16: Brain Cell Reduction

Celeste felt like her eyes were going to fall out of their sockets. With Conrad, Albion, and Titus deciding to play games together into the wee hours of the morning, the number of hours she had slept fell far below average.

Plus, having to listen to the three guys cuss each other out for hours just... didn’t help. It felt like the fastest way to lose brain cells and she felt they, more than anything else, had grinded away at her.

She had woken up early too. Against her will of course. Her body had just decided to revolt. Trudging along towards the classroom after having cut her losses and prepared for the day early, she was hoping someone else was there...

Maybe Electra? Though, more likely she was getting in an early morning workout...

Climbing the stairs, Celeste rounded the corner and slid the door open. Freezing mid-door slide as she noticed a certain sleeping girl, she tiptoed into class while inching the door shut behind her. Making her way through the maze of desks, she set her bag down on the desk next to the girl’s before taking a seat.

Unsure as to whether she should wake up Nyssa or not, she ended up sitting there for a while in silence while twiddling her thumbs and scrolling on her phone. As someone who was tired herself, she understood the glory of getting a nap in—and Nyssa seemed especially in tune with this particular joy.

With class starting in fifteen minutes though, no one else had shown up. Yet, Celeste knew people would come trickling in any minute now.

Nudging Nyssa, she leaned over and gave her a couple of backrubs. “Good morning Nyssa, sorry to disturb you but you should probably wake up now...”

“Thank you,” Nyssa yawned back as she rolled her head over. Rubbing her eyes as a few years came forth from the yawn, she nodded a few times before reaching out and grabbing Celeste’s hand. “You’re very warm...”

“Indeed I am,” Celeste smiled while covering her mouth with her other hand. “If there’s anything you can rely on me for, it’s that.”

“That’s nice...” Nyssa sighed while pressing her face against Celeste’s hand. “I need another space heater at home.”

“Another? How many do you have?” Celeste raised an eyebrow while pinching Nyssa’s cheek. “Also, your cheek is very soft by the way.”

“I moisturize like I'm trying to drown my skin,” Nyssa smiled with a self-satisfied nod. “I only have three in my room right now. One more and it might get too cluttered though.”

“I-... see,” Celeste paused before raising an eyebrow. “Three is quite a lot already. I won’t judge though.”

Pushing herself back upright, Nyssa peeled Celeste’s warm hand off of her cheek with a sad sigh. “It might be a lot. Well, probably, uh... yeah it’s definitely a lot. I’m just always cold though.”

“Couldn’t you transform into a warmer person? Or animal?” Celeste asked with a curious lean forward.

“Well, I could,” Nyssa shrugged, “It just feels weird to do those types of things though. I try and not live in a transformation too long to make sure I remember what I look like. Because of that I also don’t do that many humanoid transformations...”

“Interesting, that’s a... unique problem to have,” Celeste tapped her chin. “Have you met anyone else with powers similar to yours? Do they have similar issues?”

“Yeah, my older sister,” Nyssa shrugged, “Uhm, do you know her? I think she’s mildly well-known, Roxanne Ravenstein?”

“Mildly well-known? Of course I know her, she’s crazy famous these days,” Celeste facepalmed while shaking her head. “How could I forget that you’re siblings with her. The entire Ravenstein household is stacked to the nines.”

“Eh... I guess... I don’t really know the whole hero or hunter side of things though,” Nyssa confessed while scratching the back of her head. “I don’t think many people even know I exist.”

“Yeah, you have a very low-key presence,” Celeste agreed while tapping her chin. “There are a lot of famous families, yours definitely is one, but you didn’t make the same splash that Roxanne and Slade did.”

“I didn’t really care to,” Nyssa stretched out across the desk with a yawn. “They both wanted to become heroes and hunters, Roxanne more of a hero and Slade more of a hunter. Which is kind of ironic considering they both specialize in the opposite. Anyway, because of that, they both really tried to make a name for themselves at the Institute.”

“Yeah! They’re both legends,” Celeste nodded as an enthusiasm began to burst forth. “Everyone in this class treats them as idols, legends of the F.A.F.O. club. You didn’t have as much of a dream though? What did you spend your younger years doing then?”

“That’s chill,” Nyssa smiled and nodded while a few laughs slipped through her lips. “I’ll make sure to let them know. As for your questions uh... I didn’t really have any big dreams. I just came here to make some friends since I got really lonely over the past half-year. I’ve primarily spent all my time just napping... and sleeping. Also, maybe learning how to sleep better.”

Pausing as Conrad, Titus, and Albion walked into the room, Nyssa leaned forward. “Actually, also, keep this on the downlow, okay? But last night Slade agreed to come in... soon-ish and do an event with the whole school.”

Leaning in as well, Celeste felt her jaw drop as Nyssa shared the piece of confidential information. “Wait really? I mean... I’d prefer Roxanne to come over Slade, but Slade is definitely amazing already. I’m not one to complain at all... Soon too?! I swear I’ll keep this secret!”

“T-Thank you,” Nyssa stammered as she was faced with an utterly fascinated and awed Celeste. “It’s not that big of a deal, he just agreed to it during dinner... Also, another thing, Roxanne is apparently coming soon too. Dad and Slade mentioned it. I think I remember she mentioned it during the holidays but I didn’t really care at that point.”

Falling to her knees and clasping Nyssa’s hand, Celeste’s jaw continued to drop. “R... Really?”

Flabbergasted, Nyssa could only nod.

“I love nepotism...” Celeste sighed with a grin. “Life is so amazing. Oh my god. I can’t resist smiling...”

---

“You’re so toasted, just give up,” Albion shook his head while patting Conrad on the back. “Nyssa isn’t even trying.”

Falling to his knees, Conrad just knelt there with a despondent depression emanating off of him. “It’ll... it’ll work out.”

“Celeste’s fallen to her knees, have you ever done that?” Titus questioned while patting Conrad on the shoulder.

“That sounds dirty, why did you say it like that?” Albion furrowed his eyebrows. “But yeah, I don’t think you’ve achieved anything close to that level... She’s practically crying from joy!”

“It’s unfair... I’m not a Ravenstein...” Conrad crumpled as his voice quieted down. “She has the power of the entire institute on her side. I bet Celeste is biased towards her because of that.”

“Severely doubt that,” Albion retorted while trying to pull Conrad back up to his feet. “One, you’re rich. Richer than her. Two, you’re kinda a creep and can’t talk to women. Three, you’ve known her way longer. You’ve known Celeste like... for three years now.”

“Yeah, you’ve honestly got the looks, I don’t know man, just like... stop being so... yeah, I don’t even know what to say,” Titus sighed while joining Albion in supporting him back up to his feet. “I believe in you though, you got this. There’s always more time to improve yourself. We’re here for you.”

“Thanks... I won’t let you down! I have to assemble my super team in the future after all!” Conrad hyped himself up while flexing. “Thank you!”

Albion, raising his eyebrows, just shook his head. “This is exactly why this isn’t working.”