Players:
Summary: Kai has a problem, David gives advice.
Date: May 22, 2011
Log Title: Bullies.
Rating: G
NYC - IHOP
International House of Pancakes with its signature white building and blue roof is among one of the more suburban areas of Queens. Open 24 hours for all pancake lovers, IHOP has plenty of tables and booths for its customers.
It is early Sunday morning, a somewhat dreary ay, dark clouds looking as if the heavens will unleash a downpour any second now. Dressed in a blue hoodie with slacks and a black polo shirt David Alleyne enters the IHOP, carrying two small duffel bags. It has been sometime since the mutant has been in New York. Having taken a few months to travel to Chicago to visit his family and to Japan to visit Noriko, the disillusioned young man had to 'find himself' after the events of his transformation into a mutate in Nigeria. He has decided finally to return to Xaviers but will first take a few days in New York to readjust and maybe visit some friends before heading 'home.' He waits to be seated as he peruses a menu, "Pancakes. Haven't had those in forever."
While Kai has absolutly no interest in pancakes (ok a little, he's never had them before) he enters the International House of Pancakes almost running, he's dressed in red converse, jeans, a white t-shirt underneath a red plaid shirt which looks like the top half has been ripped open (rip in the fabric halfway down, missing buttons ect.) and has a camera in his right hand, he ducks just behind the door.
Noticing the teen running in with the camera and the ripped shirt, David blinks a moment as the boy ducks in, his mind goes wide a moment as he suddenly is filled an abundance of skills from the lad. Instantly recognizing that the lad is more than human David ponders approaching him an as he is about the waiter steps forward "We have a table for you, sir." David raises his hand, "One second" as he looks to Kai. "Are you alright?"
Still keeping an eye on the door Kai nods, "Yeah i think so", still not seeing anyone coming he breathes a sigh of relief, "Yeah i'm good", for now anyways, standing away from the wall he nods again, "Yeah definatly good".
Shaking his head a bit and sighing, "Running from something or someone?" David asks as he walks towards the door to see himself if anyone is running after Kai, "The ripped shirt and the camera suggest you were probably taking pictures of something that you shouldn't have been."
Kai shakes his head, "My camera was in my bag, i just managed to grab it when they took my bag, but i think i lost them, unless they're just waiting somewhere", he may have lost the bag but at least he got away with his camera.
David hmmmmns, "You were mugged? Are you alright? Would you like me to call the police for you?" He looks to the waiter, "Make it a table for two." The waiter goes back to get a different table ready. "I gotta say I would have thought you could handle yourself."
Kai shrugs, "It was just some other guys from school and there was just books and stuff left in there, don't worry about it", nothing important in there that they could understand anyway, "What makes you think i could handle myself?", i don't do weights or anything"
"No reason really." David shrugs as the waiter comes back with a new table, "Join me. You look like you could at least use a place to hide for a minute." David follows the waiter to the table, "I hate bullies. Had one where I went to school. But you get over it, eventually."
Kai smiles, "Thanks, a few minutes laying low should help", he follows David and the waiter to the table, "I just don't get why they singled me out, i'm the same as everyone else, i keep my head down and get on with it, it's not fair", he just can't wait for the semester to be over.
"Trust me, it gets better when you get older. And who knows why people get picked on." David shrugs as he sits down and orders a shortstack of pancakes and a cup of coffee, "You have racists who pick on people for the color of their skin. You have homophobes who pick on people for their sexual orientation. Hell yo even have speciesist who pick on people for being mutants. Hell, I head there is a phenomenon called ginger beating because some people have red hair. It's a crazy world, we live in." He then smiles, "I'm David, by the way."
Kai sighs, "I just wish there was something i could do to just make them stop", no one ever thought to prepare the teen for bullying, "I'm Kai", he puts his camera down on the table, "It makes me so…", not an emotion he's ever really felt, "mad".
Blinking at Kai as he can sense the power the kid has, at least skillwise. "Well Kai, cool name and nice to meetcha. You know. You have to be careful how you respond to the bullies. Being mad is ok, but sometimes being mad can make people lash out in regrettable ways. Just be careful. Have you considered talking to a teacher?" David passes the menu to Kai, "Go ahead and order what you like."
Kai nods, "I know, fighting back will just end up getting me in trouble no matter how unfair it is", he sighs and shakes his head, "Teachers would wanna talk to my family about it and i don't want them involved, it could just make them go after me more", he looks at the menu infront of him, "I don't want anything, i'm only allowed healthy food, thanks anyway though".
Nodding as Kai speaks, the waiter simultaneously brings the pancakes and coffee, "True. Being a teenager is tough. But like all adults you will get through and you will be that much stronger for it." David offers a smile, "You could always try talking to the bullies. More often than not, bullies are bullied themselves. I don't know how effective it would be, but it might be worth a shot."
Kai doubts that all adults come out of high school stronger, the high suicide rate must be there for a reason, "I've tried that, i got thrown into the pool, not fun and i'm a swimmer", though the upside of being a cyro is you don't really feel the cold.
"Yes, I can imagine. Well what year are you in school?" David asks as he takes a big bite of his pancakes and lets out a moan of enjoyment, "Goodness, I missed pancakes." He smiles, "And how old are you?"
"I'm a juinor so after the summer i've got a year left", Kai sighs, another fun filled year, hopefully what he's here to do will be long done by then, "I turned 17 last month".
"Wow, you are young for a junior. That's great. You must be really smart." David smiles as someone who is smarter than his own age group, "You know, you should take up some skills. I don't know why but something tells me, you would be great at some martial arts. Maybe aikido, savate, judo or capoeira. Maybe gymnastics too. Or some other sports like archery or fencing. All that combined would definitely keep the bullies away from you."
Kai tenses up immediatly as David starts listing skills he already has, being specific enough that he lists the four types of martial arts that makes up his fighting style, "What makes you think i'd be any good at that kind of stuff", there are several contingency plans going though his head.
Noticing that Kai tenses up a bit, "Well, you are young, so it would be easy for you to learn that stuff. You might even be really good at it too. You never know. Some people are just natural talents they pick it up almost instantly." David finishes his pancakes and then sips the coffee.
Just as Kai is about to settle on a course of action the doors to the pancake house open and six or seven boys about Kai's age walk in, immediatly forgetting about what David just said he ducks down out of sight.
As Kai ducks down and hides, David looks over the boys and just shakes his head, "God, I really do hate bullies." He mutters under his breath as he gestures for the waiter to bring the bill. "Are those the bullies?"
Kai nods, "Yeah thats them, how the hell did they find me?", he slips his camera off the table in case they try to take that aswell, "They won't do anything here right?"
"Well, it would be really foolish if they did. If they do, I'll call the cops. Don't worry." David sighs as he hopes these bullies don't do anything. While he could take these kids out and actually he sense Kai could as well. He does not want to hurt anyone, especially kids.
Hoping that David is distracted by the other guys Kai places a hand on the floor and his eyes turn ice blue momenteraly as a layer of ice forms underneath the bullies, hopefuly if they make a move they'll slip enough that he can get outta there.
Not noticing the power display, David just watches the bullies and gives the waiter his credit card to pay for the meal. He feels somewhat sorry that Kai has to resort to hiding, but it is not his place to force him out of hiding.
As the group of boys starts forwards to see if Kai's there they slip and slide in a tangle of bodies through the pancake house, "Thanks for the talk David, but i gotta go", flipping over the back of his chair he ses the ice to half-run, half-slide out of the pancake house.
Blinking as the boys go slipping an sliding through the IHOP, David quirks a brow as Kai makes his way out. Finishing paying for his meal and laughing at the bullies as he too makes his way out of the IHOP, David can't help but think he will run into Kai again.
