Players:
Summary: James tries to Sleep. Connor tries to Gift. Lucas tries to be Funny. No one gets what they want.
Date: April 20, 2010.
Log Title Hallway Heckler
Rating: PG
Xavier Mansion - Ramsey Dormitories Boy's Floor
The second floor of the building also known as the Proudstar Wing. A red and blue carpet with a complex pattern stretches down the hall and meets with the wooden walls. Wooden doors run up and down both sides of the hallway as entrances to the boy's rooms. At the end of the hallway there is a bathroom and a shower room for the boys.
With most of the younger students in bed, there's not much crowding the halls at this time of the evening. This leaves usually the older students and the occasional hardcases to wander or sneak about. One such case of the former seems to be Connor… up and still looking like he has a full day ahead of him… but his face seems worried, approaching your door. Stopping before it, and looking at the name placards to make sure he has the right room, he looks down at the bundle in his hands… and then gives the door a knock… not calling out or anything… just the knock itself. For anyone in the hall… he's the easy one to stop… he's obviously been in the Danger Room today given he's still in his training uniform. Which given the Excelsior's colors… is pretty hard not to miss. Connor holds in his other hand a package… something hastily wrapped in yesterday's newspaper, but with the kind of pillow-like shape that usually says clothes.
Inside the room there's a sigh, the type that says less about angst and more about, 'who is knocking on my door this time.' A latch is thrown and the door opens, revealing a tall dark shape against a dimly lit room. It's James, and, for the moment, he's wearing a bed spread like some sort of cloak. He looks Connor over with unseen eyes, muzzle sticking out from under the cloth, and asks, "Yes?"
Connor grimaces a bit, and then tilts his head to try and see more than just the muzzle, "Hey… I… I wanted to stop by… I got something for you… sorta. I didn't really buy it… but if you won't tell anyone I used the clothes machine in the basement, I won't…" Then adding a bit more softly, "But if this is a bad time… I can come later. Whatever works for you, allright?" Despite before and the usual social easiness about him, there's the scent of today's danger room session on him adding an almost nervous tang to the air around him.
Lucas has arrived.
From James' and Lucas' door, the hyena stands partially outside the room, wearing a bedspread that covers almost everything sans muzzle. Nearby, Connor seems to be offering the creature a gift, to which James replies, "…" He looks at Connor for a long moment and states, "I appreciate the offer…but…" The expression is unreadable for the un-empathic, an unpleasant one. He hates compliments. Gifts more so. And it's taken a long tome for him to get used to the idea Robyn is going to give him one regardless. So, with a little movement he holds out his hands and say, "Thanks."
Connor sees the hesitations, and ends up shifting back and forth on his feet, before nodding once and holding out the package in his hands, the newspaper crackling, and still having somewhat that scent on it of processed ink and the chemical treatments to make it feel how it does, duct tape used in place of scotch in an obvious attempt to do this all last minute. Once it leaves his hands, he backs up a bit, and waits… quietly…
Lucas is walking down the hallway. He's wearing a pair of khaki cargo shorts and a wife beater, carrying a well worn notebook. He slows, furrowing his brow and slinging his stringy hair out of his eyes. "What are you two lovebirds doin'?" he asks, with a smirk.
James looks at the parcel in his hands from under his blanket, saying little about Lucas' remark. At the moment he's too concerned about what to do with the *shudder* gift. "Hey…" he says at Lucas, looking down the hall, then back at the package before shrugging and opening it.
Contained inside the hasty wrapping is a pullover hooded top, sized to fit James properly, even to sit a little loose. Dark grey in color, instead of black, on each arm in red lettering is something in what looks like Russian on the left arm, and something in Japanese katakana on the right arm, leaving the front and back plain.
Connor nods once more, and then looks down the hall towards Lucas, recognizing him from the library incident, "Just checking up… no big deal…" Giving a half-hearted smile and then eyes back to the door.
Lucas chuckles, "Christ, y'all are already at the buyin' each other clothes phase of your relationship." He rolls his eyes, coming to a stop next to James. "Is it the water? It's somethin' in the water, ain't it?"
James looks the clothing over, expression neutral and hidden under all that bedspread, "Thanks. I'll put it to good use." Which could mean anything. He looks at the arms and asks, "What's it say?" The muzzle points at Lucas a twitch under the blanket probably his ears, then a look back at Connor. Waiting for more. yep. Tonight, it's like talking to a brick wall.
Connor grins a little, a bare upturn of his lips as he replies, "It says something offensive… literally. I figured… understated, but still funny if you get the joke…" One shoulder shrugging as the second comment finally dents the emotional armor a bit, and without even thinking he snaps back, "You got a problem?"
Lucas shakes his head, "Nope. No problem," he offers, holding his gloved hands up. "You two just go on ahead." He looks at James, "Leave a sock on the door handle if it's not safe for me to come in. Ah'll go… read… or somethin'…" He turns, amused, walking back down the hall the way he came.
And still James says nothing, the comments falling flat for one reason or another. He looks over at Connor, "Thanks." it's a singular statement, not adding much to it as just a think of his eyes stare down over his muzzle. He folds it up in his hands and watches Lucas head back the other direction, "Later."
However, Connor seems to have a lot more to say as he watches Lucas walk off, and with a look of rising anger in his eyes that's shrouded in a blaze of blue-green fire that almost masks his whites, "You know something… I may suck at being a friend… but I think I'm making a better effort than you… Why don't you be an even bigger cock and offer him a condom or something… or wait… tell him where you hide your weed stash." Throwing his hands out, "What the hell… go for the kill and ask if he's into THREESOMES!"
Lucas slows, then comes to a stop, turning around. He has a puzzled look on his face, and he tilts his head. His eyes glance from Connor to James, then back to Connor. He takes a single step back towards them, and then asks, "What would you have me do, Connor? Are you lookin' to fight?" His words are calm and flat.
James look at Connor, over at Lucas, and back at Connor. He tilts his head and sighs. With a smooth, forceful movement he pushes the shirt back into the arms of the smaller youth who gave it to him and, accepted or not, lets go. He slowly turns on his heel and walks back into his room, toe claws making little dimples in the carpeting. There's a singular, "Night," before the door gets shut and a latch is thrown.
Connor gets the hooded top almost full in the face, and then ends up fumbling it before the door is closed… the door shutting sounding rather final in the momentary lull in the hallway. It takes him a few moments before he finally replies says, "No… I'm not looking for a fight. But after the week we've all had, you could be less of a dick. I don't need it, and he sure as hell doesn't need it. And if this how you normally are? Then he's got a lot more patience than I'd give credit to anyone." Shaking his head, disgusted… he starts stalking down towards the end of the hall and his spartan dorm room.
Lucas brow lifts a little as Connor stomps past. "Wow. Touchy." He sighs, and begins unlocking his door, and then goes inside.
Xavier Mansion - James and Lucas's Room
James and Lucas' room is at first glance, a typical boys' dorm room. There are small piles of clothes throughout the room in various stages of "clean." The left side of the room is Lucas', and the unmade bed sheets are in disarray, mingled around two science textbooks and a J.D. Salinger novel. The bookcase at the foot of the bed is mostly empty, except for a family portrait of Lucas' family taken when he was only ten years old and a complete collection of Salinger's work, including nine different printings of "The Catcher in the Rye." Leaning against the wall in the corner near the door is a kayak oar with a well-used life jacket hanging on it. James' side is somewhat more bare, but just as disorganized. On his desk are various books on engines, electronics, and other subjects of personal interest. The hyena's belongings seems somewhat more used than Lucas' items and a show signs of much harder use. Even his furniture looks beaten, as if it might have been tossed out the window a few times.
Sprawled out on his bed, James is parked rather soundly under his blankets. Situated just right so his foot hangs part ways out the window, the only part of him visible, the hyena is obviously trying to get some sleep or doing a good job pretending he's attempting to.
Lucas enters, closing the door. He shoves the notebook under his mattress, shirks the shorts, and crawls into his own bed. He lays there atop his covers for almost two minutes before asking, flatly, "Are we okay?"
From under the blankets, James says in the type of raised voice that knows he has a couple of layers of bedding to speak through, "Yep!" There's no other movement, just the occasional twitch of the monster hiding 'in' the bed.
Lucas huffs, clearly disbelieving that, and hops back out of bed. "Yeah. Whatever." He yanks his shorts back on, and moves back to the door to head back out.
"Later!" James calls out from under the blankets, picking up the displeasure from his roommate. He unburies his head just enough so his big black eyes peer out at Lucas as he makes a ruckus on the other side of the room before reaching the door.
Lucas looks at James as his hyena head emerges. He locks eyes with his roommate, lingers a moment, and then makes an annoyed "rrgh," sound when James offers nothing more. He opens the door, and heads out.
( Lucas doesn't come back, and for the next few days, he sleeps in the rec room.)
A smirk forms on the hyena's lips, his teeth exposing, "Wow…that was far too easy." He shrugs and wiggles back under his blankets, content with the idea he may have gotten the last word without having to say a thing, "Being nice rocks!"
