Edging on that party

"I want to burn this party down", Melanie stated while staring coldly at the perpetrator desecrating the fountain with his bodily fluids. 

The fountain had beautifully carved weeping angels with the water coming out of their eyes and into the small pool generating bright colorful lights as if it was cleansing the pool of darkness.

Now the pool of water had a yellow tint and even fragments of what seems like vomit.

It disgusted Melanie to see a piece of art being sullied by the next generation of Espers. So she prepared to teach another 'peasant' a lesson, this time with 3rd degree burns.

Melanie's eyes glowed violet and-

[Stop your urination student Brad Sully.]

A headless humanoid security drone appeared with an angry face emoji on its chest, the drone was one of many mindless mechanical machines that do the menial tasks around the academy.

Its mechanical corny voice would make anyone chuckle until the drone starts zapping. 

BZZZTTT

"Owww.....waaatttt was that fooorrrr, I needed to take a leak", cried the drunk pisser named Brad.

[Student Brad I am taking you to the security department so that you will pay the fine for damaging public property. Do you comply or is force needed again?]

"Huh, but what about the ones who puked and pissed into the fountain before me?", Brad protested sobering up slightly.

[They are being tracked down and detained as we speak, do you comply or is force needed again], this time the drone's mechanical voice was slightly aggressively.

"Fuck the-"

BZZZZTTTT

"OWWW"

Seeing that order was being maintained, Melanie walked away and proceeded towards her destination since harming a security drone results in harsher penalties that even Melanie can't escape from, so the drunk idiot can either comply or face harsher penalties.

[Hahaha did you see that dweeb's face when he got tased a 2nd time? Priceless, I'm saving that screenshot and sending it to Kat when she wakes up], Jen enthusiastically said as she enjoys seeing humans doing stupid things only to get punished and wearing a dumb look after.

"..."

Melanie didn't say anything but the small smile on her face already told Jen enough. She got out of the student housing area and walked along the edges of Pleasantville where the party was at the center of the music, dancing, and talking.

Walking on the concrete path illuminated by the street lamps, Melanie walked near a certain duo of magenta haired people with the young woman wrapping the young man's arm around her neck since he was stumbling and slurring his words. She couldn't help but overhear their conversation as they got near each other.

"Mary....yyyyou know yooou'rrreee the best sisstterrr in the woorld right?"

"Yeah yeah Jacob I know, and you better listen to my opinion next time when you're dating another girl. Like seriously, how could you not know Becky was gonna cheat and dump ya on the same day."

"Waaaaaaa don't remind meee ok?"

"Okay I won't, but you know we're twins right so we always watch each other's back"

"Hehehe but I'm the strongest so I'll protect you from.... burp ....any danger", replied Jacob who was slowly sobering up.

"Tch, I came out first so I'm the oldest...."

Melanie was far away by the time the young woman was going to rant about being the oldest of the twin set, however their heartwarming conversation reminded Melanie of her crazy older sister who was the closest to her out of all of her siblings.

So far, exiting her apartment has been a mix bag for Melanie as encountering drunk people sullied her mood but moments like earlier did put a smile to her face.

Though the next few moments of walking resulted in a cold look on Melanie's face, the kind of cold look that reflects her life living through the harsh winters of her family's territory, it was the look of contempt seeing one of her former friends, Ha-eun Cheong.

Legally for the past 4 years, Melanie and her family couldn't do anything to Ha-eun's family underneath them as they repaid reparation for damaging Melanie's engagement with Mark.

Legally of course....

Instead, Duke Asato-Romanoff had subtly given more administration work to Marquess Cheong as a way to please please one of his precious daughters. At first, Melanie was ecstatic on a little petty revenge but slowly she started to not care anymore....minus her brief anger a month ago about Mark's new fiancés.

Now, current Melanie didn't hate Ha-eun anymore but instead felt indifference and at most contempt for her former friend. Though it didn't stop Melanie from overhearing what Ha-eun is saying in her group. 

"Come on Kacy it was only a light kiss on the lips. It's not like it was your first was it?", declared a red haired oriental young woman with emerald green eyes.

"I-it really was my first kiss Ha-eun", replied the blonde woman with innocent blue eyes. 

"W-what but you're so cute and that innocent look would have boys fighting hordes of those damn bugs for you"

"Ummm.....I think men just worships me like an idol or something. But what about you Ha-eun? Is Mark ok with you kissing random people?", Kacy fidgeted cutely as she asked that question, sparking the men of the group the desire to protect her innocence and maybe even join the war effort against the Xenonoids.

"Well Mark says its okay with just light kisses during drinking games. And it's not like it's my first time kissing other girls, just ask the 'others'.....well not Sylvie because she only has Mark on her mind", Ha-eun arrogantly declared as if it wasn't a big deal but the blush on her cheeks and slight twitch on her left eye reveals her inner embarrassment of accidentally revealing a little bedroom secret of Mark and his harem.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Who wants to play monopoly", someone suggested to break the awkward tension. 

Melanie walked away after hearing Ha-eun's accidental slip of the lips, she shook her head and chuckled at seeing Ha-eun's embarrassed look again after so long.

'She acts all arrogant and proud, but she's still a softie on the inside', Melanie silently thought remembering how they met when they were younger and became instant friends.

[Same old Ha-eun, hopefully Rae is keeping her from acting overly arrogant right princess?]

Rae was the Paxian hired by House Asato-Romanoff to ensure Ha-eun's safety since she was Melanie's friend at the time, and under contract Rae was to remain with Ha-eun during her academy years, despite the current bad blood with Melanie. In addition, Ha-eun couldn't reveal Rae's existence to her family or the world under a stricter contract unless she risks her family being blacklisted from all the cybersecurity firms...even the government cybersecurity. 

Melanie shifted from a grin to a slight frown as she remembered something and asked Jen for her opinion ignoring her previous question, "Say Jen....is it just me or did I sense something slightly ominous coming from Ha-eun?"

Jen took some time to ponder and remembered the dramas she usually watches late at night so she expressed her opinion based on the soapy dramas, [Hmmm....you're probably feeling lingering negative emotions about her engagement to Mark last month so it's probably nothing].

Melanie took some time to consider Jen's opinion as the ominous feeling felt really familiar but it shouldn't be exuding from Ha-eun.

In the end, Melanie just pass it off as her mind playing tricks and finally replied, "Yeah....it's probably just that."

**********

A/N: "I'm only being friends with you since your family is basically my family's boss or something. Don't get the wrong idea Melanie hmph." - Ha-eun probably 

Next chapter should be the last of Melanie's flashback POV