Summer 2018: Beth

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Svartfreja
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Summer 2018: Beth

Post by Svartfreja »

<Beth> The handle was going. It had been in dire straights since the airport. Some dodgy baggage handler had probably thrown the suitcase or dropped it off the back of their funny little trailer and now it was on its last legs.

<Beth> She had watched the taxi driver warily as he'd pulled the case out of the boot but the handle had held. Now there were just some steps. She could do this.... Oooooor not. "Fuck! Shit! Bollocks!" Each word perfectly punctuated an impact with a step as her case crashed back down to the asphalt.

<Bobby> He'd heard the taxi and wandered to the front of the property, toddler and dog in tow. Once he got within earshot he winced. Okay! Rip's language lesson for today had begun! "Heeeey, you okay there?" Yoda started yapping, pulling on his lead as they approached the blonde.

<Beth> "Uh..." she held up the piece of the case that had remained with her at the top of the short flight of stairs. "Baggage handlers killed it..." She took in the sight of the small child and dog. "... Am I at the right building?"

<Bobby> "Depends," he said with a grin. "What are you looking for?" Bobby wrapped Yoda's leash around his wrist and bent to right the case, trying to figure out how to pick up the battered purple thing.

<Bobby> Ripley pointed up at the blonde and giggled. "Mommy!"

<Beth> "Um... the place on the gate?" She blinked at the child, "You have the wrong lady, tiny person." She stuffed the suitcase handle into her pocket and headed down the steps to inspect her case... and the corgi.

<Bobby> "That's the place then!" He beamed up at her and crouched beside Ripley. "Sorry, it's your hair." Turning to his daughter, he tickled her. "That's not mommy, Rip! But I know, she has the same pretty hair!"

<Bobby> "Pretty hair," the little girl echoed with a squeal, while Yoda pulled to go greet the newcomer, his butt wriggling away.

<Beth> "Well it's good to know I didn't drop my suitcase down the wrong stairs. That would be twice as embarrassing." She crouched to fuss the dog, "Hello little legs! You are adorable!"

<Bobby> "No reason to be embarrassed, babe, we're all in the same boat here." He grinned. "That's Yoda. I'm Bobby Drake and this is my daughter, Ripley." He waved her hand for her and then extended his own to shake.

<Beth> "Yoda?" She looked at the dog. Yep. Definitely had the big ears going for him. "Cute!" She gave him another scratch behind the ears then straightened up to shake the extended hand, "Elizabeth Braddock... but please don't ever call me Elizabeth. Just Beth is fine..." Her eyes slid to the child, "Did you say Ripley?"

<Bobby> "Yeah..." he laughed after shaking her hand and rubbed the back of his neck. "We're nerds. Well, I am... working on my wife's nerddom..." Bobby cleared his throat and wrinkled his nose. "Anyway! Nice to meet'cha! Another Brit!"

<Beth> "Yes, I'm British... and I love the nerdiness." She smiled, "It's reassuring." She waved at the kid, "Hi Ripley. You have no idea how cool your name is but that's okay."

<Bobby> "Oh, she will... someday..." He nodded at the toddler, thrilled when she nodded back. "She already beats her plush facehugger with her toy hammer, so she's half there!"

<Beth> Beth laughed, "I bet you get all the dodgy looks in the shops." She took hold of her suitcase by the bright yellow luggage strap and tugged it toward the stairs.

<Bobby> "Hey, I can help... if you want the leash." He started trying to unravel the dog, his manners finally kicking in. His mom would be proud!

<Beth> "Are you sure? I mean... I'm happy to swap... but I won't pretend it's not heavy so you'd be getting a raw deal..." She gave him a small grin.

<Bobby> "Nah, it's the least I can do. My mother would smack me if she knew I hadn't offered to carry it for ya first thing." He handed off the leash, which made Yoda yap and boing in place.

<Beth> "And I'm sure I'd get an equally disappointed look if I declined your generous offer... and your tiny dog." She crouched to fuss the corgi some more. "Well... maybe less the tiny dog - my mum's allergic."

<Bobby> "Awwww, now that's a real shame. I don't know what I'd do without dogs. Always loved 'em." He pointed Ripley toward the door and turned her loose and picked up the beaten bag.

<Beth> "We have horses... they're kind of like dogs... only bigger." She shrugged a shoulder, "And vegetarian..." She giggled as Yoda rolled over for tummy rubs. "I've always wanted a dog though."

<Bobby> "Oooh, horses. I only got to ride those on vacations. They're cool too." Once inside, he looked toward the stairs. "I'd have to look at the logs to see where to put your stuff, so maybe we can just park it in the rec room for now? I'll give you the tour."

<Beth> "I have a horse called Zaphod... I'm going to miss him while I'm here..." she frowned a little, bending to pet Yoda again to feel better. "Tour sounds awesome," she smiled, "But, if my message got through I bet I can tell you which room I'm in."

<Bobby> "Oh. Well who'd you send it to? Erik?" He set the case against the wall, then caught it when it started to fall over. "I shouldda told ya, I'm a teacher... among other things..."

<Beth> "I don't know, whoever gets the emails sent to the school address.... Anyway, it's probably the only room with a faraday cage." She eyed the case, "It's okay if it falls over - can't do more damage than falling down the steps did."

<Bobby> "Oh! You're that girl! Suddenly, he wished he'd read that file more closely. Yeah, okay... I know which room it is..." He eyed her a bit, nudging the case with his toe just to make sure it was stable...ish.

<Beth> "Yes, I'm that girl." She laughed, "I promise there's a good reason for it. I'm not weird..." she frowned. "Well, maybe a little..." She stood up again, running a hand through her hair to get it out of her face.

<Bobby> "Something with your powers... I'm afraid I can't remember what was in the file..." Bad SHIELD agent! BAD! He winced and tried to turn it into a grin, picking up Ripley before she could climb the table by the door.

<Beth> "Telepathy," she supplied, "Stops me having mishaps while I'm asleep."

<Bobby> Bobby's eyes narrowed as he tried to process that one. He'd known a lot of telepaths over the years... buuuuut that was a new one. "Um... how?" He bounced Ripley before she could fuss.

<Beth> "I don't know why it works but if I pass a tiny electric current through the metal, it creates some kind of interference."

<Bobby> "Huh." He grinned. "I mean, I believe ya. Just never heard it before. I'm so not a telepath, but you probably knew that already. There are a few others running around here..." Bobby looked around as if he expected one to pop out of the woodwork at him.

<Beth> "Cool," she smiled, "I've never met another telepath. Only normal people where I live... normal for Brits that is." She gave him a grin.

<Bobby> "We also have a good supply of tea around here," he laughed. "And some tea drinkers to go with it. In fact... let's go show ya the kitchen!"

<Beth> "A proper cup of tea sounds amazing right now. Do you know how hard it is to put milk and sugar in your tea on a plane when there's turbulence?" She offered out the lead to him so he could have his tiny dog back.

<Bobby> He took the leash and started off for the kitchen. "I never got the appeal. Give me a good ol' Code Red Mountain Dew any day over tea."

<Beth> "We don't have Mountain Dew in the UK... well not until really recently and they only have the original one unless you go to an import store... Not that I'm saying I'd prefer it over tea. Tea is an institution."

<Bobby> "So I've heard," he laughed. "Over here, it's more coffee. Hence, this..." Bobby flourished at the giant coffee machine that took up most of one end of the kitchen. "The great god of the bean."

<Beth> She laughed, "Yeeeeah but that's way too complicated when you've just rolled out of bed. I learned that the hard way." She eyed the assortment of cupboards, "Where does the tea live?"

<Bobby> "Oh, that's over here." He turned away from the giant coffee idol and went to a cabinet, opening it to reveal a variety of boxes and tins. "If you don't like any of those, just put it on the list over there and we'll get it next supply run."

<Beth> She plucked a box of Twinings out that was hidden behind a tin of Yorkshire tea and inspected it. It was yellow and therefore acceptable. "Good old English Breakfast." She set the box on the counter then looked to Bobby for a prompt on where the mugs lived, figuring she shouldn't go poking about in teacher brains.

<Bobby> Bobby was way ahead of her, and was digging in a cabinet for a mug for her and a sippy for Rip. As for himself, he was gonna do the Dew. "There should always be clean cups and stuff up here." He tapped the cabinet next to it. "Plates and stuff are in here and silverware is down there."

<Beth> "Thanks," she went to fetch a teaspoon, "Sugar?" She scanned the counter top for signs of a caddy.

<Bobby> "Uuuuum, probably up where the tea was, honestly." Like he cooked! He did know enough to check the electric kettle on the counter. It didn't have any dust on it, and he dumped the water and refilled it - just in case - before he plugged it in and went to get Rip's juice. The girl was already halfway into a cabinet banging on a pot lid.

<Beth> Beth opened the tea cupboard again and stood on tiptoe to peer into the depths. She located something that looked like it could contain sugar and excavated it. "Bingo!" She set it down and popped off the lid after giving it a small shake to break up possible lumps, then put a spoonful of sugar in her mug and dropped a teabag in on top.

<Bobby> Bobby found himself humming a tune from Mary Poppins as he watched her. With Ripley now distracted by a sippy full of juice - Paige would make him pay for that later on - and his own Dew in hand, he jumped up on the counter. "Any idea what you want to study yet?"

<Beth> "I was thinking something in electronics - I have a knack for it even if my mother thinks it's not ladylike." She leaned both elbows on the counter and rested her chin in her palms while she stared at the kettle, willing it to boil faster. "Built my own faraday cage at home - you should have seen her face when I asked her if I was allowed to weld things in the house."

<Bobby> "Ha! I bet. Eh, ladylike schmadylike. Do whatever you want! We don't plan on limiting baby girl here any more than we need to for, like, safety." He watched her plop on her diapered butt on the floor and drink while Yoda snuffled around her, making her giggle.

<Beth> She gave him a small grin, "I didn't actually need to weld anything... I'd already screwed it in but I just wanted to mess with her a bit.... it's way too easy." The kettle boiled and she straightened up to pour the water into her mug. "Apparently I'm a horrible daughter."

<Bobby> "Hey, I've been disowned before. It's like a tradition here." He drummed his heels lightly against the cabinet, in time to Let's Go Fly a Kite this time.

<Beth> "Oh that'll never happen. Dad'd have a fit... and probably Brian." She went to the fridge for milk while her tea brewed. "... And I'm not above changing her mind."

<Bobby> "Ha! Well... the ethics teacher might have something to say about that, but I ain't him." He saluted with his Dew. "So carry on."

<Beth> "If it's a choice between me being homeless or not, the ethics people can shove it up their arses." She gave him a pleasant smile.

<Bobby> "True enough, babe." He laughed and nodded. "So, if you're enrolled in math, you'll be seeing me. I teach math, some physical education stuff... and I'm the SHIELD liaison."

<Beth> "Oooh, get you with your important job," she giggled, "Maths is probably important if I'm doing electronics, right? I can do maths. As long as I don't have to do those simmultaneous equations because I will throw things. I hate algebra." She wrinkled her nose. "Stupid tiny meaningless letters."

<Bobby> "Hey, hey, hey! What'd algebra ever do to you?" He laughed, kicking his heels on the cabinet.

<Beth> "Killed my GCSE Maths mark. I was headed for an A-star... then algebra happened. I scraped by with a B." She shook her head, "Mother was most displeased... personally, I think she should have been proud of me because I could have cheated."

<Bobby> "You make a compelling point there." He waggled a finger at her. "No Jedi mind tricks, missy! I need all the brains I got. Unscrambled."

<Beth> "But Jedi mind tricks are my speciality! I'm really really good at them! And you can't tell me they're not useful." She fished her teabag out of her mug and tossed it into the sink for later disposal. "I haven't scrambled anyone's brains... I don't think." She tapped the spoon thoughtfully against her chin.

<Bobby> Bobby shuddered theatrically. "Maybe I need a faraday cage for my noggin around you..."

<Beth> "I will absolutely try not to do it to teachers... unless I'm in really big trouble for something..." She gave him her most winning smile.

<Bobby> "Okay, note to self: send somebody immune to telepathy to give you detention!"

<Beth> She laughed, "I don't plan on getting any detentions so it shouldn't be a problem. Honestly, I'm pretty well behaved unless I'm really bored... which I'm hoping I won't be because there's lots of work to do, right?"

<Bobby> "Oh, we can keep ya as busy as ya want." He thought about that. "Speaking of," he said, sliding off the counter with a thump, "let's go see what black hole your email fell into and I'll check your room assignment and schedule."

<Beth> "Okidoki." She poured milk into her tea, finally, and gave it a stir once she'd put the milk back into the fridge. After she'd tossed her spoon into the sink to join the teabag, she picked up her mug to follow Bobby. "Lead the way."
:quicksilver Pietro Maximoff [Quicksilver]

Quicksilver: Howisshe?Isshealright?Imusetspeakwithmysisteratonce.
Hawkeye: What is that noise?
IronMan: That is the noise Pietro makes right before he's tossed out of the airlock. ~ Avengers: The Children's Crusade #6
Svartfreja
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Re: Summer 2018: Beth

Post by Svartfreja »

<Warren> Warren walked into the kitchen, in his boxer briefs, his wings folded against his back. He wanted a drink and didn't want to be wearing any more clothes than he had to.

<Beth> Beth was already in the kitchen and in the process of rummaging in the fridge for something caffeinated. She'd been up since 4am, still struggling to adjust to the new timezone, and her ability to stay awake was waning. She found a can of coke and straightened up with it in-hand... and then she almost dropped it again.

<Warren> "Mind grabbing me one?" Warren didn't even think about her being off put by him only being in underwear.

<Beth> "Uh... okay...." it was a good excuse to stop staring. She ducked back into the fridge, took a few breaths of the cold air, then straightened back up with a second can, closing the door to the fridge with her hip on the way over to the counter.

<Warren> "Thanks, beautiful." He gave her a little smirk as he took the coke from her. "I'm Warren, by the way."

<Beth> "Beth," she offered a small smile back, opening her own can and taking a sip. She managed to swallow it then eyeballed the can, ".... Can you please tell me if this tastes right to you?" She offered it to him.

<Warren> "Uhmm okay?" Warren took the can and stared at it for a minute before taking a little sip. "Y...yeah?" He offered it back to her. "It's uhmm nice to meet you and be your taste tester."

<Beth> "It tastes wrong..." she turned the can around, searching for the ingredient lable. "Oooooh... ewwwww..." her nose wrinkled. She set the can on the counter and returned to the fridge. "You can have that."

<Warren> "Uhmm okay?" For a few minutes he stared at the can trying to notice something was off. "Oh, yeah. You're not from here are you?" Warren gave her a little laugh. "Yeah most American stuff sucks."

<Beth> "There's no sugar in it!" She started taking cans out of the fridge, all varieties of coke, pepsi, dr pepper and mountain dew were lined up on the floor beside her, "Nope, nope, nope. What the fuck, America?" At the back of the fridge she found another lonely can and pulled it out. "Holy shit we have a winner!" She hugged the can to her and straightened up again.

<Warren> "Nope cuz we are healthy." He made the little air quotes when he said healthy. "You get used to it when it's what you grew up on."

<Beth> She set her root beer down on the counter. "High fructose corn syrup is not good for you." She rolled her eyes, "So mislead..." she picked a can at random from the floor, plucked the sharpie from the shopping list and circled the high fructose corn syrup on the lable then wrote 'NO!' on the can next to it before she put her rejects back in the fridge.

<Warren> He couldn't stop himself from laughing at that. "Oh we've got to do that to all of them!"

<Beth> "Challenge accepted." She gathered the cans again and lined them up on the counter doing one after the other. "Think they'll get the message and find the real stuff in a friendly import store somewhere?"

<Warren> "If not I could order some for you. I wouldn't mind something that tastes better." Warren moved closer to her, laughing again at her work.

<Beth> "I know they go to import stores. There is real tea in in the cupboard. So there's no excuse for this shittery." She finished her task with a flourish and put the pen back where she'd got it.

<Warren> "I wouldn't know. I haven't been here very long." He shrugged. "I usually just go with the flow. It has been pretty crazy around here for a school though."

<Beth> "One of the teachers told me I can just add stuff to the list here if they need to get something," she sat down on the countertop when she'd finished putting the cans away in the fridge and cracked open the can of root beer. She gave it an experimental sniff.

<Warren> "Well that's nice. Though I don't mind just flying into town to get things either." He shrugged and leaned up against the counter by her. "Perk of having these awesome bad boys." Warren smiled and pointed back to his wings.

<Beth> "Yeah... must be nice not to have to rely on public transport," she took a sip of the drink and made a sound of approval.

<Warren> "It is absolutely great! Especially since we have horrible public transit in the states."

<Beth> "Yeah..." fortunately she didn't really have to worry about that too much. "I miss having a car..."

<Warren> "I hate cars.... Too confined." He shuddered a little. "I'll stick to flying. Ever want a good view of the area, I wouldn't mind taking you out on a fly by."

<Beth> She wrinkled her nose, "I'm not sure I'll take you up on that offer. I'm done with flying for a while." As if on cue, she yawned.

<Warren> "Jetlag?" He sipped at the coke. "This flying is much better. More fun."

<Beth> "So much... I'm still on UK time. I woke up at 4am this morning and couldn't get back to sleep.... but I'm refusing to take a nap." She had another sip from her can, "I don't think I can hand over that much control over my safety to someone else."

<Warren> "Yeah me and Heather were pretty fucked from when we flew over here from Australia. I think we slept for like a day or so."

<Beth> "Australia? Jesus, that sounds like torture. I would demand drugs for that flight.... or all the alcohol they're prepared to give me for free from their little trollies." The free alcohol was her favourite thing about the flight over.

<Warren> "It's a little hard to fly that while on drugs. I think I would have probably died. Though that stuff doesn't last long in my system. Still, I don't think I'll try flying under the influence."

<Beth> ".... You flew all that way under your own steam? Are you mental?"

<Warren> "Nope just awesome." He gave her a grin. "I can fly pretty fast. Mach one in my other form."

<Beth> ".... How do you breathe at that speed?!" She gaped at him.

<Warren> "No clue but it doesn't bother me, neither does the cold. Like I said, I'm pretty awesome." He gave her a little grin.

<Beth> "Pretty full of yourself too," she grinned back, giving a small wiggle on the spot with the cheekiness.

<Warren> "Nope just know what I'm good at." He bumped her playfully with his wing.

<Beth> "And boastful," she nodded slowly, leaning a little away from the wing and eyeing it.

<Warren> "Would you like a better look?" He leaned forward and spread it out for her.

<Beth> "Gah!" she nearly spilled her drink, "Careful with that thing! If swans can break arms, I'd hate to imagine what bones wings that size could splinter!"

<Warren> "I wouldn't hit you. But I have taken walls down with it to answer that question." Warren looked over his shoulder at her. "I am very careful with my wings."

<Beth> "Walls?!" She shuffled a little along the counter to a safe distance.

<Warren> "The other ones are more dangerous. They're sharp. You don't need to be afraid of these."

<Beth> "I'll be the judge of that, thanks," she raised both eyebrows at him over the top of her can while she took another sip and considered the merits of adding booze to it.

<Warren> Warren laughed a little. "Dang I feel the love." He pulled his wing against his back.

<Beth> "Hey, you're a complete stranger to me... and you're half naked in the kitchen. Now you gained points by being my poison tester so don't ruin it," she gave him a small grin.

<Warren> "Oh and here I thought half naked would get me points." Warren gave her another laugh. "Sorry, I'm not a clothes person. But I'll remember pants more often. Don't expect shirts though, too hard with these."

<Beth> "Half naked is not how you want to meet new people," she advised, "It's distracting... and also a little unnerving."

<Warren> "Well I wasn't planning on meeting new people. I was just going to get a drink and go back to my room. Sorry if I bothered you. I didn't mean to."

<Beth> "You should probably plan on it - students for the new semester are starting to arrive. You might embarrass some of the more impressionable ones."

<Warren> "If I don't, someone worse will. This place is pretty fucking crazy. But I will try to remember my pants next time."

<Beth> "If someone else does it then at least it's not you that they'll avoid for the rest of their college life?" She offered in consolation.

<Warren> "Aww you're going to avoid me forever now? That sucks, you seemed nice."

<Beth> She laughed, "I don't mean me. I said impressionable people... and I have a brother ten years older than me so I definitely no longer fall into that category."

<Warren> "Well then why're you complaining?" He stuck his tongue out at her. "What, my butt isn't good enough for you?"

<Beth> "I'm sleep deprived! And it was unexpected. People don't usually wander around school like that."

<Warren> He laughed a little. "Well next time I'll make sure you're more awake."

<Beth> "Next time? I thought you were going to start wearing trousers to preserve the innocence of other students?" She drained the last of her root beer and looked into the bottom of the can as if hoping more would appear.

<Warren> "Around other students yes. You told me yours was already gone, so I can't preserve yours."

<Beth> "Oh okay so it won't be any more unexpected underwear-clad strutting? Good to know." She slid off the counter and tossed the can into the recycling.

<Warren> "I'll save it all for you." He teased her a little. "I don't know. Possibly not, but I forget." Warren shrugged a little.

<Beth> "Maybe you should set a reminder on your phone or something... although I suppose that won't do you any good if you're not wearing trousers because I doubt you have pockets in your underwear."

<Warren> "Nope. I have nowhere to put a phone in these. I'm just lazy, I'll have to get into the habit of wearing pants more often. Though I don't think these are much worse than the speedos I usually wear."

<Beth> "..... Not an image I want when sleep deprived and highly caffeinated." She shook herself, "I think I should eat something." If nothing else, it would distract her from how tired she was.

<Warren> "Welp I apologize for assaulting your sleep deprived brain."

<Beth> She laughed, "It's okay... I was more offended by the lack of sugar in the pop than anything else."

<Warren> Warren laughed with her. "So, note to self: if I'm going to walk around almost naked I have to bring you pop with sugar in it, hmm?"

<Beth> "That sounds like an excellent idea." And she hadn't even had to suggest it!

<Warren> "So you like your pop delivered by half naked men huh?"

<Beth> "I can't say I'd complain.... unless they were really fat or something."

<Warren> "How about a hot angel?" He gave her a little wink.

<Beth> "Wow someone thinks very highly of himself," she laughed, "Don't make me threaten you with my big brother."

<Warren> "I don't hear you complaining." His grin got a little bigger.

<Beth> "That's because I haven't been!" She said in a stage-whisper.

<Warren> "So should I take that as you like the view then?" Warren gave her a little spin.

<Beth> "Take it how you like, I'm sure I can't stop you." She extracted some biscuits from the cupboard and headed for the door with the packet.

<Warren> "You could easily. I just can't say no to a pretty gal."

<Beth> She laughed, shaking her head, "You have no idea how true that can be."

<Warren> "Huh?" Warren raised an eyebrow a little confused.

<Beth> "Never mind," she gave him a small smile and a wave, "Maybe I'll explain it one day."

<Warren> "Uhmm.... Alright. Guess I'll see you later then?"

<Beth> "Unless I'm unconscious in my room!" She called back over her shoulder as she disappeared into the hall.

<Warren> "Damn what do you think I am? Some sort of sexual deviant? I don't go perving on girls in their rooms unbeknownst to them."

<Beth> "Good to know!" Her laughter echoed down the hall to him until she was out of earshot.
:quicksilver Pietro Maximoff [Quicksilver]

Quicksilver: Howisshe?Isshealright?Imusetspeakwithmysisteratonce.
Hawkeye: What is that noise?
IronMan: That is the noise Pietro makes right before he's tossed out of the airlock. ~ Avengers: The Children's Crusade #6
Svartfreja
Swashbuckler
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Posts: 1972
Joined: Thu Nov 23, 2006 9:24 pm
Title: Pushed Beaver
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Re: Summer 2018: Beth

Post by Svartfreja »

<Beth> It was hot. Unbearably hot. How could it be this warm anywhere? Beth had installed herself in the crossfire of two fans and was attempting to organise the textbooks she'd been given for her chosen subjects.

<Beth> Having a faraday cage instead of walls in her room meant that there wasn't much of a hope for bookshelves so, for now, she was in the rec room until she could brainwash someone into looking after them for her. At least there was tea.

<Melati> Melati tried dealing with the heat in her own way, which meant having stripped down as far as she would get away with. And since lounging in the pool all day sadly wasn't an option, she had to settle for the next best thing, which was getting more cooled beer from the fridge.

<Melati> "Hey there," she said upon waltzing in from the kitchen, a can in one hand and the rest of the sixpack in the other. She stopped to look at the stranger in the rec room. "You're new."

<Beth> "Yep," Beth said, then looked up. "You're green."

<Melati> The corner of her mouth formed a smirk in response. "Name's Melati, but most around here call me Mel."

<Beth> "Hi," Beth gave her a grin, "Elizabeth... but only my parents call me that. I prefer Beth," she eyed her tower of textbooks when it wobbled alarmingly after she dropped another on top. "Maybe.... two piles...." she carefully halved the pile and set the top ones down beside their friends.

<Melati> "Nice to meet you, Beth," Melati replied, and flopped down in a free chair. At least it was slightly cooler inside, even though not by much. She took a swig from her beer and frowned at the pile of books the new girl was stacking up. "Are you planning to read all those?"

<Beth> "Um... not right this minute but eventually, yeah... is that not normal?" She raised an eyebrow, eyes falling on the beer, "I mean, I heard rumours about the education system here but I was hoping they weren't true."

<Melati> Melati gave the new girl a toothy grin. "Oh, you better believe them, and then some." She chuckled. "Then again, this here isn't exactly like a regular college, so expect things to be a bit more relaxed most of the time."

<Beth> "And here my parents were hoping I'd go home with a degree of some description..." she laughed, turning back to finish her textbook sorting. "I'd feel bad for them but the only reason I'm here is because I was bored."

<Melati> Melati laughed and raised her beer can. "Well, in that case you definitely came to the right place, because the one thing you won't find here is boredom."

<Beth> "Super!" She grinned, "It's sort of weird here though... never met any other mutants before I came here so this is all new."

<Melati> "Wow, I bet." She pulled her legs up onto the seat and crossed her ankles to get more comfortable. "I'm not even the freakiest person around here. My best friend is a huge walking, talking rock, our doc is big blue furball, one of the teachers is basically a living puddle of metal, and there's a robot living in our basement."

<Beth> "... A robot? Really?!" Beth turned to look at Mel, "A real robot? Does it work? Like... can it run and stuff?"

<Melati> Melati took another swig and nodded. "Yep. Walks, runs, jumps, flies and shoots proper lasers. Also talks, and won't hesitate to insult you if you piss her off, which is why you should never call her an 'it' if she can hear you."

<Beth> "That's so cool!" She wanted to meet this robot, "It's a she? And she insults people?! Are they learned or invented insults?"

<Melati> "It's what she picked for herself, and I'm no one to tell anyone what gender they want to identify as." She leaned back in her chair, which she immediately regretted when she felt herself stick to the hot leather. "And both, I think. She's really smart. Pretty sure she's smarter than Data from Star Trek. Definitely more emotional."

<Beth> "That's so badass! Can I meet her? Who programmed her?" And why hadn't they been all over the news and earning billions of dollars for awesomeness?

<Melati> "Sure!" Mel replied. "As far as I know, she's always eager to hang out with people. I think she likes to learn more about us organics." She finished her beer and pulled another from the pack. "Well, that's the part where it gets even weirder, I guess."

<Melati> “No one really programmed her, and no one really understands how she works. She kind of created herself from this super-advanced learning computer that this guy built for the school from alien tech. You see, his mutation let him create all kinds of crazy machines. Though, he died a while ago.”

<Beth> "Wow that sounds like the best mutation ever... I'm so jealous! I want that one!" And she couldn't even pick his brains! Life wasn't fair. She pouted.

<Melati> Melati grinned, having decided that the new girl was alright. "Speaking of, what can you do, if you don't mind the question?" she asked. "Your mutation, I mean."

<Beth> "Brain spelunking," she nodded, "It's boring... well unless you find a brain worth poking around in... which there isn't in my house."

<Melati> Pushing a claw into the lid of the can, Melati slurped the beer spilling out. "Oh, so you're one of those telepaths." She chuckled. "I think you'll find more interesting brains around here, though I can only advise you to ask before snooping around in people's thoughts."

<Beth> "I don't go deep... unless I'm super lost and I need directions. I can't really help skimming surface thoughts though... it's kind of second nature." Her nose wrinkled, "I'm trying not to do it to staff.... so do you do anything else other than being all green?"

<Melati> "You mean aside from being super hot and all around awesome?" Mel couldn't help but smirk. "Well, I'm quite tough and need no axe for splitting timber. I also smell and hear better than an old bloodhound, and I heal really quickly. Wanna see?"

<Beth> "Um... no thanks, I'll take your word for it," she shook her head, "And I've only just met you so I don't think it's fair for me to judge you on your awesomeness or hotness."

<Melati> "Fair enough." Melati put on a lopsided smile. "Oh, and as you've probably noticed already, I also come with this tail." She showed it off by waving it behind her head. "Not only sexy, but pretty handy, too."

<Beth> She grinned, "I'll bet. Can you lift stuff with it?"

<Melati> "For sure!" She gave a demonstration by curling the tip around what remained of her sixpack and dangling it in the air. "I can pick up people, too."

<Beth> "Badass, it's like an extra limb! Everyone has cooler powers than I do."

<Melati> Melati laughed. "Nah, that's not true. Besides, I believe everyone here thinks that about their mutation. I know I do. I mean, sure, it's pretty neat not having to worry about getting run over or breaking your neck when you're drunk, but others get to do way more interesting stuff with their powers."

<Melati> "For example, our old headmaster, the guy who came up with this whole idea of a school for mutants, he was a telepath, too, and believe me, that guy was scary. I wouldn't have wanted to mess with him for sure. Probably would have made me believe I'm a chicken for the rest of my life."

<Beth> "Brain spelunking isn't that awesome," she shrugged a shoulder, "Most people are pretty boring... but I can make people do stuff for me if I want so that's pretty nice.... but I have to sleep in a faraday cage so that's kind of a pain in the arse."

<Melati> "Really?" She frowned. "Wow, that sucks. So you can't control it?"

<Beth> "Not when I'm asleep... gets a bit tricky. It's better to be in there and then I don't have to stress about it," she gave Melati a small smile, "When I'm awake it's fine."

<Melati> Melati nodded and returned the smile. "Yeah, I guess it can't be too much fun to accidentally share someone's nightmares, so that's probably a smart idea." She had to remember Selene, and how much that stuff had messed her up in the head. "No worries, you'll get better at it."

<Melati> "That's what you really learn here, after all," she added, the nodded towards Beth's pile of books. "And not just that stuff."

<Beth> "Yeah..." she was happy to let Melati and everyone else think that she was worried about other people's nightmares intruding on her own. "Well... I can figure telepathy out probably, it's not that complicated... but I figure I might as well upset mother some more and learn engineering."

<Melati> Melati looked at Beth with a wry smile on her lips. "Let me guess, your mother had other plans for your life?"

<Beth> "Oh yeah, she would like me to marry a nice rich man and pop out babies... sounds boring... but maybe then I could have a dog and she'd never come over." She tipped her head from side to side, weighing the options.

<Melati> Melati laughed and raised her beer can at the other woman. "Sounds like a plan," she said. "Men are good for fun, but dogs are for life."

<Beth> "So I've heard - mother's allergic." She rolled her eyes, "We have horses though, they're pretty fun."

<Melati> "I'll take your word for it," Mel replied. "Horses and I never got along well, so I try to keep my distance from the big buggers. I think they might have something against giant two-legged lizards."

<Beth> Beth laughed, "Nah, Zaphod'd be fine. He's pretty chill... which is weird because most thoroughbreads are kind of high strung. Brian says Zaphod must have fallen on his head when he was little." She nodded sagely.

<Melati> Melati snickered. "You have a horse named Zaphod?"

<Beth> "Yes! He's my baby." She giggled, "I miss him. It's weird not being able to go down there every day."

<Melati> "Well, we have a pretty huge lawn out there, if you noticed," Melati remarked, tilting her head towards the window. "Might as well ask the staff if you could have him shipped over." She took another swig. "And Brian is... your boyfriend? Your brother?"

<Beth> "My brother. But he's so old." She grinned, "And Zaphod can't just live outside on the lawn - he needs a stable and hay and other stuff... and he'd miss his friends."

<Melati> "Yeah, that might be an issue," Melati admitted with a frown on her face. "I think the school might already have their hands full caring for herds of students, so I can't see them being too keen on adding a herd of horses to it."

<Melati> "Well, we have pretty good transportation here, so I doubt it'd be much of a problem if you like to visit home every now and then."

<Beth> "Oh yeah, I'd really love to sit on a plane for 5 hours twice a weekend..." she laughed, "No, it's fine, really. He'll be okay - Brian promised he'd take over. Zaphod likes Brian... probably senses a kindred spirit. Horses are smart like that."

<Melati> Melati almost snorted her beer mid-swig. "Did you just say your brother is like a horse?"

<Beth> Beth laughed again, "I never uttered those words! But, yes, yes I did."

<Melati> Melati bared her sharp teeth when she gave Beth a big grin. "You know what?" she asked with a chuckle. "I think I'm really going to like you." Picking up what was left of her sixpack, she dangled it off her finger. "Want something a little more cooler than that tea of yours?"

<Beth> Beth shook her head, "At the risk of sounding less fun... I don't drink. I really shouldn't drink - crazy mind powers, you know?"

<Melati> "Yeah, totally forgot about that," Mel admitted, tilting her head. "I guess that's quite sensible." She shrugged and gave Beth a grin. "No problem. Means more beer for me."

<Beth> Beth laughed and nodded, "And I can be designated driver." She gave Mel a bright smile, "So long as I remember to drive on the wrong side of the road."

<Melati> "Ugh, don't remind me!" Melati rolled her eyes as she let herself flop back in her chair. "I don't know how long it took me to get used to that. Doesn't help that most people here are also shitty drivers."

<Beth> "It's okay, I've mastered Oxford's one-way system. I can handle anything."

<Melati> "That's the spirit," Mel said, increasing her degree of comfortableness by dangling her legs over the side of the chair. "All you gotta do is not give a shit and demonstrate your dominance on the street."

<Beth> "Ooooor make people move out of your way...." Elizabeth had also perfected the innocent look and she deployed it now.

<Melati> Melati gave Beth a long look, an impish smile sneaking on her face. "See? Now you get it. Told you your powers weren't as lame as you thought. You have no idea how often I wished I could do that. Instead I only can yell at them."

<Beth> "Yelling is sometimes very theraputic," she giggled, "But yeah, my powers are useful when dealing with idiots... or when buying alcohol underage."

<Melati> "I think you will have no problem making friends here," Melati told Beth, giving the new girl a wink.

<Beth> "And no one has to worry I will drink the money they give me for booze because I don't drink. I'm a good friend. Everyone should love me." She got up from her seat and basked in the cool air from the fans for a moment, lifting the hem of her top to help the air circulate. "I need a drink... but the kitchen is like an oven and the door keeps blowing closed."

<Melati> "I can get you something," Mel offered. "Wanted to see if we have anything to eat, anyway. Working on the van made me hungry."

<Beth> "Van? Can I help?" she lifted her hair off the back of her neck and twisted it into a bun, pulling the hair tie off her wrist to secure it. "After food and fizzies that is."

<Melati> "Hey, I'd be last one to stop you, so be my guest," Melati replied. "We've got a couple of vans for the students to use to drive into town, but they're starting to show their age. The bullets stuck in the engine block aren't helping either."

<Beth> "Maybe they should consider getting new vans?" She picked up her empty mug and turned for the door.

<Melati> Yeah, probably," Mel agreed, climbing out of her chair to tag along. "On the other hand, after having fixed them up so many many times, they kinda grow on you. They're my babies."

<Beth> "Maybe you could take all the good parts out of both vans and build one from scratch... then there might be spare bits." At least all the tiled floors meant it was reasonably cool in the hallways. Beth stepped out of her shoes to let her feet enjoy those nice tiles.

<Melati> Melati furrowed her brow as she began to ponder the possibility. "Yeah, some kind of Frankenvan. I think I like that idea."

<Beth> Beth grinned, "Frankenvan. I like it." Ahhh nice cold floor. "We could make it a project."

<Melati> Melati tilted her head, thinking about it some more, and then nodded. "You know... yeah, I think we should." She returned Beth's grin. "Looks like you already got your first school project."

<Beth> "Projects are good - they keep me out of trouble," she laughed, "And I like working on stuff like that. Mother would have a fit if she knew and this pleases me." She grinned wickedly.

<Melati> Melati bared her teeth and snickered. "Then we should make sure to send her some pics of you all greased up and with oil in your hair."

<Beth> Beth laughed harder, "Yeeeees! I like how you think." Reaching the kitchen, she made for the fridge and located a root beer. "I think this might be the start of a beautiful friendship."

<Melati> "You know, I usually can trust my gut, and it's telling me you're right." Melati gave Beth a grin and raised her own can of beer for a toast.
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Svartfreja
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Re: Summer 2018: Beth

Post by Svartfreja »

<Shaw> Widget had been with Danger for some time, but as Sebastian already had his hands full he was in no rush to retrieve his robot.

<Shaw> Propped up in her car seat and clapping happily, Miriam was "eating" in the school's kitchen. May Hades have mercy on them all.

<Beth> Beth needed caffeine. Caffeine that was quick and sugary and COLD. She fanned herself with one of her thinner textbooks as she shuffled the length of the hall barefoot. She weaved her way through the cafeteria because it was cooler than most of the building and wandered into the kitchen making a direct line toward the fridge.

<Shaw> A mouthful of green pea slime oozed from Miriam's mouth and Sebastian wrinkled his nose as he scooped it and a healthy dose of slobber off her chin and attempted to re-insert. "There you go..." he said, voice soft.

<Shaw> His enhanced senses were mostly a hindrance at the moment, and though he did hear someone come into the kitchen, he could care less.

<Beth> Beth was taking a sip of her rescued root beer before she noticed someone else was in the kitchen. Then she pretty much inhaled it and had a coughing fit. It didn't come out of her nose but it was embarrassing enough anyway.

<Shaw> That, however, did make him sit up and look around. "Are you quite alright?" He assessed her, realizing he didn't recognize this student.

<Beth> "I'm fine... fine..." she gasped. Mortified. But fine. She had another sip of root beer to clear away the fizzy coughs. "Sorry."

<Shaw> After another once-over and a smirk, he turned his attention back to Miriam. Her squeak helped in that and she reached for the bowl of pureed peas. Sebastian tsked and held it out of reach.

<Shaw> "I'm sure she would be happy to share," he said, glancing back over his shoulder to the girl and flashing his teeth. "If you're interested."

<Beth> "I refuse to eat anything that doesn't look like real food." It was then that she realised who she was speaking to and she almost inhaled her drink for a second time.

<Shaw> His brows shot up when the girl managed to choke, again. Setting the bowl aside, he flipped the towel from over his shoulder and wiped his hands, then gave the cloth to Miriam to entertain her for a moment.

<Shaw> "Are you certain you're alright?" The death of a student in his presence was not something he wished to explain to Erik.

<Beth> "Mmhmm... I'm fine..." her voice had risen in pitch and she coughed in an attempt to cover it up. She had inhaled root beer in front of Sebastian Shaw. Her life was over.

<Shaw> "Yes," he said, drawing out the word. "Clearly you are." He was torn between amusement and slight concern that they had yet another emotionally unstable waif enrolled.

<Beth> "It's just... um... you're... you..." she gestured vaguely.

<Shaw> Sebastian was silent for a long, uncomfortable moment. "I am. The last time I checked my identification, that is." He took a step forward and offered her his hand. "And you are?" He'd best know her name when he called Erik to report he'd apparently broken something.

<Beth> Beth wiped her hand on her jeans in case it was sticky or sweaty before she returned the handshake. "Elizabeth Braddock," she offered a smile, "I think you know my brother."

<Shaw> "Braddock!" Well, that explained a great deal, and jogged his memory of an email on new students that he'd barely skimmed. "Well, it's a pleasure, my dear."

<Shaw> Now, he couldn't resist, so he raised her hand to his lips, bowed and kissed her knuckles. "I do indeed. I apologize I didn't recognize you."

<Beth> She blushed but laughed and waved it off, "Don't worry, mother likes to hide me in the back because she's ashamed of me."

<Shaw> "Well, that is truly a crime against art and beauty." He smiled, giving her hand a squeeze before he released it and straightened, glancing back to Miriam. "I'm surprised you recognized me, frankly."

<Shaw> With Jessica gone and school not in session, he'd hardly bothered to dress to impress. Plus, he hadn't shaved in a week. "Luckily, she doesn't care what I look like," he said, moving back to his daughter. "I'm afraid I've taken full advantage of her indulgence."

<Beth> "Brian went through a beard phase. I'm good at spotting the face beneath," she moved more into his line of sight now that he was back with the kid. "And I've seen your face a lot so...."

<Shaw> "Have you?" He pulled out a chair for her, then resumed his own seat. "I suppose it is memorable," he said with a smirk, picking the peas back up. After a beat, he raised a brow and made to offer her the bowl.

<Beth> She held up her root beer. Her hands were full! FULL! "You're in lots of pictures... and you publish things."

<Shaw> Chuckling under his breath, he scooped up another spoonful and offered it to Miriam. "Not for some time, I'm afraid." He glanced at her with a smile. "As you can see, I've been rather busy. This is Miriam."

<Beth> "I know, I was starting to worry you'd gotten bored... but I can see how a baby would be distracting." She waved at the small child, "Hello Miriam. Nice to meet you."

<Shaw> Miriam heard her name and gave a happy squeak and a gummy smile. "She's just beginning to teethe, so pardon the... dampness." He leaned in and smiled back at his daughter, trying to catch the pea cascade yet again. "Also, just beginning to eat food. Obviously."

<Beth> "Well she's doing fabulously," Elizabeth gave Miriam another smile before turning her attention back to Sebastian, "So.... you're still teaching here this year, right?"

<Shaw> "I do intend to, yes." He rather hoped Jessica would come to her senses and go to MIT instead, but if she was coming back to Xavier's he was certainly going to be here, too.

<Shaw> "You appear to have come a bit early for the fall term," he noted, looking up from his task to meet her eyes. "But, I generally teach business and engineering courses, as well as robotics."

<Beth> "I wanted to get used to the crazy weather.... and get ahead in my reading." Which reminded her that she'd put her text book down by the fridge. "I'm taking robotics and engineering," she offered a grin, getting up to fetch her book before she forgot about it again.

<Shaw> "Really?" His smile spread into a toothy grin and he watched her retrieve her book. "What are your specific areas of interest?"

<Beth> "I like building things so mostly the construction part of robotics... I don't really like all the tedious programming bits," she tucked her book back under her arm and returned to her seat. "I'm already working on building something with Melati so maybe I can concentrate on programming in class if I have to."

<Shaw> "Ahhh, yes, frankly I've always enjoyed hardware more than software as well, although each can have its own rewards." He thought of Widget, smiling to himself.

<Beth> She had something in common with Shaw! Awesome! "I tend to find its only reward is being tossed into a corner never to see the light of day again."

<Shaw> "Normally I would be in agreement, but I've had a few quite pleasant surprises from intensive artificial intelligence coding work." He grinned. "Have you met Danger yet?"

<Beth> "No but I really want to! Except Mel made me paranoid that I'd accidentally insult her and she'd melt me or something...."

<Shaw> "She would have melted me long ago if she were that easily offended, my dear." He spiraled another spoonful of peas into his daughter's mouth.

<Beth> "But you're a teacher - I'm just a pesky student... and British, which is aparently a crime in this state."

<Shaw> He couldn't help his smile at that and lost himself in memory for a moment. "Oh, but Xavier's has always had a special place for our brothers and sisters from across the pond."

<Beth> "So I'm told," Beth managed a smile, "It's okay. I'm sure I can change the mind of anyone who doesn't think I'm welcome."

<Shaw> Interesting. He tried to recall what he'd read in that memo while scooping up another bite for Miriam. "I'm sure few would be immune to your charms," he said, watching her from the corner of his eye to gauge reaction.

<Beth> "Haven't met anyone I haven't been able to convince yet - I have a lot of tools in my shed." She nodded sagely.

<Shaw> He gave a hum and prodded the edge of her mental shielding. So I see.

<Beth> She felt the prod and raised an eyebrow, picking up on the thought as it bounced off. "You're a telepath?"

<Shaw> "Indeed, although I suspect your tool shed is more lavishly appointed than mine." He flashed her a crooked grin and dodged Miriam's attempt to grab the spoon from his hand.

<Beth> "It is pretty epic..." she nodded in agreement, "But... I wasn't just talking about the telepathy. I can do upper-class prattle too."

<Shaw> "That is indeed a gift all to itself," he agreed with a chuckle. "It's one I had to learn from the ground up, I'm afraid." He set the spoon back in the bowl and gave her an assessing glance.

<Shaw> "It would appear you've had the advantage of some training with all your gifts, however."

<Beth> Beth shook her head, "Nope. Never met a mutant before I got here. I'm a self-taught prodigy."

<Shaw> "Oh?" Now he was truly curious, and scrutinized her shielding once more.

<Beth> "I test my powers a lot... and I found a way to sleep without them messing it up all by myself. Much to mother's horror.... and the detriment of my internet access..."

<Shaw> His expression urged her to continue, although Miriam was vying for his attention as well, reaching for the bowl again.

<Beth> "I made a faraday cage in my room... if I pass a small electrical current through it, it interferes with my freaky mind powers. They built one for me here which is nice."

<Shaw> "It blocks them in some way?" Sebastian tilted his head and blinked.

<Beth> Beth nodded, "Yeah... it's like static.... sort of..." she wrinkled her nose. "Hard to explain.... I could show you."

<Shaw> "That would be quite fascinating, thank you." He looked down. "It is often a struggle for our kind, when the abilities manifest and it seems there is no help and no hope."

<Beth> "Well, I'm lucky that I'm pretty resourceful... and I don't care whether or not my parents would disapprove."

<Shaw> It broke the spell and he laughed softly. "Well, good on you, my dear."

<Shaw> Miriam was not pleased that her father's attention was focused elsewhere and let it be known with a high-pitched yell and a flail that upended the peas.

<Beth> "Gah! Esca-peas!" Beth jumped up to avoid getting covered in them.

<Shaw> Sebastian's arm and leg were not nearly as lucky, and neither was the floor, since the peas flew in a quite artful arc through the air before splattering.

<Shaw> Pleased with her work, Miriam clapped and giggled.

<Beth> "Miriam is no friend to peas and their noble sacrifice...." Beth mourned the peas.

<Shaw> Sebastian mourned his jeans. "And she's entirely too proud of her work," he complained, making a face at his daughter.

<Beth> "She's an aspiring artist... or legume assassin..." Beth decided to get some paper towels to clean up the mess from the floor.

<Shaw> Scraping up the largest mass with the bowl and plopping it aside, he tried not to think overmuch about assassinations. "I'm aflutter with anticipation over what she could do working in berries and pudding then."

<Beth> "She's destined for sculpture..." Beth nodded sagely, passing him some paper towels. "Pretty sure you could probably find some rich idiot to pay for it too. They'll buy anything."

<Shaw> He laughed. "Indeed. Although, I confess from time to time I'm the rich idiot purchasing some work that caught my eye." Picking up a particularly slimy blob from his thigh, he paused to smirk at her.

<Beth> "I'll try not to judge you," she assured him, "But only because you're an engineer. It's a get out of judginess free card."

<Shaw> "I am most honored," he said with a laugh as he continued to clean up while Miriam happily banged her spoon. "So, a faraday cage? My abilities are limited, but I am curious now if that would be a method all telepaths could use."

<Beth> "Worth a try. Never met another telepath before to experiment so... guess that makes you a guinea pig?" If she kept a diary this would be exactly the kind of thing she would write about.

<Shaw> "My abilities are hardly bothersome anymore, and in fact I have come to cherish some aspects, but the implications are fascinating." He made a face as he finished cleanup and stood to deposit the mess in the trash.

<Beth> "Fascinating, huh?" Best compliment ever! She worked on hiding the grin.

<Shaw> The girl was practically glowing and he hid his smirk, turning back to her with a grin. "Indeed. Do you not think so?"

<Beth> She gave a small shrug, "Well... I wasn't really thinking like that... it was just a solution to a problem..."

<Shaw> "Well, that trait is the makings of a good engineer," he said, watching her and moving back to Miriam to clean her up. The spoon banging had moved on to spoon gnawing.

<Beth> It was getting super hard to contain that grin now. "Um... thanks...." she was totally blushing.

<Shaw> Charmed by the girl's red face, he lifted Miriam out of her seat, locating a plop of peas beneath her. Well.

<Shaw> "You can thank me by holding her for a moment." With a flash of teeth, he passed the baby off to the girl.

<Beth> Beth was slightly alarmed by this new development and had to resist the compultion to hold the baby at arm's length. "Um...."

<Shaw> "Oh, she's harmless! Hardly has any teeth. Yet." He grinned again and got more paper towels for the slimy mass of pea debris in the car seat. "Do be mindful of the rear, however."

<Beth> Beth pulled a face and eyed the toddler like she was an unexploded bomb.

<Shaw> Sebastian was enjoying this far too much, and took his time. "Have you ever changed a diaper, Miss Braddock?"

<Beth> Beth shook her head slowly. She had no intention of changing that either.

<Shaw> "No? It's a singular experience." He threw away the towel and smirked, extending the moment.

<Shaw> Miriam twisted to see who was holding her and blinked, then gave a gummy smile. She reached for the blonde hair with chubby, pea-coated fingers.

<Beth> Gah! Beth held her back out to Sebastian. She didn't want peas in her hair! Gross!

<Shaw> Laughing, he accepted his daughter back and she cuddled into him with no regard for his feelings on peas.

<Beth> Beth offered some paper towels for the peas.

<Shaw> Making a face, he accepted the towel.

<Beth> Waiting for him to be done cleaning up the peas, Beth then turned to lead the way to her room and the faraday cage within while she tried to remember if she'd tidied in there or left underwear out.

<Shaw> He supposed turnabout was fair play, so he tucked Miriam into the crook of his arm and followed.

<Beth> Beth opened the door enough to poke her head inside and have a look around. It was reasonable. She stepped inside, moving a stack of textbooks from the floor to her desk so he didn't fall over them.

<Shaw> He didn't remember these rooms being so small. Sebastian's eyes were drawn to what was easily taking up most of the room. It was, indeed, a faraday cage.

<Beth> "This one is much nicer than the one I built at home..." Beth told him, "Probably because the people at SHIELD have more experience in welding than I do and they didn't make it out of random things they found and chicken wire...."

<Shaw> "...that would make a difference, yes." Miriam was less enamored with the cage than he, and grabbed a fistful of his beard to yank.

<Beth> "Want to try it out?" She offered, "I mean... I know it works on me..."

<Shaw> Still hissing with pain, he untangled Miriam's fingers. "You do realize that means you would need to hold the baby, yes?"

<Beth> "She's not covered in peas now." Beth grabbed a band off her desk to tie her hair back out of harm's way and held her hands out for Miriam.

<Shaw> Amused, he handed the girl over. I'm quite curious about this, he sent, meeting her eyes. Historically, he had no fondness for the methods used to block mutant abilities.

<Beth> She picked up the thought directed at her, Me too... She crossed to the door on the cage and pointed to a small switch inside, Flick that switch when the door's closed.

<Shaw> Sebastian wasn't accustomed to hearing the din of other voices in his head - not anymore, at any rate - and the school was already fairly abandoned due to the summer vacation. As he ducked into the cage and sat on the edge of her bed, he lowered his years of shielding.

<Shaw> He could pick up on her nervousness and intent attention, as well as the warm fuzz of Miriam's formless thoughts. Reaching for the door, he swung it closed. Right then, he sent, and hit the switch.

<Beth> Beth waited for a few moments, "Well...?" She shifted Miriam's weight and eyed her worriedly as she went quiet and seemed to be focusing intently. "... You're pooping, aren't you?"

<Shaw> It looks like you may get to try those diapering skills after all, he sent, giving her an innocent blink.

<Beth> Beth didn't pick up the thought at all but she did give Miriam a worried look, "Is she supposed to go that colour...?"

<Shaw> He laughed. "It would appear your invention is a success." Tilting his head, he surveyed Miriam's face. "Oh yes... you don't have enhanced senses as well, do you?"

<Beth> Beth shook her head slowly, "I should be glad, shouldn't I?" she wrinkled her nose, "But yay for my brain?"

<Shaw> "Quite," he chuckled, eyes unfocusing as he surveyed his abilities. It was curious, and he dropped his shielding entirely, waiting. When nothing happened, he switched it off and gestured to her. "Come. Come inside, I have a hypothesis."

<Beth> "Uh... okay..." she waited for him to open the door and then passed him the now probably stinky baby before she pulled the door closed behind her. Now this was extra awkward.

<Shaw> Sebastian slid sideways on the girl's bed, oblivious to her unease, and settled Miriam on her back in his arm. "We'll see to you in a moment, little love."

<Shaw> He glanced over at the girl. Ready? Without waiting for a response, he flipped the switch again.

<Beth> Beth poked about with her powers again, the familiar static of the electricity was there but now she was able to touch the minds inside the cage with her. Secret clubhouse?

<Shaw> So it would seem, he replied, giving her another toothy grin. Still, it's remarkable, and quite effective unless you plan to canoodle often.

<Beth> Beth blushed again and decided not to share the thought about how people would probably disagree about a cage being a bad thing. It's just for sleeping...

<Shaw> Sebastian restrained himself from laughing at the girl. Her shade matched Miriam's from just a few moments ago, after all. He saved her from further awkwardness by turning the electric field off and rising carefully.

<Shaw> "I'm certain it will serve you well, though you may find you don't need it after some additional training."

<Beth> Beth opened the door and climbed out, "I don't know... not sure how useful training is when I'm unconscious..."

<Shaw> "Eventually, shielding becomes a subconscious action, my dear." He turned to give her a sincere smile. "I speak from experience, after all."

<Beth> She frowned, "Not sure what you mean... shielding what?"

<Shaw> "You're doing it to an extent now, but perhaps you're unaware?" He gave her a more appraising look. "It is like a wall, built in your mind. Some visualize a bubble instead, but I've had success with walls. They hold your thoughts inside and keep others' thoughts out."

<Beth> "Oh... I never really..." she frowned, deciding it was probably okay to tell him this, "I never really had trouble keeping other thoughts out..."

<Shaw> "Oh?" His head tilted. Hearing the thoughts of others had been the bane of his existence until MIT.

<Beth> She sighed, leaning against the cage, "I can ignore all the thoughts if I want... go on as normal... but it's really really easy to go poking around in other people's heads..." scarily easy.

<Shaw> "Ahhh, I see. Still, in theory, it's hardly a one-way street, and without proper shielding a stronger telepath than I would find you easy prey."

<Beth> "Well... at least I don't have to worry about it while I'm asleep?" Sleep was important.

<Shaw> "It would require further testing to determine if you're at all reachable by others inside that cage, but it seems stable. And, I'm afraid duty calls." He jiggled Miriam, who was starting to look sleepy.

<Beth> "If we're gonna test the cage I should probably build one that's not in my room..." Beth nodded to herself, "I'll go ask if I'm allowed to do that... have fun with the poop?"

<Shaw> "I'm sure Erik would be happy to accommodate such a lovely young lady," he said with a knowing smirk. "Oh, I will. It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Braddock." Sebastian inclined his head.

<Beth> "You too, Mr Shaw." She gave him a polite smile and waited until he was walking away before she closed the door and squeed.
:quicksilver Pietro Maximoff [Quicksilver]

Quicksilver: Howisshe?Isshealright?Imusetspeakwithmysisteratonce.
Hawkeye: What is that noise?
IronMan: That is the noise Pietro makes right before he's tossed out of the airlock. ~ Avengers: The Children's Crusade #6
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