Players:
Summary: Cloud finds Star swimming and a challenge is made. The twins end up in a lot of trouble!
Date: July 28, 2010
Log Title: Crime and Punishment
Rating: PG
Xavier Mansion - Pool
A large Olympic size pool sits outside at the edge of the property over looking Breakstone Lake. The pool, always heated to the right temperature, starts at a depth of 4 feet at the shallowest end, and gradually reaches a depth of 20ft. A diving board sits at the far end of the pool. Off to the side of the shallow end, a hot tub is built into the ground for those wanting to relax. Pool chairs and tables sit along the side of the pool for those just wanting to enjoy the sunshine.
Late afternoon is edging on toward evening, the sun bright overhead. There's a light breeze that just barely cools the hot air and makes the pool a pretty popular spot for those students that are still at the school during the summer holiday. Relaxing on a float in the shallow end of the pool, her hair in a braid and trailing over the edge into the water, is Star. A few damp curls frame her face, showing that she's already been swimming and is now just taking some time to soak up some sun. One hand trails in the water and a small smile plays at the corners of her mouth, happy contentment spreading out over the water.
Today has been SOOOOOOOOOOO boring, Cloud is actully considering heading back to Boston again for the summer, it's a lot more fun being the other Cloud during the summer, unable to find any thing better to do he's decided to head down to the pool, he's dressed in a pair of red swimming shorts and a black hoodie with the hood up (covering up his bleached blond hair), he turns the corner off the basketball court and walks towards the pool, he hasn't spotted his sister yet.
Star shifts on the float, one arm raised to curl over her head and her eyes cosed to leave her blissfully unaware of anyone approaching. It doesn't last long though. Not when the light wind brings an intense feeling of bordom to her nose. She opens her eyes slowly, hazel-green slowly being overwhelmed by brown as someone disturbs her peace… She sighs and slips off the float back into the coolness of the water, vanishing for a moment as she finds herself, litterally, in over her head. ACK! She wasn't expecting that. There's a little gasp and squeak of surprise as the water closes over her head, but she's soon coming back up sputtering a little and half hauling herself back up on the float to keep from going back under before she catches her breath; the sound of her coughing heard easily as she clears her lungs again.
That get's Cloud's attention as Star falls into the water, and he can't help but burst out laughing, "Geez Star, consentrate a little", and they call him the dumb one?
Star meant to do that. Really! She rolls her eyes, though little flickers of blue can be seen in the brown and hazel when she hears her brother's voice, "I just didn't realize I was in that deep is all…" Her voice is a little rough at the moment, almost strangled sounding, but at least she's caught her breath, "What's wrong with you, anyway?" She smirks faintly, "And why bother hiding that wonderful bleach job you're sporting? It kinda glows under that hood, you know." She slips back off of the float and swims over to the edge of the pool near him, splashing lightly in his direction, "Come on in, baby brother…" Mischief lingers around her, her eyes dancing with it, "The water's fine."
Cloud groans, "How did you find out about my hair, i've been wearing a hat to aviod you finding out", and now starts the teasing, thats one of the ways his sister is alot like his brothers, still he pulls off the hoodie and jumps into the pool, a little worried, he's seen that look in her eyes before.
Star's smirk just grows a littl broader, "Oh… I have my ways…" The myseries of woman! More likely, though, she just heard some gossip, "Anyway, you've kind of been avoiding me since you got back from your little trip home. It's kind of a clue you did something dumb, you know." How very well she knows her twin. She doesn't do anything right away when he jumps in the water, instead being content to just let the worry over what she's going to do eat at him, though she can't resist splashing at him again, "How was your trip, anyway? Did you see Jamie at all?" She's got to ask about her best friend, even though the other girl doesn't usually run with the same crowd that her brother does.
Cloud ducks under the water to avoid being splashed (his logic is a little flawed), then grins, "Oh, i saw Jamie alright, and yeah i was a pretty cool trip, it was nice being the old Cloud again", he splashes water at his sister.
"Gah!" Star holds up hand in some sort of attempt at defending from the water coming at her and turns hr face away. It doesn't do much good, though, since she still gets drenched. Oh well… At least she's already been swimming so its not like she's not already dripping. She nods, something almost like whistfulness hanging around her, "Well how's she doing? I haven't seen her in over a month and phone calls and emails just aren't the same as being able to go hang out at the mall whenever we want to, you know." She wrinkles her nose a little at the mention of 'the old Cloud', but grins, "Oh, so you miss being a dumb jock that'll do idiot things like let your friends give you a bad bleach job for your birthday?" She just can't resist teasing him about that: It really looks odd on him. Not really bad, but very odd.
Cloud grins, "She's doing fine, she's different than i remember but she's cool", he runs a hand though his wet bleached hair, "We got a little wasted and i was dared to, and being the dumb jock was who i was for a long time, it's comfortable".
Star nods in satisfaction upon hearing that the girl that she spent as much time with as she did her twin meets with his approval, "She's always been cool, you dumb jock." Her tone is teasing and she's grinning when she says that; not really meaning the insult. The revelation that he got drunk and ended up with bleached hair earns a roll of her eyes and a small head shake, though a fondly amused smile plays at the corners of her mouth, "And you used to complain when I'd drink with my friends…" Although… the last time she drank with friends while he was home, he had to rescue her from a guy that was being a little too pushy. It only made it worse that she'd dated the jerk for a while at one point.
Cloud shrugs, "I didn't really spend much time with her before, how was i supposed to know she was cool", he raises and eyebrow at her mentioning drinking with her friends, "Thats cos i can handle my drink and i don't get myself in trouble, anyways its a scientific fact that men can deal with alcahol better".
"Uh… You could listen to me for once?" Star rolls her eyes again and reaches over to shove on her brother's shoulder at that, "I am smarter than you, you know." Or so she's always told him, anyway. She's in band, after all; he's just a jock! The comment about drinking makes her smile vanish and she gives him a look, so not amused by the comment, "I tell you what, little brother: Why don't we just see who can deal with alcohol better? I'm sure I can find some guy that'll buy us a case of beer." Unfortunately, she's being perfectly serious right now. Woops!
"Hey, i'm smarter in other ways, i've got plenty of skills", CLoud grins at the challange, "Why would we need someone to buy us beer, when i have several cases of beer hidden in my room already".
Oh reeeaaly… Star gives him a mock glare, "And you haven't been sharing? I'm hurt!" She grins suddenly playfully excited at the prospect of proving that she can handle her booze better than her brother can. He might be taller than she is, but she's still older! The petite twin hauls herself up out of the water to sit on the side of the pool with her hands on either side of her, "Let's go, then? It's not like I've got anything better to do right now." Therefore, he shouldn't either.
Cloud laughs, "Ok lets go", he pulls himself out of the pool, his hand stays in for a couple of extra seconds as he absorbs water from he pool and his eyes turn a pale blue, "Wait, are you even allowed in the guys dorms?"
"Well, duh. Yeah I'm allowed in there." She shrugs, "Long's I don't sleep there." Star's a little smug for having found out that little bit of information, "If you're worried about being caught, though…" She trails off for a moment and shrugs, "I guess we could go out to the lake, or something, instead…" She blushes faintly at the memory of the last time she was out at the lake, but doesn't reveal just why she's blushing to her brother.
"Hey i'm not worried about getting in trouble, i was just worried about you, we can stay in the dorms, less likey to get caught that way", Cloud follows Star, "What are you blushing for?"
"Whatever you say, brother dear." Star's probably just about as bored as he is right now is the only reason she's even proposed this challenge. Then he asks about her blush and the dark stain in her cheeks deepens as she shakes her head, "I'm not blushing." She just got a little too much sun, or something! An interesting blend of emotions hangs around her as she stands; worry, excitement, confusion, joy… If that's any indication, then something truly unexpected happened while he was at home, "Come on. Let's go get drunk." She makes sure to keep her voice low in case there're any teachers listening in. Here's hoping none of them are telepathic…
Cloud shrugs, "Fine, you're not blushing", he'll get it out of her later, he knows theres telepathic teachers around so tries not to think about drinking, but can't help but grin knowing that he can't lose with his added advantage.
Star nods in satisfaction when he appears to give up on the subject of her blush and moves over to pick up her towel off of one of the loungers, whirling to face him with one finger pointed threateningly in his direction, "And no cheating! Just because you got lucky on the genetics thing, doesn't mean that gives you the right to use it to cheat when we're doing something serious like this." She doesn't know exactly how his powers work, after all. For all she knows, he could somehow use them to be able to drink more!
Cloud puts his hands up, "How do you expect me to cheat exactly?, nothing to absorb", hopefully his eyes will go unnoticed, cos he's not cheating exactly, he's using his 'gift' to use the water to dilute the beer.
Star's eyes narrow as she studies him for a moment, letting her hand drop back to her side as she wraps her towel around herself, her hair dripping down her back, "I know you, Cloud… I know you're going to try to use whatever you can to win." As though there's an actual winner to be determined by how much each of them can drink…
Cloud sighs, "You have to learn to start trusting people Star, accusing your own brother of cheating, i'm hurt", he's not really cheating exactly, they've almost reached the dorms now, "How about a little wager?"
Star rolls her eyes, vague amusement dancing around her, "Oh, I trust people. I don't trust you." Not when it comes to not using everything at his disposal to beat her. Her eyes narrow again at the proposal of a wager. Now she's sure he's going to be cheating! That's not going to stop her from taking the bet, though, "What's the wager?" Her voice is slightly cautious and curiosity bleeds into the air around her as she pauses at the door to the dorms.
Cloud hmmms, "I'll let you choose the wager as you're the one whos gonna end up losing", oh please he could beat her without cheating, but he's playing it smart, he's not just a dumb jock.
Star rolls her eyes again and folds her arms over her chest, cocking on hip and looking up at her brother calculatingly, "Alright… When I win, you back off and don't hover so much." As good as it is to have him back, his overprotective act is getting a little old. With that, not even bothering to name what she'll do if he wins, she opens the door and steps inside, "I'm going to go change into something dry first. I'll meet you at your room in about fifteen minutes." She doesn't bother to see if he agrees with her decree before she's headed for the elevators and to her room for something besides a bikini and a towel.
"If i win you stop bossing me round so much", Cloud then waves and heads to his room to get changed aswell.
Xavier Mansion - Cloud and Richard's Room
Slightly bigger than the old room, the new rooms fit two students comfortably. Each room has off white walls with a dark brown carpet. There is one window in the middle of the wall that looks out over the grounds. Each room has two beds, two dressers, two desks and two closets, one for each student.
It's a little longer than fifteen minutes since Star went up to her room that a knock sounds at the door and the empath's voice calls from out in the hall, "Hey, Cloud, you decent?" That's all the warning he gets before she's opening the door and slipping inside, wrinkling her nose a little at the general smell and messiness of a room shared by a couple of boys, but not commenting on it. She's dressed in a pair of dark blue shorts and a salmon pink, long sleeved hinley with the top button left undone. A pair of black and white Converse high tops are on her feet, though left untied since she was just staying in the dorms. Her hair is still wet, but it's been brushed out to hang loosely over her shoulders, "So where's this beer you claim to have?"
Cloud was just doing up his belt as Star enters the room, so far he's only wearing a pair of jeans, "Hey Star, you took your time", he walks over to his bed and grabs a white t-shirt and pulls it on. He pulls his bed out of the way and pulls up a few floorboards revealing several crates of beer, "See?"
"You weren't ready anyway, so it's just as well that I did." There's no rancor in Star's voice, though, when she says this and amusement hangs around her. At least until she catches sight of the scar on his chest and winces, a sour expression and barely suppressed anger appearing suddenly as she's reminded of his experience at the hands of the madman known as Mister Sinister. She doesn't say anything about it at the moment, though, instead walking over to look at the hidey-hole, "Nice. So grab a case or two and let's get started."
Cloud nods, "Ok, and good luck", he reaches into the hole and pulls out a case and throws it to Star, before pulling one out for himself, grinning at how easy this is gonna be.
Star makes a small squeak and grunts as the case hits her, but manages not to drop it. Instead, she just glares at him and settles down on the edge of his bed with the case beside her and eyeing him suspiciously for a moment, "You too… You're going to need it!" She kicks her shoes off, letting them tumble to the floor in front of her, and pulls out her first beer; the can is cracked open as she tucks her feet up under her and takes the first couple of swallows, grimacing at the tast of warm beer, but not going to give up just because it's not cold.
Cloud cracks open one of his own beers and chugs while using the absorbed water to dilute it, he'll be following this procees as he gets though the cans (as he continues his bleached hair will begin to take on a pale blue tint), "One down", he's had practise at after game parties.
Star rolls her eyes as he finishes his first beer in short order, preferring to keep a slow yet steady pace and allow her body to process the alcohol as she goes. It might not be exactly the way he's drinking, but they didn't really set up any rules about how quickly the beer had to be drunk, did they? When she finally finishes her can, she sets it on the floor by her shoes and reaches for another can, "So besides getting drunk and a bad bleach job done, what did you do while you were at home? Was it a good visit?"
Cloud nods, "Yeah it was good, like i said, i got to be the other Cloud completely it was fun", he opens another beer and drains that can aswell, "You sure you don't wanna back out of this?"
"Of course I'm sure!" Star continues to slowly drink her second beer and nods slowly, a small frown on her face as some thought troubles her at the moment, "Just… just out of curiosity, do you ever wish you had just stayed home? That you hadn't decided to come to school here?" It's something that's been bothering her a lot the last month and that she'd thought about even before that.
Cloud opens a third beer, "Well sort of yeah, i miss who i was but i'm someone different already, it's like there are two different mes now, so yeah i've thought about it".
Star reaches over and pokes lightly at the scars under his shirt, "I heard that you caused this bit of mess yourself… You followed somebody through a portal or something even though you were told not to, or something." She's very serious talking about this subject. It's one that's bothered her since before he returned to the school before their birthday, "And then you just automatically went with that freak in the leather…" She takes a couple of swallows of her beer, the air tainted with something like accusation, sorrow, and worry, "Would you do me a favor and not do anything like that again? Next time you see something like that or someone tells you to go with them, please turn and walk the other way?"
Cloud grins, "Technicly i taked someone while they were teleporting, not really my fault there", he looks down at his feet at the mention of future Heather, "I went with the leather chick because…, because i die by her time, and i got scared".
Star rolls her eyes and shakes her head at the 'not my fault' thing. How very typically boy! "Yeah, sure." Then he mentions dying and her face goes almost gray, "What?!" She blinks and sits up, "And what makes you think that she's right, huh? She could have been lying to you and you still would have gone with her like it was nothing." She shakes her head and scowls a little as she finishes off her second can and reaches for a third, "And what if going with her was what caused you do die, huh? I…" Her voice breaks a little, "I don't want to lose you. You're my baby brother." She scowls a little deeper, "I'm supposed to look out for you!" The can is opened and she drains her third as quickly as he's been drinking his beers.
"I just freaked and reacted and i'm sorry ok?", Cloud runs a hand though his hair, his grip on the can tightens and he accedently crushes it, "Don't worry, it won't happen again, and i'm watching out for you too".
Star sighs and nods, "Alright. Just… I got scared when I got here and you were gone." She nods and open another beer, "Fair enough, I guess…" They're twins: They're supposed to watch out for each other. Suddenly she frowns a little and looks at his hair, "Why is your hair starting to look bl-" She cuts herself off and throws an empty can at him, "I knew it… I knew you were going to cheat! You've got water, or something, don't you?!" She folds her arms over her chest and points to his empty cans, scowling fiercely at him, "Those don't count because you're cheating!" So there! He has to start all over.
Cloud ducks the can going red, "How do you…, no i'm not", how did she find out, maybe she's psychic, he still doesn't know her power, "Anyway how would that help?"
"Your hair is turning blue! I don't know what you did or what you're doing, but you're doing something to feel guilty for. You've been too smug about thinking you're going to win not to be doing something." Star puts the can in her hands down on the bed unopened and glares at him, "I'm not going to go on with this until your hair goes back to normal." Or as normal as it can be right now since it's so… light…
Cloud sighs and walks over to the window and holds his arm out releasing the water, "There, happy now?, i wasn't cheating, i was just exploiting an advatage", he walks over and sits back down on his bed.
Star nods in satisfaction and pops the top on her fourth can, "Yes. Thank you." She even sounds smug now, "So that's three for me, and none for you." She takes a couple of swallows of her beer, starting to feel the effects of the alcohol already, "And 'exploiting an advantange' is still cheating." Mostly because she doesn't have anything like that that she can do to get an advantage as well. It just wouldn't be fair.
Cloud grins at his sisters warning about her friend, "Shows just how much you know sis", he cracks open another beer, still feeling confident about his chances, he can still do this.
Star's eyes narrow a little and she opens her fifth can, starting to look a little wobbly, "And what's that mean?" Her eyes widen a little, "You didn't do the man-whore thing with Jamie, did you?" She glowers at that thought, "You were home for barely a week! That's not time enough to let her get to know you." She tilts the can up and swallows a couple of times before continuing, "All I've done is kissed Topher on the cheek, even if he was really sweet, and a gentleman, and totally fun to hang out with." Can't end a good date without a kiss, even if it wasn't really called a date at any point.
Cloud raises an eyebrow at his sister, "Man-whore?, and whatever i did with Jamie if anything is none of your business sis", wait… WHAT?!, "The telepath?!", he put his beer on the floor and gets up, that Topher guy is only down the hall, "That…", he heads towards the door.
"Well you certainly get around enough to qualify…" Star ignores the comment about it being none of her business and raises her can to her lips again only to lower it and scowl at him as he questions her and heads for the door, "Cloud…" Her voice is filled with caution, warning him that he better not be about to stick his nose in where it doesn't belong, "Cloud Rosen you sit back down! Topher is sweet and nothing happened." Pause, "Besides… I kissed him. He didn't do anything." She kissed him, He broke a window, and she ran up to her room.
Cloud sighs, he can't do anything if she kissed him, "I'm still gonna talk to him at some point Star, but i won't be mean, just wanna make sure he's treating my sister right".
"We've only been out once." Star shrugs, "Not like we're /dating/ or anything. We've only hung out one time." She smiles faintly shyly, "He did say he likes me, though…" She lifts her can to her lips and takes another swig, "And please just… Be nice. I kind of like him, too…"
Cloud takes another swig from his beer, "I'll try to be nice, all i'm gonna do is talk to him, i won't hurt him atleast", he throws the empty can towards the trash can, then hears a voice in his head "Mister and Miss Rosen. You will both report to my office at MY earliest convenience. Which is now.", "Oh shit".
«Mind the language, Mister Rosen.»
Star cringes at the voice that suddenly echoes within her skull and almost spills her own beer, "Shitshitshitshit!" She pours the remainder of the can out the window and winces when she doesn't find anywhere convenient to stash the evidence, "I think we've been caught…" She doesn't bother speaking again until they're at the door to Miss Frost's office, "How much trouble do you think we're in?"
Xavier Mansion - Emma Frost's Office
Miss Frost's office is not as white as one would expect, however it does present an overall theme in the room. Using a classic den/office style structure from the building, the hardwood floor has been mostly covered from entry to desk with a white carpet that has been decorative bordered in an ivy-pattern, with the center having a delicately done floral arrangement. Two plush white leather chairs sit slightly staggered and angled facing a white marble topped desk of dark-stained oak, the Xavier Academy logo in front emblazoned in a polished steel. Atop the desk is materials for physical writing as well as a dual-monitor computer system that seems keyboardless, instead having a single mouse-like interface device. To the right are a pair of striated white marble book-cases filled from top to bottom, in the center of the pair a marble fireplace that burns sedately despite the time or season.
The left wall has a series of file cabinets sitting next to another computer desk, this one with a standard keyboard and mouse with the academy logo floating sedately on the screen. Next to those is a table where mail seems to be laid out next to a carafe of what is either coffee or tea, and a small pile of cookies, which seems to vary day by day. Behind the carafe is a small containers for sugar, fresh cream, and honey.
Behind the desk is a bank of windows facing northwards, running practically from wall to wall, bordered on both sides by silver-embroidered sheer silk cloth, so even when drawn you can make out details outside, and so long as day is present, line pours in to give the room a sense of warmth. For the times when more light is required, it comes from the vaulted office ceiling from a tasteful-looking light and fan combination. Just behind the desk and on the right side is a second door with a hand-print scanner.
With Emma's back to the door and staring out the window, both hear in their minds, «Come in. Sit down. And do not assume to think of the trouble you are in. That is MY department, Star Rosen.» With that sent she turns around and sits down in her chair smoothly, bringing up one of the side monitor screens, and settling both student's files on it for viewing.
Cloud sighs and pushes the door open and walks in, however he looks at it, they're in trouble, hopefully not too much, though that probably unlikly at least they didn't…, ahh fuck it, they are sooooooooo screwed.
Star winces and manages to make her way to a chair without too much of a wobble in her step, swallowing nerviously and trying very hard to pretend that she's somewhere else. She folds her hands in her lap and sits on the edge of the chair with her back very straight, looking pale and avoiding looking anyone in the eyes. The air around her is filled with fear, worry, guilt, and a small amount of regret, though that's just because they were caught.
Emma does not say anything for several moments, tapping several spots on the interactive screen before she looks up, "Headmaster Summers will be with us shortly, along with Mister Drake, who is collecting the evidence from your room as we speak, Mister Rosen. Now… you will be silent. You will not move from those seats. If you understand, you may nod." All said in a coldly polite tone, the room feeling almost uncomfortably cool at the moment while she goes back to reading over the files she has.
Two quick knocks on the door before in comes the Headmaster, though his face usually has a dead-pan expression, his eyebrows show the frustration he's experiencing right now. He moves next to Emma, giving off a unified front. He says nothing, but the red lenses of his glasses scan over the two students as they are sitting in their chairs. The air around him certainly doesn't have a pleasant feeling.
And a few moments later, in walks Bobby…he is carrying a paper bag containing the empty cans, and he is carrying the full ones in his other hand. He walks over to where Emma and Scott are currently standing, and he sets the 'evidence' down on the desk. His usually cheerful expression is much more subdued at the moment…he seems to know when to be jokey and when to quit fooling around. Well…sometimes. "There ya go," he smirks, lightly, giving a quick yet icy and disappointed glance over at the students.
Cloud stops himself from sighing as that probably breaks silence, instead he just thinks over and over, it was my idea Star wasn't involved, it was my idea Star wasn't involved, while nodding to show he understands, he gulps as the other hadmaster enters and another teacher aswell, yeah, they're definatly screwed.
Star nods quickly and shoots her brother a quick glance out of the corner of her eyes before they focus on her hands still folded in her lap. She's fully aware that they're in deep trouble; and she's probably the one that's in the most trouble because she did challenge him that she could drink as much as he can. Her hair is still damp from going swimming earlier and she's dressed comfortably, her shoes on, but untied in her haste to get to where they were ordered to go. When Mr Summers enters, the elder Rosen twin seems to wilt a little more, the cloud of emotions hanging around her speaking more eloquently than the teenager likely could at the moment just how much trouble she knows she's in. The chill air of the office makes her grateful for the fact that she's wearing long sleeves, though she'd really prefer pants instead of shorts…
The girl glances up when yet another teacher enter's the room and winces. Uh oh. She's sure their parents are going to hear about this now… Not like they wouldn't have before, but… Well, at least there was some hope of managing to scrape by without getting totally kicked out of the school before… Now, though- well… She hasn't even had one real class yet. Maybe she won't be going to school hee in the fall…
Looking back and forth between Bobby and Scott, Emma stands up so that all three are looming over the twins, "Cloud Rosen, you are here today because you and your sister Star have broken two rules as stated in the guide that was given to yourself… and to your parents contingent on your enrollment in the Xavier School. Rooms will not be co-ed… this is clear. You are not to have a member of the opposite sex in your room at any time, even IF… she is your sister. The other is that no student on campus under the legal age will be allowed to consume alcohol or smoke on campus, or be discovered smoking off campus by a member of the staff here." She turns her head to look at Scott, "Headmaster Summers?"
Scott looks to Emma, breaking his stare of the students. "It's obvious that it did happen, so there's no use in trying. I'm sure that you two will tell us the truth. As you know, if we don't get the truth, we can find out, and neither Headmistress Frost, nor I will be easy on you two." A look to the full cans and the empties in the bag. "Who got the beer, and where did they get it?" He asks, quickly, and sternly.
Bobby gives a nod in agreement to both Emma and Scott's words, then adds…"There's a time and a place for everything, you two. You just picked the wrong time and the wrong place…" Bobby gives a slight shrug and a look that seems to say 'you guys ticked off the wrong two people'. "They make laws for a reason." He folds his arms across his chest…"And hey, I'm all for having a good time…you can ask the Captain and Tennille over there…" Annnd…there it is. Had to say at least SOMETHING otherwise his head was going to explode. "…it's just that you don't always have to involve alcohol to enjoy yourself. Common misconception."
Cloud runs a hand though his bleached hair and sighs, "It was mine, one of my brothers got it for me when i visited Boston earlier in the week, none of this is Star's fault", he fights to suppress a grin at Bobby's comment dispite the serious situation.
Star glances over at Cloud and winces, the guilt becoming even stronger around her as she mutters quietly at him, "I told you we should have gone out to the lake…" That would be one less mark against them: No girl in the boy's room. The empath cowers slightly at what she picks up from the three adults, suddenly not feeling as grown-up as she thought she was since their eighteenth birthday. No, she's feeling more like a little kid that's been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Worse, she's feeling like a teenager that's been caught doing something she knows she shouldn't have been doing in the first place with three adults looming over her and feeling their disappointment washing over her.
She licks her lips and dares to look up at them, "It was my idea. Cloud said that men could handle alcohol better than women and I wanted to prove him wrong." Her voice is just above a whisper, as though she's afraid to speak too loudly and bring everyone's attention down on her head. She turns pleading violet tinged gray eyes on Bobby when he makes his joke, "It wasn't for fun, it was to prove that being a girl doesn't make me less able than he is…" And maybe she thinks that she'll get sympathy from the guy that just cracked a joke? Judging by how frank she's being, she's obviously more than a little drunk…
Her face looks mostly unreadable as Emma listens, and the Bobby and Scott hear in their minds, «This is their first offense of this nature, and the girl is deathly afraid this will mean she cannot attend here. The boy on the other hand is showing a severe lack of discipline. I say they be punished together, and Robert… I believe you are the best one to make it as light and fair as possible, but not let them get away with anything. At least they could have had the good taste to obtain bottled beer. Cans. Maybe age will teach them to appreciate a decent microbrew.» And after a moment where all that has been thought, she says to the children, "Cloud, get your sister something to drink from the table over there. I am glad you are both willing to accept blame. This means you are both willing to accept punishment. Together."
«You don't need to have your gifts to see that on her.» He offers, a mix of scoff and light chuckle are suppressed at the microbrew statement. Then the Headmaster looks to Bobby. «I won't disagree about Cloud and discipline. But I think he can be shown still.» "Water, preferably, Cloud." Scott says in addendum to Emma's asking. "And you thought that breaking the law, along with school rules was a good way to prove that women are equal as men?" He's been around strong women most of his teen and adult life, so the thought of gender superiority is a moot point on him. "What you do in the care of your parents is their business, but when you are here, we are legally responsible for your safety. And it is not alright for you to bring back alcohol into this campus." Scott looks at Cloud directly as that's said.
Bobby attempts to hide the grin that begins to show upon his face as Emma's voice echoes in his head. «No doubt,» Bobby thinks in reply…«Hell, if they were gonna get in trouble for drinking, they at least could've made it worth it and consulted the experts…» He quickly raises a hand to his mouth to stifle a snicker, then clears his throat and attempts to get serious again. He gives a nod to Emma at her idea, then turns his gaze back to the two students. "Star, you don't have to prove anything to anyone. And especially not that way. I hope you two learn something from this. Seriously…there are very few things you can get in trouble for at this school, you guys just happened to pick one of em. Heh. Lucky you."
Cloud gets up quickly when instructed to get his sister soem water, she allways was bad at getting told off, he hands the water to his worried sister, "Calm down sis, i'm probably in more trouble than you", he whispers before sitting back down.
Star pales a little more at the mention of punishment, but just nods and swallows again, once more dropping her eyes to her hands folded in her lap and wilting a little more under their gaze; her shoulders hunching a little under the weight of their disapproval. She just shrugs at the question about breaking the law, but remains silent. She looks up at Cloud when he brings her the water and quietly takes it, quickly raising it to her lips and drinking. Maybe water will flush some of the alcohol from her system and help her think better. Though it'd be better if the atmosphere weren't so thick at the moment. She nods again, but glances at her twin again. How can he be so calm when they're all upset with then?
There's a brief but final exhale from Emma before she then brings her hands behind her back, "Even though this is summer vacation, the normal restrictions on this infraction will be applied. Neither of you will be allowed off campus until such time as your punishments have been decided and completed. This will be going on both your records here on campus, and because of the nature of the issue, we are required to report this to your parents."
This is where Emma leans in on her desk, and places her hands on it as she locks eyes somehow on both children, "Understand me well, children. It is a failure on our part when we must report issues such as these to the parents of students. We are just as accountable for your activities as yourselves. How can your parents trust we can care for your brother when we allow him to do something like sneak canned beer onto campus? How can we assure the police we are abiding the law? How can we assure ourselves that more students have not been doing the same thing without fully encroaching on your rights to privacy? Be thankful you did not decide to do this in the middle of the school year."
Scott gives a nod to the two students. Letting the words from Emma sink in. He's going along with what she says, unified front and all. "And we will be saying that it was your brother that sent you back with the beer." He adds on, he doesn't treat this situation lightly, that's for sure.
Bobby gives a little sigh, the usually-immature and good natured Iceman a bit more somber than usual. Usually at this point, he most likely would've been kicked out of the room by either Scott or Emma, so the fact that he remains is a testament to the seriousness of the situation. "Oh, and something else they didn't bring up…" he motions towards Emma and Scott…"…we've had enough problems trying to convince everyone out there that we are trying to do our best here to educate and produce respectable citizens. What do you think would happen if it got out that our students are boozing it up like Mel Gibson?" Bobby smirks. "Not the best publicity stunt, it would seem. Your reputations aren't the only ones on the line here, kiddos….remember that. Now…" he rubs his chin as he looks both of the students over…"Gimmie a few minutes to try and think of an appropriate punishment…"
Cloud really has to start thinking before he acts, it's bad enough getting himself in trouble but Star's involved this time whch is not cool, not to mention his folks are gonna bitch at Kaden for getting the beer, hmmm how long are they grounded for?
Star winces and slumps a little bit at the thought of not being allowed off campus. Again. She just nods silently when told that their parents are going to be told and sighs. She expected their parents to be told everything. Honestly, she's expected their parents to have been told about her other little… adventures… before now, too. Doesn't mean that she doesn't dread the phone call she'll get afterwords, though. Or having her allowance taken away until further notice. Damnit! And she still hasn't collected on her birthday present from Cloud. He owes her a shopping trip… She winces faintly at the thought of their brother getting in trouble, too and just sighs, nodding again.
A look is given to Scott, and then to Bobby before Emma finally says, "You are both dismissed. You will take your evening meals and report to your rooms. You will receive information on your punishment from Mister Drake once he has decided it, and it has been logged in the system." Pushing off the desk, somehow the door opens, a small piston on the lock and bolt pushing it open, hidden in the framework, but enough of a trick to startle some, "Do not think for a moment we are inattentive. Security will be informed of your infractions, and that you are effectively grounded. Good evening, Children." Emphasizing the final word, and giving a glare that could emulate Scott Summer's own ocular destruction if given more of a chance.
