and it's harder than you think [OPEN]

[assembles]

Who: Steve Rogers and YOU
Where: All around the island of Genosha
When: Throughout the event (08/05 - 08/09)
Rating: Mainly PG-13, possible R for violence
Summary: Steve is a Human outraged by the way that his kind are treated, and he isn't going to stay quiet about it... even if he is under 100 pounds and asthmatic. Responses will come from preserum.
The Story:
Tensions are rising and Steve is as ready as he can be.

He's already come to terms with the fact that he's hardly a key player in the Human Resistance Movement, but that won't stop him from contributing however he can. Some of his fellow resistance members don't hesitate to take him along when they plan an attack, while others are more insistent on him remaining back at their hideout to serve as support. Steve does what he can to make it into the action whenever possible — and well, if a mutant happens to get in his face while he's going about his life on Genosha, he isn't about to let them get away with it. He won't take their abuse, or curl into himself like a scared animal and whimper until he's left alone. He's going to give them a piece of mind, consequences be damned.

It's not like he hasn't paid for his boldness a number of times already. He's got some nasty scarring on his abdomen from burn wounds from a pyrokinetic — that would be the worst example, but he has plenty of other scrapes, bruises, and scars littered across his body like a map of all his bad decisions.

Whether Steve's back at the hideout checking in with other members of the resistance (which is also where he usually sleeps these days), or out on an assignment with them, or simply wandering around the island minding his own business, he won't make a secret of the issues he has with the way Humans are treated. With the Queen's remarks about them, he's more fired up than ever, and someone should either take advantage of his unruly temper or try to talk some sense into him.

He's got plenty of friends — supporters in his fight, people who are just as ready to fight for their rights. But he's also made plenty of enemies, and all it takes is one careless statement about Humans to get him seeing red.


[ OOC: I will respond to prose or brackets! Feel free to find Steve at the resistance hideout or wandering around the island making trouble. ]

Comments

[breacher]

[ Harrison usually spends most of his time back at the hideout tucked away in his makeshift workship as he plugs away at whatever project is more important that day. Designing weapons for fellow members of the Resistance, helping beef up security, or chipping away at his own personal projects — it's always a constant rotation of things for him. So much so that he hardly finds time to get out and about around the rest of the base, let alone the rest of the island, and most are content to just leave him be given his temperment.

Which is why it's usually somewhat surprising when someone makes their way into his workspace. Harrison glances up and over towards the doorway, a screwdriver in hand and a scowl on his face as he looks to see who's interrupting him this time. ]

What now.

[ It's a clipped statement, snapped out before he even really has time to assess who's there. Once he does though, he heaves a sigh, settling back into his seat as he rubs at his temple with his free hand. ]

. . . Rogers. [ A beat. ] Still getting yourself into trouble?

[preserum]

[ Steve would be pretty hypocritical if he avoided someone simply because of their temperament. Granted, he's pretty even-keel around the other members of the resistance because they're all on the same page, but if someone gets him going, it's another story.

Either way, he figures that it's probably good to go visit Harrison from time to time. The guy is kind of a hermit and that can't be good for anyone. Steve doesn't want him to end up with a few screws loose because he hasn't had any human interaction in one too many days.

Besides, Harrison has made some pretty cool weaponry for them, and Steve's curious to see what his current projects are.

Harrison's demeanor changes as soon as he realizes who it is, and Steve can't help but feel a little triumphant about that. He's gotten as close as anyone can to working himself into the guy's good graces — or it's pity, but he'd rather assume it's the former. ]

Always. [ There's some bruising under his left eye that's slowly fading, as if to prove his point. Steve grabs for a stool and drags it up close to where Harrison's sitting. ] So what's on the docket for today?

[breacher]

[ Harrison lowers his hand, giving Rogers a flat look before shaking his head. He shouldn't be surprised by that answer at this point, and yet, here they are. Deep down, he knows Rogers only means well at the end of the day, that he's not trying to be a rabble-rousing pain in the ass. And yet. And yet.

He's still had a soft spot for that type, though. Not that he'd ever admit it.

That bruise under his left eye gets a moment or two of scrutiny, Harrison's eyes narrowing just a bit. Then, with a huff, he pushes a wrench across the counter. ]

Maintenance.

[ His eyes drift back over to that bruise. ]

Try not to bang up your other eye.

[preserum]

[ Surely Steve can both mean well and be a rabble-rousing pain at the ass at the same time, right? That better be the true, because that's the logic he's been functioning on for a while now.

He picks up the wrench as soon as it's passed over, rolling it over in his hands before he looks up at Harrison. ]

What do you want me to do with this?

[ He's always ready to help, but he usually needs a bit of guidance. He's more accustomed to using his hands to punch things than make things, and sketching is a little bit different from what Harrison does.

The comment about the black eye goes ignored. If he pretends that it doesn't exist, it may as well not, right? ]

[hypoxic]

[Steve talks too much in mixed company. It's embarrassing for perfectly normal humans who already know their place and are perfectly content to stay where they are.

Steve's in the middle of shouting at -- Fitz isn't even sure what caused it, but the man is certainly shouting about something. He steps behind him, sternly clearing his throat.]

Settle down. You're making things harder for all of us.

[preserum]

[ There are a lot of nasty words that the mutants will use to describe their kind, and Steve can't put up with any of them. When one such epithet had come out of the mouth of two passing mutants, he'd broken away from Fitz to go give them a piece of their mind.

Maybe his voice had started to raise a little, maybe, but Steve still can't believe that Fitz isn't backing him up on this. (Does the guy really think that little of himself?)

Steve turns away from the two mutants to look at his fellow human, brow knit in disappointment. ] Has it ever occurred to you that it's not supposed to be easy?

[hypoxic]

[For Fitz, it's less about thinking little of himself and more about being in touch with reality. They lost the genetic lottery. There's no changing it. All the fighting int he world isn't going to make them grow powers and transcend their limitations.]

Do you want them to take you away, then? Is that better than living a comfortable life that we should be thankful we're allowed to have in the first place??

[normandysbest]

[Shepard isn't the kind of person to tell someone they can't fight- if they have something they believe in, if they have something they want to take a stand for, she's gonna support that. It's not right, at least in her opinion, to stop someone from pursuing what they really care about.

That's not going to stop her, however, from getting wildly nervous every single time she spots Steve Rogers trying to pick a fight with legitimately anyone, because he's 100 pounds dripping wet and she doesn't want to be responsible for his fucking death.

Sometimes that's just as simple as making sure she's on missions with him, her cloaking technology and his small size making them perfect for recons and search. Sometimes it's just making sure he's not in earshot when someone particularly big says something particularly stupid. Sometimes, like today, it's trying to convince him not to throw himself on the pyre while they're on the way back to headquarters.

It's not going well.]

C'mon, Rogers, can't let 'em walk just this once?

[preserum]

[ The thing is, Steve likes Shepard. She can fight like no one else he's seen. He's watched her take down more than a few mutants in the past, and the fact that she can outsmart them and use her tech to her advantage to overpower their natural abilities will always be impressive to him.

So maybe it would be in his best interest to listen to someone he respects and let this particular quibble go, but Steve has never been that person.

Bucky usually tries to talk him out of this kind of thing, too, and Steve doesn't even listen to him most of the time. So... sorry, Shepard, but letting them walk just isn't an option. ]

It was their choice to come around here and start running their mouths. [ It's well-known that it's mainly humans that live here. These guys had just been looking for trouble, as far as he's concerned. He cracks a reckless smile at Shepard. ] Better make sure they don't do that again, right?

[ Because he's just that intimidating. Steve doesn't care if he has to annoy mutants into leaving them alone, that's what he'll do. So with an apologetic shrug, he turns away from Shepard and marches toward the pair of mutants in question. ]

[normandysbest]

[Oh hot Christ. She knew, somewhere in the back of her mind, she wasn't gonna get this, because this is probably part of what makes Steve who he is- small, scrappy, and absolutely won't take no for an answer. It's admirable, and would be more admirable if he could put his muscle where his mouth is. So she rolls her eyes, albeit comically, and squares her shoulders to go in behind him. Not gonna let him do it alone, after all.]

Alright, alright. I can see I'm not convincing you. I'll give you first shot at the talking and everything, but if this goes south, I'm pulling you out.

[She should not be indulging him like this, but it's only gonna be worse if she hoists him over her shoulder and carries him off kicking and screaming. Besides, she also sort of wants to throw down against assholes, even if they haven't done anything necessarily awful. It's... kind of fun. Not that she'll admit it, because it'll give him grounds to do it more. But hey, small victories.]

[readytocomply]

After getting Napsta settled into their home, Bucky heads out to start his second job. Keeping an eye on Steve Rogers. They were both part of the Human Resistance Movement, doing their own part, and Bucky couldn't have been prouder of everything Steve was doing. Unfortunately, he was also worried twenty-four hours a day that something was going to happen to him. It came with being best friends to someone that had such a big heart and was the bravest person he'd ever known.

He puts the word out that he's looking for Steve, and only has to wait a few minutes before he gets word on which resistance hideout he's hunkered down in now.

Bucky takes his time getting there. Makes sure he isn't followed and grabs a couple hot sandwiches on the way.

"Hey, Steve," he says, unceremoniously dropping down next to his best friend. "Staying out of trouble?"

He hands him a bag of food and a drink.

[preserum]

Steve had found himself spending more and more time in the hideout. Surrounded by like-minded people, it really came as close to home as he could get. Of course, it isn't really home until Bucky shows up, and Steve lifts his head from where he'd been sketching to crack a smile at his best bud.

"I'm pretty sure you already know the answer to that question." It's for the best that Bucky's brought him food, since more often than not Steve forgets to grab any for himself. His appetite can get pretty touchy, but the hot sandwich wrapped in wax paper may be the best thing he's seen all day.

He drags it closer to him and unwraps it, takes a whiff and then exhales in something like relief. He's about to take a bite, but remembers his manners just in time. He'll wait until Bucky's ready to start his first.

"How'd work go?" Steve knows that Bucky's job takes him into the dragon's den, so to speak; he's basically required to interact with mutants. Honestly, Steve doesn't know how he does it.

[readytocomply]

"Yeah, I sure do."

Which is code for, I'm Steve Rogers and I'm always getting into trouble. Bucky unties his boots and kicks them off, moving until he's pressed shoulder to shoulder to Steve, his own sandwich in his lap and legs spread out in front of him.

"It was alright. Napsta's been laying low, so keeping an eye on them isn't so bad."

He nudges Steve, raising an eyebrow as he looks down at the untouched food in his hands.

"What are you waiting for? Eat up, Rogers." Bucky rolls his eyes, unwrapping his own and taking a bite, watching to make sure Steve tucks into his own. "How was your day?"

Bucky thinks this might be the best and worst part of his day. Sharing a meal with his favorite person in the world, listening to whatever stories he's got to share, and then wishing that Steve would suddenly look at him one day and tell him that he's through with being friends. Through with that because he's in love with him, loves him as much, and in the same way, as Bucky does Steve. Pipe dream, he reckons, cause Steve can do a whole hell of a lot better.

With his head tipped to the side, he grows quiet as he listens.

[trigeminalheadache]

[ It isn't often that Caitlin has to go looking for entertainment. She has Fitz, after all, not to mention that her wealth means she can afford nearly every distraction her heart desires. But sometimes there's an itch that mundane diversions just can't scratch, a craving that her cold little heart needs to satiate. There are dealers she could go through, certainly, fellow mutants and enterprising humans that traffic in the weak and broken. It would be nothing to toss a little sum at one of them and get something in return.

But where's the fun in that?

She doesn't know exactly where to find him, but she knows approximately enough. Wander down any sufficiently dark alleyway and there'd be little Steve Rogers. Most likely, getting the shit kicked out of him. They've crossed paths before, him and her, enough that he'd left something of an impression. (And she knows she left plenty of one on him.)

It's two little snot-nosed brats, just come into their powers, that she finds at the task tonight. She watches for a moment, amused, before throwing a spike of ice at the wall over their heads. The two boys turn, startled and staring. Her heels click on the pavement as she moves closer.

She addresses them with just one word in the tinkling, cracking-ice voice: ] Scram.

[ The two kids bug out, shoving each other in their hurry to get out of her way. It leaves just the two of them there, the human and his unlikely "savior." She clucks her tongue and shakes her head. ] Oh, Steve.

[preserum]

[ One of the kids has got electric powers, but Steve has lucked out because he hasn't quite figured out how to use them yet. All he has to deal with is a few mild shocks, and while it might look like he's backed into a corner, he's just waiting for the perfect opening to sock one of these bullying jerks in the jaw.

The last thing he needs is for someone to come to his rescue, and the very last thing he needs is for it to be Caitlin.

It's not like she'd really saved him, anyway. She's only going to make about ten times more trouble than those kids did.

Steve looks at the icicle lodged into the wall overhead, moving out from under it before it melts and drips down onto him. He can sense Caitlin's condescending nature already, balls his hands into fists and then crosses his arms over his chest.

He doesn't thank her, just stares her down. ] What do you want?

[trigeminalheadache]

A "thank you, Dr. Snow" wouldn't be amiss.

[ She knows it'll never happen, not in a million years. Still, it's fun to press random buttons and see what comes out. If she actually expected gratitude, she wouldn't have done this in the first place. Caitlin would have been content to stand back and watch a pair of high school freshmen bloody his nose and administer some slow-motion electroshock therapy.

Oh, now, there's a thought. But for another time.

She advances on him, lest he think he isn't cornered or get any ideas about making a run for it. Maybe she should let him run. A little chase would be amusing, and it would have the same end result as this scenario would. But he's already get his back up. It's unlikely that he'd be fun for once. ] You're looking a little warm. Are you feeling well?

[mettatonvevo]

Mettaton has been on the move lately, his mind a constant turmoil of his old memories of Wonderland with his memories of Genosha. He's been dodging calls, avoiding public appearances, and just trying to think and lay to rest the conflict of information.

So he's out roaming the island at night, keeping to himself mostly, watching the people and wondering which ones were fake and which ones were real.

Then he sees a scrawny human arguing with a mutant twice his size and looking particularly mean, and, well, this isn't real anyway, so these consequences won't matter in a day or two. Who knows if this human is actually a resident of Wonderland or not? He shouldn't intervene. And yet...

"Step away from him."

His words echo with that particular tone that anyone who isn't under the influence of Mettaton's Persuasion can recognize as a flexing of his abilities.

"Turn around and leave. Do not bother him again."

The mutant leaves then, walking mechanically away, and Mettaton is left alone with this incredibly small rabble-rouser.

[preserum]

You know what's not fun? Trying to punch someone who has some sort of shield power. Each time that Steve had tried to get a hit in, the mutant's skin had shimmered a light blue color and it had felt more like hitting a concrete wall.

So as Mettaton approaches him, Steve's knuckles are bruised and bleeding. It's nothing he hasn't had to deal with before, but he shakes both hands to try and stave off the pain. It doesn't really work, but his tolerance is through the roof, so before long he turns his attention toward his so-called savior.

It takes a few seconds, but then he realizes... he's seen this guy on TV.

"You're that mutant celebrity, aren't you? Glamour or something, right?" What the hell is some famous person doing around here?

Really, Steve should be thanking the guy, but it's not like he asked for help and he's a little distracted by being face-to-face with a celebrity.

[mettatonvevo]

Mettaton raises an eyebrow. Either this human is with the resistance and knows his code name, or Mettaton is really slipping in keeping his identity a secret. He doesn't particularly care though.

"Mettaton, actually. Though Glamour is certainly a name I wouldn't turn away."

He hopes that is enough of a hint that, if he is in fact a resistance-friendly human, he'll put two and two together about who he really is and what he does.

His eyes go to their hands and he inclines his head a little. "Are you all right? That looks painful."

[endingpoint]

Jane knows that if the mutants ever get their hands on Steve, she's going to be ordered to wipe his mind. She doesn't want to do that, not at all. She can't work with the humans directly, but maybe if she can warn one of them at least that a round up i coming, it'll help - she wants this to stop. She loves a human; this can't continue.

Sneaking in the shadows, Jane's wearing a dark hoodie and jeans, and she waits until Steve's alone before slipping into the resistance hideout, holding up her hands in hoping to keep him from hurting her on sight.

"I'm not here to hurt you, or anyone. I'm just here with a warning."

[preserum]

Steve's in the common area, which isn't all that impressive but it suits their efforts just fine. Normally he wouldn't be alone here, but it's gotten pretty late and most people have turned in for the night.

So when some stranger shows up without warning, there's good reason for him to be startled. He's halfway to grabbing for his taser when he watches the woman's hands go up.

Mutant. She has to be.

Steve stands slowly from his seat and looks her over, frowning at the sheer number of tattoos covering her skin. Does that have something to do with her powers?

"What kind of warning?" he asks. He's wary and suspicious, no doubt about it, but he's also willing to hear her out.

[endingpoint]

"There's going to be a raid. People are going to come and take whoever they can. And once they get whatever information out of you they can, they're going to make me erase your memories. All of them. You won't know who you are, or that you ever had a thing against mutants."

She sounds tired and desperate, and Jane lowers her hands.

"Please. This has to stop." She has no idea how to make it really stop, how to get it to all be better. She's not a self-righteous mutant and she won't pretend both sides don't have blood on their hands. But change has to start somewhere. With someone.

if this is too late, just let me know! no harm, no fowl

[deathlessness]

[Freya isn't part of the movement one way or another, but she won't stand for abuse of other people either. She just wants her and her sister to be left alone and allowed to live their lives. That, however, is likely never going to happen, so when she spots Steve after he's tangled with a mutant or two, she won't chase after his assailants - she knows there's nothing they'll be able to do about that - but she will stop to make sure tiny Steve is alright and not having suffered anythng serious.]

Are you alright?

[She makes her way forward, hand extended to help him up and check him out for herself.]

not at all! sorry for my delay

[preserum]

[ It's not that uncommon for someone to come check in on Steve after one of his famous tussles, and he can't even blame people for being worried, not when he's crumpled to the ground, completely drained of energy. His chest feels like it's on fire -- he just needs to get his hands on his inhaler, and then he'll be fine. Right now, though, his arms don't seem to want to move.

He looks up at the woman asking after him, face white as a sheet and shoulders slumped with fatigue. ] Yeah, I'll... I'll be fine. [ His voice is quiet, coming out in a wheeze as he fights to get some oxygen into his lungs.

Whatever that mutant did to him, it sucked all the energy out of him. Not a good thing for someone who's already got a laundry list of health problems. Suffice to say he doesn't look fine and he isn't making any move to stand or do much of anything just yet. ]

[deathlessness]

[And well he shouldn't. Freya's eyes narrow more sharply as she looks him over, before shifting next to him so that she can help him sit up a little more.]

Here, lean on me. It will help your breathing.

[She can't do much for an asthma attack with what she has on her, but if she can stabilize him enough to walk she can get him to her shop where she has things that are more helpful.]

My name is Freya. What's yours?