped dead and turned to head toward the training room.
When he entered the room Jasper could see everyone had arrived besides Vanessa and Egan. Jasper headed over the the knives on the wall and grabbed one with a long, slender blade. He hadn't planned on doing anything. Just figured he'd stand in the corner and watch. He'd only grabbed the knife to spin in his hand to keep himself entertained. Then he saw something that he didn't like. The new kid he didn't like was standing very close to Mikki for a while, but he had just brushed her hair back. Jasper couldn't tell Mikki's expression, but he saw the new kids. He was definitely trying to flirt with her. Even though they weren't dating Jasper still felt the jealousy flood himself. In a flash he took the knife in his right hand and flung it across the room. It sunk into the wall inches from the new kids face. Jasper wasn't aware of anyone elses reactions, just the new kids. He looked across the room at Jasper and gave him an angry look, like he was trying to intimidate Jasper or something. Jasper didn't back down however, he stood his ground and returned a glare of his own.
That's when Godric had obviously had enough, "Jasper I told you not to come up here today. Get out now!" Annoyed Jasper ripped his glare away from the new kid and stalked out of the training room.

In his short amount of time spent in the Institute, Kaleb was certain of two things; the first was that he hated everyone who occupied these god forsaken walls, and the second was that he couldn’t wait to bring these miserable creatures to a slow and painful end. The first on his list was the mundane. He had despised the little girl from the moment he had laid eyes on her, but it was his job to get her to succumb to his charm and act as a spy for their purpose. The task was seemingly impossible, even with Kaleb’s training, he just couldn’t make a connection with the little brat, though he had to admit it was difficult to flirt with someone when all he could do every time he saw her was imagine the pleasure he would get from setting her on fire. He hoped his sister was having better luck with the Oliver boy, Kaleb had seen the sheer rage flare behind his eyes and he liked it. With a little training, he could be a very useful pawn in their plans. He made a mental note to ask her what she thought later that night.

At breakfast when Godric announced the training session was the first bit of happiness Kaleb had felt since he “accidentally” sliced open the muscle in Jaspers arm, seeing another opportunity to cause someone pain without being suspected. It was only when he caught his sister’s glance as they entered the training room that he felt his little glimmer of hope fade. If he didn’t spill some blood soon he was going to go on a rampage and kill everyone in this place, but he knew his sister was right. Now was not the time to play dirty, especially with Godric watching. As they all filled into the weapons room, he gritted his teeth as he approached Mikki, trying again at playful banter. He pretended not to notice the anger painted on Jaspers face as he entered the room, didn’t bother to move as he saw from his peripherals the blade flying towards him. He knew the kid wasn’t brave enough to actually attack him in a room full of people, if he even had it in him to attack him at all. He supposed he needed to look angry at the attempted assault but he was really just amused, he knew quite well there was some disgusting little fling between the boy and the stupid little mundane, her constant visits to the infirmary while he was healing causing a huge setback for the amount of time he could spend with her himself. Making sure his features didn’t express his amusement, he pulled them into a concerned look as he crossed the room to the heads.
“Did I do something to offend him? Godric I’m sorry, I didn’t realize…” He trailed off, casting a look back at the knife embedded in the wall behind them as if it worried him. Oh how he was going to have fun with this.

Oliver hardly tried to contain his annoyance as the Head announced the training session at breakfast. He had been trying his hardest to avoid everyone as best he could, drawn out of his room only for meals, he was a sucker for free food. The only one he saw was Nina, and oh did he see her. It seemed she spent as much time in his room as he did, now if only he could get her to stop talking. It didn’t take long for him to learn to tune her chipper chattering out but it didn’t always work. He would have gotten bored with her visits by now, or even just too annoyed with her to continue them but he needed the distraction, and distracting was what she was best at. There was also something about her, the way her eyes glinted dangerously when she didn’t think he was looking made him interested to see what really hid behind her pretty princess act. He hardly heard anything she said as she clung to him on the way to the weapons room, his mind lost in thought of the thing he’d been trying to ignore. Bridget hadn’t been at breakfast, but he assumed she would be at the training session like the rest of them. He had hardly seen her since the night they brought Jasper back, aside from meal times where they both just sat at opposite ends of the table, ignoring each other. But sure enough, there she was, looking annoyingly beautiful as she tossed her weapon. Oliver quickly looked away and had to resist the urge to slap Nina as she blew little kisses at Bridget. He made his way to the back wall of the room and leaned back against the wall with his arms folded over his chest. He may have to attend the training session, but he didn’t have to participate regardless of how appealing the array of weapons looked. It wasn’t until Jasper sent a knife flying through the air at Ninas brother that he showed any interest. He let out a laugh and considered following his friend but figured it would be more amusing to see how everyone in the room was going to react.

Egan woke up to the smell of breakfast entering his room and tingling his nose. He shot up as his stomach growled. He had completely skipped dinner and was starving. He had almost forgotten that he was in a new institute until he looked around the room and saw the furnishings. With a sigh and an empty feeling in the pit of his stomach that wasn't hunger he stood and changed clothes, fixed his hair and set off down to the kitchen. Or at least tried to.

Egan kept getting lost and by the time he found the dining area most everyone was gone except for the Head. "Did I miss something?" He asked as formal as he could. He took a piece of bread and shoved it in his mouth with a satisfied smile. He then sat down and piled food on his plate, mixing together ingredients that most people would wrinkle their nose up at. Egan ate and took sips of orange when he could. He just wondered where everyone had went. He looked to see Vanessa and was told there would be a training session this morning. He finished his breakfast and went with her quietly. His eyes scanned the hallways trying to remember the little details for when he is on his own.

It was sort of a talent or gift of his, being able to see the smallest detail or difference in something by just looking. The fraction of movement in a person's facial expressions or body language or if a piece is missing that once was there. He looked up as they entered the weapons room and gave a smirk to Vanessa, his handy tour guide.

"Nice array of weapons here." He remarked as his hand glided over the edge of an axe that gleamed with an ominous shine. "In Georgia we have a weapon's room twice this size. Got it about a year ago." He said with a shrug. Trying to make conversation with her as she seemed unsure or anxious. He wasn't quite sure.

"Nervous about the training session V?" Egan asked with a perk of his brow, he hoped she didn't mind the little nick name her gave her.

Mikki had just caught Jasper’s eye when she felt a soft touch on her hair, light as a feather. And yet, instead of feeling the stereotypical butterflies-in-the-stomach crap, she suddenly felt the desire to shear away all her hair. Kaleb’s touch had once again sent her skin crawling, a thousand prickles spreading, shouting for him to back the hell away.
“Bad idea, buddy,” she said, the violence permeating her soft tone. “Do that again and I’d be happy to introduce you to the pain of living without fingers.” Her smile was just as sweet as the creep’s sister, as she turned back to Jasper.
Thunk. Mikki’s head whipped back around to where she’d heard the sound, her body now tensed for battle. The dagger had buried itself to the hilt in the wood of the wall. Strangely, it was inches, centimeters away from Kaleb’s head, so close that the hit seemed almost deliberate. The look on the Shadowhunter’s face was hilarious, almost comical in its surprise. With a truly genuine smile on her face now, Mikki turned back to Jasper, knowing without a doubt that it had been him. She was impressed and thankful. Maybe the fool of a flirt would think twice before he tried laying a hand on her again. Before she could catch Jasper's gaze again, Godric entered the weapon's room, Olivia close on his heels, both with hopeful smiles permanently stuck on their faces. That was until Godric noticed the tense silence that had fallen across the room, moving his eyes until they found the blade in the wall and flicking back to Jasper.
"Jasper I told you not to come up here today. Get out now!" Mikki had never seen the Head so angry, his brow crinkled with frustration, his voice booming throughout the large, open room. She tried everything to get Jasper's attention, short of jumping up in down, screaming. His gaze stayed locked on Kaleb for a second more and then he was off, stalking passed the Head and out the door.
The tense silence from earlier intensified in its awkwardness, everyone’s faces either wide eyed with surprise or turned downwards to avoid eye contact. Bridget twiddled with the flying disk in her hand, her attention having finally been diverted from sulking over Oliver. Derek had been testing the sharpness of a particularly favorite dagger of his when the knife had been thrown. He was one of the few who were actually not trying to ignore the situation, and was instead looking off in the direction that Jasper had exited, a concerned expression darkening his features. Can't save 'em all, Captain, Mikki thought wryly.
Nina appeared conflicted as well, but politely averting her eyes to examine her perfectly painted, pink nails, probably wondering if the training session would mess up her manicure. Mikki satisfied herself momentarily with a image of herself with Nina in a headlock, chipping the gaudy polish away with a blade. Too bad I'm trying to be nice. What Mikki didn't catch was the gleam of delight in Lexi's eyes as she watched the drama unfolding around her.
Oliver was still leaning against the wall, an amused expression on his face. He'd laughed outright when the knife had been thrown, and Mikki agreed, it had been funny. But Jasper was his parabati! Shouldn't he be running off after him, instead of standing there like it was all a big joke? The guy was a freaking clown.
Kaleb had already begun sucking up to Godric, his admittedly good impersonation of the innocent making Jasper look all the worse. “Did I do something to offend him? Godric I’m sorry, I didn’t realize…” Mikki felt her fingers twitch, wanting nothing more than to grip her hand around the knife in the wall, pull it out, and make a more precise throw at the dick's head than Jasper had.
Vanessa eyes were down cast as well, typical to her mouse like personality. Usually Mikki hated the weak, but there was just something about V that made her want to befriend the pipsqueak. Egan, her companion, was staring off after Jasper, not knowing him enough to be concerned, only surprised at the abruptness. The conversation the two had been having dropped for the moment.
After a few more seconds, Mikki started to feel a nervous energy jump through her veins. Part of her wanted to go after Jasper to see if he was okay and part of her just wanted to throw something sharp and pointy. The proximity to the weapons had been pulling at her ever since she'd entered the room. Jasper would be fine, she concluded. His pride had been hurt and now he needed to be alone for a while. Maybe if she nicked Kaleb with a blade later the small amount of guilt she was feeling would go away. Only one way to find out.
"I know I'm new here and all, but is this what usually happens at a typical training session?" Mikki quipped, trying to get life back into the Shadowhunters. "Forgive me if you're using some Shadowhunter version of the Force. If it's okay with you guys, I'd prefer to train with the pointy things over there."

Godric hated raising his voice at the kids who stayed in the institute, but at times when he really had to get his point across it was needed. He watched as Jasper gave Kaleb one last hard look before the boy turned and stalked from the room, slamming the door behind him. Immediately after Jasper was gone Kaleb started with his apology, “Did I do something to offend him? Godric I’m sorry, I didn’t realize…” Godric waited until Oliver finished laughing before he spoke. "It's alright, I'm sure you didn't do anything. Jasper is just frustrated about his arm and it affects his mood." He turned to his wife and gave her a small smile to show he was going to continue with the training when Mikki spoke, "I know I'm new here and all, but is this what usually happens at a typical training session? Forgive me if you're using some Shadowhunter version of the Force. If it's okay with you guys, I'd prefer to train with the pointy things over there."
"Well Mikki that isn't how things are done normally you're correct..." He took a moment to survey the room, "I'd like Nina and Bridgett to practice throwing your weapon of choice at the targets over there." Godric jestured to the far east side of the room where several dummies had knives and other various weapons protruding from them. Thinking over in his mind Godric was trying to piece the next pair together when he looked behind him and saw Egan and Vanessa. He knew Vanessa had been good at archery but hadn't practiced much since her parents deaths and Mikki seemed like she knew how to handle all manner of weapons "Mikki I'd like you to assist Vanessa get back into archery with the targets for now." He pointed toward the western wall where three bullseye targets rested on the wall. Finally he had four more kids to choose from, "Derek I'd like to see you open spar with...." he paused for a moment before deciding, "Oliver." That just left Egan and Nathan. "Egan, Nathan, you'll be the next pair to spar. Be ready. Everyone will rotate throughout the session so be patient." Godric finished with a warm smile before dismissing everyone to their assigned places.
As Derek and Oliver stepped into the middle of the training arena Godric stood between them. "This is going to be a simple sparring session. To win you must put your opponent into submisson. On the count of three begin." Godric stepped back to the edge of the mat before counting down, "Three, two, one....GO!"

As he kept his face painted with concern, Kaleb’s mind reeled with all the ways he would make Jasper pay, something he would take great pleasure in doing. As the room collected themselves, he watched as all the little children followed orders, being so submissive made his eye twitch but he crossed the room to where Egan stood. Kaleb hadn’t paid much attention to the boy since they had arrived; writing him off almost instantly for his quiet, pleasant nature but it wouldn’t hurt to see what the boy was made off. Sometimes the quiet, thoughtful types were useful, easy to manipulate. Putting on his friendliest smile, he approached Egan with a nod.
“Not sure what that was about…” He said with a small laugh, gesturing behind him at the knife still embedded in the wall.
“We were never properly introduced, I’m Nathan. I hear you’re from Atlanta, right? I’ve never spent much time down south myself but I hear it’s beautiful.” As Derek and Oliver took their places in the middle of the room, he pulled his attention away from Egan, his eyes narrowing slightly. He was curious to see what skills the young shadowhunters had and if any of them would make for good recruits for Slade, from what he could tell by their personalities so far there wasn’t much promise.

It took a moment for Oliver to stop laughing at his friends outburst, for such a mellow kid he had quite the temper; his reason behind the spazz attack though, he could do without. Aside from the Parabati ceremony, he had hardly seen his friend at all due to his newly acquired blonde psychopath of a shadow. Mikki always seemed to be lurking around the hospital wing and Oliver had absolutely no desire to come anywhere near the little brat. He didn’t think Godric would react well to him pummeling a little girl.
"I'd like Nina and Bridgett to practice throwing your weapon of choice at the targets over there." Oliver could hardly contain the cringe as the head announced the pairing. He had caught on to Nina’s unnecessary need to rub their relationship in Bridget’s face every time they were in the room together and couldn’t imagine this would be a friendly training session for the girls. It wasn’t until he heard Godric call his name that he looked up to see who he was being paired with.
“Oh you have got to be kidding me.” He growled as he looked up to find Derek waiting on the mat. For such a seemingly intelligent man, Godric had to be the biggest idiot he had ever met. Oliver gave an irritated huff before crossing the room to the mat, cracking his neck from side to side as he went.
“Alright Captain, better grab your shield.”

Egan had stayed quiet throughout the entire event. He studied the people around him. He wondered how he would even make friends with any of these people, they all seemed so uptight compared to his laid back Southern nature. Of course a lot of people misjudged him and mistaken him for something unimportant and unintelligent. Egan had no problem that, it just made it that much more sweeter when he showed them just how skilled and intelligent he was. When Godric spoke Egan listened and watched as each group paired off with each other.

He did, however, do an inward groan as he was paired with Nathan. The guy was off to him and he didn't like the pairing, but he figured he would go ahead and get him out of the way as Godric announced they all would be rotating anyway. Egan gave a relaxed smile to Nathan as he walked up. He would, of course, always come off as nice. It was the best strategy.

"Eh, I didn't really notice." Egan answered truthfully as he followed the man's gaze to the embedded knife. "My name is Egan Ashwood. Nice to meet you Nathan." He gave a friendly smile and extended a hand to Nathan, much like they would do down south when first greeting someone. "Yes. Georgia. It is gorgeous." He said as his eyes went to the near by wall, reminiscing of his home. "You should try to get down there, you won't want to leave. The girls, the weather, the hospitality all lethal combinations." Egan said with a wry grin. He too followed Nathan's gaze and watched the other two shadowhunters that were about to spar. Perhaps he could pick up something to use that he hadn't thought about, or a weakness the two might have.

Bridget gave a quick glance to Nina, who smiled at her angelically, and then returned her gaze back to Godric. The flying disk was spinning even faster in her hand, and she knew it was pure irritation causing it to do so. Alone practice time with Nina? She'd rather be forced to clean the entire Institute, training was a desire long forgotten now.
The girl stood, brushed off her pants, and then began walking to the targets, not saying a word. Maybe is she just kept quiet, Nina would get the hint and leave her alone, and they could practice in silence.
Only when Derek and Oliver's names were called did she stop worrying about her current predicament, and turn back. The Shahowhunters had just began to break off into their smaller groups, and the two boys made their way over to the mat. Oliver looked just about as annoyed with his match as Bridget felt with hers, and Derek, ever the good one out of all of them, just seemed eager to start, whether he was hiding how he really felt or not.
Nina was babbling about something, her chipper attitude bouncing off of Bridget's mood. She knew just how to get under her skin, and their was nothing to be done about it now. Bridget, for a brief moment, regretted inviting the siblings here to stay, they were nothing like she remembered. Then again, she hadn't seen them since childhood. People sadly changed.
Bridget threw her chakram at the target, and it hit the center. She turned to Nina, motioning for her turn. Maybe she'd be able to show her up here. All former feelings left, and pure competiveness took over. Let this be the one thing she could beat her former best friend at, if only to soothe Bridget's itching anger and wounded pride.

Derek chuckled softly at Mikki's mocking words, envisioning himself and all the other Shadowhunters in the room armed with flashing lightsabers, flipping around the room like the small, green Yoda. Most of the people in the Institute held a barely controlled hatred for the sharp-tongued mundane, but Derek found her witty remarks entertaining. From the moment she'd shown up, the Mikki had tested everyone’s limits, earning his respect for her bravery. Not many had the guts to piss off a whole Institute full of trained killers/Nephilim. Placing the knife he'd been toying with back in its place, Derek turned his full attention to Godric, knowing that he'd be giving out pairing assignments with the selected stations soon. Egan would be a welcome relief as a partner since he was new and uncomplicated, but a small part of Derek yearned to be paired with Oliver. The thought of taking his frustration out on the Shadowhunter who had caused all his problems was just too tempting.
Godric first paired Nina with Bridget. Derek never knew whether Nina's sickly sweetness was genuine, but, when she heard the pairing, her face lit up with excitement, already chattering away. He grudgingly looked to Bridget who had the exact opposite reaction. None of it showed in her face, but the accelerated spinning of the disk in her hand was enough for Derek. I bet she would have given anything to have traded spots with Nina that night. The thought sickened him to the core.
Mikki was paired with Vanessa to practice archery, their reactions uninteresting, except for Vanessa's obvious anxiety. All that left was Kaleb, Egan, Oliver, and himself.
"Derek I'd like to see you open spar with...." Godric paused, probably considering his options, before he chose. "Oliver."
The perfect, golden boy mask was once again on, hiding all of Derek's true feelings. He couldn't exactly say whether he approved of the choice, as he calmy walked to the padded mat, positioning himself. All he knew was the huge burst of adrenaline rushing through his veins, forcing his mind to run through all the sparring strategies he knew. He had to win, and it had to be quick.
“Alright Captain, better grab your shield.” Oliver, ever the arrogant, sauntered up to the mat, cracking his neck. Did he mean to intimidate Derek with his smart ass nickname? Godric stepped into the middle, momentarily cutting off his view of his opponent, counted down from three, and then backed away.
Both started the match out by circling the confines of the mat, eyes locked with the other’s, neither sure who would jump in first. Derek distantly heard the movement of the others starting in on their training. Still, he felt a few glances, eager to see who would victor. Derek hoped Bridget was one of the few. He'd show her he could protect her from scum like his opponent.
After what felt like years of pacing around the circle, Derek decided to end it. Sliding smoothly into the center, he watched as Oliver mirrored his move, taking it one step farther with a quick jab across with his fist. Derek parried the first blow and the next when his opponent matched with a blow to the other side. Now, it was his turn to go on the offensive. Delivering the moves with a speed surprising to many, Derek delivered first one blow, then a second, then a third to Oliver's face with his elbow, using enough force to matter but not so much that he'd be going past the limits of a training session. His last elbow jab was with his right, conveniently leaving him room to straighten out his arm and grab Oliver in the back of his neck. Derek then raised his left arm to hold his opponent’s right at a painful angle, while pushing his head down with the grip he’d gained earlier. He followed these moves by swiftly bringing Oliver down to the mat, placing his knee on Oliver's chest and an arm across his throat.
"Stay away from Bridget, Nightshade. Stay away from her or I'll make your stay here a living hell," Derek spat out, his words low enough so that only Oliver would be able to hear them
~~~~~~~~~~~
Upon hearing who she'd be paired with, Alexia smiled in her silent victory, only slightly disappointed that they'd be throwing weapons at a target....instead of at each other. Unfortunately, the latter scenario would probably be crossing the lines in the eyes of the Heads and the other Shadowhunters. It was a shame. For her and Kaleb, every training session they'd had had been marked with only one rule: Kill or be killed. For, as Slade always said, there was nothing like the fear of being killed to motivate a Shadowhunter to their best. And, if they couldn't keep up? Good riddance.
Romping up with the energy of a puppy, Lexi found Bridget already in position, her chakram flashing in her hands. The mindless chatter immediately started to pour out of Lexi’s mouth, spurred on as she caught the resentment and irritation in her 'best friend’s' eyes. She’d just picked up a bow and a quiver full of arrows, when she noticed that she'd lost her audience. Bridget was currently fixated on the match between Oliver and Derek. Her eyes were so pathetic, as she watched every blow.
"That Derek's a good fighter, full of strength. But, if Oliver is as good in a fight as he is in bed, I wouldn’t be putting my money on Prince Charming," Lexi giggled knowing the comment would irritate her friend to no end. Acting like she hadn't even heard her comment, Bridget placed herself before the target and threw, her tense shoulders showing her aggravation. The chakram hit dead center, a perfect bull’s eye. Bridget turned to Lexi, a smug look coloring her face, knowing her partner couldn’t beat her. And, that's where you're wrong, sweetheart. I'll best you in this and in the end, my face the last thing you'll see in this world as you bleed out.
Acting like her partner's shot had completely intimidated her, Lexi stepped up to the mark, her hands shaking as she notched the arrow for good measure. Drawing the string back, the weakling act slowly melted away. The muscles that she'd used to kill many a man stretched the string much farther than the normal archer would dare, stopping a hairs breadth away from completely snapping. Her eyes narrowed as she aimed, taking in a long breath.....and letting it go, along with the arrow. It flew for a half of a second, found the red of the bullseyes, but didn't stop there. The force and precision of her shot had caused her arrow to go straight through the target, cleanly making its way out, and finding a home in the forehead of a dummy.
Mikki, who had been working with the dummies, glared over at Lexi before ripping the arrow out, snapping it in two. Vanessa, her partner, had jumped when the arrow had landed and was now back to her marker, quite a bit farther away from the dummy than before. Lexi only had eyes for Bridget. The girl stared incredulously at her.
"I guess I don't know my own strength," she giggled, shrugging to say she was as surprised as her partner.

Oliver sighed as Godric counted down, annoyance painted across his features. Growing up as an only child, isolated from other shadowhunters, he was not used to training in pairs or groups. The majority of his training came from his father throwing him into a real life or death situation and telling him not to get killed. As much as he loved to fight, fighting without the intent to hurt or kill seemed pointless, and as much as he disliked Derek it still seemed unnecessary to kill him in a training session. After the seemingly endless circling, Derek made the first move and Oliver quickly matched it. After throwing a few half hearted punches, he went on the defensive, blocking the other boys advances. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of Bridget, sending her blade into the bulls eye of the dummy with such grace and precision, he couldn’t help but stare, taking his attention momentarily from the fight. But a moment was all Derek needed. Before he could react, the other boy had him on the ground with shocking speed giving Oliver only the amount of time to curse himself for not taking the fight seriously.
"Stay away from Bridget, Nightshade. Stay away from her or I'll make your stay here a living hell,"
Oliver’s first reaction to the comment was to laugh, his tone much louder the Derek’s harsh whisper. Though he felt anything but amusement for the boys threat and he planned to let him know. Anger flaring, he spat the blood from his mouth into the other boys face, taking his moment of confusion to bring his knee up and slam it into Derek’s spine, throwing him off balance. Swinging his led up to hitch it around his neck and pull him down backwards onto the matt, As Oliver broke free of his grasp and gained the upper hand, he slammed his head down into a head-butt that caught Derek square in the nose before pinning the other boys arms down with his knees.
“Last time I checked, Grey.” He spat, mocking Derek’s serious tone.
“She wasn’t a pet or something you can claim. And the decision for me to leave her alone is up to her, not you.”
He let his fist collide with the boys face a few times, his blows unchecked.
“So make my life hell, I would love to see you try.”

Bridget's eyes narrowed as precious Nina's arrow flew through the target, penetrating an innocent dummy bystander behind it. The snap of her childhood friend's arrow brought a small amount of comfort, and Bridget stored away a reminder to strike up a conversation with Mikki later. The girls seemed to have one thing in common, their annoyance at the fairy princess Nina, and her inability to do wrong, despite the off-hand slutty comments that seemed just for her ears.
Her second flying disk in her hand, Bridget was debating on whether she should just skip the target and go straight for Nina, when the fight called her full attention. She'd been keeping one eye on the boys, giving them just enough of her thoughts so that she'd know what was going on. Now, however, they were actually fighting, and the too serious blows unnerved her. Practicing didn't ever look like this.
Some instinct drove her closer, and she caught the tail end of what Oliver had been saying. “So make my life hell, I would love to see you try.” Derek stared up at him with defiant, angry eyes, the first time Bridget had ever seen rage on the perfect boy's face. Something about his comment made Bridget clench her fists, words begging to leap out of her mouth, and she didn't even realize she was voicing her thoughts aloud until she was yelling at them.
"What is the matter with you? There are other people here, but you wouldn't know, as you're such guys wrapped up in their own big egos. While you've been moping and sleeping around, the rest of us here have been suffering through some sort of damn hardship, but you don't care. What about me, hmm? Has nobody here bothered to realize that you have left me to cope all alone, and that I'm about to lose it?"
She paused, frowning at the two boys below her. Slowly, it dawned on her that she had captured the eyes of every single being in the room, and not one person was making a move to come to her comfort. Horror colored her eyes. "I already have lost it..." With those quiet words, she stormed out of the room, hopelessly abandoned, frustrated, and angry beyond belief.

Things had seemed like they were going to go well with the idea of a training session. Back in the day Godric and the other Nephilim loved them. However today seemed...off. Somehow Nina had just managed to shoot an arrow through one of the dummies that was supposed to be used for throwing weapons. Then there was Oliver and Derek who seemed to have gone from sparring to trying to tear each other to tiny bits. The only people who seemed to be doing what they were supposed to were Vanessa, Mikki, Egan, and Nathan. Mikki was helping Vanessa get back into archery before Nina had disrupted them, and Nathan and Egan just seemed to be watching the fight intently, not exchanging words. Then there was Bridget's outburst. "What is the matter with you? There are other people here, but you wouldn't know, as you're such guys wrapped up in their own big egos. While you've been moping and sleeping around, the rest of us here have been suffering through some sort of damn hardship, but you don't care. What about me, hmm? Has nobody here bothered to realize that you have left me to cope all alone, and that I'm about to lose it?" Godric wanted to speak but for the first time he was at a loss for words. He was failing at being a father and that upset him. But what upset him more was one of his kids was in pain, and he couldn't find the words to help. "I already have lost it..." was all Bridget said before leaving the room. When she was out of the room Godric went from loving father, to strict father. Moving faster than lightning, Godric seperated both Oliver and Derek, sending the boys flying a good five feet in opposite directions."That' enough!" He yelled, his booming voice echoing throughout the training room. "Everyone except for the boys leave. Liv please go check on Bridget." After recieving the nod from his wife he waited until her and the girls had left the room before turning to the boys, mainly speaking to Oliver and Derek. "What the hell is the matter with you two?!" His voice rasing a few octaves as he spoke. "This was supposed to be a sparring event, key word SPARRING." Pinching the bridge of his nose he sighed and spoke again. "You two want to be so competetive and for what? A stupid grudge? It's ridiculous. We're supposed to be a family here, we're meant to protect people not beat the shit out of one another." After giving Derek and Oliver stern looks he finished, "Derek, Oliver you are to sit where you are and observe. Do not speak to one another-" Turning to look at Egan and Nathan, "-Egan, Nathan if you would step in to spar, and hence the word spar." Giving the boys a minute to get into place before he counted down again, "Three, two, one, GO!"
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Annoyed was a good word to describe Jasper at this point. He knew Godric was only looking out for him but he hated just sitting around for no reason. After being kicked out of the training room he'd sulked around the kitchen for a bit, looking for more food but not finding anything he wanted. To be honest he just wanted to sleep. He hadn't slept well lately and he was worn out. Deciding that was what he would do he lathargically rose and headed toward the rooms. As he walked he lost himself in thoughts, his hate for Nathan, feeling guilty about disobeying Godric, and his feelings for Mikki. He was so lost he hadn't even realized he'd walked into a room until he found himself closing a door. Something felt odd as he looked around, the room was the same, only everything had been switched, like his room had been flipped to the exact opposite. Was someone playing a joke on him? He didn't realize it wasn't his room until he noticed the pile of clothes on the floor by the bathroom. A dark red bra lay on top of a pile of a black shirt and blue jeans. Realizing his mistake Jasper quickly headed for the door, but it was too late, he heard the door knob being turned....

Oliver froze as Bridget’s voice echoed through the room, still pinning down Derek with his fist positioned just inches from the boys face, frozen mid punch. Her words hit him harder than any blow he receiver from Derek, the pain in her voice making him lower his fist.
"What is the matter with you? There are other people here, but you wouldn't know, as you're such guys wrapped up in their own big egos. While you've been moping and sleeping around, the rest of us here have been suffering through some sort of damn hardship, but you don't care. What about me, hmm? Has nobody here bothered to realize that you have left me to cope all alone, and that I'm about to lose it?"
She was right of course, because of his own anger and pride he had left her alone to deal with her grief. He wasn’t sure what had been going on between Bridget and Derek but from the sound of it, their situation wasn’t much better. All he could do was stare after her as she stormed from the room but before he could react, Godric was pulling he and Derek apart with surprising strength. The heads words bounced off of Oliver as they were lectured, his attention still locked on the door that Bridget disappeared out of. He was only somewhat aware that he was being ordered to watch the next sparring match but without acknowledgement, he turned on his heel and hurried out of the room before Godric could stop him.

The halls were quiet, the dismissed girls already having headed off in different directions leaving Oliver without a clue as to which way Bridget had gone. He decided to start by checking her room, that first night playing in his head when he had heard her crying. He could still picture the way she looked as she tried not to cry in front of him, the pain in her eyes hidden behind her mask. He could still feel the warmth of her soft cheek beneath the tears he had wiped away… He was so caught up in the memory that he almost ran straight into her after turning a corner in the hall. He had to choke back a little yelp of surprise as he took a step back to steady himself.
“Bridget, i… um…” He struggled to find words, not really having thought through what he would say to her after he found her. He could see the emotion written across her face; pain, anger, betrayal?
“So training was fun, huh?” Her only response was to turn and begin to walk away, making him silently kick himself for sarcasm being his first defense. With a few quick steps, he caught up to her, catching her by the shoulders and pushing her against the wall so she couldn’t get past him. He held her firmly but gently, careful not to hurt her. Directing his gaze to her eyes, he had to stare for a moment, getting lost in the beautiful swirl of blues and greens that painted her irises.
“I’m sorry,” He got out finally, biting his lower lip and tasting the small trickle of blood he forgot was there.
“I’m a jackass, I know. And I wouldn’t blame you if you never wanted to talk to me again but I could have that happen without apologizing first.” He hesitated, a wave of different emotions washing over him. What was it about this girl that made him such a mess?
“That night, the night we met… when I first saw you, the pain in your eyes… You hid it so well; I’d never seen such strength. And then when you cried, it… it made me want to be at your side, to chase away anything, any pain that would make you feel like that. I wanted to be the one to wipe away your tears because all I could think was how much more beautiful you would be if you smiled…” He trailed off, dropping his gaze and feeling foolish.
“I’m a jerk, I’m rude, I’m selfish and I’m stupid. But all I know is that I care about you… I don’t really know what that means…and honestly it scares the crap out of me…” He let go of her shoulders and took a few steps back. He could feel his cheeks burn as a soft pink hue danced across them. He felt stupid; sure none of this meant anything to her. Girls like Bridget didn’t like guys like him, he was just making a fool out of himself, making himself look weak. Avoiding looking at her, he kept his gaze on the ground.
“I’m an idiot, I’m sorry.” He mumbled as he turned and started to hurry away from het with the plan of hiding under his bed until everybody forgot he existed.

Kaleb was disgusted by the whole scene. Such weakness here, it was a miracle any of them passed for shadowhunters. He couldn’t help his eye from twitching as he watched the drama unfold, though he was quite enjoying the two boys go after each other’s throats. As pathetic as love was, jealousy did make for some entertaining rivalries. And it was pleasant to see Prince charming get head butted. As Godric pulled the boys apart, he couldn’t help but smirk as Oliver paid him little attention as they were lectured. Kaleb imagined if it was Slade standing where Godric was, and it was one of his who was being so defiant. Blood would defiantly have been shed.
"-Egan, Nathan if you would step in to spar, and hence the word spar." Kaleb frowned as they were given their orders, after watching the first match, it was very clear that the way he was used to training was not expectable here. His skin tingled with the prospect of spilling blood but he had to replay Slades words in his head.
‘Stay in control. Show little strength, the time will come when they will die but you must be patient.’ Sucking in a steadying breath, he took his place on the mat.
“Take it easy on me Egan, I have to admit I’m a little out of practice.” He gave a small laugh, hiding his rage. He hated acting weak, hated knowing that no one here feared him, but it was a means to an end.

At first the sparring seemed normal, two boys just testing the skills of one another. But soon it turned ugly and they were ripping at each other like a pack of wild animals. Egan stood there some what amused as he watched the boys flailing around on the mat. It was sad, actually, seeing them rolling around throwing spastic punches just hoping it would land on its mark. They were suppose to be shadowhunters, cool under pressure, constantly thinking and working out their next move. Egan figured it was blind anger that was leading these two. Soon they were all interrupted when Bridget came upon the scene spouting her rage at how they were acting. Egan gave a slight nod, agreeing with her as she ran out of the room. A small part of him wanted to go out there and see if she was alright but Godric stopped him hard in his tracks telling the boys they were to remain here.

Egan did as he was told and stood with his arms crossed as Oliver and Jasper were getting their asses handed to him by Godric. When the Head said his name Egan stood at attention and nodded as he approached the mat. His stomach turned with eagerness and excitement as well as nerves. When Nathan told him to take it easy Egan gave a laugh and shook his head.

"I'm sure you have a few tricks up your sleeves that say otherwise." He said with a grin. Nathan didn't look out of shape and he certainly didn't seem like one to not train. Egan chalked it up to a strategy to show him weak but he would be wary and test out his speed and accuracy first. Once both his feet were on the mat Egan sprang forward and did a tuck roll springing up beside Nathan on his right. Immediately his leg did a side kick to Nathan's ribcage, once he did that Egan dropped to the floor and hooked his legs around Nathan's to bring him down. He was ready to getting going, it had been a while since he had anyone of interest to spar with. Once Nathan was on the ground Egan rolled on top of him and threw precise jabs to the midsection a few times, never staying for too long. He back flipped off of Nathan and took a breath taking a fighting stance and waiting for Nathan to get back to his feet. Egan smirked as a few droplets of sweat formed on his brow.

Derek knew it had been a stupid thought, but, for the smallest moment, he actually let himself believe that Oliver would back down and leave Bridget be. He had just beaten the guy close to senselessness in the process of getting his point across. But, instead of back down or even matching his anger, Oliver laughed. Derek was on the verge of giving him another punch to let the idiot rethink his answer, when his opponent blatantly spat straight on his face. Disgusted, Derek lifted the arm holding Oliver down to wipe the salvia from his face. In that one moment, Oliver took the opening and jerked his knee up, sending a jolt of pure pain surging up Derek's spine. With a speed that rivaled his own, only a few seconds before, Oliver swung his leg up, hooking it around Derek's head, catching him unawares. Not a second passed before the next move was made against Derek: an unrestrained head-butt that hit him square in the nose. It was broken, no doubt about that, as the blood flowed, crimson droplets dotting the yellow mat. Derek was helpless to stem the flow from the injury, Oliver having securely pinned him, leaving no room to breathe let alone breath. He beat me. I've lost, and she saw the whole thing.
“Last time I checked, Grey.” Oliver's tone was serious, but in a way that only served to enrage Derek. “She wasn’t a pet or something you can claim. And the decision for me to leave her alone is up to her, not you.” His opponent's words were made all the more infuriating by the thought that Oliver was right. In trying to protect Bridget, Derek had acted like she was his to protect. But, he was sure as hell not going to let the jackass know that.
“So make my life hell, I would love to see you try.”
The words of retaliation were already laid out in his mind; all Derek had to do was say them. But, before he could even draw the ragged breath, Bridget finally spoke up.
"What is the matter with you? There are other people here, but you wouldn't know, as you're such guys wrapped up in their own big egos. While you've been moping and sleeping around, the rest of us here have been suffering through some sort of damn hardship, but you don't care. What about me, hmm? Has nobody here bothered to realize that you have left me to cope all alone, and that I'm about to lose it?" Her words cut into him more than any amount of shame could, hurting worse than the blows he'd taken trying to protect her. Or, at least that's what he'd been trying to do. Taking in Bridget's words, Derek realized what a mistake it had all been. He'd acted like a literal caveman, fighting for a girl without even acknowledging her. They'd both neglected her. But, Derek felt somehow more responsible, more to blame. He'd promised her he'd be a good friend, someone who would listen and care about how she felt. Shows what a shitty friend I am.
By this time, all eyes were on them, the two boys, bloody and bruised, and the girl, trying to stop it all. Derek saw her eyes finally leave him and Oliver, and venture around to all the other gazes trained on her."I already have lost it..." With those last words, she stormed out. Every fiber in Derek's being screamed for him to run after her, but the oaf of a Shadowhunter was still on his chest.
A strange salvation came in the form a very red-faced Godric, screaming for them to break it up. The Head viciously tore the boys apart, giving Derek one more bruise that he'd be feeling the next day. After dismissing Vanessa, Mikki, and Nina, Godric proceeded to yell both boy’s ears off, before ordering them both to watch Egan and Nathan spare. Derek had never seen the Head so angry, and, for the sake of their bond, conceded to watch, despite his desperate need to speak to Bridget. Oliver, on the other hand, seemed to have no such problems, and disobeyed Godric openly by walking right out the wooden doors. Derek held the greatest respect for his father like figure, but nothing in the world would keep him still while Bridget and Oliver were alone together. The guy just can't take a hint.
Bursting through the doors, Derek quickly found the two. Bridget looked as angry as ever. Oliver seemed to be in the midst of some serious story Derek was sure he'd fabricated to make himself look better. It was all the incentive he needed to jump right back into the fight.
"Don't say I didn't warn you, Nightshade," Derek muttered, before letting go of a punch. But, once again, Oliver was one step ahead and dodged the blow. For the second time that day, his opponent had the upper hand, and in front of Bridget no less. A quick swipe of Oliver's leg sent Derek sprawling, before he was caught up in a headlock. Beaten and unable to move, the shreds of pride he'd had only moments before flew away in this last defeat.

Bridget passed up her room, too upset to sit still, and chose to walk around the Institute aimlessly, slightly hoping she'd get lost in the many hallways and never be found again. Her heart was conflicted, she didn't really want to be alone, but if everyone was going to act so frustratingly difficult then she'd settle for the peace of solitude, sort through her pain and embarassment on her own. Bridget never had outbursts, rarely lost her mask in front of others before she got here, and now that she had shown the entire Institute this ugly side of her she'd been trying to deny, she wanted desperately to hide her face from them for the rest of eternity.
Based on the previous emotions she was feeling, it was really stupid of Bridget to feel any sort of positive emotion when Oliver almost ran straight into her. She was forced to look up, instead of at her shoes as she'd walked, and she didn't have time to hide her pain, and it killed her that this boy yet again got to see her as far from perfectly in control as she could be.
“So training was fun, huh?” Oliver said, and something snapped inside of Bridget. As much as she wanted to hit him right there, she figured there had been enough animosity for the day, and resigned herself to walking away. She didn't want to deal with Oliver, and all the sarcasm and bitterness he brought.
But then he stopped her, pressing her against the cool, stone wall, and she had no escape. Somewhat forced to listen to what he had to say, Bridget bit her lip slightly, hoping that whatever he wanted to say wouldn't cause her any more sorrow.
He talked and she listened, and before she knew it Bridget was hearing an apology, but not just an apology, genuine, honest words that seemed so unlike Oliver that she wanted to ask if he'd been replaced. Surely these sweet saying weren't his, she hadn't seen this side of him since her first night here, and it had long disappeared after that.
When he finished, Bridget found that for the first time she was able to smile and mean it, even if the smile was small and it vanished quickly. She opened her mouth to say something, anything to let him know that she accepted his apology, but he had started to walk away. It was her turn to stop him, and she grabbed his arm with a gentle hand.
"Hey, where are you going?" She asked, the tiniest hint of laughter in her voice. He looked back at her with some unreadable emotion in his eyes, and maybe, for once they were about to have a decent, normal conversation, but Derek appeared around the corner and Bridget jerked back her arm as he puched Oliver straight in the face, saying something about a warning.
Within seconds, possible only with a Shadowhunter speed, Derek was caught in a headlock, and Oliver glared down at him angrily.
"Oliver, let him go!" She had to raise her voice to be heard over the anger between the two boys, as she had been forgotten and pushed away to the side. "And you," she looked at Derek, "where did that come from?" She rubbed at her temple for a moment, the pains of a headache blossoming, and she hadn't even been the one fighting today. "I really wish you two would just stop," Bridget said quietly. "There's no point in this."

The wooden door of the weapons room slammed against the stone of the outside wall, as Mikki came bursting out, her temper flaring as always. For a few moments, she just stood there in the hallway, the sound of Vanessa quietly closing the door barely even registering. The girl could be as quiet as a mouse sometimes and disappeared down the right hallway just as swiftly. By that time, Mikki's anger had almost completely subsided. Almost.
It was just all so goddamn stupid! Things had been going perfectly fine, despite the brainless bitch, Nina, and her cute little arrow trick. Of course, it had pissed her off, but Mikki had been so absorbed in her own training that she'd only shot the girl a quick glare. She'd almost gotten Vanessa, or V as she now liked to call, to an actually acceptable level for a Shadowhunter, when the boys decided to ruin it all. Captain America and Thing 2 had gotten a little too into the whole sparring thing, leaning more towards a full on cage match than a training session. And, now, because those two possessed the raging hormones of pregnant women, she and Vanessa had been forced to leave. Sure, that was all good news for her timid friend, but Mikki had been looking forward to this very day since she'd seen the wall of weapons. The disappointment, like so many other negative emotions, had quickly turned to anger, rallying with the adrenaline still racing through her veins. For God's sake, she couldn't even stand still! She had to go somewhere, do something, or she was going to explode. She hadn't visited her mother in what felt like forever. Before moving into the Institution, Mikki had made all the preparations for her mother, making Genny promise to check in on her every now in then. A quick visit to her home in the slums would be just the thing to ease some of this energy. She could only imagine how good the cold would feel on her hot skin, easing away the fingers of stress that seemed to be constantly gripping her mind these days.
Having decided on a game plan, Mikki made her way quickly to her room, needing to grab her leather jacket before venturing out. She knew exactly where she'd left it, strewn across her bed, surrounded by many other, random articles of clothing. Coming to her door, Mikki turned the knob and was about to enter fully, when the presence of Jasper momentarily threw her off kilter. The Shadowhunter stood frozen, his hand reaching out to the knob she'd just turned, his eyes wide open with surprise, embarrassment, and confusion. It was the confusion that allowed her to ease off the immediate feeling of suspicion of having him randomly in her room. The embarrassment wasn't of being found out, but for being in the situation unintentionally, she guessed. After the initial shock, Mikki had to quickly suppress a fit of laughing, not wanting him to feel even more awkward than he surely did. Still, a small smile slipped through as she crossed the room to retrieve her jacket.
"I have to say, Jasper, I hadn't pegged you for the creepy, Twilight, stalker type," she joked, drawing her arms through the well worn sleeves. "Just to warn you, I sleep lightly, and I guess you've already found out the hard way that I stab first and ask questions later. Might want to rethink your strategy."
Even though she knew that he'd gotten the joke, Mikki could still see that the awkwardness had done anything but dissipate. An idea jumped to mind almost instantly, one that she'd been toying with for a while, but was still hesitant about. He opened up to you, now it's your turn.
“Derek and Oliver basically ruined the session with their girly squabbles. I was going to go on a walk, and thought maybe you might want to come....I actually thought I'd show you something....about me... but only if you're not busy, of course."

A wave of embarassment washed over Jasper as the rooms occupant opened the door. He would've been fine if it had been Bridget or Vanessa, they had seemed more like sisterly girls since he had arrived at the institute but no. It had to be Mikki's room. As soon as he'd seen the surprise on her face his mind started fortifying the walls to prepare for the onslaught of anger that he knew she could dish out, he could already feel the sting on his face from her hand before she'd even hit him. However that wasn't the case. She simply walked past him to the bed and grabbed her jacket, putting it on gracefully. Than even more to his astonishment, she started joking with him. No punch? No death threat? No explosion of anger? Is this the same girl? All the thoughts raced through Jasper's head. The combination of his lack of sleep and his utter surprise about Mikki's calmness casued him to take a minute to process what she'd asked. “Derek and Oliver basically ruined the session with their girly squabbles. I was going to go on a walk, and thought maybe you might want to come....I actually thought I'd show you something....about me... but only if you're not busy, of course."
All of a sudden Jasper's thoughts started rushing out of his mouth at the same time, needless to say he seemed to not be able to process a coherient sentence. "I...you...you're not....no hitting?"
Realizing that he sounded like a complete idiot he took a deep breath. It seemed to be all he needed because his thoughts became easier to move around and he felt more awake. Flashing a smile at the confused looking girl in front of him he proceeded to say, "Sorry for the rambaling. I haven't been sleeping lately so I'm kind of out of it, and to be honest I'm surprised I'm not putting a healing rune on my face." He watched as Mikki's mouth quirked up a little at the corners. "As for coming with you, I'd love to." Still smiling he stepped aside with a "ladies first" gesture. Following behind her he closed the door and stepped to her side, with his good arm held out as if he were offering to walk her into a fancy ball. Finally giving her a nice grin he said, "Lead the way killer."

"Hey, where are you going?" As Bridget grabbed his arm, Oliver’s heart seemed to actually skip a beat, he took a fraction of a second to marvel at the fact that something like that actually happened and wasn’t just romance novel bullshit. His first thought was that he was going to yell at him again, tell him how much of an arrogant asshole he was but the look in her eyes and the soft smile on her lips was anything but angry, had he really been forgiven? A smile was in the process of forming on his lips as the voice of the person he wanted to see the least echoed through the hall.
"Don't say I didn't warn you, Nightshade," Derek’s blow caught him in the face before he had fully turned to face the other boy. ‘This guy just won’t give up…’ He thought angrily as he reacted with lightening speed, he dodged the next blow, ducking out of the way before knocking Derek off his feet. Fueled by anger from their earlier fight, but mostly for being interrupted when he and Bridget might have actually had a civilized conversation… The ways he wanted to express his anger were endless but all he had time to do was catch him up in a headlock before Bridget’s voice ordered for Derek to be released. As much as he didn’t want to piss Bridget off any further, he was not willing to let the boy go and get punched in the face again.
“I wouldn’t if I was them, Christopher and Slade aren’t a pair I’d want to go up against. Not in a million years. I just can’t wait until those damn shadowhunters see what’s coming for them. Once they’re all destroyed, we will be able to hunt where ever we want,” The image of the abandoned hotel danced into his mind in a flash, the sneering vampires words cutting out the real voices around him.
“Oh shit…” He whispered. How could he have forgotten about that? He supposed his worry for his friends life was a pretty good excuse, but the better question was why was he just remembering this now, at this moment. The sporadic working of his brain would forever leave him baffled. Coming back to the present, he shook the memory from his head.
“Listen Derek,” He started, using the boys name for the first time.
“As much as I would love to go in for round two, I have something really important to tell Godric. Can you be a good boy or am I going to have to tote you into the weapons room in a head lock?” One look from Bridget said that wouldn’t be allowed so he reluctantly let go of his grip and took a step back.
“I need to talk to Godric.” Oliver said, turning to Bridget, silently wishing they were still alone together in the hall, void of these irritating distractions.
“Come with me?” He asked her, sparing a quick glance at Derek.
“You should come too; it’s something everyone needs to hear.” Gesturing for them to follow, he started off back in the direction of the weapons room, his mind reeling with the memories from the hotel. When they reached the wooden door, he pulled it open without hesitation, pushing into the room with a sense of urgency.
“Godric, I need to talk to you, it’s important.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaleb could see each move Egan was going to make before he made them, and his body ached to react, to shut him down. But he willed himself to react a second too late to each blow, blocking every other blow and only getting in a few meager ones of his own. When the other shadowhunter got him to the ground, it took all his restraint not to fling the boy off of him like a rag doll and snap his little neck, though he did have to admit he was impressed. Egan’s blows where swift and precise, but more intriguing than his fighting skills was the dangerous glimmer that danced behind his eyes as he attacked, making Kaleb think the perhaps he wrote him off way too soon.
When Egan finally sprang backwards, Kaleb was on his feet in a flash, though he pretended to pant a little, trying to give the impression that the blows had taken their toll on him. Pain was irrelevant to the Ravenscar siblings, they were taught at a young age to feel nothing, physical and emotional, the only thing wounded at the moment was his pride.
“Told you I was out of practice.” He forced out a small laugh as he placed his hands on his knees as if trying to catch his breath.
“This is a little embarrassing…” He straightened up, taking his fighting stance once more but his attention was torn when the door swung open and Oliver came busting in, followed by Bridget and Pretty boy. He couldn’t help but think that the three of them seemed a strange group to be congregating together but the distressed look on their faces said they weren’t traveling the halls for the fun of it.
“Godric, I need to talk to you, it’s important.” At Oliver’s words, Kaleb pulled his attention completely away from his sparring partner, eager for a chance to learn a bit of valuable information.

Egan could feel the rush of adrenaline course through his every fiber until his fingers tingle with anticipation of connecting to Nathan's flesh again. It was a rush he couldn't explain, showing others his talents and letting them be in awe as he was sure Nathan was impressed. They always were. Egan was quick, agile, and acrobatic as well as precise in his movements. Though his blows to Nathan's body was not even at half strength it was enough to show he was serious about his sparring. Egan's dark blue eyes shown with intrigue and a glint of danger as he watched Nathan quickly get to his feet. Not too rusty it seems. Egan thought as he watched Nathan. The other boy's shoulders were tense, he was fixing to strike, Egan was sure of it.

"Or I'm just that good." Egan said with a bit of sarcasm and jest as he smiled and waited for Nathan to come at him. He was ready to maneuver himself out of the way if need be. But before the sparring could commence again Oliver burst through the doors demanding to speak with Godric. Egan's attention went back to Nathan but he saw the boy was more invested in what Oliver had to say so he let his guard down and stepped closer to hear what was so important. Though from Godric's body language and his mood before Egan believed the Head would not want to listen.


((Sorry for the crappy post... Not a good day, found out a good friend of mine died today but wanted to post to try and get my mind off of things.))

Godric watched as Egan and Nathan began their sparring match. He studied Egan as he took down Nathan, then how quickly Nathan recovered. These two were good, he gave them that. Godric was egar to see more of there abilities when Oliver burst into the room. “Godric, I need to talk to you, it’s important.” He couldn't believe the audacity Oliver had. "You need to talk? After deliberately disobeying me. Walking all over my authority. Now you want to interrupt Egan and Nathan who are actually being productive and not just wasting time. I'm sorry Oliver but no it will have to wait." He just couldn't understand this boy. At times he was the most respectful, understanding individual. Then there were times like this, when he thought everything revolved around him. "You can tell me whatever it is you have to tell me after these two have finished their training session." Godric really hated undermining his kids, but sometimes it was the only way they'd listen. Even Derek now was abusing Godric's trust. At least Jasper had listened when Godric ordered him out of the training room earlier, but Derek and Oliver had made a mockery of him in the course of a few hours.
Watching as Oliver left the room, Godric felt upset at the way he'd acted toward the boy, but he had to do what he had to do. Once he as able to Godric instructed Egan and Nathan to resume their session.

Oliver could see the anger painted across Godric’s face before the man even opened his mouth to speak. ‘Oh get over yourself..’ He wanted to add but kept his mouth shut as the man spoke, making Oliver’s anger flare.
“Fine, don’t listen to me. Good thing nobodies dying or anything. Well not yet anyway.” He spat, turning on his heel, he knew he could just blurt it out and get the man’s attention, share the knowledge he had before someone could get hurt because of it but something in Godric’s face made him want to keep the information to himself. Oliver was no stranger to dominating male figures, the dominate ‘Alpha dog’ types, Godric hadn’t struck him as that type at first but the demanding tone of his voice in the training room reminded him too much of his past. Storming out of the room, he let his gaze catch Bridget’s for a moment before slamming the door behind him once more.

Leaning his back against the wooden door, his sigh echoed through the halls as he ran a hand through his tousled hair. Closing his eyes and rubbing at his temples, his logical side was telling him he was over reacting; he knew Godric was just being a responsible authority figure. How was someone supposed to run a Institute full of orphaned children if they were known as a push over. Though after a day like today, logic was hardly something he felt inclined to listen to.
Feeling like a zombie, he started off towards his room, something about this place was draining him; making him unstable, not that stability could really be used as a describing word for the young shadowhunter but the years of cold control seemed to count for nothing. The walls he had built seemed to be crumbling around him and the calm, aloof boy he worked so hard to be seemed like nothing more than a distant memory. Slipping into his room, he went straight to the bathroom, stripping off his clothes as he went, tossing them onto the floor carelessly. Not bothering to wait for the water to warm, he stepped into the shower, standing under the icy stream in hopes of washing away the kaleidoscope of emotions that seemed to be clinging to him. Closing his eyes as the icy stream poured over his face, he scrubbed away at the trickles of dried blood, the water stinging his split lip pleasantly. He wondered what the other occupants thought of him, their dislike was painted across their faces every time he spoke, but being disliked was nothing new to the boy. As a child, all Oliver ever wanted was the approval of his father, to be told he had done a good job, though since the death of his mother no matter how hard he trained, how obedient he was or even how fiercely he killed was never good enough. Alistor Nightsade always expected more, screamed for more and when his expectations weren’t met, his son was punished. It was a strange day when Oliver made the change from obedient lap dog to rebellious teenager, laying in bed one night, on his stomach since his back was a bloody open wound from a particularly nasty whipping, it finally dawned on him that his efforts were pointless, he was never going to be good enough for anyone, so why bother? It didn’t take him long to leave Idris, to taste the first bit of freedom in his life. Since that day he learned to hate authority, to laugh in the faces of those who tried to oppress him, never again would he be controlled by anyone. ‘So what are you doing here’ The question nagged at his brain, still unanswered. ‘Why are you in a place surrounded by people bound to so many laws and rules, who hold people like your father in high authority…’ Images of Jasper flashed behind his eyes, he had been so caught up in the fact that he had a friend that he let himself be bound to another person. And Bridget, with those tear filled eyes and hesitant smile, he couldn’t even begin to rationalize what he felt for her. Then there was Godric, the gentle father like figure who treated the kids like family, a family Oliver would never be a part of…

Shutting off the water, he shook his head to rid his mind of all thoughts, sending a cascade of water droplets everywhere. Grabbing a towel from the rack, he dried off as he searched his room for the pants he had flung off carelessly. Once he pulled them on, he was happy to discover his pack of cigarettes in the back pocket. He lit one as he flopped back onto his mattress, getting lost in the swirl of blue smoke that twisted upwards as he exhaled.

Bridget followed Oliver and Derek back to the training room, surprised to find that it wasn't just curiosity that kept her with the boys. Sure, she wanted to find out what Oliver had to say to Godric, but something about the way Oliver had looked at her made her believe that she shouldn't leave him just yet. He'd asked her to come, and she didn't want to ruin their first few moments of sincere kindness by rejecting the invitation. As they walked in silence, Derek refusing to look at her and Oliver leading the way, Bridget tried to ignore the tension she could sense between the two of them.
“Godric, I need to talk to you, it’s important.” Bridget could hear the urgency in Oliver's voice, although he was somewhat trying to keep it under control. Godric's response was far less than satisfactory, and if it irritated Bridget then it sure as hell must have made Oliver angry. Bridget strongly believed that you shouldn't ignore anyone who had something important to say, no matter your pride, and she frowned at Godric's answer, losing a little respect for him, despite his authoritative reasons for responding as he did.
She wasn't surprised when Oliver walked out, leaving only a biting taunt to hint at what he needed to say to Godric. Oliver caught her eyes, and Bridget almost followed him out right then and there, the anger in his gaze making her want to help him, rather than being intimidating in any way.
Just as she took a step to leave, Derek looked at her, silently pleading. He wanted her to stay, to keep herself safe here. If she stayed then Godric wouldn't be angry with her as well as Oliver. Really, this would be best for her. All of this was conveyed in his look, and Bridget understood it all, and she could only offer him an small, apologetic smile and shrug, before walking out of the training room, the dark, wooden door closing firmly behind her. She was almost pleased to find that leaving Derek there only pained her slightly, knowing that she had gone against what he had wanted.
Bridget's stomach growled quietly, a reminder of the fact that she'd been skipping meals to avoid contact with people. Now that the kitchen was empty, everyone else occupied, the Shadowhunter figured she should force herself to eat something, whether she had an appetite or not. Besides, an energy rune could only fix so much, and hers was being used to combat the lack of sleep, not the lack of food.
Making her way to the kitchen, Bridget perched herself on a stool at the breakfast bar, not feeling like eating in the dining room when she would be the only one. Grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl on the granite countertop, she stared out the window for a few minutes while eating the first food she'd had in the past few days. It was alarming how one could stop caring to do mandatory things like eating when struck by grief. Bridget reprimanded herself, she should have been paying more attention to what she was doing instead of moping around.
Finishing her snack, Bridget tossed the core into the trashcan on her way out, now set on finding Oliver. Her first and only guess was his room, so she walked up the stairs, forcing the determination to find him be the only emotion she felt.
She stopped in front of Oliver's door, hesitating. Although he had recently been nice to her, his attitude from the majority of his time here would lead her to believe she was unwelcome. Finally deciding that she might as well, Bridget knocked on his door, hoping he was at least willing to let her in.