Players:
Summary: An old-guard student returns to pick up something.
Date: March 31, 2010
That OTHER Vincent
Rating: G
Xavier Mansion - Ramsey Dormitories Boy's Floor
The second floor of the building also known as the Proudstar Wing. A red and blue carpet with a complex pattern stretches down the hall and meets with the wooden walls. Wooden doors run up and down both sides of the hallway as entrances to the boy's rooms. At the end of the hallway there is a bathroom and a shower room for the boys.
Mike the Car is sitting in front of his room, knees drawn up to his chest and chin resting on them. He's not playing his radio nor is he thinking speech, and anything that might be getting out to be heard by random technopaths is somewhat scrambled. His eyes are lit and he's staring fixedly ahead at the floor.
The door to Theo's room opens, and Theo steps out, dressed in a tank top and sweatpants. In his right hand is his toothbrush and toothpaste, and he draws the door shut behind him. He pauses, seeing Mike in the fetal position. Theo seems to truly not notice the electronic youth. He isn't giving off the usual signals, and he must be blending in with the rest of the electronic noise.
As he looks away from the door, he spots Mike, however, and pauses, a little surprised to see him in that manner. He arches one eyebrow, and addresses him. "What's with you?" he asks. It isn't in an aggressive tone, rather a curious one.
When Mike's gaze focuses on Theo the scrambled noise gets a little more busy but no more sensible, but then Mike's voice comes on. "I'm not sure, Theo. I was feeling pretty good about this place but the last two days have made me wonder why I am here again."
The tone of his voice is flat, but it's not the artifical affect that he gets when he has no emotions, more like one where he's not making the effort to put the emotion into the voice. "Could you tell me, why are you here?"
The technopath seems a little unprepared for Mike's question. Instead of stumbling through an explanation, though, he walks in front of Mike, and leans against the opposite wall. He folds his arms in front of him, holding his elbows, and takes a good chew on his lower lip. It's almost another fifteen seconds before he answers. "I don't have anywhere else to be," he finally answers. He gives a shrug. "Except maybe the street, and I suck at begging. Don't think that was probably the inspiring sounding answer you were looking for. Why did you think you came here?" he asks.
Mike answers that easily enough. "Proximal cause, my parents sent me here. They figured out I was a mutant. My mom knew Nightcrawler from seminary school. So she asked him what she should do and he suggested they send me here."
The robot kid turns the lamps down so they're not glaring into Theo's eyes. "I was supposed to start in early January, but I ended up accidentally turning myself into this robot so I was delayed a bit. But the reason was, they could give me educational opportunities here, and I'd be safe from the mutant-haters … we still had some … and that I'd be able to learn to control my powers. But I don't feel safe here. I don't think the educational opportunities are better than in some other private schools. Sometimes, not as good. But on the other hand I am learning control. But I'm not sure it balances. What do you think so far?"
Theo drapes his arms over his left knee, crossing at the forearms. His toothbrush and toothpaste dangle carelessly from his hand, and he examines the ingredients label for a moment as he considers the school. "I dunno," he replies, his eyes shifting back to look at Mike. "Not even a month ago, I was the top student in my high school. I was looking at grants to universities, and I'm just a freshman. I had a family who loved me and supported me. My dad and I would work on trains down at the yard together just to be together," he lets out a breath, but not quite a sigh. His tone flattens.
"Now I'm here." His eyes drift around the hall to indicate it. "The classes are filled with stuff I did in sixth grade, I hardly know anyone here, and there's no hope of ever going back." Theo smiles slightly. "Still, I can't think of anyplace better, given the circumstances. It's better than having nothing, so I can't find too much motive to complain."
"My parents would take me back forcibly if they really knew about Sinister," Mike says flatly. "Not that it would do any good if he did somehow know about me and want to mess with me. Which is unlikely since I'm no longer biological in any way."
He looks up from the floor again. "So you cannot go back? Why is there no chance of going back," Mike asks. The scrambled noises that the technopath would hear are becoming more numerous, now sounding like two or three voices speaking different nonsense, but it's still not very loud. He adds, "If you don't mind telling me. I don't want to pry. I've insulted you enough already, so tell me to mind my own business if you'd rather."
Theo shakes his head. "Nah, I don't mind you asking I guess," he says, "But I'm gonna take you up on the 'mind your own business' option," the boy finishes, evading further disclosure. Mike already just heard more than anyone else in the school has.
"Besides, we were talking about you anyway. So are you afraid the school can't protect us against folks like that Sinister dude and Magneto and all the rest? I mean, maybe they last guy didn't care about you, but the next one might, right?"
"Of course I wish you hadn't said that but I have given you little reason to trust me," Mike acknowledges. "Afraid? I am, to a small extent. Magneto has come in here before … he has a tendency to think we're actually ten-year-olds, you'll eventually notice. You, he could simply corrupt by emotionally manipulating you, me, he can hack directly. And I wasn't seriously afraid of your power, the other day. I was afraid of your possible lack of restraint. You were showing so little respect for the dead, and so much arrogance about your beliefs about our conversation, that I wasn't sure I could trust you NOT to do something … and I was stupid in thinking that anything I said sounded like a warning rather than a threat. I apologize for that."
Theo gives a careless shrug, "It's ok, all done and over with now," he answers dismissively. It seems that he doesn't mind anymore, but it also seems that he has no intentions of making his own apology. He and Mike are sitting on opposite sides of the hallway here in the boys' dorm, probably doing a good job of making it difficult to pass by them.
BING! The elevator has arrived, and as the doors open, Vincent walks into the hallway. He's wearing a normal enough outfit. Hot Topic clearance jacket, complete with belts and zippers to rival any Square Enix character. His shirt is from the more recent WHO concert, and black cargo pants rest on top of black work boots. Vincent brushes the hair to one side of his head by use of gravity, leaning his head one way and flicking. As he comes to a random door in the hallway he stops and looks at it, tilting his head at the numbers, as if he's confused by them, then he turns to look at Theo, "Hey, kid, any idea who stays in this room now?" as he motions his thumb at the door before him.
"No idea," the robot looking fellow says, "Perhaps it's on the door there? Like, my name and Antonio's name are on our door. You new here?"
He looks back at Theo, shrugging. Had to try, that's as close as the guy is going to get to verbally accepting the apology, you just have to translate from the native "crazy person" … but that "can't go back" from earlier, plus the mention of Mannassas the other day, means Mike will have to do some research now.
Theo gives Vincent a once over. "Not a clue," he agrees. "I'm pretty new myself." He brings his knees down and places his hands at his side, crossing his legs in front of him.
Vincent simply shrugs at their initial replies to his question. "I'm not new at all." Vincent says with a half grin on his lips. "Just curious if either of you knew whose room it is before I let myself in." With that Vincent reaches up for the door knob.
Mike STARES for just a second, actually turning on his eyelamps as he looks at Vincent, then at the door. "That room belongs to the Doom Twins, Vincent and Pryce."
He blinks, which looks as odd (with light-up headlamp eyes as you might think) and says, "Wait, I'm Mike Drakos. Who are you?"
Theo clambers back to his feet, using the wall to support him as he tries to make an evaluation of Vincent. He still holds his toothbrush and toothpaste in one hand. "Why would you be letting yourself in?" he asks. "You a new teacher or somethin'? You look a bit young for that."
Vincent's smirk remains on his face at Mike's willingness to give up information. "Ah, good, I am in fact, Vincent." Vincent says with an air of confidence. Then he looks over at Theo and responds, "I left something in here a while ago. And, no. I'm not a new teacher." Vincent starts to turn the knob, but it barely budges, just enough to let him know that the door is locked. Vincent's smile then grows more toothy and suspicious, "You wouldn't say anything if I just picked this lock, would you?"
"So, Vincent, how is your identical twin brother Pryce?" Mike asks, skeptically, "And I wouldn't mess with their room. Latverian madboys like to leave humiliating boobie traps."
He tilts his head. (All through this, his expression hasn't changed except for slight tilting of the eyebrows.)
"If you left anything important they probably already have it. If you just need a place to sleep check with Mr. Summers, he might let you have Eddie's old bed for the night."
Theo stares hard at Vincent, looks to Mike, and back again. "You're kidding, right?" he asks. He looks back to Mike. "Maybe you're right," he tells Mike. "This place might not be so safe after all. I think I'm going to have to buy myself a safe."
Vincent does get a small chuckle that neither of these two try to stop him from going into the room. He does however take his hand off the knob and starts to walk towards the elevator. "I'm just kidding, but if you do see the two who stay in that room, tell them the former tenant needs to stop by for a few minutes to grab a few things." Then as his sentence finishes, the doors close and Vincent disappears.
Mike shakes his head. "Well, he was allowed to be here or the alarms would have gone nuts. I didn't hear a voice-stress when he said he was Vincent, but I couldn't see his eyes to check for dilation. But it was probably kindest NOT to let him go in there even though it would have been hilarious."
Theo gives a strange look at Vincent as he leaves. "What a weirdo," he comments in disbelief. He looks back to Mike. "Well, I guess I'd look at what is goin' on, and you gotta make your own call on the matter. You want to stay safe, but," he says, returning to the other conversation. "I'd really think hard about it. You only get one family, and you don't want them in harm's way because of your powers," he says. "This place may not be the safest option, but I doubt that you'd be safer at home from wackos who want to abuse your powers."
Mike nods. "Yeah. Thanks, Theo … I'm sure it's not, but I'm also sure that I'm not done working on my powers yet." The mechanical kid stands up in an abrupt shove-off from the floor. "Time to run backups. Have a good night.”
