Opposites Repel
"Jonathon Allerdyce! Please sit down and face the front!" When Jean Grey shouts, you know that someone is in trouble. Normally, just the smallest whisper of a command would communicate to all the class to be quiet, unless hot-headed John Allerdyce was in the room. On the surface it would seem that John was just the class clown who finds it hard to concentrate, but deeper down, he seemed to struggle with anger management issues, temper tantrums and fiery outbursts.
His main source of anger and frustration though is aimed at Bobby Drake and his relationship with Kitty Pryde. Kitty works with Bobby at the ranch as a horse wrangler, and as they were seeing each other every day a close friendship grew. Allerdyce, on the other hand, was a writer and a poet, and it infuriated him that she was not impressed by his sharp wit and charm, but by Bobby's physical strength and his dedication to the job. Curiously, he wasn't able to use his skills in the written form to vent this frustration, instead opting to cause a scene in the middle of the schoolroom.
"Ma'am, I just don't think it's fair that Bobby gets to sit next to Kitty all the time."
"Mr Allerdyce, Bobby can sit wherever he wants to, he isn't the one disrupting the class."
Bobby sat calmly in his place on the bench, whilst Kitty leant against the wall, feeling very awkward, wishing she could just slip right through.
"Who bids enter the Xavier Township?" Logan shouted through the gate, trying to fulfil his duty of protecting the town.
"The name's Erik the Red, I'm an old and loyal friend of Town Marshall Xavier." His voice was low and gruff. "I bring with me, my travelling circus. Pray let us take refuge for the night?" There was a clunk as the bar was removed from the door and, with the help of Piotr Rasputin he pulled the gates open, allowing the circus wagon to ride through into the centre of town.
There were whispers around town and the company were met with unrest and controversy. Some of the newer residents, however, were excited by the news. Erik stepped down from the cab. He was a burly man, his shirt tight over his broad shoulders and chest and his long, grey hair was covered by a wide brimmed hat. "Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, I am Erik the Red, strongman and ringmaster of Circus Maximoff! We've been pulling in crowds from around the world to see our amazing shows and now you too can join our troupe of skilled performers!"
Slim stood watching, he knew this spiel because he'd seen it before. He saw the other townspeople standing amazed at what he was saying and he decided to speak up. "I can't believe that you're all still listening to this old man on his selfish recruitment drive!"
"I'm offering new opportunities, a chance to showcase your talents, and be who you really want to be. There's no need to be alone, we're like a family. You can feel safe and secure with us."
"We can be safe and secure here Erik, this is our home. I wish that Logan hadn't opened the gates to you; you don't deserve to set foot in this town. You can claim to be Xavier's friend, but you came here two years ago, and when you did, all you seemed to be was jealous that he'd managed to achieve something you hadn't. Now you turn up with an alternative scheme and expect us, who all look up to Marshall Xavier with respect, to suddenly ignore that and jump on your Circus wagon?"
"Oh no, of course not Slim, I don't expect you to ignore that. I just expect you to see that life with Circus Maximoff is so much more glorious!" Erik smirked, tipped his hat and opened up the wagon, allowing the members of his troupe to step down. "I present to you… Miss Scarlet, sharp shooter extraordinaire and her brother Mister Silver, an incredible gymnast…" As the two walked out together, the small crowd applauded. "The grand illusionist, Mister Mind and the freakishly strange Toad Man…" More applause greeted the next two men, along with some cries of disgust at the sight of the Toad Man's long tongue. "And finally, please give it up, as we welcome, the beautiful showgirl, The Amazing Astra!" Applause built up again as the skimpily-dressed dancer paraded around in front of the crowd.
BANG!
The sound of gunshot rang through the air, closely followed by a deep chuckling from Erik, who slow-clapped mockingly. "Oh, Charles, Charles, Charles... You still have some of your flair left then?"
"And flair is all you have, Erik. You have no heart and no care for anyone's true feelings. Not anymore. You lost that a long time ago." Charles walked through the crowd to face his old friend directly. "To your so-called troupe, I say one thing. This is your chance to leave. If you aren't happy with this situation and whatever he's offering you, get out now. There's a place for you here, or elsewhere, anywhere is better than under his control."
A murmur travelled across the crowd and, after a short while, Astra stepped forward. "He's right; you can't control me or use me anymore, Erik. I'm leaving."
Xavier looked at Erik, "Now you can go. Go and don't come back."
