My Trans Friend Loves Attempted Homicide

Naomi Eskel was not one to decline her protege & friend Olivia, so she decided to come along on this contract. She had begun wearing clothes made to accommodate Avalanche's enormous stone left arm, left-sleeveless shirts that had phrases like: 'YES, I RUN: OUT OF PATIENCE', 'NO PHOTOS PLEASE', & a favorite of female students, 'MURDER / DEATH / KILL'.

Today she was wearing a favorite of her's: 'I LOVE MY TRANS FRIEND'.

They picked up their delivery from the local museum. It was a small, flat crate that contained a smaller Impressionist painting titled 'Hunger'. Naomi encased it in an additional layer of stone and would keep it upon herself for the trip.

"If it becomes damaged, Iris can repair it." said Viktoria.

"No, she can't." said Olivia. "She's hosting Meteorology now."

Viktoria looked over to Iris as if she thought Olivia was lying, who nodded. "I had hoped it would go to a good host. Where is Phantom, then?"

"In a storage facility, most likely." muttered Iris. "I don't know. I didn't see anything with it when I came out of surgery."

Naomi was reading over her phone. "The destination is a museum in Wyoming. It'll be a mix of going by train and car."

Viktoria glanced at Iris. "Iris, I would like for you to be with me for most of the trip: at least when we are forced to travel separately."

"Why?" said Olivia.

"Because I have things to discuss with her, obviously, such as the details of my protege and her friend's death."

"And you think she'll just be happy to-"

"I'll go with Viktoria for the first two days." said Naomi. "Iris, you can go with her for the last two days, if you want."

This discussion vaguely irritated Iris, so she merely shook her head yes.

"I was not intending to be as forceful in questioning her as I may initially have." said Viktoria. "But you obviously cannot argue any mentor in my position would not have done the same."

"No, I doubt I could." said Naomi. She glanced to Iris & Olivia. "Iris, you can go park your truck somewhere safe. Viktoria and I will check out the nearest Greyhound and see what we can book."

The four left the museum, and Iris & Olivia went one way while Naomi & Viktoria went another. Once they were out of Iris's ear, Viktoria turned to Naomi: "Just what the hell do you plan on doing?"

"What?"

"You know exactly what I am asking about."

"I don't, actually." said Naomi. "Paranoia in full swing already, eh?"

"First you twist Kate's ear to assign Iris under Olivia, and then you send Iris off with your protege before I have any chance to speak with her. What the hell are you planning?"

"First off, Olivia was never assigned a protege, and secondly, Iris needs time to recompose before she has you interrogating her. I already said she could go with you on the last two days. Sheesh, what the hell do YOU think I'm planning? I know it might surprise you, Viktoria, but there's other people besides you who cared about Natasha and want to help her protege."

"Bullshit. You cared so much for Natasha that you refused to speak to her for nearly a year, and even afterwards only passive-aggressively."

"I still assigned contracts for her, didn't I? Did I ever insult her or condescend to her? No, I didn't. You can believe that or not. But maybe think about if some of my awkwardness was because I still feel guilty over how she rejected my mentorship and me." Naomi wiped her eyes. "You know, what really got me thinking was how Kate told me she died on a pretty tough investigation... she's told you, right?"

Viktoria frowned as Naomi breathed a bit heavier, then tried to steel herself. She usually assumed Naomi despised Natasha, although why Viktoria did was vague; Natasha had never spoke poorly of Naomi; but her mind had adapted Naomi into this schema, given what else in her repulsed Viktoria. "Of course she has."

"She knew me and Serena were there to help her if she asked, but she never asked. Why? I would've helped her, if she had asked... even if I made some questionable moves with her in the past, I really was trying to treat her the best I knew how."

"Well, she did not ask me for help, either. Nor with Iris."

Naomi nodded. A tear glinted on her cheek. "Honestly, I-I just think sometimes she was too afraid of dependency. She would've rather grown an ulcer than ask for help."

"You still should have reached out to her yourself. I was out on a contract: you had no such excuse."

"…well, maybe I should have." muttered Naomi. "I just felt like shit, hearing that. That even when I was trying to be dear with her I still ended up driving her away. But, look, I've had to process a lot of shit lately... especially with Olivia. I still need some-"

- Viktoria's left arm turned slime -

- and caught three shurikens thrown at them from behind; the women turned and saw no one upon this street of speciality shops, yet knew their foe was near. She turned again just in time to see another 3 shurikens flying towards her, and as she raised her slime-arm and shouted for Otstoy -

- the slime expelled the old trio straight into the new -

- and the keen projectiles sliced each other in half and sent their remnants sailing beside Viktoria, falling limply behind as Naomi wiped her tears and Avalanche's arm formed.

As it has been some time since both students were in this narrative, to remind you:

[Avalanche: Control over 'ground' and an enormous, stone left arm.]

[Otstoy: Ability to slime-ify and manipulate one's body.]

More shurikens came at them from behind, but Naomi's stone fingers snapped and a wall of stone burst up to block them. Beside the two & in the road, a manhole began to shudder, and in the next instant -

- a hook & chain burst out of the hole and shot into the wall, and with one mighty pull -

- Naomi sidestepped it as the wall slammed into Viktoria, but a stone cocoon encased Viktoria as another dozen shurikens flew towards her; they sliced through the stone and straight into her prison, Naomi smirking as the encasement lowered, bits of wounded slime dripping down Viktoria's slimed & bemused body.

Many holes were forming in the road ahead, and as the wave of shurikens followed -

" - Avalanche!" shouted Naomi for the next instant scene.

A vortex of asphalt formed in the road and spun its earthen maw, churning, ripping and smashing through each shuriken before they could leave their dens; the wailing cacophony of stone against stone increased as Naomi's focus deepened, and as they saw a man in ninja garb caught within the whirlpool -

- a slime bullet shot towards him -

- but he threw out a vial of gray above them, a shuriken following it and shattering it open -

- releasing a cloud of smoke that enveloped the two and set them coughing; temporarily stunned, Naomi's mental strength quavered; she knew in that downtime he had already escaped Avalanche's whirlpool. Another 5 shurikens sliced through the smoke and embedded into her arm of stone; they could not yet penetrate, but confirmed he had escaped for now, Viktoria staggering as she caught another three in her slimed-but-for-her-heart chest. The smoke deepened as they dodged through another barrage of shurikens, thrown so wildly that they knew he could not see them within.

Avalanche scanned usable concrete in the area and found the nearest store's entrance for its mistress; she rushed out of the cloud and there, underneath the awning, and as she turned she considered whether she should shout to Viktoria or leave her there.

Shrugging, she raised her stone arm. "Viktoria! Grab on!"

Otstoy's tendril exited the cloud of slime and grabbed Naomi's arm, yanking Viktoria out & up to her, backing further into the store as she landed, and in the next instant -

- a hook & chain burst out of the smoke and shot into Viktoria's chest, but the next scene was instant. Her entire body went slime again, yet the section around the hook remained flesh -

- and she paid only a thin strip of flesh as it yanked it out of her, stepping back & away with Naomi as her body turned fully-flesh, fully within the small shop now.

Naomi glanced around, then pat her on the back with Avalanche's stone arm. "You good?"

"It will take more than a little ninja to overcome m-"

- Avalanche's arm slammed her down hard into the floor as the smoke cleared ahead, and before Viktoria could react, out stepped their little ninja throwing more shurikens at her prone body -

- but her body went slime and she slithered out of the way, hitting the store's front wall with a slimefist that sent chunks of concrete sailing into him & caving his chest in with a horrific groan; she hit another one and he went sailing across the street with it, keeping her safe for a while as she got her feet under her with her back to the wall and a glare at Naomi.

Naomi was grinning like a gremlin.

Viktoria saw now that they were in a flower shop. Columns of tall & potted plants were all around, and in the next instant -

- she rolled right as another hook & chain came at her from ahead -

- but a stone wall blocked her path any further as the hook missed her behind; she glanced forward and saw their ninja foe ahead & in the center of the store, no wounds upon him but for the look of confusion his eyes bore.

Still, she needed to tear down this blocking wall. She muttered for Otstoy as she stabbed her slime-tendrils into Naomi's wall of stone, spreading from within like a shifting & sharpening web, cracking, tearing it down from the inside as more stone tried to reinforce it; she grunted as she threw more of herself into it -

- until the wall churned and sliced both tendrils clear off -

- but Otstoy hardened a microsecond before and the wall shattered like two drills had gone through it; the wall collapsed and Viktoria hurtled over it just in time to dodge another confused hooo & chain, her arms reforming as she hit the ground running & alongside the wall.

Aisles of flowers were at her left, as was her foe deeper in the shop. She veered left and slid up one of the aisles of flowers, roses & tulips & lillies; more shurikens came at her from the left, and as another wave sliced through the flowers' stems -

- acid shot out from the tubes they actually were -

- and the foul streams hit her slime-body & started corroding it away; she kept her slide going, but another stone wall burst up ahead to block her -

- but the next scene was instant. Her body reconfigured and several tubes formed within, grabbing all the acid they could and shooting it out in a pressurized stream out through her palm -

- and corroding away the wall of stone in an instant, but revealing her ninja foe standing behind it with hook & chain readied; she got up to her feet quick and made a forward rush towards him, seeing an egg form in his other hand that he soon threw towards her -

- that exploded into blinding powder -

- but her slime-eyes churned and spewed the powder right back in his face, her vision clear as her tendrils grabbed his neck and readied to snap it -

- but the ceiling shuddered, and as a glut of rubble smashed down upon him -

- he exploded into a cloud of kunai that shot right into her; most sliced right through her body and those that didn't embedded deep within her slime, staggering her back as she grunted in pain, forced to keep her entire body (sans her heart) slime so that she would not pass out; she felt still these many foreign bodies within Otstoy's shifting skin, but had no time to rest.

Another egg hit the ceiling above her, and blinding powder fell out of it as acid-tipped shurikens flew at her from ahead; she had no choice but to take them body-on, but her body reconfigured & allowed the acid safe passage in & out of herself, only there for a second before it shot out the other direction. She saw him about 20ft ahead & left of her in another aisle, until he exploded into a cloud of kunais -

- and again -

- and again, and again, and again; few hit her but those that did struck previous wounds, further threatening her heart as she dodged between the rest. All around her were doppelgangers forming and throwing shurikens, and underneath one hook & chain she dodged -

- a slime-tendril yanked her up to the ceiling to dodge the second -

- and she hit the ground just in time to dodge the third; more shurikens hit the flowers and sent acid spewing in several directions, and as one lucky stream hit her right thigh -

- it corroded it away; sudden support lost, she began to stagger, only her left slime-leg left, until another set of shurikens sliced that off as well -

- but two thin slime-tendrils dragged her gone-legs back before she could fall; yet she knew there was only one option left and she despised it. She swayed and staggered amongst the constant wave of shurikens, yet not too well; she needed to make herself an easy target for the hooks, and as four hooks shot towards her in answer -

- all four embedded themselves within her slime-body in different directions; her chest went flesh and kept them trapped there, a single tendril grabbing all four hooks -

- and a single & powerful tug yanked all four of their bearers into her; four spikes of slime formed and jutted out from her in each direction -

- and impaled all four of them through all four of their hearts, not even a bloody gurgle as they died instantly; she knew one was the host given a cloud of kunais had not followed.

Before she could be attacked by Naomi again, she hit the ground and a thin slime tendril grabbed back all the pieces of herself she had lost; she yanked herself further up the aisle as she reconstituted, and heard a barrage of stone bullets shred the Revenant behind, ensuring it could not be scanned for credit.

Viktoria grunted, though in actuality she was not terribly wounded; Otstoy was the fastest-regenerating Revenant at Urasaria. Naomi's stone arm was unsummoned, and Viktoria stood up to glare at her in acknowledgment of what had occurred.

Naomi looked at her like a bizarre piece of refuse and shrugged. "Personally, I don't care if your head gets splattered against a stone wall, a Revenant electrocutes you to death, or you just roll over one day, turn purple and burst into flames. And you're also my closest competitor for presidency, so why not? Kate won't believe you. Serena and Olivia won't care."

"Ah, how surprising. I had an inkling of this entire shit from the moment you decided to come with me. I might loathe you for how you treated Natasha, but never have I wished death on you."

"A woman has to take opportunities. But you could take the same out on me, so there's a bit of fair play there, isn't it?"

"I refuse to lower myself to the same level you occupy." (Naomi laughed.) "Ah, I remember how you once denigrated me for torturing a few criminals and entreated to me about their mutual humanity; now it seems our roles have reversed. You know you could not win this fairly, so-"

"Who says I couldn't? I'm just planning to avoid the stupid system entirely."

"Yes, by your selfish amorality where you hold no principles but what benefits you personally. As I said: I might despise you, but I have never once thought of attacking you nor Olivia." said Viktoria. "It's no wonder that you go so quickly from one relationship to the next; what man could desire a woman with no commitment but to herself, a lack of integrity and the view that others exist for her own selfish use, for pleasure or lust?"

Naomi's recent sexual escapades had become known on campus, so to update you:

She had gone through two boyfriends on campus, both of which had tried to fuck her like a bad porno, and she thought it now only just to not seriously consider nor care what men wanted in bed. If she wanted to hook up with a civilian man and shove his head between her thighs, why shouldn't he start licking and be happy with how he was treated? She had the physical attractiveness and position to do so. Most of the time she didn't even care if they orgasmed.

"And what a shame you were not the only woman Natasha knew like that." said Viktoria presently. "I tried to keep her from your protege, but that was her tragedy in miniature; her inability to fully separate herself from those uninterested in her development. I remember how the first months of my mentorship were spend undoing the bad habits you had taught her: no doubt you've imparted them onto Olivia, who perhaps will one day be killed as a result of them just as Natasha was."

"Funny that you bring up Natasha. I seem to remember that you were her mentor for the majority of her first year; not that blaming it on either mentor would be right, but what the hell, huh?"

"Hmm. Yet from what Kate's told me, she was killed by her own lightning: a counter Revenant that she tried to kill with one bolt. I wonder which mentor might have taught her to not test an opponent beforehand; that sheer strength alone would be victory? Perhaps someone with a simplistic Revenant; that would certainly be the type of tactic they would blindly teach their protege, like the nurse who preaches religion to a dying patient with no clue as to her own noxiousness."

"You're fucking delusional. You wanna make this a competition? I'm sure as fuck a better mentor than you. I don't limit Olivia's personal life like you did Natasha's."

Viktoria stared. "Hmm. I find that people reveal themselves not so much by what they say but by how they focus on or avoid certain things, don't you? You feign concern, force yourself somewhere where you're clearly unwanted, then insult anyone who can plainly see that you do not belong. Perhaps you learned that from your mentor."

Naomi knew that she was referencing Serena's transgenderism, and she knew her face was turning red. She wanted to smack Viktoria's skull in half and make her bleed. But if Viktoria were killed by Avalanche and not an enemy host, then it would leave obvious evidence; so she suppressed it, and in a part of herself she never again ventured, she was glad Natasha was dead because it had hurt Viktoria.