Welcome to the New World

[Bobby Drake]

(( OOC: picks up after Ororo’s assembly ))

Bobby shakes his head incredulously as he heads out of the auditorium with a group of younger students. "Wow… X-Men application forms? What’s next… dental insurance and a pension plan? At this rate we’re going to drain all the mystery out of the mutant anti-terrorist business, I’m telling you. Hell, when I was a freshman we didn’t even know about the X-Men…"

He trails off his tongue-in-cheek rant as Sam laughs. "Bobby, back then the headmaster could wipe anybody’s memories whenever he wanted to, way ah hear it… secrets’re easier t’keep that way, ah think?”

Which brings him up short, realizing it’s been a year since the Professor died, and there’s an entire class of upperclassmen who never knew him. "Yeah… good point, Sam. I know it’s completely different without him here… I just forget, sometimes. " Or suppress, more likely. Sean keeps telling him to avoid “psych-talk” but natural curiosity about his process of therapy has led him to at least bone up on the basics. "And it’s not like I really want Sheppard mind-wiping everyone just to keep the X-Men secret, either, but… application forms?"

"Hey, ah heard how y’all joined the team, back in the day; y’ask me, applications an’ interviews make way more sense’n waiting for some army t’invade an’ hoping t’get caught up in it, or something nuts like that. Ah mean, this ain’t a comic book or a movie or nothin’ – this here’s real life, right?” Privately, Bobby has to admit Sam’s right about that, too. It really does make sense, he just misses the way it used to be.

It takes him a moment to catch the unspoken message in Sam’s comment. "Are you thinking of applying, Sam?" His roommate looks away for a moment, embarrassed, then looks back steadily. “Yeah, someday. Not ‘till ah get this power of mine under control, though... won’t do the X-Men much good ‘f I keep blasting craters every time ah try t’land, right?”

"Hey Guthrie… still hoping cuddling up to your frosty new roomie’s gonna get you a “back-door pass” into the X-Men, huh? Well, keep trying… only way a hayseed like you’ll ever get in, that’s for damn sure." Bobby turns at the unfamiliar voice and recognizes Julian Keller, one of the new freshmen, and apparently in competition for “most obnoxious mutant.” He spares the kid a dismissive glance before responding to Sam. "Well, you handled yourself pretty well during that prison breakout, that’ll count in your favor. And when you do get your power under control, you’ll be one hell of an airborne asset, not to mention the whole invulnerable thing. Keep working with Warren – um, I mean, Mr. Worthington – and you’ll get there soon enough."

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

>"Hey Guthrie… still hoping cuddling up to your frosty new roomie’s gonna get you a “back-door pass” into the X-Men, huh? Well, keep trying… only way a hayseed like you’ll ever get in, that’s for damn sure."

Josh has a feeling that he’ll start hearing Julian Keller’s voice in his sleep. It has an innately superior ring to it that seems to be a part of the boy’s personality. Just ahead of him down the hall, Julian seems to be trying to antagonize Sam and Bobby.

He rolls his eyes. Ordinarily, he would walk right past it. Bobby was older than he was, and was more than capable of handling the situation. However, Sam and Julian had forgotten their schedules, and Warren had a class at the moment.

>"Well, you handled yourself pretty well during that prison breakout, that’ll count in your favor. And when you do get your power under control, you’ll be one hell of an airborne asset, not to mention the whole invulnerable thing. Keep working with Warren – um, I mean, Mr. Worthington – and you’ll get there soon enough."

“Well, you’re certainly not on the fast track yourself, Julian.” Josh keeps his voice light as he catches up with the trio of boys. “Storm judges on her own set of criteria, but I can tell you right now that acting like you’re better than your fellow classmates is going to get you nowhere with her.” He sticks a hand out to each of them. “Warr - - Mr. Worthington asked me to give these to you.” Josh shifts his head slightly. “Hey, Bobby.” He grins in wordless irony - even without his telepathy, the two of them are thinking similarly.

Sam looks slightly happier. “Thanks Josh, ah totally forgot. What are you teaching this semester?” He begins to scan his schedule. Julian, on the other hand, takes on a surly look, and telekinetically yanks the paper out of Josh’s hand. “Yeah, what are you studying at Columbia?”

Josh resists the urge to tie Julian’s shoelaces together. “I’m teaching Biology, Advanced Bio, and am helping out with power training sessions. At college, I’m working on pretty much the same thing, but I’m focusing in Neuroscience.” As he says the word ‘biology’, Josh detects a simultaneous pulse of reassurance and annoyance, from Sam and Julian respectively.

Julian looks up from his schedule. “Why isn’t what’s her name teaching biology? Ms. Craft? That’s who was on my schedule when I chose classes in the spring with my parents.” Josh nods. “Toni’s trying to finish her degree, too, so I’ll hopefully be lightening her load. Her specialty also tends more towards the blowing stuff up than keeping it in once piece sort of science.” This elicits a chuckle from Sam.

Julian glances back down at his schedule, and looks up at Josh. “I have you for telekinesis training, too? Isn’t there someone better qualified? I mean, no offense, but you’re only 18, aren’t you? I remember seeing you on tv with Ms. Munroe.” His intent seems to be anything but avoiding offense, and he looks to Bobby for a response, as if challenging Josh's authority.

[Laurie Collins]

[[this thread looks like more fun than philosophy!]]

“You don’t need to worry, really, they’ll be nice to you.” Laurie’s unintentionally ironic reassurance sounds into the silence after Julian’s jibe as she comes into view around a corner with another small blonde girl reluctantly shuffling along at her heels. “Hi,” she greets the group en masse, smiling at Bob and Sam and, with a bit of wariness, Julian who she hasn’t met but has heard quite enough about already, before turning to Josh and opening her mouth, only to close it again with a sudden expression of consternation as she realizes she has no idea what to call him since his marriage and promotion to teacher. Mr. Worthington? But, no, that would be confusing, and it seems so odd to call Josh “sir” but he’s a teacher now and… she looks quickly over her shoulder at Illyana who still looks about how she felt on her first day and mentally pulls herself together, okay, no name for now, ask him about it later. “Illyana,” she nods back towards the younger girl, “got her schedule but she said she was supposed to get a copy in Russian too so I thought you’d know where to get it?” it comes out as a question but not in Laurie’s usual scared way, just inquisitive. Evidently if you manage to rustle up someone even more nervous than herself she’ll be shocked into a sort of protective poise.

“Da, I do not want to be bothering you. I can read English, it is just to be sure my classes are correct.” Illyana pipes up shyly prompting a practically requisite, “Hey, forget Josh, either of you two can bother me any time.” from a smirking Julian causing both girls to blush practically in unison and Laurie to subside into her usual flustered speechlessness though she makes one last stab at taking a semi-confident stand by frowning in a sort of disapproving way at Julian and muttering “Well…no thank you.” rather lamely.

[Bobby Drake]

Bobby returns Josh’s expression with an exasperated one of his own. John and Tobias were both trials in their own ways, and Bobby himself had been campaigning for the “Most Annoying Student” award for a while there, but Julian was well on his way to winning it right out of the gate.

> "I have you for telekinesis training, too? Isn’t there someone better qualified? "

It takes a significant effort to avoid actually laughing when Julian looks to him for support, especially once he realizes what a great set-up the kid just gave him, but Bobby manages it. "Well, there are options for placing out of these introductory courses, but they’re intended for really advanced students." He gives Josh a meaningful glance as he continues. "I don’t remember exactly, not being a telekinetic, but I’m sure Josh knows – for TK it’s the Alkali Lake simulation, right?"

> " Illyana got her schedule but she said she was supposed to get a copy in Russian too so I thought you’d know where to get it? "
> " Da, I do not want to be bothering you. I can read English, it is just to be sure my classes are correct."
> " Hey, forget Josh, either of you two can bother me any time."
> " Well…no thank you. "

More than anything else, it’s Laurie’s polite response to Julian’s all-too-obvious pick-up line that finally overcomes Bobby’s self-control, and he dissolves into a brief fit of the giggles before getting a hold of himself. "I think Jake’s planning to cover Picking Up Girls sometime after mid-terms… not too late to sign up, Jules…" He’s about to introduce himself to Illyana when another new kid, Doug something-or-other, greets her in what Bobby assumes is Russian and the two of them chatter for a while.

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

I should probably be insulted. First he’s annoyed that I’m teaching biology… and now he implies that I’m not qualified to teach him how to control his telekinesis. Josh briefly toys with showing Julian just how experienced he actually is with telekinesis, until the whole now-a-teacher thing registers. Um. I might get in trouble for that. I guess this thing isn’t all perks. Too, it was obvious Julian’s statement was meant to get under his skin.

> "I have you for telekinesis training, too? Isn’t there someone better qualified? "

> "I don’t remember exactly, not being a telekinetic, but I’m sure Josh knows – for TK it’s the Alkali Lake simulation, right?"

Josh looks at Julian seriously. “Sorry. I’m the only telekinetic member of the X-Men. Two years ago, you’d have had Jean, but she’s not with us any longer.” He looks slightly sad, but he catches the look from Bobby. Nice… that’ll show him it’s not a bad thing to start with the basics. “Ah, right! The Alkali Lake simulation. Jean might still be able to show you a thing or two there.” With a straight face, Josh continues. “When would you like me to set that up for you?”

Julian looks satisfied. “As soon as possible, if you can… I know all the kid stuff already.” He looks up towards the ceiling and extends a hand, concentrating carefully. The chandelier begins swinging on its connector.

“Um, right. We’ve got telekinesis practice tomorrow morning, so just meet me outside the Danger Room, okay?” He’s so dead, Bobby. You’re horrible - but I like it. Josh grins as Julian switches topics of interest.

> “Well…no thank you.”

Laurie's response elicits a snort from Josh. “Hey, lighten up. I’m just trying to be friendly. Get to know everyone a little better… that sort of thing. Someone’s got to appreciate the ladies around here.” Julian gives a meaningful glance to Josh.

“Watch it, Julian. I’ll swallow insults to my intelligence and my mutant abilities, but leave my husband out of this.” Josh’s tone is mild, but there’s an edge to his voice.

[Tempero]

Having overheard the whole conversation from where he was standing, looking at his own schedule, Danny turns and makes his way to the group, coming up from behind Josh in his usual silent way. "Better watch it, Julian, or Josh here just might fail you, and then it's kindergarten TK lessons for you. Can you push a ball over the table?" he says with a laugh, waving to all the members of the group. His voice sounds different in the same way it is familiar- it is still loaded with the friendliness, but has lost the insecurity about bothering people, and seems to have gotten deeper, although that just might be because of the extra confidence he has acquired.

"Hello, Josh, Bobby. Laurie, looking as wonderful as ever, Matthew must be ecstatic each time he sees you. Hi guys, I'm Danny." he says, greeting each member individually, nodding at Bobby and placing a hand on Josh's shoulder, using the compliment as a substitute for lack of gesture.

He smiles widely, and the teeth come off as an even better-looking white thanks to the tan he got in Greece, where he was for ten days after his rehabilitation, which only Ororo, Warren, and through Warren probably Josh know about. The Danger Room training sessions are privy to Ororo and Bobby, since the other boy had to come in once so there would be a note of all of his powers at the current state.

"And, Bobby, that thermal perception is very cool." he says after a moment or two, settling into the small circle the group's forming. The new students don't seem to say anything to him, perhaps still not quite sure what to make of him.

"So, how have you all been? Done anything fun in the summer?" Danny asks, rather certain that he already knows what Warren and Josh did (and that it was very fun), but still curious about the others.

[Bobby Drake]

> " just meet me outside the Danger Room, okay?"
> He’s so dead, Bobby. You’re horrible - but I like it

Bobby nods to Josh. "Yeah, that sounds about right. Come to think of it… I’d say the rest of the freshmen should come watch... given Julian’s confidence and how much skill and experience he has to back it up, I think it might be a real education for all of them in what the Institute’s power-training is for… don’t you think?"

> " Someone’s got to appreciate the ladies around here."
> " Watch it, Julian. I’ll swallow insults to my intelligence and my mutant abilities, but leave my husband out of this "

"OK, OK, that’s enough of that. Am I going to have to use the fire-hose on you two?" Bobby grins. "Not that it wouldn’t be fun, I grant you." He’s about to toss off a comment about Laurie already getting about as much “appreciation” as she can handle from her giant radioactive boyfriend when he’s distracted by Danny’s arrival.

Bobby’s mostly gotten used to the “new Danny” over their last month, but it’s still jarring sometimes. It’s a definite improvement: sure, he has the same slick superficial friendliness he’s always had, but there seems to be more substance underlying it now, like he’s not trying so hard to hide everything about himself behind it.

> "And, Bobby, that thermal perception is very cool."

"Ba-dum-CHING!" Bobby grins. "Yeah, I enjoy it. No using it to peek into the girls’ locker room, though!"

(( OOC: quick question to Danny… is the idea that Danny and Bobby have been doing a bunch of DR sessions together so Danny can practice with Bobby’s powers? Or can Danny now use Bobby’s powers even while Bobby isn’t around? ))

[Laurie Collins]

Laurie looks over her shoulder and smiles as she watches Illyana straighten up a bit and become more animated in her conversation with Doug who is chatting with her earnestly in Russian. Aw, she thinks, her smile broadening as Doug shuffles and mutters something. It’s nothing she understands in the words which are still Russian, but the way the two freshmen are shuffling and smiling shyly and the way Doug brightens when he makes Illyana laugh at something he’s said is fondly and- in the memory of awkwardness sense- painfully, familiar. She turns away quickly, not wanting to stare at them, and then enters a new sort of uncomfortable as she watches the snarking between Josh and Julian and to some degree Bob. She’s already trying to sort of sidle away without anyone noticing but Julian turns his attention back to her before she can quite manage it,


“Hey, lighten up. I’m just trying to be friendly. Get to know everyone a little better… that sort of thing.

“Sorry?” Laurie mutters uncertainly, flustered and uncomfortable with getting this sort of attention. Michael had teased her about ‘cleaning up nice’ but that was just Michael, he teased, and at least he hadn’t started in the first time she’d met him. On the heels of that Danny’s arrival is a welcome distraction and she smiles back at him, answering his summer query with a quiet, “Oh, nothing too much, I took a couple of summer classes and stayed at home for a few weeks, what about you?”

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

> “Watch it, Julian. I’ll swallow insults to my intelligence and my mutant abilities, but leave my husband out of this.”

Julian frowns. This conversation wasn’t going as well as he’d been hoping. The girls were surprisingly resistant to his charms - at his old school, they’d pretty much flocked to him. He also wasn’t exactly scoring points with Josh, either. I ought to toe the line with him… despite the fact that the other boy was only 4 years older than him, he was a teacher. The last thing he needed was to fail biology and telekinesis because the teacher disliked him.

>"Better watch it, Julian, or Josh here just might fail you, and then it's kindergarten TK lessons for you. Can you push a ball over the table?"

Julian sounds annoyed, and turns on Danny. “Yes, I can push a ball over the table. I can also tip you upside down if I wanted to. Tempero, right? What does that even mean?” He’d met the boy a few days ago and had instantly disliked him. While he was outgoing enough, the faux-friendly undertone to the boy’s voice drove him crazy. At first, he’d dismissed Danny as too easy of a target, but perhaps his first evaluation hadn’t been accurate. “Why, are you some kind of telekinetic master? I thought Josh said he was the only one here who was qualified to train telekinetics.”

Josh grins a little. Julian was arrogant about his powers, and a little stuck up, but it was also painfully obvious how he wanted to excel at school and training. I guess we’re not as different as I thought… I should give him a break. Although that doesn’t give him the right to be rude to everyone. Interestingly, Danny seemed to be taking the riposte better than expected. Warren and Storm had mentioned that the boy had taken some time off over the summer to do some recuperation, and it showed.

> "So, how have you all been? Done anything fun in the summer?"

“Well, I got married at the end of July. Sorry you missed it, but I know you were off with your family.” Josh places a hand to his chin in thought. “Warren and I went to the Virgin Islands for our honeymoon right after that for a couple weeks, I registered at school, and have basically been working nonstop putting lessons together for biology since. What about you?”

[Tempero]

((OOC: Answer to Bobby: The initial idea was that Bobby only needed to report to the DR once, so the computer could get a scan on all of his current abilities, and then the simulations would simply make a fake Bob, against or with which Danny would train, but doing a bunch of sessions together sounds also good- didn't want to make it G-mode-y, so it's ultimately your choice. It's all happening off-scene anyway.))

He laughs heartily at Bobby's comment, and grins back at him. "Wouldn't even think of it. Still, it's rather helpful." he replies, for a moment wishing he was in the Danger Room again. The place has become his second home, really, by the amount of time he spends in it. "So, who's applying for the X-men?" he asks curiously, knowing already that Josh and Bobby were in by default, but not quite sure about Laurie.

>“Yes, I can push a ball over the table. I can also tip you upside down if I wanted to. Tempero, right? What does that even mean?”

Danny's facial expression changes only by a small bit- a slight smug smile appears at the corners of his lips, one that says "I know something you don't, and so do Laurie, Bob, and Josh", but it is not anywhere even near the horrid smile he had when he blocked Warren's mutation. By now, he has sorted everything out with that Sean Garrison guy, whom Ororo had recommended. He really was different than the other psychologists he'd visited, and he had his finger on the problem right off the bat.

"Tempero is a Latin word, and among other similar things, it means to temper, regulate, or mitigate. Essentially, it means "control"" he responds easily, keeping the joking tone he had assumed for his initial comment. Tip me upside down? Hardly... he thinks dismissively.

>“Why, are you some kind of telekinetic master? I thought Josh said he was the only one here who was qualified to train telekinetics.”

"Oh, heavens, no. I have yet to receive telekinetic training, and I'm really into cryokinesis right now, so you don't need to worry about it." he offers a smile and turns to Josh and Laurie, to hear out their answers to his question.

"Virgin Islands, you say? I guess the name was fairly ironic, wasn't it? Yeah, I'm sorry I missed the wedding as well, I'm sure it was great. And, to answer your question, like you said, I had taken some time off, just to be with family, for about a month and a half, and then Dominic came out of the blue and said he was taking me to Greece. Well, those were ten fantastic days. We went for three days to Hanioti, which is on the first prong of Halkidiki, and then then after that seven days on an island called Thassos. The beaches are terrific, and the food divine. And then, I have been here since the beginning of August." his eyes gain a small bit of a dreamer's glint as he talks about Greece, as the place quite obviously left its impression on the boy.

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

> "Oh, heavens, no. I have yet to receive telekinetic training, and I'm really into cryokinesis right now, so you don't need to worry about it."

Josh suppresses a shiver. Danny was a gentle soul - mostly - and had even seemed to improve his interpersonal skills over the summer. It was easier to converse with him when he didn’t act like you were about to step on him. Their run-in during the spring semester, where Danny had augmented his telekinesis to molecular-control levels, had left him inherently skittish about letting others borrow or alter his abilities, though.

> "Virgin Islands, you say? I guess the name was fairly ironic, wasn't it? Yeah, I'm sorry I missed the wedding as well, I'm sure it was great.”

He blinks slightly, not expecting such a comment from Danny. It was slightly awkward in that it referenced his and Warren’s sex life around some of his freshman students. “Well, um… you know. It’s a nice place for a vacation… the beaches are really great.” Josh resolutely ignores the sex-faces that Julian is aiming at him over Danny’s shoulder.

“What kinds of classes are you taking this semester, Danny? I don’t remember printing your schedule off…” Josh is relieved when Julian gives up the endeavor, but stays dismayed as the boy's eyes beginning to roam over Laurie and Ilyana again. Ugh. What a little creeper…

[Laurie Collins]

Laurie's obviously lost in this conversation- snark, and fast paced snark at that, has never been her thing- and though she's opened her mouth once or twice intending to congratulate Josh on his wedding when it comes up or ask about biology since she wonders what parts of Miss. Craft's unconventional curriculum he's going to keep up she's always cut off by the more assertive members of the conversation. Just as she's about to turn to Bob and Sam, the other silent members of their little cluster, and make her good-byes a hand settles on her shoulder making her jump and scramble to contain her pheromones as Julian laughs close to her ear.


"Don't worry about it..." he pauses and gestures towards her mouth to indicate her abortive attempts at conversation, "I like a girl better when she's not talking." he adds with a grin so confident he's obviously operating under some teen television trope that says the shy girl will always go for the aggressive bad-boy, some teen trope Laurie's evidently never been exposed to from the way she goes sort of wide-eyed and frozen, staring at his hand as if it's some sort of poisonous snake she doesn't want to aggravate by moving too suddenly.