Liam and Madin: First impressions
Aug. 23rd, 2023 10:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xp_madin posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
xp_logsLiam, the picture of innocence, meets the far more cynical.
Backdated to 23 August.
"Whatcha watching?" Liam asked, resisting the urge to hop on the back of the couch in the common room. It wasn't his couch and more than that, he was kinda too big to do that now. It was better when he was younger. Instead, he flopped down in a nearby chair.
Madin turned to face him, mildly embarrassed to be caught. "Uh. Fuckboy Island."
"That's a show? Is it porn? Can I watch?" Hopefully there were girls and not just guys. Was it weird to watch porn with someone else? Then again, it was kinda weird to watch porn in a public space in general. "You're purple."
"Really? I hadn't noticed. When did that happen?" Madin stared at their hands in amazement.
Making a noise low in his throat, Liam rolled his eyes. "Should probably see a doctor about that. Might be a STD or something."
Madin laughed at that. "You're Liam, right?"
He nodded, "Yeah. And you're....?"
"Oh, sorry. I'm Madin." Liam was .... he was that indefinable age between 13 and twenty, where you didn't know if you were talking to a kid or not. His body language said younger but Madin had learned not to trust that years ago. "So what's your deal, other than sneaking up on people?" It wasn't overtly hostile but it was so unusual that Madin even felt comfortable enough to relax outside their room and sure, it was late so the odds of running into people they were avoiding were lower but not zero because apparently no one slept here, ever.
"I'm a cat?" that seemed obvious? "Where're you from? England?" Liam asked, curious and shifting into he was upside down on the chair. That was better. He didn't feel like sitting still right now. "Why'd you come here? Aren't there schools like this where you live?"
Madin rolled their eyes slightly but responded kindly. "I'm Australian, not English," they replied. "I'm here because... " What did you say to that. Fuck it. Let the kid be shocked or whatever he was going to be. "I"m here because I had a bit of a shoot out with the cops in Chicago and had to leave town in a hurry. And, no, there's nothing remotely like this bloody cult house in Australia."
Liam fell ass over tea kettle out of the chair. "You had a shootout? Why? Because you're purple?" guns and school shootings were sadly nothing new, he'd grown up with both living in a rural town inl America. But meeting someone actually in a shootout? "I'm glad you weren't shot," he added, then narrowed his eyes, "Wait. You weren't shot, right?"
The good thing about this was that Liam's focus was shifted. Madin hadn't been keen to do 'my country sucks balls 101' this evening and now they didn't need to. "Nah. I wasn't shot. Chicago PD were after Match," Sorry mate. He's going to come to you with questions now. "One of the other people here, actually, and tried to surround us. I don't really. Human cops, you know? They don't have any rights to control us. They were shooting at us, we were shooting back with powers and then one of the telepaths made them retreat. I blew up the road?" Focus on that part, kid.
That was. "Like out of a movie!" Liam was in awe. "But. I mean. There aren't really mutant cops. Maybe a few, but not a ton. So I guess, I mean, yeah, cops will be human? And laws are there for a reason. Sometimes dumb reasons, but reasons. So you should follow the laws that aren't dumb," so then, you're not in a shootout with cops. It made sense to him.
"Nah. Human laws only apply to mutants when they don't oppress us. Mutant cops are still cops, which means they're actively working against their own issues. Like, bro, A mutant cop will sell you out just as fast as a human one will."
Blinking, Liam righted himself, sitting on the floor, "Yeah, but.... cops do that to humans, too? Anyone breaking the law. Maybe don't break the law?"
Jeeze. Madin revised their estimate of his age down a year or two. He was really young, wasn't he? "Not always possible, especially when you look like us."
It was less that he was young as he had very different experiences in life. No shootouts, for one. Liam had also grown up living on several acres outside a small town in a pretty rural area. "But. I've never had a problem. And I've always been a cat."
"Fucken bullshit you've never had an issue."
"Are you jealous or don't believe me?" Liam asked slowly. "Because I've never had an issue with the police." He had classmates or others in town that had given him the stinkeye and he knew to avoid, and he'd heard whispers and the like. But he'd never had real problems.
"I don't believe you. You're saying they never moved you on when you were hanging out at the shops or the station because you were scaring people or pulled you up for a stop and search when you were out with your mates?" Madin asked him flatly.
Liam shook his head, "Never," he replied, "They all knew my parents wouldn't put up with crap. And anyways, everyone knew me," he didn't mention that he came from a small town and that when he was in the city, he was always with his parents for safety. That he was at Xavier's for safety, though not from the police. "I'm harmless."
"Yeah nah. That's bullshit. Everyone knew you? And your parents -- like, what, are they loaded or something? Mafia? Why'd the local cops all listen to them?" It just beggared belief.
Was that really that difficult to believe? "I mean...I doubt everyone knew me by name, but yeah? It's not that weird. You know everyone here, don't you?" He didn't know how long Madin had been here, but longer than Liam at least. "But no. My dad worked for the local University and had a woodworking business on the side. My mom had a garden and stuff at home."
Yeah, it was that hard to believe. Madin softened slightly and sighed. Imagine being that sheltered. "You're not at home anymore but. So rule one is you don't trust anyone in a uniform, ever, okay? Look, I don't spend a lot of time at the community centre but I'll show you around DX if you want, show you where people are less likely to be dicks because you're a cat."
"But if I get lost...?" okay, that was unlikely given GPS, but it was possible. "But okay, if you say so," Liam doubted that Madin was telling him truths, but didn't want to argue him more. The idea of going to New York City, especially by himself, wasn't something he was okay with just yet anyways. The biggest city he'd been to was Bangor and it was practically tiny compared to New York!
"I don't know. Figure it out when you get hypothetical lost. It's a grid. On an island. You can't get that lost. Eventually you hit water and turn around." Rule one - in detention, in the Underground, with the Brotherhood, had always been 'don't ask why someone is here' because the answers were never great, even if they were apparently well adjusted catboys who liked cops. Madin stayed silent on that but turned slightly back to the TV. "Were you after something?"
Liam shook his head, getting up. "Just bored and checking stuff out," he replied, "It was good to meet you though," not entirely, but he couldn't actually say that. That was rude. "I'll see you around."
Backdated to 23 August.
"Whatcha watching?" Liam asked, resisting the urge to hop on the back of the couch in the common room. It wasn't his couch and more than that, he was kinda too big to do that now. It was better when he was younger. Instead, he flopped down in a nearby chair.
Madin turned to face him, mildly embarrassed to be caught. "Uh. Fuckboy Island."
"That's a show? Is it porn? Can I watch?" Hopefully there were girls and not just guys. Was it weird to watch porn with someone else? Then again, it was kinda weird to watch porn in a public space in general. "You're purple."
"Really? I hadn't noticed. When did that happen?" Madin stared at their hands in amazement.
Making a noise low in his throat, Liam rolled his eyes. "Should probably see a doctor about that. Might be a STD or something."
Madin laughed at that. "You're Liam, right?"
He nodded, "Yeah. And you're....?"
"Oh, sorry. I'm Madin." Liam was .... he was that indefinable age between 13 and twenty, where you didn't know if you were talking to a kid or not. His body language said younger but Madin had learned not to trust that years ago. "So what's your deal, other than sneaking up on people?" It wasn't overtly hostile but it was so unusual that Madin even felt comfortable enough to relax outside their room and sure, it was late so the odds of running into people they were avoiding were lower but not zero because apparently no one slept here, ever.
"I'm a cat?" that seemed obvious? "Where're you from? England?" Liam asked, curious and shifting into he was upside down on the chair. That was better. He didn't feel like sitting still right now. "Why'd you come here? Aren't there schools like this where you live?"
Madin rolled their eyes slightly but responded kindly. "I'm Australian, not English," they replied. "I'm here because... " What did you say to that. Fuck it. Let the kid be shocked or whatever he was going to be. "I"m here because I had a bit of a shoot out with the cops in Chicago and had to leave town in a hurry. And, no, there's nothing remotely like this bloody cult house in Australia."
Liam fell ass over tea kettle out of the chair. "You had a shootout? Why? Because you're purple?" guns and school shootings were sadly nothing new, he'd grown up with both living in a rural town inl America. But meeting someone actually in a shootout? "I'm glad you weren't shot," he added, then narrowed his eyes, "Wait. You weren't shot, right?"
The good thing about this was that Liam's focus was shifted. Madin hadn't been keen to do 'my country sucks balls 101' this evening and now they didn't need to. "Nah. I wasn't shot. Chicago PD were after Match," Sorry mate. He's going to come to you with questions now. "One of the other people here, actually, and tried to surround us. I don't really. Human cops, you know? They don't have any rights to control us. They were shooting at us, we were shooting back with powers and then one of the telepaths made them retreat. I blew up the road?" Focus on that part, kid.
That was. "Like out of a movie!" Liam was in awe. "But. I mean. There aren't really mutant cops. Maybe a few, but not a ton. So I guess, I mean, yeah, cops will be human? And laws are there for a reason. Sometimes dumb reasons, but reasons. So you should follow the laws that aren't dumb," so then, you're not in a shootout with cops. It made sense to him.
"Nah. Human laws only apply to mutants when they don't oppress us. Mutant cops are still cops, which means they're actively working against their own issues. Like, bro, A mutant cop will sell you out just as fast as a human one will."
Blinking, Liam righted himself, sitting on the floor, "Yeah, but.... cops do that to humans, too? Anyone breaking the law. Maybe don't break the law?"
Jeeze. Madin revised their estimate of his age down a year or two. He was really young, wasn't he? "Not always possible, especially when you look like us."
It was less that he was young as he had very different experiences in life. No shootouts, for one. Liam had also grown up living on several acres outside a small town in a pretty rural area. "But. I've never had a problem. And I've always been a cat."
"Fucken bullshit you've never had an issue."
"Are you jealous or don't believe me?" Liam asked slowly. "Because I've never had an issue with the police." He had classmates or others in town that had given him the stinkeye and he knew to avoid, and he'd heard whispers and the like. But he'd never had real problems.
"I don't believe you. You're saying they never moved you on when you were hanging out at the shops or the station because you were scaring people or pulled you up for a stop and search when you were out with your mates?" Madin asked him flatly.
Liam shook his head, "Never," he replied, "They all knew my parents wouldn't put up with crap. And anyways, everyone knew me," he didn't mention that he came from a small town and that when he was in the city, he was always with his parents for safety. That he was at Xavier's for safety, though not from the police. "I'm harmless."
"Yeah nah. That's bullshit. Everyone knew you? And your parents -- like, what, are they loaded or something? Mafia? Why'd the local cops all listen to them?" It just beggared belief.
Was that really that difficult to believe? "I mean...I doubt everyone knew me by name, but yeah? It's not that weird. You know everyone here, don't you?" He didn't know how long Madin had been here, but longer than Liam at least. "But no. My dad worked for the local University and had a woodworking business on the side. My mom had a garden and stuff at home."
Yeah, it was that hard to believe. Madin softened slightly and sighed. Imagine being that sheltered. "You're not at home anymore but. So rule one is you don't trust anyone in a uniform, ever, okay? Look, I don't spend a lot of time at the community centre but I'll show you around DX if you want, show you where people are less likely to be dicks because you're a cat."
"But if I get lost...?" okay, that was unlikely given GPS, but it was possible. "But okay, if you say so," Liam doubted that Madin was telling him truths, but didn't want to argue him more. The idea of going to New York City, especially by himself, wasn't something he was okay with just yet anyways. The biggest city he'd been to was Bangor and it was practically tiny compared to New York!
"I don't know. Figure it out when you get hypothetical lost. It's a grid. On an island. You can't get that lost. Eventually you hit water and turn around." Rule one - in detention, in the Underground, with the Brotherhood, had always been 'don't ask why someone is here' because the answers were never great, even if they were apparently well adjusted catboys who liked cops. Madin stayed silent on that but turned slightly back to the TV. "Were you after something?"
Liam shook his head, getting up. "Just bored and checking stuff out," he replied, "It was good to meet you though," not entirely, but he couldn't actually say that. That was rude. "I'll see you around."
