Rooftop Musings (open)

[theresa]

Winter was moving in, the beautiful autumn colors giving way to the gray and heavy clouds that would eventually usher in the first snowfall of the season. Theresa didn't mind the snow and cold so much as a lot of others seemed to. She had grown up in Ireland, after all, and the average temperature where she lived barely reached fifty degrees Fahrenheit. And that was in the dead of the summer.

She had flown up to the roof top of the mansion and was currently laying up there, her hands tucked behind her red hair and her elbows sticking out. She had one leg drawn up, bent at the knee and the foot of her other leg was resting on that bent knee. She was the picture of relaxation and calmness although her mind was anything but.

It was one year ago to the day that she had been taken away from her only guardian. While she'd not enjoyed the sort of lifestyle that Tom had introduced her to in the last few years, she still had loved the man with all her heart. Still did, in fact. There were times she would wake up in the middle of the night and think she heard her calling to her, but that was impossible. He was still in prison in San Francisco, as far as she knew. Thousands of miles away and the man still haunted her.

Granted, he was also a mutant so who knows if that prison cell had even held him. If not, would have come for her? Would he seek her out or had he simply given up on the girl he'd taken in as a baby and raised as a single father? Theresa really didn't have any answers for these questions. All she knew was that she wasn't allowed to go and see him, no matter how much she wanted to.

With a heavy sigh, she continued to stare at the threatening clouds and hoped that soon, the temperature would drop enough so that the snow would begin falling.

[venomx]

Venom was around the school as instructed by the Weapon X program to gather information for them. He was the best at sneaking due to the suit and if anything could fight back on terms or even better with the mutants here. The clouds outside provided enough shadows for this symbiote man to sneak around with no one noticing. He took the mission so he could get away from the program in hopes to clear his head. His anger was rising, and he wasn't going to let the other 'him' come out, not anytime soon anyway. It was dangerous and he felt like he lost a little bit of himself every time. Though he wasn't really himself, he was dead on the inside, Weapon X had made him like that. But they also made him into something else, a monster, an animal, and he was going to give them what they wanted the monster in him and rip all of them apart one day.

The day was sort of chilly and the snow hadn't fallen yet, however thanks to the symbiote suit he didn't or doesn't feel it at all. Thanks to the suit he could do a lot of things. Ripe a car open, run faster, have more stamina, can heal quickly, it even bonded with his nervous system so it couldn't be pulled out. But even with all that it couldn't help bring the women back that Weapon X took from him. It couldn't bring him back from his anger, his rage, and the feeling of being dead inside.

Venom quickly then webbed swing himself up to a roof top landing quietly so no one could hear. As he stood up he noticed a women laying down on the roof relaxing taking the day in. He felt that she was lucky that she seemed to not have to much worry in the world. However some people weren't that lucky and he was one of those many people. He spoke out to the girl in his dead tone, "Hey you alrgiht?".

[theresa]

She had closed her eyes for a few moments, the quietness seeping into her body and it was a welcome relief. One of the side effects of her powers was that she had enhanced hearing. Not just sharper but super sharp hearing. That meant so many noises within the mansion that most people didn't hear or could tune out, she couldn't. There was nothing worse then a house full of teenagers who were getting it on nearly every night. Not to mention the adults.

Many nights were spent up here, on this very roof, away from all the noises, conversations and other things she didn't want to think about. Terry wasn't entirely innocent herself, she'd lived in boarding schools nearly all her life until her mutation appeared and she'd grown up a lot faster then most girls had. That didn't mean she still liked to hear things.

She vaguely heard a sound but it was so faint that she figured it was somewhere farther away, where she wasn't able to hear it easily. However, she was wrong and the voice that called out to her made her jump and startle.

Sitting up quickly, not expecting anyone up there with her, Theresa looked around and toward the voice. It was a man she didn't recognize but that was hardly surprising. The sheer number of new people that had been arriving was enough to make anyone's mind spin. It was still surprising her that she hadn't heard him really. He was good, whatever he was.

“Oh, I'm fine. Ye new here?” she asked, figuring he might have come with Magneto and his ilk.

[venomx]

Venom looked to the girl who was just startled by his voice, he took it that she wasn't expecting anyone up here. However he took into account that many mutants here had abilities beyond a human. So it is not out of the realm that she had super hearing or something. That would explain why she got startled seeing as she most likely could have heard someone coming a mile away. But then again that was just a guess, and if she did he was to quite for anyone to hear. Which was good, meant that he could be left alone at times without people bothering him.

He studied the girl sitting down in front of him, she had long kind of darkish red hair and short by his standers. She was cute but that thought quickly disappeared. Just by being here he could in danger her and he didn't want to go down that route again. The thought of the women came in his mind again. Seeing her being pulled away and her screaming out his name echoed with in his brain. It started to give him a headache and the suits giant mouth showed for a second but disappeared as fast. It was getting harder and harder to control the anger after learning things about Weapon X.

He then heard her question and pondered on the answer that he should even give her. If he said that he was part of Weapon X she wouldn't believe him if he said that he hated them. He then just decided to go with it and tell her that he was just knew. "Yeah you can say that, I'm just looking around" he told her again in his dead tone.

[theresa]

Terry had the distinct impression that she was being scrutinized and that was just, well, weird. Unless he planned on attacking her or something and was trying to figure out what she could do. If he was telepath, she'd have no way of keeping him out of her head. If he was hoping to see some sort of physical manifestation of her abilities, he would be searching a long time. At least until she opened her mouth and screamed. That usually gave things away rather quickly.

While he studied her, Terry did the same thing to him. Why not? She would start to squirm otherwise and while Tom had taught her to be still and patient when on a mission, this wasn't a mission. This was her home, the roof she usually visited alone and he was intruding. With a slight tilt of her head, she noted that he was cute, in a stoic sort of way. Nothing really stood out to her, though. No weird piercings, no noticeable mutations or any indication as to how he'd got on the roof in the first place.

In other words, she was clueless as to who this stranger was or could be.

Terry blinked as it looked like something had appeared for a split second over his face but then it disappeared again. She figured it was just a figment of her imagination, which was rather vast.

When he said that he was new and just looking around, a red eyebrow shot up. Usually there was the “welcome wagon”(what she called those who showed new students around) for that. They usually didn't make their way onto to roof immediately.

“Well, welcome ta Xavier's,” she told him with a smile. He was so serious, he reminded her of Scott. Terry had often wondered if the man walked around with a broomstick up his ass sometimes, he was so stiff. “If ye need help finding yuir way around, just ask. I've been stuck here a year now.”

Okay, stuck was probably the wrong word but really, she'd been taken out of the custody of her cousin and told she couldn't leave here until she was eighteen and a legal adult. Her birthday was only days away now and she was looking forward to knowing she finally had that freedom. Maybe she really would go seek out Tom to see what had happened to her pseudo father.

[venomx]

Venom looked to her as she seemed to be studying him, he didn't mind he knew he was intruding in her space. If someone he didn't know came up to him and started to talk he'd most likely would have study them too. However he wondered what she thought about his suit that covered his entire body that was as black as night. Opening up his hand his pointed out finger tips dug into the roof as he started to sit down. Venom never had a moment of peace before, it was actually quite nice to be able to relax. However if he knows Weapon X or the people inside they most likely have a rude awakening for him when he got back.

He listened to her as she told him if he needed her help around the school she would be glad to help him. He also caught the last bit of what she said about her being here a year now. Behind his black living mask a smirk for the first time in years appeared on his face. He found it funny how she said that but the look on her face told a different story to her staying here. She was quite and sort of easy to read, it made him smirk a bit before it turned back to his serious face. Though she couldn't see his face it was still there and he felt like he was still dead inside.

"No it's alright I'm not staying for long I just kind of wanted to get away from my problem, but the thing is I have to take care of them once and for all. And I can't involve this school, people like you and the rest of the students hear are to nice and I don't want anything happening to you while I stay here" he told her still in his dead tone.

[theresa]

((DOH! Didn't realize he had the suit on. Will fix now))

She watched him but really couldn't tell anything other the shape of his body, which was rather well toned. His tone of voice, though, gave away a bit of his personality. Dead calm, like nothing every fazed him. So very different from her. She was emotional, headstrong and rather stubborn, traits that had been with her for as long as she knew. While Tom had done his best to temper the emotional part, he was rather proud of the rest of her personality. It had served him well when she'd worked with him.

The man (figuring he had to be at least her age or older based on his body and voice) sat down with her which sort of surprised Terry. She expected him to simply keep on moving although his method of climbing was a bit unique. She just flew where she wanted to go and while that didn't bother most people or mutants, animals didn't like it when she used her powers to fly.

Terry couldn't see his face so she had no idea that he was smirking at her. Instead, she just sat there calmly and watched him. He didn't seem to be a threat so she was rather relaxed. She didn't look like much, she knew that, but she could hold her own against just about anyone. Other then telepaths. They were her true weakness.

She really couldn't help the peel of laughter that escaped when he said he had run there to get away from his problems. Had he any idea where he was? Their school was a magnet for trouble and had been invaded before. Not only that, they now had Brotherhood members living there. If he was looking for somewhere safe, this wasn't it.

“I'm sorry,” she said as she stopped the laughter. “If ye truly had any idea just where ye were, ye wouldn't be saying that. I think this place is a hotbed for trouble. It simply can't be helped.”

She studied him a moment more although she gleaned nothing new from it. He was as closed up as a person got. “Ye realize that just showing up here means ye've probably involved us, right? And we're not exactly helpless but whatever. I'm Theresa, by the way. Or Terry, as people like ta call me.”

[venomx]

Venom looked to the women besides him as he was sitting down next to her. She seemed to be trying to look at his face which the suit covered up along with the rest of his body. He looked away from her down to his chest which the giant white spider symbol showed. Venom never understood why it was there, though memories of spider man being the original host kind of made it sort of clear. After a few seconds he looked back over to her as she was looking at where his fast was supposed to be. Behind the mask he couldn't laugh, he couldn't smile, all he could do was keep that dead look on his face. In which he wasn't going to let anybody see, and no one has. Ever since that day he kept the suit on never showing people his face.

He then caught her laughter at what he said about him coming to this school and causing problems. She didn't know but he did know all the problems of this school. He just didn't wanted to add more on there load that might crush them. Because he believes there doing something that will help both mutant and human relations. But he knew he couldn't think that way, or he will ruin his plans to destroy Weapon X for he wont be able to hold back if he saw a mutant on the operating table. He just needed to hold, but kids like this, were getting abducted before even reach this school. Which to him was a paradise to where mutants are living now. And that didn't suit well with him, he joined so he could help people not make there life a living hell.

After she stopped laughing she told him what she thought about him bring trouble here. And stating that him just being here he was getting them involved anyhow. "I know the history of you school Theresa, but I just don't want to add more load on it. And I'd hate to see a pretty girl like you get hurt over my vengeance. But my name is Venom it's nice to meet you Theresa" he told her.

[theresa]

She wondered what he looked like behind the odd suit. It wasn't the first time she'd seen strange suits before. She had lived here long enough to know that some mutants just needed an extra bit of help and special made suits usually did the trick for them. But to cover his face as well? Maybe he just had a super crazy mutant power and it had affected his face as well. Her mind could certainly wander at times, making up all sorts of crazy reasons for things and it was doing that just then.

She had stretched her legs out in front of her and was leaning back on straight arms so that she was comfortable yet still upright. Terry was looking at him as he spoke although she couldn't even see his mouth moving behind the mask.

So he was aware of where he was and what the school was all about. That was good, she wouldn't have to explain how she'd got up on the roof without a ladder or the aide of a tree. Tom had raised her to be proud of her mutation and she was. He had trained her well in the years he'd had her and the X-Men had done a pretty good job of it ever since. The thought of him made her heart ache again but she pushed it aside. She would deal with that later. One way or another.

Terry wrinkled her nose as he mentioned she was pretty. No, she knew pretty. Her mum had been pretty but she hadn't inherited much from her. She had her father's fiery hair and temperament and even his voice, although she didn't know that part. Her mum had been fair and lovely, a picture that she kept sitting on her nightstand in her bedroom. Terry was much too tomboyish to be pretty, in her opinion.

As he mentioned his name, her lips quirked up again. “Venom? Didn't yuir parents like ye very much?” she said, her voice light in teasing. “I'm kidding. I know a codename when I hear one. They call me Siryn,” she added with a shrug.

“If ye know about this place then ye know we have a nasty habit of sticking our noses in where they probably don't belong. I think it comes from being a mutant and wanting ta help people. Ye sure ye don't want help? Or even an ear ta talk ta for a bit?” she offered.

[venomx]

Venom looked towards the girl who just seemed to try and relax the day away peacefully. He'd wish he could do that, but if he did Weapon X would get the upper hand on him and he wasn't going to let that happen. He also guessed that she thought him to be of a mutant origin seeing as he was at the school. Though in reality it was the suit that gave him extraordinary abilities. This living suit, the symbiote they called it, which bonded to his nervous system is which gave him his powers. But then again if you just saw the suit you would just normally think it was just that a suit and nothing else. And that was how he wanted to keep it, then people would try and see what the suit could do. But if that happen they would make him angry and 'he' will come out. And no one would gain from that.

He took notice to her nose moving about from him calling her pretty. Which he thought she was, but I guess people have different opinions about themselves. And he was in no position to tell her other wise that she was. But then again he would be dragging this along if he were to and that could involve her. And that means she could be liable to being one of the abducted in Weapon X. Venom of course didn't want that so he'd let it go for now.

Then after a few seconds she asked him if his parents didn't like him jokingly. He hadn't heard a joke come his way in a while, and it was sort of nice to hear one. Venom then decided to answer back after she said that she knew a code name when she heard one and told him she was Siryn. "I forsaken the name my parents called me, I just embrace the name Venom now as my one and only name". It was true he let go of all of his past along with his parents and life. All there was now was vengeance and that's how he wanted it for now. He took in the fact that this school had the tendency to get into peoples business and try and help. And of course she wanted to help as well, but he couldn't let that happen. "No it's fine, the people..I want to get my vengeance on there to dangerous to get you guys involved. And again it's my problem not yours" he told her.

[theresa]

It was a bit disconcerting talking to a mask but she'd done weirder things before. Theresa just wished he'd take it off so that he wasn't essentially this disembodied voice. In fact, the thing sort of reminded her of Halloween and she was tempted to remind him that it was almost Christmas and time to take off the costume. But she didn't. She highly doubted the serious voice behind the mask would like her sense of humor.

“Wow, that's kinda sad,” she told him when he informed her that he'd forsaken his given name. “My name is tha only part of my parents I have left. My mom named me just before she died,” she added without sadness. She'd never known either of her parents, both having died when she was a baby still so she really didn't feel sadness when she thought about them. It was more an emptiness where she assumed parental love would be if they'd lived.

She shrugged when he rejected her offer of help and an ear to listen. There wasn't much she could do and really, vengeance wasn't really up their alley. They were more into the search and rescue business and that wasn't even really her department. She was still considered a student and probably would be for a long while yet. If she stayed around. Terry was still in the mindset of leaving soon and making her own way, at least once she found out what Tom was doing those days.

“Suit yuirself,” she told him, not really knowing what else to say. “What can ye talk about?” she added.

[venomx]

As he looked to her he knew she felt maybe a bit weird talking to what seemed like a mask. He would have showed her his face but again he doesn't think he was much to look at anymore feeling dead. But she seemed like a person he could trust..sort of. After much thought he decided to lower his suits mask on his face. The mask started to come apart by itself leaving behind vain like strings on his neck to part of his face. It looked like the suit was apart of his body as he looked at her with his dead cold eyes. His face looked pale and looked as if he had no soul left anymore. He hoped this would stop her from giving him the look of oddness with talking to him through the mask.

Venom then took in what she felt about him forsaking his name for the code name. To him his past was dead in a way so he never really thought about it that way. And even now he didn't think about it that way, he just saw it as a means to forget about his past and focus on what he has to do. He then lifted up his hand near his face so he could look it over. One the top of his hand was a white square with a hole in the middle where the webs would shoot out. It looked like a glove while the tips of the fingers where pointed out. Though Theresa didn't know it the suit was alive. Though she might have guessed it was by the way his mask suddenly drew back into the suit itself.

He then caught her shrug of him not taking her help or her ear to listen to but ask what he could tell her. He looked down to the roofs flooring and wondered what he could tell her. It wasn't something he would tell people lightly, seeing as he wasn't up for letting people know his business. "I work for a certain group that's killed me in the inside and now I'm going to destroy said group with everything I got. And I'm not going to stop in till either they're dead or I am, and I will go to the ends of the earth to make sure this happens".

[theresa]

Terry remembered the days of living on the run, of trying to keep one step ahead of the law and watching your back at the same time. Although it had only been a year since the incident in San Francisco that had gotten them arrested, it still felt like a lifetime ago. Her life had dramatically changed after they'd taken her away from Tom and handed her over to Xavier. She still didn't really feel like a part of the school, not like she had when she was much younger and living in the boarding school in London.

However, she did rather enjoy the peacefulness that Xavier's sometimes allowed and today was one such day. There was no world disaster, no one was attacking them just because they were mutants and life was generally good. Besides, she was turning eighteen in a few short days. Not that anyone would know it but she would and she'd likely celebrate by herself. In America, that made her a legal adult. Not that she hadn't been on her own since she was about seven anyway, when Tom had first handed her over to the nuns at that school.

Almost as if he was reading her mind (and she had no proof he wasn't), the mask that covered his face seemed to dissolve inside him and his features were revealed. Her lips parted in mild surprise at the way the suit moved and even more so as his face was exposed. He was definitely older, like she'd assumed but she hadn't expected him to be so, well, nice looking. Why would anyone who was that good looking hide behind a mask? Not that she was going to be asking that.

He looked to his hands and her eyes automatically followed. She wasn't entirely sure what he was looking at and the spider on the front of his suit made her wonder a few things but again, she held the questions back.

As he told her what he was doing, she really didn't get the idea of being dead on the inside yet still alive. No matter what she'd been through, she had never felt dead. To her, that would mean having no hope left whatsoever and she was one of those crazy, eternally optimistic people that he would likely find annoying.

“Wow,” she finally said, looking at his eyes. They were such cold eyes. “That sounds pretty suicidal. Are they really worth giving your life for?” she asked.

[venomx]

Venom thought back to his military days, back when he was in the special ops units. He remembered the times where he was sent into the battle zones and head to fight to survive. The bloodshed and explosions happening his men dying all around him. The memories of death was part of the reason why he wanted to forsake his past. But that wasn't the only memory that bothered him. There were the times back at Weapon X which got him angry. Such as using mutants as rag dolls and using them as experiments for there own sick gain. He'd also see them kill them after they were done using them for there twisted experiments whatever they were. The screams would echo in his head as they yelled out someone to help them. He of course couldn't or run the risk of not being able to get his vengence against them.

He noticed how she was surprised to his face and the way his suit moved inside of him to show his face. Venom looked at her eyes with his cold one and just looked quietly. He wasn't used to someone looking at his face seeing as it has been a long time since he'd let anyone look at him. He then looked away out towards the sky line feeling the cool breeze. He wondered what she thought of him seeing as she just saw his suit move in unnatural ways. But when he looked at her with his bare eyes she was beautiful. But she'd most likely do the same thing she did last time if he told her that.

Look back at her as she gazed in his dead cold eyes saying that it sounded like a suicidal mission and if he really wanted to give his life to it. "Yeah I'm pretty sure, they took away the thing that made me human. They either killed her or is torturing her and I'm not going to let that slide. But not only that but they are going to pay for the things they have done to people and mutants together". His dead face kind of gained hated emotion. His rage could be seen on his face though it still looked a bit dead.

[theresa]

He looked at her and Terry wondered what he could be thinking. His face betrayed no emotions, his actions seemed to be smooth and calculating. Where she was hotheaded and emotional, Venom seemed to be cold and serious. He seemed much too young to have such a stoic outlook on life but she knew that age really didn't seem to matter when it came it hurt. She'd had her own fair share of it but probably not even close to the extent that he had. If his emotionless eyes were any indication, her roller coaster of a life would seem like a walk in the park in comparison to his.

What could have turned him like that? He had spoken of parents so he had to have at least had connections at some point. Had he distanced himself from them to protect them? To protect himself? If her parents had still been alive, Terry would have run to them and clung to them like her very life depended on them. As it was, they were lost to her forever, taken away and nothing more then a dream. Yet she didn't mourn for them. How could you mourn for someone you never knew?

Terry wondered if he remembered how to smile.

She watched as he looked away and her eyes followed, wondering what he was seeing, if anything at all. She could soar over the trees, could feel the wind whipping past her hair and face. It was such a freeing sensation and she absolutely loved to be in the air.

As he looked to her again, she looked into his eyes, the same eyes that made her shiver internally. Her own blue eyes filled with sorrow as he mentioned a “her”, a female who had been a part of his life. Whomever had done this to him was hurting someone he cared about. It was the first human bit she'd witnessed since he sat down. He did feel, he did have someone. Her heart went out to him.

She saw the rage build on his features and she reached out slowly, resting her hand on his arm as she looked at him. “If they are hurting others, mutants or humans, don't ye think ye'd stand a better chance with friends at yuir side? I may not look like much but I'm not helpless. Ye came here for a reason, Venom. People don't just drop onto rooftops around here for nothing.”