7/5 Instance: Evil is as Evil Does

[tears~fall~like~glass]

timeline: current


<Toxic> Adam was really glad he'd been discharged from the medlab. He'd spent the night poking around his studio, gone to check on his club and get hugs off Kandi, fed Bit...and now he was hungry. He wanted noodley goodness. Luckily if he was quick, he'd be able to get some and go before anyone came in, considering it was about six in the morning...

<Toxic> That was the plan anyway. He blurred into the kitchen, rubbing his face and wincing at the mess of bruises on the side of his face as he rubbed them again. Ugh. He hated bruising. At least it didn't feel like he had half a brick strapped to his face any more though...

<@Noriko> Noriko however was up and about, Clarice was finally asleep in there room so she was grabbing something to eat and then going into Danger for abit. Skipping into the kitchen to find noms she stopped as she saw Adam. "... Morning."

<Toxic> Oh fuck. Adam's back instantly tensed at the voice as he reached up for a packet of noodles, turning and facing her with the packet in his hands in front of his chest like it was a shield. "...Morning." He murmured warily, voice hoarse. For once, his scruffy blond hair was on show, and he was wearing plain black...which for some reason made him look more angular and elfin than normal. "I uh...I'm just...you know..."

<@Noriko> "it's ok I'm not going to shout at you, I just want breakfast that's all." Rubbing her gauntlets together before sifting through the cupboards.

<Toxic> There was a minute relaxing from the other mutant as he released the breath he'd been holding. "...Good?" He swallowed nervously. "I uh...I'm kinda...tired of it..." He drifted to the kettle, filling it. "You um. You want a cup of tea?" He waved a gloved hand at a cupboard vaguely before yawning. Dai had changed his pills again, seeming to believe that it would somehow make him realise or...something, he didn't know.

<@Noriko> "Erm please if you don't mind. You want any breakfast doing as I need to cook something anyway..." Rubbing her face as she pulled out eggs and salad from the fridge, unsure how to act round him now he'd done those things... alot of her was telling her to shout but everyone else shouted already so what was the point.

<Toxic> "No...no, I'm...I've got noodles. Thank you." This was...new. She was being nice to him, and that got her a small, shy smile. He got her a cup down. "It's...I mean, it's the flavour thing, I-I can manage packet noodles if I don't use the sauce, I..." He cleared his throat. "But...thank you...for the offer. Um. How do you like your tea?" Holy God this was awkward, but...he preferred it to the judging and shouting.

<@Noriko> "No milk one no sorry half a sugar, dentist says I need to cut down on my sugar intake." Sighing alittle she really hated not eating all her sweets. She gave him an unsure smile back, feeling the awkwardness hanging in the air and unsure how to deal with it.

<Toxic> Adam blurred as he set out the tea and a bowl for the noodles, once again solidifying in front of the kettle and staring at it. "One problem with superspeed...you get everything done within seconds, but the kettle still doesn't boil fast enough. This is where Superman has it sorted, he could like...use his eyebeams to instaboil." He offered her a smile. "Thank you...by the way..."

<@Noriko> "I know that feeling, no matter how fast you get things ready you always have to wait." Putting her egg on to boil she sorted out some nice thick toast salad and cheese. This not having sugar coated stuff for breakfast seriously sucked. "Thank you for what? I haven't done anything..."

<Toxic> "That's...why I'm thanking you." Adam fidgetted with his fingers, looking down at the cups and not at her before running a hand through his non-dreaded hair. "I mean..." He bit his lip - he didn't want to make this more awkward than it was, after all.

<@Noriko> "Your thanking me for not doing anything? That is rather... unnusual..." Maybe it was just Toxic being Toxic, he was alittle weird after all and what he went and did couldn't have helped that at all.

<Toxic> "No, I mean..." Adam turned and faced her, leaning against the top and rubbing his face - and wincing. He had to stop doing that, it hurt. "...Since I woke up...the only reason people have come to talk to me have been to...yell at me." With the exception of Bobby and Rachel. "Or get in my face about what I believe or...tell me I'm evil. You're...actually being nice. It's..." He tried to find the words, but settled for a tired smile instead.

<@Noriko> "I figured everyone has shouted at you by now there's no point me doing it as well, I don't agree with what you did, killing people no matter what they've done or might do is wrong. But you don't beleive that and if everyone shouting isn't going to change you mind how is me shouting going to do it?" Shrugging alittle as she prodded at the cooking egg. "Besides you've been nice to me all year."

<Toxic> "I know, but you have no idea how many people seem to think getting in my face and - and-" He shook his head, turning back to the cups. "No one seems to understand that I know it's wrong, but it was necessary." He hissed between his teeth. "But I don't want to get started on that, I've repeated myself so often it's starting to get meaningless." He glanced up at the other girl. "Of course I've been nice to you. I like you."

<@Noriko> "It's why I'm not shouting I don't see the point." Mussing up her hair before pulling ot out of her face and putting a band round it she shrugged. "I don't like what happened but you were kind of doing it to help our friends, which is good even if you were doing it a bad way. So I think I'll stay on the sidelines for this one as I like you to even if I am alittle afraid of you now."

<Toxic> Adam gave her a slightly sad smile at that. "You aren't the first to tell me they're afraid of me." The kettle clicked, making him jump, and he picked it up to pour the tea and noodles. Finally, someone who understood, even if it was just a little. "But really...I'm no different than I was. I mean...I don't keep it a secret that I...it's not the first time I've killed people. I'm no monster though, I'm just...me."

<@Noriko> Egg down she lifted it out of the hot water and set it neatly on top of the toast and salad before moving to the table. "I think what I'm more worried about is that you've murdered people for big reasons and thats not right, and...." He was getting away with it? No one was really doing anything about the fact we have killers loose in the school? "I'm worried that you'll start killing for little reasons, and then just because you can."

<Toxic> Adam looked at her seriously. "I can understand that worry." He could, because he'd spent a lot of time thinking about it. "But - and I'll understand if you don't believe this - I've always held that life is sacred - all life. What I did wasn't right, but it was necessary." He finished making the tea, putting hers in front of her. "I would be happier if I never, ever killed again. I can't say for definite that I won't."

<Toxic> "We don't know what'll happen tomorrow, what the world will ask of us." He sat down himself, poking his noodles with a set of chopsticks. "But what I do know...is that no matter what the methods, the results were the right thing. If you're worried that I'll haul off and kill someone because they're looking at me funny..." He chuckled a little. "I'm glad you didn't meet me when I first came here."

<@Noriko> "So am I Toxic, I don't think I would have liked you at all. But I think if you carry on killing even if you think it's for the right reasons that it might get to the point were you aren't going to think twice about doing it. That *necessary* killings might fall in so much value for you." Shaking her head she nibbled at her food alittle stomach knotted again with the tension and feelings.

<Toxic> Adam poked the noodles again. "In a perfect world...I won't even have to hurt someone again. I don't...like doing it, and I don't plan on continuing." He looked up at her, smiling a little. "Look, just because I got a little taste doesn't mean I'm going to turn into a vigilante and kill every badguy I come across. I let most of the people we were fighting go, because all they were were people hired to do a job."

<Toxic> "They didn't want to shoot me any more than I wanted to blow them up. The ones that were the problems...the ones that...that ended up..." He shrugged. "They were actively trying to kill me and my friends, they would not have listened to reason - but if they'd backed down, we would have bought them in alive." He paused - no, he had to tell the truth. "...And the one time one of us went too far - not me - it nearly..."

<Toxic> He shuddered. "Oh god, I still have nightmares. That was too far. You don't...not when someone's given up and said they'd collaberate. I might be capable of killing, but...I'm not someone who'll just...keep going. I'm a Catholic, a staunch one, and I love my God too much to do that."

<@Noriko> She gave him a hard look then, considering things, Adam had alot of problems already what had happened can not have helped nor the guilt afterwards. Getting up she came around the table to crouch next to him remembering he didn't like being touched. "What happened Toxic, do you want to talk about it?"

<@Noriko> He felt guilty about certain parts, maybe he just felt guilty about the bits that matters and that was the important part?

<Toxic> Adam stared into his bowl. "There was...one of the Marauders." He murmured. "We had this rule. If...if someone backed down, we let them go...if a Marauder backed down, we brought them in for questioning. But that was the rule - if they surrendered, no killing. It was why I had a habit of...blowing open the back walls so that the grunts could run when they knew they were going to lose."

<Toxic> He drew in a breath. "One of them gave up. Begged. Wanted to help, even if it was just to save her own life. R- another of the X-Force...she just...just killed her. Broke her neck, dropped her from a couple of stories up. Just...just like that. I-I know I killed a few, I know I did it messily but hell, hell if I did it when they surrendered."

<@Noriko> Gently she reached out and put a hand on Toxic's knee, no were threatening and certainly not quickly don't make him jump. "Then you not as evil as everyone thought you were Toxic, the way it was made out you went in and killed without thought, but you gave them a chance to survive at least."

<Toxic> "No - God, no, not without thought, they were the bad guys but I'd never be able to face myself if-" It wasn't entirely a lie. Adam didn't feel guilt as such, but there were some boundries that even he didn't cross. He looked at the hand on his knee, lip wibbling - before Noriko had a blur clinging to her and sniffling. "I just wanted to protect people, I wanted to keep them safe from Essex and the Marauders - I'm not evil!"

<@Noriko> The gauntlets saved the light again as she jumped abit with the sudden hug, arms going around him as she hugged him back. "I think I understand.... sssh I got you, I'm not sure how I feel about all this but I'm still your friend ok? And I think if your feeling guilty about this? Then your not evil."

<Toxic> Adam was surprised just how much of a relief it was to hear that from someone, to not be shouted at for something he believed was right. Before he knew it, he was actually crying, albeit quietly as he was hugged, all the tiredness and stress since he'd woken up finally coming to the surface. "Th-thank you...you h-have no idea what that means right now."

<@Noriko> She held him there on the kitchen floor, petting at the pretty blond hair and trying to comfort him. "It's ok, we're meant to be friends right? I just think it might be better if you tired really hard to never do it again you know? Bad things happen to people that do bad things, so try not to do anymore bad ok?"

<Toxic> She'd prefer if he said yes, it'd make her feel better about being around him, so Adam nodded. "...Okay." He swallowed, all but clinging to her, for once relaxed. "No more bad things...I just want bad things to stop happening to people."

<@Noriko> "I know, it's horrible when bad things happen to people and I know you said you can't promise it won't happen again. I just want you to try okay?" He was alittle bit to big to pull on her lap and cuddle properly but it wasn't stopping her holding him at all. "Just try."

<Toxic> Adam nodded slowly, calming down a little. "I can do that. I...don't think I'll be allowed on the X-Men any more anyway, but all I want to do is help and maybe concentrate on my music, I don't think I'm really cut out to be a...normal person."

<@Noriko> "No well you did break the rules you know." Giving a very nervous chuckle then as she petted him. "Maybe you can find other ways to help people? or just help round school to make up for things. I don't think anyone that comes to this school is ever going to be a normal person ever."

<Toxic> "I don't know, you're pretty normal, for a Japanese girl." Adam laughed a little weakly before realising that God forbid he was touching someone. Carefully, he extracted himself before giving her one more hug. "...Thank you, Noriko, really - and thank you for the little present too - I found it and Bit really appreciated the treats." He smiled at her.

<@Noriko> "Yeah just haven't seen me on the night times summoning tentacle space creatures yet." Smiling properly for him before letting him retreat. "Your welcome and I couldn't give you something and not give bit something could I? It wouldn't be fair."

<Toxic> "No...'specially as he's injured still." Adam smiled softly. "Silly bun...I swear he's as insane as me." He went back to his noodles, wiping his eyes and sniffing again before actually eating a little. "Hey...Noriko...? Do you...um...do you wanna come to my club tonight? I...I'm having an open night...because I'm debuting a single this week..."

<@Noriko> Getting up she slowly went back to her seat and carried on with her breakfast. "I'll see how Clarice is feeling, if Jp can't look after her and she needs someone then no, but if she's ok and someones with her then sure I would like some downtime, get my mind off my nightmares you know?" because she could still remember the crystal going through that mans head with perfect clarity.

<Toxic> Adam nodded. "Trust me...I know about nightmares. Very, very well." He played with his noodleys for a moment. "You think...Clarice would...mind if I came and checked on her? I was...really worried about her but I figured she didn't want anything to do with me after..."

<@Noriko> "I'm not going to tell Clarice and I hope Jp doesn't either but I watched her killed someone right in front of me. I can't stop thinking about it." Rubbing her own eyes trying to clear the memory. "I'm not sure Toxic, she's not in much of a people mood... but it doesn't hurt to stop by and see you know? She needs to remember that everyone cares about her and no one hates her right now I think."

<Toxic> "Okay. I'll come up later then." Adam nodded. "She needs to remember that wasn't her." He wrinkled his nose. "Goddamned Apocolypse." He took a deep breath. "Okay...I think I can face people now that I know not everyone wants me dead for it."

<@Noriko> "For you to kill, then to people want you dead for killing is alittle bit stupid really." Picking up the nearly forgotten tea and sipping it. "Nice tea thank you. And hopefully I shall see you at your party tonight." Smiling she relaxed again happy to eat breakfast with her friend.

[Slarti]

D'awwww, he made a friend!

Bobby's glad his edit to the X-Force rules did somebody some good.