revivalproject | When What You Are Is Violence

WHO: Tommy Shepherd, Wanda Maximoff, Open
WHERE: Near the Hangar, Later In Wanda's Home
WHAT: Rage Bug Bite, Bonding with a dragon
WHEN: During Bug Issues
WARNINGS: CW: Violence, potentially attacking other characters in one prompt. Possible Discussions of violence/abuse with Wanda.

The Violence Begins

For all that he's seen how the bites affect people, that doesn't save Tommy from his own issues. The bite of a bug, on the back of his neck. Happened not long after he left Altair's attentions, getting the electrical burns on his arm looked at (not to mention other pains). But it didn't overtake him quickly, strange given how prone he was to having everything happen. It's nearly half a day between the bite and when Tommy can't take it anymore. Half a day that he spends alone, near the hangar, hiding out from everyone and trying to put together a really awkward project of potting some seeds from the greenhouse into whatever containers he can find to move onto the Twin Roses.

But when the fury comes, it overtakes him suddenly.

The problem with a speedster with rage is just how much damage he can do. And near the hangars... Well, the targets are obvious, aren't they? So there's Tommy Shepherd, with super human strength, pulling up looks stones the size of people's heads, throwing them toward the hangar walls, like he's trying to bring it down. Strength is one thing. The fact that he can hurl the things at well over a hundred miles per hour is what gives the greatest bit of force.

It wouldn't be very safe for someone to be around that. But he wouldn't hurt a person, right? Tommy's a good guy.

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This time, Cal's ready, although even then he just barely manages to react. He jumps back the moment Tommy practically vanishes from sight, throwing out a hand as he focuses through the Force at the speedster.

While he can't freeze things in their tracks like a certain other Force user, he can slow them down. It probably isn't enough to really slow Tommy down, but for a few seconds it'll make his movements easier to track that Cal can dodge. And even that's not something the padawan wants to do for long. He throws himself into a roll away from the speedster as he feels the effects begin to slacken, knowing that even space won't be much good against someone who can cover it in a split-second.

So he follows up with a Force push to help, thrusting both his hands towards Tommy to try sending him flying back.

Weird, it feels like moving through molasses. And Tommy DOES NOT like that. If anything, it makes him angrier. It earns a growl of rage as the man manages to roll away. There is NO WAY he shouldn't be able to catch the little punk.

But hey, speedsters aren't immune to telekinesis. He gets thrown back several feet and it earns annoyance. Fine. He grabs a large rock up from the ground and hurls it at Cal, throwing quite a bit of his speed and strength behind it.

Not the most ideal situation. Cal's gone up against many things but nothing like this. Tommy's super speed is keeping him on the defensive, and the only way to be efficient in that is to use the Force. And it is positively draining.

It's hard to find your center when you're hardly given time to think. BD's shriek is what alerts him to the incoming object, and a last minute attempt to slow it barely gives Cal time to push himself to his feet before the rock practically explodes where he'd been standing. He tumbles to the ground, pelted by shrapnel, breathing hard. Get up, get up, get up runs like a mantra in his head, knowing that in that brief moment he's lost track of Tommy and that's not good at all.

Losing track of Tommy is a serious issue. Because between one heartbeat and the next he's moving, moved, behind Cal now.

"Hey sunshine," he says, voice positively dripping with amusement. And disdain. Once more he makes a grab for the Force user. "Can't take a hint to fuck the hell off. Gonna have to make you pay."

Edited 2020-05-31 20:51 (UTC)

Cal lurches to his feet, but hardly in time to avoid Tommy as he's grabbed again. A fight with a friend is the last thing he'd been ready for, and the realization that dealing with a speedster takes a different approach than Stormtroopers or Inquisitors is a bit late.

"I don't know what's going on," he grunts, "But something's definitely wrong. Don't do this, Tommy-"

Scrambling over his shoulder, BD-1 beeps in warning as he jumps at Tommy's extended arm, one of his feet sparking with electricity as he tries to get the speedster to release the padawan.

BD-1 has NO CLUE how effective that little spark is. It's a better threat than even a gun to the face could be right now. After all, there are new burns up his arm, electrical burns that are almost like scars. He's been hurt, recently. And the reminder scares him. Scares him enough to leave him jerking away. He's seven feet back in a heartbeat.

"Little fucking bag of bolts."

The padawan hits the ground knees first, having not quite gotten his feet under him before then. BD-1 lands beside him as he coughs, trying to catch his breath again while at the same time trying to make sure Tommy's not making another move.

He can feel it, the pain, the fear. What had happened? Cal's not so sure he'll find out from Tommy, not in whatever state the speedster's currently in. But maybe it's his chance to try and suss out what might be causing that unreasonable rage, and so he reaches out through the Force to try sensing it.

BD-1's antennae droop slightly at Tommy's words, but the little guy takes an almost defensive position in front of Cal, beeping anxiously at the pale-haired speedster.

"We're friends, Tommy," Cal translates, dragging himself to his feet as he picks up the droid. "We don't want to fight. We want to help."

It's a parasite. A tiny little life force so tangled up with Tommy's that telling one from the other might well be impossible. But as it itches and demands it drives the rage, leaving Tommy lashing out at the nearest thing. And the nearest thing is still Cal.

HIs hands raise and he holds them before him, and they absolutely start to vibrate and blur int he air. Maybe he can't make things explode, but he can damage things, and the ground under Cal cracks. And once that happens, Tommy's moving again, there in a blur of motion, his fists flying almost faster than he's thinking. Because he's not really thinking. he's acting.

Discovering the source is hardly a triumph, not when there's no time to try to do anything about it. Tommy doesn't allow it.

Cal stumbles as the ground begins to shudder beneath him, but he senses the true threat as it comes, throwing his arms up over his face at the sudden barrage of fists. BD-1 swings around behind him, shrieking in panic as the padawan staggers back.

Tommy's blows do more than sting, but there's no method to it, only movement. Cal draws himself inward, and in his mind's eye the blows slow, the world around him separated by a bubble. He exhales.

In some delicate space between the next strikes, Cal swings out his arms as he pushes again through the Force, first focusing on driving Tommy back. He then sweeps his hand up, using the Force to try and pick the speedster off his feet.

The push of the Force drives Tommy back a few feet. The push makes him angry, and he snaps back, ready to lash out. Which doesn't get him very far, given he's being lifted up by the force. Which earns a shocked, half fearful yelp. Tommy isn't big on not having his feet on something solid.

No friction, no movement. Cal keeps his hand outstretched, ignoring for now the throbbing pain as he looks up at Tommy. He can't keep this up for long, but he's feeling calmer now. But then there's the matter of how he's supposed to get a parasite out of the speedster when he won't stand still.

"...stop this," he says quietly. "I'm putting you down, but if you attack again, I'll have to keep you up there." It's a bluff, but he doesn't want to give Tommy another chance to attack, not when he's out of tricks.

Tommy snarls. There is no way he's going to obey, and anyone who thinks differently doesn't know him. Not by half. The second he's put down Tommy is gone, in a flash. Running away isn't his thing, but this place definitely stopped being fun. And this one? Not the best place to leave his anger with. He's going to find something else to break.

There's a tense second before Cal sets Tommy down, and when the speedster vanishes, the padawan braces for another attack that doesn't come. He forces himself to remain standing at the ready until BD-1 gives an all clear, slowly resting his hands on his knees.

"...this...is not good..." he mutters to his droid friend. He can hardly hope to go after Tommy, especially not when he's exhausted and without a plan. Wincing, he turns to start towards the hospital. Get his thoughts together, get a warning out, fixed up.

Behind him, BD-1 hoots worriedly.

"...me too, BeeDee. Me too."

When What You Are Is Violence

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