Becoming a Hero in a Shard-Like Manner (Closed)

“Name’s ‘Shin’, actually…” Shin eyed Shawn strangely. “Not sure how you got ‘Shard’ from that, but anyways… you probably know why I’m here.” The strange look turned into a tight-lipped smile. Last time, Shawn had played around and avoided the question. This time, Shin figured it best to be bold. “I was told you were who I should ask about becoming an X-men trainee? Well… here I am.”

He spread out his arms in a swan-styled bow. Inwardly, he steeled his resolve. If Shawn had questions about why he wanted to do this and put his life on the line, he had his answers. Yeah, he had them… in bold-faced print on the signs of the masses. It was just something he had to do, no matter the risk.

Speaking of which, that was a really nice office… he blinked around at it. “Huh? You have this office all to yourself?” Off on a tangent. What a great way to skip around.

With a nod and a curtsy (curtsy not included), Shin sat down in the chair. He took mental note of that detail about Sam, filing it away for later. For now, he just sat in the chair, back as straight as a yard stick, waiting for the first question.

“I’m ready. Let’s start when you’re ready.” He smiled patiently, hand clasped over one knee.

“The other day…” Shin began. “I was at a book store. That book store isn’t there anymore. There was an anti-mutant riot, and…” He shook his head. “One of my friends got hurt. I just think… well, I think it isn’t right. The police probably think that we started it, when we were just defending ourselves. It’s unfair for the opinions of the masses to be slanted like that. I feel like...”

He paused, looking at Shawn straight in the eye. “Well, I want to do something to protect the people who are victims of that sort of slanted reasoning. I want to give the slanters a reason to see the good behind that which they slight. That’s what the X-men do, right? They show the world all the good we mutants can do. They portray mutant-kind in a positive light. I want to do what I can to defend people, even if I don’t understand their beliefs.”

“I’m just,” his mouth fell into an egotistical grin as he jabbed a thumb at his chest. “That kind of guy.”

Shin raised his right index finger, calling up a single silver triangle to balance on its tip. “See this triangle? I can call up a whole lot more of them. They come in a rainbow of colors and mirrored or non-mirrored surfaces, and they’re about a 10 on the Mohs scale (I think). They’re strong enough to scratch diamond, and good for barrier-usage, but the right amount of pressure can still snap them. They’re both brittle and strong. So…” He held his chin, considering the matter. The triangle he’d held before vanished. “I guess if I was asked to define it in ten words or less, I’d have to say ‘Controls triangular barriers used for offense and defense.’ Yeah. That’s right… and in eight.” He counted on his fingers, shouldering a smirk.

“Does that work for you for a definition of strengths? Razor-sharp triangles hard enough to scratch diamonds, but brittle enough to be snapped?” Shin tilted his head. He wasn’t sure that’d be enough of a description, so he waited on Shawn’s response before he mentioned the weaknesses.

“Well…” Shin paused to consider it. “I’ve been training a bit in the danger room, so I’ve learned a few things about those weaknesses. I can block heat blasts well enough, and my powers don’t seem impaired by extreme temperatures (though I do). And Ari’s always breaking through my guard with jets of water. They sweep through the gaps in my defenses… same with electricity, I guess. You know, diamond’s a good insulator against that?” Shin looked thoughtful for a second. “I guess it isn’t so much ‘electrical bolts’ as it is the wild blue thunder… of course, this ‘electrical business’ is only here-say and rough guesstimates.” He paused. “It crackles around the edge… I guess that’s it for elemental weaknesses… so…”

He cleared his throat, hiding a slight blush. “Now for the hard part. Admitting my own faults… when I’m using my powers, I’m controlling my shards by sight. If something is in their path and I don’t see it, it’s in danger. This applies to people, too. So whenever I use my powers, I have to keep a keen eye tuned to the spatial setup around me.”

“And of course, it doesn’t help that they sometimes limit my vision themselves…” He coughed into his fist, embarrassed. “I think that’s it.”

“… Funny you should ask that.” A faint smile slipped back. For this question, he appeared prepared. “I tried once, when I was testing the power out early on. I called up a shard, and let it sit on my table when I went to bed. The next morning, it was gone. Not a scratch on the walls, either... I’m not sure if that’s an accurate comparison to being knocked out, but it does give a good impression of what they’d do if I wasn’t focusing on them. They’d vanish.”

He smiled, matter-of-factly.