Players:
Summary: Warlock and Ahmed stumble upon Nick in a not so great mood and cat therapy works wonders!
Date: January 23, 2012
Log Title: Is Everything Okay?
Rating: PG
Xavier Mansion - Locker Room
Lockers line half of the room for students to store their gym clothes and uniforms in between training sessions. The room is divided in half, one side for girls and the other for boys. Both sides are identical and have individual showers for students to clean.
The locker room is seemingly empty and quiet as most kids are in class. Steam still hangs on the ceiling from a recent shower giving the locker room a stuffy, humid feel. There's the soft noise of someone sniffing a bit towards the back, where the showers are. Nick is sitting on the floor in just his jeans, his back resting against the far wall. He's knees are hugged to his chest and a towel is currently clutched in his hands.
Planning to use his free period to take advantage of the school's heated pool to swim for a while to chill out for a bit and ignore his biology homework, Warlock is in the lockerroom having just finished changing into his swimming short and replaced the steam-punk googles with swimming ones, finally pulling his earphones out as he grabs a towel and gets ready to head out he hears the sniffling noise, "Hello, is someone there?, you ok?"
Stopping just outside the locker room, the feline form of Ahmed, the huge cat-form hunkers down slightly, head close to the door so that the sound carries better… trying to listen to what's going on there.
Hearing the voice Nicholas debates if he should say anything or not, after all he is also skipping class at the moment. "I'm fine, go away." He says hoping that whoever it was doesn't come back to where he is. He goes to scramble to his feet to stand up but in his hurry he slips on the wet tile floor and ends up falling to the floor, the 'thud' quite audible. "God damnit!" He curses.
Hearing the thud Warlock quickly follows it to check on whomever it is that fell, he freezes for a second when he spots Nicholas not wanting to have another confrontation with the boy but continuing forward to make sure he hasn't hurt himself, he crouches down next to him, "Mate are you alright?, that sounded like one hell of a knock".
Ahmed slips into the room after that, and starts slowly stalking his way towards the pair, staying as silent as only a cat can… which is surprising given the size of the beast. Unfortunately, nothing can disguise those glowing blue eyes as of yet, so the slits that he keeps them to cut through some of the steam in an eerie fashion.
Nicholas is in a sitting position on the floor, his lets out in front of him, looking as he's fallen on his rear-end. He just stares at Warlock as he comes next to him, it's a look of annoyance and maybe a bit of fear. It's obvious he's been crying. "I'm fine." He says almost a little too firmly but the quiver in his voice is still there. "I just slipped is all." Though the big cat is still not noticed by Nick yet as he's too embarassed to have Warlock being the one to have spotted him in the locker room.
Warlock doesn't point out how clear it is that Nicholas has been crying, no one likes being seen in one of their weaker moments, "Ok, you're fine", he stands back up and holds out a hand, "Want a hand up?", he frowns for a second at the slight glow cutting though the steam, "Whats that?"
The huge cat walks out of the mist, paw firm on the slick tile floor, and fur looking slightly damp for the steam, most of it in droplets on the end of the long guardhairs. Looking back and forth between the two, it just sits down on it's haunches, and those glowing eyes taken in Nick for a moment, and then Warlock, not a word said. What needs to be said. It's an 800 lb cat.
Nicholas's eyes dart to where Warlock's looking when he says 'what's that' and when the cat appears there's a strange look of relief on his face. "Ahmed, it's a who not a what." He says quitely just watching his roommate for a bit. He does though take Warlock's offered hand and lets himself be helped up. There's a wince followed by the rubbing of his backside. "Thanks." He mutters before he looks back over at Ahmed and gives him a forced half smile in greeting.
Warlock nods as he helps Nicholas up, "Sorry Ahmed i only saw the blue light", even though he knows it's a student, the 800 lb cat is still pretty darn intimidating. "That must kill Nick, these floors are bloody solid, sure you're ok?"
Ahmed rumbles back, and then does the feline yawnstretch thing, pushing his butt up and then his front forwards as a BUNCH of teeth are flashed at the pair. Then the beast pads forwards and moves to Nick's other side, and pushes his head against the young man's thigh. Those wise feline eyes look up at his roommate, and then nudges to his hand to push under it for a stroke.
"Yes, I'm fi-" but Nick's sentence is stopped mid-way when Ahmed pushes his head under his hand. He gives the cat a few strokes on the head followed by a quick scratch behind each ear absentmindedly. "No, I'm not fine okay? Is that the answer you want? Cause I'm not fine, I haven't been fine since…since…." He says in an irritated tone as he screws up his face as he can feel his eyes start to water.
Warlock takes a step back from Nicholas, he knows the boy doesn't like him and may not want people seeing this, "I didn't want you to be not fine but from what you've told me, i don't know anyone who would be fine in your shoes, i wouldn't even be strong enough to keep it together during class", he stops talking to let Nicholas say whatever it is he needs to say.
Cats hardly change their looks from annoyed or content, or even just in general… so sometimes it's hard to gauge with what you're dealing with. Ears go back, his tail curls in around Nick's ankles, and he leans into the strokes. The feline snorts once, and proceeds to IGNORE the other person, getting into the absent affection of Nick, even giving off a small rumble in assent to all any more attentions he might give.
Nicholas just glares at Warlock for a few seconds before snapping at him. "Why do you think I'm down here and not in class? So thanks, for that." He says sinking down to the floor and almost snuggling against Ahmed, it's just so easy when he's a giant cat. His hand continues to stroke the snow leopard. "I can't deal with it, okay?"
Warlock sighs and crouches down so he's not looking down on Nicholas, "Sorry thats not how i meant it", wow Nicholas and Ahmed have gotten close in quite a short amount of time, "Who's saying you have to be able to deal with it?, i have no way to compare what you're going though, but when my mum's dad died she was depressed for a long while, i'm not even sure she's completely over it yet, you not being able to deal is completely normal, if something like this can be called normal in the first place, right Ahmed?"
Can a cat roll it's eyes? DID a cat just roll it's eyes?! It's kind of hard to tell because of the glowiness. But regardless, the big feline presses it's nose to the side of Nick's head, and then rubs his cheek with the young man. Looking back at Warlock, a small sound comes out of the beast's chest, sounding something like a growl, but too low and too soft to really me such. It's followed by a huffing exhale, and the huge cat does all but snub Warlock's question otherwise.
There's just something about having the comfort of an animal, even if that large cat is your roommate isn't isn't an animal all the time, the comfort is there. Nicholas's hand continues to run along the spotted fur, the repeative motion over the soft fur theraputic in a sense. "Please, just stop." He says to Warlock quitely. "It's not helping."
Warlock shrugs, "Ok then i'll stop", grabbing his towel and heading back to the locker where he left his things and leaving Nickolas and Ahmed to it, he quietly finishes tossing his shoes and socks into the locker.
All petting aside, and not that the feline wants the person delivering said pets to stop, the look that Ahmed gives Nick is slightly reproachful… or annoyed… or something. Again, it's hard to tell. But in either instance, he moves his large muzzle behind Nick's head and chest, and then moves to push him towards Lock. It happens a couple times and then the cat huffs out a single, growled, barely intelligble word. 'Dude.'
Nicholas is pushed forward by Ahmed and before going to push himself all the way up he gives his roommate a 'what the hell' look. "What am I supposed to say? That I don't know what to do? I don't know how to deal with it? That I can still hear their screams whenever I go to sleep? I don't know!" He says and it's hard to tell if he's talking to Ahmed or Warlock. "Look, it's nothing against you." He says this time obviously to Warlock. "Do you think I like being this pissed off all the time?"
Warlock calls back to Nicholas, "No but it probably feels better than being upset all the time", he moves away from the locker back to where Nick and Ahmed are, "I take back what i said about you being a jerk, you have a reason for being a little harsh at times", he leans against the wall, "Has this place had you talk to anyone?, they really should be helping you out".
Ahmed thumps his tail once on the ground, which comes off as a mop-like swish as all it does is pick up water off the ground condensation and spray it around a little. But that unbearably smug feline look returns to that glowy and rather unearthly seeming face as once more the big cat pushes his head under one of Nick's hands, rubbing his cheek against the denim-clad thigh.
Nicholas wipes one of his eyes with the back of his hand and shakes his head. "No, I am a jerk. I don't mean to be so irritable but.." And then Ahmed is back and Nick resumes with the petting, letting his fingers sink into the fur. He looks down at the cat and gives him the faintest of smiles. "Don't expect me to do this all the time." He says to him before looking at Warlock. "I'm not me anymore and I hate it."
"Is there anything you still have or do from before?, something you could focus on and use to bring you back to you", Warlock doesn't know anything bout what Nicholas likes to do, "And you can't be a complete jerk, Ahmed here obviously likes you, Jill stood up to the big ol' ragey thing that is Quenton for you".
Ahmed looks back up at Nick, using his good old feline inscrutible number one. That mean he just tilts his head slightly, and proceeds to wander off towards Warlock, and once close enough, he start sniffing at the other young man, close enough that yes… it looks like what it is, and what it is is almost big enough for someone to ride.
"Orion, he's pretty much all I have left." Nick says quitely. "My parents and Bodie are dead, they were murdered because I'm a mutant. There is no bringing me back to me. Unless you can turn back time somehow. My whole life was in North Dakota and it's all gone because some organization decided I shouldn't live." He then looks over at Ahmed and smiles. "Ahmed has to like me, he's my roommate. Or at least tolerate me."
"Who is Orion?", Warlock steps to one side as Ahmed wanders up to him all scarey and tiger-like, again yeah he knows it's a student but most of him is ignoring that in favor of 'Holy Shit, Big Cat', reminding himself again that it's a human brain in the cat's body he has to ask, "Why is he sniffing me?"
"My horse." Nicholas says to Warlock. "I escaped with him, had him since I was thirteen." He then shrugs. "Who knows, he's a cat. Cats smell things don't they?" He says finally going to his locker to finished getting dressed.
Ahmed licks his chops at Warlock, and then walks AROUND him, as if sizing him up before he comes around to Nick, and headbutts him… right in the butt. Another one towards the door, and then he looks back and forth, as if he doesn't have the ability to open the door! The big feline seems impatient, and then sits himself just between both both. and POPS. Deliberately pops. Spraying you both with ectogoop, and says with a grin, "You guys make it too easy." And with that stupidly self-satisfied look he heads out of the locker room, letting you both wait for it to evaporate.
