Jen's chair floated into the classroom now dedicated as Goth Central... Inside the classroom seemed far larger and more expansive than should be possible, it was set up almost like the interior of a cathedral, with a mostly dark eerie glow coming in through the stained glass windows. Additional lighting where necessary, just enough to not bump into things, were lit by candles and the occasional glowing orb hovering above, and just out of reach of someone standing. Various goths lounged around, a few reading giant leather=bound tomes, their eyes glowing slightly as the magic flowed into them, a few listening to music on various portable players. Another was Derek Lettman, who while not a Goth, and still his Emo self, was curled up in a corner.
Jen, while still hostile was actually somewhat impressed by her surroundings, and turned to the girl she once thought of as her sister and asked "How... how is this possible?" to which Zoe replied "Not all Cliques are created equal. The Jocks with their physical might, the nerds with their super-science, and us with magic. Take Derek over there." She said nodding his way "He formed a clique literally of one. Just him, nobody else. Sure he managed to convert a few followers, but he couldn't get them to do anything. We grabbed them fairly quickly, and now we leave him alone. When he comes to his senses we'll let him into the Goths."
Jen looked confused "Why would you do that? This is a war!"
Athena did something that surprised Jen, something she thought she'd never do in this life or the last. Athena laughed, heartily. "It's a war, yes. But total war leads to total destruction. We're fighting smarter, civilized. Picking our battles and striking where things are best, not lashing out at everything around us."
Jen bit her lip, she remembered Tiffany's ultimate plan, and her objections to it... and how that meant the feminists, even after converting the school would then be at war with half of humanity... Not to mention the women who would side with their men... Jen sighed and looked at Athena "Why do you tell me this? Why not just convert and indoctrinate me?"
Zoe mussed Jen's hair a little "You may be a girl now, but you're still my brother in there. And that means I'm not going to change you against your will." And with a hand gesture the ropes tying Jen to the Chair un-knot. "You're free to go, or you're free to join us... or you're free to mope with Derek over there."
Seeing Jen's confused look Athena sighed "Goth is about Freedom. The Freedom to find the darkness beautiful. The Freedom to wear black when others wear white. The Freedom to be what we want to be. As much as we can afford to, we have to grant this freedom."
Jen scrambled to her feet, and looked to the door... she could run back to Lisa... but then she'd be betraying a pair of her fellow women's trust... This conflict made her head hurt.
Tiffany, was having an amazing time! Who knew that these dorks were so funny! Pete Roberts in particular was amusing her with Monty Python quotes, until the group made it to the computer lab. Next door, there was an ominous door with Wrought Iron supports, Jay put a hand on Tiffany's shoulder. "That's the Goths' room. Don't worry, Jen's going to be fine." Tiffany nodded and followed Jay inside.
Inside the computer-lab, parts were strewn about as the room was being converted into a science-fiction lab. The parts that had been converted looked like someone had taken all the most science-y bits of Star Trek, Babylon 5, Battlestar Galactica, and Star Wars and tossed them into a blender. The rest of the lab looked to be a DIY wet dream. Cables, motherboards, monitors, half-taken apart keyboards, hot-pockets... All strewn about as teams of Nerds got to work building. In one of the more finished parts, a small team were working on welding together a very tall framework, about six feet tall and man-shaped. Tiffany got drawn to it fascinated. Jay grinned. "What do you think, Tiffany?" He asked.
"You're making freaking IRON MAN ARMOR!?!" She shouted excitedly followed by a loud "SQUEEEE!" And before Jay could give her any orders she quickly rushed over there and picked up a blowtorch to help work on it.
Jay put a hand on Pete's shoulder. "We're going to win this. And then imagine a whole world of people just like Tiffany over there." To which Pete replied with a fist-bump.
