The kids entered the tram. I let out a groan. My already sensitive nose could smell H2S-Gas by walking by a laboratory hood, which was turned on and didn't allow the Gas to leave the hood, quite well and it made me gag every time, started to smell the dirt under the kids' feet, their lunchboxes and one seemed to have packed an extra smelly sandwich. I hoped that they at least wouldn't be there for long. I hated children. Both from a hero's perspective as well as from a non-hero one.
I watched the teachers, a male, around 50 or 55, that looked kind and wore an outfit typically associated with teachers and a woman, younger, probably around 30, wore shorts, a T-Shirt and nice boots with slightly raised heels. I sighed and looked away. The kids looked at me as I looked out the window. They could definitely see my face and now it already started.
"Isn't that Ratel?" A kid asked and pointed at me. I tried to hide my face from the group, I hated being recognized in public. Kids looked for heroes and wanted to meet them. Adults never expected to meet any thus masks often weren't useful. The kid had blue eyes and short light brown hair and wore baggy jogging pants and a black shirt. I was wrong calling them kids. They were children in their first year of middle school. They all looked at me and bugged their teachers if I was, well in the end, myself and the teachers told them, and I shit you not: "I don't know. Go and ask him yourselves."
I knew how this would end. I couldn't kill kids for being curious. But god I wished I could sometimes. They then stood in a circle around my seat and looked at me. "Sir? Are you Ratel?" One asked then they all said things along the lines of "Sorry if we are annoying." and "Please tell us we want to know!" all at the same time.
I let out a long sigh. "First of all. Shut your mouths." I said and rubbed the bridge of my nose, right where my eyes were. They stopped talking almost immediately. "I am. But I won't take a picture with you or sign something. I am off duty and have been sent into an early retirement. Now shoo off and brag you met me or whatever." I said bluntly and emotionless. I wouldn't lie to those kids, at least not directly, not like I would lie. They groaned and told me that no one would believe them.
I was being an asshole and I knew it very well. I even enjoyed it somewhat. I groaned and told them to hand me something I could sign. I elongated the fingernail of my index, basically turning it into one of my claws. One handed me the bag and I scratched Ratel in it brutally. They didn't complain and I did it with every bag quickly. They then sat back with their teachers comparing the 'signatures' on their bags. I already knew they would get into a bunch of shit with their parents. I quickly texted Save what happened and that it was my signature when I didn't have a pen on me and that she should just go with it. She texted back an okay and I noticed I still wasn't halfway there and the kids didn't make any motion of getting off.
I had always hated kids ever since I became a hero. Everything down to their smell. My nose had only gotten better, like good wine, with time and my power hadn't helped with reducing it. If I had to pinpoint their smell, at least from what I smelled when they were nearby, it was literally the smell of dirt, mud and urine, sometimes even some other end products of digestion, that came from them and whatever they had in their bag. Most of the time the kid that was the most annoying to me, had the worst smelling shit packed for break, in which they ate. The other kids and the teachers didn't mind but I very much did. And don't get me started on their high voices. They yell and scream and talk loudly and the voices don't make it better, although these had decently normal voices. I just hoped I could get off the tram soon.
I looked at the stop. Three quarters of the way. I checked my phone and saw Skylar was in the room OG.302, which was something she just texted me. A teaching room for students. The kids were laughing and giggling and ran around the tram, spreading the smell, which added to the bad smell of the public transport system. The teachers sighed and excused to me that the kids were being kids. I just let them say their excuses and tried not to cause a massacre. I got off the tram and the teachers and kids did not follow. I sighed in relief and headed for the building. I went into the building and sighed. I nicely greeted the secretary and looked for room OG.302. I soon found it and entered. I realized it was the same room where I defeated the villain that had attacked me with ice in my prime. They still hadn't fixed the hole in the wall, counting it as an honor and badge, with it being somewhat framed. Maybe the uni even saw it as a trophy. I entered the room silently and leaned on the wall. The students immediately looked at me. At least most of them did anyways. I groaned and headed to the front. I was asked to demonstrate the use of a microscope.
I took the mic. "Look. I am a hero. Not a chemist or doctor. At least I was till yesterday, now you could say I am unemployed. They put me into early retirement. I wanted to meet a friend. That's why I am here. End of discussion. Now get back to work." I said bluntly and carelessly into the microphone. I let go of the mic and gave it back to Sky before she went on with the course. I watched and then tried myself a few times. It was fun and then at the end Sky dismissed the students and we were left alone in the room. "Why don't you help me recollect the samples and we talk?" Sky asked and smiled. "Just don't drop them." She added quickly and I gave a nod and started to collect the samples.