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Summary: Misha finds Bruce in the park. They discuss Barne’s Academy and Bruce voices his distrust of the organization.
Log Title: The Perceived Threat
Rating: PG (L)
NYC- Thompson Square Park
Thompson Square Park is a small park in the middle of Mutant Town. The benches might need a fresh coat of paint, the fence might be rusted in places and the pavement is raised and has cracks but it's all part of the mutant haven and fairly relaxing. Trees and grassy areas are in between the many paths, there are a few structures and benches along the path as well as a special area of the park that is marked 'the dog walk'.
Scene
A drizzly day isn't enough to keep a certain Russian off the streets, especially since it means that it's keeping other people away. Not that he's doing much of anything beyond using the park as point A to point b, but hey. Wearing Barnes Academy jacket in blue, and looking a totally normal teen-ager otherwise, Misha all but stumbles over a dog as it chases a squirrel. With a Polish exclamation of surprise at nearly being knocked over, he soon laughs as he realizes what is going on. Silly dog! "Hey.." A grin and the young man is moving after the dog, racing to catch the dropped leash. Thankfully the squirrel gets treed, allowing Mik to grab for it. "Tsk! What are you running away for." Hopefully the dog doesn't take offense at the teen having the leash.
Dropping into a crouch, leash firmly in hand, Misha offers the other. Let the dog come to him. "Will you be letting me see collar, pretty dog?" So he can find out where it goes!
Tiberius just sits and looks up at the tree, cocking his head at the man who grabbed his leash. He wags his tail and barks playfully at the man, but takes no aggressive stances. His collar will say "Tiberius Aurelius Maximus" with an address in Mutant Town and a phone number.
Bruce is currently standing in the middle of the park looking rather annoyed. He is wearing blue jeans, a green jacket, and his Akubra hat. The man is glaring at half of a leash wondering where his dog went. "Damn it Tiberius it's a squirrel! You see them every day!" He yells it out to no one in particular while glancing around for his dog. He finally spots him over by a kid in a jacket. He calls out "Hold him for me, mate!" and jogs over. His gait is slightly clumsy, as though he is recovering from a leg wound.
As the dog proves friendly, Misha rewards it with some good scritches to chin and chest. This is what's going on as Bruce calls out. The teen looks up, and then with a grin shows the leash he has firmly in hand. Also rises to his feet once the man fully approaches. Oh! It's the guy from that brief talk in the park days ago. "Hello." Said as the leash is offered over. "You are hurt?" A little pause as he adds, "We were meeting briefly days ago. Talking of mutants." So there's no confusion of that he seems to know Bruce. "I am Mikhail." Doesn't expect anyone to remember, for he's a very forgettable appearance.
Bruce manages to get over to the two of them and takes the leash from Mikhail. "Thanks a bunch, mate." He wags a finger at the dog. "Bad Tiberius. You could get hit by a car or somethin'." He reclips the leash back together and looks at Mikhail, "Oh right." The look on his face belies his feigned familiarity with the boy. "Um…" When did he talk about mutants in the park. With Magneto, this boy wasn't with Magneto. "Oh! With the cat…Person." Now he's starting to recall. He glances idly at the boys coat and ponders a moment. Where has he heard that name before?
There's a smile for the cat person, and Misha motions a circle near his head with a finger. A crazy cat person. "Yes. Strange cat man." His accent is still heavy, but his English has already improved since last you two spoke. Not that his voice sounds any better. Still rough. "Was only a few minutes. Do not be worried of not remembering me. Was being very brief." Clearly he's not too worried about it. "You were having strong thoughts on mutants. I was not having time to remain." A shrug, for it's not a big deal. He heard the idea later on anyway, from someone else.
There's a smile for the cat person, and Misha motions a circle near his head with a finger. A crazy cat person. "Yes. Strange cat man." His accent is still heavy, but his English has already improved since last you two spoke. Not that his voice sounds any better. Still rough. "Was only a few minutes. Do not be worried of not remembering me. Was being very brief." Clearly he's not too worried about it. "You were having strong thoughts on mutants. I was not having time to remain." A shrug, for it's not a big deal. He heard the idea later on anyway, from someone else.
Bruce nods "Right. Oh yeah, m' name's Bruce, in case you forgot or I didn't tell ya last time." He wipes off his hand and offers it out for a shake. "No, I'm not terribly injured, I just tripped over muttly here the other day and hurt me leg a little. It'll be fine." He certainly didn't continually injure himself fighting with people. "Yeah there was something in the paper the other day about someth…Barnes..Barnes Barnes…" He rubs his chin. Someone had mentioned that school the other day. Who was it and why? "That sounds so familiar to me."
Misha accepts and shakes that hand. "Barnes Academy?" That's what Bruce was trying to remember. "I am glad you are okay. That limp.. must hurt." If Bruce is limping that badly, it must have been bad. No, Misha doesn't think Bruce tripped over his dog, but he acts as though he accepts the story at face value. No point in not doing so. "I am not sure what was in paper though. Do attend school at Barnes though." The teen looks curious and tilts his head at Bruce.
Bruce snaps his fingers. "Right!" He remembers now, that's the school Kage was talking about. The micro-Avengers school. Bruce contemplates for a moment whether or not he wants to question this kid about that school. After all, Kage said s/he could find it by shimself. "I believe the paper had to do with the MRA. Usually that's what gets me ragin'. Do you have any thoughts on it?" He'll try to get an idea of the boy's views before asking about the school. Tiberius rolls on the ground a little, but Bruce ignores him for the most part.
"Oh!" That he knows. "I am registered. It was one of the prices I was having to pay for being in America. Barnes is not for all mutants though. For all with powers, no matter how they were had." Straightening with that, Misha turns back to Bruce. It doesn't make him happy, but what can he do? "My situation is being strange." A bit sheepish there. "Am being chased by something from Russia. SHIELD took me in and agreed to protect. They have taken care of much so that I can be safe here. Registering was small." A shrug and he leaves it there. Never mind that Misha isn't actually a mutant, and there for didn't technically have to register. That doesn't change that he's got worse than registration. He's tied to some top secret stuff he didn't even know about until he came to the states.
There's a bit of puzzlement over the tags in ears. "…But we can already be traced by cell phones and such. In a year or two your drivers license will be able to do same. Does not matter if you are being mutant or not. This is where things are going."
Bruce shakes his head. "No no. It's not that that's the problem. Well…That's kind of a problem…But the major issue here is that they want to contain mutants and separate us from society. A war is brewing. Humans versus mutants. And they want to make sure that they have as many mutants locked up in cells as possible before the rest of the better race figures out what's happening."
He frowns at the boy. "Registered to enter the country? I didn't register when I entered the country. Is everyone at Barnes registered? If so that school is not at all safe." He nods slightly at the boy, "Yeah, the RAIC is looking for me. Want me to be a weapon for them. A dog of the military. Who is this SHIELD you're talking about. Best be cautious, might be the same situation."
There's an uncomfortable look for where this topic is going. Let's skip that for now. And there's the shake of his head for the assumption of registering at Barnes. "My situation is being strange. Do not assume what they were doing for me is normal." Misha lifts a hand to try and stall this. "You are leaping to many wrong ideas here." Conclusions, but he doesn't yet know the word in English. "Mother did something in Russia, so they let loose awful experiment. SHIELD could have given me back to Russia and being killed, but they protect instead. Knowing of powers seems small thing, yes? For now, and I know that it could be changing, Barnes protects me in case experiments are being sent here."
"You know Mutant registration, but not knowing SHIELD?" He kind of smiles for it. Misha shrugs, "SHIELD is government agency that protects. For now separate from rest of stuff. For now." Mostly. Kinda? Doesn't know who the RAIC is either, but he doesn't ask.
"Experiments?” Bruce narrows his eyes. What kind of experiments? Is Russia using mutants as lab rats the same way he and Jack were used during the war? He decides not to ask specifics on that just yet. The boy is a little hard to understand and he assumes some of what he is saying is a bit confusing to the boy as well. "So SHIELD is government run. They may be protecting you now, but at what cost? They may ask something of you in the future. Use you as a weapon, as an experiment, try to figure out what's so special about you that Russia wants you so bad." He shakes his head, "There are safer places to be than in direct sight of the government. How do you know they won't use you as a bargaining chip in a tough spot?"
Misha waves a hand in a dismissive manner. "Already know what Russia wanted, and was really not being me." Not that he's really that accepting of it. More of there's nothing he can do. "Something that was sent to house. Was assumed I was having it." Which he did, but better to claim he didn't. The teen doesn't mention how paranoid Bruce is being. "Because they could not be keeping me." Said with a seeming innocence, and a firm belief. "I have no family now, and nothing that can not be replaced later. They try anything and I leave." It really is that simple. "For now I get good place to live and education. Why not use that?"
Bruce sighs and scratches the back of his head. "Yeah, you get a place to stay and to learn, but once they start up you won't have a fair warning, mate. It'll be over before you know what's happening. Before you can even decide to up and leave." The man frowns and taps his foot. "There's NOTHING keeping you there? You mean that in that whole school you've made no friends? No one they could use against you if you decided it was time to leave? No one they could hold hostage that you would want to save or protect?" That's only human nature. Bruce knows how he would manipulate people if he were the enemy. He spends all day going over scenarios and tactics in his mind.
It all sounds so outrageous, doesn't it? Part of why Misha doesn't mind telling his story, or making these claims. Doesn't appear too convinced about the war that's coming though. It has him eyeing the man. "What proof is there of this?" Asked with a dubious expression. Not like the city in general shows signs of mutant round ups. As for serving the people, that Misha accepts with a slow nod. "You have big opinions I am seeing."
Bruce shrugs, "It's not stuff you'll see right away until it's too late. They slowly take away mutant freedoms, turn public opinion against us. Then they attack and no one cares. Read up on any such event. The Holocaust, for example." He shrugs again, "If people knew it was going to get as bad as it did, you think they would have stayed quiet?" Bruce shakes his head, "Of course not. I'll fight against that future, and if I can't prevent it I'll fight it when it arrives."
Misha doesn't mention that he hails from a land where the holocaust is still reality. Where many refuse to allow it to be forgotten. Many Polish Jews died in those camps, and he grew up among the children's children of the survivors. There's a look of distaste for it, but the reason behind the emotion may be mistaken. No, this one knows well about the camps. "..You are not being too sure of some facts, but okay." Passive disagreement. "Are you living in Mutant Town then?" For this is where the mutants are most concentrated inside the city.
Bruce stands from petting the dog and opens his mouth to say something, but he closes his mouth and shakes his head. This boy is too hard to read, he feels as though further discussion of the perceived coming peril will be met with disagreement. Instead he takes the caveat into this new subject. "Yes, I live in mutant town, work in mutant town. Don't leave too often if I don't have to."
The shift isn't lost on Misha, but he continues to play a little clueless. A little blind. Really, it's how he perceives most teen-agers his age. There's a smile for living in Mutant Town, and Misha points off towards one of the social centers of the area. One of those kid shelters that encourage activities to keep them off the streets. "I have been spending time there." Since he has a power he fits in more easily here. Never mind Misha isn't a mutant. "Must return to Barnes at night, but beats sleeping on street." Barnes is much better than homeless.
Bruce glances idly over at the center the teen points at. "Right, that's a community center, right? I see some of the less fortunate mutants go in and out of there sometimes." Actually that's one of Bruce's targets. Mutants who have little going for them are more likely to join in his crusade. With them, some people from the bar, and some students from Barne's and Xaviers if he can get them Bruce should have the numbers he needs to begin effecting change. "So they have a curfew then? I guess that's normal. Night's not a time for kids to be running around New York City."
A nod about the community center. Yep! "That is why I am going there." Those less fortunate. "I would be homeless without Barnes, so I try and help some." Can't do a whole lot, but he can give a little. That he hasn't seen Bruce before says how little time he can actually spare. Barnes tries to keep him distracted and busy. Of course he knows that and flat out skips some classes when he wants free time. "Yes." A curfew. "I am being eighteen though, so they can not be giving me too much hassle." He's college level. "I get school work done and do well with grades. There is little much Barnes can be doing." A shrug and he seems unconcerned.
Bruce ponders that for a moment. Perhaps he should volunteer at the community center. It would give him a lot of opportunities to try and recruit new allies. "Ah, so the school is a bit more than just a prep school, it goes up into college levels too?" He frowns, unless this kid got held back at some point. Bruce sees that as a very real possibility based on Misha's responses.
"Oh yes." That it goes into college level. "I am freshmen of course, but in college. Am not having to share dorm room either." Misha rolls his eyes for that. "They offer many lessons besides mere college too. Is being very nice." He especially likes the combat lessons, but doesn't say that. "They are being new. Barnes I mean. I joined right after opening. There are not yet being many students."
Bruce nods, "Ah. I see." Why would there be a school funded by the government that trains only people with super-human abilities. It must be a front. Either they're training them as weapons, using them for experiments, or keeping them where they can be easily watched and contained. Bruce does not trust this school, though he probably would if it weren't run by the government. "And everyone there has an ability? I know not all are mutants." Ghost Boy said he wasn't a mutant, for instance. "And not many students, eh?" Maybe it will be harder to track down the school after all. But maybe Kage can track a specific mutant, in which case Bruce now knows two.
It's okay, Misha doesn't trust it either. He's just playing along for the free room and board. "I am guessing, yes." That all have a power. "I have not been meeting everyone there." A shrug says that isn't a priority. "Why? Are you not too old to be attending there?" Asked with amusement. Oh, the teen understands the questioning. It's just that he again plays it as though he doesn't.
Bruce is thinking hard when the question comes. "Why ask about that place? Because I honestly don't trust it." He gives a half smile. "Need to know what I'm up against if something there goes amiss. I already know that not all the kiddos there are mutant friendly." Who? Caleb. Not mutant friendly? Well he did try to stop Bruce from robbing a bank. That's bad enough for Bruce to decide the kid's an obstacle.
Not all there are mutant friendly? That has the teen putting on a confused expression. Some aren't? "I have never been meeting anyone like that." But then he did claim to not have met all. "Which I have not met all." A kind of lame finish. Yeah, there could be, couldn't there? "There is no being groups to fight others though. Of that I can be sure. Training only for those with no control." Misha checked that one early one. If there are mutants being trained to fight mutants, it's not at Barnes.
Bruce shrugs. "Yeah well one of the students there attacked me personally. Three times, actually." Granted Bruce tends to be doing not so legal things when he's attacked, but he'll not mention that. "You're the only other person from that school I've met. You seem alright, but just be warey. The other one wasn't a true mutant. That is probably why he saw me as an enemy." Also because he was robbing a bank, fighting someone on the street, and attacking the boy with salt.
With a pat to Tiberius, the teen shakes his head again. "Thank you for warnings." Even if he appears to dismiss them entirely. Misha straightens from dog petting, and gives another smile. "Mayhap you get out of rain and feel better?" He's pretty damp by now, hair clinging to scalp. Still, this is amusing, and with a wave the teen jogs off to the community center.
~ Fin ~
