You never saw yourself as an assertive person. If anything, you have always been more of a people pleaser if anything. You still have trouble wrapping your head around everything that happened in the last ten minutes. Still, you're about to open your mouth and agree to their proposal, more out of just doing what everyone is expecting from you as always. But suddenly it’s as if another voice is talking to you inside your head.
Why should you join these so-called heroes? They tricked you into coming here, watched and did nothing as you blissfully put on this dumb outfit that permanently changed your body and mind and now they're strongarming you into joining their group? Potentially forcing you to fight for a cause you might not even care for? The gall these guys had. At this moment Ruby Alan, the extreme doormat, is completely forgotten.
“You know what, no! Fuck this, I’m out!” you loudly declare.
“But Ruby, aren't you overreacting a little bit?”
“Overreacting?” You feel all your frustration and negativity congealing inside you and when you can't hold it anymore, you just unleash it all on them. “You broke my trust in the worst way possible right after meeting. I’ll never be able to live a normal school life now with this stupid suit, no matter what I choose to do. Hiding it doesn't make it go away, it's like putting a bandaid over a massive flesh wound. Ever thought about that? You call yourself heroes? Your job is to improve other people’s lives, not make them worse.”
You can see an expression of utter shock and despair on Priya’s face. A small voice in your head is telling you to stop, but it’s quickly droned out.
“B-B-But… Ruby… I… We…”
With pleading eyes she's looking back and forth at the other two members, hoping one of the heroes would come to her aid. Lucian is pointedly looking away, discomfort about this whole situation written on his face. The Conductor is seemingly too focused on its screens to pay attention, only to surprise everyone by suddenly speaking up, “There's no point in arguing with her, Priya. Her hormone and stress levels are too high for any semblance of rational thought to guide her actions. I recommend letting her go for now and trying again after she has had some time to adjust.”
“That sounds like the first good idea I heard here, except that I’ll definitely not change my mind. Have fun dressing up in pajamas, I’m out!” With this you turn around and leave the room, making sure to close the door as loudly as you can.
As you walk through the empty hallway, your emotional high finally dies down and you're able to reflect on your actions. Was that angry outbreak really just yours? You can't remember ever snapping so hard at someone… or at all. But in that moment something was just compelling you to react that way. Is it possible the suit is affecting even when hidden? You shake your head. What you need right now is to calm down and figure out what you’re going to do with your life now.