"Scoop" Gets The Scoop [Cian]

[Callie]

Scoop - Cian

This was unreal. An assignment--well, okay it wasn't an assignment; it was a pick-a-good-story dare at the office--to get the dirty details about one of the major heartthrobs in the mutant business...and in the music business, if she allowed herself to go so far as to admit that she'd heard him a few times in some of the local clubs. By accident. Or, rather, coincidence. Not that she'd go alone. It'd be a gathering and all of a sudden his voice would pierce whatever conversation she was in and she would just stop talking.

And no matter how creepy that sounded, she couldn't help but be absolutely elated at the chance she was getting. She wanted to know what and how mutants operated. And if she got to get the details from one of the hottest mutants out there? That was cool, too.

She had her connections, so finding his complex wasn't an issue. His room number was. Knocking on his door, she was armed: pen and paper in hand, camera strapped around her neck, press pass at the ready. No sense in going through the rigamarole of having him think she wasn't legit.

She was going to interview Cian Lawrence! Callie's solemnity broke and she beamed, not only wanting to make a good first impression, but she couldn't keep it back, anyway.

[Maura Lawrence]

'Cause They Do

Maura loved her new dress. It was pretty and brown and had pockets and most of all, it was spinny. Maura could spin for hours and hours, loving the way the dress spun with her, wooshing through the air. She giggled as she turned circles on the hardwood floor of the living room. Daddy was with her, sitting on the couch. His feet were kicked up on the coffee table and he was slouching, the guitar in his lap. With his favorite hat on and no shoes, Maura thought Daddy looked very comfortable, like he belonged there, which he did.

Daddy strummed a little on the guitar and Maura stopped spinning. She put her hands to either side of her head. She had stopped spinning but the room was still going! She wanted to hear Daddy sing though, so she had stopped spinning to face him. Daddy grinned to her and picked out a fairly simple tune. It dropped even easier and Daddy started to sing. It was one of his favorites, he had told her. Maura swayed along, giggling happily.

"Hands," Daddy sang softly. "Touching hands. Reaching out; touching me, touching you....oh!" The guitar picked up then and Daddy's face broke into an even bigger smile. "Sweet Maura-mine!" he sang loudly. "Good times never seem so good! I've been inclined; to believe it never would. Ohhh, Sweet Maura-mine!"

Maura fell into happy laughter. That wasn't how the song went! In the real song, the lady's name was Caroline! But Daddy loved putting her and Ollie's name into songs. Maura loved it too. She bounced excitedly and clapped her hands. "Me!" she squealed, pointing to herself.

"That's righ'," Cian replied. "Sweet Maura-mine!" he sang one last time, before setting the guitar to the side and opening his arms. Maura darted for but ended up teleporting half-way there. She landed in his lap and Daddy made an "oof!" noise, but hugged her close anyway. When he let her go, tapping her nose, Maura's eyes lit up. She reached and took his hat off his head. "Hey," he protested playfully. Maura just laughed through her teeth and climbed from his lap.

Just as Cian was making to chase her, a knock at the door sounded. Grinning, he called to Maura, "You get away this time, but I bet that's your Uncle Dean! Wi'h him on my side, you'll ne'er escape!" Laughing, he headed toward the door. As he opened it, he called, "Dean-o!" He found, quite soon, that it was not Dean-o at the door. "Apologies," he greeted the woman sheepishly. "How can I help y'?"

Maura took that moment to run full speed into the back of her Daddy's legs. She had been making revving noises, pretending to be a race-car. The brim of the fedora had fallen though, obscuring her vision and she had crashed. Bouncing off his legs, she fell to the floor with a little crash. She only giggled shyly and tipped the hat up to see Daddy looking down at her with a smile.

"Maura-mine, you are gonna have a sore bottom if y' keep that up," he said, amused. Lifting her into his arms, he turned back to the woman at the door.

[Callie]

"Hi," she breathed out instantly, a smile still plastering her face. That wasn't her name, but she'd responded anyway, out of impulse, just as it seemed he did. Dean. Mmm. Like the stunning Dean Winchester. Could they know each other? The idea sparked an even deeper interest, but that wasn't the task at hand. Callie flashed the badge that was attached to her shirt, holding it up for him to see.

"My name is Callie Penvellyn, and don't worry, I'm not selling anything," she chuckled inwardly, shaking her head, the inside of her knuckles sweating from gripping so hard to her notebook. "Cian Lawrence, right? I'm with the New York Times. We're become very interested in mutant activity lately, and I was wondering if you'd be willing to sign an agreement to be interviewed for an article I'm writing."

Her smile grew, teeth exposed in the grin. Callie's eye caught the little girl smashing into her father and falling to the ground. "She's a doll," she cooed, waving down at Maura. "Hey, cutie. Don't hurt yourself now."

[Cian Lawrence]

Cian listened, nodding as she introduced herself. Really? They wanted to get more informed about the mutant society? Well, that was a first. About time, though. And it would be the NYT to do it first, liberal printing that it was. Cian kept his guard up, though. Just in case this girl wasn't what she said she was.

"Sure, sounds interesting." He opened the door a little wider, allowing her entrance. With his free hand, he waved for her to follow him to the living room. "She's a doll." Cian chuckled, nodding. "Oh yeah, she's a down-right cutie. This is Maura Erin. Maura, can you say 'hello'?"

Maura gave her father a tolerating look (of course she could say hello!). "Hi!" she said energetically. "Hey, cutie. Don't hurt yourself now." Maura giggled at that and nodded. "Otay." Still in Daddy's arms, she took the fedora off and put it on his head before squirming to be let down. Cian placed her to the floor, but held her still a moment. "Mo, be a love and don't hurt yourself all righ'? Y' need me just yell."

Maura grinned to her Daddy and nodded. He patted her on the bottom playfully as she sped off toward her room to play a little. Well, Cian trusted this Penvellyn a little more now. Maura was a great judge of character and was usually uneasy around sketchy people.

Cian took a seat on the couch and offered the nearby armchair to Callie. As he removed the hat and tossed it to the coffee table, he asked, "Why're y' comin' to me? I mean, I'm flattered, but why not someone more important? Y'know Dean Winchester of Charles Fox or even Co-lee or Ains for that matter." Realizing he had used his nicknames for the woman, he blushed and corrected himself. "Sorry, Colette Fox or Ainslie Darling."

[Callie]

"Because," she started off right away, taking a seat without missing a breath, "you're family-oriented, and I think the public would really take to you. You don't have a sketchy, brawny past like Mr. Winchester, and we've already got someone on Mrs. Fox." That, and you are extremely gorgeous and I wouldn't pass up the chance to interview you for the world.

Her spine started to ache from being so elongated. "Usually we have a camera crew here, but we'll let you know if we want to put you on the air. Right now we're just trying to warm up regular people to the existance of mutants and what they--you--can do to benefit society. Because let's face it: having powers is freakin' awesome." She laughed to herself, the click of her pen letting him know she was at the ready.

"Is it okay if I ask you a few questions?"

[Cian Lawrence]

"Because you're family-oriented, and I think the public would really take to you. You don't have a sketchy, brawny past like Mr. Winchester, and we've already got someone on Mrs. Fox."

Cian had to chuckle at that. Ah, Dean. He would have to call him later, boast about getting interviewed instead of his friend. He simply nodded to the reporter, thinking that reasonable. He didn't mind taking a few minutes out to answer her questions. If it raised awareness of mutants then all the better.

"Because let's face it: having powers is freakin' awesome." Cian laughed along with her at that. "Yes, I am rather fond of all of mine," he commented.

"Is it okay if I ask you a few questions?"

He waved a hand, giving her leave to continue. "Of course; ask away." He wasn't sure what she would be asking him, but it didn't really matter. He was up to answer just about anything.

[Callie]

Amazing. Simply amazing. She didn't waste any time, and got right to asking. Callie set up her handheld recorder on the coffee table, pressing the record button. The low hum of the tape rolling was a reassuring sound. "Great, let's do this," she replied, flipping open her notepad, pen already against the paper.

"What's it like being mutant?" she began, knowing she was being vague. She wanted to prompt more response rather than inquiry.

But she knew he'd say something like "What does that mean?" so she added, "Do you find it different than what humans do?"

[Cian Lawrence]

"What's it like being mutant?" Cian pressed his lips together, completely unsure of how to answer that. What was it like to be human? He was glad for her added sub-question a moment later. "Do you find it different than what humans do?"

He chuckled lightly. "Well, I wouldn' really know of being a human," he pointed out. "But I wouldn't say it was much diffe'ent, no. I go t' work, I eat, I spend time wit' my family, I watch television... Only difference is t'at I don't really have to sleep much, 'cause of my fortitude. If I want something in the other room, I don't necessarily have to get up and get it, 'cause of my telekinesis. And if I get too, too angry or...excited there's the possibility of something burstin' into flames, thanks to my pyrokinesis." He laughed easily, popping a foot up onto the coffee table.

"So yeah, there are certain things during my day that are different from being a human. But overall, my life is just like a human's, really."

At that moment, Maura materialized into thin air. She landed directly on her father's lap, holding a paper. "I drewed a pik-ta for joo!" she announced happily, shoving the bright crayon scribbling into his hands before teleporting away again. Cian listened to hear her re-arrive back in her room safely before sending an amused look to Callie.

"All right, and I'm sure human parents probably don't have their children teleportin' and bringin' rocks an' leaves to life for playt'ings... But like I said, those are jus' small occurrences within m' life."

[Callie]

Callie laughed, nodding. "Right, of course. But just in observation, you'd say your life isn't really any different."

Then she tried walking on perhaps a heavier topic. Callie decided she'd go back and forth--from light to heavy, and so on. "So does it seem as if you're being exiled? If you're not really any different--save the children's teleportation and such--why do you think you've been enclosed in just a few schools? Of course you live in a regular apartment building, but most live in the designated schools, don't they?"

Maura's outburst made her laugh again, and she was glad she had it on tape. She jotted down a few notes, not looking down to bother with penmanship or accuracy with letters and phrases and lines.

[Cian Lawrence]

"Right, of course. But just in observation, you'd say your life isn't really any different."

Cian nodded, confirming. "Right, exactly."

"So does it seem as if you're being exiled? If you're not really any different--save the children's teleportation and such--why do you think you've been enclosed in just a few schools? Of course you live in a regular apartment building, but most live in the designated schools, don't they?"

Cian pressed his lips together, thinking about that. He stared at the drawing his daughter had give to him, not really paying attention to it, just focusing. "It's just...easier t'at way. We realized that humans weren't --still aren't-- so acceptin' of mutan'-kind so we segregated ourselves, to protect ourselves. Plus..." He paused a moment, putting Maura's drawing aside and trying to think of the proper way to explain it.

Finally a good example came to mind and he ran with it. "Well, y' know how deaf people have their own schools and such, yeah? I look at mutants like that. There's nothin' wrong with us. We've jus' created our own culture. It's better to'be around people who understand what bein' a mutant means. Especially as a teenager or younger adult. If you don' have full control of your powers it can be very...problematic."

He scratched at the back of his neck a little, hoping he was answering things satisfactorily. "Maybe that sounds a little contradictory?" He pursed his lips together. "Sayin' that mutants aren't much different and then in the same breath t'at they need to be 'round other mutants t' be understood." He sighed shortly and shrugged. "We're not really aware of the differences, us mutants. But, apparen'ly, humans are. And we're treated in that manner. So we jus' generally take ourselves out of situations where we can be discriminated against."

He chuckled a little, grinning. "Guess that's why a lot of us are in the arts --music and writin' and the like. Those liberals seem to not mind us as much."

[Callie]

A smile stretched over her face and she nodded, just to keep him engaged. She was thrilled at his meaty responses. It would make for such a better article. Not only that, but she was finally getting to know the real Cian Lawrence. She'd only known the Cian she'd heard about, the Cian at the club and around town. Now she was delving into his inner thoughts, into the true Cian. And he was a total sweetheart.

Overcome, Callie nodded one last time. "Yes, we all know about your musical gifts," she added as a sidenote. "You're no mystery to New York's club scene."

Moving on.

"So even though you bring yourself away from discriminatory situations, or try to, does having powers alter your daily life? Do you use them on a regular basis? Any...friendly combats going on in the backyard?" she chuckled. She laid off the question of if he and his wife ever used them in little...family fights.

[Cian Lawrence]

Yes, we all know about your musical gifts," she added as a sidenote. "You're no mystery to New York's club scene."

Cian chuckled sheepishly, blushing. "Ah, really?" Great, she had heard him sing before... That seemed so much more personal than all the questions, to him.

He considered her question, smiling softly. "No friendly combat, not really... We do use them in everyday life, though. Quite often, actually. One of my friends uses his teleportation constantly to move about. And to cheat when playing his girlfriend in footy matches." He laughed at that, thinking of Benson and Andrua. "The girl who baby-sits for Oliver --he's my son-- often shape-shifts to entertain him. They play 'Dinosaurs.' Ainslie uses her night vision like second nature now. " He laughed again, thinking of the professor. "She says what she's doing is noble 'cause it's saving energy by not turning light son and thus saving the world or summat. And I use my telepathy to wrangle my kids or just when I'm too lazy to get up and get something." He chuckled a little self-deprecatingly.

"Surprisingly --or maybe not-- there's something of a comradery between mutants. We don't really attack one another unless first provoked or when we're just fooling around." His eyes darkened a little, thinking of Azrael and Sylar,, Bellatrix and even Saikoro on occasion. "Of course, there are exceptions to that rule... Those who attack without much reason or provocation."

[Callie]

Releasing a chuckle, she nodded. "Yes, really. I keep trying to get Steven--he's our executive producer--to come to one of the clubs with me, 'cause believe me, he could land you in some big production company, but he says they're 'not his scene.'" Enough chit-chat. She needed to get back down to business. Cian led them back to the question again, so it saved her the time and effort of regrouping.

Befuddled, but relentless, Callie sat more on the edge of her seat, scribbling in her notepad but keeping her eyes on him. Somehow, indirectly, it seemed important to keep eye contact with him. Something else was in there; she was determined to dig it out. Gently, of course. Being abrasive usually set people off. And there was no need to cut this interview short.

"Why would they do that, these exceptions?" she fed. "Don't they want just as much freedom as you do? 'You' in general, I mean--the whole peace-loving, tame mutant population as opposed to the violent ones."

[Cian Lawrence]

Cian laughed at that, blushing further. "Well, thanks for the exposure, but I dunno that a big production company would be my scene, either." He was rather content where he was, actually. He didn't need anything more.

"Why would they do that, these exceptions?" she fed. "Don't they want just as much freedom as you do? 'You' in general, I mean--the whole peace-loving, tame mutant population as opposed to the violent ones."

Cian swallowed, shrugging. "Not really sure. The one's I've encountered, it's been out of pride or summat. Y'know, they've got a personal problem with another mutant and they lose their temper or just snap or something and they lash out with their powers, I guess." He scruffed up his hair, unhappy with what he'd just said. "And sometime it's not always their fault... Most powers are tied acutely to a mutant's emotions. Sometimes its hard to control them."

Realizing how that made mutants sound, he rushed to add, "But those are all pretty rare occassions. Most of us are just like humans in that area: temper can get the best of us but we usually keep a very good handle on it."

[Callie]

She fixed her cardigan, sending her hat askew as she tossed her hair over her shoulder. She hadn't thought to take it off to seem more congenial, but since he didn't seem closed off any because of it, she didn't make an effort to do it now. Paying more attention to him anyway, Callie chuckled, allowing a passive, encouraging nod or two.

"Absolutely. All people--mutant or human--are subject to tempers and whatnot. If that's true, what you said about powers being linked to emotions, does that make family life different? Not necessarily difficult, but different? If the kids have a falling out do they lash out at each other? Or because they're so young, do they not know how to use their powers at all?"

It was amazing how the genetics were altered like this where they delved into the supernatural. She wondered if there was ever a way to purposely contort someone's human DNA to become mutant. But Callie moved that question to the back burner. That would come in a later interview, when they weren't just getting to know each other.

[Cian Lawrence]

Cian thought her question over, nose twitching. "Well, it certainly happens to the kids, unawares. Mo teleports sometimes when she gets upset and wants to be somewhere else --which is a right pain, I can assure you. If I get too angry or excited I can set things on fire by accident. I know some telepaths who lose control when they're upset and suddenly can hear everyone around them at once... So, yes, it's definitely possible for it to affect the home life in that capacity."

He sat up a little straighter then, knocking his foot down from the table. "As for being young and not knowing about their powers... Well, there're dormant powers. They lay inactive within a mutant until a traumatic event or a certain age occurs. Otherwise, a mutant is always...aware of what powers they possess. They can be hard to summon up, though.

"I'm not sure what you know about the mutant epidemic that went around a little while back. It was a sort of....steroid for mutants, if you will; gave most of us a few extra powers out of nowhere. Those new powers took a lot of practicing before we were able to use them at will. My one friend gained the ability to phase through matter. She kept phasing through beds and chairs or not being able to phase when she wanted to until she got a handle on it."

He chuckled a little, shaking his head. "Sorry if I'm not explaining something properly. Just let me know, yeah? I forget sometimes that not everyone is a mutant, since most of the people I encounter on a daily basis usually are."

[Callie]

"Phase?" she echoed, incredulous. "Like, melt through things? Or like teleport?" She'd noted his daughter's gift earlier, which she'd thought to be a hassle for him at times. What if the little girl teleported to a different country or something? It was far-fetched thinking, but if they couldn't control it at times, one couldn't be too careful, right?

Mutant epidemic. Yes. She'd heard vaguely about that maybe a year ago. Something with infected rats going on biting rampages and people getting sick on the streets. But she hadn't exactly known what happened in the mutants' bodies.

"That sounds awful," she added softly, brows pulling together. "If a human were to get bit, would they just get sick, or would they too gain some sort of powers?" An easy question, in her state. Not like she was going to searching for a rat to bite her. Disgusting. She figured most of them were probably dead, anyway. Exterminated.

Callie giggled a little, shaking her head and holding her palm up to him. "Don't worry about it. You're doing fine. And if we need anything cleared up, we can always call you or get in touch some way."

God he was gorgeous.

[Cian Lawrence]

"Phase?" she echoed, incredulous. "Like, melt through things? Or like teleport?"

"More like the first," he stated. "Something to do with rearrangin' the molecules in the objects around you or summat. It's a very handy power to have, actually. Essence delights in literally falling through the floor when an embarrassing or awkward situation springs up." He laughed a little at that. "Hasn't been able to do that so much, though..." Meeting Callie's eyes, he explained, "She's pregnant. It's still unknown how certain powers being used during a pregnancy can affect the unborn baby. But it's safe to assume that walking through walls and such wouldn't be good for the little thing, huh?"

"If a human were to get bit, would they just get sick, or would they too gain some sort of powers?"

He blew out a breath, eyes widening. "Y' know, I've no idea, actually. That's a question better suited for Colette, I think."

"Don't worry about it. You're doing fine. And if we need anything cleared up, we can always call you or get in touch some way."

"Ah, thank you," he drawled, grinning and shooting her a wink. "Load off my end. Just hope I'm gettin' you what y' need for y' article."