Players:
Summary: Mild conversational encounter in the cafeteria
Date: May 30, 2010
Log Title Jock Taunt
Rating: PG-13 (L)
Barnes Academy - Cafeteria
A large open space with dozens of tables is attached to a kitchen module and a few freezer bays. Trained chefs prepare nutritionally balanced meals for staff and students here that is usually actually pretty tasty and after hours, there is an a la carte fridge with glass doors open to all. The cafeteria is even equipped to handle non-traditional metabolisms and there is even a small private dining module towards the back for staff dinners, guests of the teachers or for use by students with dietary requirements that might disturb others. The entire ceiling is a dome of transparent material and full-spectrum lighting gives the whole space a pleasant, sunny atmosphere, bolstered by the video monitors on the walls showing various live land and sea scapes.
It's the weekend and for the last week Travis has been in trouble with detentions and other such things for his fight with Jakob. Now, he's just enjoying the break, and since it's a weekend, he figures he can be a little lax with the dress code. He's wearing the standard Barns blue cargo pants with a custom made, six armed purple Colorado Rockies jersey sporting Helton, number 17. He's having some lunch at the moment, turkey sandwich on a hard-roll, potato chips and a can of Dr. Pepper. Upon closer inspection though, some might notice a fine layer of sawdust on Travis.
As hungry as Jakob was he imagined he could eat an entire pig to himself. Perhaps even raw, not that he seriously could or would but it felt sure the hell like it. His stomach roared at him as he brushed past the cafeteria exit, unlike Caleb or Sabina who'd been sneaking out or just going out he'd been in a sort of lock down for issues with certain other students here, it was making him antsy but he was coping well enough, obvious by the ever smug smile he was wearing right now head bobbing abit to music that was blaring through one ear, projected from the small transmitter ultimately connected to his iPhone which had long been without service and was acting as a simple iPod anymore. Decked out right now in an identical set of "P.T." clothes as earlier just obviously fresh and not the same pair.
Sabina had been sitting in the cafeteria, one ear was plugged with the bud from her MP3 player while the other remained free so she could be aware of what was going on around her despite the involvement her eyes had in a book. She was at the far end of a table, her shoulder pressed against the wall, her form slumped and one leg tucked up with her heel holding against the seat of the chair she was seated in, the book propped against the risen leg, its cover obscured by appendage. Her food was half eaten and left in picked apart bits on the tray. If she did not prep it she had issues eating it, call it a trust dilemma. Her hair hung in a haphazard pulled through bun at the back of her head, still drying from the shower hours ago, her attire the navy blue cargo's but a white tank top adorned her torso. It was the weekend, she did not have to totally adhere did she?
Caleb hasn't eaten all day so has headed down to the cafe to grab a bite, he's dressed in dark blue jeans, black air walk trainers, a white, black and purple checkered shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his white hair is gelled in a casual bedhead look and his violet eyes are glowing faintly as is the yellow stone on the silver wristband on his right wrist, he's got shadows under his eyes, showing that maybe he hasn't slept much last night, oh well whatever, when he enters he sees…, feck!, not him again!, that Jakob guy is everywhere.
Pulling out a phone, Travis starts to fool around with it, pulling up something that makes him scowl before sighing. The Rockies aren't doing so hot today. He finishes up his lunch and goes to throw it away, spotting Jakob in the process. Taking a deep breath, the six armed teen walks over to him. "Hey, listen. I just wanted to apologize for the other day. I kinda snapped and since we're roommates and all I figured we can try to put this behind us?"
Two of his favorite people where here, Caleb and Travis. His mind toyed with several ideas, rather pointedly devious ones where as his little game this morning with Sabina and Caleb had ended up, no. He was already skirting thin ice, he could only imagine what sort of further trouble he would get in. He sighs as he joins up into the line for food, this would be a suitable distraction for now, maybe he could manage to keep himself out of trouble. Jakob's spine tensed up as a voice filtered through over the music coming in one ear. Recognized, he apparently missed him approaching, " Uh… yeah. " He replies sorting on how to respond to that. " S'all good, I mean, we are what we are. You being a carnival sideshow I wouldn't expect much less out of you. Don't beat yourself up about it. "
Teddy is in a suit and tie — WAY too well fitted and snappy, like he's been out visiting relatives who like to do the formal thing. He's walking in with his jacket casually swung over one shoulder, and tie loosened and slung casually around his neck, a dark green vest still buttoned tight. A glance over the room … Two roomies, an underclassman, and a Sabina. Roomies are talking, and Jakob's tact is fully what Teddy expected. Underclassman… that's Caleb. Right. Ghost boy with the competitive streak. And Sabina, hopefully she won't try to bring the cafeteria chicken back to life, because it's been dead for FAR too long, and the lemon sauce would probably mean Strange Side Effects. He was whistling when he came in but he decides to NOT make a sound as he moves up behind one of the two.
It seemed she was at least beginning to be able to put faces to names. When the screeching of chairs and a flux of people left the cafeteria Sabina tore her eyes from the pages of her book and swept her eyes from Caleb, to Travis, noting where both of them looked or where headed. "Oh shit…" Jakob, she silently wished this cafeteria luck and slumped a bit lower pulling the book up as if it would shield the possibility of anything hitting her. It didn't stop her from peering over the top of the book as Teddy even came in. This was like a train wreck you drove by, despite the carnage you could not help but stare and slow down in the process.
Caleb walks over to the line for the food, he's gonna keep his mouth shut, if he doesn't speak to Jakob, hopefully Jakob won't speak to him, he raises an eyebrow at the suit on Teddy, bit overdress i guess but whatever, hmm, now what to have?, what to have?
Travis does his best to let Jakob's words just slide over his back. "Listen, I really don't know what the hell your problem is with me, why you feel the need to be the way you are, but we're roommates and we're at the same school together the least we can try to do is not be assholes to each other." He holds back about a million things he wants to say as to not to try to instigate the situation.
Jakob Was starting to feel abit crowded with Teddy lurking up behind them, he glances over his shoulder a brow doing the jaunt upwards deal as he speaks to Travis. " All right, I'll play nice with you for now. This place is already insufferable enough as it is… " This took alot for Jakob, beyond that skirmish though, he and Travis really had nothing to be at odds over save the obvious upbringing of hatred for mutants that factor of you are what you hate sometimes came to bore though. " Not say though, we're friends or I even like you. Just consider this a truce for the moment. Sound good? Cause I'd like to get back to my food. "
LOOM. Teddy may seem a bit taller than last time he spoke with Jakob. Or for that matter, taller than when he came in. A foot or so. And more hulk-like. Not green, though, except for his eyes, which seem to have stopped being blue. But unlike his namesakes, his suit still fits perfectly. (Take that, Joe Fixit! And thank you, Unstable Molecules that shift to look like what Teddy wants them to!) "Hey, Jakob. Sorry about skipping out, I guess you didn't get my text. I got summoned to the headmaster's office to debrief about some extracurricular activities." He closes his eyes, and exhales, relaxing a bit, and stops LOOMing, returning back to a less ominous size.
Sabina didn't even look, but at some point she had managed to grab a few chips, chew and follow it up with a sip of her coke. Her eyes were hell bent on the scene that was taking a turn for the….Better? Slow blink had kohl lined lids sealing off the peer of azure eyes and reveal them once again in a subtle flash. Confused? Only slightly but it was a good confused. The protective slump straightened back to just regular ole bad posture as crumbs were brushed from her tank top to the side. No one had come near enough for her to really speak a greeting, but if she tried right about now it would likely just croak out of her throat. She could only hope this was a direction toward the better for them - she kept to her corner for now.
Caleb hmms, coke, apple, chips and a snack bar i think, when it's his turn he puts the chosen foodstuffs on his trey and goes to find a place to sit, he needs to think about some stuff.
Travis nods at Jakob and runs one of his hands through his hair. "Good, I don't really care about your friendship I just don't want to end up acting like idiots in the cafe again. Besides my Mom would kill me if I ended up doing something like that again." Travis says with a slight smile before giving Teddy a wave. "Hey Ted, how's it going?" He asks of the large green alien. "Still running around in tights on a weekly basis?"
" Knew it, a momma's boy. " He muttered under his breath, forcing a faked smile as he turned enough to size up Teddy in his bulked out foot taller self with abnormal eyes, something Jakob would notice, always having been the sort to make and hold eye-contact. " Shit… you too huh? " As his mouth began to move on it's own accord the music in his ear played one line he found distracting, ~A problematic scarring induced by hate…~ FlaW echoing in several layers, this halted him. What ironic timing, his features would tighten up in a mixture of contained response and emotion, swatting some milk onto his tray before he brushes past the two. " Don't worry about it. " He gruffed out at the hybrid on his way. He had alot of adjusting to do.
"Me too what?" Teddy says, in a perfectly believable puzzled tone, almost as if he hadn't been extra-careful the past few days to keep to a human-seeming normality. Except for being too strong, of course. He watches Jakob head for the table, and shrugs to Travis. "You suppose he's got room for visitors on that yacht on the river in Egypt?" he asks, and reaches for a box of chocolate milk and a second box of regular.
As Caleb passed by she gave a small nod of acknowledgment to him in her silent hello. Distraction by means of one person she knew who seemed in his own world. She did not interrupt, and only cast another wayward glance towards Teddy, Travis, and Jakob. The slight readjustment in size from Teddy had one brow winging up and then dropping back down with Jakobs wording. Caesar to Brutus when the knife was to the hilt in his spine. Did he truly feel betrayed by mutants? Her head began a slow tilt in thought as her eyes dropped to her book and her jaw rocked on its hinges. A deep breath in and out, lower lip pushing out to flutter a stray strand of hair from her face. She was biting back the words that would only incite further flame when they were meant to diffuse. Mums the word - pushing up with a drop of her foot to the floor and righting herself fully.
Caleb offers a smile to Sabina before sitting down, then picks up a knife and begins cutting a face into his apple, "Trippin out, Spinning around, I'm underground, I fell down, Yeah I fell down…", he begins singing quietly to himself.
Travis shakes his head at the Momma's boy comment and can't help but chuckle. "Dude, my Mom works here, anything that happens she knows about." The odd thing though, his mother has not super powers. She's just a normal flatline. He's already eaten but Travis is finding himself hungry again and grabs another bag of chips and an apple before walking way to find a place to sit down and walks over to where Sabina is sitting. "Mind if I join you? Sorry about that the other day." Since he does recognize her from that day.
Jakob Shrugged, " Shoe fits. " He rumbles, mouth crammed suddenly with some rice as he absorbed himself in his food and music. Near enough to catch the others conversation but having turned hermit in his dislike for the moment. Yet he couldn't help but notice what Caleb was doing, ~thought I had issues, what a psychopath~
Continuing his reply to Travis on the way over, Teddy says, "Yeah, I do usually, but Billy and Tommy had something going, so I volunteered to distract the in-laws, we went early to miss the Memorial Day crowds, so all we had were the early crowds." He finds a place between Sabina and Jakob, and opens the two boxes of milk, and begins a complicated ritual, first pouring plain milk into the chocolate, then shaking it twice, then pouring back into the regular, repeating the process four times before evening it out. "So, either of you have plans for the weekend?" Teddy asks the two less-hermit-like people at the table.
Sabina gave Caleb a half cocked smile in return and left him to his whittling of food and humming a tune though she did give it a curious second glance even as Travis approached and made her double take. No, not the arms, the simple want to join her and an apology caught her off guard. "Umm sure.." She kicked out the seat that was in front of her for him and leaned back, pressing her back against the wall now and sliding her book further away on the table, nonchalantly dropping her bag of chips over the cover while rummaging for the remanants and speaking to Travis. "It's fine Travis, just taking some getting used to." As Teddy spoke up she opened her mouth to speak and then closed it, thinking and shook her head. "Figure I will just go to the lake in the park. Will New York have any fire works tonight or activities?" The weekend was being taken for what it was…An ability to get out.
"Im freaking out, where am I now?, Upside down and I cant stop it now, Cant stop me now, oh oh", Caleb continues his whittling, begining to feel in a better mood, he grins as he finishes the smiley face on the apple.
As Caleb sings to himself, Travis raises an eyebrow and shakes his head before looking back at Sabina. "I dunno, I'm just gonna stay here this weekend. It's really a pain in the add for me to go out. It's not like I can hide the fact that I have six arms, well I can, but it's annoying. I just don't wanna risk it right now." He's not really keen on anyone seeing the fact that he has six arms outside of here because of what he's here for. "And serioulsy, there are some really weird people here. I mean is anyone normal?" He says in regards to what he knows of Jakob, Caleb and Teddy. Sorry superhero fan boy, but Travis does not consider Teddy to be normal in personality.
Jakob Kept up with their conversation in his silence, watching Caleb for a few more minutes. Such an oddjob. Overhearing them speaking about the ongoings, it wasn't surprising this was a big 'holiday' for the SHIELD types, was for his family too. Pride seemed to swell in militant types that much more. His fingers drummed on the edge of his tray at the concept of going out.
"I don't have any plans for tomorrow," Teddy says. "Can't really visit Mom's grave, since we scattered her ashes. And I can't visit my birth parents' gravesites, they're too far away." He compares the colors of the milk in each of the two boxes. Enh. Close enough to the same. He swigs from the brown-colored box first.
Sabina was giving Caleb a flicker flacker of unsure glances. Singing, no…But making the food smile before you bit its face off was another thing. Cows didn't smile, they just chewed, died, and made a good meal for the meat eaters, they weren't even very cute. Her internal tangent stopped and she looked back at Travis, her lips pursing in thought for a moment. "A jacket? Every try just getting one a couple sizes bigger to conceal the other arms while the two go in the sleeves. Just keep the others down or something." She made it sound so simple, but again she didn't have extra appendages, just invisible voices that once lived..Once. As a matter of fact it was a bad night for her to go out to begin with, but that was the furthest thought from her mind. "Well, why don't we make some plans? Otherwise we will just be…Here." Her eyes skipped over to Teddy then Caleb and Jakob, lingering and then tearing back. "I want to see the parade, if I have not missed it."
Caleb puts his knife down, turns the apple round so the faceis away from him and bites into it, memorial day means nothing to him so he ignores the conversation, "I,I, Ill get by, I,I, Ill survive, When the worlds crashing down, When I fall and hit the ground, I will turn myself around, Dont you try to stop me, I,I, I wont cry".
"I have a jacket with actually straps inside to keep the extra arms hidden." Travis is just nervous about getting exposed for personal reasons. "but…sure, maybe getting out and acting like a normal person would be nice. Ya know, other wise you'd end up like him." He says thumbing over to Caleb. "Yeah, I can visit my Dad's grave, he's not buried anywhere around here."
Jakob pushed his tray away and wondered where he'd heard the music Caleb was listening to. It flipped around in his head a few times and he was frowning, " Don't tell me you're singing a girl song. " He said outloud, " Is that Avril Lavigne? " Music, even bad music Jakob tended to have an ear for, alot of it was what he substituted cadences for when in the military. At least in his head. " Don't they have District X here? Can't the Munsters go chill out there? " Half being mean yet curious himself. this last bit of his words being shot out towards the trio of Sabina, Teddy and Travis.
Teddy's eyes narrow, and he looks over at Caleb. "Yes, he is, it's Sing Along With Avril. Of course he's not quite hitting the alto soprano notes. Not going to be on Idol soon. Nor am I filled with Glee at the performance, but at least he's somewhere near the neighborhood of the melody." At the district-X remark, though, he folds up the paper from a straw into a hard little pellet and flicks it at Jakob. SNAP. Not harder than a strong person could do but enough to indicate annoyance. "Cut it out, Private, you're just as much a freak as any of us or you wouldn't be here. And neither Caleb nor I are mutants, I don't know about Sabina, and Travis it's arguable, but of the five of us here, you're the one acting out."
Sabina's eyes darted to Jakob as he spoke after Travis, narrowing only slightly but returning to a simple indifference with a shrug. "Do you think they take the parade off the beaten path just for people like us Jakob? Doubtful." But his mention of a District - X had her curiosity piqued and she looked from one face to the next for any form of confirmation in Jakob's words, or was it just another cheap shot. Caleb seemed disinterested enough so now here yes rested between Travis and Teddy in that unspoken question, those two seemed to have been here longer and would possibly be in the know. "I really don't care where I go, but I am going out to enjoy the holiday and festivities." She was not the one to go for when it came to strategic planning of things, she just did it. Teddy's defense was smooth enough, non confrontational and fitting but when she came into the equation she crumpled her chip bag into her hand and shoved the book into the backpack that had been stuffed under her chair.
Caleb looks up at Jakob, "Yeah, i am singing a girls song, i like it, so feck off", he gives Teddy a smile as he lays into Jakob, nice to see someone who can tell him off without getting too annoyed, he'll have to ask him how he stays calm.
Travis hasn't told anyone at the school that he's a mutant nor has he told anyone how his powers happened, that's knowledge that not even Angelo is subject to. "How is it arguable, I haven't said anything about being a mutant. Could have been a freak accident or how ever else super heroes get their powers." He isn't sure what this 'district X' thing is but he doesn't ask. "Who knows, they could have something in that mutant neighborhood I've heard about." As Caleb and Jakob exchange words, Travis closes his eyes and sighs. "So Sabina, yeah, normal day tomorrow, um….count me in I guess?" Is there a nervous edge to his voice?
" Thats Specialist. " Jakon snaps at Teddy with a glare, which he technically was or wasn't he had no clue what his status with the U.S. Army was anymore, he only knew SHIELD said they would fix his AWOL if he played to their tune which he was. No one since his arrival here had said anything about a promotion or a demotion, last he knew he was an E3 getting promoted to an E4 upon reaching the 'special' unit he was meant to be a part of. The rest of the crap Teddy spewed was somewhat lost on him, but he was batting the incoming pellet aside. " Why not? Keeps things segregated. " He says in regards to Sabina, Caleb getting a wink and a lop-sided curl of a smirk before studying Travis, once again the words 'Shoe fits' he said earlier were playing in his head.
"Short-bus specialist," Teddy returns fire. "You're flinging around the anti-mutant poo, I figured that you might want to know that you can't tell around here who is or who isn't. So cut the attitude." He looks over to Sabina and Travis, and shakes his head. "Sorry, was trying to make a point to Captain Clueless there, but so far he's dodged every time." He swigs down the second box of chocolate milk in a swift gulp, and manages not to make that rude noise that would be typical, but it costs him in dignity.
Sabina didn't seem to really pay too much attention to possible tension on the rise, going out tonight and tomorrow was taking precedence and as Travis was counted in the wavering smile that was typical spread into something a bit more pleased and sure. "Good. It'll be an early day so try to sleep off the nerves Travis." She heard the edge to his voice and was attempting to at least aid him in breaking through that, if just for a day. As Jakob again opened his mouth she exhaled and rolled her eyes, having them land in a stilled snap upon him. "Well then, you go sit in segregation and see who caters to you, though of all people…Specialist I think you'd be wanting to enjoy the day as well and not wallow in your own self pity turned hate." Looking to Teddy as he came free of his own piece of mind towards Jakob she nodded and the smile slowly began to return. "So we can count you in too then?"
Caleb looks over at Jakob, "Pathetic", he spits out the word in disgust, he is in a school full of people who are a little different and he refurs to people as freak, this guy needs to take a long hard look at himself, he throws his apple down on the trey, he's lost his appetite.
Travis stands up and puts four arms up, one pointing at Jakob, another at Teddy, a third at Sabina and a fourth at Caleb. "Seriously guys, we all know Mr. Specialist over there is a jerk but seriously pushing someone's buttons isn't a way to get him to be nice. It's just gonna push someone to continue being an ass. And you know what, if he wants to be a jerk let him. Not skin off my back, really. I've got my own shit to worry about besides worrying about his shit. Like if the Rockies are gonna win tomorrow to make up for their loss today." Travis is a bit baseball obsessive. "And also we're going out tomorrow, maybe do something normal away from this military freak camp, cause really, we're all freaks here, focus on that." He just sees everyone poking and picking at bomb, and eventually, it'll explode.
What Jakob said made sense to himself, perfectly of course. The impact it had on the others was interesting though, his mind played back abit and he kept up another forced smile. Teddy was now nixed from that book of possibles, " Poo? " He blinked, leaving that one alone. It would have been too easy a target, kind of like Caleb. Sabina's ire he ranked up as usual and just about as entertaining, almost as entertaining as them talking about him like he wasn't there. His hands wave out to his sides as he shrugs, " Thought it was a good suggestion honestly and on a side note the Giants will win tomorrow. " He would counter out as he left the group to toss his garbage and tray away.
Teddy smiles at Sabina, shrugs innocently to Travis, and says, "Well, I'll head out with you guys, sure, if I can. Assuming nothing weird in tights happens." He inhales, exhales, looks back at Jakob. He had something to say, but it could wait. "Jakob. If you still want that basketball game, I'm available. Or you could just, y'know, play with yourself." Teddy's voice carries the "jock taunt" overtone this time. "Oh, and, Giants are not gonna win."
At Travis' proclamation of defense for Jakob her eyes landed on him and somewhere in the backdrop laughter lingered but did not so much as affect her frozen smile. "I've tried your approach too, got me nowhere, the only person that is going to change Jakob, is Jakob." Her eyes leveled on him and followed as he walked away, the hold of breath she didn't realize she had was released. "I am leaving for a night out in an hour, will be back in the morning for those who want to go out tomorrow as well." Lowering she grabbed up her backpack and slung it over her shoulder, not bothering to comment on the sports, again, clueless. Male bonding stuff was just something she never had to participate in before and wasn't about to start just to make a bigger ass of herself. "Have fun guys." Her hand lifted to wave to them over her shoulder as she slipped from the cafeteria and towards her room to get ready.
Caleb has no idea what the giants are so pushes his trey away from him and stands up, he needs some air, curfew or not, he has a couple of friends in New York now, he'll just go hang out with them for a while.
"No way in hell man, San Fran doesn't have a chance against the Rockies." Travis says with a smile on his face as he does like completion and some of that 'my team is better' fun arguments with friends. I happened a lot when he was living in St. Louis. "I'll be home all night Sabina, I'll be working on some carpentry projects I was working on earlier. Finally making the window pains for our room. Just gotta get Teddy on painting them."
In a half-step Jakob came to a halt about to say more on the subject of that long Colorado vs San Fransisco rivalry before it came back on him who he was dealing with, he exhaled loudly almost about to challenge on that in a wager catching himself though as he continues his stride clattering tray and garbage together before he began to exit. Fresh air… that was a novel idea, maybe he'd feel more normal if he went topside around normal people again. As much of a patriot as he was being crammed in like sardines underneath the Lady Liberty's toes was feeling stifling right now.
"It was worth a try," Teddy says, and shrugs. "Except for that whole 'hate the freaks' thing, I like the guy. Gonna be tough having him in our suite if he keeps up that ignorant stuff." He looks over to Travis. "So, seriously, the Rockies?"
Travis just shrugs at Teddy in regards to it. "Eh, we came to a kind of neutral ground. Don't expect us to be friends but Jakob's just not worth fighting with, nor is he worth getting in trouble again over. I mean, my Mom used the fully name when yelling at me about it, and when your Mom works for the school you're a student at….you can't hide -anything-." Then Travis looks down at his purple, six armed, Helton jersey. "Yeah, seriously, the Rockies. I grew up going to their games. At least I'm not a Yankees fan right?"
"Blasphemer," Teddy says grinning. "I grew up here. You know that right? The Yankees can do no wrong. It's part of the municipal code." He'll continue like this all night, but in truth, he doesn't care who wins as long as it's a good game.
Travis shakes his head. "Well I'm gonna get headed back to what I was doing Ted. And if you wave your 27 in my face, I'm gonna punch your face in 27 times." He says with a laugh as he gets up and grabs his trash. "I'll catch ya later dude." He says as he heads off to spend a night building stuff.
