#so I just copied other peoples itineraries but then like ugh I have nothing to say to this girl!! yes she cute and I think into me but.

[weed-hotel]

staying in a hostel is the worst thing ever invented. actually

[kewltie]

For a group of highly trained soldiers and specialists in their particular field, who have to deal with giant ass monsters destroying their city on a near weekly basis, Katsuki’s handlers all have various and insistent opinion on what shirt color would accentuate Katsuki’s eyes and where he should be taking Izuku on their date. They’re more invested in Katsuki’s date going well than even Katsuki’s parents and Katsuki’s parents had woke up early this morning just to try to catch him before he leaves so they can extract his date plans out of him and be the judge of it. Which, quite frankly, is annoying as fuck.

He already got twenty pair of eyes on him at all times and now they’re just shoving their unwanted opinions on him like they’re reliving their wasted youth all over again through him.

“This is a good time to compliment him!” Imada encourages through the hidden earpiece in his left stud earring. “Tell him he looks nice or that he smells good. You want to make a good impression on this date, so there will be more dates to come.”

“That can be kind of creepy, Imada,” Hashimoto says dryly, his voice popping in Katsuki’s ear. “No, instead you want to pay close attention to his body language and read his micro-expressions carefully, because sometimes people don’t say what they mean or say what they want at all! So it’s good to know when you’re unnerving him out without having to say anything at all.”  

“Also, it would help greatly if you smile a little more, Katsuki. You scowl so much as it is that when I’d first met you I thought it was permanently stuck on your face. It makes you look like you were constipated all the damn time, too,” Kono chimes in, because apparently everyone else on this fucking frequency channel had been quietly listening into his date through the audio transmitter and decides at this moment to be an active contribution to it.  

Damn noisy bastards. All of them, really.

If Izuku isn’t here, he would be cursing them out and tell them to get off this channel already. It’s only to be use for emergency and not a fucking love counseling session.

Katsuki doesn’t need their help. He’s going to ace this dumb date. Sweep Izuku right of his fucking feet, throw him right over his fucking shoulder, and carry him off into the sunset. There’s no way for him to fuck this up.

“Kacchan, look!” Izuku says, practically hoping in place as he points to a small building sandwiched between a bakery and a bookstore. “It’s a kaiju’s gift shop!” His eyes light up, excitement radiating out of him in waves. “Can we go in there and check it out?”

Apparently, he discounted Izuku and his ability to still have his hardon for rampaging monsters, poking its enormous head out even on a date. The itinerary list Katsuki had had spent three days creating it sits heavy and hot in his pants pocket, the weight of it is enough to scorch through his pants.

Yea, Katsuki is not the one who is going to fucking derail this entire date for giant ass monsters. Even though he is one himself.

Sometimes, Katsuki thinks soberly, humanity is not even worth saving.

The sign outside of the store says, “Love Monster,” with each of the letter O replaces by a heart and outside the storefront standing guard is a giant figure of Oryx, the worm kaiju, whom Katsuki’s mother had battle against numerous times before.

Katsuki’s left eye twitches. “No.”

“Please,” Izuku says, clasping his hands together in prayer. “Just for little bit, I want to look around. Ten minutes and we’ll leave!”  

Out of the corner of his eyes, he spots two women hovering near a window display of the bookstore, their arm interweaved, and the blonde one turns around. A familiar faces meet him for a split second to give him an encouraging thumbs up before returning to her earlier position like she hasn’t cue Katsuki in and Katsuki considers homicide just a for a second.

Of fucking course, the CCTV surveillance and sound transmitter wasn’t enough, M.STR would have their people undercover to trail after Katsuki and Izuku’s date.

Katsuki rakes a hand through his hair in frustration and lets out a resigned sigh. “Fine,” he snaps. “Geek your heart out, nerd.”

Izuku lets out an excited squeal and that’s almost enough to mollified Katsuki’s over. He reaches out grab hold of Katsuki’s arm in his enthusiasm, but Katsuki’s eyes flare up and he steps aside just enough to slip pass Izuku’s touch.

Katsuki’s heart rams against his ribcage. It was too close.

Hurt flashes across Izuku’s face, but it’s gone too quickly for Katsuki to even feel bad about it.

“Let’s go in, then,” Izuku says, keeping the smile carefully plastered on his face.

Even Katsuki know he’d fucked up right there, the various snorts of disbelief and tired sighs in his left are unnecessary, but he can’t stay fix it now. Izuku speed-walks into the shop with Katsuki in toll behind him and as soon as they’re in Izuku breaks away to rush toward a Mythras stone statue, sitting behind a glass box.

The shop is filled to the brim, from cover to cover, with weird kaiju merchandises from stationary, beddings, clothes, figurines, plush animals, and so more that it make Katsuki’s head spin. Kaiju aren’t a popular commodity normally with how the majority of the species are set out to destroy the human race, but the younger generation like Izuku seems fond of them for some strange reason. They don’t look at kaiju with the same fear and hatred as their parents or their grandparents had anymore.  

There are few other people mingling about—some kids and adults going over the display and a single shopkeeper keeping an eye on all of them—and Izuku frantically bounces between each fixture, eyes darting across each merchandise piece like he’s going to make a grab at them and haul them to the cashier to be rung up.  

Katsuki stands awkwardly in the middle of shop, feeling out of sort as he’s not part of the target audience nor has any particular interest in the subject matter. It’s hard to be interest when Katsuki is the subject in the first place as everyone in the shop coos and hollers at faces that Katsuki had either fought against or with before.

“Kacchan!” Izuku suddeny rushes back toward him.  “It’s Mittan,” he says elatedly, holding up a cap with five large black and red horns protruding out of the top. The original Defender of the Humanity, the Queen of the Monsters, The Blood Traitor, the Oathkeeper, and coincidently, also, Katsuki’s mother; she is Mi’tawuatski, or Mittan as her legion of devoted fans fondly called her.

His mother’s iconic horns are more than the size of a grown man. Even the smallest ones are taller than Izuku. They’re enormous, grand, beautifully curved bones with a pointed end, and are a source of proud for his family.

This dumb cheaply made version of it, with it weird discoloration and plastic material, is so offensive that Katsuki wants to rip it out of Izuku’s hand and throw it in the trash, but Izuku pulls the cap over his head and smiles bashfully at him, eyes bright and grin infectious.

“What do you think?” Izuku asks, shinning with the full force of the sun and Katsuki can’t even bare to look at him.

“Ugly,” Katsuki retorts with an eye roll, his races wildly in his chest like it wants to crawl out of there and throw itself at Izuku. “You’re not a kid anymore. Take it off.” 

“You idiot,” Kono hisses, making her presence known once again in his ear.

Izuku’s lips stretches out in a sulky pout and it’s almost enough to hide the dark cloud behind his eyes. “Oh alright,” he says, deflating. He leaves Katsuki’s side once more, distracted by something else in the shop's corner.

Katsuki lets out a sigh of relief. Just a few more second of it and Katsuki would have blown this entire gift shop apart. 

“Katsuki,” Commander Tamaki says into his ear, “are you alright? We noticed your heartrate had just sped up to 387BMP.” A beat. “Most people would be dead by now. Should I send out an extraction team for you?”

Katsuki watches from a distance as Izuku peers at a pile of stuffed kaiju plushs, his green eyes lighting up in childlike wonder and he smiles at it. It’s bright, earnest, and so fucking cute. It physically hurts to even look at him.

“If you or any of your jarheads storm in and ruin my date right now, the next time there’s another kaiju attack I’ll let it roast all your fucking asses and make Tokyo its playground,” Katsuki says, low and menacingly into the mic hidden in the collar of his shirt. 

A long heavy pause passes between them. “Copy,” he answers finally. “We’ll keep on closely monitoring you just in case then.”

Katsuki clicks his tongue in annoyance, making his disapproval known but doesn’t argue. The fact that they had even agreed to him going on a date Izuku was a surprise in itself, not that their refusal would have change Katsuki’s gameplan anyway, was miracle despite for years they had been insisting Katsuki wasn’t ready for real world interaction with other humans outside of the M.STR organization.  

“Bakushinchi!” Izuku practically screams across the room.

“Ugh,” Katsuki says, rubbing his ears.

Izuku rushes back to him with something huge and black in his arms. “Kacchan! Kacchan! They got a Bakushinchi’s plushy!” he says, nearly barreling him right over in his excitement. “And he’s huge! Well,” Izuku cocks his head to take enormous plush that nearly half the size of him, “not as huge as the real thing but look,” he presses his face into its plush belly and squeezes, “he’s so soft and squishy.” Izuku sighs warmly into it. “I want him on my bed.”

Katsuki chokes.

“Oh my god,” Sakurai says, sounding hysterical through the earpiece,  “does that kid know he’s a total tease?!”

Katsuki stares the large and deformed version of himself—red eyes, two small soft horns, its glittery body, and a pair of tiny black wings that look nothing like his majestic own— held in Izuku’s arms like it’s the most precious thing ever and he wants to punch something. Destroy. Kill. Mostly himself. Or the plush version of his other self.

He can’t even get close to Izuku without reaching human level of a heart attack and every time Izuku even fucking smile at him Katsuki wants to slam him against the wall and claims him.

Katsuki’s teeth throbs, he can feel it’s growing with the blood-thirst humming underneath his skin. His other want  break out of his frail human shell and takes Izuku in front of everyone, paints the wall with the flood of their audience and bathe Izuku in his conquest.

It’s terrifying. He has never been more out of control. More monster than human than when he’s with Izuku.

Katsuki violently shoves Izuku away and Izuku crashes to the floor with a yelp of surprise.

The beast in him is crawling out into the surface; he can hear the bones in his right arm cracking through his human skin, black scales peeking through under it and Katsuki quickly tucks it behind him. But the commotion he had caused is attracting an audience among the shop attendance and some guy reaches down to help Izuku up from the floor

“Don’t touch him!” Katsuki yells, growling with so much force that the place nearly shakes from it.

The man’s eyes widen with unadulterated fear and he quickly drops Izuku’s hand, but Izuku doesn’t seem concern at all as worry lines his features and he tries to take a step forward.

Katsuki backs away, he can’t stop the bloodlust anymore. He wants to trip into the man for touching Izuku, wants to pull out his entrails and paint the wall with it. He wants. He wants—

“Katsuki!” Commander Tamaki cuts in, sounding extremely remorseful. “Sorry to interrupt your date again, but there’s a Type-O Class Nova Kaiju that just appeared in Ward C and we need you.”  

Katsuki grins now, the taste of an upcoming battle and blood of his enemy wetting his hunger for more. This is enough to quell his appetite for Izuku. This is something he can handle. This is something he can fight. “I—I got to go,” he says to Izuku, swiveling around and heads right of out of the door without any further explanation.

“Kacchan, wait!” Izuku’s screams follows him with every step, but Katsuki pushes forward and runs out into the street where a black undisclosed van is waiting or him.

It’s not like he’s running away. It’s just that—did Deku have to be so fucking cute?! Katsuki can fight kaiju that are as ancient as the earth and pull a victory out of nothing, but give him this helpless ordinary human boy and he’s just undone.

[eerythingisshaka]

#Fictober Day 30

“Do we really have to do this again?”

(Witch!Shuri)

Word Count: 3.5k

A/N: Elements of racism and revenge against it.  Plus, I was inspired by The Craft

Shuri entered the doors to her summer internship brimming over with pride.  Having seen some of the world outside of Wakanda, Shuri had a hefty appetite for curiosity.  What all has she missed out on?  Meeting people like Bruce Banner, Everett Ross, there had to be so many other like-minded individuals who she could bounce ideas off of.  

Queen Mother saw her off, hiding her sadness as much as she possibly could.  She knew that Shuri could handle things on her own just fine, but her baby was still moving thousands of miles away from home and that left a big hole in her heart.  Shuri assured her she would be fine, and T’Challa reminded her as well that War Dogs would be summoned at a moments notice to assist with her protection.  

Shuri observed the hallways of the university in awe and amazement.  The all white walls were so drab and basic, let alone inefficient.  All of the people crowding around her and chattering away pushed to make it to their assigned meeting rooms for counsel and rooming arrangements.

The ginger running things beamed at Shuri as she came in.  “Hello!  Welcome to the Brilliant Minds summer program!  I’m Hanson, I am one of the coordinators that will be working with you this week!  Can I get your name please?”

“Yes, I am Shuri, daughter of--er, I mean Udaku, Shuri Udaku.”  Shuri laughs nervously.

His eyes widen, “Oh yeah!  You’re the royal!  Well, I’m sorry for not greeting you properly.”  He steps back and bows.

Shuri scoffs.  “Thanks, but that’s not necessary...nor was it executed properly.”

Hanson laughs, hands raised.  “Fair enough, I’ll practice.  But thanks for coming all this way!  Here is the itinerary and your dorm key.  You will be staying at Atkins Hall, just south of here on the lip of the quad.  After today’s labs, there will be a bonfire so we will be roasting and toasting this evening if you’re up for it!”

Shuri takes the papers and grabs her bag.  “Sounds good!  I’m looking forward to it all, thanks Hanson!”  She waves goodbye turning and bumping abruptly into someone.

“Ugh!  God!  I’ve been attacked!”  a ditzy voice exclaims.

Shuri brushes her arm from the collision.  “No, it was a simple misunder-”

The short bottle blonde white girl screws her face up like she’s about to spit as she looks back at her brunette friend.  “Oh, no.  We have must’ve gotten off on the affirmative action floor instead.”

Shuri squints.  “What are you talking about?  This is the-”

“God, Miqaila, do you understand what she is saying?  It’s like nothing but clicks!”  Her friend practically snorts her Starbucks at the ‘joke’.

Shuri feels uneasy, looking back at Hanson, who appeared to notice the disruption but looks away quickly.

Shuri holds her head up.  “I will not tolerate your rudeness!  My eyes have been offended by your face for too long, keep looking that way and it will stick.”  Shuri brushes past them.

Miqaila shrieks.  “Ew, Ashleigh!  I think she got something on me!  Is she covered in grease??”

“Bish where!?  You wouldn't know soft skin if I slapped you across the face with it.” Shuri yells back, flipping her the bird whilst exiting.

“Probably doesn’t use a napkin after eating so she can knock out her ashy.  You know they’re prone to it, so sad,  Wipe it off soon, I’m sure it’s ritualistic…”  Ashleigh whispered to Miqaila.

Shuri’s blood boiled as she stomped out of the office, beyond offended by the debacle.  She hadn’t even said a word to them and they already held so many prejudices, what was wrong with them?  It wasn’t the ideal introduction to the program she dreamt of, but she kept walking along to get to her dorm assignment to hopefully realign her mood.

Heading up to the second floor, Shuri finds the room number and tries the key, going inside.

“Hey girl, hey!  It’s about time I met my roomie!  I thought I was gonna miss ya!”  A beautifully dark skinned, statuesque woman with two afro puffs gleamed.

Shuri smiled just as wide.  “Yes, sorry to keep you waiting friend!  What is your name?” she holds out her hand for a shake.

“Maxine, you can call me CeCe though.”  she says, giving a firm grip.

“Nice, I am Shuri-”

CeCe holds her hand up.  “Oh!  I know who you are!  You were on the magazine of Young Engineers Quarterly last month.  Girrrrl, you were the youngest and first Black girl on their cover!  I have it framed and I’m already kicking myself for not bringing it to autograph!”

Shuri laughs.  “It’s not the biggest deal, really.  Anyone could’ve gotten it, but with Wakanda being open now, people are just riding its wave.  My hype will die down soon.”

CeCe shook her head.  “Maybe for some but not I, sis.  Shoot, Teen Vogue gotta be next, check out these threads, Ma!  This the fashion where you come from?”

Shuri looks down at her royal purple jacket with white piping over her yellow crop top and high waisted capris.  “Yeah, the material is very durable from the vibranium elements and of course our designers have a keen eye.”

CeCe bends over to squint.  “God, I just can’t get over you.  I get salty sometimes thinking about how convenient it is that the ‘random’ assignments  always make my roommate the other Black one here, but this time around they did right!”

Shuri puts her luggage on the bed sitting down.  “Have you been here before?”

CeCe nods.  “Year three for me.  I came when I was a sophomore in high school and just kept coming!”

Shuri’s spirits lifted.  “So it must be a great experience then?  What do you like?”

CeCe puffs out her cheeks in thought.  “The food, the connects, the activities when people fuck something up.  And honestly, I come back just to get some time to myself from home, it’s the same every year as far as things to do and raggedy people trying to show off.”

Shuri nods in agreement.  “Yeah, I got my fair share of that and it hasn’t even been an hour.”

CeCe looks at Shuri pitifully.  “Oh man, I know it.  These suburban kids think it’s their world alone.”

“I just can’t get why that girl would see me and not even ask my name before insulting me like she did.”

“Oh man, Shuri.  You know these white folks care more about an anthill than they would you.  They are annoyed when we don’t do better for ourselves, they annoyed when we do.  Talk about us being ugly, then can’t stop touching and copying the same features, so it’s a terrible cycle history keeps telling us.”

Shuri looked away, biting her lip in thought.  “This is true.  I know of their ways, I just thought I would get through this week without problems since the people are of a higher IQ.”

CeCe guffaws, clutching her stomach.  “Oh sis!  They real bold to try you.  Don't you have a secret service detail or something to protect you?”

Shuri squirms a little.  “I do….but I wanted to keep as lowkey of a profile as possible.  My family would love for me to do that but I refuse to comply, you know?”

CeCe snaps her fingers.  “Damn, you better than me.  Respect though, the rebelliousness.  Stick with me then, cuz I’ll help you get them told.  I know you know there are different intelligences.  A book smart person does not a wise person make, right?  Don’t let it phase you cuz that’s when the bullshit really crops up.”

Shuri and Cece talk a little more about their backgrounds and what they were looking forward to.  Before they knew it they had to book it to their lab class.  The hall was packed with buzzing students but there were two empty seats in the middle.  CeCe and Shuri took their seats waiting for things to begin.

Hanson was at the front of the class greeting everyone and congratulating them on their arrival.  Shuri was beginning to feel excited again about getting to know regular people from a world unlike her own.

“This is so cool how primitive the classrooms are.  Simple wooden desks, beige solid walls, you really have no choice but to concentrate on what’s in front of you.”  Shuri looks to CeCe who is already lightly snoring.  

“Ahem, Hanson is it?  Can I move please, my vision is obstructed at the moment.”

Shuri looks behind her and locks eyes with a sneering Ashleigh, who is right behind CeCe sleeping.  

Hanson stutters a response.  “Well, uh, if you can find a place, have at it.”

Miqaila joins her to move.  “Thank you!  The cocoa butter smell is making my eyes water as well, it’s disgusting!”  As they get up and walk by, CeCe is startled awake.  

“Damn!  Did you fuckin pull my hair?”  CeCe yelled from her her chest.

“Ladies, please!  We have to stay on schedule, maintain some couth.”  Hanson pleads.

CeCe points at Miqaila and Ashleigh.  “Long as you tell those to maintain they distance or I won’t!”

Shuri takes a bead on her kimoyos discreetly.

“Oh please, I don’t play with pubes.”  Ashleigh snarks as they make their way down the steps.  Shuri takes one and rolls it down the steps, stopping it just before Ashleigh’s stride.  Shuri says a command in Xhosa, activating a trip wire.  

Ashleigh hits the trap falling face forward down the remaining steps, Miqaila dominoes along with her, causing the classroom to erupt in laughter.  

Ashleigh flips her hair back glaring at Shuri as Hanson helped her up.  “What the...You!  You  said something, and-and I tripped!  You’re a witch!  That country you’re from, they're  wicked, with their heightened abilities!”

Shuri scoffs.  “Do we really have to do this again?  Whatever helps you sleep at night...or doesn’t!”  She wiggles her fingers and hands around to resemble casting a spell making CeCe cackle.  

Ashleigh and Miqaila looked genuinely spooked as they went to two seats in the front, murmuring and looking back at them.

“Ok, if that is all, let’s get back on topic…” Hanson continues.

When the lecture lets out Shuri and and CeCe can’t stop talking about the funny altercation.

“Man, am I glad you did something to them that didn’t get you arrested cuz I had nothing but felonies on my mind.”   CeCe said.

Shuri chuckles.  “Yes, see?  We can’t have you racking up a record.  I can handle them just fine with things like this bracelet.”  Shuri stops to let CeCe examine the beads.  “These are kimoyo beads, I have thousands of programs I can run through them to make them do what I need them too.  I’m already trying to upgrade their look to broaden their abilities, but they still hold up well.”

CeCe looked at her wrist in awe.  “Whoa, is that what did it?  God, how are you not teaching here instead of being a participant?”

Shuri smiles.  “They actually did ask me to speak, but I declined.  I wanted the regular experience before putting myself out there like that.  But that’s not so easy it seems.  At least if I was teaching those girls would have to show a little more respect.”

CeCe kisses her teeth.  “Please, this is way more fun.  You see them for who they are and bring them down a peg.  Which reminds me, you coming to the bonfire tonight right?”  Shuri nods.

“Then we need to come thru with a plan to fuck with them, so they don’t mess with anymore.”

Shuri tweaks her mouth the the side.  “I don’t know.  Not like I don’t enjoy a good prank, I just didn’t want to bring that out here.  Plus my best stuff is at home anyway.”

CeCe waves her off.  “Oh you don’t have to have a bag of tricks!  You saw how they acted with you just acting spooky for a second.  What would they do if we went full on bitchcraft on them?”

Shuri chuckles.  “Bitchcraft?  Is that what you call it?”

CeCe nods proudly.  “When petty is involved, yes.  We gonna put on a show for they asses to never forget.  Make em feel like they whole lineage cursed, get it?”

Shuri looks away, weighing the pros and cons as CeCe went on with that she had in mind.

The bonfire attracted a lot of people to enjoy treats and warm flames in the cooling night air along the water.  As the night wound down, less than 10 people stuck around to continue the night.  

Ashleigh and Hanson were cuddled up by the fire as Miqaila sat across as an awkward third wheel eating marshmallows from the bag.

“Hanson, thank you for helping me up from that tumble I took today.  I still can’t fathom how it happened. I am usually so graceful because my feet are so small.”  She says, rubbing her bare, sandy foot against his ankle.

Hanson shift nervously.  “Uh, yeah, it was nothing.  Happens to the best of us.

“It’s just so weird, I didn’t miss a step, it’s like something grabbed my foot or something.  I still blame that African girl, she’s not all together.”

Hanson sighs.  “Her name is Shuri, and she is possibly the smartest teenager alive today from a royal family.  What part of that screams ‘not all together’.”

Ashleigh begins to explain when Miqaila points jumping up.  “Look, what’s that?”

A figure in the darkness walks along the water.  This wouldn’t be unusual since they were at a party but the figure had was holding a large staff and possibly had the head of an animal.

“Hanson, go yell at it or something.  It could be wild!”

Hanson wouldn’t budge.  “Shit you not, if you make me go out there, I’m putting you on a plane home tomorrow.  I’m not messing with that!”

CeCe peeks through the mouth of her mascot mask as the people begin to notice her.  She takes off a kimoyo bead and tosses it towards the fire, letting put her best bone-chilling howl.  

As it lands and whirlwind appears, whipping sand in the air.  Ashleigh, Miqaila, and Hanson cough and sputter as Shuri appears out of nowhere, eyes rolled back in a trance.  She is dressed in a long brown suede skirt with slits on either side, adorned with a shell belt.  She wore her bra with a band on her bicep and one of T’Challa’s panther suit prototype necklaces on.  With her braids down, she looked rather haunting.  

They scream at the sight of her.  “Oh God!  I told you, look look look!”  Ashleigh says, moving behind a petrified Hanson.

“Sh-Shuri?  Are you al-”

“SILENCE!  Have you know respect for what’s sacred?”  Shuri says, her voice chopped and screwed by an altering device behind her ear.

Miqaila has her head in the ground, crying.  “We don’t want to die, please don’t hurt us!”

Shuri turns in her direction.  “Miqaila…”

She looks up slowly.  “Y-yes…”

Shuri points a finger at her.  “To live your life as a parasite, makes for a dependent experience.  Everything they eat, you shit; do not catch yourself ingesting spoiled food…”

Miqaila freezes listening to Shuri, unmoving until Shuri bore her teeth hissing and tossed sand in her face making Miqaila shriek and run away.  Ashleigh tries to follow.  

“Stop!  You...come here…”

Ashleigh says some Hail Marys as she walks up to Shuri fretful.

“What a shame it is to waste the gift of youth on the ugly decrepit traditions of past generations.  Have you learned nothing from the dead?”

“My-my grandparents are still alive.”  She stammers.

Shuri scoffs.  “Maybe that is the problem.  If you care anything for them, you would learn to keep past mindsets in the past, unless you enjoy being a sadist?”

“That's not fair, I'm a good person! My grandparents are of a different-”

“Do you plan to defend them!! Try it!  And see what happens…”  Shuri does a wave with her hand to reveal Ashleigh’s grandparents in the palm of her hand.  As Ashleigh looks, their images began to melt crudely.

“No!  No!  Don’t please, spare them ma’am!”

“Princess Shuri, is all you shall call me by.”  Shuri says, crushing their image in her hand.  “Be gone from me at once, and I won’t hurt a single hair on your head.”  Shuri snatch a strand quickly.  “Hamba uyo bepha inja!!” Shuri says, throwing the strand into the fire.  Ashleigh yelps as she runs off.

Shuri then turns to Hanson.

“Uh, please, you know I haven’t been anything but nice-”

Shuri points to him.  “But you stay in the background.  No better than a pest scuttering along the wall for me to squash.”

Hanson holds his hands up.  “I know what it looks like, but what can I do!  Ashleigh’s parents give a lot of money here, we can’t just treat her anyway.”

“And if that is true, she should not be excused for blatant racism!  She is a pauper to me, but I do not wave it around pridefully.  You will be lucky to still work here by morning…”

Hanson gets on his knees at her feet.  “No, no, please.  I’m almost tenure, come on.”

A howl is heard in the background sending chills down Hanson’s spine.

“My pet is becoming hungry.  Maybe sufficing her appetite will forgive your sins.”

“Yes, yes!  What could she want.”

“Something of a high rated dining experience.  No cheaper than $30 for the entree, and bring a dessert to my room as well.  Leave the receipt to confirm my instructions as fulfilled.”

Hansons nods, running off in a hurried pace.  Shuri flips her eyes back again and bends over laughing out loud.   “Oh my goodness, that was rich!”

CeCe comes out of the shadows, taking off her costume head, laughing as well.  “I told you this would be fun!  Play into their fears, they won’t test you no more, bet.”

“Bast I hope you’re right.  I still think the dinner request was a bit much, but it seemed to stick.  Now let’s go home before I freeze to death in the air.  I still think being in a shirt would’ve brought the same effect.”

“Nooo, I needed you in full on Queen of the Damned mode.  You made them your minions no doubt!  And I knew this would make us hungry, might as well get something for nothing; not like he ain't good for it. But you go ahead, I'll be back at the dorm later.  Got some loose ends to tie up first.”

The next morning, Shuri and CeCe sit in lecture to await the beginning of class.  Hanson walks in nervously looking across the crowd, locking eyes with Shuri.  Shuri reaches into her bag and pulls out a receipt, crumpling it up and tossing it on the floor.  Hanson looks away, not at all relieved.  

Ashleigh walks in quickly walk into lecture, cap pulled over her head as she takes her seat.  

“Class, before we begin I forgot to mention our special guest participant, Shuri Udaku of the royal family in Wakanda.  I highly recommend picking her brain as she has exhibited outstanding work in engineering vibranium for a multitude of purposes, far beyond her years.  Let's give her a round of applause.”  

The class gives a hearty ovation and Shuri waves and bows.  Maybe she should have been more forthcoming about her background after all.  Hanson walks over to Ashleigh, motioning for her to remove her cap.  Her head shakes from side to side.  Hanson clears his throat.  “Today we will be doing preliminary testing.  If you have a hat on, it must be removed before we begin.”  Hanson looks to Ashleigh insistently.  

Ashleigh’s hands find her cap to pull it off.  The class gasps at the large bald spot in the middle of her head.

CeCe snickers to herself as Shuri questions her.  “Did you do that??”

CeCe nods.  “Man, Nair does not smell like her conditioner, she should blame herself.  She snatch me, I snatch back.  Your hair shit at the bonfire inspired me, like you said something.  What was it?”

Shuri looks at her in awe, holding her fist out to dap CeCe.  “I just told her to go fuck a dog, but i must say that is genius!  Diabolical.”

When lecture let out, Ashleigh walked fast past them without a word, which was way better than before.  Miqaila trailed behind her.

CeCe calls out.  “Hey, Miqaila!”

She turns, avoiding Shuri’s  gaze.  “Yeah, what’s up?”

“I wanted to get you something as a peace offering, just to say sorry and stuff since you and Ashleigh seem to be going through something, you guys ok?”

CeCe hands her a cup of iced coffee from Starbucks, making Miqaila smile halfway.  “No, we are fine, just….working out some kinks and stuff.  Learning to work independently.”  Miqaila glances at Shuri before taking a sip.

CeCe nods, “Ok, just let me know if you need anything else.  Praying for you guys!”

Miqaila sets off and Shuri turns to her, arms crossed.  “So why does Miqaila get the Hollywood treatment and Ashleigh is scalped?”

CeCe smiles a big, creepy smile.  “That gesture will have her sitting on the toilet for the rest of the day.  Your parasite comment gave me that inspo, so genius.”

Shuri’s eyes bucked as she lead her friend along.  Never had she met such a petty, mischievous, cunning person in her life.  She loved her.