(no subject)

[guppy_sandhu]

The little boy coming into the bar has been running, hard, and is out of breath. And not just because he sneaked out of the back garden having told his parents he was practicing tennis.

Gurpreet is a kid on a mission. Which is why he snuck out and headed back to the pub on The Mists in search of someone he promised a cinema trip. And bumped into a couple of people on the way.

There is mud on his T-shirt, and one of the sleeves has been stretched. Aware that he may still be being chased, he heads over to a booth and ducks down behind it, trying to persuade his shirt to regain its original shape.

Comments

[cute_bruiser]

Molly's eating lunch at a table by the fire when she spots him. She grins, and waves with her fork.

"Hey, Fishy!"

[guppy_sandhu]

He jumps and looks up.

"Hello Molly." a small nervous smile.

[cute_bruiser]

She smiles, waving him over. "What happened to Sparkly?"

[guppy_sandhu]

"Sparkly's good too." he says with a little grin.

His mun is stupid.

He wanders over, limping ever so slightly if you're observant.

[cute_bruiser]

"Milkshake?" she offers. She's been getting spare straws every time for the last couple of days, just in case.

The limp doesn't go unnoticed. "What happened to you?"

[guppy_sandhu]

"Yes please, I like milkshake."

He sits down.

[cute_bruiser]

She pops another loop-the-looping pink straw in and slides it further over to him.

"Other kids again, was it?"

[guppy_sandhu]

"Thanks. Mmm, strawberry."

A shrug. "I fell."

[cute_bruiser]

"Uhuh." He gets a slightly skeptical look.

"I fell in here, when I turned up. Got punched so hard I flew through the air and in. 'Cause I chucked a car at this super-villain dude for whaling on Gert."

[guppy_sandhu]

"Whaling?"

He fidgets.

[cute_bruiser]

"Trying to punch her and stuff," Molly explains. "But then he sorta got mad, 'cause I hit him with the car, and went for me instead."

She's thoroughly matter-of-fact about the whole thing. Being semi-invulnerable probably helps.

[guppy_sandhu]

"Daddy says people get killed when they're run over by cars."

[cute_bruiser]

"Normal people do," she agrees. "But this Flag Smusher dude is, like, superpowered. So he's harder to hurt than most people. Same as me."

[guppy_sandhu]

"Wish I had superpowers."

[cute_bruiser]

He gets a hug, and a grin. "Well, you're super-cute, that's a start."

Cute knows cute when it sees it, after all.

"Anyway, where I'm from if you're a mutant like me you could get any sort of powers. You might wind up super-strong or with- with claws, or you might grow an extra head or three, or turn all green and scaly or blue and furry like the Cookie Monster. So it's not always good."

[guppy_sandhu]

"Are you kidding? If I was blue and furry nobody would dare make me fall over."

[cute_bruiser]

Molly shakes her head. "Then everyone'd know you were a mutant. And where I'm from, that's usually not a good thing."

[guppy_sandhu]

Guppy considers.

"Is it like when people are mean to me because of skin colour?"

[cute_bruiser]

She nods. "Pretty much, I think. Same name for it, anyway. Racism. It sucks, but I've got it easier because you can't tell by looking at me. Till I use my powers, at least."

[guppy_sandhu]

Guppy nods.

"It's silly. Why does it matter what anyone looks like?"

[cute_bruiser]

"They're scared, that's all. Of mutants, because we can read minds or walk through walls or do stuff they can't. Or just of anyone who's different, really."

Molly grins suddenly. "Basically, you and me and people like us rock- and they don't."

[guppy_sandhu]

"But I don't do anything scary."

[cute_bruiser]

"So? Y' don't need powers or whatever to be awesome. My friend Chase doesn't have any powers. Nor does Gert. Doesn't matter."

[guppy_sandhu]

"But if I'm not scary why do people not like me just because of what I look like?"

[cute_bruiser]

She shrugs. "'Cause you're different, and people're freaked out by anything that's different."