Shadow Hugs (Art)

[cartertcat]

Art didn't even think to tell her about his ability to change his hair style and color. He'd lived with that power for as long as he could remember. When he still had a family, he remembered seeing pictures of him as a baby with neon green or yellow hair. That was a clear sign of his growing mutant power. He hadn't been disowned until an unlucky accident in a parking lot.

"Oh..yea i can change my hair color," Phoenix told her, eager to hear what her power was. When he did hear her ability, it took him a few moments to speak.
"Wow, I... can't imagine what that must be like," he told her, a little shocked but mostly sad. A lot of people would sugar coat it and make jokes. He hated it when people did that to him, so in return, he would say what he actually meant.

[maron]

Maron smiled softly. It was as if he’d completely forgotten he could change his hair color. She could imagine though that when you had a power as small scaled as that sometimes you didn’t even remember you had the ability. Especially when you had a much more dramatic power to overshadow it. Again, she felt a little jealous. He could fit into society a lot easier then she could. It wasn’t unheard of for people to have bizarre hair colors, or cutting themselves. Turning people to stone though? That would cause quite an uproar if she were ever caught.

Her smile saddened a touch when he spoke again, not looking towards him at all still. No. He couldn’t image what it was like. Having ‘killed’ for the first time at only the age of six. It certainly left a person scarred and traumatized. Since then, she’d had several dozen accidents that ended in the death of another. “It’s fine as long as no one tries to look me in the eyes though. I’ve gotten pretty good at avoiding eye contact….”

[cartertcat]

"Yea I've noticed that your pretty good at that..." Art told her, stomach growling. It was about eight o'clock at night and all of the restaurants down the Pier were lighting up. Luckily though, the Pier seemed pretty much deserted. Now he wasn't one for asking these kinds of things. Nor was he very good at it, but he figured that he'd give it a shot.

"Are you up for some food? My treat..and you can look out the window the entire time?" Phoenix proposed the action to her. Their was a small, Italian restaurant within walking distance. The food was good there but it was surprising that the restaurant had stayed open. It had pretty much no business.

It was completely normal for two, new, mutant friends to go and get something to eat.
"Inconspicuous is my middle name," Art added, chuckling. That was hard to believe, seeing as how secretive he'd been with his identity.

[maron]

A look of pure surprise crossed her expression as she just about looked at him wide eyed. Of course, she hesitated before looking, making sure he was still wearing his sunglasses. It would be really bad if she turned her new ‘friend’ to stone.

His question just about ruined her balance on the railing, so shocked that someone would ask her such a question. Never had she been asked such request. So what made him ask such a thing? Not just that, but what was she supposed to say in response?! Yes? No? If she said yes it meant a greater risk of an accident happening. If she said no it meant shortening the time with someone actually willing to hang out with her! Before she was even aware of what was happening an answer slipped through her lips.

“Oh… Um… Sure.” Sure? That was the best she could come up with? Ugh, curse this socially awkward personality of hers! He probably thought she was an idiot for not being able to say anything without the awkward pauses. The inconspicuous comment got a more pleasant reaction from her, a warmer smile and a soft giggle. “Maybe so, but that doesn’t mean you’re good at it.”

[cartertcat]

Art wanted to laugh at her reaction but decided against it. He didn't want to make her more embarrassed then she already seemed. Whoa, had she said sure? Maybe he hadn't given himself enough credit. He knew the risk, being so close to this girl. Actually sitting across from her. That though, was a risk that he was willing to take.

"Oh we'll see about that," he said, smiling warmly in her general direction. The think about Phoenix's smile was that it was contagious. When he smiled, other people, most of the time, couldn't help but smile back. He shed off his hoddie, wearing a bright green t-shirt with the name of some band on it. Art really liked color.

He stood up, jumped off the bench, and hung his jacket on his arm. The rose that he'd made glistened in the lights of the Pier. He walked over to Maron, offering his hand to help her down from the railing. He doubted that she needed help getting down, but it wasn't like he would just pass up an opportunity to actually make some kind of physical contact with her.

[maron]

Why was Art so willing to stay with her? He knew what might happen! And yet, he still stayed, even asking her to dinner! Either he didn't care, or he had some alternative motives. Oh great, now she just might make herself paranoid! She quickly tried to distract herself. She couldn't start suspecting this guy of some malevolent schemes! If she did and he happened to just be a nice guy...

If she hadn't already been smiling she would have then. Oh, just great. He had a nice smile. One that made her want to smile! And then he was right in front of her, a hand offered out to her. Wait, was he? Yes.... He was. He was offering to help her down, just like most gentlemen did for a woman. Oh God, he really was a nice guy! Great, there was no chasing him off now...

Again, she hesitated before accepting his offered hand, snatching up the rose with the other and stashing it in her small shoulder bag. With ease she hopped down off the railing, landing lightly on her feet. A second passed, before she finally released his hand, bringing her own back to her. A touch of pink touched her cheeks, embarrassed by his actions and her own. Just. Great.

[cartertcat]

Okay, now he couldn't screw this up. She wasn't utterly repulsed or terrified by him like others had been. It actually seemed like Art might have a chance at not being hated. He didn't really feel at home, or welcomed, or happy, anywhere. But right now he was actually- sort of - happy.

Oh wow, was she really blushing? That was really cute. He pushed back the hot on his cheeks that would have made him look like a tomato because of his pale skin. He chuckled at her blush, starting to walk in step with her down the Pier.

[maron]

Maron wanted to scowl when he noticed her blush and laughed. Well, maybe not laughed, but there was at least a start of a laugh. Ugh. She hadn’t meant to blush! Why did he have to notice it?! That only made her even more embarrassed! But she fought back the color this time. No way was she going to let him spot her blushing again! Once was bad enough, but twice?! No way in hell!

As he moved to lead the way she quickly fell into step beside him. The sun was near completely set, only a small, faint glow of red visible on the horizon, more and more street lights and shops lights were brightening the dark night and hiding the beautiful stars from sight. Such a pity. That was her favorite part of night… This was why she usually avoided cities like this. They turned on so many blasted lights you couldn’t see the stars. As the silence passed, Maron soon grew tired of it.
“So……” A short pause. “You go to that school, don’t you? Most mutants around here do…”

And on this dark night, neither were aware that several pairs of eyes watched them from the shadows….

[cartertcat]

Even though Art could tell that she hadn't been happy about his chuckling, he smiled anyway. He had a problem smiling, once he started he just couldn't stop. He was just about to ask her where she was from, himself. If she was a Nightshade, she would have killed him as soon as she registered he was a mutant. So he was guessing that she was part of a group called the Runaways.

Before he could say anything, Maron beat him to it.
"You could say that... I just graduated, to I'm sort of on a vacation," Phoenix told her. He was really just counting the days before his twentieth birthday. Most graduates would non stop partying, not him though. The party scene wasn't really for him.

The pairs of eyes had already seen and heard enough. They were just biding there time. Preparing to attack when the mutants were least expecting it.

[maron]

Unlike Art, it was far too simple for her to stop smiling. Her neutral expression often bare of all emotion, her lips a small, straight line. And when she was thinking, that neutral expression replaced all others. So he did go to the school… Or went. He must be waiting to be an X-man then. She knew they didn’t accept teenagers as X-men, so there must be an age restriction and he was just waiting to pass it.

Instantly, Maron felt like sulking. She was jealous again. He found a cause worth fighting for, with people he cared for and trusted. Most of the Runaways were like that, but there was one difference with Maron. She refused to use her power in any offensive or defensive way. How could she ever pass judgment on another person? Her power killed! There was no in between like most other powers.

“Oh. That must be nice. No more school.” Not like she was one to talk. Technically she hadn’t gone to school since she was six. The older and wiser members of the Runaways often acted as home schooling teachers to the youngsters among them, but once you reached a certain age you started to just teach yourself. Maron took several online courses if only to keep busy.

“I’m from the Runaways. Up in Canada.” Now why would one of them come all the way down here? “I’m sort of on a vacation to.” The way she put it sounded more like she’d just left without telling anyone, acting like a true ‘runaway’ and running away.

Those watching the two were no longer just ‘watching’. They were moving into positions. If they were to take the two mutants by surprise, they needed to plan this perfectly. Thankfully they had not heard the abilities of the mutants, so they had no idea what to expect. Best course of action? Wait until the two were under the burnt out street light, the darkest portion of the street. Closer and closer they got…. Only a few more steps….

[cartertcat]

"Yea, you have no-" Art had started to say but as they approached the street light he stopped. Extending his arm in front of Maron. It was like a sixth sense when an ambush was about to happen. He'd picked up on the attackers footsteps, years of training had made him always on guard. "Ambush," he whispered to Maron. Taking of the gauze and banging his arm against the pole so it would start to bleed.

"It's time," The leader of the mutant haters said. The seven pairs of eyes had turned into twelve. They all started to circle around them, slowly at first, but advancing. They had baseball bats that were visible but who knew what else they had.

"I think that we have a misunderstanding. Can we all just talk about this?" Phoenix said, sounding very cheesy. He was letting the blood run down his arm, slowly turning it into a metal spear with an extremely sharp blade. They started to yell and shout.

"Spoken like a real mutant..."
"go for the girl!"
"No the guy..."

Three of them started to raise their bats. Before they could react Art knocked two of them of their feet.

[maron]

When Art suddenly blocked her path with her arm she came to a halt, just about stumbling as she tried to avoid whacking into the limb. What on Earth? Why had he stopped her? Then, she heard his whisper and what little color there was drained from her face. Oh dear God. Why now?!

From her reaction, she was no beginner when it came to being ambushed. It was almost like… She was far too used to it. And she was. But no…. Something was different about this attack then most she encountered. These were mutant haters. Just out to hunt the mutants for the pure sport of it… They were the worst.

This group had obviously hunted other mutants before now. They circled the two, blocking any exit before either had time to react. And… Oh God. They had bats.

Maron had turned her gaze downward the moment she spotted them. She may not like these humans, and was down right terrified they’d beat the teenagers to death, she wouldn’t use her power against them. Killing people… Was wrong. Even in self defense. Even as a necessity. And she wanted no more deaths over her head…

And then, they were bickering amongst themselves. What the hell? Okay, maybe they weren’t as practices as she thought. But that was what she needed. If they could get away because of this groups lack of discipline, everything would be good. But then, they were finally in action. Before she could shout her own warning to Art, he’d already swept two off their feet and onto the ground.

A pair of arms were suddenly around her, wrapped so tightly about her arms and waist she squeaked. Her legs started to flail as she was lifted clean off her feet by the much taller, and much stronger, human. Finally, her heel came in contact with his knee, smacking it so hard he yelped, leaping backwards and sending her sprawling on the concrete. Over her head, a bat was swinging downward, then.. Stopped.

It wasn’t just the bat that stopped. The man swinging seemed to freeze up like ice, his eyes wide in pure horror as his body refused to move. Then, all color drained from his skin, clothes, and even the bat, everything turning gray…

Those men closest leaped back in terror, yelling at each other and at their leader, “She killed him, She killed him!!!” They kept yelling… It hurt her ears… But Maron didn’t care. All she cared about was her bone head mistake…. Looking up for only a fraction of a second… Her eyes stung with tears that wouldn’t come, disgusted with what she had just done.

[cartertcat]

All of the mutant haters attacked with even more ferocity. Yelling with anger towards the both of them. Judging by how rigid and disgusted Maron looked, Art took the initiative. He stabbed a few of them in non fatal places. As a few of them buckled, he hit them over the head, which put them under. There were at least four left and they started to swing at Maron.

"You aren't very gentlemanly," Art told them, kicking one of them onto the ground and breaking the others arm. He morphed the staff into a strong shield, passing it to maron. In doing this, one of them swung a bat and broke almost all the ribs on his right side. His mouth was now bleeding severely. He'd probably two pints of blood. His body produced more blood then the average person so it didn't really affect him.

With one arm wrapped around his side, he punched one of the men in the Adams apple. The last mutant hater ran off, knowing he was defeated.

"You okay?" he asked Maron, leaning against the streetlight pole.

[maron]

Maron hadn’t moved from where she’d landed, eyes shut as tightly as possible, trying to block out everything that was happening. Why now… Why here… She hated it. Why did these things keep happening. All that kept running through her mind was that look he’d given her right before he turned. Horror yes. But… That begging stare, as if pleading for her to stop. If only she could have.

She flinched when she felt something pass into her hands. It was hard…. As if metal. Art? What was it? After a moment, her fingers closed around it, holding whatever the thing was in place.

Finally…. The ruckus of battle faded, footsteps bolting off as fast as possible. Were they running? Thank God…. She didn’t open her eyes though, even when Art spoke, just held whatever it was he’d handed to her so he could take it. “That’s… the 27th Person...” She swallowed, her voice wanting to lock in her throat. 27… She’d ended 27 lives….

[cartertcat]

"Maron, for just meeting you, I can say that you are not a murderer," Art told her, taking the shield and throwing it to the side. He let it go back to its original form of blood. The only thing that he could really do was pull Maron into a tight bare hug. There was no way they could make any eye contact.

Phoenix seemed slim but he ad more muscle then it appeared. He hated to see anyone in pain. Especially someone who seemed as innocent as Maron did. By now it was about eleven at night. He'd broken curfew and his ribs. He had a high pain tolerance so, as much as it hurt, he ignored it.