Players:
Summary: Chloe and Robyn talk about the disappearance of their friend Heather.
Date: June 16, 2011
Log Title: To Help a Friend
Rating: PG-13
Xavier Mansion - Music Room
The music room has four levels of tiers that each sit one row in a semi circle. On the floor in the semi circle is grand piano. There is a large closet on either side of the room, one filled with string instruments and the other filled with various wind and brass instruments. There are a few guitars in the back of the room next to a large variety of percussion instruments. All the instruments here are for the students to use provided they take care of them and clean any necessary parts after they use it. The room is sound proof, so once the door is closed, the music being played will not interrupt the other classrooms.
With most parts of the school bustling with people preparing for the impending end of classes Chloe has ducked into the music room for a few brief moments of peace and quiet. Of course she needs some ruse to explain why exactly she's lurking there and what better reason than to work on her exceptionally mediocre singing voice. And what better way to practise than by singing the whole of Bohemian rhapsody including every vocal part and humming bits of the tune wherever possible? All the while the blonde speedster rummages around through the various storage areas. It seems however that in her haste she's left the door ever so slightly adjar…
Even though he doesn't advertise it, Robyn is a bit of a musican too. He's in the process of lugging his cello to the music room when he hears the singing of Queen's most iconic piece. He debates going in or not for a second before pushing the door open. "Hey Chloe." He says to her. "Actually…do you have a few moments. I was going to practice a bit but I'm glad you're here."
Chloe drops the instromental parts, turning her head briefly to check it really is Robyn there, before she spots what she's been looking for and laughs. Abruptly she stops singing. "If Theo has been talking to you…" her eyes narrow briefly, then she shrugs. "But then he wouldn't would he? Any word on Connor yet?"
Robyn shakes his head. "I haven't talked to Theo in a while. He hitting on you again?" He asks before sitting down. "Actually yeah, Connor's okay. He's still alive but he's trapped there. There's another Connor here, from an alternate world with a British accent." He says smiling a bit. "Anyway, actually…you haven't heard from Heather or anything? I'm really worried about her."
"An alternate world Connor? Not a brainwashed Connor controlled by Heathers parents?" Chloe asks, raising an eyebrow. "No Theo might be under the impression I might barter my own life for Heathers freedom." And he'd be entirely right. "And he didn't seem keen on the idea."
Robyn shakes his head. "No..I don't think it is since he's all magic and stuff. You should meet him and judge for yourself." He says before nodding. "I don't think it'd work Chole..if you did. They'd probably trick you so that they'd have both your life and Heather's, they're evil. Evil people don't usually make deals." He says before taking a deep breath. "I couldn't find her but I know a bit of what they're doing to her. I saw it…in Heather's head."
"I doubt they could keep us both tame forever and it would just take one little slip," Chloe says, her hands clenching into fists. "And then…. Are you sure you want to tell me what they're doing? I'm so very close to just walking out the door, tracking them down and trying to rip them apart with my bare hands." Muscles in her face seem to twitch from the adrenaline spike. "It's taking more willpower than I knew I had and even then I'm still losing."
Robyn thinks about it and then nods. "Yes, cause you're her best friend. Right now you, me, Rashmi, we're the people she has and we need to work together and stick together to help her. One of us running off isn't going to help Heather. Also…I don't know where she is. If she's hiding or if they actually do have her. I'm going to ask Ms. Frost to look for her on Cerbra. Anyway, if I tell you it might help you be on your guard and think about it." Robyn closes his eyes for a second to explain. "I tries to possess Heather to get her to run away, far away, from her parents, cause she was curled up in fear. Then I saw it, she was seeing the world as destroyed and was all alone. There were whispers that she wasn't good enough. I was able to fight for a very short time before all the mental defense I've been taught was just shattered. I believed it. Even knowing her father's an illusionist, I believed it. The whispers, the visions, the creepy monster in the shadows, I was terrified. I tried to run away which cause
which caused me to get too far from my body and I left her mind…left her. I hate to be blunt Chloe but alone, you don't have the mental discipline to go after them."
Chloe laughs, slamming her fist against the music room wall. "Are you familiar with wild boars? They're hardly the most disciplined animal, but I've read in books that when people used to hunt them they'd get so enraged they would charge up the length of a spear to try hurt the hunter." She smiles, pupils worryingly dilated. "It's why hunting spears have a cross bar on. Because quite often the noble hunters would get killed by a dumb animal…"
Rasiing an eyebrow at Chloe, Robyn just shakes his head. "You're not a boar Chloe. And this isn't boar hunting. This is your -mind- this is total mental fuckery." He says not sure of anyway to phrase it. "You know what, fine..go off. Do you're thing. You won't be helping Heather though."
"Do you /honestly/ think I hadn't thought about this?" Chloe snaps, crumpling up the piece of paper she'd collected from the locker and shoving it into her pocket. "Theo is going to get a psionic dampener from Tony Stark. It doesn't even have to block them forever! Give me two minutes and mental fuckery will be the last thing her dad has on his mind." She shudders and slams a fist against her leg. "I… I think I need a teacher to book me into the danger room. Let me take out my anger on something before I.." She tails off, then sighs. "Sorry… I've spent so much time trying to tweak my bodies reactions to fear and now.. Now I've got something that really scares me and I can't stop it."
"It's just, you, me and Rashmi are probably the only three people who really give anything about Heather. We're the only ones who know how much her parents have terrified her and what they did to her. Do you think anyone else in the school cares that much?" Robyn asks. "Thinks of her as more than just a missing student? I doubt it. And I can't find her alone, neither can Rashmi nor can we together. We need to work together and if you go running off…who knows what might happen Chloe. I know you care about her and I know you're afraid and angry. I am too but I also know that rushing in alone and blind won't help."
Chloe shakes her head. "Not true. Theo will help," she says assuredly. "Maybe not for Heather… But he'll help and he has Proto. I don't care how fucking devious they are. Robot defeats telepathic assault any day of the week." She kicks the wall a few times. "What about the evil little psycho who used to be on your squad? She seemed to like Heather in as much as she liked anyone. Could you talk her into hacking cctv cameras and keeping an eye out?" A true sign of desperation from the speedster, suggesting any form of contact with a girl who only took the time to ask if she'd mind having her cybernetic arm dismanted in the name of science…
"I didn't say they wouldn't help, I just said I don't think anyone else cares as much about her." Robyn says pointing it out. "Even Theo probably doesn't think of her as anything more than your friend and roommate being missing." He says. "And Kisha…unless it's got robot parts she could care less about it. She's a robosexual loose cannon. And saying Kisha likes -anyone- is a stretch. I'll talk to Rashmi to talk to her since they're at the same school." He says before sighing. "Noone got anywhere by rushing off based on emotions. It didn't work when we ran off with Rashmi to get Lucas back…."
Chloe tilts her head. "Strange how I've met Lucas," she points out with a forced smile. "So it must have worked to some extent. I know what you're saying Robyn, why'd you think I'm even in the building? Just don't think I can hold back for long… Whatever you experienced could have been happening to her for /months/ by now. If her mom boosts her powers she'll be far faster than me. It's been what? Close to a week? That's already a month for her right there even without enhancement."
"You don't know the price that was paid. The worst being that Coytoe was killed." Robyn says as that still weighs on him a bit. It's always a hard hit to reality when a fellow classmate dies. "I don't think it's been months cause she immediately freaked out. Like instantly and she hasn't acted at all like that but there's one thing I know, she's alone and they're mentally torturing her. I don't like it either Chloe."
"If I get my hands on them… I swear they will regret it," Chloe states with utter conviction. "I'd gladly go to jail knowing they'll need velcro shoes and people to help put them on for them." Slowly her fists unclench. "I know people would hate to hear it… But I would be willing to die to save my friends. Especially from something like that. But I promise I'll try avoid it if at all possible." She forces another smile. "Besides I'm pretty sure the future has something more glorious in mind for me. Perhaps death at a ripe old age of a hundred while trying to eat the world largest burroto singlehandedly."
"I'd say the same thing but at the same time..would Heather want you to die to save her?" Robyn asks. "I'm not trying to argue but it's always something to think about. I know I wouldn't want my friends to die to save me but..I guess I would rush in to try to save them and not care about bodily harm." He smiles back at that. "Here's the big question about that, what kind of burrito?"
Chloe winks. "The most horrifyingly unhealthy one you can imagine," she replies. "Greasy and so fattening that they could drive a bus across the state and still have oil leftover." She shrugs. "I didn't say I /wanted/ to die and I'm pretty sure no-one I'm friends with would feel great knowing it either. But they'd just have to suck it up and prove I hadn't wasted my life or I'd haunt their sorry asses."
Robyn smiles and nods. "Just right now, I think we're gonna get her back by working together. And I'm scared..really scared. I don't know if this other Connor will help us but…I think he'll try. Maybe her mother upgradiing his powers will get us our Connor back too. I don't know but…knowing Connor is alive is gonna help me sleep and think better about how to help her."
"Are you sure he's really not our Connor?" Chloe wonders, frowning. "And how does he know our Connor is okay? Did they swap? And if they did our Connor better bring back presents." Maybe knowing at least one of her friends might possibly be okay has calmed her a little. "If Heathers mom upgraded you do you think your mental defences could hold up better? Or would you be able to possess them both at once?"
"Oh yes…I know he's not our Connor." Robyn says chuckling. "He's…well..you can tell. I mean I've also shared a room with him for how long? He's like my brother, there are differences. And not just accent wise. And no, they didn't swap. He's kinda lost in space kinda thing but he's alive and that there is enough." Then on the subject of Heather, Robyn shrugs. "Honestly…I don't know. I'm not that great and no, I can't possess more than one person. Maybe I can try her Mom..I'm afraid I couldn't for her Dad."
"If you possess someone can you use any mutant powers they have?" Chloe wonders, scratching her head. "Because if you can steal her upgrading ability and use it on yourself… You could become some kind of psionic behemoth that might scare even her dad." Wishful thinking perhaps, but it's nice to hope. "My one big worry is having to potentially fight an upgraded Heather. I guess I can try the password and hope she remembers /and/ it's obscure enough her dad doesn't distort it. I can't think of a safe way to stop her… Not if her parents know you can possess people. You're be the first one they go for."
"I can but it's not like I have their skill or knowledge. It's kinda like first starting out with powers again. My control isn't exactly there." Robyn says. "And to use her ability on myself, she'd have to be able to upgrade herself. And I don't know what that would do to my mind." He says. "It might put me into a coma if I over exhert myself too much. I can possess Heather though. Her mind…I hate to say it but it's very easy to get in. She's not well guarded at all." Which brings him to another thought. "When..not if but when we get her back, we're convincing her to learn how to sheild her mind."
Chloe laughs fiercely. "Oh god I feel the sudden urge to buy the Headmistress and Addison some industrial packs of asprin?" she exclaims. "I love her dearly but training her in things can be… an experience." She shakes her head. "It doesn't shock me that her mental defences are poor. With her parents messing her up so badly it must have left weak spots? I don't really get how mental stuff works. The closest I've come is meditation stuff for my Bushido classes and they're very.. challenging for a fastworlder. You have to drag out your focus for far longer subjectively. Really mentally draining."
"Well Emma and Addison are tough people." Robyn says as he stands up. "What do her parents even want with her? I mean…it sucks that they had to escape. And mental defense..it's hard. Really hard. It's building up willpower and steeling your mind and just…it takes lots of practice. Even if you just sit there for two hours trying to practice your defense you feel like you've been doing a physical work out all day."
Chloe tilts her head. "Sounds /exactly/ like meditation in some respects and I suspect it'll be just as hard to learn at superspeed," she admits. "From everything she told me it's like they consider her… Like Theo does Proto. She's a tool they've tried to make which suddenly gained powers and turned out to be far more valuble than they thought. So now… They've out from prison and they need every advantage they can get. Someone who can fuck around with time is a major league asset for them."
"I just hope she's able to hold onto herself and what she's learned here." Robyn mutters. "Remember that she's got friends who will find her and help her. Anyway, I gotta go. I graduate this weekend….I think if they're still doing stuff…so I should go to my last class of Mutant Ethics before I say hello to art school."
"Good luck with your classes… I know all this stuff with Connor vanishing and Heather going missing can't be helping you study," Chloe offers quietly. "And again, sorry for snapping at you. I'm really not myself right now… But that's no excuse for being an uberbitch." She waves. "I'll cya around anyway and I'll let you know how Theo getting a psi-dampner turns out."
Robyn walks over and gives Chloe a hug. "Don't worry, we'll get her back. I know it. And thanks." He smiles at her and nods. "We'll do this together." He says before heading out of the room.
