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Post by shanecross on Jun 27, 2011 23:02:33 GMT -5
Her scared admission softened Sidney’s grip slightly. He had a good amount of personality defects, sure. Sidney would be the first one to own up to that. But he still could feel empathy. He imagined how scared this girl must be, looked about 18-19 years old, just arrived in Europe. He had heard of the Runaways before. They were a disorganized, jumpy bunch that found nooks and crannies across the country to hide away from prying human eyes and guns. As a whole, many of them were young and inexperienced in terms of their powers. He could see this in Maron: relying on a flimsy pair of tinted lenses to sheath her goddamn Excalibur mutation. If he wasn’t there, who knows what kind of scene this girl could have caused. Her face would be plastered on newspapers all over the world.
Sidney relaxed the grip on her neck a little, but still held her firmly. He was not letting her escape until he found out exactly what her purpose was for being in Europe. He leaned his face a little back, but his head and body were still very close to Maron's. An ignorant passerby might think the two were discreetly liplocked.
”I know the Runaways. What are you doing here so far from home? You guys don’t get out much.”
Night was starting to fall. The last vestiges of auburn sunlight lingered over the hills. A chilly breeze ruffled Sidney’s jet black curls out of his eyes, gaze bent intently at the top of Maron’s head. |
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Post by maron on Jun 28, 2011 12:53:04 GMT -5
Maron acted like she was waiting for the worst to happen, waiting for him to continue where those at the pub had left off. His reaction hadn't been that different from theirs, after all. Maybe he'd think killing her so others didn't get hurt would be the wisest decision. Either way, the girl seemed to prepare herself for whatever he threw at her... Sadly, empathy wasn't included.
Even with his somewhat relaxed grips, she knew she couldn't escape. He probably just didn't want to strangle her, after all. And besides, they were still visible from the street, he couldn't have any passerby thinking he was holding her against her will.
Hearing his question... Well, she wasn't mad exactly, but she was irritated. "Oh, you're one of them. Who think because we can't be 'normal' we should hide in caves and live out our days in solitude, with no contact with the outside world." He was just like everyone else, who thought she should just accept her fate of never being able to be in contact with humans, or even more normal mutants. "I'd think it was pretty obvious why I'm not there anymore..." She had run away after all...
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Post by shanecross on Jun 28, 2011 23:19:51 GMT -5
Sidney clenched his teeth slightly as he listened to her small catharsis of emotion, undoubtedly driven by some degree of loneliness. He imagined that even among other mutants, her powers made her an outcast. Some people could make flowers grow or have super strength…Maron, on the other hand, turned living creatures into rock. Even so, what right did she have to lump him with over 6 billion humans in demonizing mutants? He was one, for Chrissake!
”You’re out of line,” Sidney said shortly, craning his neck to make sure she could hear every word he said.
”I joined an organization that protects mutants from themselves and the damage that they can cause, both to society and our own kind. Don’t you dare accuse me of being some sort of tail-between-the-legs coward. It’s mutants like you, who can barely control their powers, who make it harder for other mutants to live in the outside world.”
As he hissed this rumination into Maron’s ear, he pushed off from her shoulder, releasing her neck and stepping backwards. He still blocked the entryway of the alley, in case she tried to make a dash for it, but he didn’t think she would try to hurt him. He had noticed the tears on her cheek, and shared a brief moment of empathy for the girl, who reminded him of a young, angry mutant he once knew who coped with his freakish abilities in an incredibly destructive way.
His voice softened. ”You ran away from the Runaways? Now there’s a story to tell…"
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Post by maron on Jun 29, 2011 0:17:51 GMT -5
Maron would have looked at him, to glare, if it hadn't been for her whole... Condition. "You're the one holding me against my will. I think that makes you a bit more out of line then me." None the less, she listened to him lecture her. And after it was all said and done, she just stayed where she was, leaning against the wall, eyes finally opening as he released her, but focused on the ground.
She left her speechless for several moments, fighting tears yet again. His words hurt, he might not say it as 'harshly' as others, but he was giving her the same lecture she'd heard her entire life. That she was a freak among freaks. "You have no idea what you're saying." She finally said, her voice barely loud enough that he could hear. She didn't offer anything else in her defense.
After a few moments of silence, she just crouched down sitting on the ground and wrapping her arms around her knees. Trying to escape wasn't exactly possible with him blocking the only exit after all. She'd just wait it out, but didn't look towards him, even to see where he was. Instead, she kept her gaze intent on the cement, not just because it was safer there, but because she feared he might see her cry if she looked at him. "Yeah, a real story." She paused for a few moments, still refusing to look in his direction. "I don't expect you to understand why. After all, you haven't been forced to hide your whole life. Everyone saying it was for your own good, but you know it's only because they think you're a total freak and should be locked away..."
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Post by shanecross on Jun 29, 2011 0:58:39 GMT -5
The tense silence that Maron met his words with made Sidney feel uneasy and a little guilty. Had he worded what he wanted to say correctly? Did it come off too harsh? Judging from the fresh teardrops melding into the gray concrete, he guessed that he had. It was almost as if all the fight was taken out of her. As if this last life that she had taken was the straw on the proverbial camel's back. A life of intense guilt, fear and shame.
”Maron. That’s your real name, right?”
“It’s not about you or your power. It’s about how good you are at controlling it. The difference between you and me was that I was fortunate enough to be scooped up by a man named Xavier who knows how to help young mutants deal with their powers.”
He relaxed his muscles a bit. Sidney’s mind was still in action-mode; the adrenaline was still throbbing through his veins. His furrowed brow eased. He and Maron weren’t so different, if you thought about it. Sidney ventured a few steps closer. He was taking care not to let his gaze slip to her face, but even from the corner of his eye Sidney could tell that the girl was incredibly vulnerable, a crack in the hard shell that had formed after a lifetime of condemnation.
“Maron, I’ve been running for a good part of my life too. I was just really good at getting away. I've caused a lot of damage after I ran away. Most mutants do.”
He stopped short. He wanted to go over and offer some sort of comfort, solace, anything, but he didn’t think that she wanted her personal space to be intruded again, after his rough interrogation of her.
“Where are you going to go now?”
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Post by maron on Jun 29, 2011 1:15:24 GMT -5
Maron could have come up with some snark remark, chastising him for even thinking she'd given him a false name, but her plummeting mood limited her to just nodding. As he continued though, she almost scoffed, unwrapping her arms so she could wipe away her tears. Control was a touchy subject with Maron, seeing as she actually couldn't control it. "I don't exactly have an on and off switch like most of you, if you didn't notice. Isn't much use trying to learn control when it isn't possible."
Xavier. She knew that name. She remembered when she was young, she'd overheard other Runaways talking about it and asked if the man could help her. They'd only laughed and said he wouldn't want someone like her. "Not much use going to school when their's nothing to learn."
Maron didn't offer any sort of response to his latest comment, as if trying to make her feel better. It didn't. Why? Well, when you were basically told they weren't that different from you, but they still treated you like a leper you're sympathy sort of went down the drain. Thankfully she didn't have to respond, because he'd already gone on to the next question.
"It doesn't really matter now, does it? As soon as the others hear about what happened one of them is bound to come looking to take me back 'home'. Whether I want to go or not." She didn't bother hiding the resentment in her voice.
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Post by shanecross on Jul 1, 2011 0:44:13 GMT -5
“Listen. I had an instructor who reminds me of you. His power is similar, deadly lasers start shooting from his eyes when he opens them. Back when he was a student, he was lethal to everyone around him. But he learned how to control his power, and Professor Xavier developed a set of goggles for him that would allow him to control his powers. He could finally look at people. There are solutions for people like yourself.”
Sidney could see the doubt and resignation etched all over Maron’s face. She’d endured a lifetime of relative isolation just to keep everyone around her safe. He saw that she was skeptical about the capacity of others to accept her. This was all painfully clear.
He stepped a little closer to her and put a hand gently on her wrist. He wasn’t looking at her eyes, but Maron could tell from the corner of her eyes that he was looking at her.
“Look. I know you don’t know or trust me, but if you’re intent on not going back home, I have a place in Paris you can stay in until things settle down. If you want.”
Sidney had a nice apartment in Paris, separate from his lodgings in the Exile Castle, that he kept up due to his running one of the biggest cannabis growing and dealing rings in Western Europe. Customers and middlemen always marveled at the exotic colors and smells of his marijuana; they called him “Il Mago” in Italy, the Magician. If only they knew the truth. The apartment was good for when he wanted to let out some steam or go out on the city. The Exiles were a very small group, but flexible. The leaders were often too busy to notice his occasional absences.
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Post by maron on Jul 5, 2011 12:20:20 GMT -5
Maron looked towards him when he spoke about how someone else with an... Eye problem had 'overcome' his disability. "Are you saying I should wear goggles the rest of my life?" She was frowning. Now, she didn't mind wearing sunglasses when in public, but that didn't mean she liked them. She hated how she had to hide behind glass. It made her feel caged in, like a freak...
She looked away the moment he moved, staring at the wall opposite them. Of course she could see he was looking at her. If she wanted, it would be far to easy to turn him into a statue. He wouldn't even be able to react in time... Maron's nerves were on high alert. He knew how dangerous she was! So what was he doing this close?!
Her gaze stayed away as he spoke, but surprise was written all over her face. ".... And you'd just let a stranger stay there? Why?" People weren't this nice... What did he want? What was he up to? It couldn't be he honestly just wanted to help her... No, he had to have some other motive. But what was it..?
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Post by shanecross on Jul 5, 2011 20:46:52 GMT -5
He looked at the back of her neck thoughtfully, waiting to see how she would react to the Cyclops anecdote. She pretty much had the same reaction he expected: slightly intrigued, yet reluctant. Her comment was in the same vein.
“You’re probably going to have to wear some protective eyewear at all times, Maron. Goggles, sunglasses, whatever. Maybe some sort of laser-tinted contacts…it’s unreal what they have at the Institute. The Army would kill for a peek inside the labs.”
Sidney could see the back of her neck tense up, the little blond hairs on the base of her shoulders straighten. She was visibly nervous, most likely about his proximity to him with her eyes unprotected. Maron had been suppressing her innate human instinct to look at one who was looking at them for her entire life, but it seemed like she was on the brink of spontaneous failure. Sidney took notice, but earnestly believed that she wasn’t the type of person to purposefully kill.
“Well, Maron, I know your name. And I feel like we’ve bonded in the half-hour since our introduction.” He let slip a sly smile tinged with tipsiness, but then returned to a serious face.
“Because I can relate to being a lonely young mutant on the run. It’s your choice. Take it or leave it.”
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Post by maron on Jul 6, 2011 0:21:15 GMT -5
"..." Maron stayed silent for several moments, not daring to say a single word until she came up with some sort of response. She'd heard something similar her whole life. "Or, I could do what everyone wants, and go live in isolation. Sounds like a good idea to me. Don't expect anyone to protest." It was a shock how easy it was for Maron to go from slightly optimistic, to a complete bitch. But you couldn't really blame her, she hadn't had that many meaningful relationships with people in the past. Kind of makes you hate people when you don't think you can trust them.
You know, for having been terrified of her earlier, Sidney was quite the dare devil. Why was he so close, knowing how easy it would be for her to end his life? Perhaps he thought her better judgement would stop her from such an act.... And he was right. Still, accidents happened far to much around her, just a little slip on his part, and it would be lights out.
"People aren't that nice, you know. Especially not to me." She paused for a few moments. Okay, he was making her paranoid. She had to get away. Quickly she got to her feet, putting a meter between them, her gaze never turning to him. "I want to accept, but.... I don't want you to end up like stoney back there."
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Post by shanecross on Jul 6, 2011 12:17:17 GMT -5
Sidney raised an eyebrow at Maron’s continued self-loathing. He understood that she had to deal with humans and mutants both that advised her to simply disappear. He recognized that she was not well versed in the intricacies of tactful human conversation, and that he would have to be patient with her. That didn’t stop him from being exasperated, however.
He jammed his hands deep into his poekcts, rocking back on his heels and jutting out his back as if he was stretching in bed. The young mutant sighed in response to Maron’s concession about never getting a positive reception.
“Well, this is a night of firsts, right? Let a fellow mutant extend his hospitality.”
Sidney extended one hand out to Maron’s direction, turning his head deliberately to the wall’s direction to avoid looking at her. In his hand were a pair of mirrored Aviator sunglasses, his own. The mirrors, he figured, would allow for her to walk around relatively safely without fear of the proverbial snakes in her hair petrifying an innocent passerby. With the other hand, Sidney took out a cigarette from his jacket pocket and let it dangle from his lips as he flicked his lighter on, inhaling several ambitious puffs. Due to his relationship with the Earth and plant life, the nicotine hardly affected his psyche. To Sidney, smoking was mostly a comfort thing. Sidney liked the way his brain zoned momentarily when taking a long drag.
He tapped the bridge of his cigarette, knocking off the crumbling ash. A guturral rumbling noise echoed in the distance, as storm clouds began to converge on the vivid oil-color sunset. A storm was coming.
“Wear these and you’ll be fine for now. You should hurry and come, blind and wet for a girl of your ability is an unsavory combination.”
Sidney’s cheeks receded as he took one final pull on his cigarette before he let it fall from his lips. He put it out with the heel of his beige desert boot, and motioned with an incline of his head for Maron to come.
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Post by maron on Jul 8, 2011 0:54:45 GMT -5
Maron didn't get it. Why was he so nice to her? Why was he so determined to help her? He saw what she could do! How could he be so.... so friendly? As if she wasn't a monster? He was defying everything she'd been taught growing up! "......"
She was careful in looking back towards him, recognizing his offering instantly. Even so, she was hesitant in taking the sunglasses. Taking them would mean she trusted him. Did she trust him? Her mind screamed NO! While a very small part of her said yes... She had no reason to trust him. But.. He'd given her no 'real' reason not to trust her so far, well other then holding her against her will before.. But she couldn't blame him, he didn't know if she would use her power on him, he was being cautious.
It wasn't until he mentioned the impending storm that she snatched them up. She might be able to survive with being blind to an extent, but being cold and miserable at the same time was not appealing.
Staring down at the sunglasses in hand, she wondered if she'd made the right decision, before she could really process everything though, he was already preparing to leave, waiting for her. With a sigh, she slipped on the glasses, and followed, armed folded tightly against her chest. "Thank you.... You know, for not being like everyone else..."
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Post by shanecross on Jul 8, 2011 20:38:04 GMT -5
The storm started to intensify, the clouds above the two mutants darkening to the hue of thick, sticky oil. Rain started falling, at first only a light shower. The air suddenly felt muggy and humid. Sidney could practically feel his hair curling tighter and tighter into jet black coils.
He counted ten ‘one-thousands’ after Maron took the sunglasses from his hand, then looked over. Maron looked almost absurdly “chill” in her sunglasses, standing there almost casually with her arms crossed in front of her chest. Sidney turned his face away, droplets of water running in rivulets down his nose and cheeks, to hide a smirk. Her uncertainty, standing there in someone else’s too-big sunglasses, not sure where she was going, was cute. He motioned for her to follow, then turned on his heel. At that exact instant, a loud clap of thunder resonated in the alley, bouncing between the brick walls before slapping the garbage dumpster mightily. It started to pour. He lifted the hood of his jacket up and put an arm around Maron's shoulders.
”I should probably call in to the castle to have them clean up our mess....whatever. Paris awaits.”
And they were gone. Two mutants walking out of the alley against a backdrop of another British downpour, away from the sheer wreckage and panic they had caused. They did not know that ten police cars were on the way, their echoing sirens dampened by the torrent of oncoming rain. They also didn't know that a telepath would soon come to erase everyone's memories and make their troubles go away. It would all be swept under the rug.
[end thread]
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