paradisalost | 002 ♔ text/action

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nina sayers

002 ♔ text/action

Is there a limit to how much we can ask of the Castle?

Angel;
Were you the one who brought me here?

Clark;
I'm sorry.

[ She can also be found at the gym, as always, practicing.

You may hear echoes of this music from outside, accompanied by the occasional sound of wood tapping against linoleum. Once she finishes a round, she takes a few minutes to breathe, then does it again. Sometimes she rehearses a part many times, perfecting it. And sometimes, after a good round, she curtsies to herself in the mirror and smiles.

But Nina doesn't smile when she dances. ]

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[ Nina nods, curiously watching him as he gives his little disclaimer. She prefers not talking, because she usually finds her words wanting, so this comfortable for her. ]

I think I'll enjoy it all the same.

[ After he starts, she rests her chin on her knees, closing her eyes to focus on the music, to the way the guitar seems to throb and the way he almost chants the words like a magic spell. It's enchanting. Even when he picks up his tempo, the throbbing is still there, only louder and closer. She doesn't quite hear the words he sing, they flow into her mind instead, without transmission--when she realizes. ]

You didn't... really sing to me, did you?

[ She regrets her words the moment they fall from her lips. ]

[When Jono opens his eyes, he sees the look in Nina's eyes. It's a look he's had to deal with ever since his powers first manifested. Far from sorry, he simply shrugs, setting his guitar aside.]

{Not in th' traditional sense, no.}

[He reaches up, and hooks a finger behind his mask, lowering it a few inches, so Nina can see where his upper lip ends, and his powers begin.]

{I haven't been able t'sing in five years. Ever since I found out I was a mutant.}

[ Nina gasps at the sight, withdrawing slightly. In fear, at first, though she soon reminds herself that he is still the same person. Her expression turns into one of concern. ]

What happened?

[Sensing the fear in his female companion, Jono pulls his mask back into place.]

{Short version? I exploded when I was eighteen. Obliterated all o' me internal organs, an' left a hole in meself from me nose t'me navel.}

{I've a form of energy in me body that I was holdin' back throughout me teens, an' it'd finally had enough. Upside is I don' have t'eat, drink or breathe, downside's I have t'keep meself covered, an' I have t'use telepathy t'speak t'anyone. Tha's th' voice in yer head.}

{I know i's a li'l strange, an' more'n a li'l frightenin', but i's part o' who I am. I 'pologize if I startled you.}

[Jono pulls off his t-shirt to reveal a complicated leather harness that covers his entire torso, with buckles alternating on either side of his chest. He unbuckles it down to the navel, revealing the full extent of his condition. The flame pulses as though alive, and while warm, it nevertheless never goes very far away from him, settling on his shoulders and around his neck.]

[ Nina is afraid, but it is a different sort of fear than the one she experienced when she was being haunted by... herself. This one feels more material, manageable, exciting even. She stands up from where she sat and slowly walks closer. She reaches out one hand, expecting to feel warmth radiating from him. ]

Does it hurt?

[If Jono is anything, he's definitely more material than a spectre of oneself. He holds a hand out in warning, having experience with people getting too close to his energy.]

{Don' get too close. It looks harmless enough, but there's a lot o' power restin' in here.}

[Again he shrugs. He has a terrible habit of underplaying his situation.]

{Hurt worse'n anything I ever felt when I manifested, but since then...I don' feel much o' anything.}

I'm sorry.

[ She withdraws her hand at the warning, though she's still watching him curiously. There's a look of concern on her face. ]

Do you wish it never happened?

{Eh, don' be. Everyone's curious 'bout what'm keepin' in here. Comes with th' territory.}

[He waves a hand at her concern. Not necessary in his case.]

{Sometimes. Unfortunately, it was unavoidable. I's in me genetics, so wishin' it away's jus' wastin' wishes. I deal with it as best I can, an' try t'use it t'help people, silly as that might sound.}

[ She smiles timidly at his answer. There are many magical people here, beyond natural, but so far she has only met the ones that mean them for good. That, at least, helps her sleep better at night. ]

That's nice of you, to use it for good when--when you could've just kept it to yourself.

[He shrugs. SO MODEST.]

{Eh, I didn' really have much else I coulda done. Mos' o' th' people close t'me thought I was dead, save fer me immediate family. People like me...aren't treated very well, where I come from. I ended up goin' to a special school fer folks with powers like mine, so I could learn t'control this bloody inferno. Usin' me powers fer good was jus' part o' th' deal.}

[Yes, Jono just admitted to going to s school for super heroes. Where he comes from, this is normal.]

We're scared of things that are different from us.

[ Nina shuffles her feet for a moment before deciding that she probably can sit beside him, right? It feels strange to be speaking across the room. She makes her way over as she speaks. ]

Did you like it? The school?

{Tell me 'bout it. Tha's sorta been me life since me powers showed up. Helpin' folks what would lynch me if they knew what I was on about.}

[Jono's cool with proximity, but he nevertheless buckles up his harness and pulls his t-shirt back on, making himself look mostly human once again.]

{It was all right. Made friends, learned a few things about me powers, an' saved a few lives. Ended up "graduatin'" when I was twenty-one, got bumped up to a team called th' X-Men, who're basically like th' police fer our sort. Not a bad deal, overall.}

[ She takes a seat beside him. For a moment, Nina wonders what she would do were she in his place. Would she join the good guys or would she use it to her advantage? She thinks the latter is more likely--before she remembers that she probably wouldn't get to choose anyway. ]

Why do you help people that hate you?

[He shrugs, he's never thought about it real hard. He's never really had the time.]

{I's th' right thing t'do, mostly. Because there're others who'd rather see "normal" folks wiped out. We fight th' one's who give us all a bad name.}

[ Nina thinks on that for a moment, looking down at her own lap. She doesn't think she really understands. ]

That must be so difficult.

{Sometimes, sure. I guess what it comes down to is acceptance. Sure, we're different than "normal" folks, but that don' make us any better or worse'n they are. They like t'think it does, but it don'.}

{Unfortunately, not everyone's as tolerant as we are. There're groups o' humans an' mutants alike that'd love t'see th' other wiped out, but what would that accomplish?}

{Fer one thing, I'd lose me favorite football team. Mutant sports are jus' unfair.}

[He laughs a dry laugh.]

[ She echoes the laughter, mildly glad that he seems light-hearted enough about himself. ]

I wouldn't want to see you wiped out.

[Is that a blush? It maybe, possibly is...]

{Bah, yer jus' sayin' that because yer jus' gettin' t'know me. I can be a proper curmudgeon when I get in one o' me moods.}

[He laughs again, a proper laugh. It's amazing to think that only a few days ago he'd been threatening a girl who'd insulted him and his teammates, and had suffered a pretty harsh depression as a result of what she'd said to him.]

[ Nina smiles to herself, feeling decidedly safe. She says these things like a child, not quite understanding the full gravity of its meaning, though she does mean it, in her own way. The people in this Castle are kinder than most of the ones she has known before. She shrugs. ]

I still wouldn't want to not know you.

[Jono's never really considered himself terribly "safe", but of course given his often over-cautious nature, that's a pretty good way to describe him. More than anything, Jono's flattered that she has such trust in him.]

{Well, I s'pose I oughtta tell ya me name then, so we can be properly acquainted, aye?}

{Me name's Jonothan Starsmore. Y'can jus' call me Jono, everyone does.}

[He offers a callused hand to shake.]

[ Funny that, she didn't realize that they don't know each others' names yet. Maybe the music was enough to make her feel like they know enough of each other. Nina shakes his hand with a chuckle. ]

It's Nina. Nice to meet you, Jono.

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002 ♔ text/action

:3

<3

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I apologize for ze fail. Been a busy day, it has.

no worries~