Amanda, Marius - Sunday morning
Aug. 26th, 2007 11:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsFollowing her accident of earlier in the week, Amanda is practicing with her newly-expanded powers when Marius comes by the quarry.
After the disaster of the protection ward, Amanda had expected Cain to ban her from the premises. But instead, when she asked him for a 'loan' of the quarry for a safe place to work on her magic, he'd agreed, implying that perhaps the sooner she got herself sorted out, the better it would be all 'round. Now, standing at the bottom of the quarry, stone walls rising around her, she felt a brief moment of deja vu, remembering sessions spent throwing rocks around and almost tried for the telekinetic spell. Something in her shied away, tho', and she decided on something else. Something even more familiar. The second spell she'd ever learned.
The gout of industrial-strength flame that erupted from her outstretched fingers startled her somewhat. Looking down at her hand, she cautiously tried again, using the old fire summoning spell. This time, the flame burned blue, echoing a gas burner on a stove.
Hmm. Obviously things had changed. Maybe Air would do better...
Marius was just tilting his head back for a swig from his waterbottle. While this did indeed deliver the promised refreshing drink, it also brought his eyeline up in time to see what appeared to be an enormous blast of smog rising from the direction of the nearby quarry.
He stared for a moment, head tilting behind the lip of the bottle. The dark smudge began to disperse like a slow, ugly puddle in the sky. This was either a powers accident or something Abnormal. Either way, his afternoon was looking marginally more interesting.
"For the record," Marius said to a nonexistent audience, screwing the cap back on the bottle and setting out to investigate, "in the eventuality of more dinosaurs, I shall return directly to Brisbane."
Down in the quarry, Amanda coughed and wheezed, waving away smog from her face. She was sensing a theme here. Sometimes the powers that be had a terribly ironic sense of humour. Climbing up on a rock, for safety's sake, she tried the next element - Water.
And then regretted it as the stench hit her nose from the stream of sludgy sewerage water running along the base of her rock. "Well, I guess if I want to gross the bad guys out..." she said to herself with a sigh as she plopped herself down on her rock, legs crossed under her. No doubt Remy or Pete could see the applications here, but sometimes Amanda wished her magic wasn't quite so... gritty. Or disgusting.
Her musings were interrupted by an abrupt gagging sound from the edge of the quarry. Excepting the odd journal exchange, Marius hadn't had much contact with the older girl. This was certainly the first time he'd ever come close to a demonstration of her powers. As he felt his sinuses attempting to liquify, he felt he would eternally regret that his first exposure should be whilst in possession of Kyle's heightened sense of smell.
"Apologies," Marius choked, voice muffled by an attempt to breathe through a cupped hand, "seems I am momentarily incapacitated by an abrupt turn of the wind."
"Bollocks. I'm sorry, having some powers issues..." Thankfully the off-switch didn't seem to be as difficult to find as it had when the magic had resurfaced, and the sewerage dissolved into the dirt, leaving a damp patch. "Seems like I've had a bit of a boost lately, so I've been practicing, out of harm's way where I can't blow up anyone but myself," Amanda continued, wryly. "Should have realised one of the jogging brigade would be about, tho'."
"We are indeed omnipresent, though it occurs to one that at this point some lesson about the perils of curiousity should have taken hold. Always have been the resiliant sort." Mercifully, the wind was shifting again. Marius edged closer, not overly bothered by the pulverized rock under his bare feet. His only actual concern was that he might step in the residue of whatever Amanda had conjured.
"So that's magic, eh?" he asked, squatting a fair distance from the greasy stain in the dirt to eye it warily. "Never seen it applied, which I am told makes me even rarer an unique an' beautiful flower amongst the jaded masses of Xavier's. Didn't envision it bein' quite so, eh . . ." he paused, looking for something polite, "urban."
Amanda didn't know much about Marius' powers beyond "he eats people", but she noted the pointed ears and the claws and fangs she was used to seeing more on Kyle. Something about mimicking or adopting people's powers, a bit like Marie, wasn't it? His question made her snort, amused. "Sure you aren't a teep today too?" she asked. "I was just thinking that myself."
Carefully she snapped her fingers, given how George was being effected by this whole thing, and was relieved to find the werelight was behaving itself today, although it was the size of a tennis ball. Talk about powers breakthroughs... she wondered to herself, not a little concerned. Things were moving faster than she liked, especially given her control issues of the past. "'S a reflection of where the power comes from," she explained as George, flickering with the neon shades of Times Square, rolled down her shoulder and arm to her hand. "I'm absorbing energy from cities these days, so the magic's taken on some of that. Takes some getting used to, I have to admit."
Marius' yellow eyes followed the ball curiously. He was momentarily tempted to ask if she could send it closer so he could get a good smell of it, but it occurred to him that aside from being rather odd, it probably wasn't a good idea to put any part of mystical energy too near an orifice.
"Ah, but did you not know, changin' mutations are all the rage," Marius said, watching George roll across Amanda's back and arm like a well-practiced basketball trick. He flexed a clawed hand, watching the nails move in and out at the motion. "Bit out of season now that it's been usurped by buggerin' off to some alternate dimension, but it serves. Readjustment periods aside an' that."
Amanda nodded. "I got the magic back, what, just over a year ago now? Scared the shite out of me, since I'd given it up for good, or so I thought. And then I find I'm back to square one in terms of spells - this one, the werelight, I've been doing since I was a nipper, and for a while that's all I could do. It tends to be a bit hit and miss as to what works. Summoning the elements - what I was doing today - is more of the 'miss' category." She shrugged, the motion causing George to roll down her back, and she squirmed as the energy tickled the patch of bare skin left by her shirt riding up. "Tho' the buggering off to alternate dimensions isn't new - you've heard about the Asgard thing, haven't you?"
"Right, amongst others. Here, I've been tryin' to make a list. Tell me if I miss one." Marius began ticking things off on his fingers. "Abduction by demons an' other such ilk, featurin' Illyana in particular. Abduction to mystical realms in the midst of a baseball game, featurin' a good portion of the student body and deities of varying degrees of vengeful urges. Recently, misplacement of the island of Attilan plus Forge, who, presumably unsatisfied by a mere abduction by Magneto, now appears to have moved on to cross-dimensional disappearances." He regarded the finger extended thoughtfully, waggling it and the first. "Though all told, as two equivalent years livin' on a relatively benign island nation doesn't much compare to a hell-dimension I believe Illyana's status as reignin' champion continues unchallenged." He dropped his hand and gave Amanda a smile. "Have I made any ommissions?"
"Three for three. Penny for the clever lad," Amanda replied with an answering grin. "And I'd joke about these things coming in cycles, only it's demon invasions next and I wouldn't wish that on anyone." She retrieved George from behind her and tossed the light from hand to hand, also not wanting to mention 'going evil' came after that. "So, word is you're training for the leather brigade these days?" she asked instead. She didn't reply too much to the student journals, but she did read them, keeping an eye out for various things.
"Indeed. It's a bit rough. I've still no powers but what I get on loan, an' the mode of delivery's a bit trickier." Marius regarded the scarred-over patch of skin on the palm of his hand. "Still tryin' to sort out if it's more or less disturbin' to ask for donations now that it's not for dietary purposes. It seems a bit off to walk up to mates goin' 'Here, I've got DR today, could I trouble you to open a vein?'" Kyle didn't count. The younger boy would have probably thought (while vehemently denying it) the use of the word 'pack.' Marius was more inclined towards 'family.' Few experiences created a bond like being kidnapped by a mad scientist. Also the DNA splicing.
"I tend to get told to listen to the donors, since it's up to them - if they don't mind, I shouldn't apparently." Amanda gave another little shrug and extinguished George with another finger snap. "And that I should try and spread things out as much as I can so I don't hurt anyone, which goes without mentioning."
"It's not so much the volunteer issue so much as the . . ." Marius stopped and backed up. This was getting closer to someone he hadn't immediately thought of when he'd seen Amanda, but whose presence in this conversation was pressing stronger by the moment. It was ridiculous that the thought hadn't occurred to him until now, but he'd never been around Amanda enough to spare any thought to her as "Manuel's ex".
The boy dropped his eyes to the stained dirt again, focusing on the ant cautiously feeling its way around the fringes of the damp ground. "There's been the odd time where I didn't so much as ask. Various reasons, various intentions. Even when no harm was meant, never did that come out as what you'd call a win for me. Some wariness remains. Not quite so comfortable dependin' on it. In the past I've found a sense of entitlement can prove rather unsavoury."
"'The road to hell...' and all that." Amanda's voice was sad, rather than bitter. "Keep the wariness, Marius. No matter what they tell you. 'S something not many'll understand, not from the inside. And we both know where entitlement gets you." Her fingers were twisting the bottom of her shirt, and she forced herself to hold them still, before looking up again with a small smile. "There's not many that'd give the likes of us second chances, neither. We both got lucky in where we ended up."
Marius grinned. "Indeed. A fact which I shall be reminded of by friends, family, an' associated staff for the rest of my fortuitously prolonged life, but such punishment is only deserved." He rose to his feet, hands clasped as he stretched his arms over his head ."Ah, look at that -- I believe that might've been what is termed a spontaneous admission of vulnerable thingie. I'm sure Samson will be flush with pride." The boy dropped his arms and gave her a long-suffering look. "It seems it is become school policy to make the prime deterrent for engaging in actions of questionable intelligence the extensive psychiatric followup one is subjected to afterwards. Though I shall hazard the guess that you, too, know this delightful penance."
That got a laugh. "Yeah, just after I dosed up the school on a love potion," she admitted. "Tho' as far as shrinks go, Samson's not a bad old stick."
Marius scratched his curly hair. "Love potion? Ah, right, the Incident of which Doug would not speak. Happily, the rest of the school had no such compunctions. Sounded an' interesting experience, though one I would best have enjoyed from a safe distance." He shuffled a clawed foot in the direction of the drying muck. "Not to give offence, however, but should you plan anymore such conjurations you might do well to pinch a few biohazard stickers from Medlab."
"You might have a point there," Amanda said wryly. Then a slightly mischievous glint entered her eyes. "Got one more element to try. Game to hang around and watch the show?"
Marius tapped a claw against his chin with an air of contemplation, then paused. "You know, I am not entirely sure why I pretend at the contemplation when the answer to any question of debatable safety is invariably 'yes.' In the name of science. Or at least that is what I shall claim when Dr. Voght inquires about the last known whereabouts of my eyebrows."
"Oh, the eyebrows are safe - did Fire already." Amanda slipped off the rock and gestured for Marius to step back a bit. "Can't guarantee I'll get anything - never could manage Earth." Still, she had to try, clearing her mind and concentrating as she gestured at the poor abused ground. There was a brief rumble, and then a small patch of asphalt erupted from the ground with a small noise not unlike a belch. Amanda wiped the sweat that appeared on her forehead and grinned. "Huh. Do it yourself highway."
The taller boy's head tilted to look at the pitch now inhabiting the damaged rock. He could actually detect the faint scent of tar. Quirking his eyebrow, Marius looked askance at the blonde. "Eh. Fire, Earth . . . an' theoretically Wind an' Water. So . . . when your powers combine, you are urban decay incarnate?"
Amanda groaned at that one. "Yeah, I make a great big... Godzilla thing." She made a vaguely dinosaur-like gesture with her hands. "All grr and stuff."
"Ah, no worries. Though if I were you I shouldn't do it around Clarice."
After the disaster of the protection ward, Amanda had expected Cain to ban her from the premises. But instead, when she asked him for a 'loan' of the quarry for a safe place to work on her magic, he'd agreed, implying that perhaps the sooner she got herself sorted out, the better it would be all 'round. Now, standing at the bottom of the quarry, stone walls rising around her, she felt a brief moment of deja vu, remembering sessions spent throwing rocks around and almost tried for the telekinetic spell. Something in her shied away, tho', and she decided on something else. Something even more familiar. The second spell she'd ever learned.
The gout of industrial-strength flame that erupted from her outstretched fingers startled her somewhat. Looking down at her hand, she cautiously tried again, using the old fire summoning spell. This time, the flame burned blue, echoing a gas burner on a stove.
Hmm. Obviously things had changed. Maybe Air would do better...
Marius was just tilting his head back for a swig from his waterbottle. While this did indeed deliver the promised refreshing drink, it also brought his eyeline up in time to see what appeared to be an enormous blast of smog rising from the direction of the nearby quarry.
He stared for a moment, head tilting behind the lip of the bottle. The dark smudge began to disperse like a slow, ugly puddle in the sky. This was either a powers accident or something Abnormal. Either way, his afternoon was looking marginally more interesting.
"For the record," Marius said to a nonexistent audience, screwing the cap back on the bottle and setting out to investigate, "in the eventuality of more dinosaurs, I shall return directly to Brisbane."
Down in the quarry, Amanda coughed and wheezed, waving away smog from her face. She was sensing a theme here. Sometimes the powers that be had a terribly ironic sense of humour. Climbing up on a rock, for safety's sake, she tried the next element - Water.
And then regretted it as the stench hit her nose from the stream of sludgy sewerage water running along the base of her rock. "Well, I guess if I want to gross the bad guys out..." she said to herself with a sigh as she plopped herself down on her rock, legs crossed under her. No doubt Remy or Pete could see the applications here, but sometimes Amanda wished her magic wasn't quite so... gritty. Or disgusting.
Her musings were interrupted by an abrupt gagging sound from the edge of the quarry. Excepting the odd journal exchange, Marius hadn't had much contact with the older girl. This was certainly the first time he'd ever come close to a demonstration of her powers. As he felt his sinuses attempting to liquify, he felt he would eternally regret that his first exposure should be whilst in possession of Kyle's heightened sense of smell.
"Apologies," Marius choked, voice muffled by an attempt to breathe through a cupped hand, "seems I am momentarily incapacitated by an abrupt turn of the wind."
"Bollocks. I'm sorry, having some powers issues..." Thankfully the off-switch didn't seem to be as difficult to find as it had when the magic had resurfaced, and the sewerage dissolved into the dirt, leaving a damp patch. "Seems like I've had a bit of a boost lately, so I've been practicing, out of harm's way where I can't blow up anyone but myself," Amanda continued, wryly. "Should have realised one of the jogging brigade would be about, tho'."
"We are indeed omnipresent, though it occurs to one that at this point some lesson about the perils of curiousity should have taken hold. Always have been the resiliant sort." Mercifully, the wind was shifting again. Marius edged closer, not overly bothered by the pulverized rock under his bare feet. His only actual concern was that he might step in the residue of whatever Amanda had conjured.
"So that's magic, eh?" he asked, squatting a fair distance from the greasy stain in the dirt to eye it warily. "Never seen it applied, which I am told makes me even rarer an unique an' beautiful flower amongst the jaded masses of Xavier's. Didn't envision it bein' quite so, eh . . ." he paused, looking for something polite, "urban."
Amanda didn't know much about Marius' powers beyond "he eats people", but she noted the pointed ears and the claws and fangs she was used to seeing more on Kyle. Something about mimicking or adopting people's powers, a bit like Marie, wasn't it? His question made her snort, amused. "Sure you aren't a teep today too?" she asked. "I was just thinking that myself."
Carefully she snapped her fingers, given how George was being effected by this whole thing, and was relieved to find the werelight was behaving itself today, although it was the size of a tennis ball. Talk about powers breakthroughs... she wondered to herself, not a little concerned. Things were moving faster than she liked, especially given her control issues of the past. "'S a reflection of where the power comes from," she explained as George, flickering with the neon shades of Times Square, rolled down her shoulder and arm to her hand. "I'm absorbing energy from cities these days, so the magic's taken on some of that. Takes some getting used to, I have to admit."
Marius' yellow eyes followed the ball curiously. He was momentarily tempted to ask if she could send it closer so he could get a good smell of it, but it occurred to him that aside from being rather odd, it probably wasn't a good idea to put any part of mystical energy too near an orifice.
"Ah, but did you not know, changin' mutations are all the rage," Marius said, watching George roll across Amanda's back and arm like a well-practiced basketball trick. He flexed a clawed hand, watching the nails move in and out at the motion. "Bit out of season now that it's been usurped by buggerin' off to some alternate dimension, but it serves. Readjustment periods aside an' that."
Amanda nodded. "I got the magic back, what, just over a year ago now? Scared the shite out of me, since I'd given it up for good, or so I thought. And then I find I'm back to square one in terms of spells - this one, the werelight, I've been doing since I was a nipper, and for a while that's all I could do. It tends to be a bit hit and miss as to what works. Summoning the elements - what I was doing today - is more of the 'miss' category." She shrugged, the motion causing George to roll down her back, and she squirmed as the energy tickled the patch of bare skin left by her shirt riding up. "Tho' the buggering off to alternate dimensions isn't new - you've heard about the Asgard thing, haven't you?"
"Right, amongst others. Here, I've been tryin' to make a list. Tell me if I miss one." Marius began ticking things off on his fingers. "Abduction by demons an' other such ilk, featurin' Illyana in particular. Abduction to mystical realms in the midst of a baseball game, featurin' a good portion of the student body and deities of varying degrees of vengeful urges. Recently, misplacement of the island of Attilan plus Forge, who, presumably unsatisfied by a mere abduction by Magneto, now appears to have moved on to cross-dimensional disappearances." He regarded the finger extended thoughtfully, waggling it and the first. "Though all told, as two equivalent years livin' on a relatively benign island nation doesn't much compare to a hell-dimension I believe Illyana's status as reignin' champion continues unchallenged." He dropped his hand and gave Amanda a smile. "Have I made any ommissions?"
"Three for three. Penny for the clever lad," Amanda replied with an answering grin. "And I'd joke about these things coming in cycles, only it's demon invasions next and I wouldn't wish that on anyone." She retrieved George from behind her and tossed the light from hand to hand, also not wanting to mention 'going evil' came after that. "So, word is you're training for the leather brigade these days?" she asked instead. She didn't reply too much to the student journals, but she did read them, keeping an eye out for various things.
"Indeed. It's a bit rough. I've still no powers but what I get on loan, an' the mode of delivery's a bit trickier." Marius regarded the scarred-over patch of skin on the palm of his hand. "Still tryin' to sort out if it's more or less disturbin' to ask for donations now that it's not for dietary purposes. It seems a bit off to walk up to mates goin' 'Here, I've got DR today, could I trouble you to open a vein?'" Kyle didn't count. The younger boy would have probably thought (while vehemently denying it) the use of the word 'pack.' Marius was more inclined towards 'family.' Few experiences created a bond like being kidnapped by a mad scientist. Also the DNA splicing.
"I tend to get told to listen to the donors, since it's up to them - if they don't mind, I shouldn't apparently." Amanda gave another little shrug and extinguished George with another finger snap. "And that I should try and spread things out as much as I can so I don't hurt anyone, which goes without mentioning."
"It's not so much the volunteer issue so much as the . . ." Marius stopped and backed up. This was getting closer to someone he hadn't immediately thought of when he'd seen Amanda, but whose presence in this conversation was pressing stronger by the moment. It was ridiculous that the thought hadn't occurred to him until now, but he'd never been around Amanda enough to spare any thought to her as "Manuel's ex".
The boy dropped his eyes to the stained dirt again, focusing on the ant cautiously feeling its way around the fringes of the damp ground. "There's been the odd time where I didn't so much as ask. Various reasons, various intentions. Even when no harm was meant, never did that come out as what you'd call a win for me. Some wariness remains. Not quite so comfortable dependin' on it. In the past I've found a sense of entitlement can prove rather unsavoury."
"'The road to hell...' and all that." Amanda's voice was sad, rather than bitter. "Keep the wariness, Marius. No matter what they tell you. 'S something not many'll understand, not from the inside. And we both know where entitlement gets you." Her fingers were twisting the bottom of her shirt, and she forced herself to hold them still, before looking up again with a small smile. "There's not many that'd give the likes of us second chances, neither. We both got lucky in where we ended up."
Marius grinned. "Indeed. A fact which I shall be reminded of by friends, family, an' associated staff for the rest of my fortuitously prolonged life, but such punishment is only deserved." He rose to his feet, hands clasped as he stretched his arms over his head ."Ah, look at that -- I believe that might've been what is termed a spontaneous admission of vulnerable thingie. I'm sure Samson will be flush with pride." The boy dropped his arms and gave her a long-suffering look. "It seems it is become school policy to make the prime deterrent for engaging in actions of questionable intelligence the extensive psychiatric followup one is subjected to afterwards. Though I shall hazard the guess that you, too, know this delightful penance."
That got a laugh. "Yeah, just after I dosed up the school on a love potion," she admitted. "Tho' as far as shrinks go, Samson's not a bad old stick."
Marius scratched his curly hair. "Love potion? Ah, right, the Incident of which Doug would not speak. Happily, the rest of the school had no such compunctions. Sounded an' interesting experience, though one I would best have enjoyed from a safe distance." He shuffled a clawed foot in the direction of the drying muck. "Not to give offence, however, but should you plan anymore such conjurations you might do well to pinch a few biohazard stickers from Medlab."
"You might have a point there," Amanda said wryly. Then a slightly mischievous glint entered her eyes. "Got one more element to try. Game to hang around and watch the show?"
Marius tapped a claw against his chin with an air of contemplation, then paused. "You know, I am not entirely sure why I pretend at the contemplation when the answer to any question of debatable safety is invariably 'yes.' In the name of science. Or at least that is what I shall claim when Dr. Voght inquires about the last known whereabouts of my eyebrows."
"Oh, the eyebrows are safe - did Fire already." Amanda slipped off the rock and gestured for Marius to step back a bit. "Can't guarantee I'll get anything - never could manage Earth." Still, she had to try, clearing her mind and concentrating as she gestured at the poor abused ground. There was a brief rumble, and then a small patch of asphalt erupted from the ground with a small noise not unlike a belch. Amanda wiped the sweat that appeared on her forehead and grinned. "Huh. Do it yourself highway."
The taller boy's head tilted to look at the pitch now inhabiting the damaged rock. He could actually detect the faint scent of tar. Quirking his eyebrow, Marius looked askance at the blonde. "Eh. Fire, Earth . . . an' theoretically Wind an' Water. So . . . when your powers combine, you are urban decay incarnate?"
Amanda groaned at that one. "Yeah, I make a great big... Godzilla thing." She made a vaguely dinosaur-like gesture with her hands. "All grr and stuff."
"Ah, no worries. Though if I were you I shouldn't do it around Clarice."
