Players:
Summary: July tries to weasel information from Jeremy about himself.
Date: November 24, 2009
Log Title Cigarettes vs Food
Rating: PG
Location
LIn front of the large white building with pillars, American Flags, and bell tower on top, is City Hall Park with its extravagant fountain. Four sets of black iron gas lamps sit on the four corners of the fountain, there the only gas lamps left in the city. Four spouts of water shoot in the center tier of the fountain and shower down into the water below. Four smaller pools sit on each side of the fountain where water pours into them from the main part. Benches sit all around the fountain with trees and flowers covering the grass behind.
It's a cool day out and people are milling about dressed for the weather. A few looks go towards the Asian kid at the fountain, Jeremy. He's decided to try to get a little clean using the water from the fountain to scrub at his face. Sure it's cold but it's the only way Jeremy has to get clean at the moment, and he definately looks like he needs a good bath.
July sighs heavily as she finds an empty seat for herself on a bench nearby the fountain, shifting her shoulders as the weight they were supporting is relieved. She's carrying a few shopping bags with herself, clothes bags, judging by the logos on the bags. Seems like this girl has been out getting some new weather clothes for herself. She looks around, bringing a hand up to brush her hair off her face, when the notices the kid washing his face on the fountain, making her raise an eyebrow at him.
As much as Jeremy would love to wash his hair as well, he knows that wet hair in this cold will just get him sick. Once he's done wetting his face, he puts a pair of holey gloves on and picks up his backpack and looks around. He finds a spot to sit not to far from July and sits down as he starts to look through his backpack, pulling out a crumpled bag of cheese puffs.
July stretches her legs forward a bit to relax a bit, shifting her shoulders now that the weight they were carrying is gone for the moment, before she brings her eyes again to the guy using the fountain. She watches him move from the fountain, back to a bench next to her to rummage through his backpack (she assumes it's his), and she can't help but feel sorry for the poor chap. She watches him for a few moments, before sighing softly, and reaches a hand to pull one of the bags onto her lap, starting to rummage through it as well.
Jeremy digs out a crumbled cardboard sign out of his bag that says 'hungry, homeless, please help' as he continues to dig through until he also pulls out a crumpled pack of cigarettes and lights one with a shaking hand before starting to shove everything back in his pack, except for the cheese puffs. After a couple of drags of the cigarette his hand still shakes a bit.
July watches the guy pick up a cigarette and light it. She watches him for a few moments and sighs softly. Damn her heart for being even softer than her body. And considering her powers, that's saying something! She stands up and picks up her bags. She wishes she could at least drop those things back home first, but, by the time she returns, the guy might be gone. "Hey." she says as she approaches him. "Are you hungry?" she asks with a gentle smile.
Jeremy looks up and shakes his head. "No…I've got these." He says indicating his cheese puffs. He could always go for food but he doesn't like to take too much. "Thank you though miss." He says offering a soft smile. He takes another drag off the cigarette as the bag of cheese puffs can probably hold him till tomorrow.
July can't help but chuckle softly and smile, "How about this?" she offers, "Throw away your cigarette, and your cigarette pack, away, and I'll take you to get something good to eat at Starbucks over there." she points out at the coffee joint on the other side of the street. She looks at the place, then back at Jeremy. "What do you say?" Weirdly enough, she's telling the truth.
Jeremy raises his eyebrows at July and lowers the cigarette with a shaking hand. "You want me to stop smoking and you'll be buy me food?" He's not about to throw away his pack of cigarettes even for free food, he needs them to hold him over. "It's not exactly easy for me to give up smoking." He says nervously.
July hmms softly at that, and then she extends her hand towards the guy, "Then give it to me." she says, smiling, "And I'll give it back to you after we're done in Starbucks. If you still want it." she offers.
Jeremy takes a long, final drag off of his cigarette before handing the crumpled pack to July and droppign his cigarette to the ground. There's only about three cigarettes in the pack. "Okay, there, you have my pack." He might have refused food earlier but the prospect that she's still offering does make him hungry.
July smiles and picks it up, putting it in her purse, "Alright." she says cheerfully, giggling softly, before turning to look back at her newest companion, "Shall we head in, then?" She asks, still smiling, "Name's July. What's your name?"
Jeremy nods and stands up, slinging the backpack over his shoulder. "Jeremy." He says introducting himself. "Thank you again July." He tries to straighten his hair a bit but it's just so tangled from being on the streets for so long it's tough.
July smiles as she opens the door to get in Starbucks, "Nice to meet you, Jeremy." She says, heading toward one of the tables, near the windows, "And you're welcome. Have a seat, pick what you want." she offers as she picks up two menus, and offers Jeremy one of them.
Jeremy picks a seat by the window, not like there's a huge variety in the Starbucks. "So do you make it a habit of feeding strange homeless teens?" He asks her trying to start up some kind of conversation, he's not good at it though. He looks at the menu trying to look for something small.
July chuckles gently at that comment, and then she shrugs, "Honestly? I don't know." she says, smiling a bit, "First time, though. How about you, Jeremy? How about your parents? Where are they?" She asks, trying to know more about the guy across the table from her.
As the subject of parents comes up, Jeremy's face darkens and his gaze lowers. "I don't talk to them anymore." He leaves it at that as it's something he really doesn't like to talk about. "I don't have parents….anymore."
Annalisa is walking down the sidewalk, right past the Starbucks, when she spies through the window, July! She also sees her sitting with someone shes never seen before, so she stands at the window, and tries to spy.
July ah's softly. "Bad arguments with them. I see." she says, hmm'ing a bit, "So, then, Jeremy." she smiles a bit, "Why don't you tell me about yourself? Why are you on the streets? I'm sure you could have found some other, better places to stay?"
Jeremy is sitting across from July looking worse for the wear, his hair is messy, his gloves have a few holes in him and his clothes are quite dirty. "What do you want to know, I ended up in New York with no family, friends or money and ended up on the streets. I don't really have anywhere too go. What about you?" He's not really comfortable sharing that much about himself.
Annalisa decides its safe to interupt, opening the door, she strolls over to their table, and waves at July. "Juuulllly!" She exclaims happily. Shes dressed up in a light pink dress, with a pair of white boots, and an indigo jacket covering her shoulders.
July smiles, tapping her index fingertip on the table as she ponders what to say to her friend. "Hmm… I come from a wealthy family." she says, smiling, "Some… unfortunate accidents that happened in the past forced them to hide me from the public for a few years. But now I'm here. I'm studying, trying to get in college." She says, nodding softly, before hearing Anna's voice, and she turns her head to look over her shoulder at Annalisa. "OH, hi, Anna." she says, smiling.
"My family wasn't too bad off but I don't think they acknowledge I exsit anymore." Jeremy says not going into detail, it's soemthing he doesn't talk much about. "It's good that your family stood by you." He says before jumping slightly at the presence of someone else before looking up at her offering a shy smile and wave.
Annalisa gives a slight lazy wave to Jeremi, and pulls up a chair next to July. "Whats up?" She says with a happy grin.
July smiles and kisses Anna's cheek after the girl sits next to July. "Nothing much, talking to a new friend." she says. July has quite a few shopping bags around herself, on the floor. Seems like the girl has been buying some new clothes. "Getting to know each other. This is Jeremy." she says, before looking at Jeremy. "Jeremy, this is Annalisa, from my school."
Jeremy waves again and nods. "Yeah, I'm Jeremy." He echos. "You're friend July was just helping me out." As she was gonna buy him something to eat in exchange for holding his cigarettes hostage. "I kind of miss going to school." Says the Asian teen.
Annalisa nods a bit, and smiles at July, and her bags of assorted goods. "School is okay, cept when stuff goes wrong, like setting the science lab on fire."
July arches one eyebrow at Anna's comment, but she giggles, smiling, "Well…" she hmms softly, "Have you tried going to help centers in town?" she asks, smiling, looking at Jeremy again, "And speaking of trials, did you decide what are you going to order?"
Annalisa smiles softly, and leans against July. "Are you gonna buy me something too?" She asks July with a wide grin, and glances at Jeremy.
Jeremy shrugs. "Yeah, I used to stay in a Runaway Shelter but something happened." He looks over at the menu again and nods. "Yeah, I'll just have a tea and a piece of coffee cake." It's not to much as he still feels bad about handouts, even if he isn't afraid to pick someone's pocket.
July sticks her tongue at Annalisa, "Later." she giggles, smiling, before looking at Jeremy again, "Something happened? Can you tell us? A fight? Prejudice?" she tilts her head softly to the side.
Jeremy shakes his head. "It wasn't a fight or prejudice, I just…got into some trouble." Is what Jeremy leaves it at, it's hard for him to say what got him kicked out. "It's not easy being alone, and having to depend on just yourself but I gotta do it."
Annalisa tilts her head to the side about, but sticks her tongue out at July. "Aren't there places that will help you out?"
July shrugs gently, as apparently Jeremy doesn't feel comfortable sharing whatever reasons he has, but she smiles, "Yes, there has to be other places you can go. Friends' houses, other runaway shelters…?"
Jeremy shakes his head. "I don't have any friends out here, and back in Ohio….I'm better off not there." He'd never want to go back to Ohio anyway. "I don't think I'd be welcome in another runway shelter."
Annalisa scoots her chair uncomfortably close to July's and glances at Jeremy. "Theres gotta be one somewhere that'll help…"
July blinks softly at Jeremy's words, and then she giggles softly, while Anna leans more onto her. "By the way you're talking, it sounds like you're a mutant and everyone's after you." she says, smiling. Her voice, of course, is low enough that no one outside the table group can hear her.
Jeremy pales a bit and sighs. "I didn't get kicked out because I'm a mutant." Though he doesn't say if he is a mutant or not. He's not denying it but not saying yes. "I just did something I shouldn't have, can we please change the subject? I barely know you, why do you want to know everything about me? I'm just a teenager whose down on his luck."
Annalisa scratches her head a bit, and leans against July. "Shes nosy. Mhm…"
July oh's softly. "And are you?" she asks, smiling a bit more now, since there's a chance to help him now. She grabs her finger, and tugs on it, and it stretches, "I am." she says softly, nodding.
Jeremy sighs and tightens his gloves on his hands a bit and looks at the holes. "Yes, I am a mutant, but that's…a part of the problem but not really. It's why I got kicked out of my house." He admits but looks down at the table.
Annalisa snickers a bit, and looks over at July. "Mutant problems, I think we know a place that can help…"
July oh, smiling and nods, releasing her hand, "Well, good news for you, then." she nods, "You just got yourself a home, bed, and food, and school, too." she nods again.
Jeremy looks at July skeptically and shakes his head. "No…I'd be better off on my own." He says as he doesn't know how he'd get by in a crowded environment at the moment. "You are offering me a place to live and go to school?" He shakes his head again.
Annalisa giggles, and nods a few times. "We live in a special school for special people like us." She states flatly, almost like its some sort of mental disability.
July arches one eyebrow at Annalisa. "Calm down." she smirks a bit, before looking back at JEremy, smiling softly. "It's a school, it's Xavier's school for gifted people." she nods, "They… take in people like us." she says in a soft voice, just for the group at the table, "To teach us to use our powers responsibly, as well as giving us normal school lessons. A haven, of sorts. Everyone there has a power, you're not alone, y'know?"
Jeremy tenses up and looks around, like he's looking for the quickest way out the door. "I don't need to learn control of my…seeing the past, it's just…" He shakes his head. "A school like that wouldn't want me, I know it."
Annalisa snickers a bit, and shakes her head. "If they'll take me, they'll take anyone!"
July smiles and nods softly to Jeremy. "The school takes anyone. No matter what power you have, as long as you're a mutant." she says, nodding softly, and offers her hand to Jeremy. "What do you say? Want to get off the streets, take a bath, make friends, go to school with us, and meet some of the most amusing teachers in the world?"
"I can't." Jeremy says a good as it sounds. There's just a reason he doesn't think he can and the same reason makes him afraid to go. "Do I want to?" Does anyone want to live on the streets, but he just shakes his head. "I just can't."
Annalisa perks an eyebrow and looks over at July, completely confused. "Come on, its nice. they don't even make you pay when you burn a field down."
July blinks softly, confused. She tilts her head softly, stunned into silence for a few moments by Jeremy's answer. Finally, she speaks again. "… Why not?" She gently lays a hand on Anna's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Jeremy, but I can't see any reason why not. If you think your power is dangerous to people around you, they have ways around it. Please, mind telling me about it?"
Jeremy is quiet for a long time, looking down at his hands. "Can I have my cigarettes back? You don't need to buy me anything, I'll just be on my way." He says as he stands up. "It's not my powers that's the problem, it's me."
Annalisa glances over at July, then Jeremy. "Cigarettes are gross…" She mutters almost randomly.
July sighs as she picks up the cigarettes from her purse, "We'll meet again, Jeremy." she says softly, "I don't know what reasons you have to not come. We can protect you, we all can teach you, we all can be your friends." she smiles, "We'll meet again, then we'll go somewhere else to talk." she says, and then she hands the cigarette pack to Jeremy.
Jeremy takes the pack of cigarettes with a shaking hand and nods. He doesn't really know what to say as he holds the cigarettes tight in his hand. "Thanks." He says. Jeremy doesn't comment on Annalisa's cigarette comment but to him, they're a comfort and a lifeline in an odd way. He just nods at the two girls before taking off and trying to disappear in the crowd of the New York streets as best as possible.
Annalisa gives Jeremy an idle wave, and glances over at July. "Weird guy."
July watches Jeremy disappear in the crowd. "He either ran from home, or was kicked out, because of what he is." she says softly, "And now he's living on the streets. I'd say.. he's doing pretty good since he's not stealing people." Then she sighs softly, "But I really don't want him out on the streets. I don't know his reasons… but I'll talk to to headmaster at the school about him. I'm pretty sure they can locate him and convince him."
Annalisa sets her head against July's shoulder and sighs. "I'm sure we can get someone to hunt him down and drag him to the school…"
