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Summary: Erik, Lily and Robin discuss conspiracies while watching Planet Earth
Date: August 24, 2009.
Log Title Viewing Planet Earth
Rating: G
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.
In the late evening, it's a hit or miss whether this room is in use. This evening, it just happens to be a hit. At the TV, Robin kneels next to the entertainment center trying to sift through all of the games and movies that are there. Apparently she doesn't really want to watch any of them, since all she does is stack them neatly behind herself while trying to dig further and further into the selection. Blank, her blue glowing humanoid companion, sits idly by, looking pretty generally spaced out.
Erik steps in from the outside with his hands in his pockets and pauses as he looks at Robin and the Blank. "Three hundred channels and nothing is on…" He comments with a grin.
Lily padded into the rec room a little behind Mr. Anderson. "Hello there." She said, then grinned when she spotted Robin. "Hi. Whatcha looking for?"
Robin blinks a couple of times and then turns to face Erik. She adjusts her glasses a bit. The painted lens is a red swirl on a black background instead of the usual orange cat she wears. "Oh, hi there," she says, adjusting the piles slightly so that they are even neater. She smiles when she sees Lily and waves, Blank mimics the motion, "Um, and I'm just looking for something interesting. I'm bored but I dunno what I want to watch or play or anything." Blank and Robin shrug.
Erik chuckles a little bit as he looks back to Lily and nods. "So bored you don't know what you want to do, tragic. You know we do have books if you can't find a movie…" He teases.
"That's the trouble with being so bored you don't know what to do. You /don't/ know what to do." Lily points out. "I'm half-tempted to go swim, myself, but even that gets boring when you do it enough."
Robin shakes her head at Erik and says, "I almost never watch movies or play video games, 'cause I usually have a book." She frowns and crosses her arms, "I just wanted to do something else for a little bit…" All the while, Blank just mimes Robin's every move. She tilts her head at Lily and notes idly, "I used to love swimming. It was nice on hot days."
Erik nods. "Yes, but I'm still a teacher, and thus contractually bound to be against all forms of entertainment that don't force you to learn something." He says, smiling. He raises an eyebrow to Robin at the swiming discussion. "Used to?"
Lily laughs. "I /knew/ it. There really is a conspiracy among teachers to make kids' lives miserable!" She teases Erik. And since he beat her to the question she wanted to ask Robin, she didn't add to it.
"I could put in Planet Earth or something… that's educational? Or I could read a trashy romance novel," says Robin, trying to reach a compromise, though there's a jocular tone to her voice. "And, um, I dunno. I lost a lot of weight that I couldn't afford to and now I'm just skin and bones. Swimsuits look just awful on me." While Robin tries to be convincing, Blank clearly disagrees, shaking her head at the story.
"Wait, were we supposed to hide the fact that there was a conspiracy?" Erik blinks before he chuckles. "Oh yes, you know Planet Earth or a boddice ripper. Both solid, balanced choises." He teases back, letting the swimming issue go.
"Actually, I kinda liked Planet Earth." No surprise here which one was Lily's favorite. "And yeah, you were supposed to hide the fact there was a conspiracy … just like us kids are supposed to hide the fact there's a conspiracy against adults."
Nodding for a few moments in thought Robin says, "I've always liked Planet Earth, too, but I guess I've always been kind of a nerdy kid." She shrugs and then smiles, glad that the swimming thing isn't pressed. Blank almost always points out when Robin is lying, which can sometimes lead to awkward situations. "And conspiracy? I never heard of this conspiracy!" says Robin a bit hurriedly before letting out a nervous laugh.
Erik chucles. "Ok, so put in a dvd of planet earth." Erik says with a grin, as he moves to sit down. "Yes, and the adult conspiracy always pretends not to know about the kid's conspiracy."
Lily chuckles. "Kid conspiracy? Di I say that? I meant the cons of piracy. Yeah, that's it." Her grin and tone make it clear she's joking. "Planet Earth it is, then." She agrees, and heads for the couch, sitting on the other side of it from Erik.
Robin looks at the box set and then chooses one of the dvds at random, slipping it into the dvd player, adjusting the volume so that it's a bit low, so people don't feel too shy about speaking, and getting up off the floor. Blank stays sitting on the floor as Robin takes the remaining place on the couch.
Erik nods. "Uh huh, you forget we all used to be a part of the conspiracy. Except for Professor Summers, who was born an adult." He grins.
"Mr. Summers isn't all that bad." Lily defends. "Never really seen why people give him such a hard time. Sure he's a little stiff, but there're worse things to be."
Robin nods, "He looks real serious, I haven't really talked to him or anything, but I doubt he can be too bad." She tilts her head slightly and shrugs, "But then, I guess maybe I'm not the best judge of people, either."
"I like Mr. Summers just fine, kids, don't worry." Erik says with a grin. "He has a lot of responsibility to deal with, but don't make the mistake of thinking he is a softy. Scott Summers is a hard-ass, but he has a good reason for it."
Lily gave Erik a long look. "For a guy saying you like someone, you got a lot of bad to say about him." She points out, then abruptly looks horrified and claps a hand over her mouth. "ohgodI'msorry."
Robin blinks a few times at Lily's comment but doesn't say anything either way. She doesn't know Scott or Erik very well, so this is something that she figures it's better she stays out of. Blank looks a bit uncomfortable, but Robin just zones in on the television screen.
"Hard-ass isn't a bad thing." Erik says, shaking his head. "I know what he has gone through and what has happened to him and this school, at least in part, and I respect the things that he does and has had to do." He explains, smiling wanly. "It's…hard to explain."
Right about now, even if Lily /didn't/ have scales, she'd still be a rather spectacular shade of red. She looks horrified and embarrassed and ashamed all at once, and is, apparently, trying to disappear into her clothes and the corner of the couch. "I … had no business even saying that. I'm sorry."
Robin looks up at Erik and then towards Lily and shrugs. "I guess this school must've been through so much… everyone talks like weird stuff happens every couple of weeks here. I imagine professor Summers has had to make lots of hard decisions."
Erik nods. "He's been either the field commander or leader of the X-Men and running this school for more than the entirety of his adult life. We're all…special, in our own unique way, any of us who have done more than just graduated."
"Wierd stuff /does/ happen every few weeks here." Lily says quietly. "Once every two months at the least. Not always something earth-shatteringly bad, but definitely wierd."
Nodding, Robin says, "Yeah, definitely weird… I mean, nothing bad has ever happened to me at the school yet. Just when I was in the city… I feel a lot safer here." She pulls her feet off of the ground to curl up a bit more on the couch.
Erik smile wanly. "Well yes, that is the point of the school. It may be crazy here, but a lot of times it can be crazier out there." Erik agrees.
Lily snickers at Erik. "That one's up for debate." She says. She seems to have regained most of her equilibrium, though she's still not actually looking at him. "I swear the crazy concentrates here."
Robin smiles and says, "Well, it does seem like a really crazy place here, yeah. Everyone is really nice, though, so I like it…" She plays with her hair for a few moments and then adds, "I hope it doesn't get /too/ crazy, though."
Erik sighs a little bit, rubbing his face. "It can get crazy, and in a world where a lot of people don't like mutants we have a lot of them in one place. But that being said, we have some of the most powerful mutants in the world here to keep you safe."
"And sometimes the crazy is actually good." Lily says. "But the good doesn't negate the crazy of it, you know? I mean, kids practicing a new application of their power they've figured out, that sort of thing. And do NOT get me started on the prank wars."
Robin frowns and says, "If anyone dares prank me, I will be some cross." Apparently, her sense of humour doesn't extend to accomodate pranks. She also says to Erik, "Well, yeah, I mean… even with some of the most powerful mutants in the world, I don't think we can be kept safe all the time." She probably speaks from experience, by the way that Blank crosses her arms uncomfortably and looks down.
Erik shakes his head. "No, we can't keep everyone safe the whole time. But we can try the best we can, and give a better chance of both having you all come out with a hope of a normal education and staying safe then if the school didn't exist."
Erik smiles. "I however have to get in to the city, so I'll leave you to planet earth. Don't worry too much about your safety in the school, we have crzy powerful people her to protect you. Just remember to use common sense, and listen to the teachers, and you'll be fine."