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Summary: Shane gets mad at Theo over the festival attack.
Date: Sunday, December 19, 2010. 6:48pm
Log Title: Because You Deserve It
Rating: R (Language)
Xavier Mansion - Dining Hall
In a school for children the dining room is decorated to be practical instead of elegant. The walls are a pleasant tan color. Two large windows line the walls looking out to the school grounds. A large table for at least forty people sits in the center of the room. Two chandeliers hang from the ceiling to light up the room. Along the wall is a hole in the wall looking into the kitchen so food can be passed back and fourth.
The trailing end of dinnertime at Xavier's, and the cafeteria is still positively buzzing with gossip and speculation and theorizing about the attack on Mutant Town the Friday before. That several students were involved makes it a personal thing, and thus *far* more important to the teenage mind. But few know the real story, so much of the talk is wild speculation.
In the back corner, Shane sits at her otherwise-empty table, the remains of her dinner pushed to one side to make room for another piece of embroidery; thick red thread pushed through deep black cloth. The wide cups of her earphones ensure that only she can hear the music being played, but to those of a technopathic bent it's clear as day; snarling guitars like a swarm of bumblebees, frenetic drums, lyrics short, sharp, and less sung than shouted at varying register. Do! Un! To others! As! They've! Done to you! But! What! The hell is! This! World! Coming to?!
Theo is one of the students who has been speculated about. He hasn't said anything, in fact, he's been rather docile compared to most about the whole event. For this reason he likewise has waited until late dinner time to show. He doesn't sit with Shane. The next is a table just one over, and likewise empty. He takes his tray, meatloaf and potatoes, and sits down quietly. His eyes shift over briefly, indicating that he knows that Shane is there, but he doesn't engage. He pulls up his laptop and sets it in front of him, waiting for it to boot up as he takes his first few bites.
As Theo takes his seat, the thundering metal is shut off with a tap to the iPod. Setting her embroidery aside, she scoots back her chair, stands, and walks slowly and deliberately toward Theo. There's a brief pause, then a fist digs into the boy's shoulder. Not a full-power punch, but certainly a good bruise is in the offing.
"Ow!" Theo answers, "What was that for?" He looks up and over his shoulder. That was already a sensitive spot from Friday's incident. The computer finishes booting up, but he leaves it at the login screen. "What's your problem?"
"…Saw you on TV," Shane says as though it explains everything, dropping into the nearest chair at the table. Given the news stories that've been eating up valuable TV space all weekend, it probably does.
"I was on TV?" he asks. "They didn't ask my permission for that. I didn't even interview." Of course, there was plenty of cameras shooting all over the place, so it's not too surprising that he was caught on video. Theo reaches up to rub his shoulder. "That still doesn't give you a reason to hit me. I didn't attack the festival. It was those douche-for-brains kid slaughtering maniacs." Could he have said it with a more distasteful tone? Probably not.
"Were there explosions?" Shane asks rhetorically. "Bullets? Flamethrowers? *Grenades?*" According to the news reports, all that and more, and the worst of the damage centered around where Theo had been in the fighting. "Then you deserved it for being there."
Theo eyes Shane. "What would you care anyway? I thought you don't like anybody. Just stick to your own business, right?" he asks, throwing her perspective back at her. "Not like anyone planned for there to be massive chaos to slaughter hundreds of people, but hey, that's no biggie right, I deserve to be punched for making it out alive." His tone is dry and sarcastic, he doesn't seem to be amused by her evaluation.
"You're the only person here I can even tolerate," Shane shoots back. "…So yeah, seeing you on TV pissed me off, okay? Besides. You're not the only one getting punched, you're just on the top of the list."
"I'm touched," Theo answers. "What'd you expect out of me? How was I supposed to know about this whole thing? You think the bastards sent me an e-mail or something?" Theo forks some of his meatloaf into his mouth. "It's not like I asked to get attacked," he adds with the mouthful of food.
"I was *worried,*" Shane finally forces out. "That's all. Okay? Just… forget it." Crossing her arms over her chest, the pink-haired girl stared down at the table, fuming… but at least the music isn't starting back up.
Theo studies Shane for a moment. "Well, thanks," he says, not pushing the issue. "I'm glad you didn't go. It was really bad." He sticks his fork in the potato, but not to take a bite from it. He's playing with his food. After a moment he pushes the potato a little farther over so that it doesn't touch the meatloaf. "Really bad."
"Yeah… I saw," Shane murmurs, shaking her head briefly. "What was that all about, anyway? I've seen shootings on the news. Never saw World War Five before."
Theo shrugs, but not because he doesn't know the answer. He sets his jaw to one side before he speaks. "There were these guys. They were playing a game, like something out of a Steven Segall movie. Whoever killed the most mutants would get ten million dollars." He sticks his fork back in the potato and leaves it there. "Ten Million dollars. They hated us enough to put that kind of price on our heads. So of course every jack off with any sort of resources was out there and plugging away. When I get to that MacBeth guy…"
"…Seriously?" Shane snorts, rising from her eat to retrieve her embroidery things, plopping back down. "Cripes. Magical Mutant Hogwarts, totally."
"Yeah, except this isn't a fairy tale," Theo answers the comparison. "In the real world, the bad guys win. People can hype it up all they want out there. They can say that we 'stopped' them. They killed hundreds of people. We lost. That's all there is to it. They might be dead and in prison, but we stil lost."
"Yeah well," Shane says, poking the needle through the cloth, "in the real world, that's the only kind of victory you get, right?"
Theo turns from his food, and looks straight at Shane. "I don't know," he says. "Maybe you can get a better victory if you play by your own rules." He shakes his head. "Magneto thought that he could use the festival to kill off all of the players in this game," he says, the word with disgust. "Me? If I were him, I would've tracked down each player, and put a bullet in their head. Starting with the bastard that was running it. Take his ten million and shove it up his ass so far it'd be coming out his nose."
"I'd hold him down," Shane says, snorting. "…Then maybe blow up for good measure." She subsides into silence for a moment, pulling needle through cloth with slow, deliberate movements. "…Just don't let me catch you on TV like that again."
Theo frowns. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to destroy all the video files next time," he says with a sarcastic smirk. "So…if I'm just at the top of your list, who else are you going to punch?" he asks. After all, she said that he is the only person she can tolerate, but isn't the only one who's earned a punch.
"Mason, then Connor," Shane says instantly. "Mason because I don't hate him enough to want him dead, Connor because he's stupid and just deserves it."
"Watch out, Connor knows kung fu," Theo warns. Not technically correct, but it's good for imagery. "Wait, Mason…Oh shoot! He was the pop star!" He puts together who Mason Steele is in regards to her background. "You know that Mason?" While Mason has been back to the school now, Theo doesn't keep up. "I thought I heard he was killed," he says, trying to be sensitive to the matter.
"Yeah, yeah, pop star," Shane says, waving a dismissive hand. "You haven't kept up. He got a bullet in the chest, but he lived. Now people're pissed at him for trying to be all activist and sucking out loud." The sullen teen rolls her eyes, shaking her head. "Idiots. Can't even figure out one way or the other what they want out of someone."
"Welcome to the masses," Theo answers. "They like whatever strikes their fancy for the moment." He resumes his meal, taking a bite out of his potatoes. "You couldn't pay me enough to be famous. Maybe infamous, that's less fickle. People are more consistent about their hate than their affections."
"Meh," Shane offers. "Rather not be either. But you know why, so, meh."
"Well," Theo shrugs, "Maybe we'll all get lucky and after this all the world will come to be understanding of mutants and diversity. They'll put down their hate and embrace love!" It's a dramatic display that he gives, complete with a hug to himself and a starry look in his eyes. Mockingly of course.
"Peace and love, maaaan," Shane deadpans, complete with a flashed peace sign. "Lollipops, Sunshine, and rrrrRRRRrrrr all the way."
"You know there was some guy who wrote a poem that said the world would end in a whimper rather than a bang?" Theo asks. "He's dumb as a brick. We're so going to blow ourselves up." He laughs at the thought. "At least we all deserve it. True justice at last."
Shane shrugs. "I can think of a few people who don't deserve it," she mutters, "but you can't make an omelet without breaking some babies."
Theo cleans his plate, and then drinks some of his coke. "Yeah, well, I've been in search of someone, I haven't found them yet," he comments.
"Lemme know when you do, okay?" Shane says. "I want to see if their farts smell like rainbows."
"If I do," Theo answers. He picks up his plate. "Everybody's been wanting to know all about that attack," he says. "Maybe I'll try to hide out in my room until they ask Connor and your boyfriend all the questions. That way I won't have to answer them."
"….My what." Aaaand there goes the warmth from Shane's voice, the motion of the needle, and her guise of indifferent inattention; her eyes are now firmly fixed on Theo, narrowing slightly.
"Geez," Theo laughs, "I'm just teasin'." He raises his hands in defense. He wasn't serious, and didn't expect such a serious response in return.
A muscle under the girl's eye twitches, and her gaze stays locked on the boy for a moment, before slowly turning back to her embroidery. "…Don't tease. I don't deal with teasing well."
Theo walks to put up his tray, and returns to his computer at the table. "You know," he says, pointing an accusatory finger at Shane. "You play like you don't care about people and what they think, but I think you're full of it. You do too." He closes the laptop, and it gives off a chime as it goes back to sleep.
"Of course I do," Shane retorts. "Ever met a teenager who didn't? That's not the point; the point is keeping it at arm's length. Y'know… So it doesn't hurt so much."
"But you suck at that," Theo counters shortly.
"I'm still practicing," is Shane's return volley.
Theo arches his brow. "Well, good luck at shutting the world out," he says. "I think I'm gonna go to bed and pretend the world doesn't exist, I've always found that to be an effective method. This weekend has been from hell." He picks the laptop back up off of the table.
"'Night," Shane says, working at her embroidery. Whether it's the stress getting to her, or something else, tonight does not seem to be the night for casual dismissals.
