Players:
Summary: Cheap candy, bad news, and bad feelings.
Date: November 1, 2012
Log Title: Goonies Never Say Die
Rating: R
Xavier Mansion - Recreation Room
What was once the Parlor has been turned into a Recreation Room for the students. A nice plush carpet meets the light blue walls giving it a homey feel. A pool table at one end, a foos ball table at the other, and entertainment center with video game systems, movies, and of course, cable TV. Big comfy chairs and couches surround a coffee table for comfortable loafing. Long glass windows with a pair of French doors line one side of the room bringing in plenty of light during the day. The main rule in here is to clean up after yourself.
Even though he's still stuck sleeping down in the medbay, Nicholas isn't restricted to it. His left arm is out of the hard cast and in a more flexible brace, his leg though is still in a hard cast. He's dressed in loose fitting sweat pants and a Darth Vader T-Shirt and is sitting in his wheelchair in front of the television. He's currently watching The Goonies on Television as some post Halloween special.
The crinkle of plastic announces Jill's stealthy vampire-like slink well before she's in sight. A heavily laden bag from the nearest pharmacy swings in her right hand as she approaches the couch from behind. The shopping lands with a heavy sound on the cushions to Nick's side, the red-eyed girl leaning over the back of the couch with a grin. "Halloween candy, fifty percent off," is all she really needs to say.
Outside of classes, of late, Shane has been noticeably absent; not in her usual haunts, or in her room, but often either in the gym or the Danger Room; indeed, at the moment she clumps into the Rec Room, she's still wearing her Xavier's suit, scarf wrap and all. Pausing at the door, she glances from Jill, to Nick, to the TV, and raises a bright orange eyebrow. "…I'll come back later?"
"You're the best. I missed doing anything for Halloween this year. I wanted to make use of the coat Shane made me." Nicholas says looking over the candy loot Jill has brought. "How've you been?" He asks seeming like he's in a better mood than before he was taken, who knows what feelings he's trying to cover. "Hey there Shane, don't worry about it, you're not a third wheel. The good news is sometime this weekend I should be getting one of those walking casts."
Jill's eyebrows knit and she blinks obliviously at the other girl. "Why would you leave, you wanted to watch somethin' else?" Her hand makes a sweeping 'come in' gesture before resting her elbows on the back of the couch and turning back to Nick. "I'm doing… good. It, uh…" Jill frowns, not pleased at her nonchalant act. "Sophie left the school the other night. She went over to Mutant Town to basically… like… volunteer, I guess."
Shane lifts a shoulder, clumping toward the couch when invited in. Halfway across the room, however, Jill's news brings her to a dead halt. "….Sophie," she says, in the tone of one who doesn't believe their ears. "…Blond, blind, practic'lly sniffin' f'r someone hurt so's she c'n heal 'em, Sophie? *Walked into Mutant Town?*" Slowly, she moves toward a nearby recliner, dropping in almost harder than gravity could allow for. "What the hemorrhaging Mongolian *fuck* is wrong with her?!"
The Reese's Peanut Butter cup bag that Nick was about to tear into is dropped back into the bag as he blinks at Jill. "She what? She went to Mutant Town to volunteer? To do what?" He asks as his face kind of sinks from the news. "But she'd be safe here, I know what whose guys will do and it's not pretty they…I think Shane put it best. What is wrong with her…"
The vampire seems alarmed and skittish at Shane's outburst, hands wringing and mouth opening for an uncertain 'umm' noise. "Sh-she said, umm, or wrote rather… It was, uh, stuff about God and helping people? And how she knew the teachers wouldn't just, umm, let her go so she kind of… just *left* without saying anything?"
"She's out of her fuckin' mind," Shane says, shaking her head. "Just straight up pants-on-head wild-cherry apeshit. Only thing I can think of. 'N she better know someone *real* smart inside or she's gonna be a smear onna street an' it'll be her own damn fault."
Nicholas "Great." Nicholas mutters. "Don't tell the teachers you're going there so if something horrible happens, no one is going to know what's happened to you." He shakes his head and frowns. "I understand wanting to help people but those guys…they're nuts. Look what they did to Warlock, Quenton and I, and they did it just because. If they end up doing more than just keeping them in some camp….I just hope she's right that God's with her and she doesn't get herself injured, or killed or worse."
"Well, I mean," Jill wheedles, trying vainly to come to Sophie's defense. "The teachers know *now*. 'Cause I told them. And in her note she said there's no medical facilities there, so she could… y'know…" The blonde girl trails off unhappily. "She's- she's just doin' what she thinks is right."
"There's right, an' there's stupid," Shane points out, crossing her arms and hunching her shoulders. "An' mebbe she's bein' nice, but walkin' up t'Purifiers an' sayin' 'Hey, I'm a mutant, also I'm half a sneeze away from totally fuckin' helpless' is just askin' t'be a martyr. An' that ain't what I'd call Magnificent Bastard-level brilliant, Jill."
"It's not fair that she left it up to you to tell the teachers that, since I'm sure you wanted to tell them she went missing." Nicholas says defensively of Jill as he takes her hand with his good hand. "I just really hope she knows what she's doing and comes out of it okay." The worry is heavy in his voice.
The touch of her hand appears to jar Jill out of Hyper-Apologetic Mode and finally she just frowns. "Pretty sure I said the same thing," she agrees with Nick. "That she knows what she's doing and it'll be okay." Deflated from her triumphant entrance just moments ago, Jill fishes around in the white plastic grocery bag and comes up with a sealed bag filled with many smaller bags of M&Ms. "I dunno," she says for lack of something better to say.
Shane lifts a shoulder. "Is what it is, an' nobody here c'n hold her hand now 'n make sure. So… yeah. Let's hope she's smarter than up an' leavin' makes 'r out t'be. So. Goonies, huh? How far in?"
"Well in this whole mess, I don't know if anyone knows what they're doing." Nicholas says gloomily before Shane's question causes him to look up and put something else on his mind. It takes a few seconds for him to realize what part he's at. "It's when they're going down the grate to the tunnels." He says tapping on the plastic brace with his good hand seeming like his mind is on other things than Goonies.
After only a brief struggle, vampiric superstrength prevails and the bag of M&Ms comes open. Jill offers some of the smaller 'fun size' packets to Shane with an enticing little shake-shake of the bag. "I always forget how it ends. They find the gold and then… I don't remember. Do they take it or leave it there?" She hums contemplatively. "Can't even remember the last time I saw it."
"Jus' watch," Shane says, glancing Nick's way and raising an eyebrow. "….Sup, Nick?"
"Do you really want me to tell you or do you want to just watch? My Mom loved this movie." Nicholas says with a faint smile even though he shivers slightly. "Huh?" He says looking over at Shane. "I just, have a lot on my mind, can't stop thinking about stuff but I don't really want to bum anyone out." He says waving his good hand as if to say 'don't worry about it'.
"Just watch," agrees the blonde. Jill lowers herself to rest, elbows on the couch's back and chin in her palm after dropping the unwanted M&Ms back in the shopping bag. "You been talkin' to a counselor or anything about it?" she asks, completely ignoring the 'don't worry about it' wave.
Shane snorts, shaking her head. "Bum *us* out, Nick? Case y'f'rgot, you're talkin' to th' neurotic basket cane 'n th' broody Underworld refugee. I mean, sure, y'*could* bum us out, but y'd have to like, buy a puppy, an' give it cancer, an' give it t'us f'r our birthday, jus' so we could have a puppy that died 'o cancer."
Nicholas shakes his head. "At one point I was gonna see a counselor, before all this but things got cancelled and never rescheduled. I just, don't know who to talk to." He admits. "I want it to be over but I know it's not, I…I don't know how to describe it but I know I have friends here, I know I have you two.." He squeezes Jill's hand as he says that. "Quenton, Ahmed, Connor and Warlock but, it feels weird not having an adult I can talk to or just rely on."
"M'not *broody*," Jill retorts defensively, then pauses. "Well, not *much*." She squeezes Nick's hand back. "You could talk to my great-aunt. She was real supportive and stuff. Or Mr. Parker-Mayfair's pretty cool." Her mouth scrunches up and she worries at her lower lip with a fang. "I mean, if you don't know how to describe it, it sounds like y'*should* be talking about it with somebody. Don't, like, internalize it."
"Y'r a vampire," Shane grunts, the corner of her mouth twitching upward. "'S in y'r genes, like wearin' black leather 'n hangin' out in parkin' lots." Looking to Nicholas, the girl shrugs. "Iunno what t'tell ya, Nick… I know Ms. Frost acts like kind of a bitch, but… 'tween her 'n Mr. Parker-Mayfair, prolly a whole lot less fucked up 'n I coulda been, considerin'."
"I've tried talking to Ms Frost but she's the one who suggested this one therapist that things fell through with." Nicholas doesn't blame Ms. Frost for it since he didn't do much to follow through after the first session was cancelled. "I don't really know Mr. Parker-Mayfair, I've heard his name a lot but I don't really know which teacher that is. And with Ms. Frost being caught up in this whole legal battle….I've just felt like I'm in this alone in a lot of ways."
"Dude," Jill breathes, genuinely surprised. Not in a good way, either. She grips Nick's hand, perhaps a little harder than she thinks she is. "You're not alone. Not by a long shot. If you need anythin', all you gotta do is just say so."
"Ain't th' same, Jill," Shane notes. "He's talkin' 'bout talkin' to an adult, someone who knows what's goin' on. But I guess yeah, 'til someone who knows what they're talkin' 'bout comes along… Y'r right, we'll do what-all we can f'r th'moment."
Nicholas leans over so he's resting his head against Jill and he smiles at her. "I know I'm not alone. And it's not a loneliness at not having friends or a girlfriend, you mean a lot to me. You are the only people I really have in my life that I care about so it makes you mean even more to me it's just, like Shane said. I wish I had at least my Mom, my Dad, Bodie, even..just..someone whose older to tell me things will be okay, ya know?" Cause right now he doesn't entirely feel like things are going to be okay.
All the air leaves Jill, stopping her mid-motion from putting a hand on Nick's head and messing up his hair. "Oh," she says in helpless realization. There's not really much she can do about it, and that seems to weigh even more heavily on her. "R-right. Sorry. W-well, umm, we could try… like… settin' up another appointment for you?"
"Jill," Shane says, shaking her head, "chill, yeah? S'not like you gotta fix *everything.* Jus' do what we can inna meantime, 'n see what we c'n manage after th' dust settles."
Nicholas closes his eyes and enjoys the messing up of his hair, leaving it tussled. "Maybe Jill, it just has to be someone here. Everyone out there knows my face and I don't want to risk falling back into their hands." Nick says shuddering. "It's just something that's weighed on me for a long time and with recent events it's been worse…..I'm also worried about Connor, I haven't talked to him since we were rescued."
The vampire shoots Shane a somewhat anguished look. She might not be *able* to fix everything, but she'll still want to try. And yet, with an exaggerated roll of her eyes, she relents and chills. "I haven't seen him either," Jill adds unhelpfully with a shrug. "Why don't you call?"
"Prolly you c'n get 'is number from staff," Shane notes, gazing cooly back in Jill's direction until she does indeed chill. "I mean, makes sense they'd know how he's doin', 'f no one else does, yeah?"
"I have his number in my cellphone cause of the practises and stuff. I'll give him a call tomorrow." Nicholas says giving Jill a soft smile. "I'm sorry I'm such a wreck Jill, I'd rather see you smile than worry over me." He says stroking her hair lightly just once. "So, anyway, anything new with either of you? Any new magic tricks Jill or new costumes Shane?"
Jill smirks at the boy, something indulgent and self-satisfied about it. "Actually…" she begins like she'd been waiting for an opportunity to talk about it for a while. "I *have* been workin' on one that I don't think anyone's ever done before. I was gonna try to do it at the party, but… it's not quite ready yet. I'll show you later, though! You can be, like, my test audience."
"It ain't cuttin' y'self in half, is it?" Shane says, her smirk widening for a moment, before fading as she shrugs away Nick's question. "…Been spendin' too much time practicin' t'do much sewin'. Kinda seems stupid t'play with fabric, considerin'."
"Sounds great Jill." Nicholas says putting his good arm around her the best he can. "Can't wait until I'm done with this stupid wheelchair. I'm gonna burn it." But he knows he can't since it's the school's. "I hope it's not cutting yourself in half, but I look forward to seeing it." He nods to Shane. "Sorry I can't really do much practising right now. Might not be for another few weeks. Dr Reyes is talking about physical therapy too. Apparently it's not good to have broken limbs go untreated for two weeks." He says trying to make a bad joke. "No…it's not stupid Shane. It's not giving up on what you love is all. Do you think it's stupid that I still spend at least an hour a day with Orion?"
Jill audibly snorts a laugh at Shane, covering her mouth with a hand. "No, it's not cutting *myself* in half. I said I was gonna test it on Nick first, so if it goes bad I can keep practicin'." She digs around idly in the bag of Halloween candy, not moving out of Nicholas' reach, exhaling a soft sigh. "I should be down there too. I didn't… didn't do real well at the whole Giants' Stadium thing. I'd've been dead for sure if I weren't already."
"Orion's got feelings," Shane counters, "Cotton don't. So no, I don't think it's stupid, 'cos *he* needs *you* just as much, yeah? An' Jill. Again. Vampire. 'S th' upside, right? Yeesh, you'd think y'all'd know this shit already."
"Yeah, he's finally starting to get un-pissed at me for being missing for a month. Orion has no clue why I went missing so he doesn't realize it wasn't my fault." Nicholas says with a twinge of frustration to his voice. He reaches into Jill's bag to search for that Reese’s Peanut Butter cup bag again. "So apparently Jill is going to test cutting me in half first." He says jokingly before seeing the time. "Damn, I have to get back to the medbay in ten minutes."
"I don't exactly *recommend* gettin' shot, alive or dead. It still hurts, y'know? And I know, I'm like the worst vampire ever." Jill flicks a fun size bag of M&Ms at Shane, both a treat and an attack. She extricates herself gently from Nick's arm and straightens up. "Y'want me to come with ya? At least take a buncha candy. I got tons and I shouldn't eat it all myself." A pause. "Shouldn't, but will. So take a lot."
Shane blinks as the bag is flicked at her, throwing her arms up in front of her face, but pausing as the bag hits her stomach. "….Uh. Yeah. …Thanks. …Got any Skittles in there, too…?"
"If you want to go down with me, feel free or if you want to stay up here and hang out with Shane, finish watching Goonies I don't mind. I'm gonna be taking my meds and then probably going to sleep." Nicholas says using his powers to roll towards Shane to give her a quick hug before rolling back to Jill. "Screw what ever those Purifier jerks said and did to me, I like being a mutant with telekinesis. One of these days I'd love to show them just how awesome telekinesis is." The last sentence is said with quite a lot of spite in the tone.
Jill sucks in a breath through her teeth, sifting through the bag. "Tropical Skittles," she announces, pulling out a bright teal-colored bag. In the other hand is a bright orange bag of peanut butter cups which she puts in Nick's lap gently and rests a hand on his shoulder. A look of concern crosses her face briefly, but she lets Nick vent as much as he needs to. "I'll stick around up here. You go rest up. I've got a drink in the kitchen fridge for later anyway, so I won't accidentally wake you up or nothin'."
"Yeh," Shane grunts, "basically just fuck th' Purifiers in th'eye 'bout everything. Ain't nothin' wrong with gettin' lucky 'bout your powers. Try'n sleep good, aight? Oh hey, tropical. Good stuff, thanks please?"
"Thanks. I'll try, sometimes the nightmares keeps me up but usually the medication helps me sleep." Nicholas says before giving Jill a hug and a kiss the best he can, blushing a bit since Shane is right there and it's almost like having an audience. "You sleep well when you do and have a good night. Thanks for the candy, I'll try not to eat it all tonight." He waves to Shane. "Have a good night, see ya in the morning." He says then telekinetically wheels himself out of the room.
