Jono had to laugh at "time-traveling pirates", as he'd encountered beings that could be best summed up by those very words between his time with Generation X, and the X-Men. Of course, your "average person" would never believe some of the things Jono had seen over the last few years.
"{Bah, in my experience, there's no such thin' as 'boring', no matter uninterestin' yeh might think yerself ter be.}"
Jono sighed a little. He knew this was coming, and it would probably happen several more times after this, but it was still something that made him a little uncomfortable.
"{As far as that goes, i's probably easier fer me ter show, rather than tell...}"
With that, Jono stood up from his chair, and unbuttoned the black cowl that encircled his face, neck and chest, and let it drop onto the chair behind him. He loosened the hold he had on the "Chamber" of psionic energy that took up the space where his upper chest and lower half of his face used to be, and let it flicker about his face and neck like it "liked" to.
"{I'm what they call a 'mutant' in my world. I was all o' seventeen when it happened. Me and the gel I was datin' had snuck off to a coatroom for a snog, when I felt this...}" He gestured to where his chest used to be "{...start ter heat up. Next thing I know, me face and chest are blowin' up, turnin' me inta a mangled freak, and me gelfriend inta a cripple. After that, I learned I could 'talk' inside o' people's heads, ter make up for the loss o' me kisser...}"
Reaching down to where he'd dropped his cowl, Jono wrapped it around his face again, and buttoned it shut.
"{I wear the mask, ter keep 'ordinary' folks from seein' what I did ter my face...}"
Jono sat back down in his chair, sighed, and closed his eyes. This is the most he's talked about himself in a very long time.
"{I's funny. B'fore me accident, I was all set to become some kinda rock god 'r somethin'. Sure put a stop ter that, didn' I?}"
Jono "laughs" again, but this time it's a bitter, cold sound that echoes from his mind. Even years after letting go of "what was", Jono couldn't help but be angry over what had happened to him.
Aerith watched curiously as he unbuttoned his cowl. She had been wondering why he'd been wearing it - he looked quite handsome from the nose up, and as far as she was concerned, it was a shame to keep good looks covered up. As the cowl came away, and the energy flowed out, her eyes widened and it took another good amount of willpower not to shrink back. She couldn't help a small flinch, but she tried very hard to school her face into a neutral expression. Of course she'd seen weird things, but this was one of the weirdest by far.
"I ..." she said weakly, once it was all put away. She took a deep breath, and tried again. "I'm so sorry that happened to you. But," and here she managed to smile, "I'm glad you can still talk somehow. Thank you for sharing that with me. It must have been so difficult for you."
Moved by the spirit within her, Aerith reached across and squeezed his hand gently, a silent gesture of acceptance and friendship.
Aaaand there it was. The reaction Jono had been expecting. To her credit, Aerith hadn't ran from him in terror. It was that look of strangled fear, however, that had caused Jono to become as aloof, and largely antisocial as he was. He could tell that Aerith was putting on a brave face for him, but her empathy was genuine. He accepted the hand squeeze for what it was, simply letting Aerith do what she needed to do.
"{Thanks, luv. T'ain't every day I share that li'l story with people, an' I'd appreciate it if yeh kept quiet 'bout it from here on. I know people're gonna be nosy 'bout me, but I'd rather keep things quiet fer as long as I can. In my world, people like me aren't treated with a whole lotta love...}"
Walking back over to his dorm, Jono returned with the electric guitar and amp he'd picked up from one of the funny little shops in the Commons. Setting down the amp and plugging it in, he looked at Aerith.
"{Do yeh min' if I play a bit? I's been ages since the las' time I bothered with somethin' like this.}"
Aerith was good at putting on a brave face. She'd been doing it for a long time. "Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me." To show him just how safe it was, she put her thumb and forefinger to the left corner of her mouth and moved it across her lips as though she were zipping them shut. Though she'd just met Jono, she liked him, and she didn't want him to have an unpleasant time here.
Watching as he walked back to his room, Aerith's interest turned to delight as he returned with a guitar. "No, not at all! I was going to ask if you still played."
Jono "smiled", and plugged his guitar into the amp. It'd been a long time since Jono had bothered with a guitar at all, but after a few careful plucks, and some tuning, he launched into a slow doleful tune, his head bobbing, his eyes screwed up in concentration. As he gained confidence, the tune picked up in speed an intensity. When he was done, he simply let his hands slide from the guitar:
[just pretend it's Jono in the video, rather than Mark Dacascos XD]
"{Haven't played that ol' tune in a long time. Used ter have a lot more, but i's been so long, I barely remember any o' it. With time, I could probably get back ter where I was, if I wanted ter.}"
Jono picks up the guitar again, and starts picking at random notes, re-familiarizing himself with the layout of a guitar. Beyond listening to music, and watching tv, playing guitar is one of the only things to bring Jono any joy at this point in his life.
Aerith rested her elbow on the armrest and her head on her hand, listening raptly as he played. She didn't know the song, or what a guitar really ought to sound like, but she could tell Jono was good, and she liked what she heard.
When he was done, she applauded quietly, beaming across at him. "What was that called? I've never heard it before - is it from ... Earth? Is that where you're from?"
Looking up from the guitar, Jono shrugged. He'd never really given it that much thought, really. He just played what he liked hearing.
"{Don' have a name, actually. I played it for th' first time about 6 years ago. I jus'...remember how it sounds, an' play it by ear. I'm from Earth, yeh. London, if yeh wan' specifics. I dun know if yeh know 'er, but Betsy Braddock's a friend o' mine from back home. We were part o' th' same...group, if yeh wanna it that, the X-Men.}"
"Oh!" Aerith lit up at the mention of her friend. "I just met her - she has such a beautiful accent! And you have one too - it's a little different from hers, I think, but it's the same kind."
At the name of the 'group,' she paused, tilting her head a little. "The X-Men? Is that a band?"
Jono "laughed" a bit. Though Braddock and he were both Brits, her accent had always been more "refined" than his, owing to her growing up a rich girl.
"{Yeh, Betsy's from England too, but she was raised in a more...'high class' sorta society 'n me. I'm just a poor plonker from London, while Betsy was born with a silver spoon in 'er mouth. Don't tell 'er I said that, though.}"
Pulling out his wallet, Jono produced a old photograph, peeling slightly at the edges. It was a photo of he and his Generation X teammates, from his younger years. He hands it to Aerith, and continues speaking.
"{That there ain't the X-Men, but another group I used ter be a part of, called Generation X. We were trained in'na private school, ter use our powers ter help people. See, people like Betsy an' me have special powers, because o' our genes. That fire in me chest? Tha's mine. There're a few thousand others like us, some good...some bad. We fight people who try ter hurt innocents, humans an' mutants both.}"
If Jono could blush, he would have been...just a little.
"{In'na way, we were kinda like Super Heroes, the lot o' us. Sure di'nt feel like it sometimes, but tha's what we were.}"
Aerith made a note to find out what, exactly, a 'plonker' was, and reached out for the picture, taking it. She immediately recognized Jono, looking rather younger than the man before her, and wondered about the other people - their stories, how they had ended up in this picture with him.
"So ... you have special powers in your genes, and that's why you have - that - " she gestured vaguely at his chest - "and Betsy's like you, and there are others too?" She lifted her eyes from the picture and smiled at him. "It'll be good to have you around at night, then. And," she spoke quickly, realizing how that could have been taken, "other times too, obviously. Like now! Um." She looked around awkwardly.
"{Somethin' like that, yeh. Betsy's powers are a li'l different than mine, but yeh, we're both trained fighters. I kinda figured...once Betsy mentioned the 'Night Cycle', tha' I'd be mixin' it up here.}"
Waving a hand at her embarassment, Jono unbuttoned the top button of his cowl again, and "huffed" out a small puff of flame.
"{No need ter be embarassed, Aerith. I wen' ter school for this very sorta thing. Fightin' monsters an' baddies is what I do. T'ain't all I do, o' course, but i's still what I was trained for. Mebbe me powers'll do somethin' more'n attract attention, fer a change.}"
Aerith watched with wide eyes as a small puff of flame came out, and she couldn't help but smile. "That was so cool!" she said, delighted, momentarily forgetting how very, very awkward she felt. It was like her Fire spell, but from his face instead of his hand.
"You'll be a big relief to have around," she added, smiling. "I'm not much of a fighter, so I'm glad to have you here. If you ever need anything - like, healing, something like that? - let me know. I'm better with defensive magic then offensive magic."
Watching Aerith's delight at his brief show of his powers, Jono blushed a little. He'd never been able to think of his powers as "cool", and he'd never heard anyone else put it like that, either. Having someone treat him as something other that a freak was a little weird. in Jono's eyes. He liked it, he just wasn't used to it.
"{Well, I'm glad I can do somethin', anyway. I'll have ter see how me powers work here, this bein' an alternate reality an' all. I can kick out a lot o' energy, when I'm properly motivated, so we'll see what I can do sometime later.}"
Hearing Aerith use the word "magic" made Jono's ear perk up a bit. He didn't have much experience with powers that weren't genetic- or in some cases- stolen, but he DID know that people who could use magic were generally NOT to be trifled with.
"{Well, i's good to know I'll have some backup, then. I can work pretty good on me own, but if me time with Generation X and the X-Men's taught me anythin', i's that yeh work better when yeh got backup, than yeh do on yer own.}"
"There are a lot of good fighters here," Aerith said with a reassuring smile. "You won't be alone - not in the least. That's one of the good things about this place: we might be all stuck here, but at least we're not stuck here by ourselves. We've got each other."
Lacing her fingers together, Aerith stretched her arms over her head, then stood up to go to the kitchen. "I'm gonna get some iced tea - do you want - can you have - um - oh, gosh, I'm sorry." Her face flared red, and she brushed a curl behind her ear nervously.
"{I's like they say; 'Misery loves company.' righ'?}"
Brushing off Aerith's embarassment over her social faux pas regarding his lack of a mouth, Jono waved at her to continue.
"{Don' worry 'bout me, love, I'm used ter it by now. You ain' the first I met that...y'know...forgot. If yeh could, I'd have a cup o' hot tea, if yeh have any. I can't drink it, but I like how it smells, jus' th' same. Me powers made quick work o' all my internal workin's, so I don' breathe, eat or drink. Th' way th' docs tell it, th' 'Chamber' o' energy I got in me chest is what sustains me now.}"
Chamber shifted over his his chair, so that his back was braced against an armrest, with his legs dangling over the other side.
"{O' course, tha' don' prevent me from orderin' a pint if 'm out'ta pub, jus' t'look sociable. I may be a 'freak', but I'm a polite freak, if nothin' else.}"
Considering the matter closed, Jono resumed plucking away at the guitar in his lap. He couldn't blame Aerith for feeling a little awkward around him, as awkwardness tended to follow him everywhere he went, but Jono did appreciate that she was being thoughtful, anyway.
Aerith nodded, face still red, and darted into the kitchen before she could put her foot even further into her mouth. She filled the teapot with water and set it on the oven, then leaned against the opposite counter and covered her face with her hand.
Stupid, stupid, stupid, she thought, cursing herself. Soon, the teapot whistled merrily, and Aerith grabbed a mug and a teabag, then let the bag steep in the hot water while she poured herself a glass of iced tea.
Returning to the main room, she set the tea on the table next to Jono, then sat back in her chair, took a sip from her glass, and picked up her book, as it looked like he was getting involved with his guitar again.
"{Bah, in my experience, there's no such thin' as 'boring', no matter uninterestin' yeh might think yerself ter be.}"
Jono sighed a little. He knew this was coming, and it would probably happen several more times after this, but it was still something that made him a little uncomfortable.
"{As far as that goes, i's probably easier fer me ter show, rather than tell...}"
With that, Jono stood up from his chair, and unbuttoned the black cowl that encircled his face, neck and chest, and let it drop onto the chair behind him. He loosened the hold he had on the "Chamber" of psionic energy that took up the space where his upper chest and lower half of his face used to be, and let it flicker about his face and neck like it "liked" to.
"{I'm what they call a 'mutant' in my world. I was all o' seventeen when it happened. Me and the gel I was datin' had snuck off to a coatroom for a snog, when I felt this...}" He gestured to where his chest used to be "{...start ter heat up. Next thing I know, me face and chest are blowin' up, turnin' me inta a mangled freak, and me gelfriend inta a cripple. After that, I learned I could 'talk' inside o' people's heads, ter make up for the loss o' me kisser...}"
Reaching down to where he'd dropped his cowl, Jono wrapped it around his face again, and buttoned it shut.
"{I wear the mask, ter keep 'ordinary' folks from seein' what I did ter my face...}"
Jono sat back down in his chair, sighed, and closed his eyes. This is the most he's talked about himself in a very long time.
"{I's funny. B'fore me accident, I was all set to become some kinda rock god 'r somethin'. Sure put a stop ter that, didn' I?}"
Jono "laughs" again, but this time it's a bitter, cold sound that echoes from his mind. Even years after letting go of "what was", Jono couldn't help but be angry over what had happened to him.
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"I ..." she said weakly, once it was all put away. She took a deep breath, and tried again. "I'm so sorry that happened to you. But," and here she managed to smile, "I'm glad you can still talk somehow. Thank you for sharing that with me. It must have been so difficult for you."
Moved by the spirit within her, Aerith reached across and squeezed his hand gently, a silent gesture of acceptance and friendship.
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"{Thanks, luv. T'ain't every day I share that li'l story with people, an' I'd appreciate it if yeh kept quiet 'bout it from here on. I know people're gonna be nosy 'bout me, but I'd rather keep things quiet fer as long as I can. In my world, people like me aren't treated with a whole lotta love...}"
Walking back over to his dorm, Jono returned with the electric guitar and amp he'd picked up from one of the funny little shops in the Commons. Setting down the amp and plugging it in, he looked at Aerith.
"{Do yeh min' if I play a bit? I's been ages since the las' time I bothered with somethin' like this.}"
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Watching as he walked back to his room, Aerith's interest turned to delight as he returned with a guitar. "No, not at all! I was going to ask if you still played."
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[just pretend it's Jono in the video, rather than Mark Dacascos XD]
"{Haven't played that ol' tune in a long time. Used ter have a lot more, but i's been so long, I barely remember any o' it. With time, I could probably get back ter where I was, if I wanted ter.}"
Jono picks up the guitar again, and starts picking at random notes, re-familiarizing himself with the layout of a guitar. Beyond listening to music, and watching tv, playing guitar is one of the only things to bring Jono any joy at this point in his life.
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When he was done, she applauded quietly, beaming across at him. "What was that called? I've never heard it before - is it from ... Earth? Is that where you're from?"
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"{Don' have a name, actually. I played it for th' first time about 6 years ago. I jus'...remember how it sounds, an' play it by ear. I'm from Earth, yeh. London, if yeh wan' specifics. I dun know if yeh know 'er, but Betsy Braddock's a friend o' mine from back home. We were part o' th' same...group, if yeh wanna it that, the X-Men.}"
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At the name of the 'group,' she paused, tilting her head a little. "The X-Men? Is that a band?"
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"{Yeh, Betsy's from England too, but she was raised in a more...'high class' sorta society 'n me. I'm just a poor plonker from London, while Betsy was born with a silver spoon in 'er mouth. Don't tell 'er I said that, though.}"
Pulling out his wallet, Jono produced a old photograph, peeling slightly at the edges. It was a photo of he and his Generation X teammates, from his younger years. He hands it to Aerith, and continues speaking.
"{That there ain't the X-Men, but another group I used ter be a part of, called Generation X. We were trained in'na private school, ter use our powers ter help people. See, people like Betsy an' me have special powers, because o' our genes. That fire in me chest? Tha's mine. There're a few thousand others like us, some good...some bad. We fight people who try ter hurt innocents, humans an' mutants both.}"
If Jono could blush, he would have been...just a little.
"{In'na way, we were kinda like Super Heroes, the lot o' us. Sure di'nt feel like it sometimes, but tha's what we were.}"
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"So ... you have special powers in your genes, and that's why you have - that - " she gestured vaguely at his chest - "and Betsy's like you, and there are others too?" She lifted her eyes from the picture and smiled at him. "It'll be good to have you around at night, then. And," she spoke quickly, realizing how that could have been taken, "other times too, obviously. Like now! Um." She looked around awkwardly.
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"{Somethin' like that, yeh. Betsy's powers are a li'l different than mine, but yeh, we're both trained fighters. I kinda figured...once Betsy mentioned the 'Night Cycle', tha' I'd be mixin' it up here.}"
Waving a hand at her embarassment, Jono unbuttoned the top button of his cowl again, and "huffed" out a small puff of flame.
"{No need ter be embarassed, Aerith. I wen' ter school for this very sorta thing. Fightin' monsters an' baddies is what I do. T'ain't all I do, o' course, but i's still what I was trained for. Mebbe me powers'll do somethin' more'n attract attention, fer a change.}"
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"You'll be a big relief to have around," she added, smiling. "I'm not much of a fighter, so I'm glad to have you here. If you ever need anything - like, healing, something like that? - let me know. I'm better with defensive magic then offensive magic."
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"{Well, I'm glad I can do somethin', anyway. I'll have ter see how me powers work here, this bein' an alternate reality an' all. I can kick out a lot o' energy, when I'm properly motivated, so we'll see what I can do sometime later.}"
Hearing Aerith use the word "magic" made Jono's ear perk up a bit. He didn't have much experience with powers that weren't genetic- or in some cases- stolen, but he DID know that people who could use magic were generally NOT to be trifled with.
"{Well, i's good to know I'll have some backup, then. I can work pretty good on me own, but if me time with Generation X and the X-Men's taught me anythin', i's that yeh work better when yeh got backup, than yeh do on yer own.}"
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Lacing her fingers together, Aerith stretched her arms over her head, then stood up to go to the kitchen. "I'm gonna get some iced tea - do you want - can you have - um - oh, gosh, I'm sorry." Her face flared red, and she brushed a curl behind her ear nervously.
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Brushing off Aerith's embarassment over her social faux pas regarding his lack of a mouth, Jono waved at her to continue.
"{Don' worry 'bout me, love, I'm used ter it by now. You ain' the first I met that...y'know...forgot. If yeh could, I'd have a cup o' hot tea, if yeh have any. I can't drink it, but I like how it smells, jus' th' same. Me powers made quick work o' all my internal workin's, so I don' breathe, eat or drink. Th' way th' docs tell it, th' 'Chamber' o' energy I got in me chest is what sustains me now.}"
Chamber shifted over his his chair, so that his back was braced against an armrest, with his legs dangling over the other side.
"{O' course, tha' don' prevent me from orderin' a pint if 'm out'ta pub, jus' t'look sociable. I may be a 'freak', but I'm a polite freak, if nothin' else.}"
Considering the matter closed, Jono resumed plucking away at the guitar in his lap. He couldn't blame Aerith for feeling a little awkward around him, as awkwardness tended to follow him everywhere he went, but Jono did appreciate that she was being thoughtful, anyway.
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Stupid, stupid, stupid, she thought, cursing herself. Soon, the teapot whistled merrily, and Aerith grabbed a mug and a teabag, then let the bag steep in the hot water while she poured herself a glass of iced tea.
Returning to the main room, she set the tea on the table next to Jono, then sat back in her chair, took a sip from her glass, and picked up her book, as it looked like he was getting involved with his guitar again.
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