Players:
Summary: Alone in the cafeteria, Cam is joined by Lucas and James. Some of them just aren't friendly folks.
Date: February 17, 2010
Brainsplodey
Rating: R
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.
Lucas is sitting by himself in the dining hall. He has a plate with a half of a peanut butter sandwich on it and an open notebook in front of him. He's not really eating, but he is writing in the notebook.
The chubbiest member of the school's student body has made his way in. He's not in the mood to cook today, so just has a couple of plates of food. He makes his way to a table, sitting down silently. He's not the social butterfly that some people are. He tends to sit alone.
James enters from the hallway, tow claws tapping a beastial-beat on the floor as he walks. In his hands he holds his new toy, an image inducer. Though, it's bound to be 'off' since James is still a 7' hyena. He look sup, and nods to Lucas, walking over towards him, "Hey roomie." He nods to Cam and starts smiling about something!
Lucas quickly closes the notebook, sitting the pencil down. Nope. He wasn't writing. Nothing to see here. Nope. He looks up at the hyena, and offers a bit of a smile, "What up yo?" he offers in greeting. He glances over and notices Cam, but turns back to James. "Still haven't decided on a look yet, huh?'
Cam has already been warned of a few people. So, he knows better than to respond. Continuing his dinner, he sits silently. "Those gloves still working out?" He calls towards Lucas, since he at least knows him.
James shakes his head, which in turn shakes out his mane, "Oh…no…I did. But, it wasn't appreciated, so they encrypted it so I can't upload my own anymore." The smiles goes ear to ear, "I'm on probation. If I can go a week without being funny, they'll forget about the Grimm Reaper showing up to check the charts in the med bay." He points at the device, an ear homing in on Cam's voice, "But, I guess they got some photos from my parents and they're on here now."
Lucas nods, "That rocks, man. Very cool. Ah hope you weren't ugly," he says, laughing. He looks over at Cam. "So far so good," he tells him with a nod.
"That's good at least." Cam says with a nod, going back to his dinner. He is listening to the image inducer discussion, but really has no idea what that actually is.
The giant beast takes a seat at the same table with Lucas, "I dunno…I'm pretty beautiful now. Anything else would be a downgrade." James turns around in his seat, seemingly without even moving a muscle. He smiles at Cam, "Hiii." He smiles a lot, "Who are you?" His ears move forward to face the person he's addressing. *point!*
Lucas smirks, "That's Chef Boyardee. He also sometimes goes by Hedwig." He shrugs, "Part cook, part mailman. A force to be reckoned with, Ah tell ya!" He chuckles, leaning back in his seat.
"Chef Boyardee? Ew. That's about the trashiest stuff ever." Cam says with a wince. "Cam." He leaves it at that. That's enough for most people here, lately, it seems. He runs a hand through his hair before going back to eat. "And the mail was just to get to know a few people."
James watches Cam and nods, "Oops, didn't mean to interrupt your dinner." He turns around and looks back at Lucas, "He might be food aggressive—take your hand off. There's students around here that do that, I hear." He gives Lucas' notebook a nod, "Class notes?"
Lucas chuckles at the food aggressive comment. Then he straightens up, pulling the notebook into his lap. "Geometry." He looks over at Cam, "Do you bake cakes?"
"Some of them do. Lucas is one of them. You should have seen him with the stroganoff the other night." Cam responds, not accepting the mean statement as such. Instead, he's turning it around. Looking up around a mouthful, Cam nods at Lucas. "I do. But I have no designing skill for it at all. They taste good, but they just look like a cake. May take classes for it later."
James, who was being more self-depreciating (as he 'IS' one of them) than mean, nods, "Geometry sucks." He gets up out of his seat in search of some caffeine. Half buried in one of the 'fridges, he calls out, "I guess Jade and I are squared away. Rashmi supervised." He pulls out a Coke and brings it back, retaking his seat.
Lucas relaxes a bit about the notebook. He looks at Cam. "You should make cake."
Rashmi. That gets a bit of a chuckle from Cam. "I know you're with her, but does she ever do anything but high-strung in your face? I like her and all, but she seems to just run into the middle of everything." He grins. He's not badmouthing her at all. After all, she loves his cooking. She can't be all bad. "Well, Mr. Parker-Mayfair and I are doing some kind of dinner on Friday Night, so… I'll add some kind of cake to the menu."
James smilllllllles at Lucas, "Roomie….you're not keeping something from me are you?" He gives Lucas a study with big, black, alien eyes and follows it up with a sniff, "Cause the nose knows something, and it's saying…" There's a distraction; the hyena's ears going back as he listens to the other kid talk about Rashmi. The look on his face that only Lucas can see says it all—just start talking bad about his teammate. He dares it. After a second he opens his Coke and forgets whatever it was that was going on.
Lucas looks at Cam, "Ah happen to like that she's so forward. Everyone else 'round here dances around everythin' so fuckin' bad that you'd think it was Xavier's school for the Emo." He looks at James, and then answers in the only real way that might maybe get James to forget it. "Yes. Ah am keepin' somethin' from ya."
"I just wondered. She wants me to try to make her mother's curry recipe. Kinda scared. What if I screw it up?" Cam says with a chuckle, shrugging. "Well, some dance, some don't have a clue. Me.. I just think the place is all around weird. Nothing bad, just… strange." He's not used to it. "My family's just… well… a bunch of fat rednecks." He admits.
That answer is A-OK with James. "Yeah…Rashmi's the only one who gets to tell me up from down," the beast says with a nod, "If everyone else was more like that, maybe I'd need less toothpicks." He turns around and gives Cam a study with the same big black alien eyes Lucas just saw—only the expression is a who lot less nice. He shrugs at Cam, the spot around his eye raising, "Dude…don't talk down about yourself that way. A) I've got more reasons than this entire school to do that about myself, so stop trying to muscle in on my territory; and B) You're only fat if I say so, and I don't stoop to 'physical humor.'"
Lucas shrugs, "No, James. It's cool. We all got flaws. He IS kinda pudgy," he says, with a friendly laugh. "Ah got a silly accent and burny hands," he continues and then gestures at James, "And you've got a little ballsack." He pauses and smiles, "Ah kinda like physical humor."
"No, I'm being dead serious." Cam says. "I didn't say -I- was a fat redneck." After all, he properly pronounces the letter I. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a family portrait. Outdoors. It looks like a wedding… but everyone (other than Cam) is in bluejean cut-offs and tank tops. Well… what will FIT into tank tops. It's not a pretty picture. At all. He offers it out to anyone who wants to see it. "I know I'm overweight, but I rarely ever call myself fat. Except when they tried to squeeze me into a spandex tight-fitting costume. No-thank-you-very-much. Loose." He turns to Lucas, "I may be a little pudgy, but I love food. And everyone loves my food so far."
James smiles at Lucas, "Smallll? Try non-exsistant. I'm a girl. Just wait until they figure out. It'll explain a lot." He…she…blinks beasty eyes, "What…? James…Jamie? No one ever made the connection?" He smiles, "Now 'that's' physical humor." He stops laughing, "I am joking btw. And you'd better be too." He crosses his eyes at his roommate.
Lucas rolls his eyes, "Ah ain't never looked at your nads, Jim." He laughs, and then glances at the photo Cam is showing. "Wow. Ah grew up in Chattanooga, so Ah've seen my share of your family, Ah think."
"Probably. Chattanooga's not nearly as bad as Biloxi." Cam says with a firm, sad nod. "The worst part is. My family are small." Hey, Mississippi is the obesity capital of the USA after all. He's listening to James, but at the same time ignoring much of it. It's like his little sister's attention ploys. Gotta be the center. "And don't worry. I won't look at them." He says with a nod.
James drinks a bunch of his Coke and sorta shuts out the talk about family, taking no interest in the subject. But not interrupting as well. He's already said his peace about to those he cares to talk to it about.
Lucas sits the notebook in his lap, and he sighs. "So, what's your thing, Cam?" he asks. "Ah mean, you ain't just here to cook, right?"
"Uhm… my thing?" Cam asks, blushing a little. "You mean the whole… making people's heads explode when I get aggravated, upset, or annoyed thing?" He asks, not sure what they're talking about. Thing? That could be anything.
James finishes off his drink and palms the small device he was given, "Well, time to hit the hay." He lies, as he never goes to bed before 2 am, "I'm gonna go." With out so much as another word he stands up and heads towards the door, depositing his can in the recycle bin in the way out.
Lucas watches James go, "Um… Okay. Take it easy." He looks back at Cam. "You blow people up with your mind? That's cool!"
"Only if I focus too hard. The rest of the time, when I can channel it right, I find people. If I see a picture of them, or of something, I can find'em." Cam says with a nod. He grins a bit at the whole thing. "Remember, I told you when I brought it out to ya, that someone showed me what you looked like. That's how I found you."
Lucas grins, "That's weird. So… How does that help when you're an XMen? Does it come with super strength or flight or something?"
"Who said anything about being an X-Man?" Cam says, tilting his head. "I'm here to learn control so I can go back to a normal life." He says, shivering at the thought. "Nono… no X-Man for me."
Lucas tilts his head a little. "Seriously?"
"Seriously. Do I LOOK like X-Man material to you? I'm just an overweight guy from Mississippi who couldn't stop spouting off where people were everytime their names were mentioned, and then the exploding head thing…" Cam shakes his head. "Took a month to get that out of my good shirt." He rubs the bridge of his nose. "I just want to be able to hold it all back."
Lucas nods, "Huh." He pushes the plate away from him, not going to finish it. "Yeah. Ah don't really wanna be one either."
"Some do. Like that Dallas kid on my squad. So gung-ho! Be the best! Me… I just wanna be me. I wanna be a chef. I know my life's calling. I know what I want to do." Cam says with a shrug. "Maybe start a family. No idea." He admits to the last part.
"Ah'm a little jealous of Dallas, in that regards," Lucas admits. "To be honest, Ah kinda wish Ah wanted to be an Xman. It'd gimme somethin' to do with these hands." He shrugs, "Ah just don't know that Ah wanna get the attention heroes get, ya know?"
"The only attention I want is 'my compliments to the chef'. Or maybe a cooking show on Food Network." Cam says with a bit of a nod, thinking about things. "I don't with I wanted to be one. I like who I am. Overweight. Too tall. A year behind in school. But me." He shrugs. "That's the only way to be happy. Like what you are. Even if it's not perfect."
Lucas rolls his eyes, standing, "Fuck. Now Ah'm jealous of you, too." He shakes his head, "Ah hate what Ah am. Whatever." He grabs his notebook, and begins to walk towards the door.
As Lucas rises to leave, Cam blinks. "Uhm… ok. I'm sorry? I didn't mean anything like that…" But as usual, things are too late. Just when he feels he's getting somewhere…
Lucas shakes his head, "It ain't you. Forget it." He sighs, standing there, not going. Like there's something else, but he doesn't say it.
Cam isn't the pressing type, generally, but he does take a moment. "Sometimes, the only way to get something out of your mind, to make it not a problem, but something to work through, is to find someone to talk to about it. Not sayin' me… just saying. If something's bugging you, there are plenty of people who know you that would probably listen. And some that might even be able to help. Without shoving you into gung-ho workout fits." He coughs, taking his plates to the washer.
Lucas furrows his brow a little, tilting his head. "SuperShink to the rescue. Thanks." He shakes his head, and then goes.
"Uhm… k." Cam says softly, sighing as he leaves to head for his own bedroom.
