Nature, Not Nurture (Rusty) [New York City]

”Hmm?”

She looked down. Did he have a problem with her clothes? A little twirl sent the skirt rising, almost exposing her again, but she didn’t seem to notice. Her head snapped back to his with a confused look. No, he didn’t know what he was talking about, she looked cute! I mean technically it wasn’t like, name-brand or anything considering it was created from pure love energy, but still it was super cute! And other people liked it, they were all staring at her, have been for a while! She cocked her head at him, an odd little half-smile on her face. A question on her lips, questing for his thought process when suddenly she screamed.

”OH MY GOD. You’re hurt. I’m so sorry! I’m such a terrible- wait a second.” Her concern took a back seat for a second for the sudden onslaught of confusion. ”I can’t hurt people. How are you hurt? Did you hit your muscles on the ground? Or- no, you seem way too tough for that. Look at those muscles! No, focus Ai, don’t touch his glorious muscles, that’s bad. Where was I? Oh yeah! I mean I must have hurt him … but what could that possibly mean?! WAIT NOT SHUT UP AISHA NOW IS NOT THE TIME!” Her head snapped back up to Rusty, a sudden intensity in her gaze (though the look on her face suggested she was completely unaware she just said all that out loud.)

”Okay now, hold still Pink Rusty! This won’t take long, I promise!” A pink energy began to glow on her hand, said hand beginning to approach the trail of blood on his chest.

The second her hands touched him, pain lanced her body, pain unlike anything she’s ever felt before. As if every single nerve was being burned at the same time. It crept into her soul and she screamed, screamed loud enough to tear her vocal chords. Her hand was anchored to him, body seized with pain, pink and red lightning arched up her body as her energy rebounded, tainted, twisting back on her, her pink hair flashing varying shades of red and yellow in her agony. Pain, her life was pain, vision was red and then finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Rusty pulled away. The pain stopped, colors slowly fading from her hair, her regeneration kicking in to heal the damaged vocal chords.

Ai was lost, tears blurred to her vision, pink hair disarrayed. One hand was still outstretched towards the red giant; that was by far the worst thing she has every experienced, like getting hit by lightning. But she knew it wasn’t his fault, not directly; fear and anxiety bit at her heels and she suddenly knew he couldn’t leave. She needed him hear, she needed the comfort of this … of this stranger. He was only a couple steps away when she stood up from where she had fallen and took off after him. Her first instinct was to throw her arms around him, but considering what happened last time she touched, she settled for clearing her throat.

”Uh, Rusty?” Her voice lacked the complete confidence it had. She was worried, honestly, that he’d hold it against her for the pain she had caused. She didn’t want that! There was something about him … and the more she looked, the more attractive he was. She bit her lip as she fought for the confidence to finish her statement, looking up at him with her bright pink eyes. ”Look, uh. I’m sorry I hurt you, but uh … I’d like to accompany as like, y-your date or-” Her hands flew to her lips. ”Or, uh j-just as friends or whatever, it doesn’t matter!” She was blushing deep red, she couldn’t believe she said that! ”A-anyway. I’ve never really … been hurt before. It’s scary, but it also means like … you’re special. And … I like special.”

””Oh. Yeah, no, I don’t know if I ever wanna use that again … it hurt so bad, I’ve never felt something like that before! It was interesting! B-but not good. It hurt, which is super strange ‘cuz I’ve never really been hurt before! There was that one time I fell of the roof durin’ a party, but that didn’t count because I fell mostly in the pool.” Standing next to him, she felt kinda … insignificant. Like, he was so tall she could barely see his face without looking way up at the sky, and that was super embarrassing to do! Like, she wanted to look at his face without havin’ to bust out the dance moves!

”Uh, who’s Blanche? Is that your … girlfriend … ?” She was a bit jealous, admittedly. Rusty seemed to be into her, and he was cute and nice and there was some kind of weird connection there. Even now she could feel it, like some kinda forgotten dream or long-lost friend. It was weird really, but she didn’t have to focus on that. She was remaining optimistic! Hopefully this Blanche wasn’t his girlfriend! Rusty really didn’t seem like the kind to take a strange girl to meet his girlfriend, but you never can tell by appearances. The walk was silent between the two of them, leaving Aisha alone with her thoughts.

All of which tended towards one, central topic; who was this guy? He was kind, and polite, with a shock of red hair that honestly made her both nervous and a weird sort of excited. She wanted to run her hands through it, and to touch his chest and arms and legs in the weirdest way, but honestly she was afraid to! What if it hurt again? And why did it hurt? That question was haunting her. She bit her lip, torn between leaving and staying. It was really really tempting to stay with him … but leaving is safer. She should be safe, right? It’d be the smart choice, so she didn’t get hurt. This guy was a stranger … and yet, despite herself she trusted him completely. Somehow, she knew he would never hurt her.

They came to a stop, sudden enough that Ai almost ran into Rusty. It took every bit of her balance to teeter on the edge of her toes and keep her skin away from the large man. Having a repeat of the Incident, as she’s referring to it, would be bad, especially as they’ve finally reached where they were trying to go. The building was like many others in New York, just typical brownstone. However, it was immediately obvious from the little personal touches that no ordinary citizen lived here. The railing up to the steps was wrapped in violet bindings, streaming down to touch the immaculate stairs. Flowers of all colors burst through the flower boxes on either side of the door. In the window there was a piece of art displayed; a splash of purple, resembling a flower, on a white canvas, and surrounding this are swirls of twelve other colors, all twisting into the core, where bits of white and black were visible. Seeing it sent chills down Ai’s back.

‘Course, thoughts of it were swiped from her mind in the next couple of seconds. Not only because of the somewhat garish velvet curtains draped over the walls, hiding any unique features of the apartment and making it eternally dim, but also because … well … Rusty took her hand! And not like he was scared, either! Like … well, it was like he just wanted to hold her hand! She was shocked to say the least, a faint red blush spreading across her cheeks. Not irritated or unwanting, though! Her thin fingers curled around his much larger ones. There was definitely a tingle there, as if there skin touching was creating an electric current. Was … was this the “spark”?! She’d never had a real crush before, and certainly never felt this way before! The blush deepened, tinting her cheeks as deep red as his hair. Hmm. Speaking of, she should probably follow suit. Her free hand waved and pink energy poured out of her, catching her hair and bunching it before solidifying into a neat bow. A few strands escaped, framing her delicate features, but she didn’t seem to notice, instead focused the violet figure seemingly waiting for them.

”Y-yeah, sorry. It was my fault! I totally beat ‘im up!” Ai giggled at her attempt at humor.

The figure stirred and the long violet stirred, revealing one interesting fact; she was floating several inches above the ground. Ai gasped at this, it was quite incredible, she’s never seen anything like this! Long legs touched the floor, her bare recoiling only slightly at the cold stone. When the legs fell, so did a long white dress; seemingly cheap despite the lavish quarters, the dress didn’t have a shape to speak of. It was very modest. The figure turned and Ai gasped; she was so beautiful, even in that dress! Violet eyes blinked from underneath long lashes, her perfect features crooked in a slight smile. If Aisha swung that way, she’d probably try to kiss her.

”No worries. You’re right on time.”

Hmm. They were absolute fonts of emotion. Red and pink poured from them, surrounding them, whirlwinds of emotion around them. Desire. Love. Irritation. Oh, she was worried about him not liking her? He was the same. They certainly found each other attractive. Interesting. What an odd couple. Her smile widened at the sight of both of them. Just as the Vision showed, Love and Rage connected (and late). Everything was working out.

”I”m glad you’re here. We have lots to discuss, and not all of it about art. Rusty. Aisha. I am Blanche, welcome to my home. Please, follow me.” Her silent footsteps lead them through the house into a rather large kitchen with a table set for three; one purple cup, one red cup, and one pink tea. She really was expecting them. Ai glanced up at Rusty, confused. How did she know Ai was gonna come?! That’s kinda creepy! The girl swallowed hard, now worried that she was in some kinda danger. But then, just like Rusty, she somehow felt as if this girl wouldn’t hurt them at all …

”Please, sit.”

Blanche poured them tea, a purple hand casually cast placing sugar cubes and creamer in the center of the table. Blanche followed, sitting gracefully on the edge of the kitchen chair.

Anger. Confusion. The ever-present angst and impatience that comes with youth. Ah, to be young again. Emotions swirled around them in cacophonous spirals, pink and red mixing together in spirals of energy. Rage and stubbornness poured off in waves from Rusty, and she raised her eyes to meet his. Ah. He thought this was a trick of some kind. Understandable, but ultimately pointless. She sipped her tea, unperturbed by the angry Descendant staring her down. Answers he was owed, certainly, but she was going to drink her tea while it was still hot. She let the silence stretch for several moments before speaking, voice like honey sweeping over them both.

”Relax, Firebrand.” She smiled slightly, purple-painted lips curling upwards at the use of his hero moniker. ”You too, Icon.” The smile got just a little bit wider. ”What an amusing nickname.” Blanche stood and Aisha grabbed onto Rusty, grabbing his hand again for security. Confusion and even fear were paramount; she had no idea what was going on or why she was here, or how this woman knew her hair, but it was scary. Very very scary and she needed the comfort of Rusty. The smile grew from a kind one to a little bit of an ironic smirk.

”When I saw you two coming today, I did not expect such … feelings from you. It’s quite refreshing for two Descendants to take to each quite so well. I must say, I certainly have mixed feelings about some of them.” Blanche laughed, a sound like water trickling along church bells. Their reactions were just so precious! She almost wanted to ruffle both of their heads and assure them it would be okay! She was scared- oh, and worried, even in this moment, that he didn’t like here. And for him, rage that he had been tricked and deceived, quickly overshadowing the embarrassment and - this brought the smile back into the genuine zone - genuine adoration of him holding her hand. Oh, well.

”I am not your enemy, Rusty. I assure you. We are the same here.” Purple energy poured from her then, a long, slim tendril wrapping around the teapot and pouring Blanche a new cup. ”Descendants.” And then the teapot was thrown against the wall, the fragile pieces shattering and the liquid splashing. Only they didn’t fall; instead, Blanche whispered a spell and the glass shards formed a frame, the amber liquid caught and suspended in place. For only a brief moment, there were ripples across the surface, and then it was still. Absolutely still.

”In the beginning, there was nothing, only emptiness.” And across the surface of the suspended mirror there came blackness, with only the smallest pinpoint of light to indicate there was anything. ”The universe was new then, the creation of the universe still casting it’s shadow across the infant stars. And then, they came.” The lights in the kitchen darkened, and then across the screen their bloomed thirteen comets. Or, they looked like them. Each a different color - White, Pink, Purple, Blue, Green, Bronze, Cyan, Yellow, Orange, Silver, Red, and Black, all surrounding around one that looked like glass - they streaked across the sky, and in their wake planets arose, grass and life blooming across the empty universe.

”The Cosmic Sources. Absolute sources of energy, each connected with a color, among them red and pink.” Blanche gestured at them, and as she did Ai pressed a hand to the chest. This was a surprise, an origin for her powers she didn’t think she needed. She said not a word, shocked into silence by the beautific dancing of the Sources. ”For millenium, they traced across the sky until, rather dramatically, they came to a sudden halt.” The scene changed. Suddenly they were no longer flying through space, but crashing through an atmosphere, plunging through clouds towards a planet made of water with only a single continent to break up the blue. A brief scene was painted, off tall towering trees and imposing cliffs flanked by long-necked grazers and powerful, clawed hunters before the world went white.

”There impact killed out all life on Earth. Or at least, most.” From within the mirror, a tiny mole climbed out of the ground, shaking it’s whiskers free of the dust. Ai gasped at it’s cuteness. She really wanted to hug it. ”And there they rested for another million years, influencing the life around it, creating the source of all things that make this world just; emotions, creativity, free will. They were our unseen commanders, until ... She waved her hand, and the scene changed, time rushing forward, mankind evolving until they stood upright, and, barely after the first modern man emerged, the scene stopped. They were in the same place, but it had changed; farms and rivers crossed through it, animals grazed across this most fertile land, but most importantly were the scattering of cities; thirteen of them, each miles apart from each other. As they watched, soldiers marched from every one and waged war, coating the ground in blood.

”Humanity discovered the power of the Cosmic Source and fought to control. Thirteen cities waged war to control the most powerful magic source available.” The war changed; instead of spears and arrows, instead magic flew around, lightning bolts incinerating entire legions and golems rising from the earth to break through a cities barriers. ”Eventually, the leaders of the cities, magnificent warriors all, knew it was not sustainable. And they met.” Shrouded figures gathered around a stone well in a temple, and from this well white light shone forth. As the light scattered on the walls, the light of the entire spectrum lit up the room. ”In this Sanctum, they crafted the most powerful spell the world has ever seen and took the Cosmic Source within their own bodies. This spell, too, bound it’s power to that of their bloodline, their children and their children’s children’s each born with this power inside them.”

The image faded, turning back into the murky brown of the liquid, and with a wave of her hand it repaired itself and set itself down on the counter. Blanche sighed and sagged; using that kind of magic always took it out of her. Softly, she massaged her neck, to try to ease the aches caused by the All Things Shown spell. Ai turned to Rusty, conflicting emotions in her eyes. She bit her lip and squeezed his hand tight, careful to keep her nails away from him. Descendants … she was a Descendant … what did that mean for her?

”So what this is about, my little Descendants, is an offer. You are our future, the True Descendants that will take up the mantle. My friends and I will train you, and support you in your endeavors … but be warned. The stronger you get, the less powerful we will grow, until we are nothing more than human. And then we will die.” She said it with a sort of utter finality, like a irrefutable fact of life. But she followed it up with a smile at Rusty. ”Of course I only discovered your powers through your art. You are quite a talented sculptor. I’d be honored if your work were featured in my gallery.”

Ai blinked. ”Wait, you’re an artist?”