Players:
Summary: Time for friends to enjoy their company.
Date: November 19, 2012
Log Title: Importance of Friends
Rating: PG
Xavier Mansion - Living Room
Cream colored couches and chairs are placed among end tables and a coffee table. A large entertainment center covers one of the blue walls. The windows are set back a bit creating comfortable window seats for those who want to read.
Nicholas has been on the mend, no more cast or brace on his left arm and his left leg is just in a walking cast as he's down to using one crutch now. He's back in classes and has been spending most of his days, and nights, playing catch up. He looks tired from too much studying and a lack of sleep but for the moment he's taking a break from school work to watch some television. He's sitting on the couch, with his leg stretched out in front of him resting on the coffee table which holds a box of pizza going cold and a bottle of Sprite. Nick's gaze is on the television playing old episodes of Mythbusters.
Kaylee, on the other hand, doesn't look particularly tired at all. She's her pretty normal, chipper self… okay, well, not normal at all, but, anyway. Today she's keeping it simple (as usual lately) and wearing her pink hoody with cat ears on the hood. Apparently, the smell of pizza has drawn her to the room, but she is not incredibly surprised to find Nick there. "Hey," the lizard mutant offers.
Nicholas turns and looks, offering a raised hand wave in Kaylee's direction. "Hey there Kaylee." Looks like he's finally getting used to calling her that. "How's it going, if you don't mind room temperature pizza, there's some bacon and onion pizza there. Also if you want to hang out and watch Mythbusters, I don't mind."
"Mind? Nah," Kaylee smiles, plopping down on the couch and reaching down for a piece of pizza. "You feelin okay? I mean, better… at all?" she wonders, glancing at Nick with a slightly concerned look on her face. "I mean, we haven't really hung out a lot lately, or anything… I guess we've both been pretty busy."
Nicholas shakes his head. "Well I haven't really been busy since I got back. Just…" There's a shrug. "I'm managing. I guess that's something, but physically I feel a lot better. It's cool cause they were telling me that if the school didn't have the tech it did, it'd take /months/ for my arm and leg to heal instead of a week and a month. I mean I still have the brace on but it's better than the wheelchair and cast."
"Hm… well, yeah," Kaylee nods, flopping back on her end of the couch and munching on the pizza. "I'm still just glad you're back…" she murmurs. "I dunno, I…" she looks down at the slice of pizza, as if contemplating it, and then falls silent.
Nicholas gives a smile to Kaylee. "Thanks, I'm glad I'm back too." He reaches forward to grab his bottle of soda and pour some into his empty cup. "Though I will say having telekinesis is great when you're injured. So what's up Kaylee?" He asks in regards to her sentence trailing off.
"N-nothing," Kaylee shakes her head, her cheeks tinging just a little bit red. "I mean, nothing's up, really. I've just been, I dunno, playing games and stuff," she shrugs, glossing over the question in about as vague a way as possible. "I mean, I bet it would be great! Almost as good as a really long tongue!" she jokes.
Nicholas looks at Kaylee for a bit not fully believing that she had nothing to say and even though his look shows the doubt, he doesn't say otherwise. "Yeah, I gotta start playing Assassin's Creed 3 now that it's out just, I don't know, my mind hasn't really been on video games much. I just want to be able to get out and go for a ride on Orion. I haven't been horse back riding since before everything. I think that's the longest I've gone without horse back riding."
*Clomp* *Clomp* *Clomp* Into the Living Room stomps a green-haired Shane, once again in her Danger Room training costume. Ever since the boys' rescue from the stadium, it seems, she's been wearing little else outside of classwork, and more time spent in the gym or Danger Room than at her sewing machine, these days. The end of her scarf is pulled around for a swipe at her forehead, and only after does she realize the Living Room is occupied at all. "Sup," she mutters, pulling off her headphones and clomping to the other end of the couch from Nick, dropping herself onto the cushions.
Cale nods, somewhat absently, while chewing on her lip for a moment, "Yeah that's…" she trails off, trying to add something, but unable to think of anything, until she seems about ready to burst, "This is stupid! I just wanted to say. I mean. You're like. Super important to me. Before," her face turns redder, before her mutant power and instinct to hide in a stressful situation kicks in and it actually turns more the color of the couch. "I-" she pauses midsentence when Shane unceremoniously sits between them. "H-hi Shane!"
Nicholas smiles at Kaylee and nods. "Thanks, a lot. It means a lot. Everyone here is pretty important to me also, especially since you guys are my family now. Even you Shane!" He says to green-haired girl who enters the room. "Soon I'll be able to join you in practice sessions again Shane, soon. So how's it going?"
"Meh," Shane grunts, slouching into the couch cushions, tugging her scarf wrap down far enough to make her mouth visible. "M'everything don't hurt so much anymore. Guess'm gettin' used to th'trainin'. Mythbusters, mh?" Kaylee's stammering earns her an askance look and a raised eyebrow, but SHane seems to be merciful enough not to ask the question out loud.
Kaylee shrugs a little, "Well, that's good. I was gonna do a small training session with Heather…" mentions the girl, "But it probably doesn't compare to doing it every day at all."
"Yeah Mythbusters, it's just fun to watch the blow stuff up and it's better than half the other crap that's on television." Nicholas says. It's a show he used to watch a lot back home too. "That's good Shane, it just sucks being broken." He wants to become more active again. "I really do miss the training sessions, the training just really helped me keep my mind off of things."
Shane lifts a shoulder. "Don't really help me like that," she says quietly. "Ain't much that does. Least with th'trainin', feel like 'm *doin'* somethin' 'bout it, though… S'pose that helps." Kaylee's comparison earns her another puzzled look, as if it had just been noticed that an apple doesn't compare to a tangerine. "….Doin' what, Kaylee?"
"Training?" Kaylee adds, nibbling upon her pizza. "I meant, I only get to train every now and then, but you get to do it every day. It makes me a bit jealous, really," she nods, "But, I dunno if I'd be able to do it anyway…"
"Well one of the reasons Shane and I really got into the extra sessions is we asked for them. I'm sure there's a teacher here who'd be willing to help you out with more training sessions." Nicholas says, scratching the 'M' scar on his arm. "Right now I'm not really able to do much 'cept sit here. It was basically the same thing last month, just sit there and wait."
Shane bobs her head in agreement with Nicholas. "Ain't a matter o' 'get.' Wanted to, asked to, doin' it. Simple." The slight young mutant shrugs a shoulder. "'Sides. Only reason 'm overkillin's cos can't sit atta machine f'r more'n an hour without feelin' guilty," she says, glancing at Nicholas. "Like, 'f shit like this happens again, 'n I'm jus' fuckin' around with a dress… mnh."
"Hmm…" is all Kaylee replies with, "Yeah I get you… I guess we're just… different. But," she pauses, "You think I should, then? Train a lot more, I mean? Everyone's always like, 'just let someone else handle it.' Cept for Tara. And stuff."
Nicholas looks at Kaylee and raises his eyebrows. "Kaylee, what do you think you should do? No one should make the decision for you. If you feel like -you- want to train and get better with your powers, than go for it. If it's not something you're interested in, than don't. Just cause Shane and I like to get more practice in, doesn't mean you should. In the case of Shane and I, it's mostly because we got tired of being the victim. Though not like it helped much…"
Shane grunts. "Jus' means we ain't good 'nough yet," she mutters. "'S th' other reason I stepped up. Ain't gettin' caught out like that again. Not *ever.*"
"Well, I don't like being the victim either! But, I don't really like to fight… I don't really think my powers are that useful for it anyway… I mean, that's always been Amy's thing. But, I don't wanna feel like I'm not doin my part, either. I mean, what if something happens, and someone needs me? And then I can't do anything. Like you said. That's pretty scary to think about…" Kaylee trails off, "Like when you got kidnapped, there was just pretty much nothing I could do except wait. That was horrible."
"How the hell do you think I liked it?!" Nicholas snaps, mainly because he's pent up so much frustrations over the last few weeks. "Not only could I not help out Sophie when she was -right there- trying to ask me for help, but I couldn't even help myself! Those Purifiers, I freeze whenever I see them, I'm so terrified of them it's stupid! Even when we were there, every time we thought of an idea to try to fight back…things got worse. We couldn't do anything and we didn't get lucky to be just sitting here feeling miserable cause we couldn't do anything to help! No, we were just sitting there, doing -nothing- while waiting for the next time they decided to torture us. So I'm sorry you had to worry Kaylee but…." He trails off turns away from both Kaylee and Shane. "Sorry."
Shane jumps in her seat as Nick begins shouting, but once the initial shock has passed she sits there, her face neutral, utterly devoid of expression. FInally, when the boy winds down and turns away, she simply looks at Kaylee, eyebrow rising. "…'N now y'know why I train too much," she murmurs, before lapsing into silence. Staring at the mute television, as though daring it to give her a reason to dislike it.
Kaylee can't say much in response to that - simply choosing to curl up on her end of the couch and match the scenery. She looks up at Nick, face apologetic, and then looks away, eyes turning down towards the carpet as if it's a super interesting thing worthy of study. Which it is not, of course. She simply nods at Shane's response, swallowing almost audibly.
Nicholas stays facing towards the window so neither of the girls can see his face. "I don't know what to do." He says quietly after a few moments of silence. "It's been a year, yesterday marks one year since they died."
Shane closes her eyes for a moment at this admission, gnawing on the inside of her cheek. Finally, she simply reaches out a hand to rest on Nick's shoulder, squeezing once. "…Iunno what t'do either, Nick," she says after a moment. "Really wish I did, right about now."
Kaylee rolls over, resting her chin on the edge of the couch, "I'm sorry, Nick…" she murmurs quietly, "That's all I can say," she shakes her head; she understands what she's going through, to some extent, but the blows are softened… on her end, anyway.
"I hate this, every day is a struggle and I want it to stop." Nicholas reaches his hand up to grab on to Shane's, squeezing it before letting go. "I know I need help but I don't know who to ask or who to talk to. And with everything that's going on…it's making it worse because I know I should be grateful that I'm not stuck in Mutant Town on top of everything. That I'm still alive."
Shane lifts a shoulder. "Bein' grateful c'n wait 'til y'ain't a teenager," she says, trying for something like a smile. "'Til then, jus' worry 'bout healin' up so's y'c'n get up t'scratch an' put the boot on *their* neck. 'N great thing 'bout TK is, y'c'n make one *fuckuva* boot."
"Yeah…" nods Kaylee, shifting somewhat uncomfortably. "I'm gonna… I think I'm gonna go," she rocks up from the couch, heading for the door. "Thanks for the pizza, Nick," she nods, and then gives Shane the old 'reverse nod' before turning to go.
Nicholas looks over at Cale, seeming a bit surprised that she's going to leave. "Oh. Okay Kaylee. Sorry to be such a.." He waves a hand for lack of a word. "Take care Kaylee and have a good night." He turns back to Shane and gives a faint smile. "That's pretty much all I'm doing, working on getting all healed up. Dr. Reyes says I should be on my feet again shortly."
"…Later," Shane says to Kaylee, giving the girl a short, but appraising look. Once she turns her back, Shane blows out a breath, sinking back on the couch. "Glad t'hear it," she says after a moment's silence, glancing at the door again briefly. "Blown through alla games I gave y'yet?"
Nicholas shakes his head. "Not really, just a few of them. I've been playing so much catch up with school work I haven't had much time. Not like I'm sleeping much still, but that's nothing new. I just have a lot to catch up on so it's been math, science, english, history, Mutant History, you know.
"Yeah, I know," Shane murmurs, squeezing Nick's shoulder again. "…Been blowin' off half'a m'homework. Figger it don't matter no more… So… fuckit, least 'f I train hard enough I c'n pass out. Ain't real sleep, but I'll take it."
"The nightmares just got worse. Half the time when I wake up, I half expect to be waking up there." Nicholas confesses. "It's not as bad as when I first got back though, the waking up thing. The nightmares though, I don't know how to stop them. I'd probably be blowing off all this school work too if I could train or just go out out and ride for a bit. I think that makes this worse, not being able to just ride."
"Know how *that* feels at least," Shane mutters, shaking her head. "Yeah… prolly it'll get better when y'c'n push y'self t'exhaustion. Shorter, leastways… But sometimes I still wake up thinkin' 'm in th' World 'o Crystal, so… Iunno what t'say 'bout that…"
"Though I at least had Quenton, Connor and Warlock there with me, they made it easier. Well Connor didn't have his medication while there, I felt bad for the guy. It's been to hectic to see how's he's doing and Quenton's been..well, Quenton." Meaning vanishing for a bit. "Warlock, I didn't even know his Dad was some famous musican until we were talking in the cell." Nick says to Shane. "Glad I got to know Lock."
"Good guy, huh?" Shane says, nodding slowly. "Met'm once. THought he was kinda doofy. Give'm another shot, I guess. Bein' trapped t'gether prolly helped, though. People're either really good guys after awhile, 'r really shitty. 'N know you better'n t'think he was shitty. So yeah." Pullng in a deep breath, she twists her head, eliciting a quiet *pop* from her neck. "Ugh… Prolly should go crash here… Wanna ride t'lobby?"
"I thought he was doofy too, until I got put in that type of situation with him. He's the only one among us that kept his head held high through it all and was certain we'd get out alive. Kept us going." Nicholas says to her then nods. "I can walk along, I don't need to be pushed around anymore. I still have one crutch, but one is better than two." He says standing up and grabbing his crutch to put under his left arm so he can use it for support. "But yeah, crashing sounds like a good idea. Get in as much sleep as I can before the nightmares keep me up." He smiles again in Shane's direction. "You rock, don't let anyone tell you different."
