Timelined before Blood on the Dance Floor
<@Cecilia> Cecilia inspected the deep purple collar of bruises on her neck, wincing as she pressed the flesh. It was very difficult to actually see bruises on her most of the time. Ed had really done a number on her, McCoy had said it as a miracle she'd walked away with as little damage as she had. Thankfully the awful hoarseness would clear in awhile and the bruise would fade a little later.
<@Cecilia> No word on when she would stop feeling so pissed off at everyone and everything to do with this clusterfuck though. She sighed, wheezing a little. She needed a goddamn aspirin...now all she had to do was choke it down.
<Fabian> Fabian knocked at the door, listening for any signs of Cecilia being in there and hearing a slight wheeze. That didn't exactly sound good. "Cee?" He asked, brow furrowing as he wondered what that was about.
<@Cecilia> Cecilia jumped a little at the knock. "Come in!" She called, frowning when her voice didn't carry or reach a volume much louder than a hoarse whisper. She sighed and went over to the door, flipping the lock and opening it. "Hey..." she rasped "...you wouldn't believe the day I've had."
<Fabian> "...what the hell happened to you?" Fabian didn't go ahead and ask who he should kill either, figuring Cecilia wouldn't appreciate him both doing in someone and taking someone she would probably be gunning for as well. There was the possibility of team work there, however.
<@Cecilia> "Ed's moved on from beating up bad guys to beating up girls," Cecilia said sarcastically, motioning him in and shutting the door. "Got this from him earlier today. He called me a 'mouthy bitch,' manhandled me, knocked me down, strangled me, threatened to decapitate me and slammed me into a wall."
<@Cecilia> "All 'cause I had the balls to tell him what everyone else was thinking: He's. Losing. His. Shit." She laughed meanly. "But I kneecapped him with a forcefield spike so I gave that prick a little taste of his own fucking medicine. He didn't like it much, judging from his screaming."
<Fabian> "...where is he?"
<@Cecilia> "Gone," Cecilia said, sitting down hard on her bed. "He took off before I even made it to Charles' office to report his ass but not before he kicked the shit out of Cessily, too. Electrocuted her when she tried to stop him from leaving. Why do you ask?"
<Fabian> "Because I can burn him out and we can dance in pretty inky puddles before they lifelessly dry up?"
<@Cecilia> "I assume we'd be doing this together and this isn't just you going all over-protective boyfriend on me, " Cecilia said, more than a little amused. "'Cause I gotta tell you, I find that whole cliche more than a little patronizing."
<Fabian> "Of course, I'd look a fool dancing in weird inky bits by myself. It'd be like some fetish bukkake porn gone wrong!"
<@Cecilia> Cecilia laughed/wheezed. "God, don't make me laugh, it hurts too much! That and I sound like I smoked twenty packs a day for most of my life."
<@Cecilia> She sighed, turning away suddenly to hide frustrated and enraged tears. "Christ, I'm so fucking angry...I could kill him. I really could."
<Fabian> "Death is too good," Fabian assured her, "And you're a better person than that. He thought he was but he was an arrogant asshole who didn't have any idea how it was being pushed the way others were until now apparently."
<Fabian> "Lets see how he is when this all goes tits up for him. I bet it will be glorious."
<@Cecilia> "That's what I told him," Cecilia said. "That killing Kraven, Rott and Quent was too easy. I asked him who suffered more for Apocalypse's dream? It sure as shit wasn't him! His suffering was measured in the time it took for the sand to suffocate him - the Acolytes are the ones suffering- but he apparently didn't see the parallels."
<@Cecilia> Cecilia sighed shakily and scrubbed away any tears she had left. "No, it won't. It'll be disappointing. Disappointing and shameful and a fucking waste. I just hope no-one else decides to follow him on this fucking crusade, it's like X-Force all over again and we all know how well that turned out!"
<Fabian> "I for one like the shamefaced apperance I'm imagining in my mind, the wounded ego that tries to inflate but just sort of sputters around the room. I mean, I'm egotistical and arrogant to a fault but at least I've never stooped to this to attempt to back myself up."
<@Cecilia> "No, you haven't," Cecilia agreed ",but Ed really believes he's right so..." She shrugged and stood up. "I need to do something. I gotta get rid of this, I was jumped up as it was and now I'm ready floor the next person who look at me the wrong way. Do you wanna shoot or drive or something? I just wanna do something to let it out, something that doesn't involve being banned from another bar."
<Fabian> "...are you 100% on that banning point?"
<@Cecilia> "...Why what did you have in mind?"
<Fabian> "I say we just start driving and see where the night takes us."
<@Cecilia> Cecilia smiled, grabbing her jacket and a thin wool scarf for good measure. "Don't wanna give people the wrong impression about us..." she teased, weakly. "Alright, I'm yours. Lead on, mi heroe."
<Fabian> ((Time Passes))
<Fabian> "I had no idea these were open this late!" Fabian revved his go kart engine gleefully. "Seriously, who knew? I could have been doing this trashed so, so often!"
<@Cecilia> "Just so you know, if I win you owe me five bucks!" Cecilia laughed, straining her voice to be heard over the engine. "God, Europe is a sad place. What would we ever do without 24 hour drive-in's and pharmacies and go-karts?"
<Fabian> "Europe is the best place. America is too big and the food is questionable at best. Seriously, how are the McDonalds better at home than they are here even? Your own people are screwing you, screwing you!"
<Fabian> "So...what do you owe me if I win?" Fabian wraggled an eyebrow jokingly.
<@Cecilia> "Not last I checked," Cecilia said, reddening and grinning back. "Oh, Fabi. You know I'll never pay up if I lose!" And while Fabian was distracted flirting with her, she took the opportunity to floor the gas as the light turned green, speeding away and laughing the whole way.
<Fabian> Fabian soon floored his as well, laughing gleefully as he tailed her. "Never? Now that's just not right!"
<@Cecilia> "All's fair in love and war!" Cecilia cackled, cutting him off and taking the corners sharply. "I hope you like eating dirt, Fab! 'Cause you're gonna be eating mine a lot!"
<Fabian> Fabian didn't let up for corners at all, fully intent to pull up even with her. "Nonsense, Cortezes don't eat dirt, we merely endure such things until people stop and then we come up with a cutting remark to distract from us dusting ourselves off!"
<@Cecilia> Cecilia positioned her car in front of Fabian's and stepped off the accelerator a little bit to harass him. "Really? My impression of your family was they just keep hammering a square peg into a round hole until it fits! Wait, that's just your father, never-mind!" She laughed.
<Fabian> Fabian didn't step off his and, carefully, bumped Cecilia and turned his wheel to try and get her to go into the side. "Pretty much!"
<@Cecilia> Cecilia squealed as she went straight into the hay bales in the side. "Fabian, you ass!" She spat out mouthfuls of hay. "I'll get you for this! Nobody makes a barnyard animal outta me!"
<Fabian> "It's fitting, you're dating an ass!" Fabian had crashed himself as well, of course, but he was backing up and speeding off as quickly as he could manage.
<@Cecilia> Cecilia was laughing far too hard at this, which actually hurt a little bit with her screwed up throat. "Hahaha! You need to watch yourself there abuelo, otherwise they'll take away your license!"
<@Cecilia> She backed out with some effort and sped past him. "C'mon. Nine more laps to go!"
<Fabian> "I'm just going to keep giving you a roll in the hay!" Fabian threatened, bumping her again and cackling all the way.
<@Cecilia> "Fitting. The way you act you were almost certainly born in a barn!" Cecilia quipped back, giving him a shit eating grin as she bumped him right back.
<Fabian> "Oh really, and how's that?" Bump, bump, and rev up as quickly as he could, Fabian swerved every which way to make himself harder to hit.
<@Cecilia> "...How does that require any explanation?" Cecilia rasped, trying to smack Fabian still. "I just dissed you! You ruin the whole thing when you question it! Err, Fab, I think the dude at the booth is pissed." Indeed, the guy was yelling something about this not being bumper cars.
<Fabian> "If he wants to tell us something then he can catch us!" Fabian laughed happily. "And if you can't explain the diss then it wasn't accurate. I was born in the best damned hospital in the city and I'm classy as fucking balls."
<@Cecilia> "Well, I was born in a concrete shack and my class goes about as far as I can spit, apparently." Cecilia countered, laughing. "You don't stand a chance, blanquito!"
<Fabian> "You know very well we're both classy as fuck." Fabian insisted, deciding to just see how this thing handled a doughnut. "So we're going to get kicked out of this place, I thought you should know, and what exactly is little about me?"
<@Cecilia> "Other than your height?" Cecilia asked, smiling. "Absolutely nothing, mi amor." She eyed the go kart police which consisted of a middle aged man and a pimply teenager coming towards them. "Vamos?"
<Fabian> "My height is perfectly average!" That got a bump just out of spite before Fabian saw their attackers. "No, charge!"
<@Cecilia> Cecilia had wonder a little at her sanity as she did exactly what was suggested making the group leap into a haystack. "Gah!" She cried, crashing into a haystack herself shortly after. "Shit! Now vamos!" She said, getting out and making a wheezy break for it.
<Fabian> ((Time Passes))
<Fabian> Fabian slowed his car down at the curb of what looked to be a very nice home to an elderly couple with a well manicured and over decorated yard. "Retrieve our quest, noble one!"
<@Cecilia> Cecilia scrambled out of the car and towards the small pool surrounded by gnomes and various lawn ornaments. "We should leave a note so they can find them again," Cecilia said. "They seem to really like these gnomes."
<Fabian> "You mean we should make ransom notes without the ransom?" Fabian pondered that and reached for paper and a pen. "On it!"
<@Cecilia> Cecilia bundled up a few gnomes and shoved a plastic deer under her arm before the sound of yapping became very audible. "...Do they have a dog?"
<Fabian> "Somehow I think only our ankles are in danger. Quick, I'll put this in their mailbox." Fabian waved their note and hurried along.
<@Cecilia> As soon as Fabian said it a small white dog that looked vaguely like a poodle ran around the corner, yapping. "No! We're just borrowing them!" Cecilia said, waving her arms at the dog. "Go away!"
<Fabian> "So I think we should line the hallways in the dorms with them, what do you think?" Fabian looked up as the dog came out. "Aww, lookit that floof. Poor, poodles, you are the most flamboyant of dogs and people like to shave your asses."
<@Cecilia> The poodle yelped as the cord that was attached to its collar ran out, sending it falling on it's ass with a little yelp, making Cecilia dissolve into laughter. "HAHA! Yes! We should! Everyone could use some cheering up!"
<Fabian> "Oh...is that what they do?" Fabian looked at a gnome questioningly. "I'm pretty sure they just creep people out, Cee."
<@Cecilia> "How is this more creepy than Shaw's head?" Cecilia asked, holding out a gnome and giving it the hairy eyeball. "That was the most terrible lawn ornament I'd ever seen...hey, look!"
<@Cecilia> She pointed over to a house a little ways down the road. There were plastic penguins on the lawn. Apparently it was John's 40th birthday, according to the sign. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
<Fabian> "I'm thinking of reenacting March of the Penguins on our lawn. I'm thinking of looping Morgan Freeman over the intercom."
<@Cecilia> "Close enough," Cecilia chuckled. "C'mon, lets bag 'em and put them in the trunk with the rest of the enchanted forest!"
<Fabian> "Yes, ma'am!" Fabian grabbed up as much as he could and hauled ass to the trunk.
<@Cecilia> ((Time Passes))
<@Cecilia> "~Lord I was born a ramblin' maaan, tryin' to make a livin' and doing the best I caaaan! An' when it's time for leavin' I hope you understand! That I was born a ramblin' man!~" Cecilia hacked and coughed. "Shit. Okay I can't sing like this."
<Fabian> Fabian had procurred whiskey from who he wasn't sure but she seemed like a lovely woman with many a mason jar. "I had no idea there were places in this state like this." He admitted to Cecilia, looking even more surprised when an elderly man aimed his gut bucket stick towards him. "For me?" He laughed, gladly grabbing the stick and putting a foot on the bucket, plucking away.
<@Cecilia> "Usually when you're black and hear the sound of banjos you run the hell away!" Cecilia laughed, coughing and sipping her own whiskey. Say what you will, it was dulling the pain. "You look deliciously white trash, mi amor."
<Fabian> "You're having fun, admit it! And there are plenty of black people that've played a banjo, embrace it's twangy tones!"
<@Cecilia> "You're assuming I care for anything south of the Mason Dixon line!" She plucked the string a few times. "Ah mean other than our dahlin' Rogue. Little Miss Southern Belle she is!" She said, imitating the older woman's speech patterns.
<Fabian> "Aw, does that mean our vacation this summer isn't going to start with a great roadtrip all the way down to Florida?...nevermind, that sounds terrifying to me, too." But right now Fabian had a bucket, a broomstick, and a twangy string in his hand and he was happy.
<@Cecilia> "There is a roadtrip on the bucketlist..." Cecilia said. "Yeah, there are still some nuts out there in the smaller towns that might harass us. Hey, did you know us....y'know, being together fifty years ago in some of those states could've imprisoned us both? Everything's come a long way." She smiled, scuffing the ground. "Gives me hope."
<@Fabian> "We must go on a most wonderful roadtrip! Where would you like to go for it?" Fabian laughed, half tempted to just go now but knowing they had too much responsibility to not just take off. "Nobody can imprison me, I'm too fabulous to be held!."
<@Fabian> "But yes, gives me hope, too."
<Cecilia> Cecilia grinned. "Grand Canyon's on the list, maybe we can rope a few people into coming? Oh and ride a mechanical bull in some hick town, I've always wanted to try that."
<Cecilia> She laughed as a random passerby gifted her a banjo that she began to strum. "~Oh Susanna! Don't you cry for me! I come from Alabama with a banjo on my knee!~"
<@Fabian> "We've got to learn some dirty folk songs, there has to be some good ones...and we must have a mechanical bull...and ride one as well as many towns we find that has one." Fabian now was wondering how one came to own a mechanical bull.
<Cecilia> "If you get me a switchblade I can teach you a vaguely hickish knife song," Cecilia chuckled. "Or you can wait till we get home and I got one of the kitchen knives, 'cause y'know it's so smart to do that when it's late and you're completely shit-faced."
<@Fabian> "Can we just stand in the kitchen with knives and wait for the first person to come in and see how uncomfortable we can make them?" Fabian stopped his strumming, sure he had a good idea there.
<Cecilia> "Oh I can make them very uncomfortable," Cecilia laughed. "I used to play that game back in high school. Nobody could figure out how I managed not to stab my palm through with the knife when I slammed it down that forceful."
<Cecilia> She leaned over. "I'll tell you my secret though, since I like you," she rasped in his ear. "I'd forcefield my hand while it was hidden in my sleeve. Pretty funny, yeah?"
<@Fabian> "You're pretty drunk, aren't you Cee?" Fabian asked with a grin as if the fact they were sitting in the back of a strange bar far, far outside of the city playing music with men who wore their pants like a support structure under their massive bellies obscured only slightly by their most magnificent beards wasn't an indication to their sobriety.
<Cecilia> Cecilia grinned right back. "Not enough that anyone else in this joint is beginning to look attractive!" She laughed, strumming a slight hick tune. "But yeah, I'm a little drunk...especially since I'm telling you stupid shit I did in highschool, but I won a lot of money doing that!" She defended.
<@Fabian> "I wonder how much we could win now..."
<Cecilia> "Let's find out..." Cecilia motioned to a mountain man peeling an apple with a jack-knife. "Hey! Hey buddy! Wanna see a cool trick!? Gimme your knife for a sec!"
<Cecilia> ((Time Passes))
<@Fabian> "IT'S THE CIRCLE OF LIIIIIIFE, IT'S THE SOMETHING SOOOMETHIIIING." Fabian stood ontop of the car, belting the song out to the annoyance to the other people in the drive-in theater. "How old is this movie now? I mean, I get that they have disney nights for the kiddie crowd but surely it's a bit late, isn't it?"
<Cecilia> Cecilia snorted, tugging on Fabian's pant leg so he'd sit down. "You make a better door than a window, mi amor." She thought a moment. "I think it came out before either of us were born. It actually predates us. Yeah...it's nearly midnight...maybe it's nostalgia?"
<Cecilia> She snorted as Rafiki lifted baby Simba into the air. "Don't drop him or anything. He's only the prince!"
<@Fabian> "Nostalgia? This is absolutely for the stoner crowd and you know it." Fabian flopped down as carefully as anyone could flop. "People drive in, get their munchies, and just park and bake."
<Cecilia> Cecilia nodded, pouring some candy into her hand and offering it to Fabian. "Is this a Hamlet rip-off or what? I can't believe this...I guess they can get away with it though since Shakespeare's works are all in the public domain."
<@Fabian> "I think they were open about it as well so hey, it's an homage in that case I suppose, although the hyenas are getting royally boned in this situation."
<Cecilia> "I know, right!?" Cecilia said, nibbling on her candy. "What the fuck is up with Mufasa forbidding them from the good grasslands? They're nature's trashcan! This is apartheid! What makes it worse though is they're the only characters that actually sound black!"
<@Fabian> "Yeah, but they're also made to look like Nazis marching along there. Now I'm just so confused. This wouldn't make for a good high, Cee."
<Cecilia> "No, it's just creepy. Especially with the green lights and Scar's creepy face." She frowned a little as they moved onto the stampede scene and then Mufasa's death with poor Simba calling for his dead dad. She sniffed a little, wiping a few tears away.
<@Fabian> Fabian draped an arm over her when he noticed that but didn't call attention to it. He waited until the moment was passed before speaking again. "So, was this better than going to kick Eddie's ass?"
<Cecilia> Cecilia scrubbed her face, eyeing Fabian a bit suspiciously for the arm around her but was relieved when he didn't call attention to an already embarrassing moment. He had to know why she was crying at that. "I'm having fun," she smiled. "But that doesn't rule out an ass-kicking later, right? 'Cause I really want to deal one out, consider it an early birthday present."
<@Fabian> "Oh, that ass is getting kicked but now we can both wait patiently for it and savour it. It's a principle asskicking now, not a revenge one." Fabian smiled, quite happy with that.
<Cecilia> "Revenge is a dish best served cold," Cecilia agreed. "If you're gonna do it, might as well do it properly...it pays to be a calculating snake, yeah?" She laughed.
<Cecilia> She laughed even harder though as the sizeable amounts of stoners in the crowd joined in singing 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight?' "I feel like Sean should be here."
<@Fabian> "He may be, we'll look after the movie." Fabian was too busy singing right now, though, nudging her to join in.
<Cecilia> Cecilia could join in. She flung her arms around Fabian in a sideways hug and began swaying along, grinning a cheesy grin as she joined in. "~He's holding back he's hiding, but what I can't decide, why won't he be the king I know he is, the king I see insiiiiiide? CAN YOU FEEL THE LOOOVE TONIGHT! Yeah, they're totally gonna get married~" Cecilia said, indicating Nala and Simba.
<Cecilia> "But the worst part is only one lion sires all the cubs, so she's his half-sister," Cecilia trolled.
<@Fabian> Fabian hadn't realized this before and, soon enough, was belting out a new more incesty version. Apparently many more people than should could feel the incest tonight as others joined in.
<Cecilia> Cecilia was laughing so hard she nearly fell off the roof. "Wait till Timon and Pumba do the hula dance, that'll bring up so much gender confusion. Everybody loves cross-dressing!"
<@Fabian> "Everyone does, don't they? Well, we'll save that for our next outing then, won't we?"
<Cecilia> "You'd never look more beautiful, darling." Cecilia laughed, stealing a kiss.