HEAVY IS THE HEAD: Part One, SINISTER LEGACY Fallout

[astonishing_xmods]

WHO: The Students and Faculty of the Xavier Institute
WHAT: Charity work in District X, but things are getting bad again
WHERE: District X
WHEN: Thanksgiving Weekend
WARNING(S): Violence, language, etc

So this was Christmas, and War was Not Over. The soup lines, this time, were alongside official Vaccine Centers, cures to the Legacy Virus being handed out alongside plates of hot food for the needy. Once more, winter was bleak in the world of mutants living in forced squalor. Attitudes were not particularly bright. People were no longer dying in the streets from illness, but were conditions really any better? War with Genosha was imminent. The National Guard was already standing post around the community, enforcing curfews, treating the area now more than ever like an internment community. Xavier's students were allowed to move around freely, but only with special ID badges that marked them as such. It was the same all over the country.

This wasn't Mutant Registration... it somehow felt worse. And it didn't help that the Mutant Liberation Front was still very active in the area, and many of them entirely blamed the X-Men for Renko's apparent 'death'. There were antagonistic forces around them, and desperate faces looking at them for some kind of hope. And if they couldn't get it there...

There were whispers, a lot of them, about fleeing to Genosha. About joining the MLF and working alongside Genosha for 'true' mutant liberation. About kickstarting this war on local soil. And really...

... was there anything the X-Men could do to stop it? Should they stop it?

Comments

[knighterrantofthedragon]

[With a quick flare, Alric boosted himself away to land on the edge of another nearby rooftop, sparing a quick glance downward--as much to check on Tiamaris as to make sure there was someone still busily clearing bystanders away. If this was going to be a serious battle, the chances of the area winding up strewn with flaming debris were seeming pretty high. His eyes were quickly back on his aggressor, though, clearly far less amused, and not much impressed with the cheerful attitude.]

What do you want that you hope to gain it at the expense of these people who've lost so much already?

[He glared, fists clenched and wrapped in a violet haze, arcs of light dancing over them and up his forearms.]

I have no special wish to see anyone harmed. But if it's to be you or them, I'm afraid you're first on the list.

[thenewbrotherhood]

Incase you 'adn't noticed, mate, you notice those boys in fatigues haven't fired more than warning rounds, right? Let the X-Men do the fightin'?

[The young man gestured around them, giving a wink to the latest player to arrive in spite of his roaring. Nothing about the odds seemed to intimidate him...]

It's because they 'aven't decided who to shoot at... and all those people, just like me, just like you... are potential targets. As soon as they realize that, we can quit pussyfootin' around this war and overthrow the human supremacy.

[tiamaris]

He flew closer, snarling and huffing at the talkative firebug. Tiamaris himself didn't know how he felt about the whole issue, but he knew that this man reminded him somehow of his father, and he didn't want anyone like that anywhere near Alric.

He didn't know why this man reminded him of his father, but he did, and that made Tiamaris more defensive... for the moment. It could as easily break him down the line if the odd feeling of sameness lingered, if the man went after him. He already wanted to run and hide, but he wanted to defend Alric more. Wanted to show Alric he could stay here... for as long as he could.

[psykick]

[Rinka had a few more floors to climb before she reached the roof, but she still heard snatches of the conversation from above.]

They wouldn't even be targets right now if you lot hadn't shown up!

[knighterrantofthedragon]

[Alric glared across the distance as the arcs over his hands and arms flared brighter.]

...of course. The noble revolutionary, eager to pave the road to the future with the bones of the innocent. This doesn't end when there are no more 'mutants,' and it doesn't end when the 'humans' are overthrown. It ends when people like you come to understand that we all are human, whatever we look like, whatever gifts or hardships we have. Until then, we will stand in your way.

[Besides clarifying his position and charging up plasma around his hands, the monologue and light show made a great excuse to buy some time while the people below were evacuated from the immediate area. With that done, though, he thrust one hand forward, opening it, the shimmering violet ball of light held in it hurtling out toward Pyro--aimed to miss him narrowly and explode a few feet behind him in a concussive burst.]

Make me wish Greggy were here too, why don't you? :D

[tiamaris]

Tiamaris added a full throated roar of agreement to Alric's words, having noticed Rinka, but still being unsure of her. But this, this was something he could do. As soon as the ball was clear of Alric, clear of the space, Tiamaris dropped his considerable bulk between Alric and the foe so that any retaliation would hit him first.

He might fear his father, but fire? No, Tiamaris no longer feared any fire but his own.

[thenewbrotherhood]

[Pyro seemed to know it was going to miss. He didn't budge at all, letting it sail past him with a non-chalant grin and a shrug.]

Not doin' much like this, I'll tell ya that much.

[Once more, he activated the flamethrowers on his arms, aiming both at the dragon kid before him... but instead of going through Tiamaris, the flame whips around him, still heading straight for Alric.]

And you stay right where you are, love. [He gives an obvious wink to Rinka in spite of his goggles] Wouldn't wanna singe that pretty face o' yours.

[psykick]

[Rinka ignores Pyro's warning, not even bothering to dignify it with a response, and bolts up the last fire escape. If she can just grab Alric, she can phase them both... but she can't run faster than a flamethrower.]

[knighterrantofthedragon]

[Really, Alric was more surprised that the concussive force of the explosion didn't seem to affect him at all, when he'd really hoped for it to either stun him or tip him right off the roof... perhaps he'd underestimated that armor the guy seemed to wear?

Not a mistake he intended to make twice--but first, he had to take evasive action, firing off the second plasma charge, aimed to explode in the past of the oncoming flames, scattering them, and hopefully buying him enough time to dive-roll out of the immediate path of the conflagration while also concealing him from Pyro's view behind the resulting plume of flames. They'd need a plan, and as much as he hated to bring someone else into a dangerous situation, he did have an idea.]

Tiamaris, cover us! Miss Rinka, a word!

[tiamaris]

[Tiamaris nodded with a roar and flew himself at Pyro to distract him. Maybe his flames could dodge the giant dragon, but he rather doubted the man himself was so nimble. He darted his head out, trying to bite at the man's arm, sure he'd miss, but making sure the man had to focus his attention on the large flying threat. His tail whipped towards his target from the other side as his head darted in. Tiamaris hoped the second would connect, and that the first would be dodged, really. He wasn't sure he could control the dragon if it tasted blood. Again.]

[thenewbrotherhood]

[He'd find Pyro was more of a challenge than initially thought. Pyro turned his flame jets downward, spreading fire all along the roof as he jet upward, dodging the dragon's attacks.

The flames left on the ground took the shape of chains and shackles, moving to try and grasp at Tiamaris' limbs. And in spite of being made of fire, the young dragon mutant would find they were quite corporeal, capable of snatching and binding just as well as any steal.]

[psykick]

[Rinka phases through the cloud of flame and plasma as she scrambles over the edge of the roof. The moment she reaches Alric, she grabs his arm, rendering him intangible as well.]

We need to get close enough to damage his... whatever he is wearing. He can control fire, but I don't think he can make it himself.

[tiamaris]

[The dragon tried to follow him up, trying to get at him,t o do what he had to to keep Alric safe, even at the cost of his own well being. Whatever needed to be, would be.]

[Not realizing the danger, he didn't try to dodge the chains at first. It was fire. Fire couldn't hurt Tiamaris, he knew that. So when the fire closed around him, not hurting but restraining, he roared with fury pulling, trying to get lift.]

[Steel the size to catch a human, he could have broken, fore chains to catch a dragon however... he fought and struggled. Maybe he broke one or two, maybe not, but he managed to grab the rage before it took hold, one last attempt to use his brain rather than his temper... the chains wrapped around a dragon. So....]

[Abruptly he was boy sized again, though covered in the archaic looking mail scales of his between form, his hope was to slide free, and transform back immediately, winning free that way. He hoped it won because he could feel the rage growing...]

[knighterrantofthedragon]

[Between the heat of battle, and finding she was thinking much the same thing he was, Alric couldn't help but grin at that suggestion.]

My thoughts exactly; if you can deprive him of his equipment, I believe we can trim his claws quite well. Hang on tight, Miss Rinka, and apologies for the familiarity.

[With no other warning, Alric slipped his arm about her waist, and pulled her close--to keep her from slipping free as his other arm reached out, crackling with violet arcs, briefly, before letting loose a sudden, intense flare of plasma, rocketing them both in an arc toward Pyro while he was preoccupied with Tiamaris. He just needed to get them close enough... and fast enough to slip in before their enemy had a chance to change targets and catch on to their plan. He'd trust in her ability to keep them safe, up until that moment. He had a back-up plan or two in mind, as well, but first, he had to get them both close, and keep her safe.]

[thenewbrotherhood]

More for the party, eh? [Pyro cackled, the formerly chain-like now forming into rope and trendrils, aiming to ensnare Tiamaris at his new size as well, all the while more flames headed towards Alric and Rinka in the shame of a clawed hand, swiping downward.]

[tiamaris]

[He ROARED, seeing the flames arcing towards Alric. His eyes went full and liquid red as he lost his fight with his rage. His form exploded outward, violently gaining in size as he took his dragon form again, his scales exploding outward, shredding anything that came too close.]

[There was a reason he always needed new clothing.]

[No longer having a care for his own safety or limits, no longer caring about much other than killing the fool who had angered him, Tiamaris put all he had into breaking free, into slamming himself, if he could, bodily, at Pyro.]

[psykick]

I just need to touch it...

[Her idea is to phase Pyro's flamethrowers right through his arms, if she can lay her hands on them. Of course, they might have to get around Tiamaris first. Kind of hard to drop in when there's a raging dragon mobbing your target. It's not Tiamaris' fault he doesn't know about her intangibility and that the claw of fire would have passed right through her and Alric. But she's not sure how to let him know they're trying to ambush Pyro without alerting their target at the same time.]

Ugh sorry I've been so braindead on this

[knighterrantofthedragon]

[It was admittedly one of the challenges of working with Tiamaris, and something Alric had really hoped they'd resolved a little better, given how much he'd improved over the last few months... although letting him actually take the brunt of an attack like that was perhaps asking too much of his control. For the moment, he'd have to work around his teammate. Trusting Rinka to hang on tight--and Pyro to be preoccupied momentarily with the suddenly very angry and aggressive dragon--he altered course with a flare of palsma, giving Tiamaris a chance to force Pyro into evasive action, and then arcing down toward Pyro from there, hoping to catch him up close while he was off-balance and distracted.

He would have to be at the ready, though, to take evasive action, himself (and bring Rinka with him), if Tiamaris' control had slipped too far. But that was the next bridge to cross.]

No worries!

[tiamaris]

[Things like "evasive action" were no longer any part of Tiamaris' thought patterns. What he did have essentially amounted to "He hurt me, KILL HIM!" Which was what he was trying to do. If he noticed Alric and Rinka at all, he gave no sign whatsoever. He just kept darting in, attacking at Pyro with teeth, claws, and flame. If he could get close enough he'd add wings, tail, and his considerable bulk. He remembered how to fly only because it was needful to reach the idiot who he was mad at, he would hit the fool with a wing, forgetting he needed it to fly, if he got close enough.]

[There was fresh hot molten lava in this world that was not as bright, as red, or as liquid as his eyes.]

[psykick]

[Luckily, Rinka has some experience with hanging onto someone in midair. She keeps a steady grip on Alric's shoulder without strangling him, keeping them both intangible and immune to Pyro's fire. Most of her focus is on Pyro, looking for the needed opening.]

Drop me on him, throw me at him. We'll only have one shot.

[Because once she lets go of Alric he'll be tangible again, and if she misses, he'll probably be the first one Pyro tries to roast.]

[thenewbrotherhood]

[Dodging the physical attacks was not something Pyro was particularly ready for, but thankfully his armor did its work for him. However as soon as he could, he started to use Tiamaris' own flame against him, using his power on the jetting fire still in the dragon kid's throat, trying to turn it into a spikey pillar, attempt to choke the kid out on his own heat.]

[tiamaris]

[If Tiamaris noticed the change in his own fire, it didn't show. The rage shoved everything else aside and when he had trouble, he just pushed harder, roaring as he fought to blast his foe to cinders.]

[knighterrantofthedragon]

[To see Tiamaris so completely lost to his anger was dismaying, to say the least, after all the time they'd spent working on control. Worse yet, it made the fight far, far more dangerous than it would otherwise have been for himself and Rinka. He was reluctant to send her into that... and yet, knowing he'd likely have to put more effort into stopping Tiamaris than into stopping Pyro, he had no choice but to let her go in to try and disarm the latter. ...of course, Tiamaris, at this rate, was going to keep arming him, so they'd have to try and defuse both problems simultaneously.

If it was even possible. This was the most out-of-control he'd seen Tiamaris yet, and with lives on the line, it was proving to be a hard, unwelcome lesson. But doubts about his leadership ability would have to wait; at that moment, there was really no time to waste on faltering confidence.

Alric fired off a burst of plasma as he and Rinka arced overhead, aimed to land and explode within inches of Pyro, hoping to at least throw him off balance, and perhaps stun him through his armor.]

Don't get reckless. Keep yourself safe down there, first.

[With that warning, he let Rinka drop, aimed for Pyro's back, to give her the best possible grappling advantage on him. Once she was let loose, he reoriented himself, plasma jets flaring, to keep airborne; he'd have to trust her to handle Pyro while he dealt with Tiamaris. For that, he put on his best semblance of confidence, amber eyes bright with all the fire light filling the area, and called out over the din of the flames and the roaring.]

TIAMARIS. You need to STOP.

[tiamaris]

[Tiamaris turned his head towards Alric and ROARED. As bad as that was, there were a few hopeful signs. Unlike the roaring he was doing at Pyro, this was not accompanied by an attempt to turn him into cinder and ash. Also as he roared, he moved, trying to get between Pyro and Alric.]

[He was still enraged, still lost in his anger so much that he was not about to obey and STOP, but he wasn't attacking Alric. He was moving to defend him. That much of Tiamaris was in there still. And he didn't try to snap at Rinka. So, that was something, too.]