Players:
Summary: The Quad is a popular spot this evening.
Date: May 22, 2012
Log Title: Party At The Quad
Rating: PG
Xavier Mansion - Quad
There is a square side walk of pavement with a nice grassy area in the middle with a few stone benches and trees along the corners. The pavement leads to the paths to the grounds of the school, the Dining Hall in Xavier's and the Ramsey Dormitories. It's not particularly large but it's a nice place for students and teachers to relax and enjoy the outdoors.
It's evening out in the quad. It has just started getting darker, but still there are a few students out. Specifically, Jules sits indian style next to a Taylor. Some books are out and Taylor has an arm in a sling.
"That's understandable I suppose. I didn't actually want to ask, but what happened to your arm?" says Jules, gesturing towards Taylor's arm. "Maybe we could have a small dinner party in the kitchen. That would be fun, too."
"Oh, it's fine. I got shot. It's… pretty shitty, actually, since it hurts a fair bit, but it's healing fast cause of everything they have here. Just sucks that it happened at all," says Taylor, glancing over at the wound for a moment and shrugging with the other shoulder, "Dinner party? I guess we could do that, though I think your dietary habits are different than mine, so if we did that, we'd have to work that out."
Walking from the stables towards the quad is Nicholas, it's probably the first time Taylor's seen him since they were in New York. In one hand he has a horses bit and bridal and in the other hand a bouquet of assorted flowers. Once he approaches and sees Taylor, he winces. "Hey Taylor, I should have stoped to see how you were doing earlier. I just…I didn't handle all that stuff in Mutant Town well..so, how are you healing?" He asks his friend before offering Jules a nod and what's up.
Jules pauses in his talking to look up, even at a glance, he's only there for a second, though only Taylor would get a full view of what happened. The teleporter did indeed teleport right behind Nicholas, still in the sitting position. From there, Jules stands up and somehow leans right over Nicholas' shoulder without touching him at all. "Mayhaps you would like to join us for a dinner thingy, Nicholas. I promise we won't make anything unsuitable to your palette… Like trogolodyles."
"Hey, Nick. I… yeah, I get why you might've wanted to avoid all that. I'm so sorry about what happened, but… that's not normal in the city. That was the first time anything like that ever happened to me, especially in Mutant Town," says Taylor, grimacing for a moment, "I'm healing okay, though. There's till soreness and shit, but… yeah. It's fading a bit. Though… my friend Dashenka is back! Went out to dinner with her. It was nice, a huge relief…" The teen then glances towards Jules and then notes, "Yeah, Jules was just proposing some kind of dinner party or something."
As soon as the voice is heard behind him, Nick drops everything and quickly turns, with his eyes glowing blue, and telekinetically shoves Jules away from him in reflex. He's obviously a bit on edge especially after recent events. It takes a few seconds before he realize that it was just Jules. "Don't. Do that!" He yells out breathing a bit hard. For the moment, Taylor's words aren't responded to due to Nick trying to stop his heart from racing.
Being that Jules isn't quite so prepared to receive a shove of any kind, he stumbles backwards, eventually tripping over his feet and landing on his behind. There isn't really an average typical response to such an act, and so the androgynous teen sort just looks up at Nicholas with a bit of a hurt expression. Like a puppy that might've just been scolded.
Out near the gates, a Jeep with comes rolling up and someone gets out - as the enter the grounds and come closer, it's apparent that it's Cale and he's in a fairly good mood. Or at least, appears to be. As usual. He is /trudging a little,/ but the remains of the ice cream cone in his hand that he's gnawing away at seem to lighten that. Hurray for comfort food… Lick.
Taylor seems surprised when Jules gets shoved, looking between Jules and Nick for a moment before noting to Jules, "You gotta be careful about scaring people. I mean, I dunno, I can be jumpy sometimes, 'cause people have tried to kill me recently and stuff." The teen then glances in Cale's direction, raising a hand to offer the boy a polite way.
Nicholas takes a few more deep breaths until he's calmed down. "Sorry, just..between Envy and Mutant Town…what Taylor said." He says before looking at Taylor. "Jill's also back. I went to visit her down in the medbay, thus the flowers. Glad to hear you're healing well." He gives a wave to Cale before reaching down to offer Jules a hand up. "Hey Cale."
Cale continues walking towards the group with a mumbled (not to mention distracted), "Hey…" as he nibbles on his ice cream, and then a realization that he's actually being talked to, and who is talking to him, hits him, "Oh! Hi!" he looks up, blinking between Taylor, Nick and… person who he's maybe seen around but hasn't actually met. Or maybe he hasn't, since Jules teleports everywhere.
"I'm so, so, so sorry… I wasn't really thinking." replies Jules, still looking up to Nicholas, and eventually, the offered hand. It's taken gingerly, as it doesn't take much to pull the teleporter up. "I've been in a really good mood today, and I didn't know so much happened while I was in my room. Is it always this dangerous?"
"Yeah, Dashenka mentioned that Jill would be back, she was in the same place," says Taylor, head tilted slightly, without saying much more on the subject. The felinoid considers that for a few moments and then says, "Hey, Cale. And… Have any of you ever met Dashenka? She's really great."
Once Jules is on his feet, Nick uses his telekinesis to pick up the bit and bridle then the flowers that he dropped. "I don't if I'm in a good mood but I'm in a better mood now that Jill's back. I honestly thought the worst." He says shaking his head. "Nope, never met her but if it involves going into New York City, count me out. I'm never going to that place again." He's just not interested. "How's it going Cale?
"Hello, Cale," Jules says, not quite knowing the boy but probably knowing him. Or he's just picking up on the name from everyone else around him. "I don't think I've met Jill or Dashenka. That doesn't really seem like a local name! Maybe Russian or German. I'm kind of curious."
"Oh, no, I haven't, Cale replies to Taylor, looking up at them. "Is she a friend of yours?" From the sounds of it, she must be… The lizard boy looks over to Nick for a moment, pondering that answer. "I'm good. I'm… really… good," he smiles, only one of the corners of his mouth turns up. Which means he's probably been thinking again. "Hi! Um…" he searches for a name, but fails in coming up with one. He's mostly horrible with names anyway.
Taylor frowns slightly at what Nick says and says in reply, "That was just a nasty coincidence what happened… if… if I go with you again, I'll use my image inducer, so that I'm not so much noticeable… And I couldn't have just left that girl to die…" The teen looks away and frowns for a moment before looking back towards Cale and Jules, "Yeah, it's a Russian name. And she… well, yeah, she's a friend, though I guess we're dating, she asked me to date when I saw her after she got back again, so more than friends, really." This last bit is said a bit awkwardly.
Nicholas shakes his heat at Taylor. "Sorry, no desire to go back into that mess. I've had nightmares ever since! Also you're not going to leave someone to die, I wouldn't if I wasn't so panicked." He says with a long sigh before smiling at Taylor's news. "Really, you guys are dati…wait…you're into girls?" He asks sounding confused. "I thought you used to have that moron of a boyfriend." He's really lost now.
"Oh, congratulations Taylor! I hope you and Dash have a great relationship." says Jules with a smile. Nicholas gets an odd look, "I don't think it's odd. People confuse me for a girl all the time, so it's like, understandable about all of those gender things." Really? Because it seems that Jules is largely unaware of gender-things most of the time! Cale also gets a smile, "I'm Jules, it's nice to meet you. I'm part of the Corsairs here."
"That's awesome," Cale nods at Taylor, giving them a friendly hug. Best friends forever! He nods at Jules, "You too! I dunno, I mean, what the Corsairs are yet… is that a squad?" he rubs the back of his neck, "I don't have one of those yet." He stretches, as if trying to shake a weight off his shoulders for a moment. Then he looks at Jules thoughtfully.
Taylor glances towards Nicholas and then rubs the back of their neck, "I dunno. I… I did used to have a boyfriend, but I'm more just attracted to specific people rather than like… a gender as a whole? I dunno. I'm into girls and guys, anyways… And Dashenka's a really great girl…" The teen sighs softly and stares off, "I think they cancelled the whole squad system thing."
"Oh." Nicholas says to Taylor not fully understanding it but not questioning it any further. "As long as she doesn't treat you like that last jerkwagon." He says before looking at Jules for a bit. "Really? I don't see it." He says as he doesn't think Jules looks much like a girl. "I used to be on the Corsairs along with Jill and Evelyn until they disbanded the squads, which makes it a bit easier I guess."
"I wasn't even aware that you were in a relationship before, but I suppose if he was treating you poorly that it's good you've moved on to a better relationship." Jules says while looking towards Nicholas, and then to Cale. "I suppose we should all go to the kitchen for our dinner party. What did you want to eat, Taylor?"
"Hmmm…" Cale trails off, glancing towards the dining hall and kitchen. "I could cook something!" he volunteers, mustering enthusiasm. Cooking will take his mind off of Amy, right? Hopefully. Something just for Tay, too! Well, and everyone else. But now that he knows the cat mutant's diet, he can help out. Or at least try…
Taylor nods at Nicholas and says, "Well, Dashenka seems to accept me for who I am so… that's nice. I thought Tim did too, but I guess… well. I dunno. He didn't, which was fucking painful. But I think Dashenka is… well, she's also a mutant, so that's not a worry." The teen shrugs a shoulder and then looks over at Jules and says, "Oh, yeah. That kitchen sounds fine for a dinner party."
"Sorry I gotta pass on that." Nicholas says. "I have to go drop this off in my room so I can oil it, then I gotta go to Jill's room and get her laptop for her and a couple of movies then I'm gonna drop it off along with the flowers to her down in the medbay. You three take care and I'll see you later."
"Oh, it was nice seeing you Nicholas." replies Jules, a bit saddened perhaps. But the tone picks up to the previous whimsical overtones when Jules speaks to Taylor and Cale, "I think that would be nice. Maybe we can make mango rice? With salmon on it?"
"Actually…" Cale murmurs, "I was thinking I would just make steak. And then other stuff to go with it…" the lizard boy trails off, shaking his head. "Tay likes meat, so, keeping everything seperate would be better, that way…" he pauses, "If someone doesn't wanna eat something, it's already seperate." He gives Nicholas a wave and a smile as he departs, "Take care Nick."
Taylor waves at Nicholas and then looks towards the other two, "And yeah, meat is good. It's pretty much all I can eat much of without feeling kind of icky about it." The felinoid looks towards the Mansion and starts off in that direction.
As Jules heads off to do, you know, whatever it is that those Jules types do, Cale and Taylor are once again left standing with just the two of them (this happens pretty often) in the quad. "So… um… dinner? Or no," the teen smiles lopsidedly, "I can still cook something, but it seems silly to make a big deal for just us two…"
Taylor nods at Cale and then says, "Given that I just eat meat… I mean, I'll even eat it raw in a pinch. Or out of a pinch, I'm not really picky about pinches…" The ocelot rubs the back of their neck and then says, "I wouldn't mind just having company for my meal, though. I'm hungry."
It sounds as though something very large and metalic is approaching from around one of the sides of the building. A few moments later Hildegard appears, carrying in a seemingly efforless manner a very large tree trunk. She stops for a moment to look into the quad and sees the two students standing there. "Ah! Hello you two." She walks over and sits down the…what might as well be a tree, on the sidewalk before coming closer. "One of the students had an…Accident." She gestures toward the trunk. "How are you too fairing since the Embassy incident?" She glances at Taylor in particular, knowing the girl had been shot.
Cale laces his fingers behind his back, pressing downwards on them and stretching forward via standing on his toes. "I can be company! I'm always here to listen. Or talk. Anyway, I'm okay, Miss Hilde," he nods, glancing over at them. "It was pretty scary, but it's not the first time something violent has happened… I mean… well, you know," he nods. "I think… I'm still… well. No, it's got nothing to do with that. Anyway."
Taylor glances towards Hilde and then towards their arm which is in a sling. The felinoid student says, "I'm recovering okay. I… well, I dunno, I feel kind of shitty about it. I mean, someone tried to shoot me. I don't get it. I'm just some kid, I wanted to /help/ some girl who was hurt, and they wanted to kill me."
Nigel is heard before he's seen, a kind of revving up noise that those familiar with old cartoons would assoicate with the Tazmanian Devil, the door from the Dormitories flies open and a small whirlwind shoots through it only to screech to a halt to reveal the form of Wildcard. "Boom Baby! Oh Yeeeeeah it's good to stretch the old legs a bit. Getting tired of being cooped up all day. He stretchs with a series of popping sounds and grabbing his own chin spins his head completely around a few times. "Ooooo much better."
Hilde gives Cale a sidelong look, but holds her tongue for a moment while Taylor speaks. "I know it doesn't seem to make sense. You have to realize that some of these people are just…They're just hateful. They are just looking for a reason to start trouble. Dingo probably wasn't wrong when he said they wanted Envy to kill those children." And suddenly, there is a Nigel. "Ah! Hello, Nigel. How are you today?" But then back to the other two. "Do NOT misunderstand me, however. Dingo is a member of the Brotherhood. I trust you recieved the message from Miss Frost earlier? He really should be avoided."
"I dont know… I mean, shouldn't… /someone/ be more proactive about stopping that kinda thing from happening in the first place?" Cale sighs, shifting restlessly. "I mean… Well, Dingo's obviously a dangerous person. But even horrible people are right every now and then…" he plops down on the lawn indian style, resting his chin in his hands. "Sorry, Miss Hilde. I'm just worried. About everything. With all this stuff that's going on, what if someone like that got their hands on Amy? What if she got killed? Or worse?" he frets, chewing on his bottom lip nervously.
Nigel cocks his head to one side and waves "Hey there but Nigel's not home right now. Poor guy's out like a light so I get to come out." He cackles a moment and looks to Cale "Always gonna be folks like Dingo, so there's gotta be other folks to keep'um in line and make sure they don't do too much damage." He reachs into one pocket and with a popping sound pulls an oversized mallet from it. "And of course if they get outta line.. ya drop the hammer on'um!"
Taylor sighs and says, "They are hateful and… I had it under control, I knew I wouldn't get killed, but man. I got fucking shot. Makes me feel really nervous about looking how I do. I can't look normal, and I'll always look… like this. It frustrates me so much to know people hate me that much. If I could cry, I would." The teen stares off for a few moments and then shrugs, before looking to Nigel with wide eyes, "Oh. OH. You're Wildcard now?"
Hilde glances back at Nigel, ah yes. She forgot about Wildcard. "Sorry, Wildcard. It slipped my mind. Well I hope YOU are well, nonetheless." She turns back to Cale. "I…Can't say Dingo is…He is a complicated man. Many see him as a hero, but the manner in which he goes about many situations is…Well it tends to only cause more problems. I watched that news story. If he hadn't come out of that Embassy in the first place I doubt it would have escalated to that extent. It is because he specifically pannicked the crowd." She shakes her head and pats Taylor on her good shoulder. The hand is very heavy. "I know it can be hard, but people like that…They are not everyone. In time I hope you will feel comfortable walking around the city without your imager again. There are many who walk around as obvious mutants every day there."
Cale bites his lip some more, not entirely satisfied with that answer, but what Hilde says /does/ makes some amount of sense. "I'm still worried, though," he glances over at Nigel, who's acting… well, strangely /different/ from the last time that they met. "Um, yeah, I guesso. But, all he really did was come out and start talking, and the crowd flipped out. It may have been a bad choice to send him out, but he didn't /start/ that particular instance…"
Nigel is definately different from the last time he met Cale, given that this time he's a nearly seven foot tall living Cartoon. He hmms and taking off his ballcap pulls a full-sized chalkboard with stand and sets it on the ground with a clunk. His hat turning into a professor's hat as he puts it back on. "Well you See Dingo is what we like to call a "Psychopath", he writes the word on the board as he says it. "And Psychopaths tend to scare the crap out of people and make them make bad decisions. Kinda like sending a Guy from the KKK to a meeting of the NAACP."
Taylor nods slowly at Hilde and says, "I sure hope so. I mean, on the one hand, I have people being like. You should be proud of looking like a hairball or whatever. And then other people are like. You have to hide it or you'll get fucking shot. And I guess I got shot, so… I guess I'm kind of feeling like I agree with that…" The feline looks over towards Nigel's chart and then says, "I never paid much attention to that kind of stuff, I didn't know who Dingo was until recently."
Hildegarde shakes her arms and crosses her arms. "Yes, it would be much easier to see the crowd getting worked up over someone like Envy, who…Well does things like she's doing now. I take it you've met Bruce…Er Dingo? He seems perfectly fine at first. And many of the things that he reacts to legitimately require action to be taken. Just the way he goes about things…Last summer he was all over the news. A sand monster several stories tall rampaged through Times Square. Mr. Starsmore and Mr. Stark had to stop him from killing anyone. He's TOO extreme." The woman glances at Taylor. "Well don't get too familiar with him. And don't get too familiar with the idea that you have to hide. Once this Envy disaster gets solved things will cool down."
"Hum…" Cale glances up at the chalkboard - really, Wildcard's power is /something else,/ but he's too busy moping over Amy to be excited about it tonight. Mope. "Yeah, I guess. He seemed a little like my uncle, except, the opposite. Just racist. But he made some good points…" He leans on Taylor idly, having plopped down on the ground next to them. Mostly because Tay is warm. Yeah, he's not exactly thinking about it.
Nigel turns away from the chalkboard, it seems to simply fade from sight after a few seconds and disappears. "Well even the worst ideas can sound good at times."
Taylor glances towards Cale and pats the boy on the shoulder lightly, noting, "I hope that things turn okay with your sister and all of that… Your uncle sounds like a douchebag." The felinoid looks towards Hilde and nods a couple of time in response to her. "Yeah. I understand… I mean, I just want to live a normal life, and I feel like maybe that's not possible. Even if I wear the inducer, if someone touches me… well, they'll feel fur."
Hilde gives Cale a look. "His points may seem like good ones. Then he's off robbing a bank or terrorizing the police. Trust me. Stay away from that man." She gives Taylor a soft smile. "Things will get better, you'll see. These things take getting used to. Not for you so much as for the rest of society."
"Fur is nice… I wish I had fur. I get a crazy tongue and cold blood instead," Cale murmurs, "But, I guess I'm always worried I'm gonna get shot or beat up anyway, so it's not that big of a deal, 'cause it'd just be like normal, anyway."
Tay glances towards Cale for a few moments and then shrugs, "I dunno. I guess fur is okay, I mean… I don't think it's that great. When it's hot out, I feel really gross, and it's hard to keep cool… Can't imagine what it's like for Dashenka when she's in her polar bear form…"
Hilde chuckles softly. "You think fur's annoying? Try weighing a thousand pounds. I break so much furniture…" She shakes her head and turns back to that tree she was moving. "Well, I should put this out in the woods and get back for my office hours. I'll see you all later on sometime." Hilde picks up the tree with one arm and continues in the direction she was originally heading.
