Players:
Summary: A random meeting in the park goes a little wrong.
Date: January 5, 2010.
First Impressions
Rating: PG
NYC - Central Park
Central Park is a large public park in upper Manhattan, largest areas of green with people reading, having a picnic, or playing Frisbee. Walking paths can be found all around the park. In-between the large area's of grass, the park is shadier with many trees. A large road circles the park where joggers, bicyclists, and inline skaters are commonly found.
The winter sun is shining on the park and people are walking, jogging and generally trying to soak up those pallid rays while they can. Given that it is the middle of the day in the winter, the park isn't as crowded as it could be and Ethan isn't attracting that much attention as he rests a hand on the bole of an older tree and /listens/ with that peculiar spirit awareness of his. The elementals haven't been acting right and the plant ones are, perhaps, the most accessible and understandable. Usually. All he's seeing at the moment in the spiritual landscape are a lot of minor elementals who are, for lack of a better word, skulking. He frowns. "What on /earth/ is going on with the elements this week?"
Walking down the path in the Central park with his hands shoved in his pockets, is Kaden. The cold doesn't bother him as he can control the heat around him to keep himself comfortable, a hand trick he didn't know last winter. He's just ignoring everyone for the most part as he really doesn't give a damn about those around him. Well he tells himself that. As he passes Dallas, he stops and just stares at the kid, as if trying to determine what he heard is correct. Elements?
Ethan frowns as a random fire elemental scampers past, not as an open flame but rather as a wisp of heat. He turns his head to track the tiny salamander, invisible to most people and sees an entire flock of them swirling and dancing gleefully around a single figure like diminutive dancers around an even larger bonfire. For the second time he sees what he's been thinking of as an 'elemental king' and his eyes widen. Fire, even spirit fire, is much more showy than earth and to his spirit sight, Kaden is a tower of eternal hot-hot flame, superimposed over his human form. Ethan's breath catches and he says, "My word. Even more spectacular than Dmitri!"
"What?" Kaden says as Dmitri is mentioned, it has to be his Dmitri right? Who knows. "Okay, what the hell is going on, first I hear you say Elements and then I hear you say Dmitri, well the hell are you up to?" It's not like Kaden is among the small fire spirits, it's more like he's one with them. He's connected to them all because of what he is, what he embodies.
Ethan instinctively reaches out to gather a few of the elementals on the edge of Kaden's aura of power and send them spinning up and around, smiling as they arc back towards their 'king' like filings to a magnet. He nods to the young man and says, "Hello. I'm, um, an associate of your friend, I suppose you'd say. We've met at least. And as to what I'm doing, I'm trying to figure out why the, ah, ethereal landscape is changed since last week." He lowers his voice a little and says, "Something's disturbing the minor elements. But then again, I'm guessing you already know that, given who you are."
"Oh, so you know Dmitri.." Kaden doesn't have a lot of control as he's still learning so as Ethan moves some of the salamanders, there's a sudden cold that hits him, even if for a second. "What the hell did you just do? And what the hell are you talking about? Etheral landscape? I don't see that anything changed." He isn't exactly attunded to magic. "I've been fine lately thanks for being nosey."
Ethan blinks as Kaden speaks and his eyes narrow. "You don't see the minor elementals around you? I mean, you're practically generating them, just by standing there. And certainly attracting and using them for that aura you're projecting." He pauses and clasps his hands behind his back, expression suddenly thoughtful. "Hm. I wonder if you might not exist in a slightly different plane than the lesser ones? If you were closer to the astral and thus the racial subconscious of man, it would explain your intelligence and human form. Remarkable."
Kaden just looks at Ethan like he has two heads, nothing he is saying is making sense to him. "Are you making fun of me?" He says taking that last part about intelligence as an insult, he's kind of senisitve about being slower than most people educationally. "I have no fucking clue what you're talking about but if you're getting a rise outta me, I'm gonna punch your face in."
Ethan nods obliviously. "And of course, the volatile nature and, ahem, fiery temper would be from your affinity to your element. You really /are/ shaped by them. Which would explain Dmitri's somewhat …stoic… demeanor as well." He holds up one hand in 'hold on' gesture. "But there is no need for conflict. I'm not mocking you. I'm delighted that you exist. And perplexed. I've never met anything like you two before. It's …amazing. Beautiful."
Kaden is torn between wanting to punch Ethan in the face and just being completely perplexed. "I'm not shapped by anything, I'm just me, and ya know, you don't even fucking know me so stop pretending you do." What's throwing him off is the 'delighted you exist', it's not something he's been told that often. "Well I'm perpelexed by your…what ever the fuck your saying. So we're even, and there's nothing 'beautiful' or 'amazing' about me."
Ethan shakes his head and says, "Alright. If you say so. But I can assure you that there is, from how I see things." A faint, slightly sad smile at that. "But then again, nobody sees things the way I do. And as for what you aren't shaping, well then, you won't mind if I send them off on their own business then." He hesitates at that, because the tiny imps, drakes and salamanders seem to be happy moving through and around Kaden's aura of power. Then again, the experiment is worth a try. Perhaps /this/ elemental king can be commanded. He calls Kaden's elementals to himself, willing any who come to flicker like fireflies, making tiny visible flames for a moment and then flow away back to the sources of heat and fire that make them.
Kaden is still learning control, granted he's had it for close to a year, but not quite, so some of the heat is drawn away from Kaden and he's left there cold for a few seconds. He sees the fire flicker and moves, to get right up in Ethan's face. "Leave me the fuck alone and stop fucking with me okay? You said you don't want conflict but I see you just looking for me to kick your ass." He doesn't notice the heat has been drawn back to him, he's just to agitated right now and isn't remembering to check his temper.
Ethan blinks as he realizes Kaden is actually upset and not as thrilled with the theoretical implications and possible ramifications as Ethan himself is. He takes a step back and makes a low, subtle gesture to the ground, which ripples and sways under Kaden's feet as it tries to flow up and around his shoes to make stone restraints, low-key and easy to miss unless one happens to be paying close attention to the two young men. "Ah. Hm. Shall we, ah, take a moment to compose ourselves?" A moment of hesitation, "I apologize if I've disconcerted you."
Kaden doesn't really have time to react as Ethan makes stone restraints around his feet. He's pissed now and it shows on his face. "What the fuck dude? Seriously, what's your problem?!" He goes to throw a punch in Ethan's direction, as he thinking about aiming a blast of fire at the magic user but stops himself. "Listen." He says through clenched teeth. "I don't want to burn you, but I will if you don't let me go right now."
Ethan shakes his head, trying to figure out where things went so wrong and looks down at the little earth gnomes and other genius loci who uncoil and unwrap from around Kaden's feet. He takes another step back and his expression is nervous as he says, "Look, I /am/ sorry. I reacted defensively. I mean you no harm or disrespect. It's just… I've been able to /see/ spirits much like you my whole life but you are only the second I've actually been able to /talk/ with. I became, um, over-anxious. No harm intended." He seems a bit upset and worried now.
Kaden lowers his hand and just watches Ethan for a bit, taking a few steps back. "Yeah well half of what you're saying makes no sense to me. You act like I'm some fucking…." He tries to think of what he's trying to explain but it's hard and takes him a few moments. "creation for your to gawk at, I'm not. I don't care if you also know Dmitri, you should probably just leave me alone before I get too pissed off and hurt you."
Ethan shrugs and says, "Well, you /are/ the first self-willed elemental I've ever met. And the first one that apparently /isn't/ a creation of natural forces. Ah, abstract natural forces, not, um …biological ones." Why yes, he does blush ever so faintly at that. Apparently, this whole encounter has put him off
balance. He says, "While I doubt I'd be as easy to hurt as you seem to think…." He is, after all, a superhero. Kind of. He has the uniform. Two uniforms! And has been on a team-up! And he totally has a Young Avenger's cellphone number. "… I think we got off on the wrong foot and admit that it's my fault." He pulls out a note pad and silver pen, scrawling contact information on it and holding it out to Kaden. "If you decide you want to talk or need an expert in the arcane, you may contact me."
Kaden crosses his arms and looks at the pad. "Well I was created biologically, even if I don't really know…that bitch or who my father is." Apparently Kaden has parental issues. "I'm just like Dmitri, we're connected. I'm connected with fire, I'm more than connected but I'm also not just something for you to gawk at." He doesn't take the contact information, yet at least, but just stares at Ethan. "What, you want me to call so we can be buddy buddy, screw that."
Ethan shrugs and says, "As you wish." His own demeanor goes icy as his offer is rebuffed. "Just as well. I suspect there was little enough to learn from …." He stops, shrugs expressively, a haughty, detached expression on his face. "Well, yes. I suppose I should get back to the business of finding out what's wrong with the lesser elementals. Given that the greater ones are apparently too busy or unable to do so themselves." He shoots the cuffs of his dress shirt under his coat sleeves and gives Kaden a nod that suggests that the elemental is dismissed as Ethan turns away. "Good day."
Kaden looks as Ethan for a bit and just shrugs. "Whatever man, do your own thing." He still has no clue what Ethan's talking about with lesser elementals and greater ones, all Kaden knows is that he is fire. He's not a lesser or greater anything. He just turns and walks off, figuring he'll stop and see Dmitri before heading back home. "Fucking weirdos." He mutters as he goes along his own way..
