Icebreaker((Saturday, March 17th, just past dawn))
Long fingers danced over frets and a pair of eyes narrowed disapprovingly at the noise eminating from the instrument. Aiden's Viper-100FM, the guitar that his parents had given him before civilian life had gone horribly wrong, was obeying his commands, yet the sounds simply didn't seem like they were coming out right. In truth, Constantine thought to himself, he was simply uninspired. As he ticked off notes on the ebon instrument, he replayed memories of his arrival to this point. The police, weeks and then months of hiding, finally discovering this Institute, his first few days and the people he'd met, Eliza, Frost, Max, and all the others.
In the end, it brought him back to where it began, sitting on the arm of a bench in the Outer Grounds in the early morning light, strumming on his guitar because he couldn't sleep. It was significantly warmer this morning than his previous excursion here, and due to that and the fact he was slowly growing more comfortable on the school grounds, he'd adorned himself a bit differently. His hair, usually neatly restrained in a ponytail save those few strands that refused to comply, waved free in a morning breeze, touching his marble shoulders. Those were exposed as well, his torso clad in a black tank top, his legs in a pair of pants that were just a hair too baggy on his form, but gave him an illusion of gliding as he moved, as opposed to walking. Aiden's arms were still clad in the black arm-warmers he always seemed to wear, for they were for protection more than they would ward off any temperature. In truth, Constantine was hardly ever bothered by temperature, seeming to be another side effect of his powers, and the tank top was worn to fit in a bit more on the warm day than to provide him any sort of comfort. Regardless, the black cloth covering his lower arms stopped at his elbows, revealing his well-sculpted upper arms. Again, that would be an accurate description, the tone of his skin seeming to mirror that of statues of old. If Aiden held perfectly still, he could conceivably pass for a mannequin. He hadn't attempted it yet, but the thought had crossed his mind.
And as the thought crossed it again, he managed another trademark smile. Constantine closed his eyes, and let out a long breath, trying to cleanse the unease from his shoulders. He dropped the thoughts of the song he was attempting to write in his head, and just played, notes ticking off with whatever came to mind. It began slowly, and then started to rise, as most songs do. It took on the edges of a rock beat, his orbs closing beneath sunshades that shielded him from the early morning light.
He just let it all flow out of him in the current of notes and emotion.
This was Aiden's form of meditation, truthfully. He used this period to rid himself of the negative emotions that often came to the forefront after sleeping... his nightmares never seeming to cease. It was impossible to get a decent night's sleep any longer, his brother, months deceased, making fequent visits to his subconscious.
But non of that could find Thantos' mind now. He was lost in a sea of music, quickly growing louder and harder, but pleasing to the ear. The rock spilled out over the courtyards and grassy areas of the Outer Grounds as he ejected the fury and dispair of the previous day, preparing himself for the next.
The last time he had come here, he had made a new friend. Eliza had teleported right next to him, and they had begun talking, leading to a wonderful breakfast of pancakes. In the back of his mind, Aiden wondered if something else would happen on this morning. There was something about his music which attracted attention... He could only hope the attention would be of the good variety.
A baby blue blanket lay spread over the grass, the weather was cool as winter still lingered in the air and on the winds, it’s icy chill warding off most, yet refreshing for some. One of the select few was Miss Drake, who was laying on her stomach, the beat of music in her ears as silver and black headphones channelled out her chosen songs. A soft white fabric skirt sat tousled about her thighs, the sleek smooth shorts beneath stopping any risk of random breezes kicking up her dress as it so often happened with this flimsy fabric. A white singlet was seen beneath a delicate see through top, a slender cut yet again Frost was one of the only girls who could reveal so much skin in so light and thin a fabric despite the cool air that gave most Goosebumps and chills. Legs swung a little, lifting up and crossing as fingers turned the page of a book which was held in her arms… not a thing people often saw, Frost with her nose in a book, but then again she would find comfort sitting out in the shade of a tree on a cold day just like most would find it soothing if the sun was out. White sneakers and white fish net socks that stretched up to just above her knees matched the white outfit, a colour Frost seemed overly fond of.
The rush of the car was identical to that within me, the wind like whips against my face, my hair as wild and free as how I felt right then. No matter how short a moment it may have been, it would burn for eternity in my mind, and as I looked behind me, the trail of cars that followed, I knew that if I was lucky enough to make it out alive, it’d be only into years of entrapment. White nailed fingers slipped from where they held the book, grabbing up a nearby bottle and sipping at the lemonade through a black straw that sat inside it, clear glossed lips pressing against the straw before resting it back down on the blanket again. Anna’s head bobbed a little to the music that came from her headphones, her legs uncrossing for a moment to sway back and forth before dropping down to the blanket and crossing once again. "All because of that swine." The icy mutant shook her head, the exclamation of Men! echoing in her mind as she continued reading.
And though I know, after all that happened, my life is better without Johnny, that the pain of love was beyond what anyone should endure, I still find myself remembering that night… On the run and alone, with none but each other as company, my small form engulfed by his strong arms, my tiny heart beating along side his larger one. No! Don’t think that! All Frost could think was ‘Be glade you’re rid of him!’, all he did was use her, mislead her, put her in harms way for his own greed, foolish woman! And yet the story was written in a way to explain how hopelessly lost she was in the idea of true romance, how far gone she had fallen in the soft eyes of her former husband. No matter how often she left him, she was always drawn back, and he knew he could get her back, that was his downfall in the end, what lead to his death, one woman after another and yet Anne-May would always be there like a faithful puppy. But not anymore, not once he showed her how cold he could be, not once it came to him or an innocent, John could beat her heart senseless but she’d not let him do it to someone else. Beating a woman in front of her children had lead to an adventure of trust and loyalties, strange alliances and broken friendships! Police! Gangs! Like some old movie you usually flick the channel to between ads, yet Anna found herself strangely into the book, ten years old and barely read by its condition, yet ‘Not based entirely on a true story’ as the title was bound to disused a few would be readers.
It was just as Frost’s blue gemmed gaze was reaching the final paragraph of the page she was on, her white matching fish net gloved arms readying to turn the page, that a squirt of water seemed to start hitting her on the back and then aimed for her head. An irritated ‘hey’ came as Frost shut her book and pushed herself up to allow an arm to stop the firing of water in her face. What the hell?! Anna snarled inwardly as she stood up, staring at a snugly dressed Lara and a brown haired girl who Frost knew only vaguely as Hannah.
"Piss off!" A motion of Frost’s hand and the squirt gun ceased its annoying game of target practice, the mutant having frozen the water left within it, though Hannah just laughed despite it. Frost wiped the liquid from her face and then rubbed the moisture as best as possible from her hands onto her skirt, looking more annoyed and irritated by the watery ammo then by the girls for the brief moment before a glare was finally shot at the other two.
"But we just wanted to play." Lara had replied in ever so sweet a tone and Frost just grabbed up her book and drink, tucking them in one arm and then tugging up the blanket from the ground and walking back towards the school. "Oh come on, don’t you want to play with us." The small toy water gun was tossed aside, it was only some cheap piece of junk and she’d not us it again, or if she did she could just get it again from the nearby store. It didn’t bother her that the water in it was laced with her specially created bio-chemical, most likely it’d leak out once the ice thawed and if it didn’t then who cared, half the school got drunk for the fun of it anyway. It took a few minutes before the numbness settled in, which Frost noticed as her knees felt weak, in a stride she almost felt as if they might buckle from her own weight. How strange… not being stupid Anna assumed it was one of the girls but she knew neither of their abilities and so she wasn’t sure who to take out in retaliation.
"Not so high and mighty now, are you?" Came a smug comment from Lara as she inched closer, "Maybe you’ll learn to hold your tongue from now on, you prissy little slut." Ok, that wasn’t good, half of what Lara just said was slurred, and somehow Frost didn’t think it was the other girl who was slurring her words. Though defensiveness rose and Frost frowned in protest, yes she did have a talent of rubbing people the wrong way, but what the hell was up with the last comment? Hannah blind sided her, a thrust from the side shoving Anna forward and stumbling towards Lara, though as Frost’s arm moved back to throw a burst of icy frost towards Hannah, another shove completely toppled the elemental mutant to the ground, one palm striking the moist earth and lessening the impact of the side of her head that followed shortly after. At least the ground was soft from the rains and fog that had come during the last weeks, yet mud on white was not the most appealing thing to see and the smear of dirt in frosts blonde hair and white clothes had Frost far from positive thoughts.
Dirtied palms helped support Frost as she tried to push herself up, the ground crisping over with a frosty coat as the moisture within it was hardened by her release of sudden power, her icy abilities generating a coldness about her that caused the girls to back away, though looking more amused then worried as they did. Hoods were lifted from the thick coats they wore and Lara gave a rather bored comment in regards to how pathetic Frost seemed right there and then, and though they weren’t dumb enough to risk getting into a power fight with her, Hannah gave the disorientated Frost one more nudge to the ground by knocking her over with a well aimed foot to the hips as wobbly limbs attempted to find some balance in the shifting world Frost had found herself in currently. It was more to offer them a chance to head off without risking Frost getting to her feet in time to throw a blast their way, as they didn’t doubt she’d try to do given her near hit attack on Hannah just before.
The added push however only angered Frost more, and right now it didn’t matter if she couldn’t see beyond the blur of colours or the spin of the world, all that mattered was getting back at them, and she didn’t care how right now, just as long as she managed something. As Frost’s body was pushed to the ground again, the momentum helped her as she continued to push herself off towards Lara’s voice, a leg kicking out blindly and only scooping one leg, just enough to unbalance the other blonde but nothing more as she started laughing at the burst of life in their would be victim. A stumbling tackle helped knock Lara over though, Frost not caring if it was really just the force of her falling into Lara that caused the girl to stumble down with her, as long as they were both on the ground, as long as they were the same level as her, then she still had a fighting chance… at least that’s how Frost saw it.
Re: Icebreaker"...So I speak to you in riddles because
My words get in my way. I smoke the
whole thing to my head and feel it
wash away 'cause i can't take anymore
of this, I want to come apart.
or dig myself a little hole inside
your precious heart
Ohhhhh...
'Cause its always raining in my head
Forget all the things I should have said"
Thin fingers rolled over frets as Aiden let his voice roll into the air. The sighs and sounds from his subconscious had evaporated into the song and the growing sunlight of the day. It was chilly out, but it would be getting warmer soon. Not that the temperature bothered Aiden at all. His skin was cold to the touch at all times, not that anyone ever cared to touch him, but it kept his temperature mostly regulated. He hadn't broken a sweat in about a year now, and bouts of heat or cold never seemed to affect him whatsoever.
Constantine sang his heart out, an older song by Staind that had struck him, not knowing the reason why. He didn't pause to think about it, catching the strings just right to send the chord off in the direction he intended, floating into the early morning air. Everything seemed to be just as it should-
"Piss off!"
As usual, Aiden had 'spoken' too soon. Trouble in paradise.
The morning heard the chord he was playing go sour as his fingers left the strings. The guitar was slung over his shoulder as booted feet touched the ground again. Long legs pulled him up to his full height, moving quickly to see what the source of the disturbance is. From the sound of things, something was going on that wasn't pleasant for... someone. As he took those first few steps, Aiden honestly found himself asking why he cared. The thought was dismissed immediately. Constantine realized that he could turn back at any point, but decided not to. He realized that he could avoid this confrontation entirely, but chose not to. Aiden knew that he could avoid a whole mess of potential trouble, and possibly physical pain unto himself, should blows be thrown. Thantos did not care in the least.
There was someone out there that could use his help. Who was he to deny it from them?
A quick jog brought Aiden around a few corners to unveil the scene, Two girls standing above a downed female dressed in white, laughing.
Frost. That's Frostbite down there.
No wonder she doesn't let anyone in. Look at this mess.
From about ten feet away, just around the corner of the mansion, Aiden watched the girls play with the ice elemental's poor balance, shoving her over repeatedly, something obviously wrong with the Drake. He paused there for just a second, stunned by the scene. What could this girl have possibly done to bring forth this kind of retaliation? Then one of the girls opened her mouth.
Not so high and mighty now, are you? Maybe you’ll learn to hold your tongue from now on, you prissy little slut."
Thantos' eyes turned a deeper shade of red.
This was over some talk. No being ever deserved that. A calculating mind ran over ideas, quickly, for he knew he did not have much time. He doubted that the girl had been deliberately drugged, this had to be a show of powers. These were odd ones that he had not seen nor heard of before, but that was the most logical conclusion. If the students here used their powers so freely, then perhaps it was time for a bit of a demonstration.
Aiden... no, Thantos moved out from the corner of the mansion that concealed him, and strode across the grass. Concentrating as he did, he let the aura within him have more breathing room... actually quite a great deal more than he had ever. The blackness of the utter lack of life surrounded Constantine's form, a great shadow enveloping him. It seemed the wind stopped blowing, the sun stopped shining, and the birds stopped chirping. Along the path he walked, the grass simply withered and died. About a foot in all directions of him was freezing, and about ten in all was icy cold. The only thing that could be completely made out of Thantos' humanoid form was a pair of very, very red eyes, literally glowing in the gloom of death that surrounded him.
"GET AWAY FROM HER! Aiden's voice boomed, slightly distorted from the aura's fluctuations, sounding unearthly and ultimately intimidating.
Re: Icebreaker
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" The voice that roared out took all three girls by surprise, Frost half toppled half was shoved off Lara and a sinister glare was thrown at the intruder, who’s appearance hardly frightened Lara, who grew up exposed to flashy powers. Hannah, on the other hand, was less then impressed with the idea of breaking out in a powers fight. A hand brushed aside the tangled brown hair Hannah suffered from the scuffle, startled once she caught sight of the figure that the eerie voice had resonated from.
"Careful," The blonde stood to her feet, content in letting the other blonde struggle to her knees as her head spun and things just blurred. People rarely used their powers to hurt, sure they’re all ready to flash them about but when it came to dishing them out people generally hesitated, and for good reason. The school didn’t smile kindly on aggressive uses of abilities to harm others, Lara played the card she was just pranking around but that wouldn’t get her entirely off the hook. "We’re just messing around… you wouldn’t want to start something that will just make things turn sour." As Lara spoke Hannah watched Frost very cautiously struggle to her feet, her hands trying to balance herself as if the ground moved unsteadily beneath her. God was she starting to feel nauseas! There was a blissful coolness swelling around her though, naturally Anna figured it was her own doing, though her reflexive instinct seemed to drop the temperature further, a bite hitting the air that caused Hannah to withdraw with a shiver as she pulled her winter coat tighter about her, a warm mist breathing out from her lips into the chilly air.
"Catch." It seemed for Frost that gravity yanked her aside, when in truth it was just Lara shoving her towards the strange mutant, and as Lara turned on her heels Hannah almost groaned in relief at the hint of their retreat, which was made easier as Ms Drake helped distract her helper. Stumbling feet denied Frost the ability to balance and the blur of a shadowy figure only briefly caught her attention, a hand flicking out angrily only to send a burst of ice off to Aiden’s side. Had her body not been falling to the ground she may have struck the shadowy imbued figure, instead of her hands slamming into the ground, a frosty coat spanning from her palms across a patch of the ground she had fallen on.
Re: Icebreaker"Careful. We’re just messing around… you wouldn't want to start something that will just make things turn sour."
Right.
Thantos continued to stare down the girl in question. He seemed to stand in the middle of a seven foot bonfire of black flame, the only real thing detectable were those frightening red eyes, the aura raging freely around him, perhaps more than he had ever allowed it before. The cold seemed to roll off of him like a wind, the grass around him in a six foot radius curling and dying instantly. The second girl, obviously just following behind the first, seemed truly unnerved. Thantos nearly smiled.
For a second.
"Catch."
The figure in trouble was tumbling towards him, and the assailants were turning around to make a break for it. The intimidating red eyes widened to full circles, and the force of the raging flame about him immediately weakened. Aiden pulled on the reigns as hard as he could, wanting the potential of hurting she who he came out here to save to be the last thing that would occur during this exchange. He found himself surprised at the result. The onyx flame seemed to explode around him into a sudden stop. It widened slightly, then died from the middle-out, leaving a stunned Aiden standing there in a ring of dead grass. The drugged girl continued to topple towards him, apparently out of shock, throwing a hand forth and releasing an icy blast that was poorly aimed. Frost started to go down, and Aiden fell to his knees, going with her to prevent her from slamming face-first into the ground.
A moment of concentration slid the aura behind his skin that physical touch could be tolerate, although she would feel him to be distinctly cold, if not frigid. He caught her shoulders and kept her well-shaped nose from impacting with the dead grass before her. The weight of her, and noting how off-balance she was easily determined that the ice elemental was drugged. Hesitating for just a moment, Aiden spoke slowly, clearly that she might hear him through any distortion that whatever was clouding her senses.
"Frost.. I know you don't like me one bit, but you're in trouble out here. I'm going to get you to the med ward... Don't ice me."
Without another word, the Constantine youth turned Anna over, and scooped her up, an arm under her shoulders, another under her knees, and began a hurried walk/jog to Doctor McCoy's. She was freezing but Aiden wouldn't allow himself to stop. After a moment or two, he felt a slight tingling and burning in his arms... and quickly realized that he had discovered why she had been called Frostbite. Again, he found himself not caring about his own condition, and forced himself on. Fortunately, there were no other students about to see the display that Aiden could tell, and that would save Frost some embarrassment, thankfully.
All he could hope for now was that the girl didn't turn his face into a block of ice and punch through it before the two of them made it to the med bay...
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