[Not sure where else I could put this - let me know ]
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There was a light ‘thump’ as his feet hit the roof of a high-rise somewhere in New York. Jay folded his wings and crouched, running a hand through his unruly red hair. The sky was dark with clouds, and he pulled a face – chances were he wouldn’t make it to his destination before the rain hit. He was well out of shape, but he’d been worse – far, far worse.
Jay shook the memories off, standing up again and scratching his bare chest. He certainly wasn’t going to make it there if he spent all his time resting. He stretched out his wings – once more covered in feathers and not a mass of healing skin – and closed his eyes at the feel of the wind. He couldn’t stay hidden in New Jersey forever. He’d managed to crawl through the sewers into the subway, and from there out of the city before passing out.
He shook himself again, flicking out one red wing and then the other, checking the feathers. He didn’t want to think about the sewers, seeing all that and Jill-
Twitching, Jay turned and headed for the edge, wings out as he leapt off it, catching an updraft easily and spiralling up into the air. He’d promised, after she’d been buried, he wasn’t going to brood on it. That wasn’t the Jay way, as she’d put it. Lazily flapping his wings, he gained height before locking them in for a long glide.
Time to go to the one place he could feel safe.
Time to go back to Xavier’s.
-
Jay circled over the recognisable building, wincing as a crack of thunder tore the air apart. He was already soaked, wings heavy with moisture, but he hadn’t dared to land, back and chest muscles screaming at him. He’d have to land soon or he was going to drop out of the sky. Either that or get hit by the spikes of lightning that were getting closer.
Neither seemed particularly welcoming.
Finally he tilted a wing, dropping down to a lower height, circling the mansion. The film that covered his eyes during flight flicked back as he backed air, landing on the gravel driveway easily. Staring up at the doors as he pushed rain-soaked hair out of his amber eyes, he huffed a sigh, trying not to think about the way he’d first arrived, all that time ago.
Well, he was back. Might as well go see who was home.
Those who know, don't say; those who don't, say too much.
Aodhfionn 'Fianna' MacDuibh's Character Blog (for Nightscrawler's RPG)
Bobby: The others could handle the brats... little wonders for a while, Bobby decided, turning off his cell phone and hoping Monet wouldn't want to touch his mind to page him. It was his night off, and it was already supposed to have started two hours ago, but Freddy'd broken another bed, so he'd had to stick around.
Bobby: He opened the fridge door and cocked his head. Yeah, he'd thought he'd smelled beer on that Skids girl last night... dammit. But, Bobby had learned to be sneaky. He closed the door and headed for the pots and pans. Opening the cabinet door, he crouched and fairly crawled inside.
Jay: Jay dripped and squelched his way into the deeper bowels of the school, headed in one direction, large wings drooping from tiredness. If Xavier hadn't had any sudden makeovers, the kitchen was this way, and if he knew the brand of students, there was beer in that thar kitchen. And he'd be damned if he was facing anyone without it. Plus...it had been a long time since beer.
Jay: He found the door marked 'Staff Kitchen' and smiled a little before pushing it open, maneuvering his wings through the door. Then he stopped at the sight of an ass poking out of a cupboard, with some muffled muttering he couldn't quite recognise. Fuck. "Uh...hi there." He didn't bother hiding the Georgian drawl. He hadn't done it for a while anyway. "Y'all alright?"
Bobby: There was a muffled thud, a curse and then the muttering stopped. Bobby backed up slowly, marveling that one of the kids had found him this fast. He left the six pack just inside the cabinet and straightened up. "I was just looking for the dutch oven." He looked up from dusting off his jeans as he spoke. "For... the... camp...?”
Bobby: Bobby closed his mouth, opened it again. "...Jay?"
Jay: Jay stared for a moment, before breaking out in a wide, albeit tired grin. "Hey Bobby." Out of all the people to see first, Bobby was definitely his first choice. He rolled his shoulders, wings hitching a little. "In the flesh, so t' speak. Ah just flew in..." He trailed off lamely, hand rubbing unconsciously at the heavy scarring on his side.
Bobby: For one of the few times in his life, Bobby was still speechless. "...Jay?" It sure looked like Jay, it sounded like Jay... but, but Jay was dead. Right? He blinked. Well, he had been dead a couple times too, he supposed. "Omigod! Jay!" He tackled the shorter boy with a hug.
Jay: Jay let out an 'oof' as he was hit with a ballistic Bobby, blinking before wrapping his arms around him and returning the hug. "Yeah, yeah, it's me." He smiled, holding onto the other boy tightly. "Why, y'all know any other winged dudes?" He squeezed hard. "Good t' see ya, Bobby. Real good."
Bobby: "Wow... it's awesome to see you!" He returned the squeeze and stepped back, holding him out at arm's length. "Shit, dude! It's really, really you!" Bobby looked him over once, then noticing the scars, but couldn't stop himself from blurting "How?"
Jay: Jay bit his lip. "Ah don't know. Thought Ah was gonna die'n all, ya know? Crawled until Ah passed out...both mah wings were wrecked and..." He trailed off, staring into space, before shaking his head. "Y'all gotta beer? Ain' had one in months." He grinned at Bobby again, flicking still-wet red hair out of his face.
Bobby: Bobby had tried hard to forget that day, but he remembered the blood... everywhere. The red feathers... He made a face. "Yeah... It was..." hell. He was afraid to ask about Jill, so he took the change of subject. "Actually, yeah! I was just... when I was... there's a stash in the cabinet to keep the kiddies out of the booze."
Bobby: He babbled on as he fetched the six pack and set it on the counter. Bobby picked two and frosted them, popping the lids with the force of the ice. "Magic beer." He grinned and handed Jay one before taking a long swallow of his own.
Jay: "And cold too." Jay grinned back and took a deep pull of the bottle, before closing his eyes in bliss. "Oh god...y'all have no idea how good that tastes. No idea." He took another drink and let out a healthy belch. "Makes it all worth it." He sighed. "So...y' thought I was dead, then?"
Bobby: "Yep, I'm always good for a cold beer." Bobby grinned, taking another pull from the bottle himself. Oh, calming alcohol... He managed to stifle his own belch. Lorna had trained him well. "Yeah, man..." He leaned against the counter. "I was there. That day, I mean. One of the kids... Leech. Jono sent him to us for help." He looked down, picking at the label. "We were too late."
Jay: "...I know. Nothing you coulda done, dude. We were...it was total surprise, y' know?" Jay looked down at his beer, rolling the bottle between his hands. "Leech made it? Is he okay? Did...did anyone else?"
Bobby: "Yeah, he actually lives here. Has a massive crush on Lorna." He licked his lips and took another drink. "We don't think so, man. ...they were real thorough..." Bobby looked up at him. "Have you seen anybody else?"
Jay: Jay stared at his beer for a moment before taking a deep drink. "No." He said finally. "Looks like only me'n Leech made it, then." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah...kid likes his green."
Bobby: "Damn. Sorry, man." He sighed and realized most of his beer was gone, so he finished the bottle and frosted two more, waggling one at Jay. There... wasn't much else to say about the slaughter of hundreds of mutants, was there?
Jay: "It's alright. Y'all came." Jay finished his first and took the second gratefully. "That's all we coulda asked for. Ah was probably long gone, eh?" He gave Bobby a lopsided grin. "Ah know Jill-" He coughed. "-she'da said the same." He took a deep drink. "Happier subject time, yeah? Kids stealin' y'alls booze?"
Bobby: "Yep, we came..." He covered his sour face with another swallow. Yeah, subject change. Good idea. "Yeah! And not just underclassmen kids... like, kids kids." Bobby realized Jay had been away for a long time and made an excited gesture. "Dude! I'm a teacher now! Seriously!"
Jay: "...Dude, seriously?" Jay stared at Bobby outright before laughing. "Ah do not believe that. Not at all. And why y'all got kids runnin' around? Or have more people been havin' kids?"
Bobby: "I am! Totally! And yeah... I'm not sure I believe it either." He started to take a drink and then remembered the other, older news of importance. "Married too! Year and a half." Bobby grinned broadly.
Jay: "...Married? Dude. Way to totally break my heart." Jay gave him a grin. "But that's...that's good news. T' Lorna, right?" Year and a half? Really that long? "Y'all hearing the patter of tiny feet yet, eh? What about Remy and TJ?"
Bobby: "Yep, she hasn't kicked me out yet. But if she ever does, I'll keep ya on my short list, deal?" Bobby wrinkled his nose at him and laughed. "No pattering for us - we have mastered proper birth control. However... there's been a lot of other pattering."
Bobby: He cleared his throat. "Well, the best way to put that is that Remy's single. TJ, um, she died. Like, a more than a year ago. She was pregnant... complications." Bobby jumped up on the counter. "Lots of other kids around though. And the kids now... well, we're hosting a mutant summer camp, of all things."
Jay: "Oh." Jay looked down and nodded, taking a swig out of his bottle. "Damn." There was a moment of silence. "Um. Summer camp? Why? And nice to know Ah'm a comfortable second, dude." He grinned widely.
Bobby: Bobby chuckled. "Yeah, summer camp. Chuckles is trying to decide if he wants to expand the school program, and give the kids some, um, 'positive mutant role models.'" The beer bottle sloshed a bit as he exaggerated drawing the air quotes.
Jay: "...And he brought 'em here?" Jay mock-groaned, taking a deep drink. "That don't seem like such a good idea, y'all. Not that Ah don't think ya capable...but Ah mean, if they let you in as a teacher..." He grinned cheekily.
Bobby: "Hey, hey! I can turn it off and on now, y'know? Like an immaturity switch." He winked. "So don't make me wedgie you." Bobby took another drink and gave Jay another look. He was always skinny, but the guy looked even skinnier now... and the scars... "So, you staying? Signing back up for class?"
Jay: "Y'all say the sweetest things, darlin'." Jay winked, before looking down at his bottle and shrugging. "Ain't got nowhere else to go. So may as well stick around. Ah...Ah wanna know who did it and why too." He looked back up at Bobby, eyes narrowed slightly. "Y' know? Because it shouldn't have happened. We weren't hurtin' nobody down there."
Bobby: "Good," he nodded, grin turning sly for a moment. "I'll see about getting you a room, man. And some clothes." Bobby sobered at that and sighed. "Yeah, I know. We did an investigation and tried to ... but there wasn't a lot of evidence. I mean, we know who did it, but who they were working for? No."
Jay: "Ah...haven't been back since." Jay finished his beer. "Thanks, Bobby." He smiled gratefully, putting the bottle on the top. "Yeah, Ah need to dry off and get some real food in me."
Bobby: "No problem." He reached out and flicked the damp, unruly red hair before finishing off his own beer. "It's just good to have you back. You know where the food is, and I'll go find Chuck and get something ready for you."
Jay: Jay smiled at the flick, before pulling Bobby in for another damp hug. "It's good to be back, dude. Real good."
Ronnie: Ronnie frowned as as lowed the bow of her borrowed cello, damn thing still squeaked too much for her taste, then again, what did she expect, she didn't expect this damn thing had been touched since it had been bought and stuck in the music cupboard.
Ronnie: She spent a few more moments tuning the instrument before trying a couple of notes, ahh, much better.
Jay: Jay stretched out his wings behind him as he walked, hands shoved in his baggy jeans. He'd left his guitar here when he and Jill had left. Maybe he could still play it, seeing as the burns on his hands hadn't tightened the skin much. Tucking his wings against his back, he trudged to the music room, so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he didn't even hear the notes, opening the door.
Ronnie: Ronnie froze when she heard the door open, eyes immediatly raking over the arrival ... she'd never seen him before but he was way too old to be one of the camp whelps .. maybe an early starter for the next semester?
Ronnie: Either way, she hadn't picked up a cello in years and was rusty, the last thing she wanted was anyone to hear her while she was still bad, and thus it agravated her ill temper, "Yes?" She snapped.
Jay: Jay's amber eyes snapped to the girl, then narrowed a little before he shrugged. "Sorry." He muttered. "Just want mah guitar." He closed the door behind him and headed for the music cupboard, blinking in dismay as he saw how full of instruments it was. "Ah hell...y'all ain't seen a cherry-red Strat around, have you?" He scratched at the extensive scarring. "Oh...don't mind me, by th' way."
Ronnie: Her eyes automatically raked down his back as he went past ... the wings were impressive (not that she'd show it) and so was the scarring, the guy looked like he'd been through the wars, "I prefer not to have an audience, thank you very much, and no, I havn't seen the instrument in question," she said hauntily.
Jay: "Fair enough, Ah'm probably rusty as hell...haven't played in over a year." Jay carefully pulled out a couple of instrument cases and laid them on the floor. "Left it here when Ah ran. Big mistake." He glanced back at the other girl. "Y'all must be one of the new kids." He smiled a little. "Mah name's Jay."
Ronnie: "Ronnie, I joined the school last semester," ran? Another runaway huh? Must have been hard for him, not having the 'talents' she had it would seem, "Mmm? Lemme guess, people here steal anything that isn't nailed down or something?" She concentrated on tuning the strings a little, "Guess a fancy piece of equipment like that probably would have gone walkies pretty quickly."
Jay: "Not the people Ah knew." Jay said a little stiffly. "Nah, just...well, it turns out we shouldn't have left. But where Ah was, ain't got no plugs for a Strat. Didn't have no room for luxuries in the sewers." He saw a recognisable shape. "Ah-HAH." Pulling out the cloth case, he blew dust off of it. "There y'all are." He raked a hand through his hair.
Ronnie: Ronnie's nose wrinkled at the mention of sewers, and she was glad that her own abilities meant that she'd never had to go that far 'underground', but the mention of that coupled with the obviously extenstive injuries brought some very nasty rumours back to the forefront of her mind.
Ronnie: Buuuut, is that was the case, it wasn't her place to mention anything, if the guy wanted to talk about it to anyone the school had a therapist, "Congratulations," she said without looking up.
Jay: Jay dusted off the cover, before putting the case on top of the piano and unzipping it. The cherry-red was untouched, except...for where Jill had doodled on it with her claws. He'd forgotten about that. Quickly he zipped up the case. "Uh...Ah'm gonna need a new guitar..." He bit his lip, taking the case off and leaning it against the piano before sitting on the stool and scrubbing his face.
Ronnie: "Why? It busted?" She spared him a glance and repressed the urge to sigh, he looked kinda like he was about to burst into random tears, Greeeeeat.
Jay: "Yeah...something like it." Jay muttered. "Probably wouldn't be able to play it or something anyway." He turned, touching a piano key softly. "At least I can sing it."
Ronnie: Okay, that didn't make any sense, "Sing it? Just sing unacompanied or something?"
Jay: Jay turned and smiled a little at Ronnie. "No, sing. Like this." He hit a note on the piano, then sang the note in the perfect pitch and tone of an electric guitar before replicating a full riff. "Like that."
Ronnie: Ronnie's eyes widened before blinking at him, "Wow, that's ... pretty impressive," she admited only a little grudgingly, "that a talent or a power you got there?"
Jay: "Power." Jay shrugged shyly. "Pretty much do any sound I want." He eyed up her cello. "Y'all play that?"
Ronnie: "No I just like sitting with it next to me feet, of course I do," she tapped her borrowed bow against the body of the cello, "or at least I attempt too."
Jay: "Heh, y'all been playing long? Don't think anyone here's ever played that thing, but then Ah ain' been here for over a year." Jay watched her for a moment. "Cain' play strings to save my life, save guitar, and that don't count."
Ronnie: "I started taking lessons as soon as I was big enough to hold the instrument," she tweaked it a little more, "not one for bows then?"
Jay: "Too fiddly. And besides..." Jay gave her a wide grin before imitation the opening sequence to Canon.
Ronnie: "Mmm, why bother huh?" She nodded towards the guitar, "In which case, why bother with that? 'Cos it's 'cool'?" Contempt dripping off the last word as she spoke.
Jay: "Because Ah like playin' it." Jay shrugged. "It don't take skill for me to sing it, but when Ah learn how to play somethin' and Ah do it well, it feels good." He scratched an arm. "Ah like challenges. Plus, Ah learnt the piano before Ah could sing."
Ronnie: Ronnie shrugged, "Well, it's always more satisfying to have achieved something rather then just magically be able to do it, I agree with you there," she actually found this one's company slightly enjoyable. Then again he hadn't seen her when she'd arrived and therefore didn't have the 'pity the poor street rat' thing going on. If there was one things she couldn't stand, it was people's pity.
Jay: "Well...cain' say Ah've ever gone the easy way out." Jay sighed. "So where'd you come from, Ronnie? Ain't gonna ask what y'all can do, you've probably had enough of that, eh?"
Ronnie: Her eyes took on a slightly warey look, he had a southern accent after all, "Tennessee," she offered.
Jay: "...Ain' lived there for a while, huh." Jay smiled. "No worries. If y'all don't want to tell, Ah certainly ain' gonna make you." He stood, stretching his wings out to their full span, wincing as his back cracked before folding first one and then the other back in and sitting again. "Sorry...they stiffen if Ah don't do that."
Ronnie: Ronnie's eyes narrowed, well he was an asute one certainly, "Ain't been back there since I was fourteen," and I'd only been there for about two months before I left, she watched him streach, "Why you appologising?"
Jay: "Usually because Ah forget how big they are and break somethin'." Jay smiled. "Just got used t' it, Ah suppose."
Ronnie: "Fair enough," she nodded at his guitar again, "So if it's no good what you gonna do with it? Sell it?"
Jay: "...No." Jay looked at the case. "It's not that it ain' no good...it's just...Ah lost my twin sister recently. She drew on it with her claws." His throat got a little tight and he coughed to clear it. "So Ah dunno if Ah can play it...not yet, anyway."
Ronnie: "... Ah," well fuck, "I'm sorry for your loss," she looked down at the cello so she wouldn't have to meet his gaze, first Mayflower and now red angel with dead sibling.
Jay: "Why? Did you do it?" That came out before Jay could stop it, his voice harsh. He shook his head and sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Sorry..." He murmured. "Ah jus'...it's a little touchy, right now. Ah guess Ah just don't like sympathy." He looked around, hunting for something else to say to change the subject. "So uh...what're the summer camp kids like?"
Ronnie: Ronnie's lip curled at his reply, fine, she wouldn't press the subject, "I wouldn't know, I've got better things to do then babysit a bunch of brats who's parents are too embaressed by thier excistance to care."
Jay: Well that didn't hit a little close to home at all. "Eh, so long as they have a good time. Some mutant kids don't get that." Jay smiled, rubbing his hands together absently, a habit he'd developed to keep the healing skin from clawing them. "Think Ah'll steer clear though. Just 'till I get my bearings." He stood up, hesitating before picking up his guitar case. "Good luck with your cello, Ronnie. Ah'm gonna go settle in."
Ronnie: "See you around," Ronnie watched him leave before picking up her bow again and continuing to try and pratice her notes.
Those who know, don't say; those who don't, say too much.
Aodhfionn 'Fianna' MacDuibh's Character Blog (for Nightscrawler's RPG)
SinJin: SinJin: Pushing the laptop away from him with a groan, he waggled his cramped fingers. "Ok! Book fifteen done!" He saved it quickly and backed it up and got off his bed, and looked out the window. He was missing a gorgeous day! He was up for some relaxation.
SinJin: SinJin: Making a short pit stop in the kitchen to grab a small cooler of snacks and drinks, he went outside, found a comfy spot to roll out his towel. He shucked his clothes got a beer form the cooler and stretched out, enjoying his well-earned break.
Monet: Monet ignored whoever had come out the door, turning her head away from them, long hair brushing over her bare back. The sun felt so nice. And it was supposed to help people with depression. Monet wasn't depressed, but she was slightly upset.
Jay: Jay circled lazily around the school, enjoying the feel of the sun and the joy of being able to fly just for the hell of it, red wings locked. He did a slow barrel-roll, smiling, before doing a perfect imitation of an eagle. Grinning at his own whims, he looked down, and then backed air rapidly. There was a naked dude on the lawn. Awesome. He let himself drop ten feet or so, the protective lids slipping back.
SinJin: St. John looked up as he heard someone sigh. He inwardly groaned. But it was too nice a day to spoil the bright mood he was in. "Beer?" He called to Monet, who was some feet from him.
Monet: Monet let out a huff of air. Ignoring wouldn't work since he'd noticed her. "No." She brought her arms up above her head and gave a soft smile at the breeze.
Wade: Wade ran out and skipped over the back porch, stopping dead in his tracks. What made the moment a little unusual was that he was wearing a thick jacket and a scarf and earmuffs. He squinted at the cascade of fleshtones, then quickly turned and ran back into the mansion.
Jay: Jay's back was starting to hurt from holding his position in the air, but it looked like the cute guy wasn't shy of his body. Dropping a few more feet, he grinned, still airbourne by twenty feet or so. "Hey, Ah'd love a beer if y'all have one spare, dude."
SinJin: "Right." He sipped his own beer and rolled over onto his back. "More for me." He closed his eyes and enjoyed the warmth. He wondered briefly about the children that he'd seen running around. Well, it might be the first time they'd seen a naked man, but it wouldn't be the last, he assured himself.
SinJin: He jumped as a guy dropped in from nowhere and hovered above him. He automatically reached into the cooler and flung one up. "There you go...where the hell did you come from?"
Jay: Jay caught it easily and pulled the cap off, taking a deep drink before pointing at the sky. "Heaven, why?"
Monet: Monet finally cracked an eye and looked up, smirking at the man floating above Ginny. "Yes you did," she murmured and closed her eye again, going back to sunbathing.
SinJin: St. John rolled his eyes. "That was a shit line, mate." He saluted the stranger with his bottle. I'm St. John."
Jay: "Shit line but it works, am I right?" Jay saluted him back and then landed gently beside him, not able to stop the once-over. "Someone ain' shy, eh?" He grinned. "Joshua. Friends call me Jay." He looked up at the other voice at another new face, smiling as he scratched at his scarred shoulder before taking another drink.
SinJin: He shrugged. "I won't get an even tan." He decided to play it safe for now, although this new guy was interesting... "My girl back home would laugh herself to death if she saw my nice little white ass with tanned legs." He did his own slightly more surreptitious once-over and put 'look further into' on his mental note. "If it's not too bold, what happened to your shoulder?"
Wade: Wade ran out of the mansion over the porch, this time clothed nothing but a pair of red framed shades, bermuda trunks that no florida retiree would even dare to wear, and flip flop sandals he got at the dollar store, which already started showing wear and tear. "Man oh man, this is the longest frikken summer I ever had. Not that I'm complaining. Oh whoa, Gin&T...................................nice shorts, I got the same in red. Who's the parrot?"
Jay: Jay shrugged, smile a little fixed. "Ah was in the sewers." He settled for, before sitting down, flicking his wings out and then...staring at the new arrival. "Th' hell?"
Wade: "Your parents had a weird sense of humour Mr. The Hell, my names, Wade."
SinJin: "Cher!" Ginny waved at his friend and heroically suppressed a laugh. "Florida wants their bling back."
Jay: Jay just blinked. "Uh...Jay. My name's Jay." He looked for help from St. John and the unknown girl.
Wade: "Jay Hell? Hm, okay, surname is Wilson, Wade Wilson is the full name. Actually I think I have one or two more names between the first and last, but I'm not so sure at the moment, don't have any id on me to check, left my wallet in my other tastless loud trunks." Wade said in one breath.
Monet: "You need a fashion advisor, Wade," Monet rolled her eyes after she'd opened them a bit to spy on what he chose to pull from the closet this time.
SinJin: "Want a beer, Wade? Monet?"
Monet: "I already said no."
SinJin: "Thought you might have changed your mind." He smiled. "So, Wade, where did you get that fetching costume?"
Jay: Jay got over his shock at Wade, leaning back a little and taking a deep drink of beer. His eyes kept straying to St. John, though. It was a little hard not to stare. The guy was lying naked next to him, after all.
Wade: "Yes, beer me," Wade said and found a bottle flying at him, catching it and opening it for a drink, "I got it from my fashion advisor, the same one that gave Money her top and you your shorts."
Monet: Monet rolled onto her back and closed her eyes again. "You were in the sewers, you said, oiseau?"
Monet: ((translation: bird))
Jay: It took Jay a moment to realise the girl was talking to him, and another to remember what the french meant. "Yeah...yeah. Ah was." His tone dropped for a moment before he picked it back up. "Nice day, ain't it?"
Wade: Wade tipped his head back with the bottle, "Ah, crikey, nice frosty one, mate. Makes me want to wrestle a croc and subdue a wallaby."
Monet: She opened her eyes and pushed to her elbows. "Were you one of the ones who attacked them?" Her voice held the promise of attacking him if he answered with yes. Or even maybe.
Jay: Jay stared straight at Monet. "No. Ah was one of th' ones who got attacked. Th' fuck you doing, askin' me that?" He was suddenly angry, wings flaring before he bit his tongue and closed his eyes, drawing in a shaky breath. "Sorry. Ah lost all my friends an' my sister in tha'. Just drop it."
Monet: "So you know Leech then. He would be happy to see you. He thought all of you were killed. I'm sorry for your loss."
SinJin: Ginny stood up and patted Jay on his good shoulder. "I'm sorry."
Wade: Wade stared at the sad parrot for a while, deep in thought. You know what would really cheer him up. Wade smiled and nodded, "Yeah, crackers."
Monet: "Though I think his was far greater." She laid back down and closed her eyes again.
Jay: "Said drop it." Jay muttered into the neck of his beer. He really wished people would stop saying sorry about it. "Look, Ah don't wanna bring anyone down, and Ah'm trying not to think about it. Can we just...not talk about it?"
Wade: "Oh cheer up, you'll start molting if you get more glum. Money!" Wade yelled and turned, "You need a good bath, what do you say, girl? Wanna go for a bath?"
Monet: "My name is Monet, cretin. And no. I prefer the sun, thank you."
Jay: He looked up at St. John - and found his eyes in a fairly...interesting position. "Dude!" He laughed, batting his hand away and covering his eyes. "Eye level!"
Wade: "You want a tummy rub instead?" Wade asked with a little too much energy.
Monet: "Do not touch me if you wish to keep your hands attached to your arms."
Hepzibah: Hepzibah rounded the corner, and came up on the group. Her eyebrows quirked for a moment at the ensemble's general lack of attire. "Hey guys, shopping at the Emperor's New Emporium again?" She caught sight of a new face - and feathers. Feathers...so help me if Wade comes out with one Sylvester and Tweety crack...
SinJin: "I'd go for a tummy rub - Monet's too grouchy." He flopped back down. He looked up at the new face. Ah. one of those wild animal types. "Hallo."
Wade: "You want to shake, girl? Hmm? Can you shake?" Wade added, but before he waited for a reaction he turned to see Snowbell. No, starts with an H... "Yo.....Hhhhhhelmetpole?"
Jay: Jay looked up as he heard a new voice. Wow...
Wade: "No, don't tell me, something else with an H," Wade told the catgirl.
Monet: "I am not a dog, crater face."
Wade: wade turned and clutched his chest, "I am hurt, I don't have one pimple on my face senorita, what you see here are beauty marks with history. each cut and scrape has a story."
Monet: "I could care less. Go propose to someone else."
Wade: "Hellsfury!" Wade turned and yelled, "No, damn, not the name. It's on the tip of my tongue."
Hepzibah: Hepz nodded at Wade. "You getting closer." She motioned him to keep going. They could be at this all day. "I don't know, Monet. It depends on whether or not you listen to public opinion." She laughed and stuck her hand out to the new guy.
Monet: "Do not talk to me."
Jay: Jay turned, watching the other girl...Monet? cooly. Heh. She liked to fling the insults out, didn't she? Smiling a little, he turned to the catgirl, trying very hard to keep 'neko' out of his head. "Joshua. Everyone calls me Jay though." He grinned, taking the hand. "And y'all are?"
Wade: "Hepatitis!"
Hepzibah: "Hepzibah. Hepz if you prefer." She shook his hand and grinned back at Wade. "You were doing better with Hellsfury..."
Jay: "Nothin's a mouthful for me, Hepzibah." Jay smiled, taking another drink of beer and sliding another glance at St. John. The guy had made some kind of reference to a girl, right? Why'd all the cute ones have to be straight...
Wade: "Was my next guess," Wade said, "You'll never believe what the parrot's last name is, it's Hell, ya I know, like a walking talking irony." he added.
Jay: "Uh. Actually. It's Jameson." Jay blinked at Wade, not sure whether he was putting it on or if he was just genuinely nuts. "Is he always like this?"
Wade: Wade looked at Monet and nodded towards her, "Yes he is, but we tend to ignore him...oh I mean 'her'." he added airquotes to the last word
Hepzibah: "Nice to meet you Jay Jameson." She grinned and sat down in a chair under the patio umbrella. "And, no, sometimes he's really whacked out, dude," she winked.
Jay: Jay choked a little on his beer.
Wade: "But you gotta admit, he tucks the boys in really well." Wade added.
Monet: "Darling, these are all real," she motioned to her chest. "And I have nothing to hide down below either."
Wade: "Neither does he," Wade thumbed at Ginny, "but luckily I block out that part of my vision. So if you wanna go ahead and show Jaywalker eggs and sausage, go ahead," Wade urged Monet on.
Jay: Jay shuddered a little at the thought, finishing his beer. "Now there's a scary thought." He muttered, pulling a wing around to pick out various twigs that had gotten stuck in there before grinning easily. "That's alright, Ah don' mind. Not at all."
SinJin: Ginny got up and ran for the pool, cannon balling so as to splash Monet before he started swimming lazily around.
Monet: Monet shrieked and sat up quickly, shooting Ginny a glare. "You are a hideously rude creature!"
Jay: Jay tried not to laugh, changing the sound to replicate bird singing until he coughed and concentrated back on his wing. Laughter felt good.
Wade: "Holy hippos, what was that?" Wade asked, looking back to Jay, "Polly just say something?"
Jay: "Nope." He affected innocence, wincing as he pulled out a particularly irritating twig.
Hepzibah: Hepz flicked her tail that had just barely got caught by the canon ball back lash and readjusted. "So, Jay. What brings you to XU?"
Wade: "Right," Wade drank from the bottle, "Guffaw," he then guffawed at Hepz's question, "To watch over the innocent boys and girls, why else would an angel be here, duh." Wade noticed his bottle was empty when tried drinking from it.
Jay: "Shelter, mostly." Jay let go of his wing before crawling to St. John's cooler and rooting around for more beer. "Ah don' have anywhere else to go. Was here a while before with...with Jill, my twin." He pushed off the cap with his thumb. "And...heh, angel? Ain' never heard that one. Anyway. Ah know Ah'll be okay if Ah stay here. Cain' run around and hide forever, y' know?"
Wade: "Really? Never? I'm actually very surprised. Wow, never? How about Tweety and Sylvester?" he asked, pointing the bottle slightly at Hepz before doing what Jaylbird did and grabbing another beer from the cooler, "You're running low on gas, Ginnyboy"
Jay: Jay rolled his eyes. "I taw I taw a putty tat." He muttered in a perfect imitation, as always. "Yeah, Ah've heard Tweety. Never had a Sylvester though, but she's the wrong colour, dude."
Hepzibah: "I could dye myself..." Hepz laughed, rolling her eyes. "Don't worry, I'm not into birds...or fish either for that matter," she winked good naturedly. "And, this is as safe a place as any these days" Hepz stroked through the fur on her tail a little uneasily.
Wade: "Atleast Chucky's goign to save money buying food for you," Wade told Jay, "Bird sead's waaay cheaper than the stuff other people eat around here." Wade popped the beer bottle open and drank from it.
Jay: Jay nodded, standing up so that he could flick open his wings to their full span, stretching them. "Safer then where Ah've been lately." He turned to Wade. "Ah don't have a beak. Ah don't eat seed, dude. Ah'm just a guy with wings."
Wade: "Good grief, wouldn't want to be the one under you when you fly overhead, that's gonna be one heck of a cleaning bill....wait...that didn't sonud yellow, crap, I said that out loud. Damn." Wade quickly drank another sip.
Wade: "Just ignore the above, wasn't meant to be out loud." he added.
Jay: Jay just stared at the guy, bottle halfway to his mouth. "Uuuh...sure, dude. Whatever."
Wade: "By the way, there's werewolf stalking the woods, so if I were you I'd either stay above the canopy or wear a citrus body butter, think he'd appreciate Duck al'Orange."
Jay: Jay was glad they had such big pools here, as he pushed himself through the water with his wings. Meant they could take his full span easily, and then some. He pushed himself up to the surface, gasping for breath as he flicked hair out of his eyes and opened the protective lids he usually used for flying. It had been so long since he could just...relax like this.
Kyle: Kyle hit the ground without any finesse, cringing and biting down as he waited for that old familiar pop of a shoulder going back into its socket. He sat up and rubbed the sore limb a bit before standing up and stretching his arm about. He decided it was enough outside fun for the day and went his way back to the mansion.
Jay: Jay scrubbed the last of the water off his face and then paddled to the side of the pool, boosting himself out of it and spreading his wings as he sat on the side, feet still in the water. Despite knowing he was going to have to shower for a while to get all the chlorine out, he felt better for the swim.
Kyle: Kyle's ben outside a lot that day. In fact, when he looked around after he got through te woods, it was much later than he thought. He didn't like wearing watches, kept pulling the hairs on his wrist. With a harumph Kyle kept walking, listening to splashing of water the closer he got to the patio. He squinted when he thought he saw red wings in the dark.
Jay: Jay picked at the board shorts he was wearing, staring up into the sky at the stars that were just coming out. It was peaceful, and he found himself wishing he had a beer so that he could enjoy it properly. Or Bobby. He grinned a little wolfishly, shaking his head. He was well over that little crush, but he wouldn't have minded the boy's company.
Kyle: Kyle stopped his walk, sniffed the air to make sure it was the same person he was looking at, and then said, "Jay?" A smile spread on Kyle's lips and quickly started getting closer to the red winged guy.
Jay: "Huh?" Jay looked down quickly, blinking. Something furry was heading towards him, and he couldn't quite make out who it was. "Yeah...who's that?"
Kyle: Kyle bounded over the grass and on to the patio, topping right before he crashed into the bird boy. He squated down and grinned with his sharp teeth, "It's me. Kyle."
Jay: "Kyle...?" Jay blinked at the boy, then grinned. "Kyle! Wow, Ah didn't recognise y'all!" He grabbed the guy and hugged him tightly, glad to see another familiar face. He was starting to feel a little lonely. "Oh god! How're you?"
Kyle: Kyle's grin stuck plastered on his face as he squeezed Jay back, then realized his dirt covered fur was now becoming slightly mud covered fur against Jay's wet body. "I think I'm getting you dirty." he said.
Jay: "And Ah just had a swim too." Jay grinned. "Jesus, Kyle, y'all have no idea how good it is to see you." He'd been a lot less furry the last time he'd seen Kyle, but it didn't matter.
Kyle: "You too," Kyle said, "Where's Jill, wanna say hi to her." Kyle immediately even stood up and turned to look around for anything flying about in the night sky, just in case she was near.
Jay: Jay's mood immediately plummeted. "Um..." He tugged Kyle to sit down next to him. "Kyle...Ah don't know how to put it, so I'll just say...Jill's dead. I'm sorry." He ran a hand through his hair, looking down. Damnit.
Kyle: Kyle's smile dropped completely, "Oh....okay." he said, and then fell silent for a moment as he watched the light in the pool's side luminating the water. He turned his head to look at Jay, but didn't say anything.
Jay: Jay stayed staring down. "Sorry, dude...didn't want to lay that on y'all." He kicked his feet a bit, liking the feel of the water.
Kyle: Kyle fidgeted, his gaze drifted back and forth between Jay and the water. He huffed a breath then stood up, taking a couple steps to the deck chairs.
Jay: Jay turned to watch Kyle, hoping he wasn't going away just yet. "Kyle? You alright?"
Kyle: Kyle looked back at Jay, "...er...yeah.." there was an awkward silence for a few seconds. Kyle then pulled at the drawstring of his shorts loose and dropped them to the ground, using his foot to kick it on top of a deck chair before he stepped back to the pool and jumped in.
Jay: Jay blinked as a naked Kyle jumped into the pool. His first thought was that the guy had not only put on fur but muscle too. His second was that he was naked. Wow. The guys at this school really didn't mind the whole bare-skin thing. He'd half-forgotten how free the school was. "Y'all are nuts." He chuckled, pushing himself back into the pool to wash off the mud.
Kyle: From under the water Kyle just heard a warbled version of what Jay said. He stayed there for a couple seconds before pushing himself up, throwing his head back and wiping the hair and water out of his face. "Huh?" he asked.
Jay: "Nothing." Jay smiled, ducking under the water, the odd feather floating on the surface.
Kyle: Kyle's smile came back on his face and he grinned, dipping himself under the water again and pushing him further to the deeper side of the pool before coming bac up for air. "You staying?" he asked.
Jay: "Yup. Ain't got nowhere else." Jay used his wings to keep him afloat, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "Feel safer here then anywhere else too. How've you been anyway?"
Kyle: Kyle dogpaddled a little as he stayed afloat as he mentioned the first and foremost important thing about him, "I got fur. And, err..stuff happened, and....er...now I'm here in the pool." He couldn't think of anything else that was really newsworthy.
Jay: Jay grinned at the other boy's usual specific way of talking. "Ah spotted the fur. And Ah get the pool part. What about the stuff, dude?" He tucked his wings close, just enjoying the feel of the warm water.
Kyle: Kyle shrugged, "Just....stuff. New people come, old people go. Other people breaking in and leaving dead animals around-oh I got blown up!" he added quickly the second it came to him. "That was....weird."
Jay: Jay scratched his chin, blinking at Kyle. Dead animals? "Y'all got blown up? Ah see ya got better though..." He rubbed a hand over his scarred arm. "So same old XU, eh? Good to see some old faces still here though."
Kyle: Kyle nodded with a smile. "Scott....and umm, Remy and teachers and..." he stopped talking when his head sank under the water, then pushed himself back up, wiping hair and water away from his eyes. "lots of new people too." he added.
Jay: Jay nodded. "Ah've met some, yeah. Interesting bunch, Ah guess." He shrugged, watching a feather go bobbing by with a frown. Looks like his wings weren't in as good condition as he thought they were. That or the chlorine really was too strong in this pool. Unlikely. "They all hidin' from the Registration Act?"
Kyle: "Some, or err, most...maybe all? I don't know, I think some people did the thing, the registering. I didn't." And with that he disappeared again under the water, this time he swam closer to Jay before coming up again, "Don't have to wear clothes. No girls around."
Jay: Despite himself, Jay blushed, ducking under the water before coming back up. "No, but Ah like t' pretend Ah'm decent. One thing Ah remember about this place is that people can appear at the worst times." Plus you're a guy. "Besides...after livin' in a commune, dude? Ah appreciate privacy." He grinned.
Kyle: Kyle sneered and rolled his eyes at that, then breathed in a deep breath before going down again, swimming around Jay under the water, squinting at Jay's body before he found the perfect area of attack. It was really easy, he just waited for Jay's wings to open up and then grabbed and pulled as fast as he could. When he pushed himself up for a breath, the swim trunks went flying over to the deck chairs. "See, better." he stated.
Jay: Jay actually squeaked as Kyle stole his trunks, backing water hurridly and wrapping his wings around him while still struggling to stay afloat. "Ah was perfectly happy bein' covered, dude!" He whined. "Oh man, that was so unfair." He looked from Kyle to where his board shorts had landed and back again. "What y'all do that for?"
Kyle: Kyle shrugged, "Is funnny?" he said and pushed himself away on his back, floating on the water as he kept grinning. "Swimming's more fun like this."
Jay: "Funny for y'all, maybe." Jay grumbled. Unfortunately getting out of the pool meant exposing himself. Still, Kyle didn't seem particularly bothered. "Ah dunno, been a looong time since last Ah went skinny dippin'." Damnit, he missed his band sometimes.
Kyle: Kyle stroked the water, turinging himself around and started to float back to Jay, "Good thing you doing it now." he said. "Should try swimming in lake. More space."
Jay: "Also not heated." Jay pointed out, relaxing slightly now that he'd got over the shock of being disrobed. It wasn't that he was self-conscious of his body, oh no. More that he preferred to choose when he was naked in front of a guy. "Trust me, skinny dipping in a cold lake? Just ain't fun."
Kyle: "Not so cold in summer. Not so cold when you're with someone either." Kyle said. He took a long restful breath and exhaled as he drifted, just lightly moving his arms and feet to stay afloat.
Jay: Jay tried to keep his eyes from going over Kyle, but it was a little hard when the boy was right there and not exactly trying to hide anything. "Uh..." He tore his eyes away. "Well...it'll be cold now, right? Ah mean...it's night'n all." He shrugged. "And Ah ain't got no one to warm me up either."
Kyle: "Why not?" Kyle asked, "You want someone?" he added, as he drifted past Jay.
Jay: "Well..." No! No no no. No Ah don't. "Ah dunno." Kyle was not saying what Jay thought he was saying, it was just him reading into it because it had been a long time. He found his eyes being caught by Kyle again and shook his head. "Ah mean, what with the Morlocks an' all...and Ah don't know anyone who'd...y' know?"
Kyle: Kyle lifted his head and splashed a little to look at Jay, "I know what?" he asked, cocking his head, which was a really well done feat for him seeing that he was still half afloat, albeit part of his body was underwater
Jay: Jay smirked a little. "Keep me warm. What else?" He kicked a little away from Kyle, more to stop himself from staring then anything else, his wings trailing in the water. Half-heartedly he tried to think of a safer subject to talk about but his one-track mind refused to help.
Kyle: "Want me?" Kyle asked, "I don't mind swimming in the lake. Think the fur helps to keep warm." he said, looking down at himself, then back up at Jay with a smile.
Jay: Jay took a deep breath, raking his hand through his hair before ducking back underwater, swimming underneath Kyle with one powerful stroke of his wings. Anything to avoid answering that. Did he want to? Yes. Did Kyle even mean that? From what he could remember of the other mutant (which wasn't much, Jill hung around with him more) Kyle wasn't great with subtlety. Right?
Jay: He surfaced, brushing wet hair out of his face. "Why not. All this chlorine cain't be good for my wings."
Kyle: Kyle turned and his whole body except for his head went underwater, "Not good for my fur." Kyle said, "Spend a lot on shampoo." he kicked his way to the edge and then went down to the bottom of the pool, pushing himself up through the water and twisting around to sit on the edge, feet still in water. "Wanna go now or later?" he asked.
Jay: "It ain't gonna get any colder then it is now." Jay shrugged. "Uh...can y'all pass me my shorts then?" No way was he getting out of the pool and flying naked.
Kyle: "Okay," Kyle said while getting up. He shooks his arm as he felt the water still trickling down through his fur, then he just gave in to the urge and shook his whole body to get rid of excess water. He flet much better afterwards and quickly stepped over to the swim trunks hanging from a deck chair and throwing it back to Jay.
Jay: Jay caught the board shorts and pulled them on, breathing an inward sigh of relief as he climbed out of the pool. He flicked one wing out and then the other, flapping them slowly so that the excess water slicked out of the feathers. A few more dropped out as he did and he frowned. He'd have to be careful of them. "So uh...race y'all there?" The flight would help get rid of the rest of the water.
Kyle: Kyle grinned from ear to ear, "Yeah," he agreed, "loser got to do what winner says," he added as if betting that was something normal when racing. Unfortunately Kyle's brain never actually connected that flying may actually be faster than running.
Jay: "You're on." Jay flapped his wings a little harder, shaking more water off, before a powerful downward sweep put him up into the air, another boosting him to twenty or so feet. He grinned down at Kyle. "In y'all's own time, dude."
Kyle: "Whoa, err, oh!" Kle snapped into action, jumping the corners of the pool and onto the grass, cutting over the garden to get straight into the woods and finally going down ot all fours for a faster run.
Jay: Jay pushed after him, catching a slight thermal and easily catching up with Kyle. His wings were still water-heavy, though, and it made it harder to move them, his chest already aching a little. He wheeled up, locking his wings, before pushing towards the lake again, wind cold against his wet skin.
Kyle: Kyle already started breathing hard as he fought to run faster and fast, bounding from ground to tree and over bushes, scaring some critters half to death as he went past them, his mind dead set on reaching the lake as fast as he could.
Jay: Jay skimmed the top of the trees just ahead of Kyle, wings too heavy to attempt going faster unless he wanted to tear a muscle again, second lids snapping over his eyes instinctively as he flew. He was nearly there...so close.
Kyle: Kyle kept glancing up everytime he saw a shadow against the night sky above the trees, spotting Jay from time to time, and seeing he needed to put more effort in to win. His constant glancing wasn't helping though, everytime he looked back in front of him, he would almost trip over something or run right for a tree. Atleast he wasn't falling behind.
Jay: Jay banked a little, glancing down to try and spot Kyle and looking up - in time to see a taller tree then the rest loom out of the darkness in front of him. He spread his wings in alarm, hurridly backing air and losing precious ground. Swearing, he pushed himself higher and flew over the tree, the lake not far ahead of Kyle. So gonna lose... Although maybe that wasn't a bad thing...
Kyle: When he heard the swearing half behind him, Kyle almost laughed, but rather kept to panting air as he ran. He could see the end of the woods getting closer and the smell of water getting stronger, even though the chlorine scent was stuck in his nose too. His curiosity unfortunately peeked its ugly head, and Kyle had to look over his shoulder up to the sky for where Jay was. It was definitely one of the stupidest things he did that day. The tree jumped out of nowhere.
Jay: Jay swerved and climbed higher to avoid any other trees before he heard the impact ahead of him. He stopped, then circled closer. "Kyle, dude, y'all good down there?"
Kyle: After a few seconds while Kyle rubbed his nose and lips, he yelled "...........I'm okay! We still racing?"
Jay: "Damn yeah." Jay grinned, pushing up higher. Of course he's fine, idiot, he heals. Dumbass. "See ya there!" With that, he shot back off, making a beeline for the lake. Reaching it, he did a graceful spin and folded his wings, diving straight into the deep water.
Kyle: When Kyle reached the edge of the water, all he could see of Jaw was the splash and ripples. He just huffed and stood there looking for the other guy before wading in the lake himself. It was nice and cool against his body after that fast sprint he had to do.
Jay: Jay propelled himself through the water and then surfaced a little way away from shore, wet red hair near black in the darkness as he grinned. "Jesus fuck it's cold!" He called, before swimming closer. "Took y' time, dude."
Kyle: "Tree got in my way," Kyle said as he waded towards Jay, "Could have won." he added not as loud. He jumped forward and dived into the water and swam his way closer.
Jay: "Yeah, sure, keep tellin' yourself that." Jay grinned as the boy got closer. "Wings beat legs hands down." He pushed wet hair out of his face, the cold water feeling nice after the flight. Probably better for his wings too.
Kyle: When Kyle finally reached Jay he stopped and tread water for a second before he dipped down underwater, shook his head, getting rid of the pool's chorine from his hair, and came back up again, wiping hair and water from his eyes, "So.....what you want?" Kyle asked.
Jay: Jay shivered a little, despite himself. "Y'all said anythin', right? Absolutely anything." He chewed a lip. Well, he had won the bet, after all...and Jill wouldn't begrudge him. Would probably cheer him on, complete with pompoms, actually.
Kyle: Kyle nodded and grinned, "Yeah," he said as he waved his arms and kicked his feet under the water to keep him from sinking, "Anything. Last time I won the bet, had someone to wash my back."
Jay: Jay flexed his fingers nervously. "Ah want a little more then that." He swam a little closer. "Y'all are single, right?"
Kyle: Kyle's eyes shot up in thouoght, "Yeah, think so."
Jay: "That'll do." Jay grabbed Kyle and pulled him close, wings holding them afloat as he crushed his lips to his, the fur feeling...strange under his fingertips but not unpleasent.
Kyle: Kyle was taken a little by surprise, his eyes forming suacers before showing turning into squints as he tried not to smile while they kissed, his own hands coming around Jay and holding him.
Piotr: Piotr sat in the courtyard. It was a little more humid than he was used to but he figured soon the weather would begin to cool.
Piotr: He took a drag off of his Peter II menthol cigarette as he scanned through his trusty copy of "The Prince"
Piotr: I wonder what he would have to say about this place?
Piotr: Piotr ashed his cigarette and took a moment to smooth out his Dolce and Gabbana blazer, which he has altered to match his current style.
Lorna: "Hey, anybody seen Professor Forge around?" Lorna wandered out from the direction of the garage after spending some mournful quality time with Millie. She had done what she could do and now it was truly time to call in the obsessive one-handed professional.
Piotr: Piotr looked up from his reading and tucked the tuft of hair over his eye behind his ear, "Nope sorry can't say as I have."
Piotr: Piotr looked in the direction of the voice and saw a girl who looked to be just about at her ropes end.
Jay: Jay tucked his wings in as he slipped into the courtyard, humming some random classic to himself - in violins, with a nice brassy harmony in the background - a beer in hand and a smoke in the other. He paused, stretching out a wing and putting the cigarette in his mouth to scratch at the wing, pulling out a feather as he did so. "Aw damnit." He muttered, still humming the music.
Piotr: "Ummm...something I could help ya with?" Piotr said as he placed his bookmark in and flicked away his cigarette.
Jay: He moved into the courtyard proper and blinked in the sunlight, before spotting the new boy and Lorna. "Hey y'all!"
Lorna: "Thanks." Lorna gave him a nod. "No, just needing him for a repair project." She saw Jay and grinned. "You know, you're supposed to keep those in. The mice'll appreciate it though. Don't suppose you've seen Forge, have you? I'm trying to catch him before he's toasted and in the middle of his two-step."
Piotr: Piotr turned around Oh it's the bird boy from the other day
Piotr: "Hey...err Jay isn't it?"
Jay: Jay grinned, before handing the feather to her and pulling out the cigarette. "Bobby wants me to give him any spares." He turned to the big guy. "Yeah, that's me." He smiled, relaxing a little. Not too bad looking, actually. "Y'all doin' alright there? Piotr, right?"
Hector: Hector stepped out of the garage, "Yo... Lorna... What happened?.... You creamed the machine?" He grinned pulling out a cigarette and lighting up.
Piotr: "Yea that's me," Piotr said before turning back to the girl and smirking a bit as he looked her over, "Piotr Rasputin and you would be...ahh."
Piotr: Piotr was startled for a second from the sudden appearance of another.
Piotr: As he waited for his heart to drop from his throat he reached for another cigg and smoothed out his blazer again.
Lorna: "The kids...they went on a 'joy ride' apparently." She sighed as she answered Hector's question. Oh, duh, new student! Okay, so Lorna was a bit on the distracted side. "Oh, sorry, I'm...yeah a bit wigged out. Lorna Drake."
Piotr: "Pleasure to make your acquaintence....yea I remember kids joy riding back home in Brighton Beach."
Jay: Jay raised an eyebrow at being so casually brushed off, taking a pull of beer before putting the cigarette back in his mouth. He looked at the sky, squinting, before flicking his second lids. "Wait, the kids did what now?"
Piotr: Piotr glanced over Lorna's shoulder to the other one, Why does he look like the kind of guy Igor always kicked out of his clubs
Hector: "I'd hate to promote steriotype... But if you want, I could take a look at it, see if I can get it running..." He grabbed a sit out in the grass and stretched out his legs.
Lorna: "They took Millie out and made a very close acquaintance with another car." Breathe in, breathe out, she was going to rebuild it. "Well, might have to if Forge is already hit the town but I'm hoping to catch him and see if we can't make her...really special."
Jay: "Armor plating, machine guns, childlock, that kinda thing?" Jay grinned.
Piotr: Piotr took a long drag off his cigarette and felt the calming haze that one can only get from the opium in russian cigarettes.
Piotr: He leaned slightly at the one sitting on the grass, "Ya got a name greasemonkey?" Piotr said with a slight smirk.
Hector: "Yeap." He grinned and blew a smoke ring and laid down, stairing up at the clouds.
Piotr: "So uhh Yeap...what's the word around here any good botanists around?"
Hector: "Ha.. Yeap, You're looking at him." He grinned again.
Piotr: "I see...perhaps we can talk later."
Lorna: "...okay, since the school year's not started and I'm only now setting up the classroom I'll just tune that out instead of being good staff."
Piotr: "So Jay...working on getting an FWI huh?"
Jay: Jay looked at the guy sprawled on the ground with interest, raising an eyebrow and breathing out a plume of smoke before switching back to Piotr. "A what?"
Piotr: "FWI... Flying while intoxicated."
Hector: "Maybe, I'm a busy guy." He grinned at Lorna, "I'm sure he's just wanting a study buddy for biology." Stupid stupid man...
Piotr: "Actually I'm signed up for AP Chem but thanks for the offer."
Lorna: "You're going to help Professor Munroe with her flowers maybe." Lorna couldn't help but laugh.
Jay: "Ah." Jay smirked, raising his beer. "Ah don't have a licence to lose and Ah ain' registered either." Yup, definitely pretty. Little bit big for his tastes though. "And flyin' drunk's pretty fun in all, really."
Piotr: Hmmm why do I get the impression I just asked to buy drugs in front of a TA or somethin
Piotr: "Registered you mean as a pilot...or registered."
Hector: He grinned, "Worse fates out there."
Jay: "Mutant registered. What's the point in bein' a registered pilot when Ah don' need to fly anything?"
Piotr: "very true...I'm not registered either of course my abilities are a little easier to downplay."
Piotr: The tuft of hair fell back in front of Piotr's eye. Eh...I'll just leave it for now
Lorna: "Any art for you?" Lorna smirked, cracking her knuckles and basking in the distraction from Millie and looking to all of them. "Thinking about a play this year...still have all the props from Howlett's Opus."
Piotr: "I've always been interested to do Uncle Vanya...seein as I have an original in my trunk."
Jay: "Dude, y'all do?" Jay blinked at Lorna. He'd been sad that Howlett wasn't here any more. "Ah ain't doin' that. Hell no. Nothin' Howlett ever wrote." He took a pull of his cigarette and flicked out his wings before folding them again.
Piotr: OK a blazer was a bad idea Piotr thought to himself as he took off the altered blazer and dropped it on the back of the chair he was sitting in.
Lorna: "But I was counting on you to cover up the bad singing!" Lorna had to laugh though. "Don't worry, I don't think I could do it seriously. Though the idea of recording and sending it to Howlett is really tempting."
Piotr: He stretched out a bit which reminded him he hadn't remembered to put Wrecking Balm on the Vory V Zakone tattoo he was desperate to be rid of.
Jay: Jay gave Lorna a deadpan look and then took the cigarette out of his mouth. "We are not amused." He said, perfectly imitating Lorna's voice.
Piotr: Piotr chuckled He must be the perfect accomplice for prank calling
Lorna: "I am perfectly amused. If we don't do it though we've got to think of something that involves that pany hoop skirts. Those things are a bitch and a half to store."
Piotr: "Hoop skirts...who would even fathom using those anymore?" Apparently his Howlett person must be stuck in the 1800s
Jay: Jay grinned. "Ah ain' wearing no skirts, lady." He breathed out a plume of smoke.
Piotr: Piotr took another long drag and let the opium in his cigarette erase the thought of hoop skirts.
Lorna: "You know...it occurs to me that I could definitely make you Peter Pan..."
Jay: Jay's face lost its smile. "Peter Pan never had wings, dude."
Piotr: "Ha...I'm sure you'd look real sweet in green tights tho."
Lorna: "But I wouldn't have to pay for the wires...actually, I guess I could just put metal cuffs on everyone and fly them around...that sounds like some sort of torture device though."
Hector: With the talk of casting, Hec let his field cover him as he laid on the grass, and disappeared out of view.
Piotr: Piotr had a sudden flash of one of the last errand Igor had him do and shuddered.
Jay: "Dude no! Not with the red." He took a drink of beer and eyed up Piotr. "Y'all'd look pretty in them though." He grinned, then raised an eyebrow at Lorna. "Kinky. Does it work with Bobby?" He grinned.
Lorna: "Shh, we have to have our secrets."
Piotr: he noticed the "botanist" had disappeared, "What's wrong slim talk of theatre boring you?"
Jay: "In this place, Lorna?" Jay laughed.
Piotr: He turned back to Jay, "Me in tights...Ha you wish."
Lorna: "I never said it was easy. We're lucky the mice don't have anyone to talk to or else everything would be out."
Jay: Jay just half-turned to Piotr, smiling a little dirtily. "Darlin', y'all'd be surprised what Ah wish."
Piotr: "As long as they stay wishes in your little avian mind...we'll get along fine."
Piotr: Piotr was flattered Jay was flirting with him but he just didn't swing that way.
Lorna: "Aw, that's no fun." Lorna tsked and smirked over to Jay. "Anyone catching your eye since your return?"
Jay: "Avian? Hardly, sweets. But Ah'll use that li'l mental image to keep me warm for a while, if y'all don't mind." Jay grinned, turning to Lorna again. "See, you don't check the feathers for listenin' devices, do you?" He winked. "And yeah. Kyle's kinda grown up, ain't he?"
Lorna: "Well, now I will."
Piotr: Piotr could barely keep from laughing, "Feel free"
Lorna: "Why use that when you could just go snuggle some fur?"
Piotr: "Well it's nice to see not all the girls around here are like Muffy," Piotr said looking in Lorna's direction.
Jay: "Because Ah like a little variation in my fantasies."
Lorna: "Muffy?" Lorna blinked, confused at that one.
Piotr: "That snooty little tart who's with that closeted guy...both looking like they are always smelling something bad?"
Jay: "Monet." Jay shifted his voice to the girl's tones. "You know, I have a silver spoon up my ass and would like it pushed further? I'm rich enough for one."
Piotr: Piotr was reminded about his threat to Jason and chuckled, "Yea that's her."
Lorna: "Ah, yeah, Monet's pretty unique."
Piotr: "People like that just annoy the hell outta me...Dog created us all equal ya know."
Jay: "Fuckin' right she is." Jay muttered bad-temperedly into his beer bottle. "She accused me of attacking the Morlocks." His wings hunched over in anger at that.
Lorna: "...what now?" An eyebrow arched high at that one. "Well...yeah, that's a bit much there."
Piotr: "Oh yea sorry forgot everyone here isn't privy to my lil code...God created us all equal to a certain point."
Lorna: "To a certain point?" Lorna didn't remember that one being in any sermon.
Jay: "Mmm. And she wonders why Ah won't talk to her." He finished his beer, dropping the bottle on the ground.
Piotr: "Well clearly everyone here is not on the same scale as humans being the fact we all have special err talents."
Piotr: Piotr took the last drag off his cigarette and turned his hand to metal in order to extinguish it.
Piotr: "See?"
Jay: "Ah weren't born like this." Jay shook off his anger. "Ah was born an invalid an' the heir to a fat loada money myself. Kinda like Monet and Jason, there."
Lorna: "Wouldn't say that exactly makes us better, though." Hee! He turned to metal! Lorna just had to try to move his hand.
Piotr: "Didn't say it makes us better just a lil different"
Lorna: "Then it'd still be equal, right?"
Piotr: "I suppose just got a special advantage I guess."
Piotr: Why is she staring at my hand Piotr thought as he switched back to flesh.
Lorna: "Aw, sad, doesn't work. Guess you're not metal metal. Guess that means you don't have to worry about me levitating you to get the choreography right in class."
Piotr: "Guess that answered the question I was about to answer," Piotr said slyly. "No I would say I'm living metal when I change...I mean MRI's would be hell then wouldn't they?"
Piotr: "Though being living metal did have an interesting side effect."
Lorna: "Well, we had a guy who was wood so you just never know."
Piotr: "Fair enough"
Piotr: "Well lady and gents, this has been a fun little rap session but I should probly head to the DR....haven't gotten my workout for the day." Piotr said as he completley turned into metal and grew about a foot.
Piotr: "Nice meeting you Lorna...or should I say Miss Drake, guess I'll see you in class?"
Lorna: "Oh yeah, good to get practice in before Bobby tests out his whistle in class." Hmm, note to self, buy Bobby a whistle. "Mrs. Drake actually, see you there."
Piotr: "Thousand pardons Mrs. Drake...see you in class." "And as for you Jay fly safe," Piotr said with a slight chuckle.
Jay: Jay hid a smile, flicking out his wings again and finishing his smoke. "Always. No walkin' through walls, dude."
Piotr: He picked up his blazer off the chair and made his way into the mansion.
Piotr: "Nah...don't wanna have to fix whatever I bust up."
Piotr: Piotr entered the mansion and headed for the locker room to get changed.
Piotr: "Damn low ceiling," Piotr called out as he misjudged the height of a doorway.
Jay: Jay was face-down on his bed, arm hanging over the side and wings flopping over the sides. He was awake, and half-wishing he wasn't, the pleasent warmth of sleep starting to turn into the unpleasent realisation that he'd have to get up, if only because his wings were at an awkward angle and he could feel ruffled feathers that were going to start itching soon. And then there was the bladder issue...
Jay: He opened an eye and squinted at the clock by his bed. "Mrrrr."
Leech: Leech made his way slowly up to the room Bobby had told him Jay was in and stood in front of the door for a long moment, still kind of not believing it. Finally, he took a deep breath, clutched his turtle against his chest with one arm and used the other to knock on the door lightly. Leech started rocking back and forth on his heels as he waited, getting very anxious.
Jay: Jay pushed himself up, looking at the door and blinking stupidly. Someone was there. "Yo, it's open." He called blearily, letting himself flop back down. He wasn't getting up just yet.
Leech: Leech's eyes went wide at the voice and he threw the door open and ran inside, "Jay!" He ran to the bed and clambered up to hug him around the neck, not letting the pain stop him. "JayJayJayJayJayJayJayJayJayJayJayJay!!!"
Jay: Jay blinked as his tired head struggled to deal with the small weight before he smiled and shifted, wrapping his arms tightly around Leech. "Hey there li'l guy." He murmured, his full New Orleans-Georgian accent coming out thanks to the kid's dampening ability. "Y'all alright?" He tried to swallow the lump in his throat.
Leech: "You're ok! You're alive! Leech isn't alone! Leech is better now that Jay is here," he was talking a hundred words a minute, extremely overjoyed to see Jay. "Leech has been here so long. Now Leech and Jay can go home and start over and find new mutants and and and and... Jay!!!"
Jay: Jay grinned as Leech babbled at him, still hugging him tightly. "Whoa, slow down, man. Yeah, Ah'm ok an' Ah'm real glad you are too. Didn't think y'all'd made it out." He swallowed the lump with difficulty. "Ah'm better f' knowin' y' here an' safe, li'l dude. Think we'll be stayin' here for a while though, Leech. Jay's friends're here and it ain' safe for us to head home yet." A wing curled around the boy automatically.
Leech: Leech stopped and just looked at him, blinking for a second. "But... But Leech thought..." His shoulders fell and he let out a loud sigh, clutching his near forgotten turtle again. Jay was safe, but Leech was still on his own. "Jono sent me out... Made me come find the people here for help. They were no help at all."
Jay: Jay kept a tight hold on what he considered his little brother, almost clinging to him. "We cain' go back yet, Leech. They found us once, they'll find us again, right?" And he didn't want to leave the school. Not yet. Not until he stopped having the nightmares and missing Jill so damned badly. "They came, Leech. That's what matters, remember? Even though they mighta been too late, they still came."
Jay: He hugged Leech tighter, closing his eyes. "This place is safe. This is our new home for now, right? Ah know the people here - they'll look after us. Keep us safe. Y'all should know that, if ya been living here all dis time, yeah?"
Leech: Leech made a small noise as Jay squeezed around his ribs. "Leech wanted to go home... This isn't Leech's home. No one told Leech they knew Jay..." He buried his face in Jay's shoulder and took a deep breath. "Jay doesn't smell like home anymore."
Jay: "They probably thought Ah was dead, like everyone else, Leech." Jay loosened his hold at the noise but didn't let him go. "It's a home f' now. Ah'm tired, Leech, Ah cain't do anythin' for anyone." He tightened the wing around the boy, curling slightly. "'Course Ah don'. Ah've been livin' in New Jersey since it all. Got hurt pretty bad. Goddamn it's good t' see y'all again, Leech..."
Leech: Leech took another deep breath and clenched his jaw, fighting the tears that were threatening to come. "Leech didn't like being alone. But Leech has Jay now." He tried for a smile that failed, "Leech misses his family. Leech missed Jay. But... Leech tried to not be upset. Jono wouldn't like it."
Jay: "Yeah, Ah know. Ah thought Ah was the only one left after it all." Jay squeezed Leech again, tears welling up behind his closed eyes. "Missed y'all. Ah ain' gonna leave ya again, Leech. You an' me, we'll stick together, yeah?" He honestly didn't think there'd be another 'commune' but...Leech was only a kid. "Ah think even Jono might be upset at this, ya know." He said quietly. "It's allowed, li'l dude. Even Ah cried."
Leech: Leech made another noise at the squeeze and wriggled a bit at the pain. "Jono would be angry. Jono would want revenge... Jono wouldn't have cried." He pulled back to show Jay his turtle. "Leech was here by himself and Bobby and Lorna brought Leech lots of toys from a place called Universal Disney... Or something... This is Crush."
Jay: Jay kept his mouth shut on just how much of Jono's thinking he echoed. He wanted blood for having to bury his sister in some woods. He smiled for Leech, though, patting the turtle. "Bobby an' Lorna did dat, eh? They're good people. Y'all gotta take me there sometime, just to cheer me up, ya know?" He grinned, still cuddling the boy.
Leech: "Take Jay where? Lorna and Bobby didn't take Leech... They went with Ugly-Man's parents. They wouldn't like Leech." Leech took a deep breath. "Leech found a treehouse though... Leech was trying to use it as a new base until Leech could go home... The Professor doesn't like it when Leech does that..."
Jay: "Oh." Jay wiped his eyes quickly. "Well, y'all don't need to use d' treehouse now, right? We're just lyin' low, regroupin'." He nodded, yawning, wing covering them both. "Gatherin' information. Y'all know the drill. Ah need time t' get better, y' know?"
Leech: Leech looked down and tried to not look guilty. "Umm... Yes?" He looked up at Jay with a serious face, "Did Jay see them?"
Jay: "See who, dude?"
Leech: "Who killed Leech's family. Leech wants to know."
Jay: "...Saw somethin'. Ah didn't see clear, though. There was...there was a lot of smoke..." Jay shuddered. He'd seen shapes behind the smoke-clogged passages, but no clear faces, nothing he'd recognise. But then, he'd been distracted by Jill's dying form and his own pain from his wings and side. They must have missed him in the smoke, when he crawled away. He couldn't help anyone...they were all dead by then. Couldn't help Jill...
Jay: Jay shook himself hard, opening his eyes, tears rolling down his face before he wiped them away quickly. "Nah. Ah didn' see, dude. Sorry."
Leech: Leech looked down as Jay started crying. "Leech failed Jono... Leech failed Jay." He looked up, "Leech is sorry... Leech is trying to fix it."
Jay: "No, no, dude, y'all didn' fail no one." Jay hugged Leech again. "Y' did your best. But dey were better'n us. Simple as that. Gotta look at th' bright side, Leech, y' and me are still alive, right? So we can make sure dat they cain' get away with it. And these guys, here, will help us, y' know? So don't y'all go blamin' yourself, 'cause it ain't your fault. Ah got some of that guilt thing too, ya know."
Leech: Leech took a deep breath. "Leech told Jono he wouldn't be disappointed in Leech... Guess it's hard to be disappointed if Jono's dead."
Leech: He leaned into Jay again, clutching at his turtle. "We can make it right? Jay and Leech? Leech and Jay?"
Jay: "We can." Jay curled around the little boy, hugging him. "Y'all just give me some time to get better, yeah? Then we'll fix this. All of it."
Leech: "Leech needs to get better too... Leech's ribs hurt." He snuggled into Jay and sniffed, quickly bringing the heel of his hand up to rub away a tear. "Leech is glad Jay isn't dead."
Jay: "Jay's glad Leech ain' too, brother. Trust me, he's glad." He smiled a little, closing his eyes, wing tucking around him and the boy tightly.
]
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