Summer 2015: Curt

[tears~fall~like~glass]

Curt: Curt knocked on Laura's door and silently prayed, again, that it wasn't Jess who answered.

Laura: Laura looked up from the book she'd been absorbed in and glanced around the room. Right. No Jessica. She got up to answer the door and gave a slight smile, stepping aside to allow Curt to come in.

Curt: Curt waved and stepped in. "So... what's up?"

Laura: "The ceiling," she answered after a brief glance up.

Curt: "Ha! Good one." It wasn't, he'd heard it before. "So, I... I wanted to talk to you about somethings before Summer kicked in."

Laura: Her brow furrowed, as she didn't really understand what was so funny. She moved onto the subject he'd brought up instead, "Which things?"

Curt: "Well... I had decided to make up a list of Pros and Cons. About... you know... us having a relationship." He frowned and took it out of his jacket pocket. "I realize this is not what you meant when you said I was over-thinking... this could even constitute as over-analyzing." he groaned knowing he wasn't saying any of this right.

Curt: "I went over the list and tried to find if the pros outweighed the cons, or vice versa and... I thought I owed it to you to tell you what I conclusion I came to. From a completely scientific approach, mind you."

Curt: He shook his finger at that, making the point firm.

Laura: "What conclusion did you come to?" Laura asked curiously as she moved over to her desk, thumbing through a stack of papers.

Curt: "Well... I figure I can go over the list with you and see if you come to it as well. For authenticity purposes. I have a bias in this, y'know?" He cursed at himself internally knowing he was making a mockery of the scientific process.

Laura: She found the sheet of paper she was looking for and pulled it from the stack, stating, "I have a list as well, so I believe we can compare."

Curt: He smiled, his heart melting. "Hold on, I need to change something on mine." When he did his jaw dropped. "Okay... that may have changed everything."

Laura: "Changed everything how?" Laura questioned as she realized she should likely offer him a seat, as she'd been informed it was polite. She pushed the desk chair to him while she went to perch, cross-legged, on her bed.

Curt: He nodded and took the seat. "Well... until now everything was tied. How about this, I have a number under 10 for each. I'm assuming you have roughly the same? We can go back and forth. I'll list a Pro, you can list a Con. I'll list a Con, you can list a Pro. Then back again."

Laura: She gave a nod, "Sounds reasonable."

Curt: "Okay... I didn't mean to infer I should go first, ladies should absolutely go first, so if you'd like to start?" He offered with his hand.

Laura: "Right." Laura looked down at her list, "I believe it would provide an experience as far as learning how to deal with emotions."

Curt: "Cool." He looked for that on his list. "That's actually on mine too. I'll cross that off so I don't read it. But I see this as beneficial for you. Emotionally." He went through his list for a con. "However, in my cons, I also note that you aren't completely experienced so I worry things will get complicated when certain responses are called for. Not that I'll ever be expectant of a specific attitude just..."

Curt: "You might feel forced to emote yourself, or even fake an emotion, that you don't sincerely feel. And I don't want that. So there's a con."

Laura: "That is a valid concern," she agreed with a nod but reasoned, "However some push may be necessary in order to get a reaction."

Curt: "Agreed. And I would be more than willing to push if that's the case. Okay, so we agree on those, cool." He made check marks next to them.

Curt: "Okay so a Pro from me? We are both mutants. Sounds irrelevant, but it will make dealing with a lot of mutant-stress-related problems easier. We'll be more understanding of a dilemma, more patient. I respect your abilities, I believe you respect mine."

Laura: "Being mutants could also be a con. It can lead to potentially dangerous situations, such as those of this past semester." Laura frowned slightly, "Also, Lizard does not like me."

Curt: "He'll work on that. I'm being told if you two go at it, and you win (which let's face it you could very well win), he'll submit. However... I'm assuming this is correct information, it's untested."

Curt: "Con, there's the point that Xavier's is supposed to be your place to restart and take things slow and... I graduate at the end of next year. Assuming if we got together we would last that long." He frowned at that, the thought wasn't what he liked to think about.

Laura: "There is always a chance that relationships will fail, romantic or otherwise, and it is obviously a risk we are willing to consider," Laura replied. She was still frowning slightly as she thought that over. She didn't particularly care for the uncertainty of it all.

Curt: "Right. Which is why on my list of pros I have that we are far more suited for each other than the surrounding plausible partners. If my calculations hold, we have about a 78% chance of working out. 82% now after my recent addition. However, I do take into account the bias, mind you." He looked away blushing.

Curt: "If we look at the set up of all of this, we have more in common as fringe-type-students than some couples like... Danny and Jess. Or even Professors Bobby and Lorna."

Laura: "On the other hand, it is in the open that I was involved with X-force, which many disapprove of. By choosing to have a relationship with me, you could potentially hurt your chances of having other friendships."

Curt: He nodded. "Maybe. But I couldn't care less about X-Force. If I let that stand in the way, that would be like me saying the most you are to me is a member of that team. And you mean more. You being roped into that organization is proof to me that you deserve a real person who cares about you."

Laura: Laura considered the rest of the list and set it aside, "Seeing as we appear to be in agreement on most points, is it necessary to continue?"

Curt: "Well... I was tied before I came to this one point..." He looked up at her and smiled. "We both made a list of pros and cons about this." He laughed at the surreal chance of this. "I mean... to me that seals it."

Laura: She thought that over before carefully replying, "I believe I agree."

Curt: "You do?" He wanted to check his pulse. His hand dove into his pocket and found his totem. It was a small bird bone, no one had ever seen it or touched it. He knew its weight, its feel. It could not be replicated. ... Curt wasn't dreaming.

Laura: She supposed it could be beneficial to both of them whether it ended badly or not, as he could stand to gain some more confidence and she would still get the emotional experience. Laura confirmed with a nod, "I do."

Curt: Curt flailed. He couldn't help it. He was smiling and bubbly and he knew that as soon as he was done sitting here with Laura, he was going to run upstairs and brag to Johnny. Then he was going to run back downstairs to his girlfriend's room.

Curt: My girlfriend, he thought to himself. Wow-Wow-Wowy! "Awesome! Yay!" He got up and gave her a hug, with zero warning.

Laura: Her eyes widened a bit in surprise at the sudden hug, and she tensed slightly. She supposed she would have to get used to that. After a moment, she relaxed into the hug and hesitantly slipped her arms around him to return it. "This is settled then?"

Curt: "So settled!" He said, releasing the hug. "And I promise you, my trip to Britain is going to be so short. I'll cancel my visit to Australia if you want. Or you can come with me. There's lots of stuff to do there, you might like it." He shrugged. "But I can go see my parents later, it's no big deal." Oh God, did you just invite her to another country to meet your parents dude? Did you just call yourself Dude?

Laura: Laura was not quite able to figure out what she was feeling. She supposed she was pleased that he was thrilled by the prospect of this new relationship, which meant on some level she was also pleased by it. That was how it worked, right? She pushed the thought aside, deciding she could ponder it later and giving him a small smile instead. She assured him, "I am certain I will able to conduct myself accordingly until you have returned."

Curt: He snorted. "Good. Don't worry, I believe you." He blushed as he prepared to say what he was feeling. "Laura... I am ... really happy we're gonna try this. This is great. You want to go out tonight?"

Laura: "I believe I am happy as well," she admitted, although her brow was furrowed as she said so as if she was still attempting to identify what happiness was. "I am free tonight, yes."

Curt: "Fantastic! It is a date! Your choice, we'll figure it out. We'll leave at like..." He thought about that. "As soon as possible. An hour?"

Laura: "I will be prepared in an hour," Laura agreed. She decided she would try this Google thing to look up acceptable things people did for dates in that hour.

[tears~fall~like~glass]

Connors: "Two pretzels, please." He looked to Laura. "Cinnamon sugar, regular salt?"

Laura: Laura debated the choices and looked between Curt and the vendor, eventually giving the answer, "Regular."

Connors: "Okay..." the Pakistani man said. "Is that cheese or mustard vich your pretzel, my friend?"

Connors: Curt looked to Laura with a shrug. "I'd say mustard, but I'm not from 'round here. Americans like things with a lot of high-fat content. Mostly everyone gets cheese."

Laura: "I would prefer mustard actually," she replied, looking between the two again, "That is why I did not go with the cinnamon sugar. I cannot imagine it being remotely healthy."

Connors: "She's good taste, my friend, You keep her." He handed them the pretzels, Curt handed him the money. Curt waved to the vendor and continued their stroll in Central Park.

Connors: "So what's your favorite part of this city, from your experiences?"

Laura: Laura took her pretzel and tried a bite as she considered the question. She glanced around the park as they walked, settling on, "The people. Studying their behaviors is fascinating. Besides that, I enjoy the park. It is far more peaceful than the rest of the city and easier on my senses."

Connors: "Amen to that." He said in full agreement. "People are incredibly intriguing in this city. People-watching is easily one of my top favorite hobbies. And atop of that, Central Park is an easy place to uh... shed one's skin so-to-say, and bound around."

Connors: "Lots of escape routes."

Laura: "The entire city is full of escape routes though. It is just a matter of knowing where to look."

Connors: "I suppose. I don't like endangering people though. It's too risky to get too lost in the city as Lizard." He admitted. "But I will say city-top skylines do well in avoiding the police."

Laura: "I do not generally attract the attention of law enforcement, so I would not know," Laura shook her head.

Connors: "That's probably a good thing. Though I'm glad you attracted my attention." He let his hand, his one hand, (being his robotic one ws holding a pretzel), flop to his side and sort of slide into her open hand.

Laura: "When you work for a doctor with questionable ethics, it is a good thing," she nodded, looking down at their now attached hands as she munched on a bite of pretzel. She decided to allow it, as she assumed it was supposed to be something completely normal and acceptable. "When do you leave for England?"

Connors: "Fairly soon, I'm assuming. Johnny started freaking out about his parents, so it has to be soon. I won't be there for as long as them though. I'm considering going to Australia, you're more than welcome." He looked at his pretzel. "I feel like I've mentioned that."

Laura: "You did mention it, yes," Laura nodded again, brow furrowing as she considered the option, "I am unsure as to whether I should accept or not though."

Connors: "Well, I would say think it over. I understand it might be some pressure on you, but... you seem pretty hard to put pressure on." He realized if Johnny had been around that's what she said jokes would have run rampant during their entire conversation.

Connors: "My parents are really nice, but if you don't think it's the right thing to do that's fine. I just... feel bad. We just started this thing and then I'm disappearing. It seems... unfair. And like I said, if you want me to stay and give this more time, I will." he realized he hadn't eaten any pretzel.

Connors: He stuffed some in his mouth. Warm, not as warm as it had been, but warm and salty. Mmmm...

Laura: "I have adapted to dealing with potentially stressful situations," she shrugged a little. "I believe I will miss your company while you are away, as well as Jessica's because I think she is traveling as well. However, it will present me with an opportunity to try and befriend others that are staying at the school for summer, and I think that should be a priority over a trip to Australia, regardless of how much I am interested in visiting there."

Laura: "I am going to have to learn to live with the others rather than merely tolerate their presence," she concluded, adding as an afterthought, "Not that all of them are that bad."

Connors: He snorted at her wording. "Tolerating their presence? I think that you're going to find that's the best you can do with some of them."

Laura: "Yes, especially the one that incessantly babbles."

Connors: Curt looked around suspiciously. "You don't mean me right? 'Cause when I start talking science, I tend not to stop." He noticed the warm evening sun dipping down and the patrol horsemen were changing their shifts. Two of them were come up the walkway that Laura and Curt were walking down.

Laura: "No, definitely not. I believe his name is Jimmy, and he does not stop at all," she shook her head and followed his gaze to the officers.

Connors: "I haven't met him yet, but I think I've heard about hi-" The horses began to whinny as Curt and Laura approached. One of them began to buck and tried to get on it's hind-legs.

Connors: "Whoa..." It was as if the horses were reacting to Curt and Laura, as if they were some kind of danger.

Laura: Laura made a face at the noises the horses were make and moved to slip by them, leading Curt around them as well before continuing their conversation as if nothing had happened, "Then you are lucky."

Connors: He looked to her then to the horses. "Oh." He said, not realizing they were already back on the conversation. "Wha-... what was that?" He pointed to the horses who were now quietly trotting and settling down. "Do you get that frequently? Or is that just me?"

Laura: She glanced over her shoulder at the horses and threw the rest of the pretzel away as they passed a trash container, shaking her head, "I do not spend much time around animals, so no. However, I am not sure what it was about."

Connors: He shrugged and tossed out his leftover end of the pretzel. "I've had a bad run-in with a goat but that's about it. " He said. He kicked a pebble as they walked. "Hey... Laura? What exactly happened with Essex? How did you get there?"

Laura: Laura tensed slightly at the line of questioning and looked out ahead of them as she took a breath. It wasn't something she enjoyed discussing, but she was capable of doing so. "I imagine found me to be of interest and took me for his experiments and training."

Connors: "I don't understand his process... all of his data is useless now because he forced situations on you, rather than watching them evolve naturally. He had an agenda, a terrible one." Curt looked over to her, noticing her stiffness.

Connors: "Hey, if this is a conversation you don't like we don't have to talk about it. I just figured it's something I should know about... if I ever need to help you with it or something."

Laura: "He always has an agenda," she replied with a slight frown, adding, "I... I do not like talking about it, but I am able to."

Connors: He breathed quietly for a minute, trying to get his words right. "You'll never have to talk about it with me if you don't want to." He said. "I'm sorry I brought it up." He gave her a quick hug.

Laura: "It is alright. It is just not a pleasant subject," Laura stated as she returned the hug. "Maybe we can discuss it at a later time."

Connors: "So have you gone to the Big Bang Science & Lab Store yet?" He asked, knowing very well that she probably hadn't. A wide grin spread across his face.

Laura: She shook her head, "I am assuming it is a favorite of yours?"

Connors: "You have assumed correctly! Besides the thousands of test tubes, beakers, burners, chemicals, eye-protection, and so on, they also have sign up sheet for various freelance research assignments. You submit your work on a subject you picked out from the list and you can get paid for it."

Connors: "And there's even a section for kids, a whole wall of research books, and the microscopes." He looked like he was about to roll his eyes into the back of his head. "Oh man... if I had the money..."

Laura: Laura smiled at his obvious excitement and was a bit intrigued by the idea of being paid for research. It sounded like something she could potentially do. "Am I also correct in assuming that you are going to take me there?"

Connors: "You are so correct! It's just this way, over on 18th and Weston!" He took her hand and excitedly led the way.

[tears~fall~like~glass]

Lizard: Lizard screeched as the bear trap clamped down on his rear left foot. He had been hunting chickens from this farmer for months now, never had this been here before. Nothing like this. A trap? It was malicious.

Lizard: He screeched loudly, the reptilian yell reaching over the fields and hopefully into the Xavier property next door.

Lizard: Lizard couldn't pull his leg away, if he bled out and passed out into Curt, he wouldn't be able to heal. He couldn't turn into Curt... because his leg would still be in the trap. This... was a conundrum. A painful one. Lizard screeched again as he tried to pry it open. No use.

Laura: Laura had taken to going on walks and paused, blinking at the noise. It was odd, though there were animals about so not entirely unusual. She continued until she heard it again, glancing in the direction the screeching was coming from. It was a good distance away, but she could run...

Lizard: "Ssssskrreeeeaaaaarrrgh!" He roared.

Laura: Laura drew to a stop as she came across the Lizard, taking in the sight. This... was not what she expected. She moved toward Lizard slowly, crouching to inspect the trap.

Lizard: "Ssssskillll them!" He hissed, pulling repeatedly. Then, Lizard spotted the approaching figure. He tried to be menacing, but the pain was overwhelming. When she came from the shadows, it was obvious... she was Laura.

Lizard: "Sssave me!" He pleaded, flattening his belly to the ground. "Ssssave Curt!"

Laura: "Of course I will save you," Laura stated as she glanced over at Lizard, reaching to awkwardly pat his back. Then, she attempted to pry the trap open.

Lizard: Lizard practically purred at the pat. "Ssstupid trapsss..." he wheezed. "Chickensss.... Worth it."

Laura: She scowled down at the trap when she couldn't get it to release Lizard's leg. The fact that he liked the patting hadn't gone unnoticed, so she patted him a bit more as she questioned, "What should I do if I am not able to pry it open?"

Lizard: "Break itss..." he begged. "Breakss it, ruinss it, consssume it..." Lizard tried slashing at it, but turning caused such pain he shrieked again and fell to his side. His eyes flashed human for a moment. "Can't... lossse... consciousnesss..."

Laura: Laura pulled her hand away from his back, claws sliding out. "Do not jerk."

Lizard: Curt cowered and covered his head.

Laura: She set about attempting to cut his leg out, trying not to slice his leg up even more in the process. "I do not know what to do once I get you out."

Lizard: "Don't cut leg!" He warned her. "Might not grow backsss in time before turn to Curt!"

Lizard: "Misssssing one arm bad enough!" He insisted.

Laura: "I am trying not to cut your leg," Laura assured him. "I believe you are almost free."

Lizard: Lizard froze and his eyes shot to the woods. "He'sssss coming!"

Laura: She frowned, "So?"

Lizard: "He hasss gun!" he insisted.

Laura: Laura could hear the farmer trampling through the woods. Smell him, even. Her frown deepened at the mention of a gun. She could heal, but he wasn't in any shape to be shot. She huffed a bit, lowering her voice as he got closer, "I am not certain I can free you in time."

Lizard: Lizard didn't like hearing that. "Ssstop him!" he urged her.

Laura: "I can not just leave you," she insisted.

Lizard: Lizard grabbed her shirt and pulled her forward. "Ssstop. Him."

Farmer: The farmer trudged through the woods, two large hounds on leashes and a stupidly large rifle under his arm. "Get on!" he shouted. "Find 'dat scaly sunovabitch!"

Laura: Laura braced herself with her hands as she was yanked forward, finding her face a bit closer to Lizard's than she'd like. Arguing wasn't going to get them anywhere. Heaving a sigh, she reached up to pat his head, mindful of her claws. "Do not pass out," Laura ordered as she got to her feet, approaching the treeline.

Farmer: The farmer was yanked along with his dogs as they tugged and started lunging in Laura's direction. "Gettit! Gettit!"

Laura: Dogs. She wasn't quite sure what to do about dogs. Hopefully they'd go after her instead of going for Curt. Laura closed the distance between her and the farmer, making sure she'd retracted her claws before she lunged. She only needed to knock him unconscious.

Farmer: The farmer yelped as he got knocked backwards, the gun going off. The dogs were let go and and they ran from the scene and out into the clearing where Lizard was struggling with the bear trap. They began to bark and growl.

Laura: Laura flinched at the sound of the gunshot, incredibly glad the shot had missed her. She gave the farmer a fist the head in order to take him out, chucking the rifle out into the woods before rushing back to where Curt was.

Curt: Curt lay unconscious, the dogs were tugging at his shirt. His leg was still in the trap. It was bleeding, profusely.

Laura: She tugged on the dogs leashes, yanking them off Curt and finding a tree to tie them to. Then, she moved back to Curt, finishing getting his leg from the trap. Now she just had to get him back to the mansion...

Curt: Curt moaned and looked to Laura. "What... oh my God..." He blinked and looked at his leg. "Oh my God!"

Laura: Laura blinked at the noise and then his voice, looking between his wounded leg and his face. She calmly commented, "Do not panic."

Curt: He noticed he was also naked. The leg was more pressing though, wasn't it? "Oh my God! What the fuck!"

Laura: "Obviously you are going to panic anyway," she muttered with a sigh before continuing, "You need medical attention."

Curt: He wanted to shriek 'NO SHIT, WIKIPENIS', but he really liked Laura and knew she didn't deserve that. "What happened? I blacked out! Did he black out? Ohhh-holy crap it hurts!" He cringed and curled up.

Curt: "I should turn back... it might heal..."

Laura: "It is worth trying and would possibly save you the pain of having to limp back to the school with me."

Lizard: He frowned. "If he acts up, put him in his place." Curt assured. He bit his lip and closed his eyes and in moments, his skin tore, stretched, and turned in scales as the reptilian shape erupted out of Curt. Lizard stared up at Laura.

Lizard: His eyes then drifted to the leg. It was completely healed. "Oh... ssshit... It worked."

Laura: Laura managed to keep her face neutral as the transformation took place and moved to inspect his leg, making sure it was completely healed. Then, she stated, "We need to get back to the school."

Lizard: Lizard rushed towards her, wrapping his arms around and his tail, nearly tackling her. His tackle/sack turned into an embrace as he nuzzled her.

Laura: Laura lost her balance at the tackle and fell over, giving Lizard a startled look as he hugged her. She wasn't sure what to say about it, so she just kept her mouth shut.

Lizard: Lizard let go, backed up, and flashed a smile. Then, he spun around, sprinting off.

Laura: She laid on the ground for a few moments as she processed what had happened. Then, she slowly moved to get up and started back toward the school. That may have just fixed whatever problems Lizard had with her...

[tears~fall~like~glass]

Curt: Curt looked over at the snoring Sue and then over to Hope, who was across the aisle in the plane. He was glad he had an aisle seat, he didn't like planes. He didn't hate them, but he couldn't look out the window. Sue's head bumped against the portal window as she snoozed and Curt rolled his head over towards Hope's direction again.

Curt: "Hey... Guess what? I have a girlfriend."

Johnny: Johnny was staring at the ceiling of the plane, head resting against the back of his seat. He was starting to wish he'd just fall asleep. He sighed.

Hope: Hope blinked at Curt, then glanced at Johnny, then back at Curt. "You have a girlfriend?"

Curt: He sat back, Grinning. "Yup. Laura." Returning his gaze to the on-flight movie. The Muppets, Curt thought, man.... Jason Segel was hilarious.

Hope: "Awww that's adorable, Curt." Hope rested her head against Johnny. He was a bit bony for a pillow but he'd work.

Curt: "She totally saved my life too. Took Lizard's leg out of a bear trap."

Johnny: "It'd be more adorable if you'd stop mentioning it every half hour," Johnny put in with a roll of his eyes.

Curt: "... Well... it's big news. I mean... Mate, come on. I have a girlfriend."

Hope: Hope laughed at Johnny and smiled at Curt. "That's very sweet, Curt. The best significant others are good at saving your life." She poked Johnny gently.

Johnny: He squirmed away from the poke as well as he could in the small space, eventually relenting, "True. It is pretty amazing that you ended up with a girlfriend."

Curt: "Mmhm." Suddenly turbulence kicked in and the intercom popped on. The very British-sounding pilot reminded everyone to please pop their trays back in their place, fasten their seat belts, and enjoy the inflight movie as they rode out the bumpy ride. Curt began to sweat.

Curt: "Turbulence can't bring down a plane. Physically impossible. No plane has crashed from turbulence. Scientifically proven."

Johnny: Johnny followed the instructions of the pilot, glancing between Hope and Curt, "It'll be fine. It's only a little turbulence."

Hope: Hope took Johnny's hand. It was fine.

Curt: Curt looked to Johnny, panicked. "Yeah. Fine. I'll be great. It'ssss fine." He half coughed, half cleared his throat.

Hope: Hope reached across the aisle and took Curt's hand. "Breathe." She told him firmly. "You're fine."

Curt: He nodded repeatedly. "I know. We're fine." The flight attendant came up the aisle and asked that Hope please not reach across during turbulence. "I can stitch seats if you would like to be with your nervous boyfriend if you'd like."

Hope: Hope just stared at her. She looked to Johnny as she took her hand back. Really? Had she really just suggested that Curt was her boyfriend instead of Johnny?

Curt: Curt looked to Sue who appeared to be out cold. The headphones in her ears, her head against Melati's shoulder, it was a wonder how he had startled her so many times before.

Johnny: Johnny rolled his eyes at the suggestion that Curt could even get Hope and slid his hand into hers.

Hope: Hope sighed and rested her head against Johnny again. "I'm glad you got a girlfriend, Curt. Laura is nice."

Curt: He smiled through the turbulence. "She is, huh?"

Johnny: "Nice and creepy," he mumbled under his breath.

Hope: That caused Hope to giggle, trying to hide it from Curt. "So you're going to miss her this summer, yes?"

Curt: "Yeah, I'm trying not to be gone the whole summer. Once I'm done visiting my parents for the week, I'm going to fly right home. I didn't tell her yet, but I have tickets to go to a summer music festival. Thing."

Curt: "If she doesn't want to go, it's fine, 'cause they were free. Mostly." The hours I worked at Wonder Labs to return the favor weren't free, but that's besides the point he thought to himself.

Hope: "I bet she'll like that. Who would't?"

Johnny: Johnny refrained from another comment.

Curt: He shrugged. "People who don't like the bands who are playing." The turbulence had almost ceased and Curt realized thinking about her and the concert had almost immediately taken his mind off it. He smiled brightly. "Hey that helped, thanks Hope!"

Hope: Hope flashed him a grin. "Anytime." Though she didn't know what she had done. "And I guess that's fair enough, but it should still be fun."

Curt: Curt looked over to Johnny. "You okay over there, mate? You look like you're holding in a fart."

Curt: "Yeah, I'm hoping it is. It will involve tents, it's a one-night thing, but I'm going to bring one with a separator. I am also trying to include myself in more group-social activities, sort of as a way to socialize the other side of me. And then sometimes I'm trying out the wilder side and letting him pick the activities. I don't think Laura's too interested in those."

Johnny: "I'm fine," Johnny replied with a nod, giving him a smirk, "Are you sure about that?"

Curt: "Well... I dunno. Maybe she wants to do the more Lizardy-stuff, but I doubt it. I figure by now she's had her fill of crazed, mutants who- Hey! I get what you mean with that! Not cool."

Johnny: He laughed.

Hope: Hope just rolled her eyes. Boys.

Curt: "I just... I don't want to think about those things. ... Yet." He looked shiftily away.

Johnny: "How can you not want to think about those things?"

Hope: "Those things are awesome."

Curt: He blushed. "I just... that's... not what this is about." he wanted to add yet, but he didn't feel it was appropriate. "I'm trying not to push those things 'cause this is her first relationship. The physical stuff is... monumental for most people. Worth sitting on."

Hope: "Nothing wrong with waiting either." Hope shrugged a bit.

Curt: "Well, point is, separated tents." He cautioned to Johnny.

Johnny: "Sounds disappointing to me, but I'm sure she won't know the difference," he shook his head.

Hope: Hope smirked at Johnny. Such a boy.

Curt: "Well what, you think I should make a move? That seems... dangerous. And not worth it. I am basically gaining her trust. I mean... we didn't really kiss yet even." He realized the woman in front of the other two was clearly listening in.

Johnny: He shook his head, "I never said that."

Curt: She was leaning on her arm rest, her ears perked out just enough towards Curt to hear everything. She began to snicker as Curt admitted they hadn't kissed. He frowned.

Curt: "Then what did you say?" He asked, ignoring the snoop.

Hope: Hope glared at the girl, then looked at Curt. "No. You're doing the right thing, Curt."

Curt: He shrugged. "I try to be a good person, so... I would think so."

Hope: "You are a good person." Hope assured him. She started to reach across the aisle to pat him again, but stopped herself. Stupid flight attendant.

Johnny: "Yeah, you are," Johnny agreed with a nod.

Curt: "Uh... okay, thanks?" Curt asked the flight attendant, as she passed, for a ginger ale. She brought it to him and he popped it, satisfied with the taste. "I'm worried that I might be spending too much time away... too long."

Johnny: "Don't be all clingy," Johnny advised.

Curt: "Well... I know. But I mean, it's the beginning of the relationship. It's like saying 'Hey I like you, we should date. Bye, see you in a month!'... seems distant."

Hope: "It'll be ok, Curt. It's not like she doesn't get the concept of summer break now." Right?

Curt: "Well... I'm also worried she doesn't have anything to do there. She said she'd fill her time with meeting new people, but I can't imagine there's a lot of them there in the summer."

Johnny: "Probably better. It wouldn't be overwhelming," he reasoned.

Hope: "Ease her into society." Hope added in.

Curt: "Yeah, true. Hey, Johnny I'm wondering now... are your parents aware that two uh... Lizardy people, are coming?"

Johnny: Johnny nodded, "Yep. Sue told them about Melati. Made it easier to explain you."

Curt: "I'm warning you now, Lizard in London... I'm gonna do my best to contain that, but I can't make any promises."

Johnny: "If you make it to London, you're on your own."

Curt: "We can't go to London?" He whined.

Johnny: Johnny made a bit of a face, "Why would you want to?"

Hope: "I've never been either." Hope glanced between them.

Curt: "'Cause... London?" He said pointedly.

Johnny: "I don't see the appeal..."

Hope: "That's because you're a native."

Curt: "You're too British." He said flatly. "You're too British about things."

Johnny: "...And you're too Australian...?"

Curt: "Oi! No such thing!"

Hope: "...I'll settle for being too awesome." Hope rested her head against Johnny, again trying to go to sleep.

Curt: Curt smirked as he looked back to the screen. "I wish they could show an interesting documentary or something."

Hope: "Oxymoron."

Johnny: "I wish you would both be quiet," he sighed.

Hope: "You shush." Hope smirked at him, closing her eyes again.

Curt: "It's not an oxymoron. And yeah, shush. You sound like you're not excited to be bringing your girlfriend, sister, and friends home?"

Johnny: "Or I'd like to have a nap before having to deal with my parents?"

Curt: "Your parents can't be that bad." Curt looked to Sue. "Well... they can't be worse than her."

Hope: "Cuuuurt." Hope whined. "I'm trying to go to sleep."

Johnny: "Wake her and Melati up and tell them all about Laura," Johnny advised, resting his head against Hope's.

Curt: He rolled his eyes. "Herman Cain is more interesting than this plane trip..." he mumbled.

[tears~fall~like~glass]

Curt: Curt was unpacked, relaxed, and stretched out on the spare bed bedroom. He sighed as he thought of Laura. How far away she was. He knew he shouldn't cling and be concerned but... Wow she had a presence. He missed the heck out of her. He felt his hand going down his flat belly, not even thinking about it.

Johnny: Johnny had unpacked his things, which really meant he'd tossed his bags to the floor of his bedroom, before he went to see how Curt was settling in. He didn't really think he needed to be overly cautious until what he'd just walked in on had processed, "Oh my god, Curt!"

Curt: Curt shot up, surprised. "Bwah-wait, uh-" he rolled off the bed, his hand in his pants his face hitting the floor.

Johnny: Johnny covered his face with both hands and turned around to face the hallway, "Are you done?!"

Curt: "I wasn't even-..." He didn't know what he had been doing. "I'm sorry! I didn't think,... Yeah. Done."

Johnny: "...Are you sure?"

Curt: "Yes." He insisted, grumbly. He got up and fixed the sheets. "Johnny, I promise, it's not... that."

Johnny: "Well, it looked like that."

Curt: "Alright, alright just.... keep it down man. I just... y'know it was quiet. I didn't even think about what I was doing, I just had Laura on my mind all day. I can't really text her and say hi or anything, y'know?"

Johnny: Johnny debated the safety of moving his hands from his face to cover his ears, "I don't want to know what you're fantasizing about!"

Curt: "I wasn't fantasizing! I told you, I'm trying not to go that far yet in the relationship! I'm not even trying to think about it... it was just... I dunno? Instinct? Habit?" Did he just admit masturbating was a bad habit?

Johnny: "...Do we have to keep discussing this? I mean... I can walk back to my room and try again later."

Curt: "No, I just... I...." He groaned. "Sorry, okay? The V-Card in me is showing I get that."

Johnny: "Dude... I don't even know if I can look at you now..."

Curt: "What? 'Cause I haven't... that? Really? That's not a big deal." Is it?

Johnny: "No, no, no... Because of what I just caught you doing..."

Curt: "... I didn't do anything!" he insisted. "I swear."

Johnny: He risked pulled his hands away from his face and resolutely stared at the wall in the hallway, "That's not what it looked like!"

Curt: "It should be!" he barked. "Dude, I wouldn't. Not here... never here. Your sister? Your mom? I was like... stretching! Or something!"

Johnny: "Stretching?! With you hand in your pants?! What sort of stretching goes on with your hand in your pants besides... y'know!"

Curt: "Mate, calm down." Curt said softly. "I get it. I'm sorry. Okay? I'm sorry. Tugging ain't gonna happen, promise. Can we like... move on?"

Johnny: He took a deep breath and nodded, "Right... So... Obviously you're settled and comfortable, which is what I was coming to ask..."

Curt: Curt looked to the floor. "Yeah. Hey, thanks again for letting me come to England with you guys. This is a nice break from both my parents and the University. I don't think I could do this much time in either of those places."

Johnny: "Yeah, it's cool," he shrugged, "I mean, I don't want to be here with just my family."

Curt: "Hope seems .... good." He lied. "Though... sorta like something is eating at her too. Is she okay?"

Johnny: Johnny finally decided it was likely safe to turn around and look at Curt, rather than talk to the wall, so he did. Then, he found a chair to sit in, giving a bit of a shrug, "Well, I mean... There's ups and downs."

Curt: "Ups and downs?" Curt didn't like the sound of that. As much as he was indifferent to their repationship (and he was pretty indifferent to it), he was still concerned. They were both his friends, especially Johnny. "Shouldn't it all be ups but just with bumps?"

Johnny: "Well, I guess that's more accurate," Johnny answered, pausing as he tried to think of how to phrase things. "She just gets all... I don't know... She's all moody. Like, more moody than usual for women. Then, she was having nightmares and shit, but those have pretty much stopped... So, that's progress, right?"

Curt: "You think it's lady-stuff or leftover psychological trauma from being War?"

Johnny: "Most definitely psychological trauma."

Curt: "So what're you gonna do about it?" Curt asked.

Johnny: "I don't know," he sighed, "I just try to... be there and stuff..."

Curt: "And stuff?" Curt was new to this relationship thing and that didn't sound like he was trying very hard. "I think you've maybe been trying too much. You sound like you're out of ideas. She needs to sort of forge her own path to recovery at this point. You are supposed to be there to support her, not heal her. ... In my opinion."

Curt: "Sounds like we should go and do guy stuff. Head to the pub, get a pint?"

Johnny: "I think that sounds like a great idea."

Curt: "Great. To the pub!" Curt said, pointing to the air like Superman. "Pub, pub, and away!"

[TechPrincess]

Best. Instance. Ever.

[Ult_Sm86]

Hope: Hope threw another rock into the river, liking the sound it made as it splashed. She sighed and leaned back onto her hands, stretching her legs in front of her and watching the river.

Curt: "Hope?" Curt came around the corner, sort of surprised anyone else was out here. There goes my postcard writing he thought.

Hope: Hope jumped at the voice, then smiled a bit. "Hey Curt. Looking for a place to hide from everyone?"

Curt: "Uh... sorta. I was gonna write a postcard to some people." He said with a half-shrug. He stuffed them into his back pocket. "What's going on with you, why you out here... hiding. From everyone?"

Hope: "It's awkward with the girls... and I'm being not clingy with Johnny. So river it is." She tossed another rock in. "I won't bother you then if you need to concentrate."

Curt: "No, no. It's fine. I'd actually like to talk to you."

Hope: She laughed a little at him. "I like talking to you too, Curt. You're a good friend."

Curt: He almost replied you too, and realized he hadn't really spoken with her very much about personal things. The most he could say was... she's a good person. "Yeah... thanks, I guess?"

Hope: "I'm really glad Laura took notice of you too. You must miss her." She moved her eyes back out over the water.

Curt: "Yeah... I really do. I don't get Johnny's dislike of her. I mean... if (and this is a big if) something like say,... marriage? --ever came around? He'd be my best man. What then?"

Hope: "Well I would hope that would be a long ways away... so give it some time?" Hope suggested. Marriage... she couldn't picture Johnny attending a wedding, let alone being in one.

Curt: "I figured as much. I know in the end he'd do it for me... I'd do anything for him and I'm fairly confident he's the same way. It doesn't always seem like it but... besides Laura the only other person to show any significant concern for Lizard is you and Johnny, and Johnny was definitely the first. He's seen me through some seriously bad spots."

Curt: "I sort of... have his back by proxy, on just about anything. I don't know what I would've done if he had been part of X-Force. I don't know how I could've rationalized that, after the fact that they had Laura do it. And she doesn't even register how bad it was."

Hope: "He's good about that." Hope felt calm at the thought of that, then anxious at the mention of x-force. "He's too... moral for that. So you don't need to worry about it."

Curt: "I know he is." Curt said firmly. "I do know that, I just... I worry he doesn't always know what he's doing. He flies by the seat of his pants, doesn't keep control."

Curt: "He sort of wings it. All of it. Everything. Sometimes that's great but... sometimes it's not. And it really makes me doubt what I'm doing with Laura. I think I'm winging it, like Johnny does but ... I'm not. I'm not anywhere close to his ability to be spontaneous."

Hope: "You can't compare yourself to Johnny... he's his own creation just like you are your own. And every relationship is different. So as long as you and Laura are happy, that's what matters."

Curt: "That's true." He said, "and... I think we are. Or will be. Hasn't really been that long. Damn, I wish I could call her or something."

Hope: "I'm sure Johnny or Sue can help you with calling her. She's staying at the school right?"

Curt: "Yeah, but I'm not going to bother calling the school to talk to her, we've been dating for like... two weeks? Tops? It's a bit... Johnny's right. It's a bit clingy."

Curt: He really did want to talk to her though. Not like he was missing her so bad he was crying, but he felt a deep guilt that he had let her down leaving, even though he also knew deep down she didn't understand the idea of being left behind. Not like this, at lest.

Hope: "I think it would be ok to call her and let her know you got here safely and that you look forward to seeing her... whenever it is you are going back. Just don't call her everyday." She smiled at him, finally looking over at him again.

Curt: "... That's true. That's... that's a good idea, thanks Hope!" Curt's smile brightened. "I'll write the letter too 'cause... it's gonna be a good one. I'm thinking of some good science jokes I know."

Hope: Hope laughed easily at him. "There you go. Sometimes I think Johnny thinks any sort of affection is clingy, so there's that."

Curt: "He is the opposite of a barnacle."

Hope: Hope laughed again. "Yes... whatever the opposite of a barnacle is."

Curt: "Rolling stone? Current? I dunno..."

Hope: "He's like fire... hot and nice to look at, but you can't get too close to it."

Curt: "Ha! It's funny 'cause... yeah." He knew she got it as soon as he started talking.

Hope: Hope laughed again and grinned. "I'm so punny with my metaphors."

Curt: He chuckled and poked her. "Oh so punny. Wanna hear a good science one?"

Hope: "Sure Curt." She laughed with him. "What's your science joke?"

Curt: "You can get never get a straight answer from an oceanographer. They just say, 'it deepens'." He snorted and laughed.

Curt: "Get it? It's hilarious. That's one I've heard at the lab a few times, sometimes with different alterations, like Speleology twists."

Hope: Hope laughed with him a little. "You're such a nerd, Curt." She smiled and patted his shoulder a bit.

Curt: He frowned. "... Laura likes that I'm a nerd. Well... she doesn't call it a nerd per say."

Hope: "It's what makes you adorable."

Curt: "Yeahuh." He said, scratching the back of his head, reddening.

Hope: Hope laughed at him again. "Awwwww I made you blush!"

Curt: "No." He denied, trying to hide his face with the postcards. "I'm getting sun burnt. There's overcast."

Hope: "Awwww I'm sorry I made you uncomfortable, Curt." Ok she wasn't, it was adorable.

Curt: "Nono, I'm fine. No uncomfortable." He brushed his hair away and cleared his throat. "I'm worried about this three day concert though..."

Hope: "Why are you worried about it?" Hope tossed another rock into the river.

Curt: "Why wouldn't I be? I may have a separater, but my girl friend is in the other half." He bit his lip. "Okay, ... I'll admit something... it's not fear. I mean, maybe a bit, but i'm not worried so much as... anxious."

Hope: "I don't know, Curt... I've never really had that problem... so I don't know how to give you advice."

Curt: "Yeah. Hey, speaking of giving advice, can I ask something?"

Hope: "Always Curt. You don't have to ask permission."

Curt: "Well... what the hell is going on with you? You're a bit of a recluse, and that's sorta weird 'cause you're here to be around Johnny and his family and us. It's a group vacation, more or less. Johnny and I went to the pub. Together. Sans anyone else."

Hope: Hope blinked at him. Wow that was sudden. "I uh...." She fumbled for words.

Curt: "Not to throw you off guard but,... if this is about War, I think you should take the vacation as time to sit on her, put her out of your mind. Hence the point of the vacation. As I had sorta advised before."

Hope: "I already told you. It's weird with the girls and I can't just spend all day hovering with Johnny. That's clingy." She shrugged a bit. "And there is no War." She lied to him. It was getting too easy to lie about that.

Curt: Curt bit his lip as he chose his next words carefully. "I think you're better than you think you are." He said slowly, trying to think about the words as he said them. "And you're not giving yourself enough credit. Which might change how they see you. And that's not fair to them or (more importantly) yourself. You're better than that."

Hope: "I don't follow... what do you mean better than I think I am? I think I'm awesome." She flashed him a grin, though it was admittedly a bit forced.

Curt: Curt stared placidly at the grin. "You hate what you did and therefore you hate yourself. You may have become severely misanthropic, maybe even misotheistic and given up all hope that there's something or someone out there who cares, but there are. And they're mostly all inside that house." He pointed.

Curt: "Just saying."

Hope: "Inside the house is the person who also tried to kill me. So there's that. And Johnny has drilled it into my head that I am not responsible for War or the things she did."

Curt: "Yet..." He tried to encourage her to give him more.

Hope: "So you think Essex is coming back for me too?"

Curt: "What?" he blinked. "No. I am saying you are came here, despite Sue. Despite any doubts you may have about yourself or what you did. You came here to be happy. Essex is gone. He's not coming back. And... if by some strange hellish miracle he does? Laura, Johnny, myself, and many others, would probably tear him to shreds before he got within a foot of you. Didn't I tell you about the biological security program I'm thinking of installing?"

Curt: "I'm gonna propose ti to Xavier. It recognizes your body chemistry, X-Rays you instantly as you walk through, checks that your organs are where they're supposed to be, memorizes eye patterns, pupils, irises, hair follicles. No shape shifters or anyone else can get through, ever again."

Hope: "Sounds too good to be true." Hope sighed and lay back on the grass. "And Jess. You forgot Jess." She missed her friend, which was an odd feeling. She didn't really miss people. People let her down.

Curt: "Yeah, yeah. Crazy girl who dates FistyCuffs, her too." He said rather flatly. Jess? Whatever. She constitutes as a friend and I'm sure she'd break people in half for Hope too...

Hope: Hope laughed and looked over at him. "That's the one. We discovered we actually have a lot in common, once I got over being jealous of her."

Curt: "And it's not too good to be true. Science is unstoppable. If you have an idea and drive, you can make something happen." He made fireworks in the sky with his hands and explosions from his mouth and then spirit-fingered the sparkles falling to the water. "SCIENCE!"

Hope: Hope just stared at him, then burst into laugher again.

Curt: He cringed, feeling hurt. "... I thought it was funny..." he said. "And wait, jealous?" Curt was taken aback. "About what? What is there to be jealous of?"

Hope: "I thought she was trying to get with Johnny. And it was funny. You're awesome."

Curt: "She was what?" He thought about it. "Ohhhh... yeah I can see how you might think that."

Hope: "Ok good I'm not the only one then." That made her feel a bit better. "But it's not really an issue now. She's my person."

Curt: "Yeahuh. Girlstuff, I get it." He didn't, but he didn't need to.

Hope: Hope grinned at him. "Yeah. Girl stuff. You got it." She sighed a bit. "I usually talk to her about stuff that I can't with Johnny. So it's kind of weird to not have her around now."

Curt: "Well... I sort of serve as Johnny's go-to, but... I care about you to. And if you two need to talk separately, I can hopefully mediate." He realized what he was saying could be misconstrued. "Not meddle. Just mediate. Or... exchange another side the other person might not see." He realized that was still meddling.

Curt: "Or I could shut up. I just feel bad both of you have helped me so much with Laura and i'm useless trying to help either of you."

Hope: "It's not that we're having problems... it's just... it's a girl thing.... wait Johnny needs help with me?"

Curt: "Nooooo. No. Not really. Not - no. I think both of you seem exasperated. You two should go out on a date. Just you two, while you're here."

Hope: Hope just managed to not roll her eyes as she sat back up, throwing a rock at the river. "Sure thing."

Curt: "Duuu eeeet." He insisted playfully. "Or go pounce him, smex him, whatever."

Hope: "That's just awkward... his parents... and sister... and ew."

Curt: Curt shrugged. "Go somewhere else? I dunno. I doubt he has a preference."

Hope: "I'll uh, keep that in mind." Hope realized she was officially weirded out by Curt trying to act as her pimp.

Curt: "Well, I'm just saying, I -... I dunno. Doesn't sex like... make problems go away? People hype it up as if it's so important."

Curt: His eyes got wide. "I mean... Of course it is. I know that. I've totally done that like... it's so important." He looked away as if it was nothing. "Like, easy."

Hope: "You totally have your V-card don't you?"

Curt: "Whaaaaa-don't be stupid. Come on? Like the sheilas don't come... knockin' for... this wild.. uh... ride."

Hope: Hope bit the inside of her mouth to keep from laughing. "Of course they do, Curt. You are one... uh... wild ride. I guess... having never ridden... ok yeah so I'm uh going to go grab some lunch."

Curt: Curt frowned. "What'd I say?" He asked himself as she ran off. "Is she crying"

[Ult_Sm86]

Curt: Curt punched in the numbers as Johnny had shown him to make the call. He knew calling the school would make this especially nicer, the bill wouldn't be on anyone's head but Xavier's. He purposely scrambled the numbers of all incoming calls from outside sources, to protect both the identity of the school and the callers, be they mutants in need or otherwise.

Curt: No phone company was going to charge the Storms. This was another win. And he got to talk to Laura. A third win.

Curt: The phone rang and rang. Each room had one phone, but these days they were so rarely used sometimes they were disconnected or just stashed away to make room for more important things. Like Laptops.

Laura: Coincidentally, Laura happened to be near one of the phones when it started to ring and eyed it a bit. Apparently, no one else was going to answer, so she moved to get it, "Hello?"

Curt: Curt was excited that she was in fact the one to pick up so fast. "Laura! Hey, it's Curt!"

Laura: "Oh. Hi," she pulled the phone away from her ear to blink at it a bit before placing it back against the side of her head, "I was not expecting you to call from England."

Curt: "Well, Xavier does't bill callers, he scrambles them. For obvious reasons. And besides, I wanted to check in with you. Let you know I'm doing okay, we landed alright. England's very... British. And grey. Even in the summer."

Laura: "Well... It is nice to know that you did not die in a plane crash."

Curt: He laughed. "It is, isn't it? So how're things at the school? Everyone bail on you or are there still some people there?"

Laura: "There are still others around, though not many," she answered, "Otherwise, it is fairly uneventful for a change."

Curt: "Uneventful can be good. Hey, I had an idea for when I get back visiting my parents. I have these tickets to a concert, it's three days though. Is that okay? Two nights in a tent?"

Laura: Laura considered that before asking, "Like the concert we went to in the park?"

Curt: "Like that, yeah. But... for two nights and three days. We'd sleep in a tent. The same tent. It has a separater though, so don't worry." he added that last bit quickly.

Curt: "No awkward, like... whatever." He tried to not think about that.

Laura: She blinked at the last bits, not exactly sure what to make of them. "I am capable of sleeping in a tent."

Curt: "Cool. So... you're okay with that. Us in the same tent? You'll need to bring maybe like... one or two days tops change of clothes. Not much. There's gonna be lots of music, tee shirts and things. I don't know how much money you have, but I'll cover anything for you." 'Cause Johnny told me the gentleman or go home.

Laura: "Well, it would be like having a roommate in a more confined space," Laura reasoned and made mental notes on what she'd have to bring.

Curt: "Sure. Like that." Except it's your boyfriend, but that's okay. "I hope you're okay with the concert. I know you're not big on music so I figured we could go to this, and if you don't like it we'll just go rent a hotel and go hiking or something. Whatever you want to do."

Laura: "It is not that I am not big on music. It is more... I am unfamiliar with it..." she attempted to explain with a small frown, "Regardless it sounds like an interesting experience."

Curt: "I understand." he reassured her. "It should be interesting. At the least. There's probably going to be a lot of uh... weed. There. So if you're not comfortable with second hand highs, we'll set up somewhere up hill."

Laura: "I do not know if it would effect me. If it did, I do not think I would be under the influence for an extended period of time, given my healing."

Curt: "Ah. Well then, I guess I only have to worry about myself." he snorted as he chuckled, instantly regretting it.

Laura: "We could still set up on a hill for your sake then?"

Curt: "Well... depends. Me on a high could really be funny for you. And it's important you have fun." He said happily. "Plus, I've been high. It's not scary. Just... different. Boring after awhile."

Laura: Laura would've shrugged if he'd been able to see her, "It is up to you."

Curt: "Okay then, closer to the music it is. Win/win, I guess. So do you have a sleeping bag? I can get you one if not."

Laura: "I believe I will need one, but I could go out and look at some."

Curt: "I have some basic camping gear. We'll bring a grill too, 'cause ... we're gonna need to eat. And you can't have a fire on the concert field."

Laura: "Eating would be nice."

Curt: "What do you want? Steaks? Hot dogs? Chicken? You name it."

Laura: "I like all of those things, but obviously steak and chicken are nicer than hot dogs."

Curt: "I concur." He said, checking that off the list. "And drinks? There is going to be a lot of people drinking alcohol... I don't think that's a great idea, but if you want some we can. I guess."

Laura: "I would prefer water. Especially if we are going to be outside for a few days."

Curt: "Water? Check. I'll bring some Gatorade for myself, maybe some cider. I love cider. That's like my favorite thing about living in the U.S., cider."

Curt: "I'll bring some candy too. Do you have any you like?"

Laura: "Nothing in particular," Laura replied as she glanced around the kitchen, "I believe we have everything planned then?"

Curt: "Yup, just one last thing. Super important actually." He looked impatiently to the door, hoping no one came into the guest room to disturb him.

Laura: "Yes?"

Curt: "Well... I am uh... I'm just really excited for this. I thought you should know, I'm really happy you think this is a good idea."
Laura: "Ah," Laura smiled slightly, "I do think it will be a lot of fun."

Curt: "Awesome. Alright, I better go. And uh... yeah. I miss you." He finally said.

Laura: Laura mulled that over and decided she was fairly bored without Jess or Curt around. That qualified as missing people, right? "I miss you as well."

Curt: Curt smiled. "I'll call you from Australia, Laura. Have a good week." He waited for her to hang up first.

Laura: "You too," she replied before placing the phone back on the hook.

Curt: Curt fist pumped. "Aw yeah, she misses me."

[tears~fall~like~glass]

Curt: "Someone needs to take a Swiffer to this place..." Curt said to Johnny, under his breath, as they entered. "I thought that last time, I still think it."

Johnny: Johnny gave a shrug as he led the way into the pub, "Floods every year. I imagine it'd be hard keeping any place looking nice with that."

Curt: Curt shivered as he thought of the hundreds of different types of mold in the beer cellar. "Okay... so, what do you usually get here?" Curt asked. "Stout? Ale?"

Melati: "An infection, I reckon," Melati commented, strolling in after the guys. "Don't get me wrong, I mean that as a compliment."

Curt: Curt tried not to laugh too hard. "Mel, I'm glad you came along."

Melati: "Couldn't let you two bring down this place all by yourself, could I?" She smirked, standing with her hands in the pockets of her torn army pants, and casually scanned the room.

Johnny: "I haven't died yet," Johnny grinned. Then, a thought occurred to him. "...If you're with us, that means we just left Hope and Sue alone together."

Curt: Curt shrugged. "Let them work their things out." He said, patting Johnny's back. "Don't worry about it, it's best for everyone."

Melati: "You think that'll end up being a problem," Mel asked, turning to look at Johnny. "All possible scenarios my mind can come up with for this end with them making out angrily."

Curt: Curt tried not to show how hot he thought that was.

Johnny: Johnny shuddered, "If it was anyone but Sue and Hope..." Like, Jess.

Curt: "I wonder if Jess and Laura ever made out, as some sort of social experiment to see what it's like?" Curt wondered. He then ordered his pint and pondered on that some more. "... Seems fairly likely..."

Curt: Curt sighed "No wait, she's with that FistyCuffs guy. She wouldn't ever do that. Or maybe she would?"

Johnny: He had to resist the urge to mention catching Hope and Jess because one of them would kill him if it got back to them.

Melati: "I'm afraid it'll forever remain a secret of us girls how much of that is a male fantasy and much is truth," Melati commented, taking a seat and signaling the barkeeper to order a drink.

Melati: "Just for the record, I don't count as a valid example," she added. "Unfortunately, not everyone is like me."

Johnny: Johnny ordered himself a drink through snickering, nodding in agreement, "It is unfortunate that very few are as awesome as you."

Curt: "Unfortunately." Curt said, raising his glass for a toast to her.

Melati: Picking up her pint as soon as it was put down in front of her, Mel shot the guys a smirk and returned their toast. "And let it be known it's not because I wouldn't try hard to set an inspiring example for everyone."

Johnny: "You're already an example for everyone, much like me," he smirked as he took a sip from his glass.

Curt: Curt rolled his eyes. "You're the perfect example of an ass." He said with a sneaky smirk to Johnny.

Johnny: "Everybody says that, but everyone still loves me. Obviously I'm doing something right."

Melati: "Hey, I can be an ass, too," she commented, before taking a swig from her beer. "I just look better than him while pissing people off, so they tend to ignore it."

Curt: Curt shook his head. "I could never be an ass... Do you hear yodeling? From way in the back corner?"

Johnny: "Hey... I look amazing..." Johnny replied, shaking his head, "Maybe it's just you?"

Melati: Melati frowned. "Yeah, must be you," she told Curt. "Who knows, maybe you're developing a third personality aside from the Lizard and non-scaly you. You know, as a means to live out your bavarian side."

Curt: "We need some drinking songs." Curt looked around "Nobody sings in this pub? What kind of a pub did you bring us to Johnny?"

Hope: Hope had decided to stop being mopey and explore the little town a little bit. She ducked into a pub, figuring they would have food... and booze. Booze sounded awesome.

Johnny: "Drinking songs? I don't think we're drunk enough for drinking songs..."

Melati: "I knew I should have brought my guitar," Mel commented. "Give me a couple minutes and a few more drinks, then I'll hit you with my acapella skills."

Curt: "You don't drink enough?" The Aussie in him as immediately offended. "Mate, you need to get on that."

Hope: Sitting down at an empty table, Hope was soon joined by one of the local boys. She flashed him a dazzling smile. She was still hot. She could totally drink for free in any country.

Johnny: "No, I just haven't had enough yet..." Johnny grinned.

Melati: "Then we need to get around to work on that." Mel nodded and clinked her glass against the others.

Curt: "Aye, let's get on it!" He quickly turned his pint up and his neck back, letting the cool beer soak down into his mouth, and a bit around his cheeks. He downed it, burping loudly when he was finished.

Johnny: Johnny downed what was left of his drink and signaled for another round.

Hope: The cute little local boy was quite charming and soon had Hope laughing at his jokes.

Johnny: He blinked at the laughter, trying to work out why it sounded familiar and glanced around, gaze landing on Hope with another guy. He frowned. Maybe it wasn't actually her. He looked back to Curt and Melati, nodding in their direction, "Is that who I think it is?"

Melati: Leaning sideways on her chair, Mel peeked past the other two at the table in the back. "Depends on who you're thinking it is," she said. "In any case, I predict fun to be had."

Hope: And there was more laughing. "No you don't have to buy me another drink, I can pay."

Johnny: "Well, I don't think I'm to the point of imagining Hope with other guys after one..." Johnny replied, looking over his shoulder at the two again.

George: "And what kind of gentleman would I be if I let a lovely lady buy her own drinks?" He flagged down the waitress.

Melati: "You know, I could deck him, if you like," Mel offered, still watching the two in the back.

Johnny: Johnny looked thoughtful over a long drink, debating the offer. He set his glass back on the table, "I want to see where it goes before punching him in the face." Then, he added as an afterthought, "You don't think she'd actually... y'know...?"

Melati: "Nah... I doubt it." Melati frowned, peeking over her glass. She frowned, before giving a shrug. "Then again, I don't know her that well. So, who knows?"

Johnny: "That's... not really reassuring."

Melati: "Hey, all I can say for sure is that if she's even the tiniest bit like me, you're pretty much screwed." She cracked a grin.

George: Pubguy leaned in to kiss Hope.

Melati: "Yep, you're screwed alright," Mel added.

Johnny: Johnny decided to take another long drink at that and gestured for another round, "What?" He looked over his shoulder and simply stared as he let that scene process. His mouth worked for a moment, and he finally managed words, "Go punch him."

Hope: Hope leaned back to get out of range, nearly falling out of her chair doing so.

Melati: "Finally!" Melati put down her drink, got to her feet, and crossed the pub with a couple wide strides. "Oi, duckface!" The poor sod barely had time to give her a surprised look, his lips still puckered to kiss, before Mel's fist send him tumbling over his chair and onto the ground.

Hope: Hope blinked at that, getting to her feet. "Melati?"

Melati: "Oh, hey there," Mel replied, showing Hope a grin. "What a coincidence, eh? Was just hanging out here, sipping some beer, and saw you with something sticking to your face."

Hope: "Yeah I was handling that...." She glanced down at the guy who was out cold. "But thanks!"

Johnny: Johnny finished off his drink before going to follow Melati, slinging an arm around her shoulders, "That might end up being my favorite part of break."

Hope: Ah hell. Johnny. She grinned at him. "It was great, wasn't it?"

Melati: "Oh, you're welcome." She shrugged, before turning to look at Johnny. "Well, what can I say? I live to provide good times for everyone." Shrugging again, she nodded her head at the unconscious guy on the floor. "Granted, maybe not totally everyone."

Hope: "He totally deserved it for half of his jokes anyway." Hope shrugged.

Johnny: "Yeah, that part was," he nodded. The rest of it was another story. "I'd say he'll always remember being punched in the face by a lizard chick, but... you're not very lizardy right now... and I'd be impressed if he remembers anything."

Melati: "So, what are you doing here, anyway," Mel asked. "Guess you didn't feel like spending the afternoon with Sue then."

Hope: "Yeah no. Figured I'd get out and do some exploring. What's the point of being here and not seeing anything? What are you all doing here..." Without me.

Melati: "Figured you and Sue needed some time alone to work out that obvious sexual tension between you two, so I grabbed Curt and Johnny here to have a guy's night out." Melati shrugged again. "Guess between the three of us, we almost manage to add up to one guy."

Hope: Hope just stared at them for that comment.

Johnny: Johnny laughed.

Hope: Mocking me... Hope shook her head a bit. She glanced down at the guy on the floor. "Thanks for the drinks, George. So where are we sitting?" She asked as she looked back up at Johnny and Melati.

Melati: "On our asses, of course," Mel replied, thumbing over her shoulder. "Back there, by the bar."

Johnny: "Speaking of sitting on our asses... We should probably sit Curt back up."

Melati: Turning her head to look back, Melati frowned. "And here I thought he were part-lizard, not part-turtle."

Hope: Hope laughed and tried to read Johnny's face. Was he mad?

Johnny: Johnny eyed Curt's slumped form with a bemused expression, starting back across the pub, "Is he trying to yodel?"

Hope: Hope sighed and downed the rest of her drink before following. When did things with him get awkward?

Melati: "Sounds more like he's trying to imitate a chicken to me," Mel remarked.

Johnny: "Now the question is... Do we give him more to drink or leave him thinking he's a chicken?"

Melati: "More to drink, definitely." She nodded with determination. "This can only get better, after all. If we get lucky, we may find out he can actually turn into more than one animal."

Hope: Not wanting to be the smarty pants and point out that he wouldn't, Hope just grinned. "Challenge accepted."

[Ferguson]

<Rand> Lizard creeped about the school, looking desperately for something to do. He had his free time, 8 full hours! He knew the concert coming up meant he wasn't allowed "out", so he had to get his fun-time in now. It was proving... difficult. Damn Summer Break.

<Rand> Lizard skulked into the Rec Room, slinking behind couches and peering over coffee tables, hoping to spook whoever sat on the couch. Smelled like a teacher. Lady teacher.

<@Lorna> Oh, Shark Week, how you made everything better. Lorna was beached out on the sofa, just watching and not thinking about anything in the world which just felt marvelous. She let herself just stay empty for a moment, simply being as she absorbed the nose-punching awesomeness.

<@Lorna> She munched on the popcorn laying beside her, absently humming the Jaws theme and, for the moment, at peace with the world.

<Rand> Lizard slinked up to the edge of the couch. Oh no, green hair! Not this one!

<Lizard> His tongue shot out, instinctively, smelling the air, and it grazed the top of her head.

<@Lorna> Lorna instinctively rolled off in a flailing crouch off of the couch, landing on her feet in a ready stance. "...Oh, hi there Lizard. I'm sorry, my hair's not too delicious."

<Lizard> "Sssseemsss, Green Hair issss jumpy." He smelled more with is tongue, pulling himself up to the edge of the couch, crouched on it with all four like some kind of cat. His eyes got big as he smelled her, his snout going lower down her belly.

<Lizard> "... With."

<@Lorna> Lorna almost wanted to say that everyone was jumpy when you licked their hair but she had a feeling it might be lost at the moment. She chuckled though, going back to her seat. "Yeah, with."

<Lizard> ".... Need mate." He insisted. "Not sssafe be alone."

<@Lorna> "Awww." Lorna cooed, not sure if she should find Lizard adorable or not. "Don't you worry, I'll be fine."

<Lizard> He smelled her again. He got closer, unsure. "... You have sssscent of competitorsss...."

<@Lorna> "....huh?" Lorna quirked an eyebrow at that, not sure what that even meant.

<Lizard> He looked to her with a cocked head. "Ssssmell of other... Not Professor Drake. Ssssomeone,..." he couldn't put words to it. Earthy. But hard. Almost organic but almost not.

<Lizard> "Ssssmell like sssomeone new." He decided.

<@Lorna> "I'm staying at Darren and Sel's if that's what you're smelling." She held out the popcorn bowl, offering him some and sitting up enough for him to have more of the sofa.

<Lizard> He shook his head. "Competition." He urged. "Lizssard knowsss sssmellsss. Darren sssmellsss old, Sssselina... older." He smiled at that. "Bloodier."

<Lizard> "Thisss.... smellss like man."

<@Lorna> "Well, whoever you smell he can try." She laughed, shaking her head at the very idea of it.

<Lizard> Lizard shrugged. "Might make sssenssse to get a back-up mate." Lizard offered. "Sssafety isss number one." Lizard hopped off the couch, threw open the window, and snuck out. He poked his head in one last time and looked to her.

<Lizard> "He sssmelsss.... Metal." Lizard decided. "Like sssshop classs."

<@Lorna> Well, what do you know, Lizard was all about the polyandry. Lorna let herself laugh again, waving as he made his way through the window. "Well, I do like metal."

<Lizard> He shrugged. "Jussst a thought." He added, then slipped out the window without a good bye, leaving it wide open. The A.C flowing out into the heat.

[tears~fall~like~glass]

Curt: Curt got the bags out of the large Subaru Outback, borrowed from a friend in the lab, and the camping tent. "Cooler's on wheels with a handle." He told her, shutting the trunk and indicating to the cooler with his foot. His mechanical arm, much stronger than his regular arm, held up two chairs.

Curt: "We're good. I think. We can always come back to get stuff we forgot."

Laura: Laura hoisted up their bags and reached for the cooler with her free hand, glancing around at their gathered supplies, "I do not think we have forgotten anything, but I suppose it is possible."

Curt: "Unlikely, we're good at figuring this stuff out." he said with a wink. They got to the site that he had picked, set up, (slowly -- as smart as Cut was, tents was not his specialty, he never was a Boy Scout after all), and soon he had the grill going.

Curt: "Shrimp on the barby?" He joked, knowing the specific generalization made towards Australians.

Laura: "I did not think we brought shrimp," she commented from where she sat, pulling two drinks out of the cooler. She offered him one.

Curt: He grinned and took out the chicken. "I actually didn't. It's a joke, granted one I should be insulted by, but I am fine with laughing at myself when appropriate." He took a drink and said thanks.

Curt: "Okay, so in about an hour the opening act comes on. I think The Killers are on first, then Jack White. Supposedly a White Stripes reunion. I'm warning you now, those are going to be loud, but that'll be the loudest this whole concert will get."

Laura: Laura made a mental note of that and gave a nod, asking curiously, "How was your trip?"

Curt: "It was surprisingly uneventful. I think Johnny and Hope are really on the rocks... I had a bad feeling about that though." He sat as he watched the chicken sizzle on the grill. "I'm sad for both of them but... my real friend is Johnny at the end of this. I need to support him first and foremost."

Curt: "I just... It sucks. They weren't doing well when I left. And Ma and Pop... man.... I apologize ahead of time."

Laura: She was hardly qualified to judge any relationships, so she asked instead, "What are you apologizing for?"

Curt: "They... really want to meet you. I didn't mean to tell them about you, but... they really think you sound great. They can't wait... they want to come by during Parents Weekend, later in the year." He groaned.

Curt: "I'm ..... so sorry."

Laura: "At least we will have time to prepare?"

Curt: "Plenty." he said with a wink and gave her a toast.

Laura: Laura toasted with him with a slight grin, "I did not do very much while you were away. Socially, anyway. I got absorbed in the books you allowed me to borrow. They were fairly interesting."

Curt: "Yeah, I got some stuff by Darwin, extra rarely published essays that are a little more interesting. You can try those next." He looked to the stage. "Oh, hey... a band's walking on who's this?" He watched an opening band walk up. "Oh, it's Manchester Orchestra. They're.. okay. They won't be loud, they're opening band."

Curt: "They don't get to use the good speakers or amplifiers." He laughed. "Poor guys. We can still cheer if we like it though. Ohp! Chicken turn!" He got up quickly and flipped them. The grill was small, low to the ground. The seats were on a blanket which was on a tarp. "We can also lay down too."

Laura: "Darwin is interesting. It's sad that more people don't believe in Darwinism," she replied, head turning to study the band that was setting up on stage.

Curt: "Yeah... It's not really a belief I get too heavily invested in, especially since Hitler believed in it, but I understand evolution and nature versus nurture, and I get that some species just... don't cut it. But saying certain people are not qualified to live?"

Curt: "Social Darwinism? Dangerous stuff." The band started to play. "Oh hey! I know this song! Friends IN All the Right Places, good tune!"

Laura: Laura opened her mouth to reply when the band started and focused on them instead. The music was... okay. It wasn't anything that great, she didn't think. "The bands will get better as the concert goes on, correct?"

Curt: "Opening bands are up and coming. They don't have the experience of being on stage to be as good as the others. This is how they get better. But yes, the bands get considerably better. Wait'll you hear the Killers. They're uh... they love a bright, colorful, show."

Curt: Soon the chicken was done. He took a seat on the blanket beside Laura and they ate their grilled chicken and vegetables as Manchester Orchestra wrapped up and stage hands set up for Killers.

Laura: Laura had enjoyed the Killers despite the noise. She didn't find the following act all that bad either. They'd mostly gathered their things and organized it before slipping into the tent for the night, and she hadn't found it incredibly difficult to sleep after the evening. However, she did find herself waking up as usual in the middle of the night.

Curt: Curt tried to sleep, it was difficult. Later, he heard stirring. "Laura, you up?" he whispered.

Laura: She sucked in a deep breath and slowly nodded, "Yes."

Curt: "I'm going to unzip the separator, that okay?" He asked.

Laura: "Okay," she nodded.

Curt: He unzipped and smiled to her. "Want me to turn the lamp on?" He had brought an LED lamp light.

Laura: Laura shook her head, looking over to him, "No, I can see."

Curt: "Okay... You uh, you alright? I heard you murmuring. A bit." He looked away, unsure if he should tell her what she was saying.

Laura: She opened her mouth to form words and closed it when they didn't come, reaching up to scrub her face instead. After another deep breath, she tried again, "I had a nightmare."

Curt: "i had figured as much." He said, a frown forming. "You kept muffling and shouting. Kinda... no. But... you couldn't really say it. Laura, I know you don't like to talk about it but... maybe you should."

Curt: Another band started up outside, loudly and suddenly, the sound overwhelming the surrounding noises. "No one can hear you now but me." He said with a smile.

Laura: Laura startled slightly at the sudden noise. She considered talking about it. He had asked what had happened before, however she wasn't exactly sure where she was supposed to start. She asked, "Where should I begin?"

Curt: "Probably the beginning?" He offered. "The earliest memory? The place you feel you need to start."

Laura: "Obviously, I do not remember things from the very beginning of my time with Dr. Essex. I believe I was fairly young when I came into his care," she started, "I suppose my earliest memories are being taught mathematics, spelling, reading... Basics, I suppose. On top of those things, I was also trained in various fighting styles from a young age."

Curt: "You were trained to fight at a young age... but were you taught to protect yourself... or how to kill?" He was almost afraid to ask.

Laura: "Assassination techniques," Laura answered.

Curt: "... wow. And when did the uh... experiments begin?" he asked. "Or was it the tests first? He was a maniac but he wasn't a bad scientist. He must've had experiments." He realized he was looking at this from a non-sympathetic view.

Curt: He changed his tone. "Is that what he did?"

Laura: "There was initial testing, but it was nothing significant," she answered as she shook her head, staring up at the top of the tent as she spoke, "The experiments began when my healing manifested. He wanted to determine exactly how much damage I could sustain and still heal."

Curt: Curt knew what that meant. He didn't need to ask. "He tortured you, didn't he?"

Curt: He did anyways. He decided she sort of needed to say it. At least once.

Laura: "The experiments were controlled, though I believe most of them could qualify as torture..." Laura carefully replied, briefly worrying her lip before admitting, "I am able to survive a high concentration of radiation poisoning."

Curt: "Oh my God... Laura. That's awful."

Curt: "How did you get the metal skeleton? Was that him?"

Laura: She let out a breath, flexing her hand a bit, "It's just the claws that are metal, but yes."

Curt: "It wasn't the skeleton? You are durable then. I know you've had plenty of occasions where you could've broken a bone." he thought about what that meant in terms of the claws. "That's... Laura, can I ask you a question?"

Laura: "Of course."

Curt: "... He didn't... did he?" He didn't know how to ask it. He hated Essex right now, the monster. But Curt stared at Laura and even despite her torment she was still beautiful. If that terrible psychopath had... done anything to her. That way.

Laura: She finally looked over at him, brow furrowed in confusion, "Did not what?"

Curt: "It... Did he do things to you... like... sexual?" He hated asking. "I don't want to ask you this, I know you'd rather not think about this stuff but... I suppose I need to know how much I hate him." he admitted.

Laura: "Oh. No, he did not. He is not interested in subjects like that. He is far more focused on his work involving genetic mutations," Laura assured him.

Curt: Curt would've sighed relief, but that didn't make what happened any better. "Laura... I'm sure this sounds empty to you as a promise, especially because you could take on an army of Lizards and probably win but... So help me, Darwin... If he ever comes back or anyone like him? They won't get within 10 feet of you."

Curt: "Not if I have anything to do with it."

Laura: "I do not think it wise for any enemy to be within ten feet of my person, however I appreciate the sentiment," Laura responded, deciding to move the topic of conversation off her, "Why are you not sleeping?"

Curt: "I-... I can't. I'm afraid of my own nightmares. I'm afraid if I fall asleep, I'll wake up as him and this isn't the place for that."

Curt: "I have these terrible nightmares where I bust out in scales and just... start eating people. Friends. And I can't stop it. Him... me, rather."

Laura: "Even if you did wake up as him, I am sure I could keep him here," Laura stated, adding, "I also highly doubt he would go for people if he has avoided them thus far."

Curt: "Music. General noise, fear. I don't trust him. This isn't his scene." He shrugged. "But anyways, I was sorta... scared. ANd then you were having your nightmare, and that got me worried. Yes, i worry about you. Yes, I know. It's sorta pathetic."

Laura: "I do not think it is pathetic, although I admit that there is not much point in worrying about me," she gave him a small smile.

Curt: He shrugged. "To me, worrying about you seems like a never ending task anyways. But I'm going to keep doing it because I care."

Laura: "It is nice to know that you care, and I will likely be awake from now on so you do not need to worry about Lizard escaping."

Curt: "You will?" He asked, slightly disappointed. "I was figuring if we were both having trouble sleeping, we could maybe try uh... together." He cleared his throat, trying to play it as cool.

Laura: "Oh," she considered that and gave a small shrug, "I suppose it would not hurt to try..."

Curt: "We can leave the window flap open. We'll be able to see the stage from inside the tent incase we want to watch the concert but, we don't have to either."

Laura: "It does not matter to me," Laura shook her head. She stared off for a few moments as she thought, eventually scooting to awkwardly hug him.

Curt: He took the hug, gladly, and held her tight. "I'm so sorry, Laura. I'm glad you got to talk to me about it." He patted the place next to him as he pulled the separator completely apart. He pulled his blanket and sleeping bag closer to the middle, taking the body pillow away and throwing it under his own pillow, and having it flop over Laura's sleeping bag.

Laura: Laura released him to pull her own blankets and sleeping bag over to his, settling down in it and curling up against him without really thinking about it.

Curt: He wrapped his arm around her waist as he smiled towards her. He wedged his other stubbed limb reaching under his own pillow. "You comfortable?"

Laura: She carefully studied his face as she answered, "Yes. You are as well?"

Curt: "Very." he promised.

Curt: He realized their faces were awful close. He rested his forehead against hers.

Laura: Laura leaned her head against his as well, finding the whole situation surprisingly comforting. Even having the music in the background was nice.

Curt: Curt smiled as the song "First Day of My Life" by Bright Eyes echoed from the speakers around and on the stage, harmonized by all the fans in the field.

Laura: She returned the smile with a slight one, tilting her head slightly. Leaning in a bit closer, she lightly brushed his lips with her own. She wasn't quite sure she had this face touching business down, but there was that silly phrase about thoughts counting and whatnot.

Curt: He almost froze, but somewhere in the back of his head, Johnny shouted That's a kiss, man.. Curt returned it lightly and smiled brightly. He couldn't think of anything to say. He was melting internally.

Laura: As soon as it was returned, Laura pulled away and placed her forehead against his once more, closing her eyes.

Curt: Curt watched her close her eyes and decided to do the same. She kissed me. ... Oh yeah.

[Ult_Sm86]

Curt: Curt saw Professor Drake walking down the hall and stopped short. "Professor Drake!" he called out.

Curt: He hustled over from his place further down the hall towards the teacher.

Bobby: Bobby stopped, and turned. "You don't have to call me that, Curt. Just Bobby."

Curt: "Uh... okay. Warning now though, it'll be hard to not do that. I have a couple questions for you." He adjusted his glasses, they had bounced further down his nose when he had jogged down the hall. Now his satchel was all uncomfortable too. He adjusted that as well.

Bobby: "Fair enough." Bobby watched Curt fidget and fuss with himself, amused and reminded of himself, but worried now what fresh hell he was in for. "What's on your mind?" He leaned against a nearby wall table, crossing his arms.

Curt: "Well, next year after I graduate, I'm looking to be a teacher." he said. "Mutant Physiology, animal plants and sciences, maybe bio-tech? But I have a couple questions on conduct first"

Bobby: "And you're using me as a study of what not to do?" He snorted.

Curt: "Actually, yes." He said rather factually. "But not just that. I'm currently dating Laura, and I'm worried about being a teacher aaand... dating a student. She's a freshman now."

Bobby: Bobby smothered a smirk. "Yeah, I guess I could see that one being iffy. I guess if it's an existing relationship before you're promoted to teacher..." He shrugged. "That'd be a question for Xavier though."

Curt: "See, Professor Guthrie seems like a pretty nice lady. She said the same thing, but I wasn't totally sure. She's new, y'know? You met her, right?"

Bobby: "She and I were students together." He shifted his weight a little, not sure he felt like telling this kid he was occupying her sofa. "Paige is the nicest lady you'll ever meet."

Curt: "I could see that." He added with a smirk. "Also -- You don't think the Lizard could be a problem, do you? I mean... Mutant school so that's that but, how do you keep something like a split personality away from the classroom?"

Bobby: Bobby tilted his head. "You've met Wade, right?"

Curt: Curt laughed. "Point taken, thanks." He nodded. "Alright, so that's not going to be an issue, awesome. My last question is... sort of not really a question so much as a statement." He wasn't sure what he was doing saying this, but he knew the Lizard in him was teething at the bit.

Bobby: "Okay?" Bobby wondered if now was the pronouncement of his villainy and braced himself slightly.

Curt: "Thank you for keeping Laura alive, despite everyone around your group's best efforts to see that wasn't the case" He said flatly.

Bobby: Yep. There it was. "Yeah."

Curt: "No. Seriously. Considering, in my opinion, her being a part of the group was completely backtracking any progress she had made coming to the school, I'm going to thank you anyways because she came back alive."

Curt: "What you did? Was wrong. But... understandable. In Nature, it's unreal to think you can escape your predators simply by constantly running. Every prey on earth develops a defense. Usually, this defense is meant to kill."

Bobby: "Getting her, or any of the younger students, involved was a mistake. She was... uniquely qualified to help and she was given a choice about whether she wanted to help or not." He sighed.

Bobby: "But the whole thing was a clusterfuck. None of it happened the way it should have."

Bobby: "Hell, it probably shouldn't have happened at all in the first place," he snorted.

Curt: "Y'can say that again, mate." Curt looked over his glasses at Bobby. "And for the record, Lizard has been babbeling about competing mates, something to do with the Other Professor Drake. If you see him going on about this, do yourself a favor and ignore it."

Bobby: "Wait, what?" Bobby wasn't as confused by this as he should have been.

Curt: "He thinks there's another guy. Competing mates, it's Lizard talk. Whatever it is, it'll only up the paranoia, just ignore it. I try to stay out of stuff, but... Lizard is what Lizard is, y'know..."

Bobby: "Competing mates." Bobby repeated it, gnawing the corner of his lip.

Curt: "Like I said... ignore it. It's pointless riddles. He sees everything as... all id. Food, mate, shelter. He sees her, smells anyone else new? Assumes it's a new mate."

Bobby: "Yeah." That Lensherr guy. Bobby ran his hand through his hair and shifted again.

Curt: Curt looked up. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

Bobby: "Sure," he said, still lost in thought. Dark thoughts. Bad, dark thoughts ending with ice in bad, dark places.

Curt: "The hell is up with your hair, mate? It's pink." He looked to Bobby with uneven brows. "Did you know this? I feel like you visited a cosmetology teacher recently..." His eyes became shifty.

Bobby: "It's Paige's favorite color. She's practicing." Bobby snapped out of his paranoia and looked at Curt again. "There was vodka involved."

Curt: "I'm sure there was... Looks like it was a necessary element, even." he said pointing to the very pink hair.

Bobby: "Definitely." Bobby sighed. And he would get to see his parents with it. Yay.

Curt: "Anyways, Bobby-" took him a second to say that without the Professor before it. "I have to go. Bugs to catch, species to classify, you know the drill I'm sure. Thanks for the help. Try not to stress out too much, most female species in Nature return to an original mate after brief separation. Unless… y'know... original mate is killed by a contender." Curt shrugged.

Curt: "I don't know who could kill you but... not likely. So you're good. Chin up, whatever. Bye." He continued his way down the hall and then up the stairs.

Bobby: Bobby watched him go, a bemused expression warring with a worried one on his face. "Bye?"

[Svartfreja]

Curt: Curt knocked rapidly on Jess' door.

Jessica: Jess looked over at the door, frowning slightly as she went to answer it, "Oh hey..."

Curt: "Jess!" He looked like he couldn't breathe. He was taking gasping breaths. "Jess! Help!"

Jessica: "What's wrong?" she looked into the hall behind him, "Are you okay?"

Curt: "I-... no!" He ran to the bed and sat down immediately. "She's-... where is she?"

Jessica: "Where is who?" Jess followed him once she closed the door.

Curt: "Laura! She's not-... Jess, I can't do it! I can't be with her! I have to break up with her! I can't breathe! Jess, I think I'm having a panic attack? Paper bag? Something?"

Jessica: "Uh just.... breathe slowly, in through your nose, out through your mouth. Count to three on your inhale and exhale..." she rubbed his back a little, who kept paper bags in their rooms? "Calm down then you can explain this craziness."

Curt: "I... I can't... I can't do it..." he tried to breathe out his mouth. It felt like it was helping. "I'm not good enough. I have one arm. I'm a nerd. I can't do this. I can't. I'm pathetic."

Jessica: "Shhh, of course you can." She continued to rub his back soothingly, "Laura thinks your good enough."

Curt: "She's wrong!" He exclaimed. "She doesn't know better! I could turn into a monster and eat her! What if we had kids? I can't trust him around kids... Kids? Oh my God! Parents? We'd have to be married! I don't think she even gets marriage... Oh God..."

Jessica: Jess decided there was nothing for it. He was getting hysterical. She slapped him. "You're being ridiculous."

Curt: "Ow! I'm in pain! I'm hysterical and I'm in pain!"

Jessica: "You're in pain because you're hysterical. Now stop it or I'll hit you again."

Curt: "I'm not going to be able to do it!" he assured her. "I can't! I'm not right! This is such a bad idea! I mean look at Danny! He's got everything, he's successful, he's got you, he's got it all! I have Laura, and I don't have the things she deserves. I don't have the ability to get those things."

Curt: "Jess, I'm just some science nerd and I'm never going to be anything more. I should end it before it gets worse..."

Jessica: "Curt, listen to me now..." She moved in front of him and crouched to be level with his face. "None of that stuff matters. The only thing that matters is whether or not you care about her. And you obviously do. The rest is... not important. It's all just stuff. You think I want all that stuff Danny can buy for me now? No. I don't need it. All I want is for him to be here."

Curt: "But I'm unsuccessful and nerdy. And I have one arm. I can't even hug her properly..." He started welling up. "I don't know what to do!"

Jessica: "You need to stop freaking out." Jess sighed, "Laura likes you enough to date you. That should be enough. Don't worry about all the rest. You're being silly."

Curt: "I'm being realistic. In nature, the best candidate for a mate has something to offer. Bobby stopped being able to offer something, so Lorna dumped him. He stopped being capable of being responsible as a mate. Now... as Lizard's noticed, Professor Drake has competitors."

Curt: "Other, well... 'mates' are circling. And I'm sure the same is happening to me. I'm not... the right 'mate' for her." he hung his head and tried not to cry.

Jessica: Jess knelt up and hugged him, "Curt, you're not listening. Laura likes you. And you care about her. Believe me when I say that's enough. This isn't survival of the fittest. Relationships are built on love and trust and I know you two have that."

Curt: "But... I'm weak." He said quietly. He took the hug and sort of felt bad. Like Laura or Danny or someone should be judging him.

Jessica: "No you're not. You're smart."

Curt: "That doesn't really mean anything anymore..." he said flatly.

Jessica: "It does to Laura." She reminded him, "She likes your brain.... and not in a wanting to eat it kind of way."

Curt: "... What happened to Hope and Johnny after I left?" he asked, afraid to hear the answer. He noticed some of Hope's things in the room.

Jessica: "They.... had a fight and broke up." There was no point not telling him.

Curt: "Oh God..." He knew they weren't going to make it but he didn't want to hear that now.

Jessica: "Yeah... I'm trying to help Hope through it... I don't want to have to console Laura too so you need to get over this... thing."

Hope: Hope came in the room with a fresh bowl of ice cream. She blinked at Curt, then smiled a bit. "Hey Curt."

Curt: "Oh... Hi..." he scratched the back of his head looking away. "I'm uh... really sorry."

Curt: His eyes were puffy from not crying. He wasn't crying. Oh My God... I'm a puss.

Hope: "For.... what? What's wrong?" She offered him the bowl of ice cream instead.

Curt: He took it, unsure at first, then realizing he really needed it. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as he took a spoonful.

Jessica: Jess smiled at Hope and mouthed 'thank you'.

Hope: Hope just shrugged then frowned. Now what was she supposed to eat for dinner?

Curt: Curt smiled. "I'm sorry" he said, mouth full of ice crem. "I'm not trying to eat your dessert here, I just... Feel miserable." He looked to Jess to explain so he could eat more.

Jessica: "He's got it into his head that he's not good enough for Laura. I told him that's bullshit but apparently my word isn't good enough."

Curt: He quickly stuffed more ice cream into his mouth to hide his shame.

Hope: Hope just stared at him. "If you break her heart with your crap I'll end you."

Curt: "I'll... I didn't... she can't be that attached already, can she?" Then he froze. "Wait... she kissed me. She. Kissed me." He looked to them. "You didn't hear that."

Jessica: She laughed a little, "I told you she likes you." She ruffled Curt's hair then got to her feet.

Hope: Hope put two and two together from what he said. "You want to break up with her now?!"

Curt: "Well... I'm not... the right... mate..." he got considerably quieter as he talked.

Jessica: "You know... you could be onto something... you are an idiot..."

Curt: He hung his head. "Ouch."

Hope: Hope smacked him upside his head. "Snap out of it!"

Curt: He almost started crying again, ice cream spilling out of his spoon back ito the bowl. "Ow..."

Hope: "Don't you give me that look. Be a man. You want to be with her don't you?!"

Curt: "Y-yeah?" He said, meekly. "Of course. I - she's... so pretty. And she's funny. And she's awesome..."

Hope: "Then stop whining! Go be happy and shit."

Curt: "I-... I don't know..." What was she doing to him? She was making him feel bad. He wasn't right for Laura... was he?

Hope: "You don't know? Did you not think about this before you started dating her? Did you not carefully consider things? You are going to be the bigest dickwad if you break up with her now, and that includes Johnny!"

Jessica: Jess folded her arms so she wouldn't shake him.

Curt: Curt didn't like being compared to Johnny. "Y-... you're right."

Hope: "Duh. I'm always right."

Jessica: "Of course we are. Now pull yourself together, get off your ass and stop feeling sorry for yourself."

Curt: "Alright..." He got up and looked to them. He handed the empty bowl back to Hope. "You're right. Both of you. Thank you." he turned and ran out of the room shouting "Laura, here I come!"

Jessica: Jess smiled a little at Hope, "We're a good team."

Hope: Hope grinned and nodded. "Yeah. We are."

Curt: The sound of Curt stumbling down the stairs and crying out in pain echoed down the hall.

[Ult_Sm86]

Curt: Curt found Jess in the kitchen. She looked... miserable. He frowned. "Okay... I've avoided this long enough. What can I do?" He asked.

Jessica: Jess looked up, raising an eyebrow, "Huh?"

Curt: "You look like you're misera-OH." She must've just been concentrating. She was sort of... smiling. Maybe? "Nevermind. I was just gonna offer being a good friend but you seem fine, nevermind." He felt discouraged and quickly went to the fridge.

Curt: Late night snack... late night snack... not meat... not raw meat at least... he thought to himself.

Jessica: "I'm okay... for now anyway..." she gave a small smile, "Anything I can help you with?"

Curt: "Well... no..." Can I get some cooked meat? I'm just wondering how you're doing. And how Hope's doing." he threw in as well. He figured you can't be worried about one and not the other.

Jessica: "Hope's... still upset but different now..." she frowned a little, "And I... don't want to talk about it..."

Curt: "Oh. Okay." He took that message loud and clear. "... Sooo... Can I ask you for a favor?"

Jessica: "Sure," she went to rinse out her mug and empty plate. "If I can do whatever it is I will, I need to do something."

Curt: "Umm..." How should he word this. "Can I... test your blood?"

Jessica: She turned to look at him over her shoulder, "What the hell for?"

Curt: "Well... see... that's the catch... I can't really tell you." he saw the eyebrows go up. "Not completely, that is." he amended. "I can give you an idea of what I'm trying to do. It's nothing involving you or in anyway endangering you, and in fact, aside from the blood, that's where your involvement stops."

Jessica: She frowned a little, "You want to test my blood but you won't tell me what for?"

Curt: "No... well... no. Not really. I uh... You can't be effected by any poisons, toxins, or drugs right? Alcohol, venom, THC, all of this just does not effect you, right?"

Jessica: "Right. Nothing works on me." she nodded.

Curt: "Awesome... Uh, I want to see if that can be tweaked to prevent certain uh... personality traits. See if it goes beyond blood and toxins. I'm thinking it might be linked to your pheromones."

Jessica: She raised an eyebrow, "How would it be linked to my pheromones? I always thought it was just a metabolism thing..."

Curt: "I would think so too, but it could also be related to blood. Metabolism is a... very large system in the human body. Very involved, very complex. I think your mojo might be able to help me shut out a certain uh... personality."

Jessica: The frown returned, "You want to switch off the Lizard?"

Curt: ".... Maybe." He blushed and looked at the orange juice, deciding this was as good as it was going to get.

Jessica: "Why do you want to do that? I thought he was behaving himself now?"

Curt: "Yeaaaahhh.... He is but... I still don't like it. Jess, I know you may not understand this fully but, I'm not happy with my mutation. It's more a curse and a burden than a miracle or a gift. It's not what Xavier prattles on about, it's... dangerous. Lizard is dangerous. And I don't want to have to deal with danger my whole life, every day."

Jessica: "No... I get it... believe me..." she ran a hand through her hair, "I just think it's sad..."

Curt: "Well... look, what if I told you there was another theory I had, and another reason your blood could be really useful." He argued.

Jessica: "Try me and see?" she offered, plucking a banana from the fruit bowl.

Curt: "You might have the cure to alcoholism or even addiction in general, in your bloodstream. You could save millions. Preventative measures towards addictions, be they inherited or learned. You are... Jess you could market you blood and be a gold mine."

Curt: "Not that I'm going to mine you for gold, mind you!" He pointed out. "But if I can prove one can control physical mutations with a serum made from your blood, I could maybe prove one can control addiction as well. Mutants addicted to Kick? You could help a LOT of people. ... People like Danny."

Curt: He secretly prayed that wasn't over the line, but hew as fairly confident it had been.

Jessica: She frowned again, thinking that over as she took a bite of her fruit. Why did he have to bring him into this? "I don't know if I'm comfortable with that..."

Curt: "That's fine. And I understand that completely. But know, if you ever change your mind, I work for Wonder Labs (whichMayOrMayNotBeASubProjectOfRandIndustries) and I promise you I can get you immediate results on any findings and keep it completely confidential. In fact, destroying samples at your request would be easier than getting them."

Jessica: "I'll have to think about it... it's a lot to consider...."

Curt: "It is. Can I give you a warning first though?" He drank his juice and poured a second glass, putting it away and closing the fridge.

Jessica: "I suppose warnings first rather than after would be helpful...."

Curt: "Don't trust anyone but me." He said firmly, a strange warning coming from Curt. He was rarely this urgent. "I need you to promise me, if you ever reconsider, don't trust anybody but myself."

Jessica: "Curt, you're the one asking me. Why would I go to anyone else?"

Curt: "Because ... just trust me? Okay? They'll own you. Literally. They will own your genes. You will have no rights to them. They will be allowed to extract them however, whenever they like. If you resist, you are in contempt of federal law and they will send bounty hunters -- but they have more clever names for those now so they won't actually be bounty hunters -- to obtain YOU and your CELLS."

Curt: "I promise you,... the company will seek to make absolute profit of you, and if you ever have any kids? They have your cells too, and I promise you that's not a path you want to go down. At that point, those kids of yours and any children of theirs are technically committing theft of the company's product, the cells. Your cells. And they can be arrested for just walking around in public with stolen property."

Jessica: "Even if I refused to sign anything? Because I would until I got someone to look at it for me..."

Curt: "You can't get anything done until you sign, and they will find a way for you to sign... Just trust me. You don't want to do this, unless it's me. Please."

Jessica: "Well I'm not going to go to anyone else, don't worry. I don't even know where you work to do that."

Curt: "Well, Wonder Labs, but I work in genetics research. Just got bumped up. I mostly bring coffee around, but I'm allowed one project to myself, I figured that would be a simple enough one. Low class-load this year y'know? Trying to focus on the relationship." He scratched the back of his head nervously and blushed.

Jessica: She smiled, "I'll think about it, okay? A lot's happened lately... I need to be sure about what I'm doing..."

Curt: "I know. I'm just saying, I can offer that for you. I'd make sure you got at least 50% of any profit, if any were to come out of it. Also --.... do you happen to know Laura's birthday?"

Jessica: "I'm not really interested in money, Curt... I do just fine..." she sighed, "And no... I don't... I never asked... I can probably find out for you though?"

Curt: "That would be awesome thank you! I have to figure out what to get her. I can't afford much, though." He frowned. "I'm kinda broke right now. Most of my money went to the concert."

Jessica: "I'm sure she won't mind... she might not understand the concept of birthday presents either..."

Curt: "Yeah... I figured that. But that's why I'm going to make it extra special!" He grinned brightly, excited by the premise of being responsible for her first birthday party. "Thinking surprise party!"

Jessica: "Uh... I'll check how she feels about surprises too... make sure it's not stabby."

Curt: "Oh.... well just don't give the surprise away, okay?"

Jessica: "I promise I'll try to be subtle."

Curt: "Thank you. What -- *hack*" he lurched forward as if he were suddenly choking.

Jessica: Jess jumped up, "Curt? Are you okay?"

Curt: "Yeah.... I"m... jussssst.... a little... ssssick..."

Jessica: She took his shoulders and steered him to the sink in case he was going to throw something up. Because ew. She was never cleaning that up again.

Curt: He hurked and flailed, his eyes growing larger, yellow, his teeth becoming fanged and long reptillian talons pushing out his finger nails. The process was longer than usual. It was forced. Lizard was forcing himself out.

Curt: It was painful too, Curt had to keel over in pain, grabbing his ribs as they expanded and tore apart.

Jessica: Jess backed up a little way to make room for his larger form and tail, "Um..."

Lizard: Once the pain became relief, Lizard stood up and stretched his joints. He leered towards Jess and huffed. "Hssss...." He seemed disinterested. Vapid. Void of intelligence. It was just a large lizard. He swung around, his enormous tail knocking hanging pots on the floor. This startled him and he hissed towards the fallen pots, his jaws widening as foamy spit flew from his mouth.

Jessica: "Woah! Hey! They're just pots..." Jess frowned a little, "Are you in there?"

Lizard: Lizard looked to Jess, confused. He sniffed towards her, using his tongue to prod the air. He inched closer, using his tongue again. His head cocked to the right, as if he were trying to get a better angle of her body. His eyes drifted from her top to her bottom. He noticed her shape.

Lizard: ... Plenty of meaty bits. He inched closer, unsure of how to handle this potential prey.. and potential predator

Jessica: She raised an eyebrow at him, he posture changing ever so slightly to defensive. He was not looking at her in a way that made her at all comfortable.

Lizard: Lizard hacked and blinked. It appeared it was trying to ... throw up? Something gutteral. "Goahk! Gowahk! Goaaaah..... Gooooooooo...." the nostrils flared. "... 'waaaay.... rrrrrrrun."

Jessica: Oh she was not running. That was cowardly. She was going to make him run. She narrowed her eyes a little and released some fear pheromones, charging a venom blast in her hand.

Lizard: Lizard's tail whipped upwards, the prickly bumps of his spine protruding as he sucked in air, puffing himself up. He was menacing looking before, he was terrifyingly large now. "Skrraaagh!" He tore after her but the venom blast was too much. He shot backwards, but no before his tail whipped out towards her cheek.

Jessica: She dodged the tail, throwing her arms up to block just in case. "I'm going to knock you the hell out!"

Lizard: "Hurrssssss...." Lizard tore off around the island in the center of the kitchen, trying to flank Jessica from behind.

Jessica: Jess jumped up onto the ceiling then gave him another stronger blast onto his back.

Lizard: "Hraaaaahhh!" Lizard didn't like that but his tail slammed upwards towards her a few times, trying to slap her down.

Jessica: She crawled away along the ceiling, throwing another blast at him, trying to get his head.

Lizard: Lizard dodged and ducked, unaccepting and unrelenting. He decided to play it safe and try to guess her next move. He jumped to the ceiling, clawing towards her and using his tail to keep her centered before him, whapping away at her escape routes.

Jessica: Well fine, he was going to play it that way. She hit him with a stronger dose of fear pheromones and threw a venom blast at his face as he approached, using the distraction to aim a hit at his jaw - she didn't hold back on her strength either.

Lizard: Lizard dropped to the floor, hitting it hard. The fear pheromones weren't helping, but he knew leaving would mean revealing his nest to the new enemy. He couldn't have that. He had to finish it off, or die trying.

Lizard: Lizard scrunched away at the floor with his claws, getting to all fours, and dashing back to the island, using it as a leaping point to tackle Jess from the ceiling, wrapping his strong arms around her.

Jessica: She yelped a little as she was ripped from the ceiling, taking some of the plaster with her. She threw another punch at his head then put both her hands on either side of his face and unloaded another venom blast into him, as strong as she dared.

Lizard: Lizard shrieked and used his tail to wrap around her neck, the grip tightening in an attempt to knock her out.

Jessica: She tried to pry his tail from around her neck with one hand and shove him away from her with the other. This was not good!

Lizard: Lizard tried to pull her face towards his jaws, snapping at her.

Laura: Laura hadn't planned on stumbling upon Lizard attempting to strangle Jess when she had decided to wander into the kitchen. She looked between them and started to move to help when she froze, swallowing nervously as a sense of dread washed over her at the idea of even approaching her roommate. Stalling was not something she really had time for...

Jessica: Jess was now using her legs to try and keep his face away from her head and using both hands to pull at the tail. Oxygen was becoming an issue.

Laura: She found it extremely difficult to push the fear, approaching the two despite the nagging thoughts of running away. She jumped at Lizard's back, wrapping an arm around his neck and attempting to force his jaws away from Jess while actually avoiding looking anywhere near Jess herself. "Let go," she growled.

Lizard: Lizard didn't like this new enemy. Was this a predator? He tried to snap, but when his eyes caught sight of who it was, Lizard nearly crumpled. His tail instantly loosened around Jess' neck and though it did not completely let go, there was more than enough room for her to start breathing.

Jessica: Jess coughed and sucked in a few deep breaths, relaxing a little while her oxygen levels returned to normal.

Laura: "Let go," she demanded again, not loosening her hold on his neck at all.

Lizard: "Hissss..." He did. And he even curled his tail up, trying to retreat as much of himself from Jess as he could.

Jessica: Jess rolled onto her side and lay on the floor. She coughed again and rubbed at her neck, "Thanks..." she croaked out.

Laura: Sparing a nod in reply to Jess, Laura let go of Lizard once he'd shrunk back from the other girl and resisted the urge to do the same, frowning as she informed him, "You do not eat people."

Lizard: Lizard chirped some kind of nonsensical-response to Laura and lowered himself to the ground. Wigh great effort, Curt continued to fight through the Lizard psyche, internally, and slowly as he chipped away, he was finally able to force Lizard to utter "Ssssick. No... control."

Laura: She uncomfortably fidgeted as she gave Jess a wary look, turning her attention back to Lizard and offering him her hand, "Come on."

Lizard: Curt fought through again. "Ssssafe?"

Laura: "It will be somewhere safe," Laura assured him with a nod.

Lizard: Lizard took the hand, awkwardly. "... Cage?"

Jessica: Jess pushed herself up to a sitting position, deciding just to stay on the floor for now.

Laura: "Is the danger room acceptable?" she shot Jess another look, really wishing she could get Lizard out of the room faster as she helped him to his feet.

Lizard: Curt knew his Lizard side was weary to challenge Laura. He took advantage of it and agreed. "Yesss..."

Laura: Laura started to usher the Lizard out of the kitchen, snack or drink completely forgotten. She did manage to force herself into giving Jess a wave over her shoulder. She could check on her later. ...Maybe.

Jessica: Jess gave a small wave in return and a grateful smile before looking around the kitchen. She should probably try to clear that up....

[Starfish]

Curt: Curt shuffled into the recroom, exhausted and still a bit lurchy in the tummy. He had nausia the entire evening, once he had changed back from Lizard of course. His control when he was sick was... embarrassing. Laura had stayed with him in the DR for quite some time, until about 5AM when he had actually fallen asleep.

Curt: He was grateful to wake up alone, and now, shuffling about the recroom in his godzilla slippers, he edged to the couch, which he crumpled down upon and curled up, trying not to moan.

Melati: Her fingers struck a chord on the guitar in her lap, which brought a frown to Melati's face. She reached for the notepad and pen resting on the arm of the chair, crossed out a couple of notes, then added a few more scribbles. The shuffling made her look up. "Yo, Curt."

Melati: Her gaze wandered from his face down to his feet. "Nice," she added, a smirk forming on her lips. "Reptile power, represent."

Mick: "I aaaaam the chaaaampion, oh yes, that's me, chaaaampion, oh yeeeah." Mick limped in from the kitchen, cheese sandwich in one hand, coffee in the other and looking disgustingly happy with himself. "Hey! People!"

Curt: Curt dragged his hands down his face, the pain of the sounds grinding down on him. However, until he could drag himself upstairs, he had no place to grumble. "I'm not naked, am I Mel? I didn't really get to check yet... Bad night."

Melati: "Hey, mighty Mick-Man." Mel gave the boy a quick wave, before fixing Curt with a frown. "No? Did you plan to be naked?"

Mick: "Hey hey Melinator!" Mick plonked himself down, glad to take the weight of his bad foot - it was still healing, and still hurt. "Oooh, Curt, y' look like you drank enough to floor Rubin las' night, dude, you okay?"

Curt: He groaned into the pillow and pushed his head up. "No... I'm sick..." He said, unapologetically. "I can't control my lesser half when I'm like this so..." He reached for the quilt on the edge of the couch and pulled it over him. "I had a long night... I feel kind of stupid..."

Melati: "Welcome to every single weekend of my life." She laughed and put aside the notepad. "Well, except that in my case, it's really because of the booze, and not some lizard flu." Her brow furrowed as she gave Curt a look. "Speaking of which, I think you should stay over there."

Curt: "No plans on moving..." he moaned as he put the pillow on his face.

Mick: "Aw man, that sucks - in summer break too." Mick gave him a sympathetic look. "There anythin' you can do about it? An' why do you feel stupid? I mean, y' sick, ain't nothin' you can do about that, right?"

Curt: "I did many a bad thing once I lost control..." He admitted. "One of those things being attacking Jess. My own girlfriend had to break it up. That's just... embarassing." He wished right now his mutant ability was to teleport bottles of water around his immediate vicinity.

Melati: "Still sounds like the average weekend of drinking to me," Mel commented, slightly tilting her head. "Though, I gotta admit, ending up in a fight not because of booze, but a bad case of super-flu does kinda suck hard. Anyone got hurt?"

Curt: "I don't know... I don't think so. I haven't checked yet." He sat up, sort of, and looked to Mick. "If you see anything with Lizard being bad... avoid and report. Please."

Melati: "Aw man, here I was hoping I'd get to ride him," she replied with a fake pout, lowering the guitar down to her lap.

Curt: He grumbled. "Not the best idea..." He reached for the remote, sniffling, and then turned the tv on. Quiet. News... that looked good.

Mick: "Noted, though uh...no problem on th' avoidin' thing. I'm a teleporter, the most I can do is make him go to sleep."

Curt: "That might actually help." Curt said, cracking a smile for the first time in many hours. "I'm really afraid of what I'll do without my control... I mean, what if I had hurt Jess? Or Laura?" He felt even more sick thinking about it.

Melati: "I don't know, you'd feel even crappier now?" Melati shrugged, a frown on her face. "If you have problems keeping control, you should do something to make sure that doesn't happen, no? Like, get someone to watch you. Or lock yourself up somewhere."

Mick: "Yeah, you'd feel pretty shit after being converted to a data packet an' then dumped, mate, trust me. Can make some people feel pretty nauseous if I ain't careful." Mick took a bite of his sandwich. "Oooooh, inappropriate timin', but guess who's the geekiest geek of them all?"

Curt: "Yeah... I'm thinking Laura did a pretty good job last night, but I feel bad asking he to do that." He grimaced at the idea of asking his girlfriend to beat him up every time he got mean and green. "My mutation isn't one of those gifts y'know? It's a danger. I can't do dangerous. My nerves are shot." He looked to Mick. "Ugh... eating."

Melati: "We could take turns, you know," Melati suggested, before turning to look at Mick. "Yeah, I think this lizard here will stay good old analog for another while."

Mick: "I got no issues putting you t' sleep every time you go snappy, dude." Mick looked at his sandwich and put it down. "Sorry, man, didn't think - firs' time I've been awake since I got back, hungry as hell, you know?" He grinned. "Hey hey, you're lookin' at the World of Warcraft PvP World Champion, thank you very much, oh yes."

Curt: Curt grumbled about missing work, miserably rolled off the couch, and (still in his Godzilla slippers) shuffled to the door frame of the rec room. "Let it be known... that I am very unsure of how this day is going to go. Pass the word... avoid and report."

Curt: Keeping his head pressed against the wall as he walked away, trying to use the support to keep him standing. "Ginger... ale...." he moaned as he went to the kitchen.

Melati: She squinted, her eyes fixed on Mick. "I've no idea what you just said there, but to me it very much sounded like 'would you please suspend me from the flagpole with my boxers'," Mel said, looking dead-serious for a moment before she burst out a laugh. "Just kidding. You're alright - for a nerd."

Melati: Frowning, she looked after Curt. "I guess that means we're not supposed to help him if he falls over and can't get up again."

Mick: "Hey, if he does then no mean, green, nomming machine, righ'?" He picked up the sammich again, grinning at Mel. "No worries, mate, it ain' all that big a deal. I jus' proved I'm the biggest nerd in the world because I am ultimate pixel slayer." He chewed for a moment. "...I should get Danger somethin', actually...it's...kinda 'cause of her I won..." He blushed a little bit.

Melati: Her frown did not disappear as she turned to look back at Mick. "Do I want to know why that is," Mel asked. "Don't tell me you played your games on her or something like that."

Mick: "No! No...well...technically, I mean, she's the Danger Room...right? Or something..." Mick took a bite, not quite looking at Melati. "Uuuh. What I mean is...I set Warcraft up in there...got her t' help me do a complete immersive VR of it, so instead of a computer screen I was actually in th' game, as the character...she started playin' wit' me and we made a pretty epic team, you know?"

Mick: He smiled. "Got my reaction times down, an' trust me, player-versus-player, you need that. Uh. It's good trainin' for X-Men too..."

Melati: "Well, I guess no one could accuse you of sitting in front of a computer screen all day," she said, her fingers idly tugging the strings on the guitar. Then she grinned. "Even though you still hang out in the basement. Not that I blame you - even as a non-gaming specimen, I gotta say that room is pretty wicked awesome."

Mick: "Hah! You should totally come see my basement - it's Tronland down there." He grinned. "Yeah...she is, isn't she?" He bit into his sandwich again. "I-I mean yeah, it's cool, totally." He flushed bright red as he realised the slip he'd made. "Uh. So. You play guitar? I didn' know that."

Melati: "Yeah, used to have my own band back home," Mel replied with a nod. "Well, sometimes, anyway. Always used to move around and change schools a lot, so the line-up was pretty much in constant flux. Right now, the number of members is effectively one." She chuckled.

Mick: "Dude, that sucks. I can't play an instrument worth shit - must be fun though." He shook his head. "Always wanted to learn guitar, but half-deaf-" He pointed to the hearing aid in one ear. "So ain't really able t' hold a tune much. Still, bet there's plenty here who can play, right? Thought about restartin'?" The blush started to die down. Slowly.

Melati: "Hell yeah, of course I do!" She cracked a grin. "Nothing ever could keep the Lizard of Oi down for long, and this is just a minor set-back. Besides, got a little more time on my hand right now, so I might just go around and give some people here a poke." She nodded towards Mick's afflicted ear. "Sorry to hear that, dude. That's gotta suck."

Mick: "Eh, born like it, probably the drugs Mum was doin' while I was cookin'." Mick shrugged, grinning. "'Sides, I've got an aid, not like I can't hear, righ'? And it's even been modded so I can use it as a transmitter to jump down." He picked up his coffee. "That and I've got one for missions, so I can get radio chatter. What sorta music you do?"

Melati: "Hey, that's a clever idea," Mel commented and nodded. "Mostly good old rock and handmade punk, so I guess you could say I play whatever the fuck I feel like. Proper stuff like that might thought to be dead around these parts, but believe me when I say we do our share to keep it alive and well in Malaysia."

Mick: "Hey, so long as it ain' R&B or anythin' from the sixties, I'll listen to it." Mick grinned. "Dunno if you heard, my folks are...pretty damn big on anything from the hippy days. I am sick as hell of it all." He finished the sandwich, wrapping around his coffee instead. "...If I ask if you're like th' Sex Pistols, are you gonna throw shit at me?"

Melati: That brought forth a laugh. "Ah no, don't worry, that's cool," Mel replied. "Hey, they were pretty good, after all. And if there's one thing wrong with punk these days, it's that people take it too seriously and think there's a right and wrong way to do it. Because there isn't, and that's the whole point of it, you know? It is whatever it wants to be."

Melati: "Anyway, should I ever get together another troop, consider yourself invited to our first gig." She smirked. "You can also bring Danger, if you like."

Mick: Mick blushed furiously. "I...uh...thanks, I-I'll see if she wants to go..." Oh hell, was he really that obvious? "Um...that's a good way of lookin' at it, and guess it can...you know...go for all kinda music, right?" He cleared his throat. "I mean, unless you're some kind of elitest hipster idiot that gets off on labels, I guess..."

Melati: "Oh, I love hipsters, my favorite victim to pick on." She grinned. "Just thought it might do you both some good to get dragged out of that basement once in a while, you know? Besides, you mentioned getting her a little something, and I can really see Danger being the kind of girl who'd know how to appreciate chocolates."

Mick: He didn't look up, still blushing, but nodded. "No, well..." He coughed a little. "Y-yeah, it'll do her good t' get out in the real world, see how uh...human interaction goes and all."

Melati: "Oh, I bet it would," Mel replied with a nod, thinking back to her own experience of getting drilled with questions by the curious robot. Tilting her head, she glanced past Mick and frowned. "You think Curt died in there?"

Mick: Mick turned to the kitchen, glad of the subject change. "I...have no idea, but I haven't heard him fall down're anythin'...you uh...think we should go check?"

Melati: "Yeah, why not," she said, giving a casual shrug. "I feel like hunting myself such a sandwich you had earlier."

Mick: "Cheeeese." He finished his coffee. "Anyway, I want another coffee. And I guess between us we can take him down if he's gone all...bad." He grinned a little nervously before standing. "C'mon then."

Melati: "Righto!" Mel leaned the guitar against the side of the chair and rose to her feet. "If he's really gone all Godzilla again, we don't take him down until I've had my chance to ride him across the lawn."

Mick: Mick laughed. "I take my hat off t' someone more badass than me, Mel." He limped to the kitchen. "Though if he's been ill? Yeah...we're gettin' Jimmy in t' clean it, deal?"

Melati: Melati laughed. "Deal," she replied, looking over her shoulder to give Mick a wink.