Fire Bros, Fire Bros, Doin Whatever Fire Bros Do
Summer 2021, Week 3
Sunday afternoon
St. Maria University, City Centre
Isaac Crysentine
The room was still small, filled with only 13 or so students. One of St. Maria's marketing schemes involved the incredibly small class sizes, ideal for more personal learning and more engagement among the enrolled students. Isaac just so happened to be sitting among the 13, himself one of them. He was doodling costume ideas with the big word "INFERNO" at the top, and he was thinking about everything that had occurred at the training the night before. I can't believe edgelords still exist, like seriously? It's 2021 for fucks sake. Professor Albert had decided to hold optional Sunday review class for the Summer Chemistry course. Isaac, not having many people he could ask for a letter of recommendation in the academic field, decided he would show up solely for the brownie points. Professor Albert was talking about the recent rise of violence and how he wished for all of the students to be safe. He was a good teacher and cared about his students, really. It was just that Isaac could care less for Chemistry at this point, given the current situation in the city and the AERI team and all. It was only when the Professor started his last announcement that Isaac finally paid attention and was completely shocked at it as well. "...and I have one final announcement to make. Class, I'm proud to say we have a student enrolling in this course for the Summer. Starting today, and I'm sure some of you know him, I would like you all to welcome your new classmate: Alexander King!"Alexander King
The fresh-faced university student had fought his damn heart out in order to avoid chemistry, especially considering the labs and much needed review days ate up part of his vital weekend reprieve from the monotony of schoolwork. Yet here he was standing like a tool at the front of the classroom like he was the unfortunate protagonist of some sort of 80s comedy about students and their antics. He was fairly sociable and adapted to the stars of others, he had been most his life, but even that couldn't prepare him for the consistent cringe inducing feeling of being on display for his fellow classmates. The white haired, pierced teenager flicked his gaze over the class as an awkward silence lengthened between the involved parties. A social Mexican standoff where he fired off the first shot in the form of a begrudging wave, "Hey, uh... Have a good day." It took a second for him to realize that, in fact, he had uttered some parting words instead of a greeting. Rather than flushing with embarrassment he just blinked and narrowed his eyes, as if surprised by his own fumble, "I'm gonna take my seat now." Rather than continuing to commit social suicide at the head of the class, he made his way to the first open seat he could find. Weaving between seats and tables, throwing his bag down beside a stool and plopping into one of the stiff seats beside Isaac. Offering the other student a curt nod of acknowledgement before his gaze dipped, flicking over the designs for the, subjectively campy, costumes and mumbling. "Cool name," he emphasized the word by tapping "INFERNO" with the end of his pen as he pulled out his own notebook. The thing was absolutely littered with rather abysmal handwriting and crammed full of notes as he settled in for the review, partially distracted by Isaac and his nearby machinations.Isaac Crysentine
Isaac sat in complete astonishment as the known fire hero sat beside him. He silently thought this had to be some twist of fate, but maybe this was meant to be? He pulled his notebook back slightly but didn't completely cover it either, letting Alex view it at his own embarrassment. "Thanks, I've been thinking of using it." He dropped suddenly but didn't specify any more. "So, what brings you to St. Maria's? We don't get many new students here, and I've heard you're a fire user in the hero business."Alexander King
Alexander quirked an eyebrow at the other student's sudden change in topic but didn't necessarily begrudge it. He did just scope out something that most people would find pretty nerdy, but he didn't have much time to dwell on it until Isaac came at him with that comment. It wasn't anything mean spirited, but it was still a shock to his system, earning a narrowed gaze from the white-haired boy as he tapped his cheek with his pen in thought. After a moment of getting a measure of Isaac's bearing his gaze softened and he sighed, "You're mistaking me with my parents, but that's common. Or at least, you're mistaking my reputation for theirs. They were big during Ragnarok's whole era but... Yeah, emphasis on the were." His gaze drifted from Isaac towards the front of the room, but he continued to speak, "I came because I wanted to figure out what I wanted to do with myself. Figured it'd buy me a year or two, and who knows, maybe I'd find something I really enjoyed while I'm at it." Alex smirked as his focused returned back to Isaac, his voice low as to not disrupt the class, "What about you, Inferno, why are you at St. Maria's? Seems you're daydreaming a bit."Isaac Crysentine
"You might have a point there, with me mistaking you for your parents and all." He let out a small smirk but kept his voice low as well so as not to disturb class. "I looked up to them, ya know. They helped a lot with... a few peculiar situations I dealt with growing up." Isaac talked solemnly, letting his hands work on the doodle. "If you are who I'm thinking of then, I think it'd be good to talk about a lot of things. I heard about what happened, and... let's just say we're more alike than you think." He tapped the drawing with his pencil, letting it speak for itself. "As for what brings me to St. Maria's, well, I was running away from my old life with my family, and we wanted to start anew. I got into here by sheer luck, and with the new, well, protocols the city put into place we decided it wouldn't be so bad to move to New Victoria all together. And let's just say I'm not exactly daydreaming either." He let out a sly smile, but quickly let it fade away when Professor Albert's booming voice reached them, telling them to be quiet. "Meet me after class, I got something to show you." Isaac said before flipping the page of his book and starting to work on actual notes instead of the Inferno costumes.Alexander King
For the most part Alex's body language was loose and his face relatively open, yet there was a distinct sting and nearly imperceptible flinch whenever his parents were brought up by Isaac. It was warming to hear that he looked up to them, but it didn't make it any less painful to hear about them all these years later. Is it ever gonna get easier? Rather than letting himself linger on that particular notion he changed his attention back to the drawings, his lips parting in a slight 'o' shape as he gave a nod. Despite not being as academically inclined as others, he was still observant and understood Isaac's words. Alike, but just how similar are we? He found himself curious becoming quickly more invested in the conversation than the review class that he so desperately needed. "Luck, well, it does seem we have a few things alike then. I barely scraped by to into here, but what do you mean by—" Professor Albert's voice cut off his thought before it had time to breathe and quickly, he dipped his head back down, his notebook suddenly becoming incredibly interesting as he jumped right back to taking notes. Yet he still chanced a glance over towards the other guy as he spoke up again and gave a quick nod, "Alright! We'll talk more afterwards then."Isaac Crysentine
It was the hot July air that permeated around the two heroes, one's identity unknown but the other's a fiery story. Isaac had told Alex to follow him as he led them to what was a seemingly empty part of campus. While it was incredibly suspicious, he hoped the new kid wouldn't find it too weird or out of the ordinary and just trusted him. Slowly, Isaac turned around, taking in what was his opposite in physical appearance in almost every way. "I mentioned earlier we were pretty similar, but I never clarified. I can tell you're not a bad person by any means, and the only reason I'm doing this is because of what you can do.... of what we can both do." At that instant, Isaac produced a small flame in his hand, letting Alex look at it in full, plain sight of him. "You remember that attack on the University last week? Yeah, that was Bolt coming after me, not because of who I am but of what I can do. I have no idea how he found me, but the situation left 3 people dead." Isaac let his left hand on fire as well, let the bright orange flames dance in the summer sun. "You better have had a good reason for coming here, Alex. New Victoria is a paradox for people like us, for you and me. One instant you think you're in Evos paradise and the next thing you know you're being hunted across what you thought was your only safe place on Earth. So, tell me, why are you here really?"[x2 Basic, -0 EP]
Alexander King
Despite the suspicion of Isaac's choice of location, the teenager didn't necessarily feel on edge following him. There was no intent he could glean from his body language, and while his judge of character wasn't without fault, the other guy didn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary. An Evo if his claims were true, but he certainly didn't have the vibe of a serial killer. Fuck, am I becoming a typical horror movie victim? Hope not. Alex thought to himself as he stuffed his hands into his pockets, following after him through the hot summer air without so much as a complaint. Yet when he stopped and turned so did Alex, his head canting to the side in curiosity and a shade of concern. As he opened his mouth to speak, he was cut off by the small flame spiraling into existence following Isaac's statement and he found himself silenced. Very similar then, his mind sputtered as his gaze flickered from the fire then back to Isaac as his words cut through the hot summer air with a startling revelation. "Wait, wait, wait—You—What? Why did he come after you? That makes no sense!" A hand came up to his hair, threading his fingers through it as he grew exasperated. "I heard about that, yeah, but he's after you? Shit dude." Then came the whammy, a question cutting straight to the heart as his exasperated features fell into something more somber. Those bright eyes of Alex's darkening as his hands fell to his side. "Why'd I come here? New Victoria is all I've ever known and it’s not like I had any extended family who wanted shit to do with me, so here I stayed. I've had a target on my back my whole life! I already know what being hunted feels like." It was then his own hands came up, crackling blue embers dancing along his fingers as his emotions flared. His pale, scarred hands cutting through the air as he articulated with hand gestures to get his point across. "I don't have as grand a reason as most people, but... I want to make my family proud, and I want to do that by helping everyone I can. Maybe then I'll be able to live with myself!" Alex blurted out to the other university student, his mind reeling before he stopped cold in his tracks. Why am I pouring my heart out to a stranger? Am I an idiot or something? It seemed like he was frozen for a long moment before he finally straightened up, his voice quieter than before. "Regardless of what happens, I'm not leaving New Victoria. It’s my home, and I'll be damned if I run away."Isaac Crysentine
I see. The revelations and question he laid down on Alex were tough, but Isaac knew they needed to be told and asked. If Bolt came after Isaac, then he would eventually come for Alex. When the other fire user utilized his own fire, Isaac was a bit taken aback. "Blue fire, huh? That's new." He let Alex finish, listening closely to everything he had to say. "That's as grand a reason as I've heard from anyone else on the team." Isaac thought out loud, letting small details drop like that without even realizing it. "You were born here, and it's your home. I can respect that. And I like that blue fire touch you have by the way. Could go well with an orange flame like mine." Isaac let himself think more, letting getting back to the point of the conversation. "Listen, Blood Bolt came after me. I told you this already, but he wanted me to join his gang. I refused, and we had a fight. Like I said, he found me through unknown means, and given you're at least known in some capacity to the public then I doubt you aren't on his list of potential recruits. Which is why we have to recruit you first." Frantically, Isaac scribbled his phone number onto a sticky note and tossed it to Alex. "Give me your number and I'll text you sometime soon. I don't want to say too much but let’s just say you need this for your own protection and for the benefit of us all. All I need to know is, are you up for this?"Alexander King
It was a surprise to hear Isaac think aloud, his eyes widening and his jaw going partially slack before he adjusted himself and puffed his chest out defiantly. He wasn't entirely sure what to make of the breadcrumbs being littered throughout the conversation, but he'd likely figure out more about that soon enough if Isaac's inclination towards speaking his mind was any indication. "Thanks, I guess. I just never really said it out loud—Anyways, yeah. Wait, go with it, what do you mean? I mean yeah, the colors would work well together I guess..." He trailed off trying to play catch-up with Isaac's mind as it fired on all cylinders to the point he was sure he was about to see steam coming out of his ears. "Wait he was trying to recruit you and then planned to kill you? Here I thought the Army was bad about aggressive recruitment." Alex kicked the ground, digging the toe of his boot into the dirt and grass like an odd tic. "Recruit me? Dude, you're starting to sound crazy, but sure here I'll airdrop it to you." His words became sluggish as he took the scribbled on sticky note into his palm and looked over the scratchy numbers. A bit off put by the sudden urgency in Isaac's demeanor, "Sure, yeah, I'm down. What exactly is this? Are you getting me as a part of some Witness Protection Program type shit or what?" The teenager wasn't entirely sure what to make of the situation, but he didn't begrudge Isaac for his frantic motions, instead complying by airdropping his contact information to Isaac's phone with a nod. "I guess I'll be talking to you soon?"Isaac Crysentine
"Yeah, you'll be talking to me soon. I have a feeling things are coming to a head faster than any of us think, and I want to see what you can do before anything happens to get a feel for you. In the meantime, I don't know what you've been doing but keep your head low. And be ready to go somewhere tomorrow too!" Isaac said all this as he started walking away, waving his hands in farewell while going through everything he would have to test Alex on in his head.Alexander King
Alexander was left standing there in the wake of Isaac's own departure, his form getting smaller and smaller with every passing second as he cleared the distance. It took him a while to fully come back to himself as his mind raced with the possibilities of what tomorrow might entail. This is the beginning of something entirely else, isn't it? He wondered to himself before bringing a hand up in a staff wave of his own. "Talk to you soon—wait, wait! I didn't get your name—and he's gone." Alex threw his head back in exasperation and shook his head. Guess I'll learn it later then, he turned on his heel and began to walk away. Tucking away this new and strange information for another time, not yet realizing his life was about to get a lot more complicated very, very soon.
Type
Record, Historical
Medium
Digital Recording, Text
Authoring Date
July 4, 2021
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