Playing with fire

[Mystique]

Mystique wasn't much of a sleeper at night and that was nothing new. In fact most of the brother hood had problems with slipping into a 'peaceful slumber'. For instance Magneto, Pyro.. and perhaps even more. Still they didn't matter as much because it seemed that the three had their own circle above the others. Mystique being his right and Pyro his left. It was funny what stayed in between them..

As her bare feet moved over the floor boards she let her mind drift, on just incoherent thoughts and glimmers of thoughts. After all she need not let anything heavy weigh on her mind at this time and perhaps relaxing enough to do what seemed natural was good.. Natural for who? Where was another blue skinned shape shifter that could tell her that she was normal? And then again who would or should believe her? But that was alright because Mystique knew that she wasn't normal.. She was better than most, especially simple humans.

A soft *click, click* drew her attention to the room just at her right, only a few feet from her. Perhaps if she hadn't been drifting about in silence she would not have noticed it. Still it was a sign that Pyro was awake and something that she would not neglect.. After all.. it wasn't like there was anything better to do, given the fact the boy had to have some talent with the way Magneto led him along.

The door was unlocked, which made a small click as she turned the knob, stepping in as the door opened. Pyro was indeed up, laying on the bed playing with his lighter as usual. It didn't appear that the boy had been planning on sleeping, seeing as how his jeans were still on.. somehow seeming sloppy - like he had already been to sleep in them. And he had no shirt on.. which didn't move Mystique really. I mean why would it effect a woman that wore no clothes at all? All it did was point out the fact that he didn't look as young as he acted most of the time..

Either way her yellow eyes settled on him and she broke the silence first, usually taking the lead when she opted to do something, otherwise she hung back at Magneto's side. "If you play with it too much you may break it." Of course all pun was intended, she would test his patience and see just how he would react to her. She didn't need permission to be in here and as of right now she didn't much care what he thought of her intrusion. Golden boy or not he was still a step beneath her and she knew that had to kill him.

[Pyro]

Pyro didn’t look up, knowing both that voice and that it was better not to react (part of which – that particular reaction being one he was particularly keen to avoid – meant not looking at the naked woman strolling around his bedroom) to her infringing upon his territory. That was how things worked, wasn’t it? Nothing ever really being *his* territory. It was clear enough that it belonged to her, and he’d arrived on the scene later and graciously been allowed to almost-share the same space on some lower level of reality. Or something.

(No, that didn’t make sense. But it was too damn early, and he was neither drunk nor caffeinated enough, for anything to be sensible.)

And so he didn’t react, consciously staying doing exactly what he had been doing until her entry... only, perhaps, more so, the click just a little louder, the drowsy nonchalance a little more deliberate. All pretty well done... aside from his reply, perhaps, which was pushing it a bit. But hey, he wasn’t going to lie back and be her punchbag. They might not have been equals, but damned if he was going to allow himself to rest as anything less.

”S’more robust than you give it credit for.” he shot back, catching both her meanings (if indeed she had meant both, because hey, maybe the innuendo was just in his head...) and adding a third, more general layer taking into account the whole power-struggle thing. ”Besides, what’s the point in holding back?”

A brief pause... and a half-yawned postscript he should have thought better of but couldn’t resist. ”S’goo to see you back to your old self” Because after all, who’d been there in the whole Alcatraz debachle? Not her, was it? No, she’d been busy handing them over. It wasn’t much of a hand, really, but it might just prove strong enough, remind her who she was dealing with. The inner circle was getting crowded, what with all these newbies desperate to buy their way in (in Sherridan’s case, fairly literally), and his place needed securing as much as hers... hell, he was probably more secure. It was him Magneto had souhght out first, wasn’t it? That had to mean something. Small victories, but hey, small wasn’t all that useless. He was proof enough of that.

[Mystique]

Pyro seemed a little, well trigger happy tonight but wasn't he always? His comment about it being more robust than she gave it credit for made a sly grin pass upon her lips. "And you think to impress me with it one day? Show me just how apt you are with it?" Of course she was poking, nudging, pushing.. all seemed to work in his case because he would take the slightest thing as an insult. Heaven only knows what he thought of Mystique and how..

He mentioned holding back.. and questioned what was the reason. Well there were many, and perhaps Mystique would simply indulge him with a few... "Well Pyro," she did give him that much, to call him by his mutant code name and not his given name and this showed a little (mind you little) respect on her part, after all they were on the same team and the better they could get along (or pretend to) the better things would go, "the point is.. not all things are worth the effort. If you are so tied up playing childish games you can be blind sided to the real cause, what's important. But you don't want to hear that from me do you? - Some sort of motherly lecture.. Because you really don't see me as your mum, right?" Still that would likely scratch the surface a little, just enough to annoy him as she nudged that outer layer of paint.

Her footsteps fell soundlessly on the floor as she walked closer, her left hand on her hip and the other at her side. Really, if it took a little more.. well then so be it. She was letting her ground and rights be known and this was just one small display. Perhaps if Pyro could quit sulking the two would get along alot better... if one ever 'gets along' with Mystique at all. It wasn't like she was the warm and friendly type, well.. not.. in.. some.. cases.

She looked down at Pyro, standing next to his bed.. Ironic, such a small act would more than likely set him off because he was.. literally being looked down on.

His comment was nothing really.. however she could try to play off of his words. "Indeed I am back to myself, able to do everything I could before. Of course me getting shot with the serum is like you getting your lighter taken away." A smirk settled on her lips and she leaned down brushing the hair off of his forehead, again further testing him and how much he would endure before this became a bit more.. violent. "We all have toys we don't want broken.. Some are just bigger and more efficient." She softly patted his cheek, almost like your mom or an aunt does.. Well let say that Pyro had an explosive attitude and since she was up.. she might as well play with fire.

[Pyro]

… well, that was a real grab-bag of issues. More than a few cans of worms there. And had it been anyone else on the receiving end he’d probably have admired the skill in her game. As it was, he’d have liked to get properly pissed off right about now… but not torching her or, more importantly, his room was taking a little too much effort for that to run as anything less than background noise.

He hadn’t missed her, really. Okay, not having Magneto’s right hand had been weird, promotion which came with it not totally welcome seeing as how they were heading into the jaws of hell and all… but this side of her, the Ice-Bitch he always seemed to be on the receiving end of? Nah, not in the slightest.

Seemed that now she was back, however, she was planning on making up for lost time. Discounting the little things – things she’d always done, as if without thinking, though he doubted she did anything without careful, cold forethought – the looking down (which he was as used to as he could be, seeing how difficult it was for anyone of even average height to do anything else), the continued nuts-jibes (though it was more than tempting to stick in some comment as to how she seemed obsessed with making them… not a good idea, probably. Not if he wanted to keep his intact)… still plenty of fuel there. Exactly how many issues was that she somehow managed to touch on?

The flat-liner comment was the one that stuck, of course. Wasn’t really like he needed reminding how useless he was, when it came down to it; exactly how useless, how incredibly dependent he was upon that *toy*, he was more than painfully aware.

If maturity had been part of the game plan – cancelling out her best attempts to treat him as a kid, taking the twisted-parental role in all this - then he was failing miserably, the *sulk* becoming more obvious as he swatted her hand away, his scowl deepening, the flame flaring slightly before each *click* killed it. ”It’s not exactly the same” Pyro pulled away, shifting off the bed to stand, arms crossed and glare trained on her, lighter still clicking. ”Take this away” – click-click – ”and I’m not going to go running to the government, spill where we’re hiding out and what we’re planning.”

Touché. Take that, bitch.

[Mystique]

It was amusing to watch as Pyro took on that role more, acting like an angry child, even kind of favoring one when he stood and crossed his arms, glaring at her.. if that is what you would call it. It seemed that such an act from someone on his level did not merit the proper term, it was if it was a shadow of a greater thing.. things adults do.

A smile was all he got from his comment, at least in a split second, the second after the words left someone's mouth - thus their first given reaction and their body's true and natural response. Then after a few breaths she stepped up to Pyro, her chin held up even though she did not need it because he was shorter than her. "Mmmmm." issued from somewhere behind her closed lips yet her jaw was not clinched in anger. She quirked her left eyebrow, *click-click* that snapped her into finally voicing what she was thinking, what they both knew was true. "Still if it had been you.. you wouldn't be able to step foot back into this place. Of course I am sure that you didn't need me to tell you that." And her thoughts run more along the lines of 'You're not really the type of person anyone has to rely on for anything.. so therefore there's no real need to take any chances with you.. It's more like an overly anxious dog that snatches up the scraps that fall at your feet.'

But Mystique did have to admit one thing.. even though she didn't want Pyro to think he could compare to her.. She didn't want to turn him from the team either. Everyone needed pawns, or distractions.. something. Those somethings could be thorns in your side.. even if they couldn't fester into anything serious..

She circled him a little, as she had a habit of doing. But she stopped behind him, watching him. "Still perhaps you are more robust than I give you credit for.. And no matter how small your skill may seem at least you have the intelligence to apply it to the right matter. I guess for that I can commend you."

[Pyro]

Pyro tried – and failed miserably, as per usual – not to flinch as Mystique stood, nor squirm as she adopted her usual tactic of circling, which he should have gotten, but would never actually get, used to by now. Even without every other advatange fate had seen fit to give her – the height (scowl), the knowledge that she was Magneto’s real right hand, everything else that had won her the position... – even reduced to just a shadow of herself, her mere presence, he had no doubt, would still be intimidating. She had a.. something, something he couldn’t quite place but could never miss either, and the net effect of that was to squash him further into the role of eternal child in this fucked up family, which was never going to sit well.

< Still if it had been you.. you wouldn't be able to step foot back into this place
”You sure about that?” Again he should have thought better of this, but the words were out before he could check them and hell, hanging on to every little advantage can’t be a bad thing. It was that instinct which explained why he went on to talk about Magneto as he did, the use of the *slave name* risky, true, but also a sign that he was in the inner circle as well and don’t you forget it. ”It’s not you Erik called on once he got his powers back, was it? No, you were, what, second on the list? Almost an afterthought”

The bravado was almost commendable, given the circumstances, though it evaporated quickly enough as she circled behind, taking everything he had left not to turn around and check what she was up to, since that would have been admitting some sort of vulnerability and anxiety.

< Still perhaps you are more robust than I give you credit for.. And no matter how small your skill may seem at least you have the intelligence to apply it to the right matter. I guess for that I can commend you
”It’s one hell of a cack-handed compliment, but I’ll take it.” he half-grinned, falling back on the other mask with which these nerves might be suitably covered.

[Mystique]

Mystique gave a slight laugh at his comment about Erik coming to him, just enough to make her bosom give a slight jerk. "Surely you know why Erik came to you first.. Do you really think that he's going to approach me when I am pissed off at him without having someone to take the blows for him?" Whoops, too much spoken but then again her pride wouldn't let her take that blow.. Besides, it was true. Pyro was a crutch at the time for a feeble old man. You can't go running to someone that's a potential threat, no.. some type of motherly puss that will take you in, breast feed you and nurse you back to health - not that John was really able to help anyone much.. not even himself. The point was anyone clever would not turn to someone that could over come them in a weakened state. And sure Magneto had his powers back but it was more than likely not as strong at first as it had been.. And then he didn't have his brotherhood backing him up again either. No matter what he could handle John by himself but Mystique, well due to her abilities and probably his hesitation to act against her at times put her at even a greater advantage.

His comment about her compliment made that smile appear across her blue lips again, "I thought so." Yeah.. besides he had had worse thrown to him and he grabbed it up so it wasn't likely that he wouldn't appreciate anything that she would see as rubbish.

Ah.. something else to ponder on.. she let her fingertips slide from his right shoulder to the other. "Tell me, Pyro," she added softly as she touched him, not really seeking to seduce at all.. but then again Mystique was the kind to get off with aggressive physical interaction, "just what can you do without that lighter." She was hoping that he would lash out without it.. And who knows, perhaps just to see just what he was made of she might take a few blows for him. (^_^)

[Pyro]

”What the hell were you going to do? Morph at him?” Pyro almost growled under his breath, unable not to fire off a comeback even though that was one of his more stupid ones in terms of both wit and good thinking. He knew full well what she meant – she didn’t need her powers to kick serious ass, did she? – but couldn’t find it in himself to sit back and let her downgrade his power like that again, knowing full well how limited it was without her twisting the knife like that.

Against his best intentions, his better judgement, and a whole host of other things standing between this and where it might have been going, everything seemed determined to lead them into a fight he knew he’d probably not win even if the unthinkable happened and he actually beat her… Her next words, naturally, only drove it further – hell, was she spoiling for an actual flesh-to-flesh smack down? – her fingertips prompting another slight shudder that could have belonged to fear or something which had less place in this situation… well, less place for him at least, she probably got off on all that.

”Don’t want to spoil the surprise.” He had to keep something back, right? Maintain some sort of advantage from her not knowing everything…

Yeah, sure. That was the reason. Nothing at all to do with him being unable to think of anything to say… besides something very, very stupid, and far nearer a challenge than he’d have liked.

”Besides, not like it matters.” – click-click – ”No one’s getting it away from me.”

[Mystique]

Pyro was a cocky shit and though it would usually be something that Mystique admired (to a point) he still wasn't up to par to be anything big to brag about to her. But still this was slightly amusing, right? I mean to get under his skin enough to know that he would be awake fuming over it hours later and even in latter nights when he couldn't sleep her words would seep in like poison.

She took a seat on his still warm bed, of course because he had been occupying it only moments before. She leaned back comfortably, crossing her legs at her ankles and stretching them out before her. "Morph? Not hardly Pyro.. Of course we both know that when I got hit with the cure I didn't become totally useless. I bet each day you wake up you are thankful that it wasn't you, after all you aren't what one would call skilled in any other area.. if you would even dare chance to say that you are skilled with what you have." Yeah, that was the cold side of Mystique still scratching at the surface. She was just cold enough to make one wonder how her heart still beat, if that was indeed what kept her alive.. and kept her alive.. and kept her alive.

He went on about not wanting to spoil the surprise and yes, a laugh actually issued out of her mouth. Well, it was more like a sinister chuckle, nothing to spread that warm fuzzy feeling that was usually accompanied by a laugh. "Surprise? Don't give yourself that much credit. Besides I am not in the mood for disappointed." That cold expression settled on her face as she watched him. Ironic.. as if this boy could ever impress her.

*Click, click* That noise somehow drowned out his annoying voice, a little.. And though Mystique probably shouldn't have taken that as an invitation she did. He was so cocky, so.. well, it was false confidence and he needed to actually be a bit more cautious, being with the brotherhood and all she only watched her own ass but Magneto would probably even ask her to babysit him. She was in it for Erik and his cause, none of the other useless fucks that took up space and breathed 'her' air, 'their' air. Still they weren't with the X-Fags so they were a little more than nothings, right? Well perhaps just because they were no where near her level she felt that way. And thus, upon little thought but more like reflex she quickly gave Pyro's legs a quick and strong swipe with her own, up and ready to move over top of him.. Amusement.. she would have it be it given or taken.

**Hope that's ok with you. I'm at work and don't have alot of time to think things over and over. **

[Pyro]

< I bet each day that you wake up you are thankful that it wasn’t you[/color]

Fuck you bitch

He wants to scream at her, not only with sound but with flame, because that’s cutting too damn close. It’s almost like she’s some psychic mosquito, sniffing out each and every little wound and sucking on it relentlessly, feeding herself up until she’s bloated on his pain… and though the image of Mystique as a swottable insect is vaguely amusing it’s not enough to staunch the flow. Fuck, how the hell did she get inside his head like that? He doesn’t like it, doesn’t like having anyone know him that well, and his discomfort is pretty damn obvious.

He’s still tossing that around as she makes her move (at least, that’s his excuse, because it’s better to admit that he allowed himself to be distracted than that she’s simply too fast for him) and the floor comes rushing up to greet him. At least he has the nous (though it’s not really common sense, more an animalistic instinct) to curl a fist around his lighter so she can’t grab it as she pins him, one leg either side of his torso (and fuck, he’s doing his best to ignore that, focus on anything other than naked blue flesh pressed up against teenage boy, since now really isn’t the time for that), one hand around each wrist.

Okay, so she might have the physical edge. What’s he got? A quick comeback hardly levels the playing field, but it sure as hell makes him feel better. ”Shit, Mystique, here I was thinking you’d said you weren’t going to act all motherly.”

[Mystique]

Mystique's whole features give a glimmer of a change, almost as if she were going to change but his comment made her laugh. A quick flutter, almost like scales raised up and fell down back to their normal position and she was once again her blue self. "If you weren't such a pussy, Pryo, I wouldn't have to." Alright, another too cold comment about slipped past her lips but she stopped it. She was wanting to toy with him, not push him completely over the edge. After all she already had control of him, basically, if one could control something as wavering as Pyro.. However that didn't bother her so much as long as it was never his loyalty that faltered.

Still Mystique wasn't stupid, she knew she played a delicate game. If she wanted to take a yard she may have to give an inch here or there to get it.. Because there was something such as pushing someone too far.

Then it came, her physical alteration where she looked human. Of course this is the form Pyro would remember from the bus, the full feminine less monster form that Mystique occasionally used - mostly when she wanted certain recognition to those that had witnessed it. She leaned down to whisper between them, "Do you really think I turned my back on the cause?" Indeed she was pissed at Magneto, to an extent but if she wanted to have dealt the Brotherhood some serious damage could she have not went to even further means?

[Pyro]

He shivers again as she changes – that gesture mollifying any lingering flames at being called a *pussy* - though it’s a whole other sort of uncomfortable. Because of course he remembers that form, those eyes, the *real* if not exactly the *normal* her, and he wouldn’t be human if that didn’t provoke a whole mess of emotions, which the half-mumbled ”I liked you better blue” couldn’t quite convey but somehow sort of did... sort of (hell, Magneto hadn’t done much better, had he? And he hadn’t been pinned to the floor and on the sharp end of her barbed tongue).

Did he really think her capable of stabbing them in the back like that? Tough question, really. He didn’t doubt that she had it in her... but every time he almost convinced himself, the fanatical devotion he couldn’t quite pin down or fathom seemed to argue otherwise. ”I don’t know… Would you say you’re insane, or a backstabbing bitch? Because I’m having a hard time deciding... You'd have to be mad not to want some sort of vengeance, right? After how he left you..”