"I don't need to be protected! Anyone who messes with me learns to regret it."

She fidgeted a bit when she saw the concerned look. She could tell it was genuine, despite them only just meeting. After a moment, she added, "I guess there's some people I know who are all right. And my foster parents are fine."

She wasn't necessarily labelling them as friends, but there were plenty of people she was on at least civil terms with. One of the good things about the Academy was that weird was the norm. Everyone had some sort of supernatural ability and odd experiences to go along with it.