|
   |
While Dazzler have been doing rather well for herself, going from a relative nobody, to someone who has a bit of a cult following, while also getting some spins on record players, she's still not a phenomenon quite like she wants to be. Certainly not a household name, and likely, most people wouldn't know that Alison Blaire is the Dazzler who has been making noise and more importantly light.
This status allows her the luxury of sitting on the grass in central park, a notepad open before her while she pens some new songs while out in the open.
*
John Aaron is a nobody in this world. Sure, he is a big, muscled nobody, but a nobody nonetheless. Unlike Dazzler, though, he prefers it that way. He would rather nobody on Earth know the truth of his being. Not yet, anyways. He has just finished work on a skyscraper going up a few blocks away, and he's decided to spend some time relaxing in Central Park before catching the subway to his little apartment in Hell's Kitchen.
The big man is dressed in jeans, work boots, and a simple t-shirt under a red and black flannel with the sleeves rolled up around his thick arms. He pauses at a hot dog cart and buys a hot dog with everything on it, and a Coke. In these days they are still in glass bottles, and filled with real sugar! He turns and makes his way out onto a big patch of grass, moving to sit.
Of course, it is the same hill of grass that Allison is working on her lyrics on.
*
Straight out of Hell's Kitchen is one Akihiro Victor Howlett. Thankfully he isn't a household name, or he'd probably be in jail right now. He isn't exactly dressed for the cooling weather, wearing a plain t-shirt and jeans, and currently reading a book.
At least until he steps in a hole, twisting his ankle and tumbling down a hill. Right past John and Alison, landing at the bottom with a pain 'oof', followed by a quiet, "I'm alright. Mostly." Except legs definitely are not supposed to bend that way.
*
Alison is fully focused on her new song, scribbling out some lyrics, crossing ou others, it's a work in progress and quite the mess. But one thing that breaks her concentration is the amazing tumbling Akihiro. Looking up just in time to see him roll down the patch of grass, she winces and calls out, "are you sure you're alright?" He did rather quickly announce his well being after all, but she didn't quite see what made him trip and roll.
*
The big, flannel-wearing man glances over as Akihiro tumbles past, and he blinks. He glances down at his battered form at the bottom of the hill, and then at his hot dot. He spends a brief moment considering if he should go down to help the guy, and ends up bringing his lunch to his mouth instead and taking a big bite.
He chews for a moment and washes it down with his Coke before he glances from Akihiro to Dazzler. He cocks his head to the side a bit, considering for a moment before he offers, "Looks fine to me." Sure, his legs look messed up, but either John didn't notice that, or he didn't care.
*
"Yeah." Akihiro calls back to Alison. "Oh, hey. What's happening?" he asks, recognizing her after a beat. He tugs his leg down into place, grumbling at the blood that's stained his jeans. But he gets up and walks on it without any trace of pain. "Been a long time since I ran into you, how's the music going?"
*
Alison is still uncertain, even with John's reassurance that Akihiro looks fine to him. She does put her notepad aside and gets up, about to go help Akihiro, when suddenly he just up and walks towards her and John. She blinks, stares, and then sits back down, "are you an athlete?" She asks, not quite recalling her last run in with Akihiro, but then again she's had quite a bit on her mind since then. "You seem to recover quickly. I'd probably be crying forever." When he does ask about the music, she grins, "it's been better than I could hope for…though I want to still do better, I'm about to release my first record."
*
John nods a bit when Akihiro rises and moves over. He takes another bite from his hot dog as his gaze dips to that bloodied pantleg, but he doesn't say anything about it. Instead he simply works on his food until it is gone, and then takes a long pull on his sofa. John then leans back a bit on the grass, stretching his legs out in front of him and leaning back on a hand, while the other holds his beverage. His gaze drifts idly between the two, listening.
*
"Something like that." Akihiro nods, dropping to a knee to collect his book, as well as rolling his pants leg up to clean the blood off. Oddly enough there doesn't seem to be a wound at all. "That's excellent. I'll be sure to pick it up. You've came a long way since the last time we talked over at the Alice in Wonderland statues."
*
Alison looks back a moment at John, quite surprised at how calmly he takes all of this in, "you did see his legs, right? I'm not imagining things?" She has to make sure, maybe she was a bit crazy, seeing John's reaction and how nonchalantly Akihiro just got up and walked again.
When Akihiro mentions her favored spot on the Alice in Wonderland statue in this very park, Alison laughs, "oh you saw me play over there? I'm sorry, I get to exchange words with so many people when I do that, I don't quite remember everyone. At least I manage to remember the lyrics and notes to my songs! So there's that!"
*
"Must have just looked worse then it was. The angle or something?" John shrugs his heavy shoulders and sets his soda down. He cocks his head to the side as he listens to the two, before he nods to Alison. "So, you're a performer or something?," he asks curiously. He sits foward, brushing a bit of grass off of one of his pantlegs.
He turns his gaze briefly to Akihiro again, then, considering him.
*
"No, it was broken." Akihiro assures Alison. Yes, he heard you. He heads back over, taking a seat near the pair. "I've already had to regrow them a few times. But you know what they say, war is hell." He dusts his book off and leans back onto his hand. "I'm Akihiro, by the way. Though I'm sure you'll already have forgotten my face next time we meet."
*
"Yes, I am actually, ever heard of Dazzler?" Alison asks John, not really expecting him to be familiar with her. He just doesn't seem to be the type that would appreciate her wild music.
"Wait…are you, openly admitting, to being a mutant?" Alison is a bit confused by that, there was quite a bit of prejudice after all, "and that's on top of being Japanese? You're brave," she says, giving Akihiro a bit of a playful salute. "Nice to meet you, again, Akihiro. Not sure if I said before, but I'm Alison," she extends her hand towards Akihiro, grinning a bit awkwardly at having forgotten she's already met him before.
*
John shakes his head at Alison. "No." He brushes his fingers over his salt and pepper beard, considering the girl again before Akihiro's comment brings his gaze over. He arches an eyebrow at that and leans back on his hand a bit, looking at the man with a bit more scrutiny now.
"I'm John," he finally offers by way of introduction.
*
"Of course. If we can't be proud of who we are, what point is there in living?" Akihiro takes the hand and flashes a warm smile. But John would immediately notice the rage bubbling under the surface. This child is a berserker. "Had to deal with enough racism in Japan because my father is white. So I'm used to it. No man scares me."
"It's good to meet you too John. You actually remind me a bit of my father. What do you do, work construction?" Because why else would he have those muscles, unless he subscribed to the Charles Atlas workout.
*
"Well, she's good, I'll have you know," Alison laughs as she gives herself some good advertising, even if she doesn't divulge that she's in fact that aforementioned Dazzler. After all, John isn't likely to bother buying her record or going to a concert, so it's all moot. "Nice to meet you, John, like I said to Akihiro, I'm Alison."
"I guess it's easier said when you can heal like a god," Alison quips at Akihiro's reasoning, thinking about what might happen if anyone found out about her being a mutant, she envisions the death of her career at the very least, and bodily harm for being relatively famous at most. Either way, she isn't about to risk it. But she certainly appreciates the candor Akihiro can live with, being so open. "Wow…that must be an unusual experience in itself. I guess life made you tough, huh?"
*
John nods to Akihiro. "Spot on, actually. Just got off work a bit ago and figured I'd enjoy the park a bit before heading home. Your father do the same, then?" He can feel that rage simmering beneath Akihiro's skin, and it makes the big man's nostrils flare a bit, like when you smell a perfectly cooked steak.
He glances between the two again before glancing skyward.
*
"Help when you can cut a god down too." Akihiro can't help but smirk a little, his claws popping out. "One of the strongest metals on earth. Haven't found anything I can't cut, including monsters." The claws don't stay out too long, retracting as quickly as they emerged.
"He's a soldier. I'd say not anymore, but we never really stop. Man's pushing a hundred and he's just as fired up as I am." The teen's shoulders roll a bit. "Suppose healing as fast as we do helps, since he still looks thirty."
*
"You certainly look fit for it, John," Alison says with a laugh, "if I were to try it would take me forever, good thing I got music that requires a little less heavy lifting. I can manage a guitar just fine."
When Akihiro goes into full bragging mode, Alison withdraws back to her spot on the grass, picking up her notepad again, "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Akihiro, some people could go bonkers." Looking over the jumbled words on her notepad, she sighs, "my father is a judge," she says in an obviously derisive tone, "he's very important, and well respected by society…" yeah, she's not big on the dad thing.
*
Something Akihiro says makes John's eye twitch, and he chuckles. "Your a cocky little bastard, aren't you?" The tone isn't very hars, though. More a statement, and less an angry accusation. He sits his soda before he eyes those claws and glances at Alison. "Well, thanks."
The big man glances between the two before flopping onto his back and staring up at the sky. "My father is a bit overbearing and…well. He's a problematic man."
*
"I forget how jumpy people are." Akihiro sighs quietly, realizing his mistake. "Think you've seen my claws before, but that was before I got kidnapped by Weapon X and got the adamantium." John gets a slight nod.
"It's part of my charming personality. A lot of overcompensation and bar fights. Should have seen the last person I fought. Even cockier than me, mutant I figure. Don't know what he did, but he took me back to Canada." More rage bubbles up, threatening to crack his carefree facade. "Think he tried to scare me into listening to him. Just pissed me off more."
*
"I love how this is turning into father therapy session. I never tried therapy before," Alison quips, as she looks down at her notepad and jots down a few words, "don't judge could be a good theme for a song." She looks over at John, "so what does your father do? We got a judge, soldier, got something new for us?"
Sitting up when Akihiro just blurts the kind of stuff that seems out of a horror movie, "you were what!? Kidnapped!?" Alison seems quite stunned, "and what's adamantium? Or Weapon X? Are you sure you're not James Bond?" But as Akihiro tells more, Alison just shuts up and listens, staring at him like he was a feature film happening before her eyes.
*
"I know they ran a few articles on it. It's a government facility that tries to turn mutants into weapons. If you don't have a healing factor, they give you one. Stole it from my father." Akihiro tries to explain gently, but ends up with tightly clenched fists. "The adamantium is the metal bonded to my claws. Unbreakable, and can cut through practically anything."
"All of this is pretty normal for me though. Been like this for years, just something you get used to."
*
"It sounds like a movie…" Alison mutters, "a spy novel, something really, really wrong." Alison clearly isn't used to hearing things of that nature discussed. For a moment it makes her feel a bit bad for ever considering her life was terrible. "I'm sorry you've been through all that…that…I don't even know what to call it. It's horrible!"
*
"Bullshit is a good word." Akihiro offers. "I'm alive and I'm better trained for it." He takes a few breathes, calming himself down. "Could have been worse, all things considered."
The teen lies on his back, looking up at the sky. "So, writing more music?" The subject is changed as he fishes out a cigarette.
*
Alison quiets down as Akihiro gives his take of a word to use, nodding along as he mentions the positive of the experience. As if such could even exist. She lingers on the horrific thoughts a while longer, before Akihiro asks about her writing, to which she nods somberly, her mood quite shaken. "Yes, the songs don't just write themselves, you know? Thought that would be a great time saver."
*
"Would certainly take the 'starving' out of starving artist." Akihiro lights the cigarette and takes a few drags from it. "I'm sorry. Shouldn't talk about such things in polite company." He sighs quietly, letting his eyes close.
*
"I'm not exactly starving, I'm doing a bit better these days, but yeah, I know the saying," Alison reflects, from the tone of voice, she certainly experienced such times. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I think my muse is gone…" Alison mutters as she gathers her notepad and pen, getting up and ready to leave, "Akihiro, please be more careful about showing everyone just what you are, not everyone is accepting, and you've certainly had more than enough trouble for a lifetime."
*