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| Hidden Behind a Smile; One-Shot [Wallflower, Rho] | |
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| Topic Started: Jun 2 2012, 07:32 AM (184 Views) | |
| Wallflower | Jun 2 2012, 07:32 AM Post #1 |
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May 9th Early evening JP between Wallflower and Rho The time had come. Yes, Laurie considered Dontae a friend, but apparently she hadn't really gotten to know him at all since Noriko had started dating him. They were friends by association, but they weren't really friends, and in Laurie's book, that just didn't sit right. After all, Nori was great friends with Josh. Why shouldn't she be great friends with Nori's significant other? They had spent some time talking while on the trek in the wilds, but that was the only long conversation they had really held, and outside of the cafeteria fiasco, Laurie hadn't seen him around base very much. Those few hours of discussion simply weren't going to suffice - she had to dig deeper, really make an effort. Plus, he was a perfect candidate. So, Laurie had sought him out, which actually hadn't proved to be all that difficult, and extended an invitation for a bit more bonding time. She was sure he would agree - after all, who wouldn't want to get away from the constant state of emotional flux that the base was in, what with everything going on. It seemed as though no one could be trusted anymore. The blonde sighed, perched on a boulder with her knees pulled up and chin propped in her hand, as she contemplated the current state of affairs of the X-Men and awaited the arrival of her companion for their "bonding session". He’d been doing a whole lot of nothing after the cafeteria incident, so when Laurie came to him and suggested they hang out and get to know each other better, of course he said yes. It wasn’t just that he was bored, but he realized that he knew Laurie, but he didn’t know her. Like, he could talk with Nori for hours because even before they were together, he spent a lot of time with her. Laurie got a few short conversations, with some hellos sprinkled in here and there. Besides, getting to know her better would mean it would be easier to spend time with her, Nori and Josh…hopefully they’d let him in their little Three Musketeers club…he could be D’artagnan. After she told him where to meet her, he cleaned up and put on some jungle gear; it wasn’t long after that that he was soaring through the canopy looking down. Eventually a patch of blonde against slate gray caught his eyes and he slowed down; a perfect landing followed and he propped up next to her. “Sup?” The greeting broke her thoughts and Laurie shifted her glance from nowhere in particular to Dontae. He'd apparently just landed from flight, because she was sure she would have heard him coming had he been walking. Alright Laurie, time to do what you apparently do best... Be friendly. The blonde offered a smile in response to his greeting. "Hey Dontae," she greeted, and hopped down from the boulder. She'd never really realized how tall he was compared to her until that point You're like a midget. "I hope I'm not dragging you away from anything particularly important," she stated as she began their leisurely stroll. Laurie was always a wee bit more comfortable walking and talking than she was just standing around. "Just figured, you know, with our significant others off fighting baddies in New York, we should actually hang out ourselves. They're probably bonding, why can't we, right?" She was trying to keep the mood light - Laurie knew Dontae was probably worried about Nori, and she could understand the feeling. "So... that cafeteria thing... that was weird." God, still so awkward no matter who you're talking to. "I mean, it kind of came out of nowhere." “Hey yourself, blondie;” he said with a smile as he too jumped to the ground and walked alongside her. He shook his head no to clear her worries. “I was doin’ absolutely nothing, and if anything you probably saved me a good bit of hassle. Once Jack hears about what I did to Rahne…he’ll probably try to eat me.” Her words on Josh and Nori made him think of them both. The golden boy was a good friend once; now Rho considered him more than that. He’d saved his life back when the Purifiers attacked the mansion. He considered Josh a brother; family. Noriko on the other hand held a different place in his heart. He’d been crushing on her since day one, and even though they didn’t get to spend much time together as a couple before she shipped out to New York, he thought about how much fun it would be to hang out when she got back. “You’re right, Laurie. Me and you are pretty cool, but we never really hung out before. We can start now and be buddies when Josh and Noriko get back. Win, win for everybody.” They walked for a little bit more and then she brought up the cafeteria. He sighed heavily and locked his hands behind his head, kicking a small rock aside. “I dunno. I just…I dunno.” He looked over at her and shrugged his shoulders because he really was at a loss for words. “Rachel lost it, and then I saw her…I lost it. Don’t know how or why, but I did.” It seemed as though Dontae really didn't know what had gone on in the cafeteria that day, just the same as everyone else involved in the situation. Everything had happened so fast, and she hadn't expected it to snowball as quickly as it had. "Yeah. I have no idea why I couldn't seem to calm her down," she responded exasperatedly. "Maybe there was some kind of mental block, and I couldn't access the chemicals... I don't know." She could make all kinds of speculations aloud, but in reality, she knew the reason. She knew exactly why she couldn't calm Rachel down. She hadn't been trying. The blonde shook her head. "At least it's over... hopefully nothing like that ever happens again," she said as their stroll brought them to the entrance of the Savage Land wilds. "I hope you don't mind walking through the forest. I know we just spent way too long in the jungle a while back, but as long as we don't go too far hopefully nothing crazy will happen," she said with a smile towards Dontae before casting her face downwards and hiding a smirk. "So... do you miss it? New York, and home? I do, I feel like I'm going a bit stir-crazy here. Every day, I wish I'd gone with them to New York, but I'm not officially an X-Man yet. Figured I'd be of more use here." He shrugged his shoulders again when he thought back on Rachel. She seemed to be pretty powerful and she had that glowing aura thing. “She’s one of the strongest psychics I’ve ever seen besides Jean. She mighta used her crazy glowing energy shield to just block your powers altogether once she figured out what you were doing…or something like that. And yeah, if something like that popped off again I might throw a table at Rusty or Kevin might eat the entire compound.” He chuckled at the thought of a giant Kevin calling everyone prawns and gnawing on the dormitory wing for a few minutes while the cafeteria and all the food in it digested. He looked over at her when she asked if he minded the walk. It was a bit out of the safety zone, but they were cool. He could punch just about anything out there to submission if she couldn’t calm it down; plus he could always just fly them to safety. “Not at all; and hey, maybe if we get lucky we can find a T-Rex to ride!!” The excited expression on his face faded at her question; it made him think of events he’d rather forget. “I wish I’d gotten to stay with Surge more than anything, but like you said. Not full X-Men and we can do a lot of good here. As for if I miss it all; uhh, yeah. It was my home after Detroit…but that’s not all I miss. The experience, the people we lost. I miss it all; I miss them all.” A small tear shed for the ones they’d lost, but he quickly rubbed it away. “So; you got a secret cove or treehouse out here somewhere, or we just walkin?” There didn’t seem to be any path they were following; just walking away from the compound in general. Ever since the forest experience, Laurie hadn't been too fond of T-Rex's. She'd always figured they were hilariously un-evolved beings, what with their teeny tiny arms flailing around. They couldn't even touch their own noses. What did they do when they got an itch? Did dinosaurs get itchy? Either way, after being chased by one... you lose your fondness for things. "I feel like that would be terrifying!" said Laurie with a bit of a chuckle. "But I also feel like it's something we have to try. I mean... when we leave, there will be no more dinosaurs to ride. Gotta take advantage. I wanna ride on a pterodactyl! I'd feel like the Na'Vi soldiers," she said with a laugh, referencing the popular Hollywood film Avatar, unsure if he’d catch it. She nodded along as he described what he missed, and caught the tear that fell silently as he mourned the losses that the X-Men suffered. She tilted her head a little bit. I figured the loss was pretty awful for everyone, but I hadn't figured Dontae would be the type to actually cry. But, it made sense - everyone lost someone or something that day. She almost sympathized with him. "Yeah, I know what you mean." Rho then decided to ask her where exactly they were headed, and Laurie shrugged. "That would be awesome," she commented in regards to his secret cove/tree-house comment. "Nah, just wandering. I think and talk better when I wander," she said, as she led their path deeper into the wilds. "I get really awkward when I'm standing around... don't know what to do with my hands and stuff," she babbled on, trying to pass the time. She couldn't let him get suspicious of her, or where they were headed. They were so close. Just a bit farther. The brush around them grew thicker, the rays of sunlight fewer as she steered them out of the base's sight and hearing range. Throwing Dontae a nervous sideways glance, ready to pounce if his suspicions grew, Laurie tread carefully as she continued the conversation, trying to remain as believable as possible. She'd been doing pretty well so far, hadn't she? "So Nori hasn't really had the time to dish to me about you two, which I think is totally rude. It's a best friend's constitutional right to be told anything and everything about her best friend's new relationships," she said exasperatedly, as if Nori had broken some unspoken girl code. "So, in order to gather my information, I now have to quiz you like I'm a protective sister. With that being said... So... what are your intentions with my Noriko?" “If it’s terrifying in a good way, that just means that whatever it is you’re doing is crazy and worth it. I mean, we’ll be the only people in the world who can claim that they rode a T-Rex or a Pterosaur or a brontosaurus or something!” The conversed a bit more; walked a bit more, lather, rinse, repeat. That is, until Laurie brought up Noriko; he knew it was coming as the two were practically joined at the hip when they weren’t separated by the entire world. He laughed a little bit as his mood got a lot better. He’d been expecting some sort of Q&A for a while after they told everyone the news, but it had never come; Laurie was probably getting together all the questions she felt she needed answering. “Well that’s a broad question. I guess my first and most important intention is to do right by her. Before her I never really did the boyfriend-girlfriend relationship thing; now I’m just tryin’ to not screw it all up. But I also wanna make her happy, ya know? She’s the first girl I ever felt this way about…probably the only girl I’ll ever feel this way about.” He still couldn’t help but wondering where they were and when they would be heading back. He had no problems being out here with Laurie, but the jungle was definitely not a tourist spot. The banter was light, as she tried to keep most of her conversations. Dontae when on about how he wanted to do right by her, and how he was just trying his hardest not to screw it all up. Laurie nodded along, pretending to care about his answers. In reality, she was simply biding time with mindless conversation to distract him, and it seemed to be working. He paid no mind to the darker their surroundings got the further they descended into the brush. If he was suspicious of her, he wasn't letting on. So simple-minded. As she noticed that his voice had finally cut off, Laurie looked up at him and offered a smile. "Well, that seems very respectable of you," she said and nudged him playfully in his ribs. "And oh soooo cheesy," she said with a cheeky grin. "But really... I never thought you were a bad guy or anything, but you know how it is. She's my oldest friend from Xavier's... she's actually my oldest girlfriend. Just making sure no one messes with her. But you seem like a really cool guy, Dontae," she complimented, shoving her hands in her pockets as she focused her eyes forward. Her stature shifted suddenly, her expression growing dark, yet slightly amused. She was no longer the bright and shiny Laurie she had been displaying since the trek. Even the tone of her voice had darkened as she continued. "It's almost a shame...” “Respectable’s good; cheesy not so much but I’m still new to the whole girlfriend boyfriend romance relationship thing, so I’ll take it.” He laughed a bit and let her nudge him, then he phased through a tree branch that would have caught him right in the sternum if he hadn’t; didn’t want any embarrassing stories about how he got schooled by shrubbery getting to Surge when she got back. “I understand; I see the way you two get on and y’all basically sisters. I’d check anyone my sister was dating too;” he paused and thought on his family for a moment before shaking it off. Something in the back of his head was screaming at him to find out where they were; he was pretty sure if they weren’t lost by now, they were close. “You’re pretty cool yourself, Laurie. Josh is a lucky guy if I do say so.” He looked over at her and noticed that suddenly; Laurie didn’t look like the happy go lucky bubbly bubble girl he knew. She looked determined and just…different. “Almost a shame? What is?” He stopped and waited for her to explain…that sounded like a potential threat, but this was Laurie; what reason would she have? If she was joking, it sure as hell wasn’t funny. When Dontae stopped walking, Laurie paused after a few steps. He was remaining fairly calm, but she could sense that he caught the threat in her words. A smile crossed her lips. He could tell something wasn't right, but he wasn't running. That was good. She had counted on him not running. Laurie was too trustworthy a person for anyone to run from, and therein lied her advantage in these situations. A deep chuckle erupted from the blonde's throat as she turned on her heel to face Dontae, eyes flashing yellow for the briefest of seconds. Her smile wasn't sinister now; in fact, she wore a look of innocence. She didn't want to give too much away before she got the chance. Dontae's power was offensive, not to mention his flight. If he got too uncomfortable, he could just take off. Carefully, Laurie took a few steps closer to him - just close enough for contact. "That I'm going to have to do this," she responded. As she lifted her arm and reached forward, the blonde's milky white skin began to change. From the fingertips, transformation took hold - what used to be pale, smooth skin morphed into green, scaly substance. Laurie - or this creature that had been masquerading as Laurie for a month and a half - knew that contact wasn't necessary for her power to work, but it definitely strengthened the effect. By the time the creature's hand had latched onto Dontae's forehead - having to stand on her tip-toes, because even though it was no longer Laurie, it retained the same body shape - the transformation had reached her shoulder, and was sliding up her neck to reveal a face just as green and scaly, an oddly-textured chin and yellow and red eyes gleaming beneath what used to be brilliant blonde, but was now muddy brown hair. As the scaly hand made contact with Dontae, it released the familiar pheromones it had been taking advantage of for the past month and a half, focusing them solely on the man in front of her. Only this time, there was no limit, no more restrictions. Rather than playing around with suspicion or rage, the creature channeled feelings of despair and anguish, pain, frustration, depression - anything that could potentially send a grown man to his knees - and released them, the golden yellow mist that usually accompanied Laurie's stronger efforts seeping from this thing's skin and surrounding Dontae. A wicked smile crossed the Laurie-creature's blood red lips - now it could have fun. Dontae would have to be so incapacitated that fighting back was almost impossible, or his strength would overpower her. When the thing's lips parted, what left it's throat wasn't Laurie's voice anymore. The voice was deep and raspy - still feminine, but nowhere near Laurie's tone. "Don't fight it... join us. Join the army. It's painful now, but soon there will only be power." Laurie laughed; a bit stranger than usual but it was a sign that she was joking. Then she turned to face him and smile her normal Laurie smile; he didn’t even notice the glint of yellow in her eyes, probably just the sunlight or something. He was nervous that she was getting closer to him; past the comfort zone for “just friends” and well into his personal space. “Do what?” She still got closer and he panicked, thinking she’d brought him out here to hit on him or something. “Hold on now, Laurie. I’m a happy man with Surge; and you got-what the fuck?!” Right before his eyes, her skin changed from it’s normal white to a pebbly, mottled green…like a zucchini. He was really losing it now, and he screamed in shock and surprise, but that scaly, clawed hand was now in contact with his forehead and the dial turned to 11. He could see her through the gaps in the hand clamped to his face, and he inhaled deeply. Laurie was something else, someone else. She’d been body snatched or cloned or something, but this thing was not Laurie Collins. “Get the fuck off-“ His arm had cocked back to punch the thing’s head off, but a golden cloud of pheromones emitted from it’s skin and enveloped him…just like Laurie could do. There wasn’t any emotion that could keep him from taking this imposter down and beelining back to the base…except all the ones she was dumping on him and amplifying by what seemed like an infinite amount. From what he knew of Laurie’s powers, she only affected emotions and in moderation she could basically make a person feel a certain way. Too much though and a person started experiencing powerful memories associated with said emotions. How did he know that last tidbit? He was experiencing it first hand and it was tearing him apart inside. Noriko getting hurt or leaving him for someone else because of some fuck up on his part. The mansion exploding. Him killing and maiming people just minutes later. All the charred, mangled and twisted bodies of those he considered friends and family. Seeing his first family still and bleeding as that car screeched off into the night. “Get off, make it stop!!! MAKE IT STOP!!! PLEASE!!!!” He was openly crying now, and while he still had enough will to ball his hand into a fist. The would be punch devolved into a soft hand on whoever it was’ shoulder before Rho fell to his knees sobbing his eyes out. He couldn’t stop seeing it all; everything he’d thought he overcame and dealt with was now repeating in his head over and over again. He knew whoever this was was bad news; he knew whoever this was had taken Laurie, and wanted him too for some reason. The pain was just too much though; he couldn’t bear this much grief and bad memories at once…anything to make it stop. He bawled even louder and wrapped his hands around her; he couldn’t fight off the extreme emotions and by association memories she was making him relive. He was beaten before he threw a punch. “Make it stop…pl…please. Make it stop.” A sinister smile spread across the creature's scaly features as the man before her dropped to his knees. She had no idea what he was experiencing, what was driving him to weakness, but she was enjoying every second of it. Sure, making people angry and suspicious was fun and all, but this thing had been itching to do something more - the power associated with this mutant's x-gene was exhilarating. Having the ability to make someone feel whatever you wanted them to feel? Such a powerful weapon, the creature had to wonder why Laurie Collins would waste it as she had apparently been doing. Morals were confusing. The tears were streaming from Dontae's eyes freely now as he begged and pleaded for her to stop. Emotions were powerful things, weren't they? The creature shook it's head as if Dontae could see the movement. Just a little more fun. For an extra 'oomph', yet another morphed hand reached up and joined the other, the Laurie-thing putting forth even more effort into the emotions it was releasing. Hopefully it wasn't too strong, though, or someone may be able to sense them, smell them. Pheromones were anything but subtle, especially to the ferals that were stationed at the Utopia base. We have to make this quick, don't get carried away. After just a few more minutes, the creature began to reign in the negative pheromones. Dontae had been emotionally tortured, hopefully enough to keep him down for a few seconds as the emotions reflecting pain and suffering were replaced with those of exhaustion and fatigue. Putting him to sleep should last long enough for her purpose to be served; for him to be successfully taken and replaced. The blood-red lips of the creature spread into a wicked smile as she finished the job she had set out to do. As the green scales faded back into creamy, soft white skin, her eyes shifted upwards towards the sky, seemingly addressing no one in particular. "I hope you are pleased." |
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2:17 PM Jul 11