one ( video )

[firestars]

[ the video clicks on with a flash of something bright and red and orange before it clears and there's a blonde-haired girl wearing a black bodysuit and looking very worried and confused. she's speaking, muttering to herself: ]

Is this on -- I think so... I can see myself, but I don't know if it's even pla -- Oh. Oh. I can see the like, little red -- oh god, that means they can --

[ she cuts herself off and yelps a little before putting a hand to her chest, taking slow deep breaths, furrowing her brows and trying to calm down. she's wigged out and she's scared and she wants out. ]

Oh my god. I -- uhm. [ gulp ] Hi. My name is Liz Allan. Lizzie, I guess. I'm -- I'm new. I have -- [ she counts on her fingers ] -- four questions.

One. Is this... like, computer thing fireproof? Two. Are we --- are we really, seriously on a turtle? I guess I saw since no one actually told me, but... There are no turtles that like, grow this big. Otherwise it'd be all over the news on something.

Three, has anyone seen -- er... two of my friends? Jea -- Karen Grant [ she still doesn't know which to refer to her as ] and Derek Morgan? Please let them know I'm here. [ not that Jean won't figure out herself if she's here too ]

And finally, this... has to be a dream, right? A hallucination? Because this is so crazy and unreal that it can't --

[ and the feed cuts ]

Comments

[firestars]

O-oh! Y-yeah, me too. But I'm still pretty normal compared to -- y'know -- them.

[ and then there's an abrupt pause and she looks away. while she's more or less come to terms with being a mutant, she still has trouble talking about it to people she doesn't know very well. there's a long silence and she nods. ]

Yeah, I'm a -- woof -- I'm a mutant.

[shorttempered]

[Mark bites the inside of his lip.] Question: you mean mutant like "people with powers" mutant? Because I assumed once before and got yelled at.

[firestars]

[ she sighs. completely frustrated at herself and the concept than anything else ]

Yeah, I'm a mutant with powers.

[shorttempered]

[Hey, if it's any consolation he won't judge.]

What's so wrong with that, anyway? Do people not like superheroes where you're from?

[firestars]

People like superheroes. Like, everyone loves the Ultimates and our president was a superhero. [ yeah. a beat ]

People don't really like mutants. [ she used to be one of those bigots surprise ]

[shorttempered]

[Frowns at that.] But what's the difference?

[firestars]

[ she exhales ]

Some mutants aren't like, superheroes for one. And to people who aren't mutants, they're just like... [ she pauses, thinking over her old mindset ] They're scary and weird. They're differnet and they're dangerous and a lot of people like, get hurt because of them, intentionally or not.

They're just -- they're different so they're scary. Superheroes are supposed to be loved by people though, and a lot of ours aren't even mutants to begin with.

[shorttempered]

Well, I doubt this is much, but... you don't scare me. And hopefully no one else does here either. [Yes Mark that sounded as lame out loud as it did in your head, and yet you still said it.]

[firestars]

[ she pauses a little. she's still kind of afraid to flame on around him now, regardless of what he said. but she does a small smile ]

Thanks, Mark. Everyone here seems... really, like, nice, so hopefully no one will mind.

[shorttempered]

[He survives a nuclear explosion, flames are nothing.]

Everyone here is nice. The locals can get a little crazy, but you can't blame them when all of a sudden all these outsiders show up. But all the foreigner's I've met are really nice.