Players:
Summary: Some students gather for midnight snacks in the cafeteria
Date: March 19, 2009
Log Title Cafeteria Encounter
Rating: PG-13
Cafeteria, Ramsey Dorms, Xavier Mansion
It's not long after the sun's gone down and most people have wandered off to their rooms or accumulated in places like the rec room, leaving the cafeteria empty. People have finished dinner and dessert, the few stragglers that were left only dropping in to snag a soda or any other type of snack. Shuffling into the cafeteria wearing a pair of lowslung black cargo shorts, complete with jangling straps and chains, and a simple grey tanktop, it's hard to tell if Nathan is on his way to bed or has misplaced his shoes. Either way, he meanders into the cafeteria at a slow, unhurried pace, tugging a worn, beaten looking wallet from his pocket so that he can linger in front of one of the soda machines, idly twisting one of the rings on his fingers around and around as he tries to figure out what he actually feels like consuming." to you.
When the twins enter the cafeteria, Nathan's head lifts and he turns his eyes on the pair, twitching his nose slightly only to give them a distinctly sour look before he returns to the soda machine. He punches a few coins into the slot, jabs his thumb against his selection - Dr. Pepper - then crouches smoothly to snatch the bottle from the opening near the bottom of the machine. He watches the twins in silence for a long time before he frowns again and moves towards one of the small, round tables, dropping into one of the plastic chairs and kicking out the one beside it so that he can prop his feet up on the adjacent seat.
The twins simply give thier best hot guy you can not hope to be good enough for smile to Nathan as they spot him, one heading for a snack machine the other for a table not far form the goth teen carrying a lap top. The one at the table calls out to his brother, "Nothing with almonds this time." Then dropping his voice as he mutters something about never knowing about the smell of almonds. After a moment he pops open the computer and just stares at it instead of typing away like might be expected
Dressed in Captain America pajama pants and a 'Cyclops and Havok' t-shirt, Eddie Parker-Mayfair shuffles his way into the Cafeteria. He'd fallen asleep in the lobby and was woken when he fell off the couch. Feeling a little hungry, he's decided to come get a snack before heading up to bed and hoping his roommate didn't lock the door. Ofcourse when he sees that three people…including his roommate…are in the cafeteria already, Eddie jumps. He blinks a few tims before glancing around. Pryce and Vincent he knows, Nathan's a new face to him. He shifts a little awkwardly and moves towards one of the refridgerators.
Nathaniel responds to that superior smile with a dark look of annoyance, bending a knee so he can prop his heel on the edge of the chair while he opens up that drink and then squirms in place, digging a hand around in his hip pocket. He eventually comes up with an old, scratched MP3 player, dropping it onto the table and picking up the red and black earbuds; he pauses when the Superhero poster child meanders in, blinking at him once only to smirk and turn back to his music player, tucking one of the buds into his ear so he can do something besides sit around and drink.
The twin at the snack machine actually chooses some Twix just because it ammuses him in some small way ignoring the palitable aura of hate comming off of Nthaniel. His brother on the other hand, just sighs and waves a hand at his computer which suddenly starts to play something at random by Voltair before he turns and waves at Eddie. "Hello Edward, how are you liking the new rooms? Praise heavens I actually get a room mate that does not share my face….although the hair may be a problem next time I have to upgrade my computer…"
Eddie jumps when someone speaks to him, a cringe forming on his face at the name used. "Please don't call me that. My name's Eddie…" he trails off, frowning deeply. He glances towards Nathan for a moment before looking back to the twin he assumes is Pryce. "You're rooming with Pallaton, right?" he asks. "The rooms are…umm…okay, I guess. Still not used to having a roommate," he admits, giving Vincent a quick apologetic smile. "I feel kinda bad for the guy rooming with Max though. He's always gonna be in a freezing room…"
At the mention of Max's roommate, the punk goth boy in the room shoots his hand lazily into the air, wagging it idly at Eddie with another one of those relaxed smirks, "Like a fucking icebox." He takes a long drink of his soda, letting the fizz burn his throat and then brushing the back of his hand over his mouth to get rid of the residue it leaves behind, "It's not a big deal, though. Lots of blankets." He looks somewhat sardonically amused by the subject of roommates, twisting the bottle back and forth in a fidgeting fashion while his other hand scrolls through songs on his player.
Pryce gives Eddie a long look, and files away the informationt aht his real first name seems to bother the boy and despite the fact that how he was raised the use of nick names with people your not close to is considered rude. "That would be the one, Eddie, it is almost refreshing to see how he has decorated his half of the room. Full of non-Christian spiritual regalia." The other twin returns opening his Twix before tossing one to his brother. That done the one that was buying the snack waves a hand and the computer changes to playing 'Welcome to the World' by VOltaire after Nathaniel speaks up. "Can't be much worse than spending a Latverian spring in a castle that predates central air and heat…or proper morter for that matter. A good eiderdown and a bed warmer is all you need." An odd thought passes between the twins making them both smile in a rather mischevious way as if sharing a private joke.
Eddie frowns for a moment later before getting an orange out of the fridge. "Pallaton's a good guy. He just gets…really carried away sometimes," he says. He jumps when Nathan suddenly moves, looking over with a slightly confused expression until the teen speaks. Pryce's music gets a questioning look before things click with Eddie. Realizing who Nathan is, the scarred teen approaches and offers a hand. "Umm…hi. I'm Eddie and you must be Nathaniel. We're…on the New Mutants squad together," he says, mentally checking off Nathan's name one list of 'people to meet'.
Nathaniel accepts the hand loosely, giving Eddie a wagging shake before he retracts it, jerking his chin at the other boy, "Nathan. Nathaniel is like Edward, right?" He stares at Eddie for a few long seconds to get that point home only to sigh exasperatedly in Pryce's direction, gazing at the twins over the top of his bottle. After a few long moments of contemplation, he swallows the soda and lowers the bottle, "I wouldn't know. I didn't really know Latveria was a real country until just now, either, though."
Pryce nods at Eddie and grins, "Good to know. Good guys make for good room mates…I hope he does get insulted too easily…." Pryce looks over at his lap top, and uses his powers to pull up the program he uses for drawing blue prints and finds his saved robotic vacume cleaner he had started on. Vincent, the twin still standing watches Nathan for a bit before saying, "Ahh, the glories of the American educational system. Great men can show thier might to the world time and again, and still people do not know that such nations as Latveria or Genosha are real."
Eddie winces. "Sorry, Nathan," he replies. "But uhh…like I said, you're on the squad with me, Max, Leo, and whoever Neveah is," he shrugs a little. He then blinks at Vincent. "Actually, both Latveria and Genosha went through brief periods of time where the UN no longer recognized them as offical countries during times of change in leadership so for a time they technically didn't exist…" he trails off, blinking slightly.
Nathaniel rolls his eyes somewhat in response to Pryce's jab at the American educational system, wiggling that bottle back and forth, "I've heard of Genosha." He seems to find Eddie's words a little more interesting, though, quirking a faintly bemused smile at the other boy before he pushes out the seat beside the one he's resting his feet on, nodding to it in invitation to Eddie, "I haven't met Leo or Neveah. Don't think I have, at least."
Pryce grins and nods at Eddie, "And the Leauge of Nations that existed as precurser to the UN was not recognized by the US in its day. The United Nations may say and do as they please, but their recognition does not make a country exist or cease to be a country because they will it. With the exception of Taiwan, but that was a bit of a complicated political matter. Latveria predates the UN, and will undoutedly long out live it." The jab was not so much at the American Educational system, as it was at Nathaniel. The standing twin shakes hsi head a little as he takes a bite of his candy bar before grabbing a seat himself. "Forgive my brother, he so loves the ebb and flow of debate, especially about all things of a political nature. A true natural born statesman."
Eddie returns the smile when he notices it and takes a moment to realize he's being invited to sit down. He quickly sits and starts to peel his orange. "I have no idea who Neveah is but Leo's a great guy too. He glows and if you touch him, you get this like…hyper charge boost," he explains. He jumps as Pryce speaks again and then blinks. "Well…I meant more the time that Dr. Doom was deposed as ruler of the nation fell into chaos and disarray until Dr. Doom retook control. No one recognized Latveria then. I read up on it for history class when I did my report…" he trails off, more confused than participating in a debate.
Nathaniel's eyebrows cock and he gives Pryce an amused look, canting his head to the side, "You're right. The great country of Latveria has to hang around to give us as many crazy, evil bastards as humanly possible. All hail Latveria." To Eddie he says, in an informational tone, "Despite most people's assumptions, Latveria is neither the home of latkes or viruses. Just socios." He smiles in a wholly affable fashion, faux that it may be, then settles back into his chair with that same bemused look on his face, taking another drink of his soda. He eyes the standing twin - no longer standing - but ultimately turns his attention back to Eddie, worrying the corner of his lower lip with the tip of his tongue, "…glows, huh? …sounds familiar. I've probably seen him before, but not met him. Hyper boost sounds useful."
The power for the cafeteria flickers for a moment, lights blink and the snack machines and refrigerators stop forking for a second as the twins both simply look at Nathaniel. "Ahh, insults I see. How good to know that this school is open to the closed minded as well as the friendly and polite like you Eddie. I think perhaps that we had best not tarry here and inturupt you as you get to know your team mate. Eddie, Nathaniel, Good evening to you." As Pryce speaks he closes his lap top and both he and his twin stand to leave. Not one sign of emotion shows on thier faces, but a certain cold fury comes off them in waves for those that can sense such things. Neith boy says anything more but as they exit the room Nathaniel might find his MP3 player seem to skip a beet, and suddenly be filled not with the songs he used to have but a mix of hippie music, show tunes, and a few random shiney happy people type songs.
Eddie pales the moment Nathan starts talking, squeaking slightly and trying to shrink down into his chair. "Oh boy," he squeaks. He gives Pryce and Vincent a 'please leave me out of this!' look when his name is said, hoping the lights are the only things that flicker and the defensive systems aren't brought into the fury. He gives Nathan a concerned look before watching Pryce and Vincent go. "I'll be up in a little while, Vincent. I'll try not to wake you up…" he trails off before sighing. "I hope he doesn't lock me out," he says. After a moment, he shrugs. "Leo's boosts are like drinking a lot of caffine. I do a lot more with mine…"
The cold fury seems to satisfy some felinistic urge the goth boy has as he just smiles faintly when Pryce flows out that fury, watching the pair leave and laughing quietly to himself. He lifts the MP3 player when the music changes, cocks a brow, then sets it back down, picking up his soda and taking a drink, unfazed by the sudden change, "I think you'll be all right, kid. If he does, you can always come bunk with me and Max; he's a nice guy. I like caffeine… what do yours do?"
Eddie frowns a little at the laugh but says nothing. He gives a confused look about the MP3 player but keeps quiet on that too. "Thanks, Nathan," he says, smiling just a little. "Well, I can boost a person's physical abilities and any powers they have up to three times their maximum levels depending on how much faith and confidence I have in them. And when I boost someone, I mimic their powers."
Nathaniel tilts his head to the side contemplatively as Eddie explains this all to him, lifting his hands as he says, with a wry smile, "Don't ever have anything like faith or confidence in me, Ed. The last thing I need is a power boost. Not that it's foreseeable." As if to puncuate his point, he winces slightly and shifts into a proper sitting position, digging around in his pocket until he takes out what looks like an Altoids can. Popping it open, it proves to be full of a colorful assortment of pills; he deftly plucks out three - two long white ones, one circular brown one - and snaps the case closed, tucking it back into his pocket. With a swig of his soda, he tosses all three back at once, swallows thickly, then shakes his head and focuses back on Eddie, "Sorry. Fluctuations and all. I'm an empath, mostly." He taps his temple when he says this, his smile strained and mildly annoyed, as if anger were his 'go-to' emotion of choice.
Eddie frowns again. "But…" he trails off. He stares as the pills appear, frowning deeply. "Those…those aren't illegal, are they?" he seems very worried. "An empath…wow…" he trails off, finding it very interesting.
Nathaniel actually grins at that question, waggling his eyebrows at Eddie before he shakes his head and ferrets out that box again, turning it around so that Eddie can see what's inside, tapping each of the pills idly, "Migraine medication, anti-inflammatory, blood thinner, caffine, multi-vitamin, sleep aide, cold medication…" They're all over the counter and seem to serve different purposes, but once he's identified them for the other boy, he tucks them away again and shrugs, "My powers are unstable, so it switches from feeling kind of a low rumble, like background music, of who is nearby, to being able to feel everyone within what feels like here to fucking Mars. Lots of headaches, lots of trouble sleeping - and I get sick a lot." This last is said with a shrug, just an absentminded and fairly flat explanation of why he has a pharmacy in his pocket.
Eddie blushes at the eyebrow waggling, biting his lip. After everything is explained, Eddie just gives Nathan a sad look. "Man…I'm sorry…" he trails off. His own powers fit the empathic bend but not like that. "Man…you're kinda like Tucker then…atleast in powers," he murmurs quietly. Sighing, he glances at the clock. "I better get upstairs. I've got a Danger Room thing first thing in the morning. It was great to finally meet you, Nathan. Try to have a good night?"
Nathaniel shrugs with apathetic nonchalance, shifting to his feet smoothly as he says, "No reason to be sorry. Everybody's got problems. Don't know Tucker, but I'll take your word for it. Have a feeling I'm about to get all kinds of social." He lifts a hand in farewell to the shorter teen, towering over poor Eddie by at least nine inches, "Good luck in the Danger Room. Like I said - if the door's locked, just look for the coldest room in the dorms." He wags that hand at Eddie, tossing his bottle into the trash can by the door and dropping his player into his pocket, the earbuds dangling on either side of his neck while he tucks his hands into his hip pockets and wanders off to either sleep or deal with insomnia.
