Players:
Summary: Summary of what happened.
Date: June 11, 2012
Log Title: Struggles To Trust
Rating: PG-13
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.
'Warm weather' is a highly subjective term. Summer is closing in, the skies balmy and clear… yet if one was raised in California, this would be a time for long sleeves and utter mystification at how *cool* it is, this far into the year. Thus it is that Shane sits on the end of the dock, chin resting on her knees, eyes closed, headphones clamped firmly into place and more than likely blasting pure sonic calamity into her ears.
Being from a place that is even more north than New York, Nicholas finds this prime weather to be outside. Having some free time he's saddled up Orion and is taking a nice stroll through the grounds on horseback. He's dressed in a simple t-shirt spouting some horseback riding competion on it over a pair of jeans and cowboy boots. Upon spotting Shane he rides in her direction, stopping about fifteen feet from her and dismounts. "Stay there for a bit Orion." He says to the horse as he goes over and sits down right next to Shane. He then proceeds to take out his phone and text to her 'I'm right next to you'.
The great thing about the cove is there's all these cool rocky outcroppings above the cove. Which is a perfect place for some cats to practice their climbing. Sort of stalking Nick on the entire way here. The rocks end up occasionally getting pushed at, and one smaller one falls as the huge cat scrambles for purchase, but then with a leap, there's a kick-up of sand behind a large piece of driftwood that was brought here for people to sit on for fireside stuff. Hunkering down there… Ahmed watches… with curious glowy blue eyes, and perked ears.
Shane twitches faintly, as her cell starts buzzing rather audibly against her back pocket. Uncurling a bit to reach for it, she turns… and spots Nick sitting next to her, causing her to pause. There's a quiet snort of amusement, and the phone is taken out, the mouse-haired teen making a point of checking her message. The headphones are pulled back, a snatch of an odd, roughly melodic voice heard, before the music is paused. Waiting for the one, the day that never comes! When you stand up and feel the warmth! But the sunshine never comes… No the sunshine never co— "…Hey," she says quietly; not quite flat, but very much leeched of her usual sullen fire. "Sup?"
"Not to much, just going for a ride is all. I kept Orion at a safe distance." Nicholas says nodding towards where his horse is standing on the shore taking a few steps towards the water. "So…how'd everything go with Quenton being back. I hope he didn't give you too hard of a time being angry and cooled down a bit by the time he apologized. Though…you seem down, instead of angry and skiddish you just look sad. Everything okay?"
The mighty beast continues to stalk his prey, showing off one of the few new tricks he's learned since coming to the mansion. There's a ripple down the fur of the huge snow leopard's body, and the oolor shifts to a sandy tone to match his surroundings. This would work better if his eyes did not still stand out like a pair of blinker balls at a rave. Undaunted, the feline crouches and begins to shift forwards, crawl-step after crawl-step… getting close as he can, occasionally flicking an ear towards Orion to see if the horse spooks.
Shane lifts a shoulder, returning her chin to her knees. Apparently, among other thing, it would seem she's decided not to dye her hair today; the lock she tucks away from her eye is a rather unremarkable washed-out brown, that doesn't particularly suit her in any conceivable way. "Not really. S'fine though. I'll deal."
"That's a lie." Nick points out to Shane. "If you're upset you don't have to deal, you've listened to me plenty of times so if you need to talk, I'm here. It's not good to…Orion!" Nicholas shouts in concern as his horse choose that moment to cry out and start trying to get as far away from the giant preditor cat as possible. He growls in frustraton as he gets up. "Damnit. Shane…I'll be right back." He says as he goes running after his horse.
BUSTED. Ears go flat, eyes go down, and the huge cat just freezes in place… save for the occasional twitch of his tail. Kind of hard NOT to notice him half-way to the boathouse in his normal day to day shape. But like any good cat, he attempts to recover by settling onto his haunches and grooming himself. As if to say… whatever.
As Nick's back turns, for the briefest moment an expression of honest anger flits across Shane's face, but in another breath, gone again, and she simply settles her chin back on her knees with a sigh, glancing over at the cat for a second. The slight young teen looses a quiet snort, then returns her gaze to the laze… though at least her headphones stay off.
It takes a bit, and involves Nick going into the water to get Orion out and then walks over to the dock so he can tie him up over there. As he sloshes back over to Shane he looks over at Ahmed and points a finger at him in irritation. "I could throw a rock at you right now." He mutters before sitting back down next to Shane, his pants soaked from the midthigh down. "That water is freezing. I'm sorry about that Shane." He throws an arm around her in a side hug and looks at her with worry. "So what's up? Lay it all on me."
Big silent pawpads come onto the dock as well, as Ahmed's color-tone shifts back to his usual snowy white, and that huge head rubs on Nick in greeting, as if what had happened was already over and done. Then, the big beast curls himself aorund so that the front half is close enough for Shane to pet on the head, and the tail is curling around into Nick's lap. The dock's wood groans at the weight shifting, taking a few moments to ominously settle at the weight… but there is no sound of splintering or cracking from it.
Shane squirms away from the hug… and into the personal space of the giant snowy cat. Letting out a rough, frustrated breath, she heaves to her feet, stepping completely over Ahmed and retreating a few feet away, her back turned. "I *said* I'll deal," she says, crossing her arms over her belly. "'S just stupid little stuff anyway. Nothin' you could do."
Nicholas just turns and looks at Shane and it's hard to read his expression. "Ahmed, I'm not petting you, I'm annoyed that you scared Orion and made me get wet." He says in a dry, frustrated tone to him. "Shane…there is one thing I can do and I'm offering to do it, and that's listen. But if you want to be alone to stew in your sadness and anger, let me know cause I would happily put on a pair of dry pants right now but right now I'm more concerned with you than being comfortable."
Ahmed snorts and rumbles, as if he is affronted by the notion he's there for pets. Well… he might be, but the huge cat isn't admitting to it. So instead he does what he does best. Pads over and then sits down exactly two feet behind Shane and just stares at her in that unerring feline way, tail occasionally thumping on the dock. Patiently waiting.
Shane closes her eyes for a moment, pinching the bridge of her nose and drawing in a long, deep breath. "…Dunno what t'do 'bout Q," she says finally. "Tryin' not t'think like he broke somethin' f'good." And for the moment, it seems, that's all she can bring herself to say.
"I hope he didn't but I will tell you that boy is crazy about you." Nicholas says to Shane, standing up but still keeping his distance. "He's definately an asshole sometimes…I really hope he didn't yell at your or anything. He's just…I can kinda understand what he's going through. His parents are missing, his aunt is dead so they might be too. It's a terrifiying thing, I'm not saying him going off and disapparing is a good thing or even excusable, nor am I saying him yelling at you for being pissed is a good thing, just more saying that he probably wasn't thinking."
Ahmed makes an odd grunting sound that ends with an exhale, sounding as close to an agreement as he's able to manage without trying to mangle English through a feline muzzle. Then comes a titanic yawn as the big cat continues to watch and wait… followed by moving to phase two. Hunkering down, head on paws, and staring up at Shane's back. Any more vulnerable, and he'd be exposing his belly.
"'S not like that," Shane mumbles, lowering her head. "He said he was sorry… 'N I was all set t'give 'im another try, y'know? Was gonna be sorta neurotic, but, only so much I c'n do f'that. So he takes me up, like we do… y'know, flyin with'm. Somethin' I always kinda liked, even if it was just 'til I couldn't deal with seein' m'self fall an' hit anymore…" Here she pauses, squeezing her eyes shut against the memory, and seems to need a moment before going on. "…Then he just… flips over and drops. Like, ten stories, holdin' onto me."
There's a bit of a releaved look on Nick's face, mainly because he's glad to hear that her and Quenton didn't end up in a shouting match. He's quiet for a bit trying to think of what to say in regards to that. "He didn't drop you or anything did you? I mean, he didn't do anything stupid?"
Somehow, Ahmed's glowing eyes manage to roll, or seem to roll at least as that barrel chest rises and falls in a sigh. To further disneyfy things, Ahmed the cat also shakes his head once before leaning in and nosing Shane quietly on the back of one shoulder, and giving his softest rumble before leaning back. Space still achieve, but there. His fur however is slightly more bristled now, and his tail gives a much more aggravated thump… one heavy enough that the boards that were hit creak again.
"WHAT?!" Shane spins, glaring at the snow leopard. "WHAT THE SYPHILLITIC HORSECOCK DO YOU *WANT?!*" Pausing to catch her breath, she rakes a hand through her hair, her fulminating gaze rising to meet Nick's eyes. "…Naw. Naw he didn't do anythin' stupid. Cos I ain't scared 'a jack shit, 'n I don't *ever* have to keep from panickin' when I'm twelve fucking stories up and SUDDENLY FALLING."
There's a difference in knowing someone has trust issues and fully understanding the lenghts of their trust issues. When he speaks it's in a quiet voice. "Oh." He closes his eyes and sighs, shaking his head. "Asshole." He mutters and he swears he's starting to use cuss words more now that he's hanging out with Shane. "What possessed his mind to do that? Obviously it wasn't his common sense." He looks over at Ahmed and there's another sigh. "It might be easier for you to sit around and be a cat, but it's sure as heck isn't easier for those of us you're trying to communicate with."
That huge head with jaws big enough to swallow Shane's face pulls back as it's yelled at, and then there's a soft snort that emits once more from the huge cat's nostrils. But with Shane turned around finally, Ahmed seems inordinately pleased with himself, and celebrates by turning as much as the dock will allow and moving to hide his bulk behind Nick, peeking his head at Shane from the left side, while sniffing at his roomie's hand.
Shane stares in disbelief as Ahmed smugs his way back behind Nicholas, shaking her head and knuckling the bridge of her nose for a moment. "…So yeah now I gotta problem. Dunno what t'do. Ain't never goin' flyin' again, 'cos now I *know* what it's like t'fall, 'n I hadda yak twice 'fore I could get any sleep. 'N now I know 'f he wants to, he can *hurt* me. Jus' like anyone else," she says, closing her eyes and sighing. "…Thing is? Th'only thing keepin' me from sayin' 'fuck it' an' backing off is… 'S the first thing I wanna do… an'… I don't wanna do that anymore, y'know…?"
Nicholas takes a few steps towards Shane and puts a hand on her shoulder, if she doesn't pull away. "Shane, I know right now this isn't what you want to hear but, I think if you want to be with Quenton it's going to be something you have to work on. I'm not saying just trust him since it's not a switch you can turn on and off, but you're right, everyone can hurt you. But it's not the can you have to think about, it's the want. And does Quenton want to hurt you, I don't believe he does. Don't rush into anything but take it slow, tell him all of this. Maybe you two have to build a soild foundation but….honestly, you both are to crazy about each other not to work for it."
Watching a cat nod is somewhat disconcerting. It's not a head meant for nodding, but somehow Ahmed the cat manages to convey his agreement with Nick's statement, but then sits down on the dock, tail draping down and swishing in the water, bouncing and dripping droplets back in, but somehow leaving an oily film behind each time, as if part of the goop there on the surface. He continues to watch, glowy eyes unblinking as he continues to watch.
"Yeah well, that's the problem, innit?" Shane grumbles, looking away. "He *can,* fine, jus' suck that up an' keep goin', like I do with you guys. He *did.* That's where shit gets sticky." While she doesn't pull away from the hand on her shoulder, for just a moment she looks like she wants to… but forces herself to stay. "…Nick… I dunno how to *stop* thinkin' 'bout the 'can…'"
"It's not easy to change your way of thinking." Nicholas says to Shane and repeats himself in a quieter voice. "Not easy at all." There's a sigh as he looks down. "Shane….it's just something you have to fight through, and hopefully Quenton will help you fight it. Heck I've been forcing my friendship on you so thick that I don't think I'd let you pull away if you wanted." He says giving her a grin. "You're a good person whose been hurt Shane, you've been hurt real bad. Especially by your classmates and that's what we all are here, your classmates, it's understandable. You've got a hard hurdle to work around. Sorry, I'm just rambling a bit."
There's a shift behind Nick just before a pair of huge paws land on his shoulders, and then a much bigger head… or at least the chin of the head… ends up sitting on top of his do. Standing, as if in support of all this, Ahmed looses another rumbling chuff of agreement, followed by another soft moan. He continues to watch the girl, eyes alternating between feline amused, and feline curious as he keeps the vigil going… though his tail continues to flick with that errant pride in getting the girl to turn.
"S'fine," Shane murmurs in answer to the apology, then takes a step back as Nicholas gains a new fashion accessory. "Y'know though… 'f you wanna make it easy t'take y'seriously… Might wanna try doin' it without the Disney mascot there…"
The step back is what saves Shane as the sudden weight on Nick's shoulders from an eight hundred pound cat cause him to shunt forward, lose his balance and then promptly tumble knees, hands then chest and chin against the wooded dock, getting a few splinters and scrapes in the process. "Damnit Ahmed!" He says wincing a bit. "Yeah well you try telling him it's easier to talk to him when he's a human then when he's a cat. He just doesn't listen."
And how does Ahmed make up for this? By grooming of course. Messing up all that carefully pre-mussed hair of Nicks as he swipes his tongue back and forth along the back of his roomie's head, rumbling softly like he was handling a kitten or something. Only when it's to his satisfaction does he relent in his crusade to de-curl and anime-fy Nick's manly do, and sits back once more on his haunches. Again, with the smug look, but then his head tilts as he watches Shane for a moment longer, and flicks his ears back for a second.
"….Looks like," Shane says after a moment, arching an eyebrow at Ahmed. "Y'know… could jus' blast you outta that shell. Lake's right over there, wouldn't hit *that* hard…" Muttering something incomprehensible, but probably highly offensive, she turns to one side, looking away from both boys for a minute. "…Pretty lucky, though… wish I hadda way I didn't have t'give a shit so hard, y'know?"
"Stop licking me!" Nicholas says sounding like he's getting pushed to the point. "Instead of licking me why don't you just go back to being Ahmed and apologize! Licking my head isn't an apology! Though Shane's right, if you toss you into the lake, seeing as you scared Orion earlier and made me get soaked I'd call it vengence." He grump as he pushes himself up to a sitting position and starts looking at his hands. "It's giving a shit so hard that makes you a good person."
Anger is met with pure Cattitude, and Ahmed huffs once, with a look on his muzzle that just says 'well, fine.' and instead of reverting, he turns to depart, padding his way off of the dock slowly, pausing once to look back at the pair before snorting again as if this was a waste of his proper feline time. Once paws hit the sand, he starts off at a run, digging salad-bowl sized holes in the beach as he builds up speed for a fifty foot leap to the rockside of the cove, claws on the fore and back digging in and finding purchase to begin the rather odd-looking squat climb up.
"Yeah," Shane murmurs as she watches Ahmed climb up the rocks, "'cept it don't, really. Makes me a high-strung, bitchy grenade with a pin up her ass." Closing her eyes, she lets out a breath. "…Thanks, Nick… seriously. Just in case it don't sound like I'm listening…"
Nicholas watches Ahmed leave with a look of guilt on his face before he just exhales and lets out a grrrr of anger. "Why do I have to be the badguy when he's the one whose too self conscious to be himself around anyone." He then stands up and looks at Shane. "Anytime, you're quickly becoming like a sister to me, I worry about you. Though I'm get going cause I gotta put Orion away, then change my pants and then hit the mebay to get cleaned up and see if they can get this splinter out of my palm."
"…Yeah okay," Shane says, opening her eyes and turning to face Nick, nodding once. As the half-soggy teen makes his way down the docks, Shane watches him leave… then turns back, taking up the seat she'd had when her friends walked in, and resumes her contemplation of the lake.
