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We All Fall Down; Open
Topic Started: Apr 9 2014, 12:06 AM (300 Views)
Specter
Unregistered

Date: March 23rd
Time: 8.30am


It felt amazing to run. Just to run. It was like moving into a different world, a plane of existence just a step above our own, a land identical but for the smoother lines, the cleaner angles, the purer air, the beautiful almost-silence of wind in his ears drowning out any other disturbances. It had been years since Dallas had been able to regularly indulge in this feeling, to lose himself in the bliss of speed, and it still felt like a treat, a gift.

He hadn't lost the ability to run at superhuman speeds during his years away from Xavier's, of course, he'd simply lacked a location in which to do it. Open fields were too far away from his home so travelling to them regularly just to practice running wasn't a realistic option if he hoped to have the time to also go to work and look after his grandfather and maintain something resembling a life. A few times, he'd scaled the wall of the local athletics track after dark and raced a few laps but the security guard had chased him off and made it clear his mutant self wasn't welcome to return.

Running around the city streets wasn't possible either, simply because of the way his power worked. Unlike many speedsters, his brain wasn't sufficiently adapted to allow him to dash around populated areas safely. Probably because enhanced speed was a byproduct rather than the focus of his mutation, his reaction times weren't boosted adequately. His mind literally couldn't keep up with his feet. He could run without tripping over himself, but maneuvering extensively was tricky for him. It took practice, lots of practice, something he'd been denied since the last time he was a part of this grand community.

Which was exactly why he was out here today, why he'd been out here almost every morning since returning to the Xavier mansion. Dallas liked to mix up the various routes he took on his morning runs and today he'd circled around to the driveway. He'd been merged with his shadow for nearly fifteen minutes by this point and was going to have to stop and take a break soon, the shadow's influence starting to darken his mood. A blur of blackness, Dallas's gaze drifted towards the entrance to the school as he raced alongside the trees lining the driveway, wondering if he should step inside for his breather or just sit on the steps for a few minutes.

And that was his mistake. Shouldn't have allowed his mind to wander. Becoming distracted for a moment was enough for him to make a misstep, drifting too close to the treeline and clipping a shadowed shoulder against the trunk of a tree. For the next few steps, he thought he'd be able to keep his balance but he was wrong about that too. His feet flew out from under him and Dallas fell, momentum sending him tumbling an uncomfortably long way, arms a-flailing, until he landed with a heavy thud, face first. He remained there, still, the only sign that he wasn't dead being the quiet whine emanating from the back of his throat.

"...Owww."
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Anole
Unregistered

Vic was laying on the grass near the front drive. He had his head propped up on his favorite basketball and was reading a new book by Neil Gaiman while sipping from a juice box. It looked like it was shaping up to be a beautiful day. It was a little chilly, but the sun shining down warmed him up.

He was just getting into his book when he heard a crash and a thump. Looking around, he spotted a figure laying in the driveway. He jumped up and ran over to the figure. When he got closer he noticed it was a male, but he had a strange look to him, almost like he was covered in shadow.

Vic knelt down next to him. He could hear him groaning so he definitely wasn't dead. Vic tried not to touch him, he knew better than to make skin contact with a strange mutant. He brought his head down and said, "hey, you alright?" He waited for an answer, but there was nothing but more groaning.

Vic was getting concerned, and reached for his phone and called the infirmary. "Hey. I got someone here in the driveway looks like he ran into something, or was dropped, or I don't know what. I can't get him to respond." He waited while the person on the other end said something back to him. "No! I'm not touching him. He's covered in something and I don't want my hand getting dissolved. It takes a few days for those to grow back." Another pause while the person in the infirmary talked. "Alright, hurry."

He leaned closer to the stranger. "Hey! Talk to me! I need to know if you're alright."
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Specter
Unregistered

"Uhmuhmuh."

...That didn't come out in English, did it? Dallas hadn't actually knocked himself out but his head was swimming and his body was in momentary shock, shutting down all non-essential systems while he gathered his senses. That included his mouth apparently, because when he tried to say he was alright, only gibberish passed his lips. Embarrassing. It didn't help that he was still face down, since he hadn't moved yet, and had a damp, muddy leaf poking into his mouth. If he was capable of noticing, he'd have found that most unpleasant.

He was aware of somebody talking beside him though, and, ever the polite young man, Dallas was equally aware that the decent thing to do would be to reply. His shadow, however, had other ideas and was whispering dark thoughts into his confused mind, telling him that he was vulnerable, that this unknown quantity at his side was a potential threat, that he should lash out and defend himself just in case. Down at his side, one of Dallas's limp hands slowly tensed, forming a fist.

But no. Wait. His shadow was leading him astray, as it frequently attempted to do, and the stranger was talking to him, asking if he was alright. Those weren't the actions of an enemy. Irritated with the shadow for attempting to take advantage of his weakened state, and remembering the control techniques he'd begun learning with Jack Russell, Dallas mentally rejected the silhouette, forcefully disengaging the merge. Unable to resist, the shadow slithered away from its counterpart, curling up in a flat dark ball beside him, revealing Dallas to be an entirely normal looking guy. Other than the mud stains which now graced his t-shirt and jeans thanks to his unexpected tumble.

Forcing himself to respond, Dallas turned his head, spluttering out the leaf before squeezing open one eye to look up at his saviour. It was a guy. A green guy. At least, he hoped he was green. If not, he'd done more damage to himself than he realised and left himself colour blind or something.

"M'okay," he managed to say, unconvincingly. Slowly, he pushed himself onto his side, wincing as he did so. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. Sorry." He wasn't sure what he was apologising for but it seemed like the correct thing to do at the time. Tentatively, he tried to roll his shoulders, cringing all the while. "Oww... crap," he murmured again, involuntarily. "Didn't get the number of that truck that hit me, did you?"
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Anole
Unregistered

Vic watched as whatever was covering him slide off and seemed to pool next to his side. Okay, that's creepy, he thought. Keeping one eye on the shadow pool, Vic took a quick look at the person it had covered. He thought he recognized him. Doesn't he work in the cafeteria?

Vic frowned as the stranger muttered something about being sorry. Sorry? For what? He relaxed a little as the stranger moved.

"Oww... crap."

"Didn't get the number of that truck that hit me, did you?"


"I don't think it was a truck," Vic said as he pointed to the giant oak. He laughed a little as he said, "it was that tree. You know most people run around them."

"Here, let's get you out of the middle of the road," he said as he draped the man's left arm over his shoulder. He then effortlessly picked him up, setting him on his feet and guiding him over to the grassy area. Vic then helped him sit down on the grass.

Noticing the shadow pool following them, Vic pointed at it and asked, "is that thing dangerous?"
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Specter
Unregistered

The muscles in Dallas's neck complained uncomfortably as he twisted his head to get a look at the tree indicated by the green fella. He was starting to feel better already, his body shocked rather than actually injured thanks to the enhanced durability his shadow afforded him, but still he just wanted to lie down for a while so that his bones would stop screaming at him. He was probably going to have to get the infirmary to check him for concussion, wasn't he? Ugh. So humiliating.

He cringed as his gaze fell on the tree, a little patch of bark shaved off it by the collision which he was now starting to recall. "Ohhh yeah, that's right. I hit the tree. Oh man, that's so embarrassing." He raised a hand to his face to cover his eyes, hoping to blot out the world to hide his shame. "Jesus. What kind of loser can't even run in a straight line?" he whined. Maybe he shouldn't meet Quicksilver after all. He'd only disgrace himself.

When the friendly stranger offered his help to get him out of the middle of the driveway, Dallas did what he could to make himself as easy to move as possible but the guy seemed to have little trouble lifting him up. Enhanced strength, Dallas was guessing. Nice. Once they made it to the grass verge, Dallas's legs wobbled under him. He was going to have to sit down for a while. With the younger guy's help, he creaked his way down to a sitting position, wincing as he went. "Thanks, man. I just need to rest a sec. I'll be fine."

Leaning to see what threat the green-hued lad was referring to, Dallas managed a slight smile, watching as his sluggish shadow slithered over the ground to join them, coming to rest beside him. "Nah, he's not dangerous. He's just a shadow." He wasn't 'just' a shadow at all, of course. In fact, he wasn't even truly a shadow. But for all intents and purposes, right at this moment, the shadow could do nothing to harm anyone, even if he wanted to. And he only wanted to a little bit. Mostly, the shadow was as jarred by the accident as Dallas was.

The young mutant let out a sigh and arched his back, trying to get some feeling back into his body other than pain. As he did so, he regarded the guy who'd offered a helping hand, squinting at him through one eye because he hadn't quite located the strength to open the other one yet. "You're Vince, right? I think I've seen you around." Dallas had only been back at the school for a couple of months but since he worked in the cafetorium, he tended to see all the students coming and going so most people were somewhat familiar to him. Those with physical mutations, like this young man, stuck in his mind the most since they tended to be memorable. He hesitated, his brain finally starting to function correctly. "Vic. It's Vic, not Vince, isn't it?"
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Anole
Unregistered

"Vic. It's Vic, not Vince, isn't it?"

Vic laughed a litte. "Yeah, it's Vic. Vince is some guy running a pizza place in Brooklyn." He dropped into a flawless Brooklyn accent. "So dere I was takin' a customer's order on da phone when dis guy walks in. Dis guy starts beatin on da bell, and yellin' at me ta take his order. I'm like, 'hey-oh, I'm on da phone. I be wit ya in a second.' Well, dis guy keeps ringin' da damn bell. So I yell at 'im, 'hey! I'm on da phone!' Long story short, I hadda toss dis guy out. Fugeddaboudit!" Vic lost the accent and gave another laugh. "Actually I've only been to Brooklyn once so I'm not sure if the whole Vince/pizza parlor thing is right."

Feeling a little lazy, Vic looked over at his stuff on the ground. With a quick flick of his tongue, he snagged his book and caught it with his left hand. Another flick and his basketball was in his right hand. Stuffing his book into a jacket pocket, he set the ball down and sat on it.

He looked over at Dallas, studying him. "You work in the cafeteria, don't you? Oh, and by the way, I called the Infirmary, and they should be sending someone out here soon." He raised his right hand and tapped his lower lip. "So what were you doing out here?" "You work in the cafeteria, don't you?"
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Specter
Unregistered

Under normal circumstances, Dallas would probably crack up at Vic's Brooklyn impression. He was an easy-going guy, predisposed to liking pretty much everyone he met, so it wasn't at all difficult to amuse or impress him. Right now, though, with his brain still rattling in his skull, the whole thing seemed a bit confusing and overwhelming. For a moment, he got a bit lost and thought Vic was saying he actually was called Vince and worked at Domino's or something.

That would be ludicrous though, so he quickly caught on and managed a smile, which mutated into a laugh by the time Vic wrapped up his skit. He struck Dallas as a good guy and he wished he was capable of being his usual sociable self because he figured he and Vic would get on well. He'd still do his best though. Dallas Gibson was not a man who ever passed up the opportunity to make a new friend, even when he'd just run headlong into a tree.

His eyebrows jumped up his forehead as Vic's tongue lashed out of his mouth. Wow. That was as freaky as his own mutation, which Dallas obviously approved of. Apparently, he didn't just have the green skin, reptilian traits seemed to run a little deeper than that. Badass.

As Vic settled himself down onto his basketball, Dallas cringed at the mention of the infirmary staff. "Oh man, that's gonna be humiliating. Bad enough I've embarrassed himself in front of you, now someone from the infirmary's gonna see what a massive doofus I am." He sighed, though he offered Vic a smile, not wanting him to think he'd screwed up by calling for medical assistance. "Gotta be done though. You did the right thing calling them. Thanks, man."

Gingerly, Dallas attempted to stretch out one of his aching legs and found that it didn't hurt as much as he'd expected it to. Maybe his body was starting to relax again now that it was becoming clear he hadn't broken any bones.

"Yeah, I do work in the kitchen. I'm supposed to start my shift soon actually. Guess I'm gonna be late today," he mused, chewing his bottom lip as he glanced in the direction of the school, wondering if he was going to find himself in hot water with his boss. At Vic's question, he glanced back at him. "Oh, I was just taking my morning run. Speed's part of my power set so I try to get some training in before work each day. I usually pay more attention to where I'm going though," he admitted, with a sheepish grin. "What about you? I'm not keeping you from anything important, am I?"
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Julian McClellan
Unregistered

"Don'tcha want me baaaaaybeee, don'tcha want me" there was the sound of a rolling chair moving as Julian roughly sang the familiar oooooooooh from the song. It had been a fairly easy day. A few people here or there in the infirmary, but nothing too serious. He was currently the only person down there, which was why he'd had his radio on and was attempting to sing. As he started to check on a few things on one of the computers however, the infirmary phone began to ring. He glanced up at the sharp sound and rolled over to it.

"Infermary, tis' McClellan." he frowned slightly at the voice on the other end and quickly wrote down where he was at. "Alright lad, can yah' get 'im outta th' road?" Julian sighed irritably at his refusal. Would it of been that much of an issue to try and move him? "Okay, okay. I'm on m'way, make sure he doesn't get hit by anythin'." He hung up and stood, moving across the way to grab a trauma pack and started out. It was only a few minutes before Julian was outside, putting on a pair of shades to shield the bright light. There was a soft rustle as his wings extended, and with a good push, he was off the ground and on his way to the scene. It wasn't a far distance, but if someone was hurt he needed to get there as fast as possible. 

As he came to the driveway, he made out the features of a green scaled boy and Dallas. That must of been who'd been injured. Julian flapped his way down, landing softly before taking his glasses off and running a hand in his windswept hair. 

"Alright, so I'm gonna go ahead an' guess tha' yer' the Injured one, Dallas. Mind tellin' me what 'appened?" he moved over to the man and opened his kit, looking for any immediate signs of injury to treat.
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Anole
Unregistered

"What about you? I'm not keeping you from anything important, am I?"

Vic shook his head and said, "nah. I was just sitting out here reading. " He looked around for the person he talked to on the phone. At last he caught sight of someone walk out of the door. Large wings unfurled from behind him and he took flight towards them.

He originally thought it might be Mr. Worthington, but why would he be in the infirmary? Vic then realized the wings were darker than those of the Headmaster. It had to be someone new Vic hadn't met yet. As he landed, he pulled his sunglasses off in what to Vic looked like a needlessly overly-dramatic gesture.

"Alright, so I'm gonna go ahead an' guess tha' yer' the Injured one, Dallas. Mind tellin' me what 'appened?"

Vic stood behind the doctor and leaned over his shoulder looking at what he was doing. When he asked what had happened, Vic quickly responded with, "well, I was laying here reading, gettin' some sun when I heard this BAM! and then I looked over and Dallas was layin' there in the road, and I thought he was dead so I rushed over to see if he was okay and he was just layin' there groanin' so I called you." He took a deep breath after finishing the explanation and smiled at the doctor.

It slowly dawned on him that the doctor was probably talking to Dallas and his smile slowly faded, and he took a step back.
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Specter
Unregistered

Dallas tilted his head to follow Vic's gaze, curious as to what had caught his attention, and smiled when he saw wings stretching out from the figure who'd just stepped through the doorway, instantly recognising who it was. He was thankful it wasn't Avery who'd responded to the call. The wedding was only a couple of days away so she must have been snowed under with things to organise, he'd have felt terrible if he'd taken up her time with his idiocy.

Instead, to his relief, Julian McClellan was on the case. He watched the man swoop towards them with the same envy he always felt when he laid eyes on Julian or Warren in flight. Having wings must be the coolest thing. Dallas wouldn't trade his shadow, but those wings made the thought a mighty tempting one. There was just something magical about a man soaring through the air on natural wings. When Julian touched down, pulled off his sunglasses and ran his fingers through his hair, Dallas couldn't keep a grin from his lips despite his embarrassment at the situation and the increasing thump in his head. So badass. That was why wings were the coolest mutant power (apart from living shadows, obviously). He be willing to bet the Scot had no trouble with the ladies.

Down on the ground beside him, the shadow, always one to dramatise a situation if he could, had curled up into a 2-dimensional flat ball on the grass and was quivering, as if he'd been the one who'd injured himself. The silhouette waved a hand back and forth weakly to greet Julian before going back to feeling sorry for himself.

"Hey. Sorry about this," Dallas offered, a crooked and sheepish smile on his lips. When the winged man asked him what had happened, he opened his mouth to respond but Vic jumped in first. Dallas raised his eyes to watch the young man as he spoke, a soft smile creeping onto his lips as he did so. He liked Vic. It was easy to see he was one of the good guys. When the green-skinned lad had finished speaking, however, it clearly dawned on him that Julian hadn't actually been speaking to him so, not wanting Vic to feel bad, Dallas offered a warm smile up to him. "My knight in shining armour here," he said, gesturing a finger at the young man. "I'm glad he was here, I was a little disoriented at first."

Drawing in a breath, he figured he should fill in the blanks. "Man, I wish this story wasn't so lame," he mumbled. "I was doing some training, my morning run. And I guess I must've let myself get distracted because I, uh... well, I ran into a tree. I was pretty close to my top speed at the time so I must have hit it at ninety miles an hour, maybe closer to a hundred. So basically, I'm the dumbest patient you're gonna see this week," he admitted, shaking his head at himself.

"I'm more durable when I'm merged with the shadow," he clarified, as he cast his gaze down at his body, "So I don't think I've actually hurt myself. No broken bones or anything. I think I just gave my body a shock, you know?" He was really fond of the idea of shrugging this off and trundling off to work but he also knew it'd be irresponsible to not mention the headache he was developing. He'd already done one stupid thing this morning, better not add to it. "My head's kinda hurting though," he confessed, jerking a thumb at his temple. "Hard to believe there's anything in there to hurt, I know."
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