Let's Get Back To Work

[the_civilian]

Who| Tadashi and you!
What| Trying to learn not to light everything on fire
Where| Training gym
When| After diplomacy/disaster mission
Warnings/Notes| PTSD, pyrophobia, will update as necessary

You'd think a guy who was as afraid of his own powers as Tadashi clearly was wouldn't be experimenting with them outside of training. But for all that he'd spent their training sessions thus far failing to control the flames he generated, there he was, sitting cross-legged and concentrating on a target less than a foot away from him.

It did explain, however, why he was dripping wet and the target was in the middle of the pool. Legion flight rings meant never having to balance on a floatie while trying not to have flashbacks to being trapped in a burning building.

"Okay," he muttered under his breath, dialing down the juice on his power suppressor and extending his hand toward the target. "Test thirty-seven. Let's not dump ourselves in the water this time."

Comments

[the_civilian]

Dialing the power back up on his suppressor gave Tadashi an opportunity to take a deep breath and let it out before he responded. The other guy was clearly just trying to help; and by the look of him, he had plenty of experience to speak from.

That didn't make the interruption easier to handle, though.

"I appreciate the input," he answered. "But I'm already working with Dr. Ry'kerr to effect that change. In the meantime, I feel a more secure using my powers when, unless something goes spectacularly wrong, the fire will put itself out if it gets too big."

[iamresponding]

"You know that the Simroom can do that, too, right? Aside from the sims themselves not being flammable, there's fire suppression systems."

A pause.

"I could give you some pointers, too, if you'd like," said Rich. "There was a time I was terrified of my powers. For years and years, I had only a sliver of the Nova Force, the source of my power. But then, during the war I fought in, I wound up with all of it. Every single bit of the Nova Force. I felt like a walking atom bomb -- like doing the tiniest thing wrong could cause a disaster. There was just that much of it to control."

He gave Tadashi a thoughtful look.

"I know what it feels like to be afraid of yourself and of going out of control. I also know what it takes to learn to control it. My power burns like pyrokinesis, even if it's got some gravimetrics to it, too."

[the_civilian]

"The Simroom felt weird," Tadashi said. "And I don't think I'm going to get a good idea of what my powers can do, controlled or otherwise, in a place full of things that aren't actually flammable."

He ran a hand back through his hair and then smoothed it back down.

"I'd appreciate any tips you can give me," he said, picking his words carefully, "but it's not the...the size of the power-pool available to me that's the problem. It's the power itself." He took a deep breath through his nose, pressing his lips together and his tongue to the roof of his mouth. "I'm really just not all that good of friends with fire at this point in my life."

[iamresponding]

"Are you afraid of losing control and hurting yourself or someone else?" he asked.

He wanted to see if it was the same core problem.

[the_civilian]

"Obviously," Tadashi answered. Who wouldn't be? "But right now, that's secondary to the overwhelming panic I feel when I see fire." He huffed a breath, running his fingers through his hair, leaving it standing up every which way. "I wasn't even sure I could control it for awhile there, because I couldn't focus enough to even try, because panicking isn't conducive to control."