Players:
Summary: Ahmed and Nicholas put aside their issue with one another.
Date: February 12, 2012
Log Title: Getting Over It
Rating: PG
Xavier Mansion - Spuyten Duyvil Cove
This little cove leads off to Breakstone Lake. Students can go fishing, boating, and swimming in the fresh water. There is a small beach off to the side of the dock where students can also go sunbathing.
It's a clear February day, the weather off the lake has warmed slightly, enough that people don't have to wear heavy winter gear out. A welcome change from the usual frosty New York winter. Ahmed is currently out on the beach, and oddly enough, he's being a bit goofy today. A piece of driftwood is in his hand, and he's currently shadow fencing, swinging and thrusting his 'sabre' with some skill, looking almost like one of those old school movie guy, like Errol Flynn. He even has something of a smile on his face for once!
Coming from the stable is Nicholas, he's dressed in a warm jacket over a pair of jeans and his hands are shoved into his pockets as he makes his way down the shore. Running after Orion, whose throwing a ball in the area and then chasing after it, is Nick who smiles as he watches his horse play. Orion noses the ball so it's a few feet within Ahmed and runs over to grab it. Nick stops short as he sees his roommate and his smile fades. He greats him with a simple. "Hey."
Orion is the biggest surprise as he watches the stallion play with… a ball? It draws his eyes as his feline instincts come to the fore, ears perking slightly on the sides of his head. It's a few more moments as you speak before he replies, and he then smiles, and does a flourish and a salute, "Perils of going to a private school… they don't believe in normal sports all the time." And then the stick is dropped and his ears fold back as he looks at Orion for help, "So… uhhh… I…" And for a moment he goes plasticy, shirt soaking to his chest, "I… I've been thinking about what you said."
Nicholas walks over to Orion and takes the ball, giving him a treat, before tossing the ball in the opposite direction from Ahmed for him to go after. "Horses like to play, it's go to let them get out and just have fun." He says watching Orion with an affectionate look on his face. "They don't have private school near where I'm from, nor did they offer many sports at my school in general. Didn't have enough kids to really form a team in the school." He says before looking at Ahmed. "Huh? Which thing I said we kinda….said a lot."
Hands go into pockets on Ahmed's hoodie, and he tilts his head a bit, causing his silver-grey hair to whisper a bit in the wind, the rosette pattern in it shifting around and forming new patterns for a moment and then resolving back to themselves again, "I… went after Quenton not because he's a jerk, I tried to get a Happy birthday to my sister. No one would help me. Not even friends from school. So far as everyone at home is concerned… I never happened. I'm shunned. Which means… I can never go home." Once more he looks ready to bust out but he keeps it down somehow, "Then when I'm just trying to just let it all go… in comes Q-ball, and he has to have the last word, and the upper hand… and I snapped. I wasn't going after him. I was going after everyone who'd just hurt me."
Nicholas looks at Ahmed for a bit before turning his gaze on Orion who continues to play happily on the beach. "He didn't deserve that, no matter how much of a jerk he can be." He says but not in an accusing tone. "That makes two of us, shunned from home and can never go back." He says before turning his eyes back to Ahmed. "I'm sorry Ahmed, that you have to go through that. It really sucks."
Ahmed murmurs out as he kicks a rock, showing off clawed and furred feet in a pair of sandals, "I know. I gotta own up… just… I don't know if he'll take it." A shrug and he walks over to Nick, holding his hand out, "I'm sorry too… I didn't want you to be scared of me. I mean… I don't even know HOW that happened… so I got a lot to learn to keep it from happening again."
"He probably will. Quenton's really not a bad guy. Him and I seem to get along as long as no one else is there. I think he knows he can get a rise out of me and tries to pick a fight to deal with his rage issues." Nicholas says with a bit of a frown. "I think I rise too easy to it as an outlet for my anger." He says walking over to Ahmed. "I dunno what to tell you, just violence like that, you really were scary."
Ahmed lets his hand fall when it's not really taken, and it ends up going back into his pocket once more as he looks out at the water once more, "I'm not a violent person… really I'm not. Sure it's fun… but in places like the Danger Room where it's all just fun and games, or like… I dunno…" Shaking his head once more, "I like the competition more than hurting anyone."
Nicholas walks over and stands next to Ahmed and shrugs. "When it's fictional it's fine, like in video games, movies and I guess the Danger Room. And I know what you mean, I love to compete." He says as he reaches out a hand and uses his telekinesis to try to skip a rock, unsuccessfully. "Man why does this crap seem to happen? I mean why are we to be just kicked out of our life to this new life because of…damn it I hate this."
Ahmed reaches up and puts a hand on your shoulder, pulling your close for a moment, "This is the part where I tell you God has a plan or something like that. But… all that ends up is making God out to be the asshole. When it's people. I can't tell you." And then he rest his cheek on your shoulder and rubs hard, "I didn't mean to cat out on you before… it's just how I deal sometimes… the cat part of me doesn't get and doesn't care about stupid stuff like a fight. Once it's happened it's done."
Nicholas tenses a bit as the cheek is rubbed on his shoulder as it makes him a bit uncomfortable. "Uh…Ahmed…pretty much only my girlfriend has done that to me." He says not sure how to react to it. "And it has nothing to do with God. Those Purifiers claimed they were doing what they did in the word of God but…that's not what God preaches." He then looks out over the water and lets out an audible sigh. "I guess it's easy to run away from your issues when you can just do that, I don't blame you. If it let me forget for a bit, I probably would do the same."
Ahmed winces in embarrassment, "Sorry, sorry… it's the instincts. When I'm like this, I've got them running in the background, just like when I'm in the cat shell, I'm feline with my human stuff in the background. It's why I don't bite or swipe like that, because I know better." Taking a couple steps away, he gives you a bit more personal space, "Let me tell you something we learn at the synagogue… God's word, and god's law are not ever fully understood by man. So… it means that people take whatever they want and run with it. It's our place to understand what he wants us to, and not what we assume." The comment about running away is met with silence, not wanting to admit that he spends a lot of time doing just that.
"Don't worry about it, just figured it was a cat thing and you weren't hitting on me or something." Nick says with a shrug. "Oh I know those Purifiers were full of crap. I've been going to church since I was a kid. The pastor was pretty cool." He looks over at Orion and smiles again watching him as he walks on over to get a treat, which Nick feeds him. "You know, I've been wanting to call my girlfriend but I've been scared. Like, what happened to you with your sister, what happens if she just…." He doesn't want to finish that sentence.
Looking back to you after a few moments, he scowls, and then says, "If she loves you, and really loves you, she won't believe what those people said about you… she'll ask the truth. If she doesn't? Then either they did something to warp her brain, or she didn't really love you. Either way… it's better to know, and get it out of the way."
Nicholas lets Ahmed's words sink and before speaking quietly. "I guess that's part of what I'm afraid of that, she doesn't love me anymore." He says looking down. Then if by coincidence or the horse just knowing, Orion comes over and starts chewing on Nick's jacket affectionately. He turns and smiles at the colt, petting him on the neck. "I'm really sorry about your sister Ahmed. Do you think it'd be possible to mail her something?"
Ahmed sighs rather deeply, and then looks down at the sand, before he reaches down to pick up a rock and he tosses it hard at the lake, managing two skips before it plops into the drink, "Seems to me… you had to have the courage to ask her to be your girlfriend… now you have to have the trust that it meant something to her." Still not really looking at you he adds, "Not knowing is tearing you up more than knowing… and… I'd have to get someone she knows to give it to her, my sister I mean, and somehow not let my parents know it was me. Which I tried. When the community is small like our's… well… everyone knows all your business."
"Yeah I know all about small community. Everyone knows when you get your hair cut, two days before you go get it cut, by your mom." Nicholas says as hair salons aren't something in abundance in Martin, North Dakota. "You can always send a card anonymously? Or just buy something online and have it shipped directly, I mean your name doesn't have to be on it then. Right?"
"Can we drop it?" Ahmed asks, in an almost pleading tone, his eyes and posture showing his sorrow, "It… my family would know it was me, okay? If you tried to send something to your girlfriend, you know her parents would know it was you, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. It's the same thing."
"Sure." Nicholas says as he was only trying to be helpful instead of making it worse but he drops it. "And it's not Kirsten's parents I'd be worried about it'd be the Purifiers if they were still there. Her Mom, Mrs. Zimmer, helped me control my powers when I was twelve when they manifested. That's how we became friends and then in two years we just kinda…were together."
Ahmed nods once more, and then walks back over to stand next to you, and then leans his shoulder in, and just touches for several moments like that, "Sounds like the best way for it to happen… I was at a church school… a Christian school. Kinda outta place being like one of three jewish kids there. You sorta stand out like a sore thumb."
"Well, not to sound like I just settled or anything cause Kirsten was really awesome, it's really small where I'm from. In the county there were ten of us in the class, Kirsten and I were two of ten." Nicholas explains. "My best friend lived ten minutes away, which is nothing out there, but since he was over the county border he went to that counties high school. Mine was fourty five minutes away in McClusky. So things like Christan School weren't really existing there." He says looking at Ahmed. "So, why if you're Jewish did you go to Christian school?"
Ahmed chuckles a bit and nods as he listens, and when the question is asked, "The Muslim and Kurd communities are transplants… so… we don't have schools. But everyone wants their kids to go to the best schools so we can go to American colleges on scholarships…" Rolling his eyes, he motions with his hands, like this is old hat, "So anyways… Victoria's an old money town… most of the people who have the cash are ex British Military who come there to retire, or are government… so the church schools get a lot of the good money and the best teachers. My dad wanted me to be a lawyer or a doctor… until he found out I was a great cook, and so then it was Cordon Bleu, or sending me to France." And then he makes a face, tongue out.
"Mom and Dad always planned on me taking over the stable, which I was perfectly happy with and Kirsten's folks owned the gas station, slash, repair shop, slash, local food mart and they always talked about her taking over their business. That's the way it is there, most kids either just stay there and just kinda…do whatever or go off to college and are never seen from again." Nicholas explains. "It's a place a lot of kids our age just want to get out of and when they leave, they leave but I didn't want to. So all that rich stuff, owning the stable made you one of the richer ones in Sheridan County. And that entailed pretty much nothing."
After a few moments pause, Ahmed says, "How is it… we're from two totally different worlds, but everything is the same… I mean… I know what my Dad wanted… I'd learn to be a chef then come back and open a restaurant where all the families locally could work and eat at. Why? Because it's what you do. The community is what's more important."
"Cause we're both completely alone and want nothing more to go back to the life that was taken away from us." Nick says bitterly as he looks over at Orion. "I should go walk Orion back to the stable and get him ready for the night. I promise I'll be in the room tonight, was planning on it if we talked or not. I figured my hissy fit was due to be over."
"Yeah… I should go back to the room too… I've been sleeping where ever I could drop myself in cat form… just in case you needed the room." Ahmed replies, "Maybe I'm too used to sleeping in cat mode… but I can't complain… it's comfortable." He turns and starts walking towards the path up towards the mansion, "I'll walk you back… knowing your luck you'll try to get to the room, and end up in the computer lab."
Nicholas looks at Ahmed and grins at him. "I really am horrible when it comes to trying to find anything." He says putting a hand on Orion who follows along behind him. "You're not a bad guy Ahmed and sorry if I'm a jerk sometimes."
Ahmed can't help but say, "You seem a decent fellow, I hate to die." And then turns around to look at the pair before he allows his cat-shell to take over… bounding up the path and stopping at the top to stare down at the two before waving a paw in encouragement.
