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your_talents ([info]your_talents) wrote in [info]marvel_nextgen,
@ 2010-02-18 22:20:00


Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:inactive - julian gallo, inactive - lisa graves, team - x-factor

Cutting To The Heart of the Matter
[Before the events of Watching It All Play Out]

Lisa didn't have an appointment, but mentioning the 'special project' of Howards' got her to his office. She knocked sharply at the door.

This whole thing was interesting enough to catch Lisa's attention, particularly with the implied chance of meeting other mutants, but she had particular plans to put in motion. She didn't trust this guy further than she could throw him, unpowered.

He did, however, interest her.


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[info]hellfireprince
2010-02-19 02:38 am UTC (link)
Julian had just started going over the results of the Battle of the Bands, noting the draw power that N.I.C.H Machinegun possessed. He knew that people liked the band, but didn't quite expect the turn-out that the club had seen.

DJ and Pauline had magic. They'd go far.

When Paulo informed him that he had a guest on the way back, he was honestly expect Harry, Jason, or DJ. But when Lisa walked in, Julian smiled slightly.

"Lisa. Good to see you." he said, leaning back in his chair, his tie loosened slightly.

"This is a surprise. What can I help you with?" he asks.

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[info]your_talents
2010-02-19 02:51 am UTC (link)
Lisa gives him a sweet smile, then shuts the door behind her.

And the smile shifts. She's all business. She crosses the room briskly, but not quite lunging at him, and comes around the back of his desk. She puts a fist down on the desk and leans forward.

"Before he felt the weight of the world fall off his back when I left home, my daddy taught me something. Don't take a step without watching where your feet land, and don't take a second step without looking ahead of yourself." She looks into his eyes.

"I don't get into bed with someone without knowing exactly what they're bringing to the table, and a contract's just a piece of paper. I'm more worried about the person writing it."

Her voice drops a bit, just in case anyone might be listening in. "Tell me what you can do."

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[info]hellfireprince
2010-02-19 03:02 am UTC (link)
Julian is almost surprised at the all-business tone she takes when she shuts the door, but something about her timing already clued him into this not being a social visit.

"Your father is a wise man. I didn't know mine. My mother did all the heavy-lifting in that department." he says as she comes around the table.

"Is there something in particular you're asking about?" he asks her.

When she asks what he can do...he smiles a bit. "What makes you think I can...do anything? Perhaps I'm simply a concerned human who wants to make things work between mutants and humans.

Besides that's a really personal question for a man to have to answer.

You haven't even asked me to buy you dinner yet." he replies. Of course, he's dodging, but he wants to know how much patience she has.

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[info]your_talents
2010-02-19 03:23 am UTC (link)
"He heard it in a movie." Lisa answers coolly.

Her gaze narrows a little bit. "No-one thinks about doing anything this big for mutants, no matter how profitable, without their own stake in it. It's too risky."

She tugs at his tie. It's not flirting, it's forceful. "If I wanted something to eat, I would have brought a bag lunch with me. If I wanted to play games, I'd sit the gang down in a circle and get an empty bottle. I'm here because you have something I want to know."

She draws her hand back, letting the tie slip away slowly.

"I know I crashed your little party, and that I wasn't planned for, and that's why I've got the fortitude to just march in here like this. You play it straight with me, and I'll play the just-bad-enough-girl that you want to market that'll bring the lonely 16 to 38 year old males with public voices, disposable income, and delusions of being trend-setters flocking into your adoring fan-base."

Her eyes steel.

"But try to string me along like some celebrity tart moron, and I'll bring everything crashing down around your ears.

Call it a fixation. Call it an addiction. Call it a hunger. I don't care. You've got a gift, I want to know what it is, and I just want it."

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[info]hellfireprince
2010-02-19 03:37 am UTC (link)
She is right, of course. Julian does have his own stake in making X-Factor work; it's not complete altruism on his part that's making him do this...but if he can help others get what they want at the same time as he's getting what he wants, so much the better.

When she releases his tie, he sits back again, giving her cool, measured gaze. Several thoughts race through his head. He could possibly kill her, but cleaning up the mess would be a bitch, especially if the others decide to pop in. He could refuse to play ball and let her walk, and find someone else to join the team.

But she intrigued him, and there's a chance that she can do what she says she can do, which is making him a ton of money.

He takes seven breaths in silence, still looking her over, before he makes his decision.

"Fixation, hunger, and addiction. All right. Let's see if you really understand those words." he says.

"What exactly do you need to do?"

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[info]your_talents
2010-02-19 03:44 am UTC (link)
"It helps if I know what you can do, but I've figured things out on my own a few times." Lisa replies, seating herself on the edge of his desk, crossing one leg over the other. Not the worst thing to make nice with a little eye-candy, now that it seems she's already brought the conversation where she wanted it to go.

"I take. That's what I do. The electric show from the other night? I borrowed that from some cutie with a lip-ring. Half-strength of whatever you can do, for as long as I can keep my mind on keeping it."

She lets a meaningful pause hang for a minute. "And I want to know what you're really up to, Julian Howard. I don't mind being a pretty face for a product, but I'm not going to be anyone's puppet. Keep me on the level, and I'll be your inside eyes and ears for the rest of the group." She smirks. "In case you didn't notice, they weren't exactly chomping at the bit to get cozy with you. You intimidate people."

Another pause.

"Most people."

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[info]hellfireprince
2010-02-19 04:07 am UTC (link)
"Well, I possess low-level telepathy. Enough to read surface thoughts, if I choose, but I use it most often to keep people out of my head. Prying telepaths do such things." he says.

"But I...how do I say this...like you, I take. Except I use what I take to keep myself alive." he says, offering a hand.

"I'm up to a lot of things, Lisa. I want the power to take back something that should be mine by right. I want to protect my family and make them proud of me. I want the power to do all of that and more.

And I'm looking for back-up. There are very bad people out there, Lisa, many of them mutants, who want want move people around like pieces on a chessboard. I don't want to be a rook or a pawn. I want to be King." Julian says, raking her over with his eyes.

"You stick with me, and I'll make sure you get more than enough powers to try on. Telepathy, kinetic energy absorption, emotional control. The sky is the limit.

And I'll make sure you get filthy rich while you do it, too." he says, extending his hand.

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[info]your_talents
2010-02-19 04:15 am UTC (link)
"This... this will work out just fine." Lisa replies, licking her lips slowly.

"And one more thing for you to understand about these big bad people..." She reaches out, putting a finger on his lower lip as her eyes flash green. Julian should be feeling like a pitcher of water being poured out slowly.

Her back arches slightly as she feels the energy, the otherness of his power flood into her. She lets out a faint gasp. His power feels... wild.

"I don't want to be a king or queen on the chess board... I'll just make my own game."

She runs her hands through her hair as she feels the power settling in. "And why don't you come through on that dinner offer while we talk over what I've just hijacked from you, hm?"

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[info]hellfireprince
2010-02-19 04:47 am UTC (link)
Julian did not like how he currently felt, feeling his energy draining from him bit by bit. Was this what others felt like when he took from them? The feeling of weakness that hit him was nothing like when Mother had first shown him how to use his abilities.

He pulls her onto his lap as she drains him, waiting for her to stop. When she does, he can feel his own hunger stirring, but it's less...urgent than before.

"Once I have...what I want, I'll be creating a whole new game, Lisa. But only once the people responsible for taking what is mine have paid." he says, his face a bit more pale than before.

He looks up at her as she asks about dinner.

"What, exactly, are you hungry for?" he asks, waiting to see if she learns about his hunger in addition hijacking his abilities.

"Hijack. If you don't already have a code-name...that's a good one." he says.

"How does steak sound? Or are you hungry for something else instead?" he asks.

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[info]your_talents
2010-02-19 05:38 am UTC (link)
Lisa's feeling too good from the rush of a new power to stop him when he pulls her into his lap. She lets it slide for now, taking note of the sense of entitlement or revenge he's nursing. Best to keep an eye on that.

She is hungry.

"I hardly ever turn down steak... but... there's something else I'd like too.. just not sure what it is." She tilts her head, waiting for an answer.

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[info]hellfireprince
2010-02-19 05:44 am UTC (link)
"Well, as long as you keep my abilities, you can still eat real food. It just does...next to nothing for you." he says, still feeling a bit weak, but finding himself getting better little by little.

He reaches over and presses the intercom button.

"Miss Holland, please come to my office." Julian says. Minutes later, an attractive brunette walks in, wearing a black pantsuit and blouse. She is one of the club managers.

"Erica, please meet Lisa. Lisa, this is Erica." he says, waiting to see what Lisa does next.

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[info]your_talents
2010-02-19 05:46 am UTC (link)
Lisa raises an eyebrow and looks between the two of them.

"Charmed, I'm sure." She extends a hand to the other woman.

As they shake hands, Lisa feels something stir in the back of her mind. It's a steady little thrumming, but she can't quite pin down what it means.

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[info]hellfireprince
2010-02-19 05:49 am UTC (link)
Erica looks a Julian expectantly.

"Is there something I can do for you, Mr. Howard?" she asks, a look of slight...is it expectation?...on her face.

"Yes, just a moment." he says.

"Dinner is served, Lisa." he whispers.

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[info]your_talents
2010-02-19 05:54 am UTC (link)
Lisa's eyes widen as the words click into some primal part of her mind. She grips Erica's hand tighter and feels a rush of energy as the woman crumples to the floor, apparently drained but undamaged.

She doubles back, looking at her hand, as paper-clips and other metal objects in the room start rattling. "Wh..."

She wheels around at Julian and grabs him by the shoulders, shoving him against the wall. "Tell me what the hell your powers are. Details. NOW."

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[info]hellfireprince
2010-02-19 05:57 am UTC (link)
Julian can't help but smile.

"I told you that you didn't know what hunger was, Lisa. This is a slice of my life. I told you, I take psychic energy from people, and then I use it to power my magnetic abilities...which you should get a handle on now before you bring this place down on top of us. The kick is bigger when you feed from a mutant." he says.

"If you can let me go, I'll show you a bit more." he says.

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[info]your_talents
2010-02-19 06:11 am UTC (link)
Lisa doesn't always just know how to make the things her borrowed powers can do happen, but she's gotten fairly good at making them not happen.

She focuses, and the rattling stops.

She looks over at Erica cautiously. "Is she dead?" A pause. "Was that the normal kick or is she a mutant? What can she do?"

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[info]hellfireprince
2010-02-19 06:18 am UTC (link)
"She's not dead and she's a regular human. I don't employ mutants in the club itself, unless they're performing acts. I maintain the illusion that I'm a regular human for good reason.

Trust me. You'll know what it feels like when you take from a mutant." he says.

"It's important that this aspect of my powers remain...between us. Many people don't look kindly on the whole 'feeding on others to stay alive' thing. In truth, I'd rather it stay between us that I'm a mutant at all." he says simply.

He reaches into his desk draw and draws out a rather large knife.

"You could also heal yourself in injured, though it will draw energy from your reserves. If you run out of energy, no magnetism, no healing, nothing.

Can you hear the thoughts yet?" he asks, titling his head.


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[info]your_talents
2010-02-19 06:23 am UTC (link)
Lisa cringes at the knife. "Do I look like some high schooler busy pitying themself? New power or not, I don't self-harm."

She looks at Erica, then shakes her head. "No. This isn't my thing. The rush is solid, but I'm just not interested."

"Your secrets are safe with me, for now."

She doesn't let go of the power, but she's not trying to use it either.

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[info]hellfireprince
2010-02-19 06:27 am UTC (link)
Julian frowns.

"Ah, I see. You're not enjoying it. Now you understand what I have to live with." he says.

"If you're no longer interested in joining the team because of me, I understand. No hard feelings. Erica will be fine in an hour or two, and once you let go of my power, we don't have to talk about this again, Lisa." he says.

"I apologize." he says, a more somber than he thought. For a moment, he thought he'd come across someone who could understand, but perhaps no one could. No one but his mother, at the least.

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[info]your_talents
2010-02-19 06:30 am UTC (link)
"My taking doesn't hurt anyone. I'm not going to judge you if you leave people a little woozy, but it's just not my thing."

She opens and shuts her hand, feeling out the power. "You're... different somehow though. Not the overtly strongest kick I've ever felt, but there's something... I guess you'd call it feral, about your power."

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[info]hellfireprince
2010-02-19 06:33 am UTC (link)
"If I could take without hurting anyone, I gladly would. Life seldom lets us have our way, though." he says.

"There is a primal feeling to my feeding, I would say." he intones. "Dealing with forces of nature often feels like that. It's the same way when I use my magnetism."

"Are you going to be all right? Does taking have any adverse effects on you?" he asks.

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[info]your_talents
2010-02-19 06:36 am UTC (link)
She takes in what he has to say cautiously. She doesn't trust him, but she doesn't consider him an enemy either.

"Draining people like that... does it just knock them out, or is it one of those shortens the life-span things like in cheap fantasy?" She looks down at Erica.

She laughs as he asks about adverse effects. "Honey, other way around. There's no other rush in existence like when I take." She shivers slightly.

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[info]hellfireprince
2010-02-19 06:43 am UTC (link)
"It simply renders them unconscious." he says simply. "They sleep it off for a bit, maybe have a big dinner and they're fine. Erica offers to help me out from time to time. I don't take her up on it much."

"Well, it's good you don't suffer for what you take. When I saw you the other night, you seemed to be enjoying yourself. In the meantime, if you're going to come around more often, we'll work out something for you, deal wise.

I'm looking forward to working with you, Lisa. And finding your last name." he smiles.

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[info]your_talents
2010-02-19 06:45 am UTC (link)
She seems thoughtful. The magnetism was interesting, and she hasn't felt a kick quite like this before. She bites her lip and takes a piece of paper and a pen from his desk, scribbling out something circular.

"It's Graves."

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[info]hellfireprince
2010-02-19 06:48 am UTC (link)
"Lisa Graves. I like it." he says, nodding his head. He gently reaches out to Erica's mind to check on her and finds that she's still in good shape, sleeping peacefully.

He looks down at the paper to see what she wrote.

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[info]your_talents
2010-02-19 06:50 am UTC (link)
"Mutants give you an extra kick, hm?" She eyes him carefully, gears turning.

"So... theoretically.. I knock your energy sucking down to scale, for safety's sake of course, and... maybe, just maybe, I let you get a taste of me in return. I reset the connection, and pull enough back from you to play around with the magnetism. That was interesting."

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[info]hellfireprince
2010-02-19 06:53 am UTC (link)
Julian had never thought of it that way, but her idea had merit.

"It's worth a try. It can't be any worse than what I have to deal with currently." he says.

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[info]your_talents
2010-02-19 06:00 pm UTC (link)
Lisa hesitates for a moment, then advances on him again.

"Go ahead then, half-strength. Let's see how it feels."

She's got one eye on that knife he left out, just in case.

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[info]hellfireprince
2010-02-19 06:23 pm UTC (link)
Julian nods and places a hand on her cheek. She would feel, slowly but surely, like he was emptying her of her strength.a few seconds go by, and he removes his hand.

His eyes glow a faint red before returning to normal. His skin takes on a healthier hue and he smiles.

"All right. This idea is workable." he agrees.

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[info]your_talents
2010-02-19 08:11 pm UTC (link)
Lisa shudders a little bit. It was like letting go of a power, but worse.

She's a little light-headed, but recovers quickly.

"All right.. now let's see what you've got for me once you're 'full'." Her eyes flash as she lets go of the power, it's full strength returning to Julian, then flash a second time as she takes it back again.

It's a stronger rush this time, and she can feel the magnetic power calling to her.

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[info]hellfireprince
2010-02-20 02:04 am UTC (link)
This time, Julian doesn't feel as bad as he did the first time she took from him. His strength ebbs a bit, but he's able to recover a bit easier.

"This...is good. I don't feel nearly as hungry as before. However, you did mention dinner. How does steak and lobster sound?" he asks.

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[info]your_talents
2010-02-20 02:06 am UTC (link)
She makes a so-so gesture with one hand.

"Swap the lobster for shrimp. I don't like ordering anything that still has a face by the time it gets to me. Sounds great otherwise."

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[info]hellfireprince
2010-02-20 02:07 am UTC (link)
"Steak and shrimp it is." he smiles.

"Can I count on you as part of the team, for now?"

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[info]your_talents
2010-02-20 02:09 am UTC (link)
"You can count on me to work with the team. That's the best offer you can get for now."

Lisa gives him a second glance. "Well.... in a manner of speaking." She raises and lowers her eyebrows quickly.

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[info]hellfireprince
2010-02-20 02:12 am UTC (link)
"Well, if you don't have plans for the rest of the evening...I'd like to talk to you about something else." Julian says, raising an eyebrow of his own.

"I'd like to know a little more about you, and not just what you tell your dance partners." he says.

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[info]your_talents
2010-02-20 10:15 am UTC (link)
"Who says I tell my dance partners anything?" She smirks, raising an eyebrow, as she moves for the door.

Joining up on a team you don't care about to feed an addiction is all well and good, but she's not about to let the boss lure her into bed just that easily.

It's more fun to get them to chase anyway.

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