On the verge of... (Matthew)

[Laurie Collins]

Say something! Her mind’s been screaming that mantra at her all afternoon, right along with and don’t emit! but it isn’t getting any easier to obey. What’s there to say after all? ‘Hey so I know I’ve been avoiding you ever since I sat with you in the medlab and held your hand and practically cried when they wanted me to move five feet away but let’s just be friends and pretend nothing ever happened because if we start doing anything… more than friendly… I might turn out to be a sociopath and make your life a living hell. Anyway how’s your course load?’ just doesn’t seem to roll off the tongue quite the way she’d like. Not that she’s trying to impress him or interest him because, well, potential sociopathy and all that.

She stares down at the sidewalk as she trudges along beside Matthew, avoiding the cracks for awhile before realizing the futility of such a game on the ruined asphalt of the city sidewalks. Now step on a crack and break your mother’s back is stuck in her head though and she doesn’t really believe anything will happen to her mom but still it’s not nice to think about so now she can’t look at the sidewalk either. Which means you should maybe look at the guy who’s taken you out ice skating and to New York City for the first time in your life and been incredibly nice to you even though you’ve been so dumb and spastic or else bloody and crying every time you’ve seen him. She slides a glance up at Matthew, parting her lips to speak, then at the last second loses her nerve and keeps on looking up, eyes widening in genuine wonder at how tall the buildings are for a moment before her neck aches from the angle and she tilts her head down again, shooting another quick glance at Matthew then straight up ahead.

It had been easier when they were ice skating and she was falling everywhere (who knew you could forget so much about a physical movement between ages eight and fifteen?) and he was being the amusedly solicitous friend and helping her up and making sure no one ran over her and sliced her into bits with their skates. Then there had been crowds of little kids and people cutting between them and something else to concentrate on. Now it was just them. At lunch it would be just them. Then the cab ride back to the institute… He must think I’m such a jerk. I should just talk to him about it. He’s nice, he’d understand. But that would involve admitting I like him and what if he just laughs? Or what if he doesn’t laugh but it’s only because he’s being influenced? I know when I’m emitting now but I can’t stop it still… no. It’s better for him to just get tired of me than get hurt.

Then they’ve turned the corner and two things hit her at once- the grandeur of Times Square crowded and teeming with some sort of rally and then the voice of a speaker blasting forth from speakers place strategically around the square so that it feels as if Grayson Creed is screaming directly at her.

“This is the mutant threat in action! This is what we want to protect you from!”

She takes a step back as if reeling from a physical blow, face paling as her eyes lock onto the screen shot of a mangled arm sticking up from under some sort of wreckage. “Oh.” she whispers flatly, biting her lip and moving closer to Matthew reflexively as the horrified revulsion the image inspires sweeps over her in a quick wave, washing away the now-petty teenage anxieties of a moment ago.

“They say they don’t need a cure and I say they’re right! What they need, what we need-“[/i]

“M-maybe we should just-“

She’s just begun to stammer out a suggestion that they get out of here as quickly as possible when a wail rises out of the crowd a few yards away. A boy’s thrown a girl standing with him to the ground, kicking her in the stomach as she makes that wail, and that’s the worst part of this sudden chaos because it isn’t pained or scared or even despairing, it’s hate that no sound should embody, the verbal equilivent of nails piercing flesh. The crowd around them draws back for a moment, human embodiment of a shocked inhalation, then suddenly they seem to catch the mood of the dueling couple and dozens more voices take up the wailing cry and dozens of bodies converge like a riptide. All in a matter of seconds.

Laurie whirls, aware now of the fear coming off her in waves, dreading what it could do to the crowd around her, to Matthew. I have to get away from them. But everyone else has the same idea and the way they entered the square moments ago is suddenly impassable. Another spike of panic spears her chest and she grabs urgently at Matthew’s hand. “Don’t run! I’m sorry, I'm sorry I can't stop, but please, please don’t go.” she begs.

[Matthew Craft]

He'd done something wrong and he knew it. Matthew clears his throat and stares numbly ahead of them as they navigate their way through the busy city. It seemed odd to be so glum on such a beautiful day. It wasn't raining or snowing and it wasn't frigidly cold either. Just nice actually. He wonders briefly if the weather had anything to do with a certain teacher back at the Institute, but shakes it off quickly.

While it sucks that Laurie isn't talking to him, the people in the streets make it worse as they just keep staring at him. I get it. I'm tall. Now leave me alone. But he makes no attempt to express his discomfort and he keeps on walking (slowly, mind you, because Laurie's legs are about half the size of his own).

He pushes his hands into his coat pockets and fumbles with his wallet, trying to distract himself. She wasn't talking to him for a reason, and they'd barely spoken since that time in the medlab when his sister was injured. It had to do with that.

Maybe she thinks I'm just a huge cry baby. He thinks sourly, muttering a apology when a passerby bumps into him. Maybe I scared her... That thought doesn't sit so well with him and he feels a lump of dread tugging at his chest. The way he had dealt with the soldiers and his generally aggressive attitude before reaching the medlab hadn't exactly been his among his finest moments. He knew she had liked him before all that happened, so maybe the fact that he's a seven foot tall, radioactive teenager had finally sunk in.

But then again, she'd still agreed to come out with him. And now they were heading out for lunch together. That has to say something...right?

He scratches his head, still trying to sort out their situation, as they round a corner.

And end up smack dab in the middle of a very unfriendly bunch of protesters.

"Oh...oh this can't be good."

“This is the mutant threat in action! This is what we want to protect you from!”

"Really can't be good." It's not that their obviously mutants, but he's sure that there's at least one person in the crowd with a rampant case of McCarthyism, and it's right at that moment Matthew wishes he wasn't so tall. "Right, I think the restaurant's this wa--" Just as he's turning to go and about to take Laurie with him, there's another shout out from the podium.

“They say they don’t need a cure and I say they’re right! What they need, what we need-“ Biting back a remark that would impress the likes of his sister, Matthew dons a rather displeased look, glaring at the speaker.

“M-maybe we should just-“

There's a rush of people at the far side of the crowd and he can hear their cries. But they're not panicked or painful cries, but angry cries. At first Matthew thinks that maybe they're shouting in agreement, cheering on their noble leader, but with his massive height advantage, he can instantly tell that there's no rejoicing of any sort going on.

He can feel a swell of anger coming on as he watches the fighting spread from one person to another. There's no real motive for this, and while he'd love to stop and consider the reasons behind the sudden riot, he's got better things to think about.

Like the raging man heading in his direction.

"Back off," Matthew warns with a low growl, feeling his teeth grind together and his pulse quicken. There's a part of him that registers his own uncharacteristic angry behaviour, but it's crushed as he feels his personal space being invaded. Furious beyond reason, Matthew hoists the advancing man off his feet by the scruff of his jacket.

"I said," Comes the threatening tone, "Back the hell off." In response, the man releases a blood-curdling scream, thrashing wildly in his grasp. Matthew feels a jolt of surprise and the sudden urge to simply get away, so he drops his former enemy and stumbles backwards, eyes wide. "No....nononononono this can't be happening. Oh god..." he turns to run but stops when Laurie grabs his hand desperately.

“Don’t run! I’m sorry, I'm sorry I can't stop, but please, please don’t go.”

An instant before he's about to wrench his hand free and get the hell out of dodge, Matthew freezes. You can't leave her. She's scared.

He's still trembling and everything in his body is yelling at him to flee, just like everyone else in the general vicinity, but he doesn't. Clutching her hand a little tighter, for as much her reassurance as for his, Matthew swallows thickly and nods.

"I'm not going anywhere." His voice his terribly shaky and he feels like he's back in the medlab again. Dropping to one one knee in front of her, so that he's slightly below her eye level, he places his free hand on her shoulder. "Everything's fine, Laurie, okay? Nothing's going to happen to you, I promise." Easy for you to say, she's not so capable of self defense. Shut it! "Now I say we get out of here, you with me?" It's impossible to hide the distinct sound of fear in his voice, but given their situation, it's the best he can offer.

He straightens hastily and is nearly knocked down by another fleeing citizen. Instinctively, he tugs Laurie against him and wraps his arms around her protectively. "Oh Jesus..." He never figured he'd be capable of swearing, of any degree, but he's never felt so terrified in his life.

[Laurie Collins]

"Back off,"

For a moment Laurie doesn’t even recognize her friend’s voice, it’s so distorted with sudden rage that she’s sure it must be coming from somewhere else nearby. Yet the sound also brings back a memory she’d attempted to bury along with all the other memories of that night- Matthew with his sister’s body in his arms staring down that soldier, preparing himself to choke the other man. She whirls quickly and widens her eyes, raising her hands in an automatic, futile defense as the first thing she sees is one of the mob running towards them, but before the motion’s completed Matthew’s lifted the rioter up by his shirtfront.

"I said back the hell off."

His face is as distorted by the anger that’s taken hold of him as his voice and Laurie feels a new kind of terror unfolding inside her. This doesn’t make any sense. Why is he so angry? Sure he’d been pretty scary during the invasion of the institute but his sister had been hurt, his home had been invaded, it made sense even if it was a terrible thing to see. This is different though, as revolting as the rally and its message is Matthew is probably much more used to this sort of thing than her, and so far no one has threatened either of them. “What are you doing?!” she shouts to be heard above the cacophony, reaching out towards him without pausing to think that it might be a bad idea to startle him when he’s so emotional.

Then her fear pheromones kick in.

"No....nononononono this can't be happening. Oh god..."

He pulls against her grip on his hand and she squeezes her eyes shut, weakening her grip in response and teetering on the edge of panic, already submerged in hopelessness because he’s going to leave her. Who wouldn’t?

"I'm not going anywhere."

Her eyes fly open. His voice is shaking but he’s come back, he’s holding her hand more tightly and staring down at her intently, and he’s there. She’s still having a hard time accepting that he isn’t half way back to the institute by now when he goes down on one knee before her and puts one hand on her shoulder. Like I’m going to float away! she thinks with mild hysteria, wide eyes scanning the crowd until the rage-filled faces begin to blur.

"Everything's fine, Laurie, okay? Nothing's going to happen to you, I promise."

His words and tone stop her eyes’ frantic roving of the mob and return her gaze to his face. For a moment as she looks back at him she believes his promise absolutely and her fear begins to ebb down from terror to a more manageable level. He’s really not going to leave me here… okay, okay it isn’t that far to the alley. It can’t be. We can look out for each other that long. She raises her hand from her side, unable to quell it’s shaking but guiding it towards his shoulder nonetheless, resting it there for a moment and nodding jerkily in response.

"Now I say we get out of here, you with me?"

“Oh yes.” she answers, nodding vehemently and removing her hand as he straightens, taking a deep breath and trying to shut out as much of the chaos as she can. If you want to help you have to calm down she tells herself sternly, just calm down a little, you’re both okay, you’re- she gasps, her train of thought cut off abruptly as he pulls her roughly towards him and wraps a protective arm around her.
The riot is getting worse- while the unknown original catalyst had caused insane hatred in the few dozen people around it human beings have never needed any especially good reason to lash out at one another, especially the sort gathered in Times Square today, and with the addition of Laurie’s fear the riot is only growing worse even in areas of the crowd not effected by pheromones.

A man bursts forth from the general crowd and catches the effect of Laurie’s pheromones, freezing mid run and beginning to tremble. He’s a slight man with an unattractively peaked look about his features, the kind of figure you expect to see on the fringe of a fight thrilling at the violence or at a rally like this one, not caring much about the cause but enraptured by being on the right side of the ‘us against them’ mentality. Now, filled with irrational fear in addition to the natural panic at being in the epicenter of such violence he focuses in on Matthew as the most obtrusive and most potentially threatening figure in the immediate vicinity and rushes him, eyes wild.

“Can’t be normal, can’t be human.” he gibbers, raising his finger to point tremblingly at Matthew.

[[Sorry this cuts off so abruptly, am totally late to pick up friends. I leave gibbering crazyman for you to continue sir!]]

[Matthew Craft]

As Matthew holds Laurie against him, shielding her from the people around them, he anxiously searches for a way out of packed Times Square. Thankfully, he spots an alley off to the east, about thirty yards away. He figures they can hide in there until the worst of the fighting has passed. As he sees their possible escape route, Matthew can feel relief come over him, allowing his trembling to stop and his breathing return to a relatively normal pace.

“Can’t be normal, can’t be human.”

If his initial pheromone-induced fear had been bad, the real thing was even worse. Matthew had somehow suspected that this would happen; his size causing someone to automatically accuse him of being a mutant. Little did they know however, they were actually right.

With his genuine pang of fear causing the adrenaline to pump again, Matthew turned to face the afraid, but incredibly defensive man. And, as suspected, he's attracted the attention of several other rallymen. Ohhhh....not good...

Sure to put himself between Laurie and the advancing, pheromone-influenced people, Matthew stands ready. But he knows that he can't hurt them, because right at that moment, he was a representative of all mutant-kind, if there's anything he's learned at Xavier's, it's not to make mutants look bad.

...So what am I supposed to do? They were all human, and thus, not really strong enough to do him any real harm, so he could just let them dish it out...but that would leave him in a bad position to protect to Laurie. And he's promised to do that...

Bad. Badbadbadbadbad...."Josh?" He asks, mistakingly doing it out loud. Matthew's eyes follow the older student as he makes a tremendous leap over a section of the crowd. The distraction's enough for one of the men to rush in and ram a hard punch to Matthew's stomach, but with his increased durability, he barely feels a thing. "Listen, guys...I really don't want to fight. I'm not out to hurt you or anything...see?" He raises his hands in surrender, praying that they'd get the hint and leave him and Laurie alone.

But it seems his signal is mistaken for an offensive move, and he's charged. "Hey! No! Come on!" Matthew's forcefully tackled by three of the more well-abled bodies, while a fourth dodges past him and heads after Laurie. Fearing that his promise of protection is about to be broken, he feels a surge of defensiveness strike him, causing him to break through his attackers and shove them all off in one sweep. Whirling around, he locks onto the smaller man heading after Laurie. He reaches out, intent on grabbing the adult---

Then he's gone with a muted poof! A bit surprised, Matthew blinks several times before he realizes what's happened. Twelve feet away, the man lays flat on his back, dazed, then slowly sits up. His clothes are singed and smoking, but otherwise he seems to be okay. But Matthew can see something he can't; the radiation wafting off of the attacker's body and his own hands. It's not a lot, maybe the equivalent of an x-ray, but it's enough to deepen in fear into complete despair.

"Laurie..." he says slowly, staring at his hands in disbelief, "get away from me..." Matthew tries to put a cap on his output, but the ensuing panic around him and his own torrent of emotions makes it impossible. "The radiation...it's....Laurie, run!" Those people in the general vicinity who'd seen the man get accidentally blasted back immediately breakout into another rush of panic, screaming and running this way and that, all trying to get away from Matthew.

"Oh god! He's going to kill us all!" The last thing he's ever wanted is to be feared, so hearing the hysteria around him causes his adrenaline to spike, thus slightly increasing the nuclear energy that's pouring out of his hands.

[Laurie Collins]

“Can’t be normal, can’t be human.”

Laurie barely has time to register how very, very bad this new development is when Matthew’s swung her around behind him, obstructing her view of the situation. Maybe no one will hear him, maybe they’ll just keep running, please let them just keep running… Even in a crowd this panicked Matthew creates a bit of a buffer on merit of his size and she has room to inch left to peer around him and see the four terrified, defensive men ready to confront her friend. They’re scared because of me. I have to stop this, I have to stop being scared, I have to do something. But the panicked mental orders only seem to ratchet her fear up another notch.

"Josh?"

She starts to follow Matthew’s gaze up to the sky but out of the corner of her eye catches the ringleader of the quickly assembled band rushing forward with his fists clenched. A wordless yell escapes her as he aims the punch and she starts to rush forward, then stops short as the blow seems to glance off Matthew’s stomach with no discernable effect. While the idea of letting him act as a shield is so far the most unappealing part of this entire incident she steps back again slowly, knowing that this small a group of rally-goers doesn’t have a chance of actually hurting him if he can defend himself. Which he can’t do if he’s worrying about you. She clenches her fists, feeling her nails dig into the skin of her palms and stands as still as she can, trying not to draw attention to herself, trying still unsuccessfully to calm down and even more unsuccessfully not to think of what a hindrance she is right now, how useless.

"Listen, guys...I really don't want to fight. I'm not out to hurt you or anything...see?"

At least Matthew seems to be reacting calmly enough, speaking in a reassuring tone and lifting his hands to indicate surrender. For a moment she allows herself to hope that he’ll be able to talk them down, after all he’d managed not to intimidate her and even she can recognize the impressiveness of such a feat.

"Hey! No! Come on!"

The group doesn’t seem to share her opinion however and before she can so much as blink three of them have tackled Matthew. Both her earlier resolution not to rush in heedlessly and the location of the fourth man are forgotten at the sight and she starts for them, only making it a few steps before actually crashing into the man who’d pointed Matthew out as a threat. He stumbles back a pace and raises his hand, fist clenched. There’s nowhere to run even if she were willing to leave Matthew and the only thing she can think of to do is rush at him with her hands outstretched at the level of his stomach, hoping to knock the wind out of him or at least push him back before he can land a blow. She squeezes her eyes shut and leaps forward, dimly registering the sounds of Matthew increasing his struggle against his attackers, tries to put all her weight into the shove she’s about to (hopefully) land and-

poof

Her eyes fly open and she blinks rapidly as she stares at the empty space where her attacker should be and seeing only Matthew looking off to the left with horror written over his features.

“Matthew?” she’s too focused on him to follow his gaze and reaches out towards him, taking a step forward then stopping abruptly as the way he’s staring at his hands registers.

"Laurie... get away from me..."

She shakes her head rapidly in silent denial, of both his halting order and the reason for it. “I can’t just…” she trails off and shakes her head again as if by saying ‘no’ enough she can change what’s happening. I’m scaring him and riling up the mob even more. If I stay things are going to get even worse…but I can’t just leave him, I can’t…

"The radiation...it's....Laurie, run!"
"Oh god! He's going to kill us all!"

I have to stop this. She plants her feet and squeezes her eyes shut, trying desperately to think of something calming, of sleep and safety and placidity. She’s knocked roughly sideways and her eyes fly open as she stumbles, almost falling beneath the feet of the crowd. I can’t do this oh God… she’d scared the soldiers off during the invasion but she’d already been scared then and had only had to concentrate on amping up the emotion which, with Miss. Craft bleeding everywhere and a dead body on the floor, had been easy enough to accomplish. Now she had to somehow calm herself down in the midst of chaos and transmit the feeling to a fleeing mob. I can’t do this…but I have to.

Another fleeing body smacks into her and this time she forces her muscles to relax, letting herself be buffeted by the crowd. Her mind races over the store of memories and sensations available, searching for the antidote to panic. Sitting with Matthew by the lake brings back her friend’s current situation and it’s discarded, the poem her mother used to soothe her with after a nightmare is now linked inextricably to calming the dying soldier (she spares a moment to feel a pang at that even amidst this), the conversation in the chapel can’t be a source of calm anymore with whatever unexplained but obviously bad thing is happening to Bob springing to mind along with it. What’s left? she wonders despairingly. Maybe nothing she shuts her eyes again and attempts to find the sound of her breathing, the sensation of her heartbeat, the certainty that she has to do this and so she will, concentrating on these things to the exclusion of all else.

It takes her a moment to realize that no one’s run into her in a good while, that while Times Square is still immeasurably loud there’s a pocket of hushed voices around her. She cracks open her eyes warily and sees the man who’d attacked her earlier staring at her with slight bemusement. He smiles dazedly at her then looks down at his tattered shirt,

“What am I doing?” he wonders aloud, “I shouldn’t be here. I should go fix this.” and he turns and moves slowly away, following an orderly herd of those affected by Laurie’s pheromones towards the nearest alley.

Laurie watches their progress for a moment, slack-jawed with amazement at the effect, never having used her pheromones this way before. Once they reach the mouth of the alley her range seems to end and their reactions vary- a few look relieved and keep running, a few stop and look unsure, and another small group looks angry and plunges back into the chaos. Seeing them charging back towards her gives her a start and she whirls quickly away, taking another few deep breaths as a few people around her begin to be jolted out of their calm. It’s actually working!

The riot is by no means ended, only a tiny portion of the crowd has been affected by her calm and peace, unfortunately, doesn’t seem to be as contagious as violence. A few people on the fringe of her influence have actually been injured as their unaffected panicked or angry counterparts plow into them, but hopefully it’s enough to stop Matthew’s nuclear emissions and get them out of the fray.

Once she’s under control again Laurie turns and moves warily towards Matthew. “If you’re alright now we should get out of here. I don’t know if I can stay this calm for very long.” she says voice flat and expression tightly controlled, the only sign of the strain an abnormal pallor of her skin.

[Matthew Craft]

He can both see and feel the radiation. He can feel the warmth on his skin, the way his palms are basking in the heat. As for sight, the energy almost looks like a fog...a weird misty substance that lazily whirls about, extending out to harm the world around it.

Forming his hands into fists, Matthew tries to ignore the panic around him. Dropping down onto his knees, and then backwards into a sitting position, he places his radioactive hands over his ears, trying desperately to block out the sounds of the fearful and angry rioters. He takes several deep breathes and forces his body to relax in hopes of being able to reign in on his nuclear leak.

He barely seems to notice as the crowd in the immediate vicinity begins to quiet and shift in a rather dazed and confused pattern, no longer interested in the violence. But he does notice, if in an untroubled manner, that whatever anguish he had experienced moments ago has completely left him. He's left to feel relaxed and content, happily applying the necessary concentration to shut of the venting radiation. Matthew pulls himself to his feet and lazily observes the scenario around him. Most of the people are wandering away in a similar comforting stupor, while the rest, outside the affected zone of Laurie's pheromones, are still raging on in uncalled for combat.

“If you’re alright now we should get out of here. I don’t know if I can stay this calm for very long.” Matthew looks down at his hands again and smiles widely.

"Did you do that?" He asks, beaming as he walks over to her, still caught up in the calming pheromones. "That was pretty cool." The obvious threat of the rest of the riot doesn't really bother him anymore, and he just watches it placidly. "But yeah, we can go now. Josh and the rest should be able to take care of things."

He does note, even through his serene daze, that Laurie seems to be slightly stressed, and Matthew feels a subtle nudge of concern. He places an arm around her shoulders and smiles reassuringly.

"Those folks seem to know where they're going, so we can just follow them out of here, and then we can find that restaurant." He points at a few of the retreating rioters that are systematically departing Times Square. "I don't know about you, but after all this, I could sure use some of that traditional New York pizza."

[Laurie Collins]

"Those folks seem to know where they're going, so we can just follow them out of here, and then we can find that restaurant. I don't know about you, but after all this, I could sure use some of that traditional New York pizza."

Laurie can’t help but smile despite the circumstances- Matthew’s sudden transformation from panicked to placid (and evidently rather hungry) reminds her of nothing so much as the stereotypical stoner from a high school movie. I’m going to feel bad when he has to snap out of this but I definitely can’t keep it up for very long. While Matthew may be unconcerned about the rioting crowd Laurie has no pheromone barrier and finds herself more distressed than reassured to know that others from the institute are here. Probably the best thing for everyone is that I get far away from this place though, she decides and renews her concentration on shutting out the screams of rage and pain around them.

“Yes, good plan." she mutters distractedly then hesitates a moment before leaning into Matthew’s side a bit as they start towards the alleyway, following the more orderly and purposeful section of the crowd towards safety. You can’t keep doing this… avoiding him then getting all clingy when something goes wrong like all that avoidance and distancing was imaginary. You’re just making everything worse, she berates herself mentally, but doesn’t pull away until they reach the alley and she judges herself far enough away from the riot to let go of her calm without getting them both trampled.

“Wow.” she mutters, mostly to herself, “I’ve definitely never done that before.” her face is still pale from the effort, even if it was more mental than physical the events of the past few minutes have still left her shaky, and she lowers herself to the ground, leaning back against a dumpster and craning her neck to look up at Matthew. “Are you okay?” she asks, feeling her pheromone emissions stop and wondering how he’s taking this sudden loss of calm. “I, um, I think we’re safe now?” she adds in dubious reassurance, glancing around the alley at the people touching their heads in consternation or shaking themselves as if her pheromones have left a physical residue. Hopefully none of them are going to think too hard about why they suddenly got so calm she thinks nervously, scrunching herself back against the dumpster a bit.

[Matthew Craft]

“Yes, good plan." Somewhere in the back of his mind, Matthew realizes that maybe he should be a little more worried about what's going on around them, but he's quite content as Laurie presses in against him. Everything is just so...wonderful and serene, he wishes it would never end.

But as they reach the alley-way, he feels his nice, calm little world slink away and return him to the raging crowd. Matthew hesitates and leans against the wall, shaking his head as he feebly tries to understand what has just transpired. He turns to watch the screaming and angry people as Laurie finds a seat behind him.

“I’ve definitely never done that before.” Despite his concern, Matthew turns back to her and smiles.

"That was pretty good. I didn't know you could do the pheromone stuff on command." He can't help the slightly unsettled feeling in his stomach as he thinks of how easily he was affected, but Matthew's quick to remind himself that if Laurie hadn't used her pheromones on him, he might have ended up turning the entirety of Times Square into a radioactive crater. And he doesn't think that would go over too well with...well, everyone.

“Are you okay?” Matthew slides down besides her, not paying attention to what, exactly, is splattered on the ground beneath him. He doesn't really notice his action until he's placed his arm back around Laurie's shoulders, tugging her a little bit closer as the furious din of the riot fills their ears.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for the save back there. I thought I had a better grip on the whole Chernobyl thing..." He'd rather not think about that anymore, so he's quick to change the subject. "What about you? Are you okay? None of those guys got a hold of you, did they?" Almost going nuclear is fine, but if Laurie was hurt, he'd probably reduce New York to a glowing green wasteland trying to find the man responsible.

“I, um, I think we’re safe now?” Matthew shifts his eyes back down the alley, watching part of the roaring crowd settle as a strong wind blew them about.

"Yeah...but did you see that? The wind is calming them down... like they're being affected by your pheromones. But that's not possible, because you're right here with me." For some reason, the words 'with me' come out hesitantly and awkwardly as he looks down at her. But then the absurdity of the situation takes hold and he breaks the stare to consider the events out in the square. "Do you think that maybe there's someone else out there with pheromones or pixie dust or something?" He pulls his arm away and stands up, heading for the mouth of the alley.

"I mean...it would make sense, wouldn't it?" Matthew crosses his arms and scans the hoards, searching for someone who's inappropriately calm. His eyes catch Rogue as she swoops down and plucks a small teen from the crowd. It wasn't something she'd do unless for a good reason....He squints and tries to survey the area from his position, not exactly willing to head back out if it would risk his being affected again.

But then he spots a man in the distance. Not a very tall man, but that doesn't really matter. He's just standing there, as though amused by the whole thing. But perhaps best of all, he's right in the thick of things, and he's neither angry nor fighting.

"Hey Laurie, what do you think?" He asks back to her, thumbing towards the strange, unaffected man.

[Laurie Collins]

"That was pretty good. I didn't know you could do the pheromone stuff on command."

“Neither did I actually. No idea if I could do it again.” Laurie answers, punctuating the admittance with a shaky laugh and running a hand through her tousled hair, scrubbing her fingers nervously back and forth across her scalp. Now that they’re out of the crowd and seemingly safe she’s finding herself a bit hysterically giddy. Is he freaked out about my controlling him? But it isn’t as if I had time to ask his permission… he understands doesn’t he? she searches his face anxiously for signs of fear or anger, muscles easily shifting to a familiar state of tension and eyes scanning his features automatically. She’s gotten so used to looking for tells of hate or fear in faces that she practically has a premeditated pattern for the motion of the glance.

Her nervousness is assuaged however when he slides down beside her on the grimy ground of the alleyway and puts his arm around her shoulders again. She stiffens for a moment then relaxes again, the process quickened when he reassures her that he’s alright after their foray into the mob mentality.

"What about you? Are you okay? None of those guys got a hold of you, did they?"

She shakes her head quickly, “I’m fine.” she reassures him, “Thanks for um, staying, back there. I know my pheromones can be scary and…yes, thanks.” she feels her cheeks warming up as the words trip awkwardly and inadequately (because she’s reasonably sure that if he hadn’t stayed with her she’d resemble less herself and more some sort of jelly) off her tongue and she glances down at her knee, scratching awkwardly at a tear in the denim of her jeans for a moment.

"Yeah...but did you see that? The wind is calming them down... like they're being affected by your pheromones.”

“And they didn’t effect me.” she whispers, beginning to look a little nervous. “You, everyone, seemed really angry but I wasn’t at all.” What if it was me? What if it was fear they were feeling and it just sort of manifested as anger? It’s happened…

“But that's not possible, because you're right here with me."

“Oh. Right. And they’re still rioting.” she realizes aloud in a sheepish tone, her relief and embarrassment that her leap to believe herself responsible was so obviously unfounded distracting her from Matthew’s hesitation over the last words. She’s calm again, puzzling over what could be affecting the crowd, hoping the X-men have already figured it out and yet feeling a nagging in the back of her mind, like there’s something obvious she’s missing.

"Do you think that maybe there's someone else out there with pheromones or pixie dust or something?"

Her eyes widen as the idea hits her and she leaps to her feet after him, the genuine calm and relief she’d been constructing after the chaos of only a moment ago crumbling as easily as if it had never been. But it can’t be…why would he be here? No, I don’t even know if he’s even still alive or didn’t get cured somehow. Matthew’s just guessing he can’t be right, he can’t be… it feels something like he’s just suggested that the monster under the bed from her childhood might in fact be real and showing up any moment.

"I mean...it would make sense, wouldn't it? … what do you think?"

He’s walking back towards the riot, scanning the crowd, and Laurie finds herself backing slowly away from him, shaking her head unconsciously. “I-it might not be though, right?” she can feel fear starting to come off her in waves again and half-stumbles back another step. “I mean it could be a… a telepath and the wind is…distracting him?” she tries hopefully, crossing her arms defensively over her stomach and taking yet another step away from the alleyway. I hope the crowd, Matthew, aren’t in range or are upwind or…somehow not getting this.

[Matthew Craft]

“Thanks for um, staying, back there. I know my pheromones can be scary and…yes, thanks.” Matthew could have smiled at that, but remembering the stab of fear that had nearly caused him to leave her along sobers him in record time.

"I wouldn't just leave you like that." He reassures gently, though with the events of the past few minutes still undeniably fresh in his mind, he can't help up wonder if he really meant that. He'd been able to stop himself from bolting that time, but there was no saying he could do it again. And what if the fear caused his radiation to spike again? Matthew makes several mental notes to spend a lot more time in the Danger Room before venturing off Institute grounds again.

“You, everyone, seemed really angry but I wasn’t at all.” That makes him pause for a moment. He'd forgotten the anger...that situation could have been really bad. Matthew's swept with a certain level of relief as he doesn't recall causing any physical damage to the man he'd confronted.

"Yeah...that's odd. I guess you're immune to whatever's going on out there." He's no science expert, and he wishes that his sister was there and not on her field trip, but he begins running through what he knew about biology and the human body. Unfortunately, he draws a complete blank.

Eyes fixed on the blond man in the crowd Matthew frowns, completely unaware of Laurie's change of mood.

“I-it might not be though, right? I mean it could be a… a telepath and the wind is…distracting him?”

"I don't know...but I think I should check him ou--" But then Matthew's assumptions are stalled as the man joins in the fight, but he remains suspicious. "Oh....never mind..." Damn.

Feeling a little miffed and defeated, Matthew turns back to Laurie, only to be stopped by her frightened behaviour.

"Laurie? What's wrong?" He asks carefully, stepping closer, forcing himself to ignore the sudden sense of fear. It's just her pheromones, nothin' to be scared of, he reasons. For a moment he figures that maybe she's just having a delayed reaction to whatever's affected them all, but he brushes it off quickly. He's at a bit of loss by her change in demeanor, and a little tense at the sudden sensation of fright, but that doesn't stop him from holding her in another reassuring hug.

[Laurie Collins]

"I don't know...but I think I should check him ou--"

“NO!” Laurie yelps, almost tripping over her own feet as she reverses her backwards mobility mid-cry and starts forward as if to restrain him physically. There’s no real coherent thought behind the action, just the idea that if there’s even the slightest possibility it’s…him… (she doesn’t know his name and the other word she could use to describe him she isn’t quite ready for) Matthew should be kept as far away as possible.

"Oh....never mind..."

Oh no, how am I going to explain that now? “He’s not…? Good. Okay.” she whispers, sounding as if she’s reassuring herself rather than talking to Matthew, leaping to take that as an admission that he’d been wrong about the possibility of pheromones. But the wind calmed them down and I was immune… what if it is him and I don’t say anything and something happens to someone from the institute? But what if it isn’t him and I scare away pretty much the only person I can call a friend around here?

"Laurie? What's wrong?"

She looks up at him, wincing in reaction to the obvious signs of pheromone induced fear on his face, then widening her eyes in slight surprise as he takes a few steps forward and envelopes her in a hug. It’s automatic to relax into it a little and return the gesture, turning her face away from the sight of the rally and leaning her forehead against his chest for a moment. She’s gathering herself when it occurs to her with a jolt that maybe what’s she’s doing right now is just as bad as what she’s been trying to protect Matthew from, that maybe pheromones are not the only way to manipulate. You have to choose. Tell him or stay away from him and with the fear and confusion and riot only a few feet away she’s having a hard time telling what of that is valid and what is just the selfish urge to unburden and justify it. If putting my fear over someone maybe getting hurt isn’t already as selfish as it gets. She extricates herself slowly and forces herself to look up at him.

“Do you really think it’s pheromones?” her gaze drops to her hands, watching her fingers twisting at each other nervously as if she has no control of the motion and can only watch, “Because I, um, I know someone else who has that mutation. Well. Not know I mean I’ve never met him, I don’t even know his name but…” she cuts off as she realizes she’s babbling and shakes her head quickly. “But if it is pheromones you shouldn’t go back out there. You’ll be affected.” she adds, keeping her gaze fixed on her hands and looking more as if she’s waiting to be hit than to hear a response to that rather nonsensical admission.

[Matthew Craft]

“NO!”

Laurie's abrupt outburst catches Matthew by surprise, causing him to shoot her a shocked expression. It's not just the cry that alarms him, but it's also the fact that he's never heard her this vocal or agitated.

"I--" There's really nothing he can say to that. Dealing with upset women is one thing...but dealing with an upset Laurie (who's never been any louder than a toaster) is something that Matthew definitely isn't prepared for.

“He’s not…? Good. Okay.” There's something very peculiar about her drastic change in behaviour, and Matthew genuinely hopes that it's just stress of the situation. If it's not, then he's not sure he'd care for whatever's going on with her...especially not when he knows that her feelings and emotions can be directly imposed on him.

The hug is nice, and despite his intention of comforting Laurie, he can't help but feel slightly relaxed as her arms make they're way around his torso. One hand rests on her back, in between her shoulder blades, while the other roams upwards and tangles into her hair, his thumb occasionally brushing over her cheek. Matthew drops his head, thinking furiously, trying to figure out a way he could help. Standing in the background (however nice it was with Laurie there with him) while the rest of the world went to hell wasn't exactly Matthew's style. Laurie shifts against him and he drops the hand in her hair, having not really realized what exactly it was doing up there. It finds its place just below his other hand, still holding her gently.

“Do you really think it’s pheromones?” The look in her eyes is radiant of fear, but whether it's her fear of the riot resurfacing or something else, Matthew's not so sure.

"I don't know, really. Pheromones make the most sense to me right now, but there are other mutants that can affect other people's moods..." Frankly, he has no clue what he's talking about, and he's not even sure if his attempt at comfort is working well for her anymore.

“Because I, um, I know someone else who has that mutation. Well. Not know I mean I’ve never met him, I don’t even know his name but…" Again Matthew's at a loss.

"I...you know the person that's doing this? I mean, you might know who's doing this?" They still weren't certain that the whole pheromone thing was responsible for the riot, but with Laurie's sudden confession Matthew's becoming increasingly convinced. "I guess that's good then...maybe we can stop him now." Matthew would rather not know who it was that she was talking about; the sinking feeling in his stomach telling him very clearly that the situation was probably about to get much much worse.

"But if it is pheromones you shouldn’t go back out there. You’ll be affected.”

"Yeah...but maybe we can tell one of the others." He nods to the mouth of the alley, where they can see Warren flying over the throbbing crowd. Matthew would rather he'd get involved, but Laurie's definitely right. He wouldn't last 3 seconds before doing something that would no doubt move them away from their goal...like irradiating a handful of activists.

[Laurie Collins]

"I don't know, really. Pheromones make the most sense to me right now, but there are other mutants that can affect other people's moods..."

Laurie nods, wishing fervently that she could believe that but the more she thinks about it the more pheromones are what makes sense, after all she seems to be completely immune to whatever had been affecting the crowd. But would I be immune to…him? she furrows her brow in concentration, thinking back over the spare details of the story her mother had told her, she said it was when she was pregnant with me that his pheromones didn’t work anymore, and she’s immune to me. Maybe it’s a family thing? That happens with mutants sometimes doesn’t it? She’d have asked someone about this already but they would doubtless need an explanation and it’s just not something she’s ever wanted to get into for reasons that had a little to do with fear of rejection a little to do with her mother’s privacy and a lot to do with a vague but pervasive shame that seemed inextricably linked to the idea of being her father’s daughter. She’s jolted from her thoughts when Matthew speaks again.


"I...you know the person that's doing this? I mean, you might know who's doing this?"

“Yes, um, maybe.” she looks down, focusing her gaze on his forearms and keeping her gaze away from his face, not sure she wants to know how he’s looking at her right now. “I don’t know his name or anything like I said but I… um… I just know there’s someone…like me…” she adds, the last two words accompanied by a slight wince.

"I guess that's good then...maybe we can stop him now."

She gapes slightly at that, when the monster looming just behind you your whole life is suddenly right around the corner the last thing you think is that it can be stopped. Nightmares just are. He’s never been scared enough of me, even knowing what I can do. What if he goes back out there now thinking everything will be fine because I haven’t done anything awful yet? the thought is nonsensical, logically she knows Matthew wouldn’t be that stupid, but she finds herself raising her hands and placing them on his forearms instinctively anyway as if she has any hope of physically restraining him from any action he gets the whim to take.

"Yeah...but maybe we can tell one of the others."

Her hands loosen their grip and are then lowered back to her sides as she takes in this agreement not to charge back out into the crowd. It takes her a moment to think beyond that what with all the fear- this might be building into even more stress than the invasion and while she can feel the fear leaving her it isn’t as strong as it might be, she’s managing to hold a little of her panic inside. “Right.” she says softly, “Tell someone…” she peers around him at the crowd, eyes widening as she takes in the lightening and…fire? I wonder if that’s…what was his name? The Human Toaster. John! “I could go back on my own.” she suggests slowly, “I mean no one would be aiming for me specifically and if it’s…well…that… there’s no one else who would be immune. Well, your sister, but she isn’t here. So…yes…” she rambles out nervously, not at all eager to get anywhere near the riot again, especially alone, but hearing some part of her mind whisper that if it is him this is partially her responsibility. Doesn't mean I can't hope he'll have a better plan though...

[Matthew Craft]

“I don’t know his name or anything like I said but I… um… I just know there’s someone…like me…” And that was the key sentence right there. Matthew knew that Laurie had a small family. Extremely small actually. She'd mentioned her mother quite often, but never anyone else. That meant that whoever he was, he couldn't be that good of a guy. And no doubt related, if they shared the same pheromone-based power. Crap. And if they were related, that probably ruled out any offensive action...Laurie probably isn't too keen on injuring this guy, no matter how much she doesn't talk about him.

And there's no doubt in Matthew's mind that their situation was taking quite the toll on Laurie, especially when she grips his arms. He can only imagine what's going on in her head; the worry and shock. But as he assures her that he's not about to do anything rash (like running back out into a pheromone-infested riot) she drops her hands, and Matthew knows that at least he's not on the top of the worry list anymore.

“Right. Tell someone…” Part of her face is suddenly illuminated in a bright flash of white followed by a lingering tinge of orange. Matthew grits his teeth as he realizes just how violent things are getting.

"Yeah, and we should probably do it quick. Frying members of the public is one thing, but doing it at a televised event is another." The X-Men's interaction with the raging crowd, in front of the buzzing media, would not go over well. There would be a public relations crisis on a colossal scale after this was all through.

“I could go back on my own." Matthew's head snaps back, his hands clutching her a little tighter.

"What?! No! No way." He says, voice cracking at the thought of her running back out into the dangerous square. "Storm and the other's will be able to take care of all of this. They'll get this guy..."

"I mean no one would be aiming for me specifically and if it’s…well…that… there’s no one else who would be immune. Well, your sister, but she isn’t here. So…yes…” And what he wouldn't give for Toni to be there right now, settling things in the fight, if with a few over-the-top maneuvers, all the while immune to the pheromones cast in her direction.

"But this guy...does he know you? Wouldn't he realize that you're there to stop him?" He can tell that she's nervous, and rightfully so, and a similar creeps it's way up his spine, but whether that was her power affecting him, or his genuine anxiety, Matthew would probably never know. "I can't just let you go out there alone..." And he very well couldn't go with her. An overly angry nuclear missile picking a fight with hoards of baseline humans could never end on a positive note. "At least get Ms. Monroe, or Warren to cover you. Please." He feels totally helpless, standing there unable to offer any aid. The sound of gunfire makes a lump form in his throat and his body jump slightly. "No...I'd never be able to live with myself if you got hurt. Please don't go. We'll just tell the X-Men and they'll fix all this."

Matthew refuses to think about the possibility of the pheromones' influence on the Institute's mutant heroes, especially when he knows that it makes his argument all that more useless.

[Laurie Collins]

[[sorry this is kinda rushed. Places to be and I promised it to you by this afternoon heh]]

"Yeah, and we should probably do it quick. Frying members of the public is one thing, but doing it at a televised event is another."

Laurie shudders slightly at that, looking again towards the crowds and wincing as it sinks in that people from the Institute might be responsible for some of the violence if pheromones are involved. This is what I could do right in front of me… she whirls quickly back to Matthew as he reacts vehemently to her tentative suggestion-

"What?! No! No way. Storm and the other's will be able to take care of all of this. They'll get this guy... “

It’s tempting to just accept that, to place her faith in authority and sit quietly by, in fact the most tempting thought of the day so far. Which I guess answers whether I’m a future X-men candidate. I can’t imagine wanting to charge back out there. But it doesn’t change the fact that she’s the only one immune and if the others are hurt because she hid somewhere… she hasn’t missed being cured so much in a long time.

"But this guy...does he know you? Wouldn't he realize that you're there to stop him?"
He thinks I’m going to try to stop him? Laurie widens her eyes in surprise and shakes her head, “Oh, well, no.” she pauses for a moment, attempting to collect herself, “Um he doesn’t know I exist so I don’t see how he could recognize me and, er, I don’t think I could stop him even if I wanted to… I meant that I’d go back out there to tell someone since they don’t seem to be coming over towards us and I have no idea how telepathy works so I don’t know…could we get Josh’s attention somehow, um, thoughtwise? If we can’t I could be in and out really quick?” she tries to utter the last sentence with confidence but from hearing the tremor and half-questioning tone of her voice gets the distinct impression that she fails utterly at that.

"I can't just let you go out there alone... At least get Ms. Monroe, or Warren to cover you. Please."

She nods at that, opening her mouth to suggest trying to get their attention somehow so they could see her trying to get closer to them when a flurry of shooting and movement catches her attention and she gasps as Matthew jumps in response to the same sound, but she’s facing the crowd while he faces her, and she watches Miss. Munroe go flying off the stage in mute horror that translates into a quick burst of shock and then relief as she sees Warren catch her and fly above the angry mob again.

"No...I'd never be able to live with myself if you got hurt. Please don't go. We'll just tell the X-Men and they'll fix all this."

“I don’t even know who’s left to tell anymore…” she whispers, touching his arm lightly and pointing towards the spot where Warren is hovering with the injured teacher. “But no, no I really don’t want to go out there either…is there any way we can get someone’s attention without you getting close enough to the crowd to be affected?”