asgardmeridiem | [open] if you don't shut your mouth, you're gonna feel the floor.

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[open] if you don't shut your mouth, you're gonna feel the floor.

Who: John Allerdyce and, perhaps, you.
What: Crossing the line and getting his ass fired.
When:Night 267
Where: Baldr, either at the bar or wandering.
Rating: PG-13 for John's mouth and potential violence, will mark up if needed.

[They knew that he drank on shift. They knew that he mouthed off customers and occasionally even told them to get right the fuck out of the bar. But they were strapped for employees, so they held onto him.

Until he got extremely loaded on this particular evening and started - or attempted to start - a fistfight with his boss. The large, burly man had just enough colour to be angry, so he joined in gladly, and it got to the point where Pyro had to pull his knife. One long cut up his boss's bicep later, Pyro's ass was out on the street.

You can find him:

A) Standing in the open doorway of the small bar, hollering abuse at the owner/bouncer who just threw him out, his arms and face badly bruised and a slight list to his walk;

or

B) Wandering through Baldr with a fresh bottle in his hand, a steady stream of muttered annoyance trailing behind him. There may be shadows of bruising left, but they'll be hard to make out in the darkness.

It's hard being Pyro, damnit. So much manpain, so little time.]

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[the shadows dissolve and reappear on the wall as pyro closes the knife]

Regeneration? That's a good one.

Yeah, but it's not mine. [Snarled furiously.] I wouldn't care if I could suddenly - warp the whole fucking universe, it's not mine.

[understanding flashes in Connor's eyes, but his tone stays mild]

A lot of us feel that way. We feel wrong.

Normally I'd say that we should just use what we're given and we'll get ours back when we leave, but you're already using it. Does getting beaten up help anything?

[He huffs out a sigh and starts trying to limp away.]

I've already got one of you, and he gives me more than enough shit wrapped up in meaningful questions. Don't need another one.

It's just a question.

[he's going to watch pyro limp and try to figure out if he's going to make it]

[Alright, fine, he'll answer it.]

Don't you ever just get pissed off? You say you get how I feel, lots of people do, but I doubt it. 'Cause sometimes I wanna burn this whole city to the ground, with everyone in it, and that's not something a lot of people feel. I know that much from experience. So yeah, fighting helps when you consider what I could be doing.

[connor gets it. he does. there's something sad in his eyes for a moment but then he rakes his hair back and it's gone.]

I never wanted to burn the city down, but I had the pissed stage. I'd go out into the city every night and 'train' to try and be stronger. I actually almost killed my girlfriend once, I was so angry. Hell, I'm still angry, but you just learn to cope. Because that? [he gestures to the parts of pyro that aren't healed yet] Isn't coping.

...come with me.

[It's funny how that sobers him up, both in regards to the drink and his temper. Hearing someone say they're angry is worthless here, considering how little most of them are willing to do about it, but almost killing someone - he's come close a couple of times, so he can relate. Barehanded, too, which is pretty different from knocking police officers over with jets of fire.]

Where? [He looks cautious, but more engaged than he has so far.]

[connor's not proud of it, and hasn't actually told anyone about that one night fighting sophie. it's odd that he confessed to a total stranger but... he felt like it would get through to the guy. tilting his head towards northeast towards thor, connor starts walking.]

The arena should be empty right now. It's a weird time.

You're gonna fight me? [He can't help but snort at that, even when he's still favouring one leg and smeared with blood from almost-healed cuts.]

[connor smirks at him]

You've still gotta blow off some steam, it looks like. I'll go easy on you.

I could turn you into ashes in a split-second back home.

[Worthless threat, since he's not back home, but he has to reassert some kind of dominance when he's learned full well that he can't fight worth a damn. He'll do it, absolutely, but he's been overpowered by everyone but trolls. Even Euri scored a point on him.]

I believe it. Back home I could do a lot of things.

[connor has been training constantly since he got to asgard, especially since his breakdown a month in. over being weak. weak for a human, at that. he could almost certainly beat pyro to the ground in under a minute, but that's not what this is about. this sort of thing is about giving someone back a feeling of control, like they aren't as helpless in asgard as they started out. it's not the same, but it's something, and he's seen it help people.

this guy is all talk, and it's going to get him into more and more trouble. unless, maybe, he doesn't have to put up such a front? finds an outlet from his anger?

this could be a good idea or a really bad one... connor's made plenty of each.]

Yeah?

[He drops some of the posturing, genuinely interested. By now, he knows full well that it could be anything from werewolves to magic to time-hopping, but he still hopes to find mutants he might not have known back home. Potential converts.]

Yeah.

[they fall into step and connor considers what to tell him. for now he just shrugs.]

I wasn't fireproof, though.

Lucky for me, not many people are. [His laugh is good-natured, if a little dark.] Pyrokinesis. I need a source, but once I've got one, it'll do whatever I want.

Huh. Do you think you'll ever be able to summon it yourself? Needing a source might get inconvenient.

[he's curious! everyone he's met with an ability like that could create their own x y z. except for gwen, but electricity is everywhere.]

[He pulls out his distinctive lighter, flipping it open and lit with a practiced hand.]

This works for now. Has for years. An ember or a spark is enough, anyway - I lit a guy's jacket on fire with his own cigarette after he ripped this off for a light. [He sounds like he's reminiscing about his favourite pet, fond and cheerful.]

That's a serious temper.

[he doesn't sound like he's judging, not at all. just stating a truth.]

[He arches his eyebrows, trying to take a read on the statement and failing.]

I've taken enough shit in my life. Not taking any more. That's all.

In my experience? The important part about not taking shit is making sure you're not just giving it back.

[still no judging, he just lived with anger for too long and realized... it didn't help anything or anyone.]

You don't get it. People like me, we'll get shit everywhere we go. No matter what we do. Every day there's a fight, and you don't just forget that.

And before you say it, losing my mutation here didn't make me human. Say that and I'll finish you, however I have to do it.

Shit begets shit. Except then there's more. [he tilts his head, confused] And uh. No. Losing an ability doesn't change what you are.

What do you mean by mutation?

So what do you do when humans want to register you like criminals, or try outright genocide? Try to talk it out?

[As quickly as he's snapped that, he's mollified by Connor's genuine confusion.]

Tell that to most of the people here. Especially the werewolf asshole.

[At the question about mutation, he visibly puffs up, his pride showing through.]

It's a new gene, the X-Gene. We've evolved past humans, which is why they're so pissed off. And scared, mostly, because they don't get to be top dog anymore.

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