Players:
Summary: Wrong things are said, buttons are pressed, people explode.
Date: April 14, 2010
Log Title High Tensions
Rating: R
Xavier Mansion - Attic
Every wall is made of glass up to the domed ceiling. Storm has really done her work up here over time and turned it into quite the indoor garden. The room is separated into different parts for the different plants that are in there. There are flowers, vegetable plants, herbs, shrubs, small trees and much more. There are plants that shouldn't even be able to be found in this northern climate but they thrive up here. Anyone wanting to come up here for fresh herbs, fruit or vegetables are welcome to steal from the indoor garden. Depending on the time of year, various different species of flowers and different fruits and vegetables grow. In one area there are a few small fountains and a bench with some fresh dirt on the the ground with trees and plants all around. It seems like a good spot for meditation.
When doing art, there's nothing like the real world to use as inspiration. Thus why Robyn's up in the attic today, in a nice little spot with a black board in his lap as he works on his sculpting. Sure there are no venus fly traps or other carnivorous plants up here, but Robyn's using the plant life up here to get a good idea of the leaves and the way a plant curves, along with the potting and dirt. He's dressed in black skinny jeans along with an evil Micky Mouse t-shirt, his hair hangs a bit in his face as he's bend over working with the clay. He hums a bit to the music playing over his earphones.
One of his favorite private spots to practice, Jonothon finds that it's not so private today. Not that this is a bad thing. Closing his phone, for he'd been texting on the way up, the man climbs those last couple steps and says, «Hullo.» Hasn't seen Robyn in a while. «How was the trip?» A nice thing about telepathy.. doesn't need to worry about being heard over ear phones. Jono is wearing his normal attire today. The black tshirt he wears has a gold (X) on the front, but that's about it. Everything else is of course black, including the battered jacket he sports today. It has a British flag over the back.
Theo has been a little bit of a subject lately. After the incident with James and Lucas, he's been avoiding most of the teachers. He hasn't said as much, but he doesn't really care to comment on what happened, so long as he isn't indicted as a villain in the matter. He doesn't want the hero glory either.
But why is he up here while class goes on? He steps up into the attic, staring at his iPhone. There are less machines here, and so he's found it a tolerable place to relax. During class. Teachers are noisy, too. He starts to wander along the isles of vegetables, not paying attention that he is beginning to walk across Robyn's line of sight.
For reasons very similar to those which have moved Robyn to the attic greenhouse, Mike Drakos comes up to the glassy room with his sketchpad. He's done studies of individual leaves of ferns, mostly, but other leaves as well. He murmurs a distracted "Good morning" to the occupants, and kneel-sits next to a fern which he has studied before. This time the drawing is a bit less representational, as he begins sketching what appears to be a space-filling curve that resembles the fern but is rather strictly mathematical.
He's image-induced today, with his teenage-jock form clad in a tight sleeveless tee-shirt in red, and his usual cargo shorts.
Robyn looks up and takes off his headphones. Music can be heard briefly before he turns them off. "Hey Jono." He says with a smile and he just looks a lot more relaxed. "The trip was great. Except for the whole begining where some crazy people tried to hijack the plane, figures right? But everything after that was great." He really did need the vacation. At least he hasn't heard much about the drama here yet. "It was really nice meeting Jordan's family too." He doesn't notice Theo right away but Mike, that red shirt is hard to miss. It takes Robyn a bit to recognize him as he's not used to Mike image induced. "Hey Mike."
There's the shake of an auburn head as Jonothon realizes just how crowded this room is getting, and yet he smiles softly for it. As Robyn replies, the Brit sinks down to kind of sprawl on the floor. Nice bit of sunlight here, so he's apparently become part cat. All that black is good for soaking up heat after all. «Par for the course.» About there being trouble. He lifts arms to pillow his head, and leaves his cell phone on his chest. Okay, comfortable. «Hey, mate.» That to the distant Mike. Theo he leaves to wandering. «Told you it would be okay. About Jordan's family I mean.»
Theo's eyes move off of his phone as he hears people speak, but his head doesn't turn. "This like, skip class central?" he asks. He lowers his phone, and stops, directly in the line of Robyn's picture unintentionally. He starts to walk closer to the group, but doesn't greet each person separately. The only one he doesn't know at all is Robyn. "Don't think I know you," he says. Not a real greeting, since he doesn't actually give his name, but he does identify that Robyn's a new face to him.
Mike looks up at Robyn and glances around the room. His internal thoughts are plainly stated to those who can hear them and want to look: Oh! There are people here! I should load my socialization routines from long-term memory store. (Just a joke. Honest, I would never offload the parts of my mind I don't want to use at the moment. No more than anyone else does anyway.)
"Good morning, Jono, Robyn. Hello, future detention inmate 2193. Hey Robyn, are all of Jordaan's family as ridiculously hot as he is?" Mike grins when he says that, intentionally teasing the artist a little maybe.
Looking up as Theo speaks, Robyn smiles. "Nah, I just don't have any class this period. And nope, I don't think I know you either. I'm Robyn Larkin. I'd offer a hand but they're kind of dirty." He says says holding up clay coverd fingers. "I know Jono, but it's the first time I've ever done that. Meet the family sorta thing. Hell it was my first time to Florida and Disney an all that." He blushes as Mike's question and makes a little face. "I'm not answering that Mike."
Jonothon? He's just being a slacker. For a little while anyway. No classes, no training, just a period to rest. «That means yes, Mike.» To whether or not Jordan's family is hot. «The blush tells all.» Teasing Robyn of course. He is curious about the future detention inmate, but simply doesn't ask. Odds are he's going to find out on his own anyway. «Not worried about people skipping class, Theo. You'll get kicked out all on your own. Don't need my help.» There's a smile for that. Skipping classes does have affects.
Theo nods, "No problem," he says to Robyn. "Theo Fegenbush." He doesn't seem to notice Mike's internal comment. Not close enough, or mentally focused elsewhere, it's hard to tell. Theo gives the benefit of the doubt that Robyn is blushing because this Jordan character has good looking sisters. He knows deep down it's probably not true, but he decides to deceive himself, anyway. "Not skipping," he says, pulling a slip from his pocket, signed by Hank. "Got excused for the next week. Amazing what can be accomplished in detention, isn't it?" he asks with a grin. He dangles it a little before putting it back in his pocket.
Theo pointedly addresses Mike last, even though he spoke before Jono. "I didn't do anything, there, Mike," he defends himself, thinking that the robotic youth is referring to Lucas' brush with death. "That was all James. That guy is psycho. Good thing I was there or he might not be breathing right now, so don't be thinkin' you know what happened there." His fuse is a little short, and apparently, it's a subject still at the front of his mind.
Mike nods to Jono, "Yes, I am fluent in 'blush'," and looks back to Robyn. "So, does he just have the parents, or are there more? Did you get to see the Cirque du Soleil show at DisneyWorld?"
At Theo's protestation, he leans back a little, and the image inducer expresses his irritation for him. Oops. Forgetting how to hide one's emotions when one has a face, Mike?
"Theo, you're inventing thoughts for me again. Stop it. I didn't know you were involved in that stupid fight, but it somehow doesn't surprise me that when trouble happened you were there. Now if only you could learn to use that power for something other than your own advantage you might become a tolerable human being some day," and he scowls and looks deliberately back at the fern he was compositing, and continues the space-fill curve.
Robyn glares at Jono and Mike again since Jono just made him more embarassed. "I'm not checking out Jordan's parents. They're his parents…and no, he's an only child." No siblings, sorry Theo, but then something Theo says catching his attention and he looks up with a face filled with concern. "James, he's not a psycho. And is he okay? What happened?" He hears not breathing right so he figures they're talking about James.
Hmm! The things one learns by listening. Jonothon doesn't give away that he's paying good attention, but he's sure taking it all in. Theo apparently is making more trouble than he thought. «Hey, I said you didn't need my help.» Amused greatly at all this. Not like he isn't here lounging. Then Robyn is glaring and the Brit is grinning. «James is fine. The situation has been dealt with, Robyn.» Privately to the teen, he adds, «Talk to him soon? He could use it.» Doesn't chide Theo, for people are already doing a better job of it than he could have.
Theo clenches his jaw. "What's your problem, Mike? I was just there. And James IS a psycho, he tried to kill me for trying to keep Lucas breathing after he rammed him into a wall and punctured a lung. Nobody doin' that is right in the head. So I guess I should've not been there, huh? I'm sure Lucas would've turned out just fine." He speaks quickly and to the point, now willing to take the hero spot, if only for his own justification.
"And for your information, I'd be happy to have a power that was at least an advantage to me. It cost me way more than it's worth."
The comment from Robyn doesn't go unnoticed during the midst of his tirade, and he seems eager to change the subject. "So Jordan your cousin or something?" he asks, trying to change the subject to anything other than James and Lucas. His tone changes rather abruptly as well, as if a flipping a switch when he speaks to Robyn.
Mike looks at Theo with an expression more appropriate to someone having discovered that the guy at the burger place put on extra ketchup instead of no ketchup, and gave a glass of ice with a little soda instead of a glass of soda with no ice like the order said. Mild but persistent, frustrated annoyance.
"My problem is that you keep yanking bullshit ideas out of your ass and claiming that they came from me, Theo. I don't live up your ass, so just stop. I don't care what you were doing at that fight, I just noted that you've got a trouble magnet. And don't give me any whining about what your power has cost you, because everyone here has already paid more than they think it's worth to have their own special mutation, and it's just too damn bad but it's how things are, and if you can't move past that, then all you end up with is being a powered jerk who tries to take revenge on the world. Like Magneto."
Mike Drakos, taunt-bot.
There's a mental nod to Jono and a thought back to just him. « Actually what I'm making if for him. » And Jono might get a menta image of a giant venus fly trap, ala Audrey II, climbing out of his pot and chasing down someone while a leg is already hanging out of it's mouth. Since that's what Robyn is planning on turning the clay into. He gets really quite while listening to Theo talk about what happened. Yeah, he'll have to go talk to James and no, he's not going to protest that James isn't a psycho, not at the moment. "Theo…everyone's power is a burdon to them some form or another. None of us in this room here have it easy." His voice is a bit quite, almost withdrawn sounding as he speaks. "And no, Jordan's my boyfriend." He gets up and walks over to Mike, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Mike…" He says hoping to calm him down a bit.
The words are quiet, but firm. And they go right into brain like a firm shake. «Mike, Theo. Stop this. Or I will.» And that's a promise, not a threat. Jonothon has heard enough. «I don't care what either of you feels about it. Leave it.» With this he sits up, catching his cell phone as it slides from his chest. Nothing overt, but his power shows in his eyes. Flames dance in his irises, chasing away the brown. «You aren't any different than the rest of us, Theo. In fact you've had it fairly good considering you can still pass for human. Like Robyn said, everyone in this school has that same issue.»
If looks could kill, Jono would be six feet under. Theo's glare at the older mutant for the last of his statement is one of total rage. He doesn't answer, but the look on his face shows that it's not because he's not willing to rage. Mike's comment. Unanswered. He doesn't look convinced by either.
Robyn's comment, well, Robyn has managed to not piss off the hot-headed technopath yet. "Yeah, I guess none of us do," he replies, swallowing hard as he tries to keep himself from decking either of the others in the room. The question about Jordan took him to another conversation he doesn't want to pursue, and so he asks another.
"What're you making?" he asks, indicating the sculpture.
At Robyn's touch, Mike jumps a bit, looks up, and sheepishly smiles, leaning a bit into it. The warning from Jono, however, is more startling and with an inaudible 'click' something in the robot-teen changes, as his emotion process is once again set to no-run. His facial expression reverts to the same bland, unchangingly pleasant mona-lisa expresssion his robotic shell was created with and the mildly hostile bodylanguage vanishes into neutrality. He shifts position into a mechanically stable minimum-energy configuration. With the inducer turned on this is an express trip to the Uncanny Valley.
"I apologizze, I allowwed my emotionsz to overRride my courttesy," he says, more mechanically than usual. And of course he wouldn't even dodge if Theo tried to punch him.
At Mike's words, he gets a small 'thwap' to the back of the head from Robyn. It's light and done with good intentions about it, but there a nice clay smear on the back of his head now. "Don't be sorry, emotions are what make us human Mike and make us what we are. Fuck courtesy, be yourself." He goes back to his work and sits down. "Well, I'm making a venus fly trap that's going on an rampage and eating people. It's for Ja…a friend." No use mentioning James at the moment. "It's in the style of Audrey II."
If only Theo knew how many times Jonothon has faced down that kind of glare. The man looks less than impressed. So long as the argument stops, he doesn't care how much the teens glare. «It's alright, Mike. This simply isn't the place for such things. You want to fight, go to the gym, or I'll get you into the danger room.» It really is more of location than topic that has the man stopping this. «And to clarify, you two can disagree, just not here. Not where it will hurt the building, or other people. Clear?» Jono doesn't care what people believe really. «Robyn's right, Mike. Nothing wrong in feeling. It's learning control.» Eyes Theo with that one.
Theo doesn't even look at Mike when he apologizes. The apology is not accepted. Not now, it's too close. "That has to be the best art project ever," he says with a laugh, breaking his anger tension. He doesn't comment on the feelings conversation either, he knows it'll only lead him back where he just came from, a room of people being pissed off at him.
It would be a serious discourtesy to Robyn to mention that he has no emotions at the moment, and the abstract awareness of how creepy and serial-killer-stalker he looks with the image inducer but no emotional process means that Mike turns it off, reverting to Mike-the-Auto-Robot, no shirt but still wearing cargo pants.
The statement from both Robyn and Jono does need a proper response, though. Something politely noncommittal. Theo, he simply ignores as further conversation with the techopathic menace would serve no useful purpose at this time.
"I believe that youu have a circuular argument. Annimalz have emotionsz as well, aaand mostly aren't huumann. I think feEeling morre human because of emotions is an emotional reszponze annd I am unshurre that it self-validatesz."
"Fine Mike, then just be a robot if that's what makes you happy, but it's not what makes you who you are. It must be easy to hide form yourself so easily." Robyn says and maybe there is a bit of annoyance in his tone before looking over to Theo. "Well it's not really an art project, it's a hobby. I just like to sculpt. I spend most of my free time doing this." It's what Robyn loves. He looks over at Jono and smiles. "Yeah, we don't want anyone destroying this awesome space up here." It's just so relaxing in the attic.
Siiigh. «Robyn, don't you start.» Jonothon isn't going to play favorites today. «Mike, being human isn't the flesh, it's a state of mind. Some even claim it's your soul. Emotions are a part of that. To deny yourself emotions is to not be fully human anymore. Can't speak for anyone else, but I'd rather not have a Mike who's merely machine. The heart inside is what I appreciate.» Even if he means it as in the core of who MIke is, and not an organ that pumps blood. «You're religious, Mike, yet you're showing no faith in yourself.»
Theo responds to Robyn's explanation. "Oh, okay," he says. He hasn't been commenting on the conversation about emotions, but he is clearly distracted by it. His demeanor has faded from anger, but seems bothered still. "Maybe I should go, let you guys talk about how much your 'souls' mean to each other," he says quietly, staring at the sculpture for another moment with a distracted look on his face.
"It is irrellevvaant that it makesz me haappy … I haave no choisze. Thiis is who I aam. I caaanot hide from it." Mike would say that differently if he had not turned things off to the degree that he doesn't even have emotional interpretation running. That was an unintentional action, so he begins the process of permitting the interpretational routines to re-initialize. They take a while though. That gives him time to contemplate Jono's words. How do you explain to two of your four actual friends … ah, there, standard empathic routine online, can now interpret their emotional sideband. Why is Robyn upset? Denying his core beliefs and apparently not listening to him? That's not desired but cannot be remedied for now. And Jono … What can be said to the one whose action triggered a panic-response that rivals any PTSD — worse because it was intentionally crafted and installed by a fully-emotioned Mike.
He begins to answer, and with the standard empathy takes the effort to make his voice sound more completely human, "I have an accurate assessment of my limits. My faith is in God not in myself. I cannot function as a human when fear or anger overwhelm my emotional stability thus rendering my actions random or counterproductive, and because of my experiences at this school I have created a trigger that temporarily disables emotions when they are in danger of spiking."
There. Explained. For what it's worth. Theo's comment is analyzed. Surface signals: Petulant, passive-aggressive. Probable underlying state: annoyed at loss of center-of-focus, uncomfortable with topics that threaten his basic prejudice set, threatened by apparent solidarity, envious of apparent closeness. Required response? Courtesy says "demur" or "say nothing." So Mike says nothing.
Robyn nods to Jono and he doesn't say anything more, besides he thinks Jono is saying everything he's thinking anyway. Though Mike's answer leaves Robyn with one conclusion about him, that Mike's a coward. "It's up to you Theo but this is a public room open to anyone so don't let us chase you away." Robyn says as he starts to work, putting some water on his clay as he continues to shape a leave by looking at the ones around the room. "Do you think they'll allow carnviours plants to be up here?"
«But you are hiding from it.» Drifting over to Mike, the Brit sinks down to where he's more on par with Mike. If allowed Jonothon rests a hand on Mike's shoulder. «Turning off your emotions is running away. It's avoiding the issue instead of turning around to face it.» There's a rueful smile for this that the man doesn't explain. How often as he run away? «Not going to tell you what to do, Mike, but there are dangers involved when you do this kind of bollocks long term. Also ignore the homophobe. He's too is afraid. It's pretty bloody funny.»
Theo snaps his gaze off of the sculpture. "No, you don't want my input, it'll just piss people off again, I'll prove it," he states bluntly to Robyn. "Mike, you're not running from your emotions, you just got an edge over the rest of us because you can turn them off and step back. Glad things are easy for you that way. I'd say I'd do the same, but maybe I just like the way I am. People want you to show your emotions because it makes them feel good. Same reason they don't give a damn what I feel, which is fine by me."
He looks at Jono, "I'm not afraid of fags," he says decisively. "Come here Robyn," He reaches across and catches Robyn by the base of his neck, and pulls him up next to himself, arm around the new acquaintance's shoulder in a sort of side-hug. "See, not scared at all," he lets go of Robyn, "Just don't want them checking out my butt." He looks at Robyn and adds that command with a pointed finger. "Don't check out my butt."
Mike doesn't prevent the hand from resting there. He says in the surface-thoughts area that he knows Jono will be likely to hear, «I don't understand why you think I can do anything else. I must not have explained well enough. My emotions are not a complex cascade of hormones, neurotransmitters, and neural net activations, like Robyn's or Theo's, or possibly yours, though I suspect that your situation is more like mine. When Magneto's temper tantrum nearly killed me, and did kill at least five people who had medical devices implanted, I was forced to learn more about how I exist at all, during the repair process. I do not have a brain made from millions of neurons touching each other. My brain is a set of massively parallel processors that would take up the inside of the gymnasium if they were rotated completely into three-space. My mind runs as a simulation on that computer.»
Mike would be expressing frustration now if he were feeling it, but lack of emotion does sometimes translate into patience. «I have a tricameral mind. I have a very greedy subconscious that uses more than half the process space. I have an emotional process that competes with my conscious directed volitional part for the remaining space. If I allow my emotions to become too intense, I would either collapse or I would act purely on rage, which would, I suspect, involve me putting my fist through Theo's chest about now. At least that's what I think rage would lead me to do.»
Mike's eyes light when Theo starts talking to him; he's definitely keeping track of what the fellow is saying while giving that info-dump to Jono. However, at the action, he fully expects Robyn to deck the jerk.
Robyn is some how hauled up by the neck by the much shorter teen. Probably cause he wasn't expecting it. "You don't need to call me a fag. Or use a 'fag' to prove your point that you're not afraid of me." He says in response to it all before sitting back down. "And sorry Theo, but really, you aren't my type." He doesn't say it to be mean but it's the truth. Theo isn't his type in personality and body type. He doesn't really know what to think of the action as he sits there looking at his art trying to figure if he wants to continue or not.
Jonothon spares Theo a moment, «What do cigarettes have to do with this?» Slang is an amusing thing. Fag doesn't mean in Britian what it means here. Hell, it doesn't mean what it did seventy years ago. «Oh, Theo, who'd want to look at your arse? You open your mouth and people find every reason to avoid you.» Wrinkles his nose in laughter, and then ignores the teen in favor of listening to Mike. Hand to shoulder, he frowns at what he hears. Not a worried, but more of a thoughtful. No, he normally doesn't hear thoughts, but at this range, touching Mike, he does pick up that he's being thought at, and so listens.
«I think you're making it too black and white.» The Brit says slowly. «See, what you claim is a greedy subconscious I see as being a normal teen-ager. Everyone has to learn to deal with this, Mike, and most the kids here lack your means. That's why tempers run so high. They can't turn their emotions off. That said, you still need to learn. That's part of been a teen-ager.. learning how not to let your emotions run away with you. Turning them off isn't learning. Processor, brain, or otherwise.» And yes, he and Mike actually have similar issues.
Theo gives a satisfied smile. "See?" he says to Robyn, "Told you. People only want to know feelings that make them feel happy or important. They don't really want people to share the way they feel. I don't feel different than other people, I just don't care enough to filter what I think with bullshit."
"SOME people," he adds to Jono, "actually do want to know what's real, instead of dancing through the daisies about stuff. I get along with those people just fine."
"Am I the only one who was taught to ask before grabbing at someone?" Mike says, but he moves his hand to cover Jono's hand on his shoulder as he says it, in a very bland voice. "If you're not already friends, then it's very disrespectful."
His thought-response to Jono is still highly logical, but he's preparing the restart operation for the emotional subcontext.
«I am certain that it's a separate process. The Medbay said it was. However, you are correct in that I need to learn a less drastic way to control my emotional state, since I cannot easily add more computer space for the emulation. I've been trying to find information on this but nothing seems to be relevant. I cannot do 'cleansing breath', counting to ten takes less than a half-millisecond. I tried running a separate emotion, and prayer sometimes works but not nearly often enough. Where can I learn the skills without unacceptable risk?»
Robyn just looks up at Theo and shakes his head. "Theo, you don't need to prove anything to anyone. If you don't like what I am, it really doesn't bother me but don't pretend you're fine if you're not. Everyone isn't the same and everyone is different. If you're happy with who you are, that's all that matters. I'm happy with who I am so if you like or don't like me, it doesn't matter. You just have to be yourself, that's what really matters." Robyn says as he can't hear what's going on with Jono and Mike so he just focuses on Theo.
Is this topic is serious, then why is Jonothon grinning at Theo. «Mate, you don't even think about what you say, do you?» Because anyone who knew Jono would never associate him with dancing through any daisies - much trying to insist that life is a blast and to enjoyed. He shakes his head over it. «I've yet to hear anything intelligent from you. Maybe you should work on it.» Already chided about the grabbing, Jono doesn't add to it.
And the conversation with Mike continues. «Hate to tell you, mate, but there's no guide book to this. Everyone has to learn how to do it on their own. Sure we can give moral support and all that bollocks, but in the end it's you figuring out who you are, and how you deal with things.» Jono does roll his eyes, «Ask anyone. Bet half the X-men say I never learned.» Maybe he's not the best one to be giving advice.
"That's just it," Theo says. "Listen to Jono," he tells Robyn. "'Nothing intelligent from you'. Why? Because he doesn't like who I am. I could say the same thing back. Being myself pisses people off, which is fine, let'm be pissed. Maybe I'll be pissed too, so what? We die and rot in the end anyway."
Emotional process online. Threatquery? Potential-destruction still present? Negative. Jono is friend, DoNotPanic.
Mike turns the image inducer back on, and the expression is no longer StepfordMike, but instead is a bit grim, but hopeful at the same time. He looks over to Robyn and Theo. "Sorry about going robot on you like that. Theo, I don't really like it — it's a useful tool but I'd rather be able to control my more negative emotions without losing them entirely. I cannot afford to wallow in them the way you do. Robyn, it's a reflex, it's not running away. My brain doesn't work like a regular persons any more. I'm trying to figure it out, please be patient with me. You and Jono are my friends, and I don't want to distress you, but it's going to keep happening until I figure it out."
He sighs, or rather emulates a sigh, and lets go of Jono's hand.
Robyn just nods to Mike in response, but doesn't say anything, he doesn't trust himself too without saying something he might not mean. After all he does think Mike is kind of a coward, and kind of lucky that he can just shut down. "Yeah Theo, we might die and rot in the end, but it's not the end that matters, it's the middle. What we do before then. Do you want to look back at your life and realize you had a good, happy life or a misserable one where everything pissed you off?" Robyn's not yelling or being mean, he's just more curious about it so he's asking.
Jonothon ignores Theo this time. Point rather proven there as far as he's concerned. His hand released he grips Mike's shoulder and then lets his arm drop to his side. «The important part is that you try, not how many times it happens while you figure it out. Now that I understand, I won't give you trouble about it anymore.» That much he can assure. «Don't feel you have to internalize it all either. If you can't talk to me, find Rashmi? She's a great listener.» Jono is such a hypocrite. Don't internalize? This is where everyone should call the kettle black. Rising to his feet, he gives Mike a little space and listens as Robyn speaks. Doesn't add anything however. No point in speaking to someone who doesn't listen.
Robyn's question catches Theo a little off guard. He is usually prompt in his answers, quick with a retort, but he doesn't have much for this. "I can't think of anything that would make me happy, Hank asked that too. Supposed to be what I'm doing out of class." he admits. "So I guess I'm fucked. I might as well get everything else I want until I figure it out." He laughs, but it isn't sincere. "So you three enjoy knowing whatever it is that makes you happy, I guess I'll join you when I find mine."
Mike is not going to call Jono a kettlebrained pothead, because he has kinda been out of touch, not intentionally but end-of-term and classes and new people and so much lameness of excuse. Yes, a bit of guilty for missing out on Jono's recuperation from the Sinistration.
He picks up his drawing pad and returns to drawing, but hearing Theo actually being honest for a moment (as opposed to cynical and pretending honesty) leads him to immediately wonder if the kid is as totally unreachable as it's been seeming.
"Theo, do you like yourself? I mean, do you think you're worth liking?"
That's a pretty personal question and when he asked something similar before he left an out, and this time he isn't willing to do that. If Theo's actually capable of self-examination to this degree then maybe …
Robyn looks at Theo for a long time and a thousand thoughts run through his head, not one vocalized. The only thing he says is "I'm sorry Theo." He figures something must have happened to him to make him so angry and bitter. Noone can be born with that much pain, can they?:
Knowing a thing or two about pain, Jonothon none the less stays out of this conversation. A touch to Mike's rubber hair, if that's okay, and he moves back to where Robyn has the in process statue. Privately to Robyn, he asks, «I've an idea. Want to try something? And no, this isn't about Theo.» A roll of eye and he moves off among the plants to find an empty ceramic pot. This takes a few seconds, and nearly has him out of sight.
"I don't think anyone's worth liking," Theo answers Mike. "I don't see why I should be any different." He shrugs. "It's okay Robyn, sorry about calling you a fag, wasn't setting out to be a dick, just the first word that came to mind for a homo. Hope James likes your plants that eat people," he says. Yeah, he put together what Robyn started to say earlier. What other name would he have avoided? His comments aren't entirely genuine sounding, but he seems a little tired of the discourse. It went someplace he'd rather not visit, and so he has become rather subdued.
And, that mostly confirms a fear for Mike, but he's not sure there's anything that can be done about it.
"You're wrong, there, " he says anyway. "almost everyone is worth liking. Certainly you are, even if you can't see it. But you make it hard to want to by sabotaging when someone gets close enough to see that … I know you don't trust people, though. If you did, you might allow them to. It's definitely worth it."
Of course, revealing that Theo has let a bit of the vulnerable-him show, might not be optimal. But he's not going to think of this by himself. He cannot, if Mike's fear for him is true.
There's a shrug for Theo. "I'm Robyn, that's all that I am. I doesn't matter who I like, it's not who I am." He says in regards to the words 'fag' and 'homo'. He replies only to Jono. « Sure I'll try something. » He says as he looks back down at his project and starts to shape one of the leaves to look like a sort of 'foot'. "Well noone is gonna like you Theo if you don't like yourself. You have to find what your happy with first." He says not even looking at the teen as he works.
With Mike and Robyn doing an excellent job, the Brit holds his silence. Instead he brings that pot over and places it before Robyn. It thunks softly. «Want to sculpt? Only, through me?» The pot is so that Robyn's efforts in Audrey aren't ruined if there are issues? «It'd be good practice for me.» Mind link and fine manipulation of telekinesis. «Would require a mind link though.» Jonothon sinks down to the floor across from Robyn, the pot between them. It's empty, and fairly large. Lots of material to make a small statue.
Theo begins his evasive conversation. "Yeah, well, maybe I like killing bunnies, I'll try that and see how it goes. If it doesn't work I'll try something else," he gives another defensive laugh as he watches Robyn shape the clay. "I think that's enough self-disclosure for one day." He addresses what he doesn't like about the conversation directly. "I gotta come up with something to give Hank by tomorrow, so I better go figure out something I wanna do besides get laid. By girls. Or maybe I'll just tell him that." He looks away from the sculpture, and starts to head through the vegetation toward the stairs.
Mike watches him heading away, and mentions, "In order to avoid breaking laws and getting Logan upset at you for murdering his future dinners, how about instead you play a couple games of Rampaging Rabbids. There's a copy in the rec room."
Because Mike now realises that Theo is actually more dangerous than James, because he looks just like everyone else.
He returns to the drawing, and stops when it reaches a particular level of incomplete-but-enough.
"Why not just tell Hank that, if that's the only thing you can think of." Robyn says to Theo as he leaves, not even looking up. And he can't resist himself, after all, every teenager has a bit of a snapping point of irritation. He doesn't even look up as he says what he does next. "Oh Theo, by the way, you do have a nice ass." He didn't check it out but he just wanted to ruffle the feathers on the kid the way his feathers were ruffled with the comments. "Sure Jono, I'm willing to test this out. I don't know how it's gonna work though."
Jonothon gives Robyn a look for that line. «No feeding the animals, Robyn.» Chiding only. The man is grinning a bit too much to be serious about it. Putting his hands on the side of the pot, he's none the less looking at Robyn as psy-fire blossoms all around him. A gentle wave of sensation as it appears and begins to lazily coil around him. «We link and you show me how to shape it.» Allowed and he makes the link. Through it he grants Robyn use of his senses. Kind of like Robyn is possessing Jono, only without the possessing, no memories, part. As he focuses on the container before him Robyn can suddenly feel it down to the molecule. They are there, and mailable. The whole room is like this really, for the Brit can feel the building blocks of everything if he's looking. Bit scary really, so he doesn't run around looking at everything like this. «See? You picture in your head and I'll see if I can make it.»
Theo was ALMOST down the stairs. "Thanks," he says without looking back, as if he played along with the joke casually. He hopes to use it to catch the group off guard. Robyn's comment just set him over the edge, but he is still a calculating individual. He's never lashed out violently yet at the school. In fact, some might have even thought him to be all bark and no bite. Those people will stand corrected at this moment.
Theo's hand is fast, and his left grabs the edge of a flower pot near the stairs, and without warning, flings it at Robyn's sculpture.
While it is still in motion, he charges back toward Robyn in a rush that he hopes the combination of moves will cause a split second of confusion as he grabs another pot. He leaps into the air at the sculptor, the pot in his hand, aiming to smash the other boy in the face. Hey, he warned him!
The sculpture is not so important, that can be fixed. Easily. The attacking Theo, however… running PAST Mike to make an attack? The robot boy is on his feet and across to grab Theo out of the air and into an utterly unyielding grasp. The pots, alas, he doesn't catch. As soon as he gets Theo in his grasp though, he turns on his internal radio, no sound to his speakers, just to have something to distract Theo. Journey, ANY WAY YOU WANT IT THAT'S THE WAY YOU NEED IT… his internal dial goes to 11. He sets it at 12.
Robyn is just adjusting to the way Jono feels things and is getting used to it. He's forgotten about Theo and everything so when that pot crashes infront of him, he jumps, startled. He guess Jono was right about not feeding the animals, and he'll say that later. Theo gets quite the pissed of look from Robyn as he speaks. "Relax, I didn't check out anything. I guess it's okay for you to call me names but not for me to joke with you."
Focused on things smaller than the eye can perceive, Jonothon doesn't see the pot launched, but he sure feels it as it crosses through some of the psy-fire. The auburn head snaps up, eyes filled with fire, and the pot stops. It turns a gentle circle while wrapped in a tendril of psy-fire. Robyn's thoughts are there among his own, but Jono's own mind is curiously focused. Combat starts and he's not worried, not distracted, and suddenly sensing everything that the environment has to offer. «Guess someone didn't want a week off after all.» Said calmly, with the shake of his head. Rising to his feet, trailing fire, he crosses to where Mike holds Theo down. «It's alright, Mike. I'll take care of it from here.»
As Mike catches Theo, he releases the pot, Robyn won't get off that easy, for it keeps flying toward his face, even if Theo can't come with it. He screams in rage as the pot continues where he left off. "Get off me!" he rages at Mike, returning the grapple. Though he doesn't know he's doing it, a signal is sent to Mike. It's hard, a raw and forceful blow to the electronics.
He doesn't stop with that shock, for he doesn't know he's doing it, but fist after foot flies against Mike. It's clear he has no mind for fighting, but he makes up for it in desperation and adrenaline.
Mike is ready to let go when Jono gets his grip on the little psycho, but that's not allowed to happen, because that shock DOES hit him and causes two things. First, his arms lock up, fortunately not in a direction that will cause them to contract with their full strength or we'd be dealing with two of Theo, top and bottom halves.
The other thing that happens MAY be visible to more than Theo, but he's closest and will feel the brunt. Most of Mike's robot body is rotated out of 3-space, and the surge messes with the machines that allow his modules to be moved in and out for repairs. There's a brain-wrenching moment where the world around Mike has four dimensions and time, and there is a huge web of gears, driveshafts, and engines connected around his body, along with the aforementioned gymnasium full of computers …all of it somehow fitting without contradiction into the six-foot-tall robot space. And sitting on top of that is something that looks a LOT like a metal wasp with a heart of pure plasma, with dearLord so many mechanical arms and legs with glowing needles at the ends, and it looks directly at Theo and grabs the edges of space and SLAMS that other dimension back down… and ordinary robot Mike emits a weird noise and doesn't move for a moment.
"Mike!" Robyn calls out as he sees the weird display in front of him but before his brain can process what's in from of him *WHAM!* He's hit square in the face with a clay pot. His nose starts to bleed and Robyn reaches a hand up to try to catch the blood that's now gushing from his face. "Theo. Stob it." Robyn says as he looks to Jono, a face pleding with fear for what's happening to his robot friend.
The pot held by psy-fire is crushed as Jonothon is thrown back by that shifting of gears out of subspace. «Gordon Bennet!» The Brit exclaims in shock as he throws his arms before him, which brings his telekinesis to form up shields. Staggered, he none the less stops himself from hitting the floor, or worse. When it all shifts back, done in seconds, the man lashes out at Theo. Eyes narrowed dangerously he flies forward. Quite literally, albeit with no idea he's doing it. Psy-fire carries him forward and he tries to hit Theo. Years of training in combat are behind it, and he so means to hurt. Just be glad he didn't use his telekinetics, or a blast. «You, toerag, are in for a world of trouble.» The mental voice is even cold.
Theo wasn't ready for that, and he seems to respond very similarly to Mike. He stops kicking and punching and goes limp for a moment, his eyes distant. Without warning, his body starts to convulse.
He sees everything at once, every part of Mike's functioning body and brain. Not that he will be able to identify anything. It's like strapping his mouth to a fire hydrant and turning it on. Mike isn't just a computer, he's a person, and as a person, he is far more complex than any machine. At the same time, he also is a machine. Theo's mind is not able to handle it.
Theo gives absolutely no defense as he takes the blow. It'd be hard for Jonothon to know that Theo isn't fighting Mike any more, because his body is still flailing around. The strike lands on his jaw, wrenching him free and sending him into a patch of growing tomatoes, face down. He keeps twitching, his arms and legs moving in an uncontrolled manner.
It takes a moment for Mike to recover his composure. Not to menton, rebooting his various partss. That actually HURT, and freaked him out as well, and he could see his insides, which is not something one normally wants to do. His next thought is for Theo, because if that hurt Mike, then it may have killed the technopath. He finds his balance again, and sits up. Replay, Robyn called his name. "I'mm alrright, juzt shokkkd… isz Theo OK, My eyezaren't onlinnneyet"
He turns his head left and right, pushing upwards on his neck with his hands, to reset it in its socket.
"I don't know but I neeb to go downstains." Robyn says as he tries to find something to hold over his face. "I'b sorry Mike." He shouldn't have said that to Theo, but then, he didn't know how violently he'd react. "Jono…I'b gonna go downstairs." Medbay, cause right now his face /hurts/.
Jonothon is entirely unconcerned about Theo right now. «Mike? Mike?!» Sheathed in fire, the man is touching Mike's shoulders and arms, concern clear on his features. A touch here, or there, but not much really. He knows the damage wasn't really physical, so there's nothing on Mike he can even begin to check. Never mind his lack of knowledge in how the teen even works. As Mike responds, Jono looks utterly relieved. «Christ.. I'll check. You put yourself back together, okay? Don't worry about Theo right now.» Poor Mike.
And with that he frowns as he looks to where Theo lays twitching. «Go, Robyn.» Don't worry. He can handle this. Stepping to Theo, he slowly knees and checks on the teen. «He's not responding, Mike. I'm going to get him down to the medical bay. Do you need help too?» Gathering Theo up in the psy-fire, for Jono's physically not able to carry another easily, he waits for an answer.
As Jonothan picks up the technopath, Theo's eyes are open, but they aren't looking at anything. His face is covered in potting soil, as is the rest of him. He continues to twitch, but does not respond. He's clearly unconscious, despite the open eyes.
Mike's answer should be "yes, I do" but it isn't. He'll go down to the medbay in a few minutes under his own power once he gets his legs working again. Meanwhile he just says, "Go, I'll be ok, I'll follow shortly," and starts trying to move his feet.
