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Summary: Hosea and Travis meet up in Thompson Square Park and discuss Nero and what happened.
Date: March 1, 2011
Log Title: What Are You Going To Do
Rating: PG
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'.
Two trees have been planted in the park as a Memorial to Carmencita Florez and Detective Baxter each with a plaque stating the tree is in their memory.
It's getting to be close to lunchtime and inbetween his classes Travis has slipped out to Mutant Town. He's got a half dozen flowers with him that he lays down on the ground next to the plaque for the small tree that was planted in memory of Carmencita Florez. He bows his head for a few silent words for the woman before placing another half dozen flowers down for Detective Baxter. There are a number of flowers, candles, stuffed animals and other small gifts left there in the memory of the two fallen recently in the events in Mutant Town.
Hosea carries some flowers as well. His church asked if he'd be so kind to drop them off. Why him? Because he can get to Mutant Town in a matter of seconds. He first appears over the top of the park, followed by another teleport to the ground. He stumbles forward a few steps before coming to a stop behind Travis. The tall Nigerian straightens himself, and steps up beside the six armed mutant. Who are the flowers for? Well, that wasn't really clearly lined out, so Hosea places them in front of the girl's tree. After all, she was where the situation started.
Travis is hiding his extra arms today with his bulky looking long jacket. For him it helps to just take that extra step in hiding who he is. When Hosea walks over to place the flowers down for Carmen he looks up at him. "You're really one of the few people I feel short around." He comments with a faint smile. "How's it going Hosea?"
Hosea turns around at his name, "Travis, it is well with my soul," he says. "I am vedy tall, it is true," he answers with a smile of his own. The Nigerian reaches out with a hand to shake to the other mutant. "I am sorry I have not been able to see more of you since we returned. How are things with you?" he returns the question.
Travis shakes hands with Hosea and shrugs. "Don't worry about it. Things have been busy to say the least. It's like right after everything happened this happens but I'm glad I got to help out and at least Lil is safe and we don't need a third tree here." He says taking a deep breath. "I don't like to see innocent people get killed, Hosea." He says looking down at the memorial. "I hope their families are managing."
"It can be difficult," Hosea agrees with a nod. "It is nevah a pleasant thing to lose someone close." He arches his brow back at Travis, reaching out his other hand to pat him on the shoulder. "It is hard to leave death only to come back to death. I am vedy sorry for what you had to see in Nigeria, I undahstand da types of things dat you must have gone through." He looks back at the plaque. "I did not know dis girl or her family, but I hope dey are doing well, too."
"I lost my father a few years ago so death always hits me a bit hard." Travis admits quietly. "Like Carmen, he was shot and killed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. And what happened in Nigeria I'm trying to put behind me. I want to be stronger and not let what Nero did change who I am. I don't like what I did there and sometimes I don't feel any better than the officers that murdered Carmen."
Hosea nods, "Many people believe dat Nero got his power from fear," the tall African says. "But I lived under his control for two yeahs." He lifts his jaw so that the scar across his throat is easily visible. "Nero understood a vedy basic part of humans. We are all capable of great evil. Most decide to hide from it, some, like da wicked officers, and like Nero, choose to embrace it, because it is easy. Vedy few are willing to confront dat evil in us. It is vedy strong. What happened will always be with you. It is not pleasant, but da suffering is not da thing dat is evil."
Travis shakes his head. "I really don't believe that, that everyone is capable of great evil." He takes a deep breath and looks up. "I did something there that I thought I didn't have in me. I won't deny that and I take responsiblity for my actions but I don't think everyone would have. And Sorry Hosea, I know you have your set of beliefs like Abraham does and I'm not going to knock it but I don't really believe the same thing."
Hosea sighs. "Travis, I want to let you know dat I pray for you. Everyone has a breaking point. You found yours. What will you do now dat you know it is dere?" The Nigerian shrugs. "Do you just put it behind you and hope it does not happen again?" He looks very concerned for the matter.
"Make sure it doesn't happen again." Travis says as if it's simple as that. "He made me kill someone and it felt horrible. But I'm not a killer Hosea. There's a reason I didn't kill Nero. I didn't want to. If I did then that would have proven he broke me."
Hosea quirks one brow. "Can you love Nero?" he asks. "Dat is da struggle for me. When I saw him on dat ledge, we did not have to save him. We could have let him fall to his death. I know dat I was tempted. It is good dat you did not kill him, but in my heart, I have found hate to be just as bad as murder. I hate evil, which is good, but I must be careful not to hate those who do evil, or I shall become da same as dem. I was da same as dem." The Nigerian stares down at the plaque. "It is what separates da people like Rashmi, who seeks to do good to others and bring peace, from people like da Magneto, who uses his hate to try to bring peace. Dey both want da same end, but one makes himself da villain to accomplish it."
"Hate…kinda? I don't know, I think it's more he's not worth it." Travis tries to explain. "I don't think he's worth hating. To hate him means that he still infuences who I am and how I feel. If I saw him again, I don't know what I'd do. I'm just statisfied knowing that I did what I can to make sure he can't use his own two hands to harm someone again. I'd rather someone like him live with knowing what he did caused that then letting them die and be released from having to live with themselves."
"I hope you are right," Hosea says, but he doesn't sound convinced. "I wish I could say he would be da last as well," he muses, "But I know dere will be more. Dere are already more, just as wicked as he is." The trees are gestured to by one of his large arms. "Dey are here in America, too. Dey may not have da same powah as in Africa, but it is good dat God has blessed us with our powers. It gives us da ability to stop dem."
"Rashmi, Connor, Bruce, Kalindi and I were able to stop those police offeres and rescue Lil with the help of many others. For everyone out there that is a bad guy there are people out there who are willing to fight for what's right. I think there are more people that are good then are evil." Travis says as he looks down at the two memorials. "Like Carmen and Detective Baxter. I like to believe they were good people. Detective Baxter went out of his way to give Rashmi information to stop what was going on."
Hosea frowns. "I think I have known too many people to agree with dat," he responds. "I do not have da comfort of choosing what I like to believe, only what I have found to be real. Unfortunately, what I like to believe and what is real often are not da same."
"What you have found to be real and what I have found to be real are different Hosea." Travis says before looking at him. "When I was fifteen, like I said, my father died. He was shot and killed and I saw it. I watched my hero get murdered." He pauses and takes a deep breath as it's not something the likes to talk about. "He was killed by a group of bad men, and I'll leave it at that. Next thing My Mom and I knew, we were recieving death threats if we were to testify and other warnings. We still did and they people who murdered my father went to jail. After that My Mom and I went into the witness protection. I know there are people who will do the right thing and that they'll risk everything to do the right thing."
"I am sorry to hear dat," Hosea says, "I know how difficult it is to lose your fatha. My fatha died when I was twelve," Hosea answers with his own tale. "He was murdered protecting a man who would have killed him given da opportunity. I also was standind dere, just as you were. My mother was taken as da murderer's wife, and I was taken a prisoner along with my whole village. I watched as each of my brothers slowly broke under Nero's men, and did not realize until it had long past dat I had also broken. I believed dat we would always do da right thing. It can become difficult to know what dat is when living in dis world. What seems to be da right thing can be changed by what we think wrongly about. Nobody wants to believe dat dey are da wrongdoer. I did not. So I compared myself to others, to show how much bettah I was den dem, for dere was diss or anotha thing dat I would not do, that dey were willing to do. It did not make me bettah, it just made me blind."
"I don't like to compaire myself to people but it happens sometimes." Travis admits. "You see someone you think is better than you and you want to compaire if it makes you feel better or worse. I almost felt shallow next to Rashmi at one point in regards to my dreams of being a baseball player compared to hers. But it was silly. At the end of the day it's you that you have to answer to and you you have to be happy with." Travis says with a shrug of one shoulder that moves the whole left side of his jacket. "If you're not happy with yourself then, you're not going to be happy with anything. Adn the only reason I killed the guy is because her life was on the line too. If it wasn't, I probably would have let him live, but I care too much about her Hosea." He says giving a smile.
Hosea lets his own smile creep across his face, wiping away the dire expression. "Hah," he laughs, "She is a vedy special girl. A kind girl. Are you dating her?" he asks. "Do not be ashamed to kill to protect dat which you love. It was not a sin to do dat. It was a terrible thing dat you had to do, but it was not wrong for you to protect her. Dere is time to kill, it is not common, but you were faced with dat time."
Travis smiles and nods. "Yeah, we're dating. I like her alot." He admits with a bit of a blush. "Like I've said, I might have killed someone but I know I'm not a killer." He has to believe that. "Well I have to get back to Barnes. I have combat training and history classes I need to get to. It was good seeing ya again Hosea. Take care."
