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Summary: Rashmi and Skyler help Robyn squash is doubts.
Date: February 24, 2010
Log Title Chaotic Cycle of Being a Mutant
Rating: PG
Xavier Mansion - Observation Deck
Glass windows surround the circular room giving a full view of the school grounds. Two telescopes sit in front of the window for students to looks at the stars. A few comfortable chairs are placed up here for students to relax. Its a quite place up here that allows the fresh air in through sky vents in the summer and is well heated in the winter.
It's been a long day for Robyn, after his conversation with Jono, he's been kind of down. There's a little bit of dullness to his eyes and something seems to be missing. He just looks down. He's standing at one of the windows looking out to the back area of the mansion. He's wearing a hoodie over a pair of black jeans and has his earbuds in his ears. He's not listening to his music that loud so Robyn would be able to hear other people.
Given the events of the last week, both involving Sinister and not, distracted worry has become Rashmi's default expression. With her own squad's issues at least partially put to bed, she's retaken a favorite habit of hers, since her arrival at the school; finding new and interesting places to study. Her bookbag thumps lightly against her hip, as she steps oout of the elevator, eyes drawn to the hooded Robyn; all-black, in this room, tends to draw the eye. "Robyn?" she calls, approaching the smaller teen with head tilted, "what're you looking at?"
Robyn may be skinny but he's got some height to him, but the thin frame might make him 'smaller'. He looks over as he hears the voice and gives Rashmi a half smile. "Nothing really, just staring. My minds just had a lot on it today." He says turning his head back to the window. "Do you think we're stuck here?" He asks absentmindly.
Rashmi blinks, brows furrowing as she draws closer. "I don't blame you on that, there's been a lot of worrying stuff going on. But, um… What d'you mean, stuck here?" Distracted worry becomes focused; Robyn, to the young redhead, clearly providing something more tangible than the nebulous what-ifs of locking James and Zack in a small room.
"Like, is it this cycle, that we're stuck in." Robyn asks finally turning his head back to Rashmi. "We're mutants, we're caught up in this life of…abnormality that comes with being a mutant. Do you think it ever ends? Are we stuck in this cycle that we can't break away from no matter how much we try? Does it even matter if we have dreams we want to follow?" A lot of if, Robyn doesn't expect to be answered but more getting things off of his chest.
Rashmi shakes her head slowly, loosing a deep sigh as she moves up to stand next to Robyn. "I… don't really know," she says after a moment's reflection. "I don't think so, though… I mean… sure, there's a lot to be scared of, and we'll probably deal with a lot more… but… Nothing lasts forever, you know? Just… I guess that's the hard part. Looking up at the clouds, and remembering there's a sun behind them. But there is, Robyn. Nothing bad can last forever. Not if you try to make sure it doesn't."
*Ding!* goes the elevator, bringing up yet another brooding student. Although Skyler isn't really one to brood much, between the pain and the pain killers and the looming shadow of Sinister, it's hard not to brood. Still looking like Doc, and as always he's got his nametag with him, he catches the last part of the conversation. "Uh," he says not expecting people to be up here, "I'd say it matters."
Rashmi shakes her head slowly, loosing a deep sigh as she moves up to stand next to Robyn. "I… don't really know," she says after a moment's reflection. "I don't think so, though… I mean… sure, there's a lot to be scared of, and we'll probably deal with a lot more… but… Nothing lasts forever, you know? Just… I guess that's the hard part." She seems about to say more, but Skyler's entrance causes her to look around over her shoulder, blinking her surprise and smiling at seeing the metamorph out of Medbay.
Robyn sighs and shakes his head, as that's not really what he was talking about but then maybe he just has too muc on his mind so it's not coming out right. "No, I just…oh…hey Skyler." He says giving him a wave and noticing the nametag. "I, what I'm saying is, can we get away from this place or is it something that's stuck with us. Can we live a normal life or is our history here always going to follow us? I mean, is it worth it to try to be what I want or is it just something that's impossible." It's just stuff Jono was saying to him earlier. "Sorry I'm miserable right now."
Skyler chuckles at Robyn, finding a place to sit down with a groan. "Well, I left the school at one point, thinking a lot like you." He sighs, "I think I got into just as much trouble out on my own as I ever did here." He gives Robyn a sympathetic look, "I know that doesn't help much, but just because being a mutant puts more roadblocks in front of you following your dream it doesn't mean you should stop following it." With a shrugs he concludes, "You're just going to have to work harder at it."
Rashmi nods quietly. "It's *always* worth it to follow your dreams, Robyn… That's never anything but true." Glancing over at Skyler, she raises an eyebrow curiously at the talk of being on his own. "Sure, it's going to be hard… But that'll just mean you deserve what you want even more, when you get it, you know?"
"Sorry, just….someone….told me that I was spending too much time on my art and not enough time about other stuff and pretty much my art was all I cared about." Well not those words exactly but Robyn's a teenager and they tend to take things the wrong way. "But I want to go onto art school and be an artist, I don't want to be stuck here and be an X-Man. I'm not a super hero."
Skyler shrugs at Robyn. "Not everybody wants to be a superhero. Just like not everybody wants to be an artist." He sighs, "I think you should know enough to defend yourself if you get in a tight situation, but beyond that you should do what you want to do."
Rashmi bobs her head. "Skyler's right… I mean yeah, just being a mutant is going to be trouble, sometimes… Sometimes a *lot* of trouble. But, that doesn't mean you'll never be able to do what you want to do, you know? We just… have a few extra things to learn. And, well… I guess a few dozen new things to deal with. But, honestly? This is *America,* Robyn… you never don't have any choice about what you do. *Trust* me on this, Papi could tell you stories."
Nodding a bit Robyn listens and is feeling a bit better, but not entirely. Doubt is just a hard thing to deal with sometimes. "I should probably go apologize to Jono though, for arguing with him, but I dunno." He's not mad at Jono, just frustrated at the situation. "Just, my art's important to me, so are my friends but my powers, they're just something I have to live with, that's all. I don't care if my friends want to be superheroes, I just…don't."
"Well," says Skyler, "I'm sure there are tons of mutants out there who are leading ordinary, happy lives."
Rashmi rests a hand on Robyn's shoulder, nodding her agreement. "I'd say so… I mean, probably that's the reason you hardly ever hear of them. They're just doing fine how they are, happy with their jobs, nothing really to worry about, you know? Besides… *I* don't want to be an X-Man either, no matter what we have to deal with until I go to law school. So… trust me. You'll be an amazing artist, one day."
Returning the hand on Rashmi's shoulder, Robyn smiles. "Thanks, and I know you'll be a great lawyer or law person." In fact Robyn's not sure what she wants to do with law, he actually thinks she'd probably make a good judge. "Though I bet not one of those 'ordinary' mutants have ever lived here." He says smiling to show he's feeling better. "I guess I'm just worried about Jono, and you guys Skyler, that things are just building up."
Skyler rolls his eyes at Robyn in exasperation. "Tell me about it. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop." He lets out a deep, heavy sigh, "I was already kidnapped once by him. He was after Jono at the time and I was in the same area. He wanted mutants who could project energy of one kind or another, and I was just a bonus side project/plaything to him." He shudders at the memory of his experience. I just wish somebody would take him down once and for all."
Rashmi lifts one shoulder, letting it fall in an almost casual half-shrug. "Probably it won't be long," she says, looking out the window; a startingly realistic thing to say, perhaps. "…But when it does, at least we'll be ready." Turning her head to look over her shoulder at Skyler, the redhead seems determined beyond a chance of doubt. "Don't worry, Skyler… After it's over, you and Jono and the others… you'll be all right."
"I read a bit about what that guy has done after Jono mentioned his name, and you're right, someone should take him down once and for all." Robyn says as he thinks the man is horrible from what he's read. "I can't make any promises but I'll try my hardest to be there for you guys if the worst does happen." He's done trying to play the hero, the last time he did, it scarred him a bit to much.
Skyler gets a dark air about him when Robyn offers his support. "I don't know if that's a good idea. This guy is major league. I don't want you getting kidnapped as well."
Rashmi squeezes Robyn's shoulder, giving the skinny teen an encouraging nod. At Skyler's words, though, the redhead frowns deeply, turning to crouch next to his chair. "Skyler," she says with a wry snort of laughter, "I thought *I* was supposed to be the twit, here… We don't *have* to throw ourselves in front of him, in order to make sure you guys are all right. …Honestly, I'd be a whole lot happier if nobody ever needs to do that, but, who's to say? Just, um… A lot of people think I went after Lucas because he was my boyfriend. But, really, I'd've done that for any of them, if I'd had the chance. Just… you know… probably a lot smarter, though."
"You've got that right." Robyn says, in regards to the smarter bit. "Skyler, I don't plan on doing anything I know I can't handle, not again. If I can help, I will, and I'll try but I'm not going to go looking for him or anything. Just, do what I can, if I can do anything." He's not going to put himself in a position like he did with the demons, not again. "I gotta get going now, I gotta study for a math test for tomorrow. I'll see ya guys later." Robyn says with a wave. He failed a test today, at least he's pretty sure he did, but he's not going fail another.
Skyler blinks at Rashmi, completely missing the slight barb tossed at him, and the sighs again at Robyn. "I should know better to say things like that," he mutters. "It just makes you guys want to get involved even /more/."
Rashmi chuckles, patting Skyler on the shoulder. "That's just the way it goes— good night, Robyn, don't stay up too late, all right?" Climbing back to her feet, she moves back to the window. "Sorry about the twit thing, by the way… It just caught me by surprise. Honestly, I guess I don't blame you for thinking that, anyway. But, I mean it. That's part of what the whole squad thing's supposed to be all about, isn't it? Looking out for each other, because it's the right thing to do?"
Skyler blinks owlishly at Rashmi and asks, honestly and innocently, "What twit thing?"
"You were pretty loopy," Rashmi says, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, "but before you passed out, you grabbed hold of me. 'You're okay,' you said, 'I'm sorry I thought you were a twit.'" With a chuckle, she shakes her head. "I guess it was pretty major, if you thought you *absolutely had to say it* before you dropped off."
Skyler tries really hard to keep himself from blushing, and shuffles about in his seat uncomfortably. "I really said that," he asks disbelievingly.
"You were practically overdosing on painkillers," comes the amused reply. "And since the idea hadn't even occurred to me before… like I said, it doesn't really bother me. There's a lot that goes on in my head, these days… sometimes it gets a little scrambled. How're you supposed to know?"
"Well if it makes any difference, I really /am/ sorry." Skyler says with a helpless little shrug. "It's just that, first impressions, you know. Let's just run off and capture your demon infected boyfriend."
Rashmi's shoulders shake, her head bowing in silent laughter. "…Yeah, well," she manages, after a few moments, "that probably wasn't one of my better moments. Still. Like I said, I'd have done it for any of them. And I'll still do what I can, if anyone come for you or the others. Because… well, it's the right thing to do, you know?"
Skyler gives Rashmi a chuckle of his own. "More than you know. I've done my fair share of running off recklessly myself. I should know better by now, but you just can't sit by and do nothing."
Rashmi shrugs. "It depends, really… I mean, honestly, we'd probably all be better off letting the adults handle that kind of stuff. But, probably, life won't let that happen. Which just means we have to do what we think is right."
Skyler bursts out in laughter when Rashmi mentions how life just won't leave them alone. "You've got that right. I've been turned into a cat, and Peter Pan, been attacked by aliens, psycho killers, SWAT, AIM, and have been kidnapped /twice/." His tone is more amused than bitter, though. "Not to mention that my girlfriend used to be a boy, and I switch genders often enough to be of indeterminate sex. Boring is one thing my life isn't."
That laundry list gives Rashmi distinct pause, eyes wide. Shaking her head, she turns to look out the window, muttering to herself in, presumably, Hindi. "…Well," she says after a moment, "I guess I've some catching up to do. Mnh… I've only been here since a little after Christmas, so plenty of time."
"Plenty of time," agrees an amused Skyler. "But, please, don't use that as a checklist of things to do."
"Yeah no thanks, I'm good," Rashmi says hurriedly. "I'll find my own little cluster of insanity to put next to my degree, thanks…."
