Players:
Summary: Ahmed and Nick start to get along until things turn sour.
Date: December 6, 2011
Log Title: Something In Here Seems Bitter
Rating: PG-13
Xavier Mansion - Ahmed and Nicholas's Room
Slightly bigger than the old room, the new rooms fit two students comfortably. Each room has off white walls with a dark brown carpet. There is one window in the middle of the wall that looks out over the grounds. Each room has two beds, two dressers, two desks and two closets, one for each student.
Having been in the computer lab for a while after classes were over for the day, Nicholas is finally returning to the room with his laptop and what looks like a stack of papers in his arms. He just heads straight for his bed and starts to look through what he's printed out. He's lost in his own world a bit as he starts to sort what looks like printed out pictures into two piles.
For once, Ahmed isn't asleep on the bed in his cat form…he's on his own computer in the middle of one of his online text games. When you come in, he looks up, and then taps out a quick message on the machine before shutting down the program and says, "So… what's up?"
Nicholas didn't even realize his roommate was already in the room and he sighs audibly when he hears the voice. "Nothing really." He says with a bit of a guarded demeanor about him. "Just pictures." He says closing his eyes. "Look, I really don't have much so I thought maybe I'd make my side of the room…mine."
Giving a slight shrug about it, Ahmed backs off then, and replies, "Okay, cool… I didn't wanna put up decorations because I'm… not really used to having other people around. So I don't want to bug you." That being said, he goes back to his side and his bed, and sits down, but continues to watch you, "It's mostly big cat stuff… nothing weird."
Nicholas doesn't look up as he looks at one picture and then crumbles it up. "I'm not used to having other people around either. I mean, sharing a room. Only child." He says. His tone might be cold but at least he's not being overly rude this time. "Big cat stuff?" He asks finally looking up with a bit of a confused expression.
Ahmed puts a finger up to forestall any more questions before he slides his hands under his bed and pulls out two poster travel rolls, and sets them both next to him, "Oldest… my sister's like… nevermind. An-y-ways." He opens one and fishes into it, getting all the posters out and lays them flat on the bed. Rifling through them, he selects one, and then lays it out in the center of the room for you to look at. A rather content looking tiger so asleep he was snowed on. (http://laughingsquid.com/wp-content/uploads/tiger-snow-20110506-135715.jpg)
"I used to have horse posters in my room." Nicholas says looking at it. "My Mom and Dad, we had a horse stable back home so horses are, were, a big part of my life. I have Orion here with me down in the stable." He says closing his eyes and avoiding looking at Ahmed. "Orion's pretty much all I have left."
"Y'know…" Ahmed says as he pulls the poster up and puts it back with the rest, "My first response is to say 'At least you've got that.'. But really… I think that'd just piss you off. But… I've never rode a horse. At all. Not even the stupid pony at the carnivals. They've always shied away from me." But then he grins a bit more wide, and says, "Wonder why." He then lays out another poster of a snow leopard in a turn mid-leap! (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2013/2245251362_b419270fbd.jpg)
"I love horses. I compete in horse shows." Nick isn't sure if that's something he'll be able to do anymore. He then holds out a few of the pictures he printed out to Ahmed. They're all of Nick with a bay Quarter horse with a spot of white on it's muzzle. Some are of him and some are with him and his parents or what looks like an older friend. "That's Orion. I got him three years ago and Bodie and I did most of his training."
Ahmed asks the question out of the blue, "So… what's he like? I mean, he's got a personality… all animals do. It's nothing we project on them either." Smiling a bit more, he puts his poster up, and starts rolling them all back up, sliding them all back away into the tube.
"Spunky." Is Nicholas' first response. "He's a bit independent and very picky on who handles him. He's really spirited and can get ornary if he's in the right mood. With Bodie and I he'll get affectionate but he's a moody horse." He says as there is a smile that forms on his face that might be the first smile he's had since he got to the school.
Ahmed cannot help but say it, "Sounds like you two get along really well. The thing about stubborn, it's usually got cause." Grinning to himslef as he then goes to the other roll and opens it up a moment, looking inside, "There's a company online I used that takes pictures and blows them up poster-sized for you. They also are pretty cheap to ship. So you could get some of Orion."
"Some people have a dog or cat they're close with, I have a horse." Nick says a bit dryly before shaking his head. "No, I don't need a poster just, something." He says pushing his hair back. He then takes the stack of photos and tosses them aside on his end table and flops on his bed. "I just wish all of this was a bad dream."
"I know what you mean." Ahmed says softly, and then looks down at his own lap, "You just keep wanting yourself to just wake up in your bed, and the world's like… normal again. And you're off to school, or doing whatever… and none of this ever happens. All the hurt was just… gone." Even though he tries not to show it, there's pain there in the edge of his eyes.
Nicholas doesn't say anything as he's almost afraid to, for several reasons. He takes out a battered news paper clipping and walks over to place it next to Ahmed before walking back over to his bed as he starts to tear up paper after paper. The newspaper clipping is in regards to the murder of his parents and how it's blamed on him, how the people he's close to said untrue things about him.
"Hey…" He says, and then pauses a moment as you rip a couple more, "HEY… HEY!". And standing up, Ahmed makes his way over to you, and puts his hands on your own, stopping you from doing anything more, "Nick… whoa… chill out." Whether or not he can stop you, he takes a deep breath, "You just showed me that no matter what this bunch of assholes did to you? You still have something GOOD to hold onto. You still have Orion, and you still got everything from that. That MEANS something. And y'gotta hold onto it. Trust me… I know. I lived it."
Nicholas looks up at Ahmed and just glares at him. "No, you didn't live it. Trust me, you didn't. Unless you also lived some mutant haters coming into your county and trying to murder you can your parents just because I'm a mutant. They also killed Bodie cause he helped me escape. Then my girlfriend, my best friend and a bunch of people in Sheridan told the paper lies to go along with the fact that I'm wanted for murder. So don't tell me you lived it."
Ahmed glares back and replies, "Yeah, instead I had my parents… MY PARENTS… pretty much shun me and lock me in my room and away from everyone because I look like this. They were ASHAMED of me. And they took it out on me. So don't think you've got the corner market on misery, Nick. I had to see people who love me turn me away. I might as well have been dead… it would have done them a FAVOR. They couldn't WAIT to ship me out when I told them about this place."
"At least they're still alive." Nicholas says quitely as he stands up and storms out of the room. It's not that he's mad at Ahmed, he isn't, it's just he doesn't like being around people when he knows he might lose it and start crying again.
Ahmed watches you turn and start storming off, and can't help but say, "Yeah… but as far as they're concerned, the son they knew was dead. Like dealt us both a real crap hand." And shaking his head he goes back to sitting on his bed, and digs out another box of stuff, and with a long sigh takes out a cheap manora, putting it on the nightstand.
