The Fire Grows Bored (closed)

James smiled even bigger and the feeling of triumph was in him. At this point, he had found out Jade's name, had gotten to spend alone time with her, and now had even won a date. Life really did do wonders when you followed instinct. All they had to do now was get down and... Wait, where did he leave his clothes?

"This is kind of embarrassing. I forgot where I left my street clothes, and I don't think you want me to step out of uniform quite yet if you're wanting to avoid attention," James said to Jade," This is a big enough city I probably won't find them either. We'll have to stop by my place after all." He knew that would sound like he was just trying to get her home, but it wasn't like that. James could've come up with something much better than that if it was.

James walked over and wrapped his arms around Jade so he could hold her carefully, "So did you want to go straight down with me like this, or do we go straight to my place so I can change into something a bit more normal?" He flared back up and would take-off to whichever she preferred.

"No... that's quite alright," Jade murmured as she made her way to the roof access door and tried the handle- fortunately it was unlocked. She wondered whether this was a single company's building or if it was a joint practice, either way she was thankful that they didn't bother to lock their doors. "I'll walk down and you can fly off to your place." A quick glance to the watch on her wrist, "And we'll meet back at the grocery store in an hour- or two, I don't know how far I am away from my car at this point." Without another word, she opened the door and stepped through, she would've declined the offer to be flown any way. Aside from her general distaste for the air, Jade wanted some time to think of her next step. In having the "date" with meta human James Harris who also moonlighted as "Flashfire" Jade had given herself a very rare opportunity to interact with another meta human outside of battle. She was hoping that this recess from violence would be enough for her to convince him to at least think about the idea of coexistence rather than... well the grim alternative.

The walk through the building (which turned out to be an insurance firm) was uneventful. When asked why she was present, she merely stated that she had an appointment and had gotten lost, then made up something fancy and went with her way. It wasn't hard, seeing as she was part of a legal firm and new some fancy jargon that would make anyone believe she knew what she was doing. Walking at a brisk pace took her to the elevator and she hit the button that would direct the elevator to the lobby and as the metal box descended she took the time to think again. What if the meta human rejected her proposal? Though he seemed normal enough, he did light someone's car on fire just for attention, that in itself was a sign of some sort of psychological imbalance. As the elevator dinged and its great metal doors slid open like two gray curtains, Jade frowned. Was she in the right on this? There were other ways to get things done. Nevertheless, she had acted, and now she must follow through with her plans.

Well, even if I fail, the registration that everyone is calling for might just do more good than any crime fighting I've ever done, Jade thought as she departed the building and walked towards the general direction of her car at a leisurely pace.

James watched as Jade took another route, telling him when and where to meet her. He was happy with himself, but at the same time, in retrospect, a little ashamed. He hadn't really needed to destroy a car to get attention. He didn't need to feed the populace's fear to get something to do. He scratched his chin, thinking. This required some thought, some serious thought. This woman, Jade, really made him want to actually take the time to think about it. The way she worded thinks challenged everything he thought about himself. Her insinuations of his actions undermined his way of life. Was he wrong for thinking himself better than everyone that he could afford to escape from life. And her comment about malicious metahumans... she was talking about him as well. Was he malicious? Most importantly though, when Jade asked for James' real name, what was the real answer? James Harris or Flashfire?

"Screw it," James said aloud as he blasted off into the sky.



A trip around the city, a stop by his house, and a couple hours later, James was wearing a pair of beige cargo shorts, a green and blue Hawaiian short, and his black flip-flops. He was walking down the street, Jade's proposed meeting place in sight. James double checked his clothes were straight, hair was good, and he had a back-up suit and mask in one of his many large pockets. As long as Jade didn't stand him up, this would be good for James. Finally reaching his destination, he leaned against a wall and waited.

Two hours after their meeting, Jade returned to the scene of where it all began, true to her words, and as she did not know what kind of "date" she was going to be attending, she wore a black dress which stopped short of her knees. She had reapplied her make up and was now wearing a bit more than she had before, though it was still a fairly conservative application of beauty products. To simply state, it was enough to get her noticed, but not enough to make her look like a clown.

Jade parked her car a few blocks away from the meeting sight and walked the rest of the way in her black heels with her matching purse in one hand. With every step it felt as though she was going to fall flat onto her face, but it was a necessary precaution as she did not know how this was going to end. And if it ended badly, Jade wanted to make sure that her car would not be part of the collateral damage. Sure she could let it be trashed and then buy a newer and better car with the insurance money, however she was a working woman and a working woman needed to get around the city quickly.

There was a sudden pause in the clacking of her heels as she saw James waiting for her. His attire was so very... casual compared to her own. This is going to be fun, Jade smirked as she continued walking. She made note of their different apparel. They didn't specify what kind of date they were going to go on, so they both dressed for the date they expected. He was going for a casual, walk through the park, maybe a stroll along the beach at sunset with only the sound of the lapping waves to give them company. Jade however, dressed formally as though they were going to enter one of the highest class restaurants in the city. Quite frankly, she dressed in preparation for business, and he dressed for a night of fun. Such a clash of personality would never work out in the end, She continued, hopefully that'll help him realize that this is not a romantic eve. Hopefully.

"Do I pay for the surfing lessons or are those part of the packaged deal?" Jade called humorously to the meta human leaning against the wall as she approached. A smile spread across her red lips as she stepped under the lights that were flickering alive to combat the night that was slowly wrapping the city in its embrace.

James heard a voice asking about surfing lessons, and looked toward the familiar voice. He smiled seeing Jade, but then he looked confused for a moment. Suddenly a look of comprehension dawned on his face. It was supposed to be that kind of date.

James walked up to Jade, and replied, "No. No surfing for me. The ocean is beautiful, but I don't want anywhere near the water." He smiled a big smile, trying to make his fear of water sound like a joke. "I've got to say, I thought this would be more of a casual thing. I'm sorry I didn't realize that we were going somewhere romantic. I know I talk a big boy game, but I was kind of enjoying the thought of getting to know you better," James said. He pointed vaguely toward his home, "I can change if you had something else in mind."

Interesting. As much as a crystal manipulator fears the air, a fire manipulator hates water. Jade wasn't exactly one to believe in the elemental balance jargon that so called "spiritual healers" spouted, but she had to admit that familiarity in one area led to a fear and distrust of another. Power in earth led to a distrust of air, power over fire led to distaste of water. Of course we would want to be where we are most powerful, Jade. You wont' leave the ground because it is easier to draw on your crystals here. He doesn't like water because there is a higher chance that he will be over powered if he is caught unprepared. All things have a cause, my dear. All things.

Upon hearing his comment about his clothing, Jade let out a laugh. "That's okay, I'm fine with any option. Clothing won't matter much for what I had in plan anyways." And upon uttering those words she realized how wrong they sounded. "Talking... I mean. Not... yeah. Not the other thing." She looked in the direction in which James had gestured. "Well we could go to your place if you just 'want to get to know me'. Besides, I don't plan to go to a fancy restaurant to talk about meta humans anyways, might get some unwanted attention with all of this anti-meta human sentiment floating around." Jade looked at her clothing, and then chuckled a second time, "But to be fair, it isn't exactly you fault. That turtleneck was probably the only 'casual' thing I owned."

James laughed at Jade's accidental insinuation, but laughed even harder when it was followed by the idea of going to his place. He appreciated the lack of push on the water subject, and turned to lead the way. Attempting to walk just a half step in front of Jade, James made public small talk, "So you like the more classy look than. I can definitely keep that in mind for next time. I know this looks exceedingly casual, but this is how I'm most comfortable. I thought that if we were getting to know each other, I should really be myself instead of putting up some facade. That would've just been wasting both our time, and I remember you saying how much you value your's."

Yet another laugh escaped Jade's lips. "It's not that I like it. It's just that I normally buy things on the basis of how much I need them. Between work, social gatherings, and well," She made air quotes, "'work', I barely have time for myself. And when I do, it's usually sweat pants and some old shirt that I had from college. And believe it or not, I'm on vacation at the moment, hence my grocery shopping and 'leisurely' date plans." As they cleared away from the more heavily populated areas of L.A. Jade decided that she could finally talk about what she had intended to speak with James about without fear of unintentionally causing panic in civilians. "So, about what I wanted to talk to you about...No, actually, before I start lecturing, I want to know what you think. Do you remember what I mentioned earlier? The whole Dominus registration thing? What's your opinion on that? Do you believe that w- people with the meta human gene should be forced to register with the government for fear of being thrown in prison?"

This question was vital to the rest of their conversation because it would be her way of judging what James' opinion on the registration was. With knowledge of how far he leaned she would then be able to employ diction that would not tread on his beliefs and perhaps make him more susceptible to new ideas, ideas that she was desperately trying to depart to other meta humans as she was fighting an uphill battle to change the public opinion on meta humans in general. Why was she doing this? Sometimes she asked herself the same thing, but she felt that mainly it was her sense of justice calling to her. A sense that told her it was wrong that the majority should be judged for the actions of a few. A stupid, angry, minority that would seek to make life hell for others just because they felt threatened. Though she supposed that it had always been that way.

James let out a soft chuckle, and replied to Jade, "You really ought to give yourself more time to yourself. It makes a world of difference on how efficiently you spend your work time when you get a bit of playtime." When Jade reached the real reason for all this, James looked disappointed, "Did you really set this up with me to talk about that? I thought the car throwing would've made an impression." He walked on for a minute in silence, only breaking it when he reached the door to his apartment building. He lead Jade up the stairs and opened the door into a spartan room with a lot of space.

It was a studio apartment, the only doors being the front door and a bead curtain covering the entrance to the bathroom, and the floor was covered in a fireproof soft plastic flooring. In the window side of the room was a 55 inch television with a loveseat facing it, the arms of which were wore down as though he usually laid across it instead of sitting properly. In the corner to the left was a king sized bed made of what appeared to be fired clay. All the blankets appeared to be the fireproof kind firefighters used. In the next corner was the kitchen. It was adorned with expensive looking pots and pans, a dish washer, a chrome sink, and sparkling clean stove/oven. In the third corner was a punching bag with charred fist prints on the brown bag. Lastly, in the final corner was an open cabinet with a lot of fluffy cloth; towels, rugs, blankets, and clothes.

Moving into the room and gesturing Jade to follow, James finally answered, "In everything, there is a pro and a con; a yin and a yang; a push and a pull. Now with this registration, there are a number of benefits. Firstly, individuals need to be held responsible for their actions. I will never be punished for throwing that car by anyone other than karma or a hero. The people are afraid now though, and the owner of that car probably doesn't have insurance to cover what I did. Secondly, it makes heroes and villains exist. It would allow some of us who pretend that we are still normal people half the time to deal with mundane problems like rent, utilities, and legal matters the chance to completely embrace the powered being within. Allow us to open an electric bill under Flashfire. Thirdly, it's for our safety. One time, I was curious about the ocean. Well..." he paused to think for a moment, "For this to make sense, you have to understand that my blood has been replaced with fire. So anyways, I put one foot in the water and it sizzled and evaporated on my foot, so I took another step and another. Suddenly a wave came down and crashed into me. It pushed me ashore, but it had removed most of the heat from my body. I had fallen unconscious due to lack of oxygen. My blood wasn't on fire so my different physiology wouldn't carry the oxygen along my blood veins. The doctors tried everything, but my body was room temperature. They thought I was dead. I was mixed up with someone to be cremated, and just before I died off, I was thrown into the furnace. Instantly my blood began burning again. If they had me on a file they would have known to do that from the start." James was making his way into the kitchen, pulling things out of the fridge and pantry. "You aren't vegetarian are you?" He asked Jade suddenly.

Jade followed James apartment, noting how much larger than hers it seemed, but she hypothesized that it was mainly due to the lack of dividing walls. Whereas James lived in one large space, Jade's home had several walls to divide kitchen from the small living room, and then another wall to separate bathroom and bedroom. She shook her head at the question of whether she was a vegetarian.

"Please, I'm a meta human, not a monster," She said jokingly. Back to business however, she was glad that he saw things they way she did. "I agree, meta humans need to be registered to ensure liability on their end. And as you said, it will also help us in the long run, not to mention that there is a slew of young, upcoming, and scared meta humans that will need help and guidance. And though I do not think that the government is a magical tool that can solve all of our problems, it is better than having no help at all." Jade paced through the large room towards a window to view the city from her vantage point. A still moment came upon her and she didn't say anything for a while.

"You know more than half of the crooks I fight on the streets started out as children without direction in their lives?" Jade said, breaking her silence. "Now replace lost with super powered kid who is pissed off at the world for not accepting him and you have a psychotic villain hell bent on making society pay for every single mocking laughter, every infliction he's ever suffered, and for losing the semblance of a normal life. And this act that the U.N. is discussing, this could be the first step to all of that... yet they face stark opposition from the meta human community." She sighed. This truly puzzled her. Sure, many of the meta humans wanted their secret concealed, many faced persecution in their communities, and most of all, those who were vigilantes feared for their safety and the safety of their loved ones- but the pros outweighed the cons by so much! Why couldn't she make everyone understand?

James listened to Jade closely. Talking to Jade and spending time with her was refreshing. She wasn't anything like the other girls he'd tried to woo before. Jade was intelligent and passionate, when she dropped her pretenses. That wasn't even mentioning the fact that she had a body and superpowers.

After confirming Jade's appetite for meat, James pulled out two boneless chicken breasts from the fridge. They were marinating separately in baggies of an orange glaze. While she discussed her feelings on the newest government attempt to take care of the metahuman community, James started the oven. He placed the two chicken breasts into a small cake pan and poured the juices from the baggies in with them, just covering the top of them. After he had finished touching the chicken, James looked longingly at the sink. Instead, though, he created a small fire hot enough to kill most germs all over his hands.

While waiting for the oven to preheat, James leaned against the wall, looking at Jade standing at the window. He added to her list, "Some of the metahumans just enjoy fitting in. They wish they had nothing special about them. If everyone knew they were metahumans though, how could they try to live a normal life? Everyone would either fear their power or constantly be requesting their assistance. I spent almost all of my life as the third son of a loving family. The day I found I wasn't actually human, but an elemental of fire trapped inside the shell of being human, I was cast out. Mind you, I accidentally burned down the house in my sleep, but their insurance covered it."

The oven beeped just then to make it known it was ready. James turned and slid the chicken into the oven. After that, he pulled out some bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms. He used tongs and a long scrub brush to clean the vegetables, and began chopping them into bit sized pieces.

Well that answered the question of whether or not fire based metas used their power to cook their own meals. Why would they? Jade didn't use her own powers to make jewelry, she didn't know why she expected fire metas to use their abilities so liberally.

"That is exactly why meta humans require safe haven from those that seek to abuse their gifts or to harm them due to it," Jade responded to James's statement. "I have realized that this idea has an extreme in either direction. Either the meta human community becomes very secluded and the entire 'us versus them' sentiment grows to larger proportions, or my little haven quickly falls apart and becomes a ghetto filled to the brim with the angry and deranged, save for the fact that they will all be bristling with powers. There is the idea that it will help to build up the self esteem of young metas to the point where they can function in society without their powers hampering them- but knowing the day and age we live in..." She sighs and shakes her head. "It's just so hard to envision. There's just so much hate and anger on either side. Most of which are misdirected mind you." With a slight wave of her thin hand she turned to James and strode towards his work. "But enough of my rambling for now."

A slight smile spread across her lips as she watched James cut the vegetables. "My mother used to say that if I didn't eat my vegetables, a monster would eat me." With a slight fingers, she plucked a green and chewed on it. "Here's hopping that the monster will keep away."

James thought of the world envisioned by Jade. A true safe haven for the super-powered individuals of the world. Somewhere they could be tested and trained. Somewhere that prepared the younger folk of the metahuman community so they could hold jobs, that there wouldn't be a need to steal. Somewhere that having a super-power didn't mean you were different, but being an individual would make you special instead. James could have a fireproof home, and no one would give him grievance over how strange it appeared. A place where he could settle down, and have someone to spend his life with, instead of wooing different girls every so often. Her dark hair, her beautiful eyes... No, I am not going there, James thought to himself.

James smiled at Jade and popped one of the mushrooms into his mouth. He reached both arms around her to get into the cabinet behind her, lingering close to her for a few moments longer than was really necessary. When he finally pulled away slowly, James had four skewers. He stepped back to the vegetables, and while he began skewering the vegetables to make shish kabobs, he stared at Jade with a true smile. When he finished with the vegetables, James opened the oven and set them inside. Closing the oven, he turned back to Jade, "Would you like a drink? If so, I have some wine, water, or I could brew some tea if you prefer."

The idea of wine was enticing, but alas at times like these she needed a clear head or else she would do something utterly regrettable.

"Just water," She replied. "You're already cooking for the both of us, I would hate to impose even further than I already have." Her shoulder pressed up against the wall as she began to lean. "You mentioned being disowned by your family. If you don't mind, may I ask more about your life with your family before the..." A hand gesture, "incident? If I may ask, at what age did your abilities activate? And what did you do when you began to live on your own? If it's far too private then I won't mind if you don't wish to share."

Jade was truthfully curious about James life. She hid her meta human life from her parents until she was twenty, at which point she revealed her true nature to her parents who disapproved and refused to speak to her at first. But ties were mended and the small family was now on speaking terms once again. At the time of her reveal to her parents however, she was old enough to make her own life decisions and care for herself, she could not, for the life of her, imagine a parent abandoning their child to face the world alone. To her, it was just reckless and was possibly one of the largest causes of violent meta humans. Jade hypothesized that it was the abandonment that many metas experienced that led them to resent the world around them. She hoped that James's answer to her question would help her answer her questions.

James was afraid Jade would say that. I guess there were good reasons for staying away from an alcoholic beverage when around a fire elemental, but he still hated it when water was picked. He chuckled a bit as he fished a glass out of the cabinet. James set the glass under the fridge's ice dispenser, and pressed the button. He did the same with the water, keeping his hand away from any splashes. When he was finished, James handed the water to Jade and walked out of the kitchen.

Walking to the window and looking out, James finally replied to Jade, "I really don't mind answering. You make me feel comfortable. Besides, if I didn't want to answer questions I never would've taken off my mask." James chuckled a moment, but then his face turned serious, "I was the third boy in the family. I was supposed to be a girl, so everyone had already bought everything in pinks and purples. Well, my parents didn't have enough to buy everything over again, so to avoid any gender confusion I might grow up with, they just had me use hand-me-downs from my brothers. It didn't bother me at all, until of course I found out the reason they had done it was to avoid me growing up to get a boyfriend." He shook his head, a scowl coming on James' face, but he pressed on, "My older brothers were good at sports, I wasn't. I was much better at selling things to kids at school for their lunch money. I made sure I never went without. The teachers and principle didn't see it like that. They thought I was cheating the kids out of their money. They called my parents, and my parents got on to me. I was a disappointment to my parents, but that didn't bother me either. My brother's loved me for who I was. They supported my endeavors." James smiled as he thought back about his brothers, but then the scowl became worse than ever, "One night, when I was, oh, sixteen maybe, I found I wasn't entirely human. I went to bed angry. My parents had found out that I had found a litter of stray puppies and was selling them at school. That night, my blood was boiling, and I had a dream that I was trapped in a burning forest. I couldn't get out. I tried and tried, but then I awoke to see I was on fire as well as my bed. I, of course, did what I was trained to do. I dropped to the floor and rolled around. As I was the cause though, that only spread the flames more. I ended up burning the house down entirely. It quickly became evident that I had caused it." James had caught flames in his seething fury, "My mother and father told me to go. To just leave and never come back. My brothers, who had cared for me, who had loved my individuality, didn't say one word to defend me." At this point, James began releasing an intense heat as his flames turned from orange to shades of blue. He growled in his anger and shot a fireball at his already charred punching bag. It fell into a flaming crumple on the floor. Slowly, the flames died on the fireproof floor. Just then, the oven timer beeped.

James shook his head, and the flames turned slowly back to orange, and then went out completely. "I'm sorry," James said to Jade. He walked into the kitchen, and opened the oven door. With his bare hands, he pulled out the chicken and held his hand over it momentarily. He nodded and proceeded to pull the vegetables out. He pulled out two plates and sorted the dinner between the two. James took the plates to the dining table. He came back to Jade.

"After that, I went to the bank and had them liquidate the long term investments for my college fund. I began playing with the stock market. I got enough in the bank that I could live off the interest if I wanted, but I enjoy some nicer things so I still work the market a bit," James answered the last part of Jade's question. "Dinner's ready by the way," James said, his smile back in place as he walked back into the kitchen. He grabbed a bottle of wine from the pantry, and two glasses from the cabinet. These, he brought, as well as napkins and silverware, to the table. He stood behind one chair and held it out for Jade.

With a nod of thanks, the oriental woman accepted the cup of water, careful not to leave any lipstick stain along the rim as she drank. Her hazel eyes trailed James carefully on his path to the table, and quite instinctively, Jade stepped back when he began to light up with fires produced via his Meta Human ability. While she knew quite well that he would not hurt her intentionally, she would not risk burns from his flaming discharges, however, this moment of caution did not impair her from hearing out James’ story. She had asked him for his tale, and she would hear it through.

There was a flicker in her eye, a betrayal of her normally calm exterior, when she heard James recount the dream of fire he had had. She could share that much with him at least. The night she discovered her powers, she dreamt she had fallen down a crystal quarry and landed on some crystals. The following morning, her emerging powers had caused crystals to form under her palm, and the young girl had impaled herself on them unconsciously. Luckily for her, her powers were rather tame when they began to surface- plus her crystals had no way of destroying a family’s home. A thought then occurred to Jade.

How harsh of me to judge those who abandon their Meta Human children. I had assumed that they did it out of societal status concerns, but I overlooked the potential danger that ever presides in our powers. How much did James’ family lose in that fire? What memories cannot be replaced? What sentimental items can no longer be reclaimed? And what affirmations do they have that the incident will not happen again? How do they know that they will not be next on the list of things that accidentally burn down?

Suppressing her questions once more, Jade smiled at James and took her seat with an utter of thanks to her host. Under normal circumstances she would protest that she could pull her own chair, however she felt that this was an act not of social expectations, but of hospitality.