2nd floor common room, Tuesday after classes

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

Johnny was bored. Johnny overturned two empty trash cans and laid a piece of board across the top. Then, because yes, he was bored, he made a bunch of paper people, lining them up across the wooden plank. For their sake, he didn't try to name them.

Sitting on the couch, one by one he sent a fireball towards them, torching them, watching them lift in the air and burn until there was nothing left. Yes, he was playing with fire but he was very safe, really. Nothing was catching on fire except for his mini-paper people. How cool was that?

"Yes! Take that you with the cur--" No, he wasn't going to say it cause he didn't mean it. Seriously. He did not name his paper dolls, come on!

[common room is totally open.]

Comments

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

She eyed him doubtfully, "Cassandra." Then, "I'm pretty sure precise, effective motions aren't going to let me set things on fire."

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

"Nope, but then did you miss the part where I said creator of all things hot?" Yeah, Johnny was wicked smart like that. "Nice to meet you Cassandra." Oh, yeah, he's heard her mentioned on the radio. "Meg's roommate, right?"

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," she nodded. "You know Meg?"

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, sweet girl," he said, sending another fireball shooting at some paper dude. "We hooked up when we were our future selves."

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

"Oh," Cassandra sounded subdued. The whole future-selves thing wasn't one of her favorite times.

"So..." she looked for something to talk about, "You set things on fire?"

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

"Only when I'm bored, or you know, if there is a wicked-ass villian trying to escape and I am called in to save the day. Because that has happened," Johnny said, arching a brow. Modest? Pfft.

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

"Yeah?" her tone was doubtful. "That happen often?"

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

"Once, or twice, but you know when you are saving lives, one tends to lose count on how many villians you take down. Do it once, you do it a thousand times. Know what I'm saying?" So he's only done it once. It was a big once. Come on.

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

"I... never thought about it like that." Which was quite true. Apparently Cassandra and Johnny approached the whole heroing thing in very different ways.

Go figure.

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

He cocked his head and pointed his finger at her, "Superhero? You?"

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

"Not... anymore?" Even if what she meant by the term was pretty clearly not the same thing he did.

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

"So... you were a superhero but aren't anymore." Was that possible? "How does one quit something like that?"

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

Her voice was soft, "Do something bad."

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

Oh, he was way interested now. "Sometimes good people do bad things. It happens. What did you do, I mean, if you feel like telling me," he said quietly.

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

Cassandra stood silently for a long moment, considering. Then, "Killed someone."

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

Damn. "They were bad, right? Because if they were bad they you were justified."

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

"Killing is wrong," Cassandra frowned at him.

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

Johnny shrugged. "Depends on the situation."

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

"Killing is wrong," she repeated. Some things were that simple in her mind.

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

"I killed someone," he said, because yes, he had killed Von Doom.

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

"You shouldn't have," she said, though she wasn't really willing to judge him without knowing details.

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

"He was willing to kill hundreds of innocent people. He was damn evil. There was no choice."

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

"Always a choice," Cassandra insisted. Even if she'd made the same one that he had.

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

"I'm not going to argue with you, Cassandra," Johnny said softly. "I don't know your situation. But... sometimes, no, there isn't a choice. You either save your life and others or you die, along with many others. Sometimes life just isn't fair like that."

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

She nodded. Not agreeing, but willing to let the point go. "So... what did the paper people do to you anyway?"