eyecondition | 01-2 [Action / Voice]

[It's a weird sort of deja vu to go to sleep in one's own bed only to wake up on the ground in the middle of some forest. His first instinct was to assume it was a hugely unfunny joke, and he picked himself up and groped around the closest trees, eyes clenched tightly.]

Very funny, guys! Now give me back my glasses before I end up hurting someone.

[He gropes at two of the nearest trees, trying to gather his sense of direction. He'd memorized every tree around the perimeter of the school for just this occasion. This one is as thick as one of the old oaks, but didn't have any of the telltale carvings he'd notched into the closest trees years ago. That means he's either out farther than he thought or that this isn't a prank at all.]

Whoever's out there, this isn't going to solve anything. [It can't be Mystique again. Mystique is dead.] We can talk about this. You don't have to put everyone into such a dangerous situation.

[There isn't any answer. That means worse things. Had there been an attack? Was he separated from everyone again? There's only one way to find out.]

Look, I don't know if anyone can hear me. But if you can and you're close by, please get back right now!

[He dares to open his eyes, for just a flash of information. A beam shoots out, splintering the tree in front of him and sending chunks of wood blasting out in all directions. Luckily, there hadn't been anyone standing there, though he was almost positive he'd seen a rabbit. And if he'd seen a rabbit, that rabbit wasn't alive anymore. It was a mistake to check at all.]

It's fine, Summers. [He coaches himself now that he assumes he's alone.] You've done this before. Just reach out to Jean and she'll come find you and everything'll work out again. Assuming she's all right. Jean, please be all right.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

That's what happened the last time, I think.

[He gropes along the edges of trees, generally trying not to bump into one. That would be the least cool thing possible.]

At least it's not snowing.

Yeah, it's September here. No snow for a few more months, I think.

[Billy watches him stumble along for a moment or two before reaching out to grasp Scott's hand.]

Come on, I'll lead you back.

[He smiles, comforted by the obvious mutant solidarity.]

Thanks, Billy.

So what are the chances we're from the same world? Not a lot of them had mutants, from what I remember.

[Billy starts on the path back to the plaza, trying to be careful about his speed and avoiding anything that might trip Scott. He's not sure how good Scott is about keeping his eyes shut when he's surprised, but he'd rather not be the cause of more holes in the forest.]

Well... at this point, it could go either way. Where I'm from, the X-Men exist, but most of you guys are adults already. So you're either from the past or a different world than mine.

[He raises an eyebrow at that.]

I don't... Think I understand. Why wouldn't you join the professor's school if you know about it? All mutants are welcome.

[UNLESS YOU'RE BROTHERHOOD. Billy, are you part of the Brotherhood?]

[Only if familial relations grant you automatic membership.]

Ah, it's kind of a long story, but the short version is that I was already on a team of my own, so I didn't need to go to the institute. There's a few of us here, actually- we're the Young Avengers.

[Ugh, he'd hope not.]

You really might want to reconsider. The Professor has so much to teach us about integrating into the world. He can help you with your control, too. ...What's your power, anyway?

I'm actually doing okay for control. I wasn't at first, but I found a good system, and it's working well.

[Not to mention that the professor's not... actually teaching at the school these days. But Rogue had kind of freaked when he told her about Scott running the show, so maybe he'd better avoid that this time. At least for a while.]

My power's... ah... it's basically magic? Kinda nonspecific, I know, but nonspecific is actually a good way to describe it.

[Oh! Oh! He knows the answer to this one!]

Mutant powers that come off as magic? Do you mean like a hex power? I've met someone with that.

You mean Wanda, right? Yeah, our powers are pretty similar. They work a bit differently, but at the core they're the same. I've never called them hexes, before, just spells, but...

[He shrugs. One or the other, they're basically identical.]

You know the Scarlet Witch? [That's unfortunate. You seem like a cool dude. :(]

If you're from the future, what else do you know? That must mean there's a future for you to live in. We must not have done too badly.

[He is totally a cool dude what are you talking about :( just don't badtalk his mom.]

Kind of yes and no. I'd only met her once, very briefly, before I got here. But yeah, we're friends now.

[She's nice and a total sweetheart when you're not making her spazz out Scott WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE]

About the future... I usually try to avoid talking about it much, because trust me, you do not want to be screwing around with the timeline. But yeah, the world doesn't get destroyed for at least 20 years. Hopefully more.

[THE MURDERING. That's a thing.]

Twenty years?! You're from that far ahead? [And. Uh. Remember when Billy was worried about how well he does keeping his eyes closed properly when he's surprised? There's a fraction of a slip, a quick beam, and a suddenly severed tree branch to the far right of Billy's shoulder. Scott pulls away from Billy then, covering his eyes with both hands.]

Jeez, I'm sorry.`Wasn't careful enough. I didn't hit you, right -- you're okay?

[Well, uh. He would have answered that question. But suddenly there's an energy blast headed right for him - or, okay, narrowly missing him, but he didn't know that - and he barely has time to set free a startled yelp, dropping unceremoniously on his butt as the branch crashes to the ground behind him. He stares up at Scott in shock, trying to decide if what he's feeling is terror or awe. Honestly, it's probably both.]

Oh my god. That was really close!

[And kind of badass.]

[NOT BADASS. It was clumsy and stupid and it shouldn't have happened. He'll just be keeping his distance for the time being.]

I'm so sorry, Billy. I didn't mean to lose it. What's the damage?

[He assumes the damage wasn't Billy. "That was really close" isn't the same as "AHH MY ARM THERE'S SO MUCH BLOOD!"]

[Fair assumption to make. Billy glances at his shoulder, and while his hoodie looks a bit singed, there was no blast-to-body contact, so he's good with that. The tree, on the other hand...]

...I don't think the forest is ever gonna be the same, but it's nothing serious. Maybe I should put up a force field, though? For, uh. Extra safety.

If you can do that, I'd appreciate it. Especially if we're going to be in town soon.

[There are children in Luceti, aren't there?]

Okay, give me a second...

[Billy wrestles with the magic for a moment, hands flaring, and he mumbles a chant - "IwantashieldIwantashieldIwantashield" - before it rises up around them. It's less of a dome and more an angled construct, and in theory if another blast hits it'll either get absorbed by the magic or bounce off into the sky towards the barrier. Despite not being able to see it, there's a hum to the magic that Scott might feel around them.]

Okay, that should work. Um. I think.

Edited (so very blue) 2013-09-11 20:37 (UTC)

[It tingles. Scott's pretty sure this is something he'd rather not experience again.]

Is that all it takes for your powers to work? You just say you want something and it happens?

[Aaaand we're walking. Try not to crash into the shield, dude.]

Um, more or less? I have to actually want it, though, so I can't force things to happen.

[That's a challenge when he can't see where the thing is.]

That's still really useful. Dude, you can do anything.

Maybe eventually. [Although that's quite the ego-boost.] I'm still learning, though. With the X-Men, actually- Logan's training me.

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