Players:
Summary: Jinx and Robyn have a bit of a chat about JRXTC and other things.
Date: September 23, 2010
Log Title: Taking The Cue
Rating: PG
Xavier Mansion - Recreation Room
What was once the Parlor has been turned into a Recreation Room for the students. A nice plush carpet meets the light blue walls giving it a homey feel. A pool table at one end, a foos ball table at the other, and entertainment center with video game systems, movies, and of course, cable TV. Big comfy chairs and couches surround a coffee table for comfortable loafing. Long glass windows with a pair of French doors line one side of the room bringing in plenty of light during the day. The main rule in here is to clean up after yourself.
Jinx's schoolbooks rest on the side of the pooltable while the skunk herself racks up a set of balls for a quick game between classes. "hey Robyn," she calls as he enters the room. "Come shoot some balls with me. I bet you're better than I am," she winks, and grins widely.
Robyn was trying to find Jinx and as she greets him he drops his German text book on a chair and walks over. "Hey Jinx, I've never played pool before but I'll give it a shot." He says grabbing one of the pool sticks. "And hey, we bat for the same team, how do I know you're not better with balls." He jokes back even if he does blush a bit at the comment. "So…how's school going so far?"
"Sticks and balls? C'mon. You *know* you're better. You have personal experience," she gives him a quick once-over with her eyes, seemingly delighting in making him a little uncomfortable. Perhaps she is studying the scent of embarassment. "It's easy. You poke at the white ball with the tip of the stick, and try and get either the solid or the striped balls in the holes. I'll take stripes," she winks, then moves to bend over the table, sliding the cue between her fingers. "What's up? Sorry to run out on ya."
Robyn mangaes to blush even harder at her comment. "Well not much anymore since Jordan's left. Even though we talk I don't get to see him." And it's obvious he misses him, quite a bit. "No problem, school season gets hectic. Anyway I wanted to talk a bit about this JRXTC team, I talked to the other but I still need to talk with you. I just…I know I hate Selene and I know I let my emotions get the best of me and I let -her- get to me but…I need help to make sure I don't explode or anything."
Jinx lifts her eyes to him as the cue slides forward, sending the cueball smashing against the others. Balls spin in all directions, bumping off the sides of the table. "Your shot," she nods, straightening up and smoothing down her skirt. "You can hate her all you want, Robyn. You just got to respect that she doesn't give a shit about you, me, Lucas, Connor, Theo or anyone else. We are a means to and end, and if she is as old as the rumors say, we'll be just a stepping stone in her life. Someone who doesn't care about anything can be the most dangerous sort of person of all."
Robyn goes up to the pool table and looks at all the balls. "Okay…hit the white ball?" Robyn says as he leans over to take his attempt. "Well, apparently she hates me pretty strongly back, no clue why. James was telling me she's tried to get him to kill me a few times, or something like that." He says barely hitting the cue ball and sending it forward only a few inches. "Okay, I am horrible at this." He says with a smile as he looks back up at Jinx. "I think you're the only other person on the team who realizes exactly how dangerous she is. Which is why I think it's important, that we need to work as a team this year."
"You have to hit it harder. Don't be whimpy. Like this…" she positions herself so that the cueball will have a chance at knocking one of the striped balls. She strikes, and the balls clink. "I have already been to Theo about that very thing. Lucas is waiting for a personal invitation, I guess, and not taking that note as any certainty. He said he hasn't gotten his uniform yet," she rolls a shoulder in a shrug. "I am sure she wants to kill us all pretty bad… But it would ruin what she has here… whatever that is." A soft snort and wipes her bangs from her eyes. "Why do you think you will explode?"
"I talked to Connor, Theo and Lucas about it. You know what Lucas' brilliant plan was? Staging a walk out. You know what that would acomplish. Selene sitting back with a shit eatting grin that she doesn't have to teach us and we'd be s.o.l. with no team." Robyn says as he really does care about JRXTC and learning from it. "Theo…I want to get over our bad blood but he doesn't like me cause I'm gay. But him and Connor are of this idea that they can guess her next moves which you and I know you can't." He then looks at the table and takes his turn, doing a bit better but just missing the blue 2 ball. "Cause…you know that Lithium comment she made? It got me so pissed off at her, I just wanted to walk out of the room right there."
Jinx chuckles under her breath at the whole exchange. "That's because if Lucas doesn't like something, he will just walk away. Connor and Theo both find comfort in knowledge… Connor needs it to jump, and Theo needs it to survive. It's vital to what they do," she positions herself and takes another shot. "Selene has you by the short ones, my friend. You need to find a way to deal with that," she stands straight, looking at the boy. "Your vulnerability is yourself, Robyn."
"I basically said that earlier didn't I?" Or at least that's what he thought he was trying to say. Robyn then grins as he pushes his hair out of his face. "And that's why I'm also aksing for help, to make sure I can keep myself inline. And I'm not asking for you to use your powers on me, I don't want that, I just want us all to have eachothers backs. Tension in the team is what's going to destroy us. I know she's going to get to me, and I need to help to make sure I can deal with it."
"Okay, so what do you need?" She asks, waiting on him to take his shot. She leans on the pool cue, claws curled around the tapered tip. "I personally don't care if everyone hates each other. There was no love lost between Cyclops and Wolverine, and they're supposed to be our role models here. It's just making sure everyone knows their parts in this."
"I'm not looking for all of us to be friends. But Cyclops and Wolverine, they were a team and they worked as a team, that's what we need to do, trust each other." Robyn says as he takes his shot getting a little better each time as this time he actually hits a ball, though it's a stripped one. "I don't care if they're supposed to be our role models or not, I'm not looking up to them but I'm look at us and our team. We have to have each other's backs or she'll exploit a lack of trust between us."
"Right…." Jinx agrees, inclining her head a little. "So, what do you need?" She asks again, waiting for him to answer the question. "I am hearing you want everyone working as a team and all, but what specifically do *you* need to make this happen? Theo to lay off his gayhaet? Lucas to get over himself? Connor to take a mudball to the face? Me to shut the hell up?" She offers helpfully.
Robyn smiles and shakes his head. "What I need help in not letting my emotions get the best of me. What I need is know you guys have my back at the same time that I have all of yours. Theo…I need to work on trust between us. Connor and I, I think we're at an understanding. Lucas, well that would help but I think I also need people to relize you can't predict what Selene is going to do. She's 17,000 years old, she's got patience in spades and we don't."
"Lucas…. he's kinda weird." It's an understatement, really, for the complexity of the boy. "I have confidence that he will be awesome if he believes in himself, but this insecurity of his is overwhelming everything about him right now. Plus, he is really terrible about talking about anything," she wrinkles her nose. "I think if he knows we have *his* back, he'll stand up for him. They will all learn pretty quick about being overconfident with her. I think that lesson is going to need to happen…. they will never just listen to us."
Robyn sits down and sighs. "That's what I don't want. I wish they would listen to us cause…you and I were pretty up close and personal with her. There was nothing I could do to stop her. Nothing." That he could think of that is. "Lucas, he has to stop worrying about his image. Honestly, I don't care who he really is, I just care that he hides it. And it's frustrating. He pretty much only talks about things when you smack him in the face with frustration. I know I'm not great at it either but…I'm trying."
"There's some expression about wishes and bicycles and beggars and fish but I don't know it," she chews the side of her lip. "Which basically means something like wishing is not going to make it happen. Accepting and moving on is gonna make it happen. We will not change them, Robyn," she looks squarely at the boy. "They won't change us. We can work together, but you just are not going to make anyone any less of what they are with words alone. All of those guys are gonna come through for us. I am positive and I believe in them."
"Thanks Jinx. I believe in them too." Robyn says giving her a smile as he leans on his pool stick. "I don't want to change them, I just don't want them to get hurt. Nor you for that matter. I guess though maybe if something happens it might make us stronger in the long run." He can't deny that it's caused him to develop a tighter bond with friends here. "Also with Theo, I am going to trust him, I just hope he can do the same."
"Maybe all you need is for someone to believe in you, Robyn," she looks at the boy, cocking her head to the side. Her fingers recurl around the stick, claws clicking. "How would you feel if you had everyone in the team knowing that you were going to do your job, and protecting you when you couldn't? You were awesome in that record store fight."
"I…I never really thought of that." Robyn says quitely, in regards to the not being able to protect others and that maybe something that's bugging him. "I just..I know Selene made me feel vulnerable. Really vulnerable and…it's a good part of the reason I hate her for that. I want to get better Jinx, I want to do better." He then gives her a smile and shrugs. "You were pretty awesome too."
Jinx is on the trail of something now, and follows the path. "Have you ever used your powers aggressively, Robyn? Have you ever been so mad that you wanted to just bleed someone dry, all at once?" Her eyes flash, something dark in her gaze. "Have you ever wanted to hurt someone."
"Yes I've used them aggressively, a few times. I can create psychic weapons, but they attack the mind. But been so mad to bleed someone dry…" Robyn shakes his head at that. "No, I've never really been that angry at someone, I don't think I have it in me to be like that. Not mad but just that hurtful. But I have I wanted to hurt someone, I want to hurt Selene in the worst way and I've been so pissed it's taken all my self control not to lash out and punch someone."
"As mad as you are at Selene right now? That is what you need," she points out with a gesture of her claw. "Think of the very worst thing in the world… someone hurting Jordan, or dropping puppies in a lake, or whatever horrible thing gets you going. You make your enemy *that* guy," she blinks slowly. "You think of how you felt when Selene wanted to give you medication, and you fricking *take it out* on whatever it is we're fighting. Not yourself," she waves her fingers and shakes her head. "No more.""Jordan's a whole nother story right now." Robyn says as he doesn't like to think about how much he actually misses him and how much he's worried about where things will be in the future. He feels like they might be growing apart. "The worst thing in the world is losing you guys." Robyn says honestly as right now, he doesn't want to lose his friends. "And are you like the only stable one on the team Jinx?"
"Oh hell no, Robyn. I have my own share of issues just as big as any of you, but fortunately I can put them aside. I don't really have combat skills so much. I have to get close, so I am sorta second-string attack, I figure." Her smile is tight. "And that is okay. See, I have been saving up all sorts of bad feelings, and I can make whoever really miserable if I want… or calm everyone down for a bit, but I am not good at it yet. Maybe I will learn how someday," she shrugs again and moves to take her shot. The red striped ball drops into the corner pocket. "And learn how to play pool. I wonder if Theo would triangulate all this and know the perfect angles?"
"Well actually that might be good practice for him if he can't." Robyn says as he stands back and just looks at the table. "We all have issues I guess. And I'm the same way, second-string attack. I can stand back and do stuff but if I get up close…it's usually because I don't have a choice. Which is why I don't use the weapons that much. And I'm sure you'll learn Jinx. As much as I am loathed to say this, we can probably learn a lot from this team and from -her-."
"Yeah, we can. She is going to give us something that no one else in this school can do… which is a scenario as close to reality as possible. That sort of experience is something we can't get another way," she murmurs. Unless, of course, demons attack the school, or a meteor comes down, or whatever. "I think you could do great. Connor could zap you in while Lucas is hosing them down with his hands, and Theo shorts out their cellphones. This will be awesome." She grins.
Robyn nods and takes a shot, actually putting a ball in the pocket, a solid one. It helped that it was a perfect set up. "I'm really excited for this team and as much as I loath that she's leading, I can't let that stop this from being a success. I want it to be a success just as much for us as to spite her. I know that's horrible of me but I guess it's motivation."
"Whatever it takes, Robyn. Just learn to use it rather than let it use you," she smiles a little. "Hey, good shot!" She celebrates the minor victory. Looking up at the clock, she jumps. "Oh shoot… I gotta go! I am gonna be late to class."
There's a small victory pose from Robyn till Jinx mentions the time. "Damn, I gotta go too. Mythology class, don't wanna miss that." It's one of the few classes he likes. "Thanks Jinx and good luck not getting bored to death in class!"
