Players:
Summary: Robyn opens up about things on his mind to James, James responds…in a way only James can.
Date: September 18, 2010
Log Title: From Feelings To Sock Puppets
Rating: PG-13
Xavier Mansion - Library
Like most Libraries, this one has that respected quite hush about it. A desk to check out books sits next to the door, next to the desk sits a statue of an Orangutan with a sign saying Return your books or else. Row upon row of books goes up and down the room. In the middle of all the shelves are two computers for looking up titles and a group of tables for students to sit and study. Along the back wall are windows with padded window seating for students to read in quiet.
Honestly, James is not sure why he's in the library. He was pretty sure he was out at the lake a moment ago. But, here he is, conveniently parked behind a geography, "Dude…the hell?" He looks around all confused like, ears alert, eyes wide. "How'd I get here…and why is there a book in my hands?" He drops it on the floor and shrieks, "And why was it geography?!" Obviously, it's been an interesting day.
Robyn has been looking for James for about a half hour and why he hasn't given up yet is beyond him, probably cause twenty of it was walking around the woods. It's not like it's just a simple path through the trees but then it's not hard to get lost there either. The only reason he even thinks to look in the library is cause he's walking by at the time James shrieks something about geography. Walking into the library he looks at his friend. "This is the last place I expected to find you."
James looks over at Robyn, still wide-eyed, "Meeee too! I swear I was just at the lake talking to Connor. Damn…must be the withdrawls." He blinks at Robyn in a way that would send more people into an epileptic seizure, "If I start talking about my time in the 'Nam…go get somebody, okay? But until that point…it's PERFECTLY fine. Okay?" HEEEEeeeeeEEE! He grins widely. Toothfully. Maybe crazily. "SO!!!" he says with a hand clap, "Step into my office. What can I do you for?"
Robyn smiles at James and walks over to sit on a table not to far from him. "Just…I met with Emma last night. It went…as well it can be expected. She wants to help me get this vampirism under control, she…talked about Selene and how she'd be training me, with the team and stuff. Just, been thinking a lot lately and…" He sighs and looks down at his lap. "I'm not good at this just, I need someone to talk to."
James hmmmmms and shifts in his seat, suddenly looking and sounding much more professional, "Well, you came to the right place Robyn. Please, have a seat." Never mind that he's already sitting. Pulling out a pair of glasses from his picket, he balances them on his nose and looks at his frind over the rims, "And how long…have you been having these issues? It's been awhile now, right?" He reaches for a notebook and a click pen, "How do you *feel* about this?"
Robyn can't help but start laughing as James does his 'act', it's actually makes it a bit easier for him. "I don't even want to know why you carry around glasses with you. I dunno, I'd talk to Jordan but he's not around anymore and it's been tough cause I really miss him. That's a part of it, for the last year and a half we've been here together and with him gone it's…and with the crap he's been though, it's hard to talk to him. Then with Selene, she…she really got me, she got me good. Every time I see her and just the thought that I have to work with her, bugs me James. I just get so angry that I feel like I'm gonna explode, and..I finally figured out -why- I hate her after talking to you and Ms. Frost."
James raises and eyebrow and raises his notebook up to where Robyn can't see it, "You do not like my glasses, eh? Hmmm…." He makes a note and then starts scribbling as Robyn continues to speak. "I see…no Jordan…then Selene…Hmmmmm…Yes. It's very clear to me. I see what is Ze Matter!" He slaps his notebook on the table and pushes it towards Robyn. On it, a stick figure drawing, "Tell me, my dear boy…where did the bad lady touch you? Mhhhhhmmmmm? It's okay. You can tell me. I'm a Professional." He waits for an answer. Albeit to what Robyn said or his question…. Unknown!
Robyn looks at James and shakes his head looking at the stick figure which causes a small smile. "I…I hate feeling weak James. And…when she…you, I couldn't do anything. There was nothing I could do to help you, then she would come down at night and again, there was nothing I could do while she threatened me and our friends. And again when she used me to try to kill Jinx, I couldn't stop her, I'm…I'm so scared of her James. I really am. And that fear…it just, it's part of why I hate her so much. It's not just what she did to you, or did to me or Jinx, it's that she made me so fucking afraid of her." She made him feel vulnerable.
James sighs and pulls the notebook back before making a circle alllllll around the drawing, "You realize that I'm an awful listener, right?" James says as he takes off Hank's old glasses. "You need someone with boobs…like Rash. She's great at this." Given Robyn's expression, however, James will relent, however. "Okay..so….using *my* body, she tried to kill you, your friends, then you again…and you have an issue with this? Hmmmm! Sounds pretty healthy and normal to me." James nods deftly. I mea…not trying to sound like I'm picking on you, because I'm not…right now…but I think you're *expected* to feel bad about this. You've got every right to. And the fact that you have to train with this woman…well…you have a right to have nightmares."
"Well, I'm always talking to Rashmi about stuff and putting my issues on her, and I'm not looking for advice but just, god I'm already starting to hate this year. I think all this stress is why I've had such little patience for things." Robyn says as he takes a deep breath. "I hate being scared James, I hate being….weak. I know I'm not some strong guy or a fighter really, not in a physical sense but, it's like everyone expects me to just detach myself from my emotions when dealing with her but…they don't know. They don't know what she did. And she's going to get at me, I know it and I wish I could just shut it off but, I can't. Then on top of this, if I don't get my powers under control, then what happens?"
"She will, Robyn, that's what she lives for," James says of Selene's ability to 'get' at someone, "I had her in my head for months. So, aside from Emma, consider me the temporary resident expert of her. And you wanna know the way to combat this? Sadly…just to swallow it and move on. And trust me on this, she's more of a hyena than I am. And she's going to snap at your heels and run you ragged until you fall from exhaustion." James shakes his head, "She wants you scared, she wants you afraid, and she wants you distracted. Because, now she gets to harm you without ever putting a finger on you." The gnoll shakes his big wedge-shaped head, "She *hates* you Robyn. I know this for a fact."
Robyn almost visibly winces as James tells him she hates him. "She has no reason to hate me, but I guess the feelings mutual." He says dryly with a slight rise and fall of his eyebrows. "I know I have to find a way to suck it up but it's not that easy. I just…I know I'm going to need the team to have my back and I think Jinx is the only left I have to talk to and I think she's gonna be easier than the others. This whole thing is stressing me out and I don't want it to cause that's another freakin' way she's gotten at me. I just hope this is all worth it."
"Honestly, Robyn," James says with a sigh, "I think it's because she felt threatened by you." James holds up his hands, "I can't guarantee that. But…more than once she tried to get me to go after you. You may just have been a test. Maybe if I had she could have had better control? Maybe getting me to hurt you would have given her an edge?" Maybe killing him would have allowed Selene to feed through James and get out of her predicament? Who knows. "What I do know is that," James says with a shrug, "well…it didn't happen. That's all that's important. Right?"
"Threatened by me?" Even with James' explanation it doesn't make much sense to Robyn. The confusion is plan on his face and in his voice. "But if it wasn't for Forge, the car, she probably would have succeeded." He tries to go up against her and failed, at least he thinks he did. "You're right, what's important is that I'm able to be here today to whine to you about her." He says giving a bit of a smile and chuckle and poking fun at himself a bit.
James shakes his head, "Before that. Long before that." The hyena lets out a hard sigh and leaches up to scratch the side of his broad neck, "Few times…3 total? I think she wanted me to, well…kill you. Why? I can't say for sure. Who knows—it's what her type does. One was when Jono was being crazy…in the garden. Another was when I was in the locker room." He shutters, recalling the memory and the smell of blood, "It was after I took you to the med bay during the sinister attack. She was very convincing." James darts his eyes over to his friends, "I never ONCE considered she was anything but some wild animal talking to me because, inside, that's all she is. And she didn't get me to claim the kill. And it upset her."
Robyn takes in everything James has to say and it's a lot. "Wow." He says after a bit his face in deep contemplation before looking up at James and it's a look of almost admiration that he gives him. "Thank you, that just…it means a lot." He doesn't go into too much detail but it kind of puts a perspective on their friendship that wasn't there for him before. Even more respect for his friend. "I remember the Jono one and..well…I'll always trust you James. No matter what." He means it too.
James shrugs and looks over at one of the bookcases, "Ehhh…well…whatever. I kinda forgot until now. Sorry. I think I locked some of that stuff away. Never realized it until right now." It's actually questionable if he did. The hyena lives life pretty fast. Asking him to recall being asked to gut his friend is like asking him what he at on July 11, 2008. Actually…he would probably stand a better chance of the latter. "Just, you know, becareful around her. Poke her with a stick too much and, zoo keepers or not, she will snap back. Because she is an endless pit of everything I became and more."
"Yeah, that's why I asked Lucas, Connor and Theo to watch out and make sure I don't lose my temper around her during our training." Robyn says as he pushes his hair back. "I know I get…tied up with my emotions and let them control me so..yeah. It's just each of them have their different ideas and plans to 'deal' with Selene and I just think team work is gonna do the trick. Jinx and Lucas are the only one besides me who really dealt with her and then Lucas's solution was a walk out which wouldn't work at all."
James phhhts, "Sounds familial. Throw up his hands and 'whatever' it." Said of Lucas. "All their bravado aside…just…lets sleeping dogs stink. Just, never take your eyes off of her, report weirdness, and ignore any suggestions she makes. I'll do what I can from the security booth. But, even I can't watch all the time." It's another supporting thought to James pursuing a GED. He *could* watch more often.
Robyn nods and laughs a bit. "Yup, I swear 'whatever' is Lucas' catch phrase. Yeah, I just..I do wanna take this team seriously and learn some things even if it is from…her." Which is making Robyn think some things that might make him even more determined to do well. "Thanks, I really do appreciate it. I know I gotta watch my back and the other's backs as much as possible. I don't want them to get hurt on my watch."
Suddenly there's a sock puppet on James' hand. A LARGE sock puppet, "Hi…I'm Robyn…and I love everyone and my team…and myself….and my team…and muffins. Oh, I love me some muffins. Seriously. Mmmmmmmmmuffins." It's of course all said with out James trying to hide that it's his voice. The gnoll looks at Robyn, "Muffins!"
Robyn burts out laughing and doesn't stop for quite sometime. He even wipes away some tears from laughing so hard. "You have it almost perfect James, just replace cookies with muffins but muffins are delicious. " He says still laughing a bit. "So I guess you've turned me into your very own Suck Puppet." He jokes.
"Well, at least I have total control of your actions this way," James jokes, "But, I think you're a better artist than mini-you." He pulls the sock off and shoves it back in his pocket…immediately pulling it back out, "OW!" Attached to his thumb, with its teeth, is a very irate garter snake, "Cleva' Girl." Removing it and placing it back into his pocket he gives his friend a strange look, "You'd be surprised how often that happens."
Robyn blinks at the snake and he's not sure if surprised would be the right way to describe his reaction. "So..that's what all those pockets are for. She doesn't try to wiggle her way free?" He asks about the garter snake. "It's like your Mary Poppins with those pockets of yours, next thing I know you're gonna be pulling out a fancy lamp, three steaks and a grill to cook them on."
James shakes his head, "Have to dig deeper than in my pockets to find my tasty meats." Like all things, that probably sounded better in his mind. "So…everything okay now? Well…more so? I mean…not like it's going to be better with a sword dangling over your head. But…hey…" He shrugs, "You should go bowling." He stands as if it were a signal that he was about to get up and leave. This time, maybe remembering how he ended up there.
Robyn nods. "Yeah, feeling a bit better. Next step, work things out with the ol' roomie." Robyn says as he wants to get along with Connor since he still considers him a close friend. "Bowling? That's random." He says as he hops off the table and yawns. "I think I'm gonna down a two liter bottle of soda and hit the art room for the night, no class tomorrow. Thanks Perseus."
"Or…you could try to sleep…in a bed…of your own," the Gnoll suggests, "And hey…what are friends for. I gotta bill you for the full hour though, Regulations." He shrugs and makes his way towards the door, "I 'll catch you around. If nothing else, I'll keep an eye on Sunday's practice. I can watch a live feed. Keep the gorgaon off your back a little longer." He offers a parting, smarmy sideways smile and then vanishes for the night.
