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Post by Toni Craft on Oct 15, 2006 2:08:06 GMT
Toni stifles a yawn and glances at the shelves of movies. She had missed quite a few of the newer, more recent movies, so it was time to catch up.
She pulls a copy of Sin City up and examines the monochromatic cover skeptically.
"Right. A morbid, black and white, Quentin Tarentino guest-directs, flick with Brucey and that Dark Angel chick. Sounds interesting enough." Toni hangs onto the DVD while searching through more of the movies. Another movie, Jarhead, is picked up. "Brokeback Mountain meets Ray. Toss in a few guns and you're locked, cocked, ready to rock. OOooo It's rated R. Gonna have to hide this one from the kiddies. Oh," she mutters, looking down at Sin City again, "this one too." Toni smirks to herself and adds Jarhead to her hand.
After scrutinizing Ocean's Twelve and The Island aloud, she notices the looks being sent her way by other movie-seekers. A small child even comments on her vocal critique, causing Toni to grin widely. She finds that talking to herself is often fun to do in public places.
Toni continues flipping through more movies, searching to top off her trio.
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Post by Pyro on Oct 29, 2006 23:42:44 GMT
Video night at the Brotherhood HQ is, of course, another of Sherridan’s brilliant ideas, scowl, and as such something Pyro would happily skip out on... except that tonight is his turn, and if the Cat Man is picking up the tab then he might as well enjoy himself and catch up on a few of the recent ‘flicks he’s, one way or another, missed out on... Brick looks promising – a noir? That settles it. It has to be seen. Plus Nora Z-whatever is kinda hot – but far too cerebral to be the one he picks for the group, since he of course has an image to maintain... or something. That in mind – and unashamed comic geek that he is, albeit of a more academic kind that the Icicle (what he reads are graphic novels, thank you very much. Comics are for kids) – V for Vendetta also catches the eye, and he’s scrutinizing that when a familiar voice interrupts.
Up until this business with Bob, he’d have ignored it, slunk off without drawing attention to himself. Probably. Now there’s.. something else. Like he can almost afford to be casual (which is stupid, seeing as how he’s back as their very public enemy… but whatever. One thing Bobby’s proved is that he’s still *one of their own* even now he sort of, erm, isn’t). Besides, Ms. Craft always somehow managed to get the side of him that was least removed from total asshole... ostensibly because her classes involved blowing stuff up, which couldn’t fail to engage him (another reason? Shut up. That’s just idiotic).
”Either the new batch are really thick, or you still haven’t realized that hiding things never works.” he says with total nonchalance. She hasn’t changed; whether she’ll recognize him is another matter entirely. John was far less angular, far more knowingly counter-culture, and the blonde flashes are a new addition since leaving the Institute… hell, he could be any random kid in dark denims and Agit-Pop T (although the fact said shirt has a Che-Guevara style portrait which is subtly but unmistakably Magneto might be a little bit of clue…).
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Post by Toni Craft on Oct 30, 2006 0:49:07 GMT
Toni stands, hands latched behind her back, still scanning through shelves upon shelves.
"This is getting ridiculous. What do you do when there are 73 movies (and counting) movies that you haven't seen and you only have one day to watch them in? What do you do?!" Tomorrow's going to be an interesting day. Sin City, Jarhead, Hostel, and another obviously violent R-rated flick were secured in her hands. It was official, Toni wasn't even going to get out of her bed tomorrow. Maybe Matty could be convinced to bring her some breakfast...it was certainly worth the effort. It was going to be blood, gore and a profusion of offensive curses from nine o'clock onward. Wait? Who is she kidding? Nine o'clock? Tomorrow is supposed to be her day off. Sleeping in until noon is definitely on her list of things to do.
”Either the new batch are really thick, or you still haven’t realized that hiding things never works."
"Adam Sandler is officially an idiot. A movie about a remote control that can manipulate time? Honestly. And I had such high hopes for the boy." She sighs and replaces the only non-R-rated movie that she had even bothered to pick up. "So what have you been up to John? Still insisting on frying the weakling homo sapiens I suppose. Not that I'm completely objected to the idea; it would certainly make traffic a lot lighter in the morning. And no one hates early morning rush-hour more than me." A lopsided grin is tossed in his direction, along with a brief, amused glance.
That was certainly someone Toni hadn’t seen in a while. Of course, there had been numerous stories. Some good, some bad, and some that simply weren’t believable. But Hey!, who was she to judge? John had been a good kid while in class. He always seemed so…involved in some her more………..hands-on classes. Pulverising a three-inch thick granite countertop with simply a beaker of ordinary rubbing alcohol and a tablespoon of industrial strength paint thinner. She didn’t think it was possible…until then of course.
She really needed to redefine her idea of a 'good kid.'
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Post by Pyro on Oct 30, 2006 1:03:31 GMT
”Hey now” he shoots back, mock-offended (emphasis, as ever, heavily on the mock... because she’d been a good teacher, and therefore didn’t merit being on the receiving end of his nasty streak. Besides, no matter how much of a success his experiments in superheating metal had been, pissing off a half-ton madwoman was never a good idea). ”Such harsh words for your favorite and most famous ex-student… But yeah, I’ve been having a ball. Taking things out of the lab and into the field, as it were. Brilliant stuff.”
Her comment about the cars raises a smile – only she could get away with that rather than some lecture about how he’s a disgrace and an abhorrence and generally evil and depraved. ”Traffic control is more the Boss’ department… but I’ll put it to him. Always keen to do our bit for the community. And the environment… What’re you watching?” It should all be the John she remembers – the flippancy, the general oddly likable (or rather un-dislikable) arrogant git attitude… the random tangents. All familiar, only grown up.
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Post by Toni Craft on Oct 30, 2006 2:04:54 GMT
”Such harsh words for your favorite and most famous ex-student… But yeah, I’ve been having a ball. Taking things out of the lab and into the field, as it were. Brilliant stuff.”
"Famous? I always saw you moreso as infamous. It's something I'll accredit to your innate ability to blow shit up." She smiles. The countertop, if she remembers correctly, was only one of a few 'disasters' the teen had been involved in. "As for favourite...well, maybe. Your a lad after my own heart," Toni drapes her arm over his shoulders and gives him a little squeeze. "You were as willing to experiment as I was, and it sounds as though you still are. What's your damage record up to now? Two--three hundred million? Quite impressive. Too bad there wasn't a school credit for that cause you'd have you're PhD by now, then you'd be Dr. Pyro!"
As he mentions his 'field work' she raises an eyebrow. "Really now? You must enlighten me. Or am I off limits with the whole Brotherhood versus X-Men thing? 'Loose lips sink ships' as the propaganda campaign went." With her arm still over his shoulders, Toni leans foward and pulls another movie from the shelf. "You simply must tell me though, from one scientist to another, what kind of facilities does the old guy provide. Reasonably fireproof I assume. Surely he's given you some bunsen burners...Hey! Remember that time you and the bunsen burner ganged together and blew out the window? Good times."
"What’re you watching?” At least he seemed to be in a good mood. The last thing she needed was him to try and melt her ass. Not that he'd be successful, iron has a melting point of 2800 degrees Fahrenheit. But her clothes'd be gone in an instant, and that simply wouldn't do.
"Tomorrow's a good'ol relaxation day for Toni. So that means blood, gore, violence and an outrageously large amount of screaming and cursing played at maximum volume for all to hear....Terrorizing the kiddies simply hasn't been the same since you left." She clumsily flips through her stack of of DVDs with her free hand. "Let's see. Jarhead, Hostel, Sin City, and this beaut." She waves a newly acquired copy of The Hills Have Eyes. "Heard this is great. And don't you think that guy there looks like you?" She points to one of the small images on the back of the case. Toni squints and pulls the DVD closer. "Don't worry, upon closer inspection, I've determined that you don't have a celebrity twin. Though....that would be cool. Unless your twin was Tom Cruise, but thankfully plastic surgery can fix that."
"But I digress. What does the young, strikingly handsome Pyro have in mind for his assumed movie night? Hmmmm?"
[OOC: Sorry about the Hills Have Eyes comment. I couldn't resist. ;D ]
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Post by Pyro on Oct 31, 2006 1:25:39 GMT
OOC: Like I said, no need to apologise. The HHE reference made me squee like a fangirl
Normally a gesture like that would send Pyro a little crazy, personal space being something obsessively guarded at all times, but somehow Toni can get away with it. Not that he’d ever admit to sentimentality or nostalgia or anything… but hell, anyone who thinks burning stuff is a sign of genius rather than some sort of hyperactive disorder or more general insanity (or, perhaps, who realizes that those three things are pretty much one and the same, just seen from different angles) deserves a little leeway.
< … then you’d be Dr. Pyro![/color]
That idea makes him grin… hell, the grin blossoms into a full laugh, which is great. It’s been a lot easier to do that lately, and ‘Toni (can he call her that now he’s not *officially* a student?) was always that quirky sort of insane which can’t help but raise a smile. ” s’got a nice ring to it, heh. Sort of super-villain-y. Like a mad scientist or something”
Having said that he grins sheepishly for a moment, remembering that that’s sort of what he is now anyway (the super-villain part, at least) and that outside of the funny pages it’s not really anything to laugh about, but the usual attitude returns pretty quickly because really, since when has he cared about taste and appropriateness? The same goes for his response to her comment about sinking ships – ”Really? That’s a stupid saying… If y’d been watching the news you’d know it was *a couple of vigilante mutants linked to Magneto*” (he mimics the voiceover perfectly, which isn’t much of a surprise given that the report has been on almost constant replay throughout the Boarding House) – because the naval battle is still recent memory.
< ”Surely he’s given you some Bunsen burners?”
”Sadly no, though hell, since when did I need them?” he grins again. Pyro considers telling her about Nitrous, because he’s almost a human… erm, mutant Bunsen burner… but that’s taking it a little too far, because she can still report back to the Institute. Another laugh greets the memory of the now-infamous incident (hell, how many now-infamous chemistry lessons were down to him? And how much more innocent was infamous back then?); like the lady said, good times. He’s surprised – though also in a weird way, kinda pleased – that things seem to have mellowed in his absence
He casts a critical eye over her selection, and is suitably impressed (though Hostel merits a shrug and the comment ”Overrated, but whatever. Nothing in it’s that nasty”) – really, she always was one of the cooler adults – until Hills Have Eyes is mentioned, and the comparison drawn between him and this Doug guy.
”Really? You think I look like this guy?” Avalanche had drawn the same comparison at an earlier *movie night* and initially ribbed him horribly over how much of a geeky-wimp-pussy Doug was… though of course he’d had the last laugh at how badly they’d underestimated the little guy (hmm… okay, so there was a link there). Here he shrugs in response. ”Well, at least I know I’ll make a devilishly attractive four-eyes if the two I’ve got ever fail… bloody awesome film though. No pun intended. Though you’re going to need one hell of a hiding place, because the new kids are no doubt a piss-poor bunch and would never survive it.”
< What does the young, strikingly handsome Pyro have in mind….?[/color]
He’s too torn between blushing and raising a suitably cynical eyebrow to come up with much of an answer, and so just casually turns the covers so she can see for herself.
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Post by Bobby Drake on Oct 31, 2006 19:50:47 GMT
Bored, bored, bored, bored, BORED!
One consequence of having gone academically AWOL after Alcatraz is that Bobby frequently finds himself at loose ends when all the other students are busy being, well, students. Nobody has time to socialize when mid-semester papers are due, and there’s only so much time he can spend in the gym, especially when he’s under strict orders not to stress his right ankle after almost spraining it during a Danger Room exercise. (It was almost worth it, though, to see the nurse’s face as he followed her instruction to keep the ankle iced whenever possible. He giggles now, just remembering it.) All of which left him working through his usual collection of time-wasters for the last several hours.
Fortunately Josh was “studying” in Warren’s room, allowing Bobby to indulge in a few of his more private time-wasters, but even so he got bored pretty quickly. A long swim in the lake watching the new kids goggle at the crazy upperclassman swimming outdoors in late October was fun, but brought back too many memories. And he can’t concentrate long enough to read anything more engrossing than a comic book, and he’s reread his collection too often by now.
So he finds himself at Blockbusters… even if there’s nothing out worth watching he figures he can kill half an hour browsing the shelves.
Which he’s in the process of doing when he turns an aisle and sees Miss Craft standing there. He’s been avoiding her, and half the rest of the faculty, ever since he just dropped out of her chemistry class without even telling her. Not that he thinks she’d give him shit about that; Bobby knows Storm and Logan talked to all his teachers ages ago and she was always pretty cool.
But still, he’s been too embarrassed ever since to actually talk to her.
Fortunately she's more noticable than he is and hasn’t noticed him yet, her attention absorbed by an animated conversation with some kid in motorcycle leathers that remind Bobby of – of...
No way... that can't be... "John?"
Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT! He tries to get away before they see him, which is ridiculous since he’s already opened his mouth, but he’s not really thinking straight as he turns sharply on his heel to run back down the aisle. His right heel, of course, which promptly gives out under him, sending him crashing into a set of “Classic Movies” shelves. By the time he regains his balance, amidst a pile of movie casings cascading to the floor, everyone is staring at him.
So much for a quiet disappearance. He raises a hand and waves, inanely. " Um… hi?"
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Post by Toni Craft on Nov 1, 2006 16:34:29 GMT
< "...Like a mad scientist or something”
"Mad scientist? A regular Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde you are." Toni said, grinning widely. Sure, she knew of his criminal past since his departure from the Mansion, but she meant the comment in the most casual and carefree tone as possible. "One minute you're cute and fuzzy, but next thing you know you're, well, Pyro." She smiles widely.
Toni had her own opinions of John's recent activities, but so long as he wasn't trying to incinerate anything at that exact moment, she didn't have a problem. He wasn't necessarily public enemy #1; clowns were. Besides, why ruin a perfectly good reunion? That, and she'd like to keep her clothes, thank you very much. She'd simply throw a fit if he decided to set fire to her favorite pair of pants.
"If y’d been watching the news you’d know it was *a couple of vigilante mutants linked to Magneto*”
"Nah, the news is too depressing. It's just blood, gore, violence and destruction." She glances down at her selection of graphic movies and smirks. "Well, it's real blood, gore, violence and destruction. I'm much more fond of the fake stuff. That, and it's fun to laugh at the screamin' pussies." Toni thumbed a picture of a petrified woman on the back of one of her movies.
”Sadly no, though hell, since when did I need them?”
"Indeed, good point. But they do make for fun. I like shoving my hand in them to freak out the kiddies." She'd done far more than once too. Made the mistake of catching her sleeve on fire the last time...Ororo nearly had her head for that, but at least she knew that the fire sprinklers worked.
”Well, at least I know I’ll make a devilishly attractive four-eyes if the two I’ve got ever fail…"
"You're quite the looker as it is, John." Toni winks down at the shorter, former student. "But don't get the wrong idea; it'd simply wouldn't work. You, you're into burning and carbonizing...wait...don't those mean the same thing? In any case...you like to burn stuff, and I like to make stuff explode. Two completely different worlds, babe. We'd never last." She pauses and mulls over another thought for a moment. "That, and you're too young for me. I'm not going to succumb to being a pedophile, ya know." She gives him another squeeze and scans the cover of his selected movie.
"Brick? Never heard of it, but I'm diggin' the dead chick's arm. Let me know how it goes, cause if it's violent enough, I may be inclined to rent it..." V for Vendetta comes up next, to which Toni promptly gags. "Downing an over-controlling authoritarian government? No thanks. And who wears a mask in these days and ages, I mean, come on! Not like he's a fuckin' superhero. Superheroes are supposed to have superpowers. He does not."
Her critique is interrupted by the distinct sound of falling DVDs. She pulls her arm from John's shoulders and turns to stare at the noise maker.
Bobby, looking quite embarrassed, waves timidly. "Um...hi?"
"Bobster! Way to keep your cool. And yes, the pun was intended." Toni walks up to him and picks up a handful of fallen movies. "Fancy meetin' you here, bud. Out for a late night movie? Or just lookin' to cause some trouble like John and I?" She nods back over her shoulder at the Pyro with a grin.
While her smile never falters, she mentally kicks herself. Last she heard, Bobby and John were not on the best of terms. Doh!
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Post by Bobby Drake on Nov 1, 2006 18:07:18 GMT
> " Fancy meetin' you here, bud. Out for a late night movie? Or just lookin' to cause some trouble like John and I?"
Bobby looks back and forth between John and Miss Craft like some kind of lobotomized chimpanzee. What? Who… how? She… he… what? He wants to ask what’s going on, but he’s afraid of the answer, overcome briefly by a paranoid vision where the entire Institute has joined the Brotherhood without anyone telling Bobby, all of them laughing at him behind his back.
"’John and me,’" he hears his own voice respond, dazed-sounding. He shakes his head as if to clear it, and tries again. "I mean… um… just looking for a movie… I guess? Um…" he trails off and starts putting DVDs back on the shelf randomly, jerkily, just to have something to do that justifies looking away.
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Post by Pyro on Nov 2, 2006 2:49:27 GMT
OOC: The usual *John thinks about Bob* content warnings apply – nothing explicit, everything dark!slash and horny!teen and screwed-up!aww. Want cutesy? Try Jorren[/size]
< But don’t get the wrong idea…
He’s a heartbeat away from telling her, with an almost childish pride, that it doesn’t matter because he’s taken (and the fact that he can say that hits home and sparks something deep inside which he can’t quite name, some weird amalgamation of pleased and excited and nervous and a million other things loosely connected under the concept Bob-Mine-Want-Forever)… but no, that wouldn’t work. This is Toni, and she’d start asking questions which he wouldn’t be able to answer even if creating and maintaining a suitable story would, as per usual, be oh so very simple. Besides, it doesn’t feel quite right to talk about Bobby like that, because whatever they have – and it is something, something wild and crazy and intense – it doesn’t feel like being taken - well… not *taken* like that any way. The second darker meaning is more appropriate, because it’s more raw and primal and visceral than holding hands in the corridor and belonging to each other. The pledges they make are wordless, worked out in the language of possessing and yielding, of sound and light and touch beyond language, beyond sense…
… and he shouldn’t be thinking about any of that right now. John half-regrets starting this conversation, since thinking Bobby, and everything that thinking that provokes, is starting to feel like being *caught out by mum*, except so much worse because at least that would fall under the spectrum of *normal teenage behavior*. The Bobby situation… definitely doesn’t.
< Two completely different worlds, babe[/color]
One advantage of her randomosity, of course, is that it usually provides a way back in, because something will ignite somewhere (they used to play off each other well, even if the tangents were sort of hard to keep up with, working off the same manic energy), and he grins and snaps back into a more pitch-perfect tone away from backstreets and dances in the dark. ”True… but think of the chemistry there… hell, nothing but chemistry between us. Three times a week”
< I’m not going to succumb to being a pedophile[/color]
”I’m 19!” he shoots back, mock-offended (though for once the emphasis isn’t quite as firmly on the *mock*, because, scowl, the whole issue of exactly how much of a child he is keeps being paraded around the upper echelons of the Brotherhood). Her critique of V also meets with an (albeit incredibly stagey) variation on the John the rest of the world is used to, or at least a geekish version thereof, John the graphic novel fan for once joining forces with the activist who has to defend the character on principle. ”S’not meant to be a superhero. He’s a vigilante…” it starts, and keeps on rolling… oh hell, if Bobby the comic-nerd (a detail John alternately appreciated and ribbed mercilessly) could see him now…
…clatter…
< Um… hi[/color]
Somehow speak of the devil manages to slip out before the litany of oh shit, oh shit, oh shit starts… though that too is silenced, because he can kid himself that he hasn’t got a problem, that the only issue is Bobby making things so bloody obvious (it feels obvious, in any case, as if everyone *knows*).
Well, this is a problem they didn’t really plan for. Which is a massive oversight on their part, but an understandable one – what they do doesn’t belong to the real world, and is never thought of within it (or at least should never be… John’s failing miserably in that regard, and he doesn’t hold out much hope that Bobby’s doing any better). Here they’re totally different people, as evidenced oh so brilliantly by Bobby’s helpless dazed uselessness, and the way John seizes control of the situation, the half-growled, icy ”Drake…” which passes by way of greeting spelling out the suggested play. In the eyes of the world, of course, they’re still the Pyro and Iceman who faced off at Alcataz. The façad flickers for a moment – and it is only a moment – at the John and Me because he has no idea what Bobby is going to say, and because his heart leaps a beat over what those words aren’t saying to anyone other than him.
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Post by Toni Craft on Nov 3, 2006 0:48:47 GMT
”True… but think of the chemistry there… hell, nothing but chemistry between us. Three times a week”
Toni raises her eyebrows in genuine surprise. Since when did John ever talk like that? Maybe it was a trick he had learned while being grouped with the Brotherhood, or maybe he had just been censoring himself during his younger years at Mansion. Either way, the statement triggers Toni's ever-present ADD-like personality.
"John! I never thought you could be so...so...sexy!" She gives him a playful nudge with her elbow, letting him know that she was joking. Then, leaning in next to his ear she whispers huskily, "You, me, the closet. Now." Again, a joke.
”I’m 19!” Right, forgot. John had never been happy when people ridiculed his age and relative small size. But he seemed to take the age comment well. She took note to try and stop herself the next time the urge to mention his age arose.
"And 19's a very respectable age, John. But at 21, I'm just waaay out of your league. I'm talkin' a whole different decade and all that shit. Wait a couple of years though and we'll see." That probably didn't help anything....but in any case, she adds a wink to the remark, which many others would take as flirtatious, but she knew John understood her mannerisms extremely well.
”S’not meant to be a superhero. He’s a vigilante…”
"A vigi-who-in-the-what-where? Now you're just making words up. I swear, the things that go on in your mind..."
She eventually turns her attention to Bobby, who had arrived announced, but succeeded in knocking down a few dozen DVDs while making his entrance.
"I mean… um… just looking for a movie… I guess? Um…" Toni smiles impishly as she notices is startled and dazed expression.
"Jeez, you gonna be okay, kid? You're not looking so hot...." Then she grins, amused by her own joke. Honestly, a guy who could freeze himself to the point where he turned into living ice, how could any one not make fun of that?
”Drake…” She heard Pyro growl.
"Oh no, you're not fighting in here. There are way to many movies that I haven't seen yet. If either of you melt them or freeze them or anything, I will personally scrap both you're asses." She placed herself more or less between the two teens and landed both of them with her infamous 'try it and die' glares. "Play nice." Bobby sure didn't look like he was in the mood for a confrontation, but John was obviously ready and waiting. Who knew she'd end up babysitting?
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Post by Bobby Drake on Nov 3, 2006 2:02:15 GMT
Bobby feels like his head is going to explode from too much information at once.
Toni and John, um, flirting he can kinda deal with, he knows that’s just her kidding around… right? And the fact that they’re getting along is… well, it’s good, right? More contact with the Institute = Good. Well, at least for the kind of contact that doesn’t involve anyone ending up dead or burned or anything, which it looks like this is. So, that’s good.
Except he’s told himself this three times in succession now and can’t quite seem to convince himself.
And Miss Craft doesn’t seem to be mad at him for going AWOL on her class, which is good. But that just gets him thinking about the fact that he’s going to have to start going to class again sometime, because he really can’t stay a high-school dropout all his life, even if he does become a full-time Mutant Avenger instead of an accountant.
And John is glaring and snarling at him like... well, like they’re enemies again. And Bobby isn’t an idiot, he realizes it’s an act… or, well, something is an act, and it’s probably the way he’s acting now and not the way he acts when they’re alone, but that “probably” gnaws at him.
It’s just too much.
> " Play nice. "
He contemplates that directive for a while, trying to decide what to do. Play angry-Iceman with John for the camera? He hasn’t got the heart for it, not after everything he’s gone though to get where he is. Just walk out and say nothing? He can’t… it’ll just come back to haunt him, and he’ll always wonder what John tells Miss Craft behind his back after he leaves.
He’ll have to do something soon, since he’s almost done refiling DVDs.
He entertains a brief vision of walking up to John and kissing him, right there in front of God and everybody. That would rock. He straightens up for a moment, wondering if whatever weird courage gets into him on their… dates? Is that the word? … will show up again.
It doesn’t, though. He’s on his own, and without it he just doesn’t have the guts to do that in front of Miss Craft.
Or… well, OK, he thinks to himself. Maybe he doesn’t have the guts to do that. But does he really have to pretend? She’d probably be OK with it… or, well, if not OK, at least she probably wouldn’t tell anybody.
Would she?
He puts the last DVD away in something like where it belongs, and turns back to the two of them, realizing they’ve both been waiting for him to say something.
"So, John… wanna join us for movie night?"
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Post by Pyro on Nov 3, 2006 4:00:44 GMT
< Play nice[/color]
Although he still, of course, has to act a little pissed off by that directive, walk through all the clenched first, scowling, final resignation crap, it’s a relief to know she’s there to stop this spilling over… because there’s no way he could keep this up as an actual fight, and now doesn’t have to worry about finding a way to back off from that without breaking the façade…
Although said mask is not much of a concern after Bobby’s move. He’s either not getting it (which John doubts) or refusing to play ball… yep, betting on the latter there. Bobby’s a born romantic, after all, even if he lacks the conviction to carry it all the way through, and pretending to hate is above all a realist strategy. The age old glass half empty / full debate… (why this dichotomy surprises him is a mystery, given that they are essentially fire and ice…)
Okay, new plan. Bobby can pull off the *trying to be friendly* thing, because they were friends before… it’s a perfect act, even. But there’s the thing; Bob’s not acting. If anything it’s a plea not to act, and one he’s not sure he can accommodate, his reply spelling that much out… This seems how things will run, seeing as how they don’t seem to have agreed on a plan, levels within levels, on one a normal conversation, on another the instructions, and so on… complex, yes. John hopes they’ve both got the energy for it… or at least, if Bobby hasn’t (which his actions so far seem to suggest), that his courage will keep failing him when it comes to spelling things out properly.
”Sure, Drake. I’ll just pop over to yours for the evening, watch a few movies, just like old times. That’ll work” he sneers, the sarcasm switchblade sharp, ”Because we’re best mates, and your *family* are such big fans of mine”
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Post by Bobby Drake on Nov 3, 2006 4:38:51 GMT
> " Sure, Drake. I’ll just pop over to yours for the evening, watch a few movies, just like old times. That’ll work. Because we’re best mates, and your *family* are such big fans of mine "
On the one hand, Bobby knows perfectly well this particular bit of banter isn’t going to go anywhere. And really, he suspects John’s probably right… if he just showed up at the Institute there’s no guarantee Storm or Logan or, well, anybody, would let him back out again. He tries not to think about whether that would be a good thing, because that would force him to think about what John does for the Brotherhood, and he’s not ready to do that yet. What they have going is many things, but simple isn’t one of them.
But on the other hand, he just can’t seem to drop it. Because it ought to be simple. And as much as he’s tried to be a realist about “is” and “ought” since Alcatraz taught him how worthless the latter can be when skewered by the former, the truth is he sucks at it.
In the end, it’s not so much that he decides one way or the other, as that he’s suddenly too tired to keep juggling the alternatives.
"Bigger fans than you might think, John. But I didn’t mean the rest of the ‘family’, just us." He looks over at Toni, wondering what she’s making of all of this, and this weird sense of fatigue that seems to be substituting for courage kicks him over another hump. "I bet Miss Craft here won’t tell anybody about us, and Josh already knows… I bet Warren does, too. Logan’s out of town, so it’s not like he’d sniff you out or anything. And you already know how to sneak into and out of my room, you did it often enough when you lived there, right?"
After it’s out of his mouth, he almost passes out from the sudden loss of blood pressure. Dear God in heaven, did I just say that? He looks back up at Toni and his expression cannot be mistaken for anything but panic… but there’s no undoing it, so he straightens up again and looks back at John with the closest approximation to a confident expression he can muster.
"So, why not?"
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Post by Toni Craft on Nov 3, 2006 20:49:01 GMT
" Sure, Drake. I’ll just pop over to yours for the evening, watch a few movies, just like old times. That’ll work. Because we’re best mates, and your *family* are such big fans of mine " Toni snorts.
"Yeah, and after you're little romp with the old man, I wonder why?" She mutters, matching John's sarcasm.
"Bigger fans than you might think, John. But I didn’t mean the rest of the ‘family’, just us." Toni snaps her head around and raises an eyebrow at Bobby. Woah...what? I do believe my spidey sense is tingling... If she didn't know any better, he was talking in some sort of code, intending to bypass her in their conversation. Toni hadn't detected anything from John; maybe she just wasn't on the same level as him...But then again she just as well have been imagining Bobby's hinting tone.
"I bet Miss Craft here won’t tell anybody about us, and Josh already knows… I bet Warren does, too. Logan’s out of town, so it’s not like he’d sniff you out or anything. And you already know how to sneak into and out of my room, you did it often enough when you lived there, right?" Yay! I didn't imagine that! Not that it was even possible to imagine such an obvious and suggestive tone. That not-so-hidden message suddenly sent her normally crisp and clear mind into a cloud of murky confusion. Then to add to it that look of pure trepidation? Right, like Toni was going to just run along with that.
"Woah, hold'er there buddy. Sure, I probably wouldn't tell anybody John decided to stop by, but I sure as hell ain't as dumb as I look." She points her stack of DVDs at Bobby, the gesture coming off far less accusatory as she had expected. "I feel like there's a big-ass bottom to the tip of this 'Bobby and John' labelled iceberg.... Care to share?" Toni steps back and exchanges uncertain glances between the two boys, hoping to gain some sort of clue to their secret cipher.
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