Shopping... (open)

[Bobby Drake]

(( OOC: This is December 2007; fast-forwarding over the last several months of real-time and hand-waving over all memories and consequences of the DoFP plot and its subsequent Onslaught plot. This is Bobby and Josh at the mall, shopping for gifts… if you wanna join us, feel free.))

Bobby rolls his eyes at the hula-dancing Santa and the animated Christmas tree. "Man, do people really buy this stuff?" His feet are already starting to ache from walking all over the mall, and thus far he hasn’t found anything for anybody on his list. It’s just all too normal, embarrassing as that is to admit.

He’s already pretty sure nothing in this store is going to fit the bill – even his little brother is too old for these sorts of electronic toys – but he’d insisted on checking it out anyway... not that he’d admit it, but in large part because he really enjoys playing with the little wind-up toys. He’s surprised by the line of Christmas-themed X-Men action figures, though, and giggles at the sight of a foot-tall plastic Storm with eyes that light-up.

He picks it up and runs his thumb quickly along the wheel on her back, cracking up as sparks fly out of her head. "Oh, this is brilliant! Think Jake already has one?" He chuckles again and adds "Or should we save it for the wedding?"

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

> "Oh, this is brilliant! Think Jake already has one?"

Josh snickers and picks up the Storm figure. "I dunno, she might kill us. Look at the face... it's all squashed-looking. I think Jake better keep to his original manufacturer... the last thing the world needs is to be flooded by shoddy second-rate X-Men toys." He sets it down and moves over to another display.

"Here they are! Man, the line has expanded." Beyond the original set, which included Ororo, himself, and Warren, there were now action figures of Hank, Toni, Bobby, and Rogue, as well as a fairly detailed Blackbird playset. "Wow, you can even dress us up!" Josh picks up a package with a clear front. "It's normal clothing for Warren, Josh, and Bobby. I guess Hank takes a different size... isn't that your favorite shirt?" Josh angles the box in the light, trying to look through the assortment.

He moves through the display. He thought it would be weird to see merchandise modeled after them, but to be honest, it was rather fun to poke through it. "Ha! You have little attachable bits of ice for your hands. And what about..." Josh stops dead. Next to plastic Bobby were a few new additions to the team. "X-Men Legends? Dr. Jean Grey?" Josh stares at it for a few moments, a tumble of emotions running through his mind. He barely notices 'Professor Charles Xavier! Real Wheelchair Action!' next to her.

"Weird." Josh mumbles. After a minute, he tips the box forward so the thing stops looking at him.

[Bobby Drake]

Bobby chuckles at the action-model accessories, laughing out loud at the tuxedos for Warren and Josh, then stops short at the Professor Xavier doll… then notices Josh’s reaction to the Jean Grey doll.

> "Weird. "

"Yeah, isn’t it? Do you think Jake actually agreed to that one?" It was hard to tell… Jake wasn’t usually that tactless, but on the other hand managing details wasn’t exactly his strength; he might have just signed the paperwork without paying much attention.

"You’re right about Storm’s face, though," he adds, putting the doll back down. "Besides, she really does seem to appreciate getting plants. Makes her easy to shop for. Which reminds me, I never did ask – did Warren like the underwear?"

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

> "Yeah, isn’t it? Do you think Jake actually agreed to that one?"

"Somehow I doubt it. I mean... Jake never met Jean, but I think he gets how she was one of us. It was probably just some PR person. She makes a good role model, being a doctor and all... as long as you end her life with Alkali Lake, anyway." the look on Josh's face turns slightly happier. "Maybe it's just me, but that's how I think of it. Phoenix wasn't anything like the real Dr. Grey. Man, I haven't really thought of all of that for awhile."

His eyes scan the box. "Aha, here's the connection." Josh reads off the back of the carton. "Josh Dalton's Telekinetic Mentor! One of the original X-Men, and also a Medical Doctor!" He giggles. "God. Who writes these?" He spots the bottom line. "Made in Taiwan. That explains it..."

> Which reminds me, I never did ask – did Warren like the underwear?

"He did - but he didn't let them stay on for very long after that, though..." Talking with Bobby about his sex life always was slightly strange, possibly because Bobby's own relationship with John was about as complicated as it could get. Jake and Ororo's relationship was simple in comparison, and his own marriage must seem like paradise in relation to it. Sometimes he wondered if Bobby ever resented that. Warren and I definitely don't agree on everything... but we're also not a rollercoaster like John and Bobby.

Josh grins awkwardly. "Er... maybe you didn't want to hear that. Hey, look! Iceman Snow Cones!" The two of them have reached the end of the toy display, and indeed, Iceman Cones were on display. "Hey... 10 Fruity Flavors. You think they're trying to say anything about you?" Josh makes a face at Bobby.

[Bobby Drake]

> " Maybe it's just me, but that's how I think of it. Phoenix wasn't anything like the real Dr. Grey. Man, I haven't really thought of all of that for awhile."

Bobby shrugs. "I guess. I don’t know, though… I mean, people change, you know?" God knows I did, he adds quietly, but isn’t willing to bring that up again right now.

> "He did - but he didn't let them stay on for very long after that, though... er... maybe you didn't want to hear that."

Bobby snorts at that. "Hey, I asked. And that was sort of the point, right? Besides, I’m glad somebody’s getting some. Gotta say, though, you guys have gotten more conservative since your honeymoon… no more midnight flights, huh? Or is it just getting too cold?"

> " Hey, look! Iceman Snow Cones! Hey... 10 Fruity Flavors. You think they're trying to say anything about you?"

He laughs at that. "Ah, you caught me! You know, the classified ads weren’t getting me anywhere, so I decided to diversify." He picks up a box of Iceman Snow-Cones, "Though it would be a funny gag-gift for… hm. No, on the other hand, maybe not." He puts it back down thoughtfully and picks up an Angel kite. "So, are we seeing any of the profits from this stuff, or does it all go to the Institute?"

[Jack Russell]

(In lieu of fast forwarding, Jack and Toni have started a casual/dating-type relationship by a curious turn of events. They've been out on some dates already soo.. anyway. We'll be bringing everything up to speed in the past forum.)

Already attempting to salvage his dignity as he shuffles a bag from Bath&Body works filled with crisply wrapped presents for his sister, Jack takes another stab at signing his name on the electronic card swipe. "So.. I just.. uh.. press.. back?" Taking the glare from the clerk across the counter to be a no, Jack presses the flashing OK button on the screen with the thin electronic pen.

"Have a nice day, sir," she announces in a demeaning tone, shoving the printed receipt into the bag and thrusting it into his hand, glad to be rid of him from the front of a very busy FYE. Jack tries a smile, but she remains unamused, and he hurriedly takes his leave, trying to dodge a pack of boys that are giggling and flocking back and forth from video games to a more mature section of the movies.

Breaking free into the general traffic of the mall, he takes another peek at the CD he had just purchased. Landscapes: Sounds of Nature. In a way, Jack almost understands the modest request from a man like Michael Morbius. Neither of them are very accustomed to daywalking, so to speak, but Morbius never has the chance to walk freely in the wilderness with the aid of another form during daylight. Thank God for cloudy days..

Tucking the smaller bag inside the larger one, Jack mentally half-crosses another name off of his list. Lissa had been easy, he knows her like the back of his hand--well, almost. Michael is always a little hard, and a good bottle of wine seems to be too easy and predictable to do every year, no matter how much Jack is willing to put up for it. Expense doesn't make up for the lack of variety.

Toni is another story in this department altogether. Jack doesn't want to come right out and ask her what she wants, it seems too forward, but then again, he'd just about scoured every store in the mall already, and nothing had really screamed Toni Craft. Working up the guts to ask her to go on a date had been hard enough, but now that seems to pale in comparison into shopping for her. Should he shop for her brother too? The idea that they're related presses him to think that maybe they'll like something similar.

The weight of fragrances and a bathrobe in one hand tells him otherwise.

Jack steers clear of Victoria's Secret, hardly about to relive another strange moment in his life, and safely makes his way towards a store with an assortment of toys. Don't be stupid, Matty's 17 years old! He reminds himself. Ducking inside anyway, he awkwardly moves around, avoiding a suspicious stare from a mother and her two daughters.

Hey, look! Iceman Snow Cones! Hey... 10 Fruity Flavors. You think they're trying to say anything about you? Jack perks up a little, remembering that Jake and Bobby had been talking about doing some shopping today also. Ah, you caught me! You know, the classified ads weren’t getting me anywhere, so I decided to diversify. Though it would be a funny gag-gift for… hm. No, on the other hand, maybe not. So, are we seeing any of the profits from this stuff, or does it all go to the Institute?

Edging around a corner, Jack is relieved to see Bobby and Jake examining some toys on the shelves. Trying to keep a cool composure with his shopping, he nods. "Hi.. I was wondering when I would run into you two.." He immediately comes to find what they had been talking about, and Jack gazes over the expanse of X-Men merchandise. "Wow.. um.. I didn't know our name was out there that much."

[Laurie Collins]

Okay. I’m a teenage girl in a mall. This can’t be that complicated. Shouldn’t I have some sort of…instinctive homing mechanism that will lead me to the right stores? Laurie thinks peering around the mall from where she’s wedged herself into the alcove of the doorway to the women’s room. She’s been having a nice enough time so far, the mall is all lit up for Christmas and people are dragging their families around or propelling themselves alone through the crowds with a sense of almost violent purpose. It’s sort of nice to wander aimlessly through a mob like that, sticking to the sides of the halls so as not to get in anyone’s way and sipping some coffee drink with sprinkles that tastes nothing like actual coffee. It’s all so normal in a sort of TV-and-commercialism way and they’ve just put a bookstore in the mall which was convenient because she got a lot of her shopping done there and also managed to get herself a book she’s wanted for awhile. Now, however, it’s time to venture outside the bookstore and into the unknown and she’s found herself without any idea of which way she should cut her own ruthless swath through the holiday mob. Right, so… thunk the bathroom door swings open from within, hitting her in the back and sending her scrambling out to be buffeted by the crowd as she tries to shout an apology to the puzzled looking woman whose exit she had blocked. The crowd propels her along until she manages to shove her way into a relatively people-free store front and catch her breath while she straightens her bags.

Once she actually looks up she grins at finding herself in a toy store full of little dolls (action figures! she corrects herself quickly) like the ones in the headmaster’s office and little windup toys. She winds up a Godzilla that shoots sparks and watches in march in a slow but threatening line towards a display of…x-men figurines? She makes a grab for Godzilla but he’s already knocked into a Warren-figurine which starts a sort of domino effect down the shelf and she has to drop her bags and leap over to grab it before the destruction goes too far and catches the eye of any of the harassed looking store employees. She manages to halt the domino-chain just before it reaches some weird snow cone display that says something about fruit and sighs in relief before looking up and seeing two of the living counterparts of the recently vanquished action figures standing about a foot away with one of her teachers. “…hi!” she says, starting to wave before realizing Godzilla is still walking stubbornly into her hand and thunking it down again as a barrier between it and the snow cone stand. “Um, yeah, just have to wait for, uh, Godzilla to wind down.” she says sheepishly, “But, um, hi. Sorry about your do-I mean action-figure selves.”

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

> Gotta say, though, you guys have gotten more conservative since your honeymoon… no more midnight flights, huh?

“Midnight flights? How do you know about - - ” At this point, Josh realizes his mistake, and puts on a mock-glare. “I hate you. Be careful. The last person who found out about that barely survived the memory wipe…” He opens his eyes wide and flails his hands around in the air, as if imitating his ill-fated victims.

> Though it would be a funny gag-gift for… hm. No, on the other hand, maybe not.

“For John?” John was pretty much the only person around the Institute who called Bobby ‘Icicle’ or ‘Snowcone’ - besides Wolverine, of course, but it seemed unlikely that Bobby would be buying Logan a Christmas present. “What’s up with you two, anyway? Did he break up with Rogue?” Maybe he was more perceptive than most, but it was patently obvious to Josh that John was only trying to annoy Bobby by going out with Rogue. A pretty crappy way to use a friend, no doubt, but that was John for you. At least, he’s using her judging from the way John’s arm goes around Rogue’s shoulders the moment Bobby enters a room. “You could always ask him out. Maybe for... snow cones?” Josh waggles his eyebrows suggestively.

> "So, are we seeing any of the profits from this stuff, or does it all go to the Institute?"

Nice dodge. John was perpetually a touchy subject, it seemed. “To be honest, I haven’t really thought about it. Maybe it’s going into an account or something? After Warren being disinherited and all, maybe I should be paying more attention to that type of thing. It was only through some fund-loophole-thing that was set up by his great-great grandmother that Columbia got paid for.” He grins. “Except I imagine great-grandma Worthington intended it for the Worthington wives, not the husbands…”

> "Wow.. um.. I didn't know our name was out there that much."
> “But, um, hi. Sorry about your do-I mean action-figure selves.”

At about the same time, Jack and Laurie show up. “Hey, guys!” Josh waves a hand vaguely in the direction of the toys. “Yeah, it kind of is, and don’t worry about it. At least they have clothes on. Someone keeps undressing all of the ones in Jake’s office. Whenever I go for a meeting I put Josh-and-Warren’s clothes back on… but they keep disappearing.” He scratches his head. “That’s more disturbing that I thought, now that I think of it.”

“Where are you guys all going? We were thinking of getting something to eat in the food court.” Over Laurie’s shoulder, a group of girls are looking oddly at him and Bobby. Their faces move slowly between the posters hanging over the toy display and the group of mutants. He prods the others with his telepathy. “Um.” Maybe we should get out of here. I think Bobby and I are about to get recognized.

[Christopher Bertrand]

Of all the days in the year 2007, perhaps these last few weeks of December are the absolute best time to actually communicate with him. He had not interfaced with a computer longer than absolutely needed (which ironically was a minuscule amount), and had spent most of the past five days in the company of Wolfie, introducing his friend to the city, talking to him, catching up on lost time. It really is a luck when they manage to get even a night of conversation together, and therefore five days is a miracle. The result? A Christopher completely unlike the one who entered the Institute for the first time.

He is relaxed, his face much more expressive than usual, and even his walk no longer carries that exactness, that counting rhythm of symmetry and maximum efficiency. The first changes are visible in just his very appearance- instead of slicked smoothly back, his light blond hair is ruffled, messy, without gel, and falling wherever it so pleases. His mouth is not bearing the classic semi-frown, and there is no cigarette in sight. The "casual" look is completed by a plain black T-shirt, not tucked into the jeans bearing many pockets on their sides. Indeed, even his feet do not carry the official dress shoes, but rather a pair of white tennis shoes.

He has already visited several shops, and bought some books and electronic equipment- a reward to himself for Christmas- and the bags idly dangle in his left hand as the right is tucked into one of the jeans' pockets, his walk slack and relaxed, his posture slightly hunched.

Having spotted the inevitable commercials for the X-men action figures, he decides to at least go see what they look like, and gets a rather pleasant surprise of finding a number of people from the Institute there as well.

Chris approaches the group quickly, happily, and offers a smile so genuine that for a second it seems Christopher's body is using the face of someone else. "Hey guys." he says lightly and then his gaze falls to the knocked over toys. "It seems that the closer we are to the real thing, the more we want to see the replicas, eh?" he chuckles, but at the same time a nasty little thought wanders into his mind. He should buy at least some of them Christmas presents, right?

But what should he get them? He barely knows them, and what he knows of them is too professional to be of any real use. Perhaps he should just ask them? Well, that will come later, right now he wants to enjoy the moment of unburdened, unstrained, effortless conversation. It is amazing what Wolfie's visits can do for his personality. Especially during the night.

[Bobby Drake]

> “What’s up with you two, anyway? Did he break up with Rogue? You could always ask him out. Maybe for... snow cones?”

Bobby isn’t even sure how to start responding to that – things with him and John and Rogue had been weird enough before their cross-time adventure and the subsequent telepathic mayhem, and have only gotten weirder since – and breathes a sigh of relief when the sudden arrival of the other Institute residents forcibly changes the topic of conversation.

“Hey Jack… hey Laurie!” ”

Jack’s embarrassment over the X-Men paraphernalia is palpable, but Josh handles it smoothly… and the attack of Laurie’s Godzilla adds to the amusement value.

> “Sorry about your do-I mean action-figure selves. ”

“No worries. At least it wasn’t a giant robot… I’ve had my fill of those lately, you know? ” He regrets saying it as soon as it leaves his mouth… everyone’s been settling in relatively well after the roller-coaster ride of the last few months and he doesn’t want to spoil it.

> “Someone keeps undressing all of the ones in Jake’s office. Whenever I go for a meeting I put Josh-and-Warren’s clothes back on… but they keep disappearing. That’s more disturbing that I thought, now that I think of it. ”

Bobby laughs as Chris joins them. “Don’t look at me… I’ll take responsibility for some of their more creative positions, but I didn’t even know he owned clothes for them. Hey, Professor Bertrand – so have you finished grading our midterm projects yet?” He does a bit of a double-take as the man gets closer, and adds more suspiciously “Hey… are you OK? You seem… different.”