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Summary: Cloud tries to talk his sister into going back to Boston.
Date: November 14, 2010
Log Title: Not Going Home
Rating: G
Xavier Mansion - Spuyten Duyvil Cove
This little cove leads off to Breakstone Lake. Students can go fishing, boating, and swimming in the fresh water. There is a small beach off to the side of the dock where students can also go sunbathing.
It's been a very long month plus for the students and staff that were transported to Tegu-Haaz. The sun is set and the moon and stars bright over head. The sounds of living things fill the air, offering comfort and familiarity to the returned souls. Still dressed in the Victorian era dress she'd taken to wearing after her… death, Star is seated on the sandy beach with her legs drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her knees just staring out at the water. Midnight has come and gone and yet still she sits there, her chin resting on her knees and looking a little worse for wear with her hair unbrushed and her clothes stained with dirt and other not as mentionable things.
She was dead for about a month there, after all.
Her eyes are half closed and she's lost in thought, the cloud of emotions that had been missing the entire time she'd been a zombie back, though subdued at the moment. At least it's possible for those that know her to be able to tell that she's content at the very least. Content and curious.
Since getting back from Tegu-Haaz, Cloud's just been trying to kill time, he just wants to give Star some time before tracking her down to talk, he's dressed in blue jeans, red sneakers, a red and black stripped t-shirt and his dark roots are beginning to show though his bleached blond hair, after looking round the school for a while, he's finally come out here, walking over he just sits down next to Star withut talking.
"Hey." Star doesn't look over at him at first, though a small smile plays at the corners of her mouth when she finally figures out exactly what that extra little sense that she's been feeling ever since her heart started to beat again is. She looks over at him after a couple of minutes, her eyes a clear, bright blue, "I felt you coming." There's a hint of wonder in her voice when she says that and she scoots over to lean against his side, just needing to feel that she isn't alone right now and sniffing to try to smell out his emotions. She's almost reveling in the fact that she has that little extra sense of hers back again, having felt half blind with not being able to feel the emotional currents of those around her for so long.
"You felt me coming?, that an emotion thing or do i need another shower?", Cloud's had like three already, otherworldly dirt is tough, he puts his arm round his sister, "Star, we need to talk, actually, i need to talk and you gotta listen ok?"
Star shrugs, "I don't know… I just knew you were there." It's hard to explain a feeling when someone else hasn't felt anything like it. She frowns faintly and looks up at him, her expression cautious, though her eyes are still blue, "Okay… Talk about what?" She sits up and eyes her brother warily, "I'm not sure I like the sound of this…" She's just gotten back to normal, that doesn't mean that she wants to have him going all overprotective on her now. That's her job.
Cloud sighs, this is gonna be difficult, "Star, i think you should go back to Boston, things at this place really isn't safe, students disappear, get kidnapped, die, i don't want you staying here and being in danger, i can't lose you, next time it could be for real".
The girl frown and pulls away, the emotional flavor around her turning what could best be termed as 'prickly', "And why should I go back to Boston? I've got a lot more to learn before I'd be willing to just give up and go home." Her expression softens when he mentions her recent death, "Yeah, but I'm fine. It didn't count." She gives him a little bump with her shoulder, "Mike killed that… that thing that I was and I'm alright now." She looks up into his face for several long minutes, reaching up to tuck a clock of hair behind one ear, "And anyway, I can't go off and leave you, now can I? Like you said, things happen here." One hand comes up to try to lightly touch his chest where he was scarred by Sinister all those months ago, "I don't want to know that I'm off doing something else and you end up hurt again. I couldn't live with myself."
"Yes Star it does count, you were just lucky this time, and i don't want you here when that luck runs out", Cloud sigh when reminded that yeah, he can get hurt too, "Anytime i've been hurt here has been my own stupidity, i chose to tackle that Jordan guy back then, but i've learnt since then, i think about my actions now, plus i can be prtty much bullet proff if i wanna be".
"I might of been lucky, but I can still get hurt back home just as easy as I can here." Star settles in to stare out over the water again, "And there wouldn't be anyone able to just come running to my rescue if something happened, either." She sounds like she's actually thought about this, "At least here I have a school supplied cell phone with a panic button in case something bad happens and someone can get to me easy if I need help." She turns her head to rest her cheek on her knees and looks at him, "I wouldn't have that at home, Cloud. It would just be me." She pauses for a moment, "I at least want to stay until I'm comfortable trying to defend myself." Her voice is calm and perfectly reasonable, unlike it probably would have been prior to her little experience being dead, "I had a lot of time to think and I really think I should stay. It might be dangerous here, but it's safer than out there."
"Star, how many times did you die before you came here, how many times were you attacked or pulled into another world, the benifits of this place are vastly outwayed by the dangers", Cloud is trying very hard to remain calm, he's terrified for Star, "Even Mike who is made of metal left this place cos it was too dangerous, either way, do you think mom and dad will let you stay?"
Star sits up, letting her knees drop so that she's sitting Indian style with her skirt completely covering her legs, "No, nothing like that ever happened back home." She folds her hands in her lap, calm hanging around her, though there's a little wince at the mention of everything bad that happened, "They didn't make you go home when you had that message to Mr. Summers carved in your chest." Instead, she was allowed to come to watch out for him. She sighs and reaches over to put one of her hands over his if he'll let her, "Cloud… I'm not going to go home and leave you here by yourself. It's just not happening." She looks up at him, her expression oddly bland and her eyes blue tinged hazel-green, "If you manage to talk them into sending me home, I'll just run away and come back here. I refuse to let you get into anymore trouble than you already have."
"Star, you are the smart one, you always have been, you have a future outside all this mutant crap, back home i was the football guy, now thats gone i'm just a mutant, you're still Star, Star is going to be someone", Cloud rans a hand though his hair, "Anyways, it's been ages since i've been in trouble, i'm over it".
"You're not just a mutant, Cloud. For one thing, you're my idiot baby brother and nothing can ever change that." So what if he's not the football star anymore? He's still Star's little brother, "And you can be smart. Hell, I'll help tutor you if you want. You know I can do it." She gives him a playful little nudge with her shoulder, "And I really don't want to go home. Really." She looks up at him, her expression almost pleading, "I want to learn how to control this empathy thing I've got. I don't want to be the cause of a riot somewhere just because I'm having a bad day." That's probably the thing she fears the most.
Cloud sighs, "Ok, but you gotta understand anything so much as touches you, i'm gonna kick it's ass, ok?", he is absolutly serious there, no matter how big, something hurts Star, he's taking it down.
"As long as you understand that I've got the same privaleges." If anything hurts Cloud, Star's going to take a chunk out of it herself. She loops one arm around his middle and gives a light squeeze, "I came here to make sure you stayed out of trouble. I'm gonna do that whether you like it or not, little brother."
"Sure Star", Cloud will in no way be letting that happen, he'll barracade Star in her room before he lets her go after someone, "Anyways, don't you think it's about time you were heading to bed sis?, it's way past midnight".
Star shrugs, "Only if you go, too. I've spent the last month just wandering around not sleeping or anything." Her stomach gurgles and she grimaces, "Or eating, for that matter…" One hand moves to cover her suddenly hollow feeling middle, "I think I'm going to see if I can find some cookies or something, first." She climbs to her feet, almost tripping over her skirt before she makes it, "Come help me raid the kitchen. Then I'll go take a shower and go to bed." Beat, "I promise." One hand is held out for him to offer a hand up, her expression not leaving any room for argument on his part.
Since he got back to the mansion Cloud has absorbed a lot of elecrticity just in case, so with a grin, in one quick move he helps his sister to her feet throws her over his shoulder and superspeeds towards the school kitchens.
