Coughing Up a Fireball

[Quinn Wiley]

Quinn didn't see that one coming. Normally, when he had a cold, he could cough without it to cause any trouble with his ability. It wasn't like he had to blow fire every time he coughed. True, he didn't have the flu right now but that didn't change the fact that the cough he had was not the result of the sack of acetone attached to his lungs was full, only that a cloud of dust reached him and entered his mouth. What else was he supposed to do other than cough it up?

He never meant to generate fire around here. He knew how dangerous hat could be. They said his fire might as well be as strong as napalm. You don’t want napalm in your school. Then again, he didn't want napalm in his system either so he was kind of caught here.

All he meant to do was to dig through the stuff in the drama studio. He watched some students practice a play. Whether it was to show it later or just for the class, he couldn’t tell, but he did like the passion they might project, when they were good which, of course, was in his opinion not often. Anyway, he received permission to look at the different costumes for inspiration and even to take pictures if he wanted, provided he didn't disturb them. It was the reason why he was looking through the different attire and accessories. And that is when he ended up on a pile of stuff they had not taken off in a long time as the dust covering the box showed. He took the box away, kind of curious. But when he blew the dust, it came flying all around him and that was when he started to cough. Without him being able to stop, he dropped the box to the ground and blew fire right on it.

Quinn instinctively pulled away from it. It was on fire now and he wasn’t immune. He looked around, kind of panicked. He read a bit about napalm after they told him about it, it stuck to whatever it was thrown at and you cannot pull it out with water. But he couldn’t let it burn, the whole room might as well end up on fire. He kicked the box further away from the rest of the accessories to prevent that while he ran around like a headless goose in search for a fire extinguisher. There had to be one around. He finally caught sight on the red object and ran to get it before going back to the box. He wasn’t all that good with the thing but he managed to contain the fire to the box and, as it vanished into more dust, he could put it out. He sighed heavily, panting out of the rush of adrenaline he just got, and looked at the black remains on the floor. You could still see some piece of fabric but the whole box was gone now and was covered in the substance thrown from the extinguisher.

[Elizabeth Edison]

Elizabeth was on her way to the photography studio when she caught a whiff of smoke coming from the opposite end of the hall. Curiosity obviously compelled her to check it out.

Hitching her backpack and tugging at the hem of her skirt, she walked over to open the door and immediately she inhaled a poof of smoke. Coughing, she waved her hand in front of her in a futile attempt to get through without stinging her eyes.

It was a shame her abilities didn't let her do anything with smoke since it didn't really have any element of heat in it that she could manipulate.

"Are you okay?" She called out when she saw someone was in there, holding on to the fire extinguisher. "Holy shit, dude are you okay?"

[Quinn Wiley]

Quinn was making huge efforts not to cough anymore. He didn't want to risk the same mistake to happen again. Once was enough. He already feared the wrath of the drama teacher for burning an entire box full of props and marking the floor here, as it clearly did not get away from this undamaged, he didn't want to destroy anything else. Especially since he doubted that extinguisher would be able to deal with everything if he ended up setting every costume on fire.

It was not easy not to cough however as the smoke remained around despite the fire to be put out. He didn't even dare to put him hand over his mouth unless it was to prevent himself from coughing anything more as he was able to burn his hand. And Quinn was not immune to fire. Kind of a stupid considering he could throw fire. It was like being able to control water yet being unable to breathe under it like fish did.

He was caught by surprise when he heard a voice. At first, he feared it might be the teacher coming back to look on him. He was so screwed if that was the case. But instead, it was some blonde girl, not much older than he was. He recognized her from the photography club. He knew she was called Liz but other than that, he tended to stay in his corner and ignore everybody.

He did calm down however seeing that it was only her. He should be fine. “Yes, yes, I’m...” but he didn't finish as he started to cough again from the smoke and did the best he could to prevent that. “You should probably step back, I don’t want to hurt you,” he warned her, making a gesture of his hand so she wouldn’t stand right in his way, just in case he created another ball of fire. He tried to leave the place to a more ventilated area, one where he would have space to breathe fire without burning anything if that came to that. Not that it was very easy around here. But as long as he was away from the smoke, it would definitely help.

[Elizabeth Edison]

When told she should stay away from him, Elizabeth immediately jumped to the conclusion that the boy had the same ability as Zoe. But he wasn't wearing any gloves. And he had just put out a fire...

"Um, why?" She asked. "I mean...I'm cool with fire." She shrugged, taking out her lighter and showing it to him. "Unless you have something else. I have this friend named Zoe who had tactile paralysis or something? She could touch you and you'd die. Kinda like Rogue but not really." She shrugged again and laughed at how chatty she was being.

"What happened though?" She asked, pointing towards the box.

[Quinn Wiley]

Quinn didn't know Liz enough to know she could manipulate fire. Even if she did, considering he was not immune to the flames, he only assumed no one was. It was safer that way. He might hate the world, he didn't wish to kill them, one fire ball at a time.

She pointed out she was fine with fire however. “Put it down,” he said quickly when he saw her lighter. If there were still some acetone in the air thanks to his coughing, she could ignite it. And even if she was cool with fire, he was not. He didn’t want to burn. She just kept talking while all he wanted was to breathe some air and make sure he would not cough again. It took him time for his brain to decipher what she said to him. Rogue and Zoe became one person in his mind while he was too busy dealing with other things, like breathing, making it pretty hard to understand. At least he knew who Zoe was, but he didn’t see why she should be called Rogue. Then, he understood the X-Men reference but said nothing about it.

He looked back at the pile of ash. He’ll have to explain it. And apologize for the lost props. To his defense, if there was that much dust on it, they mustn’t have used them in ages. Maybe they even forgot about it. He wouldn’t have to pay for them. Right? Just great. He’ll probably end up in detention or punished in some way over something he had no control on.

He turned his head towards the girl. She wanted some answers. “I coughed and... this, happened” he replied, pointing at the box just like she did before him. His eyes squinted as he observed her. “What are you doing here?” he questioned. He didn't recall seeing her with the teacher before so why did she come all the way to the drama class?

[Elizabeth Edison]

Pocketing her lighter, Elizabeth grinned sheepishly, her hand waving at the smoke that was still circulating in the air. "Sorry."

His answer got her staring at him and then at the smouldering box and then back at him before she made the connection. "Oh! You make things spontaneously combust?" She asked, kind of excited to meet someone with such a power.

"I was actually heading towards the photography room. Smelled smoke so I came here. Thought there was a fire or something." She shrugged. "Are you in drama club?"

[Quinn Wiley]

Quinn could have used a more polite tone but Liz didn’t seem to be too affected by it. Either she was smart enough to get there might still be some gas able to ignite with her lighter or she was the most accommodating person in the world. At least she put the lighter back in her pocket. It was all that mattered. Quinn wasn’t sure that there was any acetone left to burn or if the flame of her lighter could create a spark big enough to set this room on fire but he clearly didn’t want to try.

Quinn was relieved that it was only one small cough that happened. Not just because it was only one box that burned down but also because his body temperature didn’t drop too much. He wasn’t shaking. It was the last thing he wanted, to start shivering here with this girl being over enthusiastic. What could make her this happy? Oh right, she was talking of his power. “Kind of, but not really,” he began to say. That didn’t make much sense, he knew it. “I can produce gas and then ignite it. It’s not spontaneous,” he explained. It would be too nice if he could burn things only with his mind. It sure wouldn’t give him so many heartburns.

Her explanation as to her presence here made a lot of sense. Actually, it was a miracle he attracted only her. And that he didn't set off a fire alarm or something. “Well, there was...” he admitted, looking at the remains of the box. Just how much trouble would he be in for this? He preferred not to ask. “No, I’m not. I was... looking for inspiration,” he told her. Apparently she didn’t recognize him from the photography club. It was true that despite being a part of it he was not interacting a lot with the other students in it.

[Elizabeth Edison]

She perked up when he answered her question but only responded with an 'Oh' after. But she did perk right back up when he explained what exactly he did, although that would mean...

"Wait, you produce gas? As in out of thin air or...I'm sorry for asking too many questions, I'm just pretty curious as to what exactly it is you can do." She grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck.

Chuckling at him pointing out the obvious, Elizabeth hit her forehead with the heel of her palm. "Duh, right? I can be such a ditz sometimes." She shook her head and rolled her eyes at herself.

His answer to her question had her nodding. Had Elizabeth been just a little more attentive to the boy and not at the smouldering box, she would have actually recognised the boy. The smoke wasn't helping much either, but she was pretty sure she knew who he was. It just hadn't occurred to her just yet, being the ditz that she was.

"Inspiration for...?" Elizabeth clearly didn't understand boundaries. She didn't think that if Quinn wanted to tell her about it, he would have mentioned it. But that was how the girl was.

[Quinn Wiley]

Quinn had people being curious as to what he could do before. The boy looked like a freaking dragon with his ability! Except it was not quite that. When he had to explain he could produce flammable gas and then ignited it by spitting acid... that clearly wasn’t as awesome anymore. He preferred not to disgust this girl. he might have no reason to be nice to her, and clearly wasn’t looking for one, but he also didn't want her to be grossed out at him. He’d rather have her ignore him, but she was asking more questions and Quinn sighed, trying to figure out a way to explain that wouldn’t sound too disgusting. “No, I make it inside of me. With what I eat and all. And when I made enough I can just get it out.” Why was he trying to explain to her? He couldn’t care less about this girl. It was so easy to just ignore her and be on his way. But she might recognize him next time they went to the photography club and she wouldn’t leave him alone after that.

“Not like I intended to have it happen here though...” he mumbled under his breath. He didn't mean to burn this box. He never thought the dust would cause him to cast a fire ball. He never ended up burning his room when he caught a cold before. He was probably due to go to the training field and expulse some of that acid out and the coughing and sneezing that happened only quickened the process. Well, at least he wouldn’t have to get to the training field tonight. And he shouldn’t have any heartburn.

He stared at her as she didn't get what kind of inspiration he was looking for or why he wanted any. Why did she want to know? He came here for inspiration, why did it matter the reason why he was searching for some? “Photography,” he answered. He wouldn’t say more. In fact, he clammed up after answering her and had no intention of adding one more word.

[Elizabeth Edison]

"Oh!" Elizabeth elongated the one syllable word and nodded in understanding. Well, half understanding. But she didn't think it would be polite to ask him to explain any more. He didn't even seem to want to be there in the first place.

At the mention of photography, it was like at that second that the smoke cleared up and Elizabeth could see who she was talking to. "Quinn?" Her eyebrows shot up and she waved enthusiastically at the boy. She didn't know much about him but they were in the same club, which meant they had shared interests which meant friend!

"Hi! Oh my God I didn't even notice it was you, how thick was that smoke huh?" She chuckled and waved a dismissive hand. "So you were looking for inspiration to take pictures? In the drama department? Sweet." She nodded. "We have some old timey props at the back that you could check out?"

[Quinn Wiley]

Quinn was not expecting Liz to get it all as he explained. He didn’t give too much detail, wanting to make it clear to her that he was not interested in having this conversation with her. This made it all quite puzzling but it was not his problem. He was too busy making a mental note never to try that indoors again. Or, if he did, to choose a wide open space because that smoke he created was awful.

He also didn’t expect her to know his name. Sure, he said it. Well, he said he was called Quinn. Because he hated when people called him Tarquin. Who would, this was such a weird name? Still, he believed they had nothing in common. Except photography but that didn’t count. She looked like those popular girls. He bet she had tons of friends, the perfect boyfriend and a happy life. Anything that would say the opposite about her, he would simply ignore. Even if she had been through some hardships, he couldn’t believe they had more in common than a passion for photography. Girls like her ignored boys like him.

Except that she knew his name. He blinked when she actually got it right. She was so bubbly and enthusiastic, so unlike him. It was strange, very strange. “I think I just burned a box of your old timey props. Don’t know if they’ll let me near again after that,” he pointed out.

[Elizabeth Edison]

The boy was so quiet that Elizabeth just barrelled on with her talking. Of course, even if he wasn't, she would still continue talking.

Green eyes widened when Quinn stated that the cause of the fire had been the props she had just suggested. "Shit." Her lips stretched in a line before she shrugged. "They were all plastic anyway. Bound to happen." She waved a dismissive hand.

"We have a killer wardrobe though. Rows and rows of costumes. If you want, I could bring them out for you?"

[Quinn Wiley]

Quinn was certain he would end up in trouble the moment the drama teacher was to see that black spot and what remained of the props. It wasn’t like he burned down everything but that was about the only good point playing in his favour. He could foresee a detention or some work to do to repay for the lost props in his near future. It was why, when Liz dismissed this accident with a wave of the hand, he stared at her as if she was an alien. How can this be so trivial? Maybe she was not in the club and didn’t really care? It wasn’t like he knew her all that much.

He stared at her. She was being so nice and he didn’t get why. It wasn’t like they were friends or anything. Those who were that kind to him always baffled him the most. They were the creepiest ones in his eyes. “You part of the drama club?” he asked as she mentioned the rows of costumes they had. Then how come she didn’t care about the props? She was a really weird girl. “Why are you doing this for me?” Quinn never trusted people on their intentions and he saw no reason for her to act like that. Why couldn’t she be like most people and not give a shit? Because she wouldn’t be here otherwise, of course.

[Elizabeth Edison]

Humming as she walked backstage, running her fingers against the intricate clothing, Elizabeth was already drawing inspiration, already figuring what could go where. Quinn's question had her turning with a smile and a nod.

"Yep!" She answered perkily. And if she were asked about the props, she would have said they were interchangeable. She didn't seem to have such a connection with items mostly because she found joy in making more. They thankfully had the budget.

Tilting her head to the side when he asked the question, Elizabeth couldn't help but laugh to hide her discomfort at being asked such a question. "You wanted inspiration. I'm just helping you find it." She answered.

[Quinn Wiley]

Quinn was not all that surprised Liz admitted to being part of the drama club. She probably fit more the cheerleader type but he wouldn’t tell her that. She was able to tell him she was part of it too, just to point out the fact she was an overachiever while he was... himself. It wasn’t destined to be an insult, she could be whatever she wanted to be, but Quinn believed he didn’t need to have it rubbed all over his face.

Of course, the fact she was part of the drama club made it all the more strange to him that she seemed not to care much about what just happened to the props. of course, had she reacted strongly against him for his accident, he would have pointed out they were just objects, that he didn’t do it on purpose, that nothing else burned down and that they could buy new ones. All the things she could throw at him should he ask her why she was not reacting more about this. But he preferred being the one saying that, not having someone understanding it before he even tried to defend himself.

When she laughed, he wasn’t sure if she was laughing at the question or at himself. His face darkened, on principle. In doubt, he would always see things worse than they were. But it would seem she wasn’t really laughing at his expense. She wanted to... help? She was weirder than he thought. “You don’t have to. You probably have more important things to do,” he pointed out. Why were people always helping when he didn’t want any help? He was tempted to look at the costumes, he just didn’t want to admit it, or have this bubbly girl around. She was too joyful for him.