|
|
Post by Bobby Drake on Oct 17, 2006 4:53:09 GMT
”Still with me?”
Truth be told, Bobby's growing increasingly nervous about the whole operation... he's learned that the more confident John seems, the more out of control the situation is likely to get. But the last thing he wants is to look like a coward in front of Marie, and after she had the guts to go up against Magneto during that Liberty Island thing, he can't imagine her interpreting his bowing out of this little get-together as anything else. Certainly not once Josh agrees, when everybody knows he and Dr. Grey are in each other's heads half the time.
The overfriendly smile John gives her doesn't enter into the equation at all. Nope, not even a little. And it's certainly not like he needs to tag along to reassure himself he's not being left out. No... that's not it at all. Not at all. All of that goes directly onto the pile of Things That Don't Matter, to be promptly forgotten. It's a big pile.
Yeah, I'm in. You have a direction in mind, chief?
|
|
|
|
Post by Pyro on Oct 17, 2006 16:21:42 GMT
Josh’s enthusiasm is sort of cute, really, re-affirming that yeah, he’s the kid brother of the group. It just happens that that kid brother is telekinetic, and likes to get to show just how useful that can be, which makes inviting him on these things a good idea while inviting anyone else is sheer insanity, violating some secret code and destroying whatever it is about the atmosphere which keeps them risking their necks like this. ”Reckon the Teek can get this down?” John grins, pointing to the bag, because while he doesn’t doubt that he can get its cargo down whole, having plenty of experience in the *escaping from windows* and all, giving the kid something to do and providing an extra layer of security are not bad ideas.
John’s grin widens – Chief? What the hell?, torn between amusement and something like pride because hell yeah, he so is, and don’t you forget it – before, attempting to be casual, the ‘Chief’ lets the next part of the plan slip. ”Well, either we walk straight out the front gates… or st-erm-borrow a car.” he says, as if both are easy-peasy and not likely to land them with another month of super-evil detention. Never let it be said that democracy doesn’t reign in the group – either option makes for a suitable exit and a proper start to the evening.
|
|
|
|
Post by Rogue on Oct 17, 2006 17:35:16 GMT
”Well, either we walk straight out the front gates… or st-erm-borrow a car.” [/color]
Rogue has to grin at the "st-erm-borrow" part. Not because stealing a car is a good thing, but simply because it's amusing. But they're not really stealing it, right?
.
They live there, so it really is just borrowing...without permission. And they plan on returning it - hopefully in one piece - so it's not that bad. Aside from the lack of permission, and the underage drinking they're likely to do - which poses the question on if they should designate a driver or not, but she decides not to mention it.
"D'pends on how far this place y'plannin' on takin' us is. If it ain' far, w'could walk. Oth'rwise... I call shotgun." she responds with a slight shrug and a wider grin. This is definetly going to be fun - heck, it already is, and they haven't even left yet.
|
|
|
|
Post by Josh Dalton Worthington on Oct 17, 2006 23:36:26 GMT
> ”Reckon the Teek can get this down?”
Josh gives John a grin back. "I wouldn't be much of one if I couldn't lift a backpack." He reaches out with a hand, and the pack lifts off from the ground. With nod of his head, it hovers out the window and across the roof. Concentrating on a soft landing, Josh settles it down slowly onto the backyard's grassy expanse.
> ”Well, either we walk straight out the front gates… or st-erm-borrow a car.”
Fortunately for the alcohol stash, he's finished scooting it downwards when the meaning hits his brain. Whaaaat? A car? They could all drive - John was older than the other three - but... He turns, slightly uneasily, and looks at Bobby out of the corner of his eye. <Bob...>
"I think that we could just walk out the gates. A car would probably make too much noise - after all, we know that Mr. Summers is still up, at least." He tries to sound confident.
|
|
|
|
Post by Bobby Drake on Oct 18, 2006 6:01:29 GMT
<Bob...>
Bobby startles a bit at Josh's telepathic contact. Sure, he knows Josh is a teep, and he's been to all of Dr. Grey's "get to know your local psychic" brownbags, and heck he just got finished writing a fifteen-page paper arguing the importance of the difference between overt and covert telepathy... but he has to admit, the idea still kinda creeps him out.
That's compensated for somewhat by the uncertainty in Josh's mental voice, which for once makes Bobby feel like he's not the slowest kid in class when around Marie and John. He's not quite sure how to "think back" so he settles for a shrug when nobody but Josh is looking at him. What are you asking me for? I'm just along for the ride, here.
> "I think that we could just walk out the gates. A car would probably make too much noise"
Bobby grins. Nicely done... the kid has potential. "Yeah, he's right... and Logan would probably ignore us if we just walk out, but if he hears the car starting up he might go check it out. Sounds like we walk, then." He walks over to the window ledge. "So, Josh - that lower-me-down trick work on people as well as luggage?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Pyro on Oct 18, 2006 16:20:20 GMT
”I take it back” John rolls his eyes, faking (okay, half-faking) deep disappointment. ”Rogue’s the only one with any balls – no offence, sugah” – he grins, flashing her a quick wink while mercilessly ripping off her accent. Still, part of him is glad they’ve decided not to go with the car – he’d end up driving which means either that he wouldn’t be able to drink (which is, after all, the whole point of this endeavor) or kill them all (and somehow the prospect of a car-crash is less scary than that of a sober evening….), and besides, they need to have something left over for the great final blaze of glory when they finally graduate.
< Sounds like we walk then…
”Who died and made you Elvis?”
What happened to Chief? part of him thinks, because isn’t this meant to be his idea? The teachers’ll no doubt take it that way if (and it’s a risk, but the blasé part of him brushes it off because it’ll never happen) they get caught, and the others probably wouldn’t deny it, bastards… and besides, he’s the only one who could come up with something like this. So Bobby making a decision is just… wrong. Not going to happen.
He waits just long enough for it to count as a separate idea and not as agreement with Bobby’s, and yeah, that sounds sort of stupid, but whatever. ”Right, we walk. Straight across the lawn and out of the front gates. Nothing simpler.”
|
|
|
|
Post by Rogue on Oct 18, 2006 16:33:43 GMT
”I take it back. Rogue’s the only one with any balls – no offence, sugah”
She laughs slightly at John's words and the horrendus butchery that was his attempted Rogue!accent, and shakes her head. "Well I wasn' offend'd, 'till y'stole - an' killed - m'accent..." she says in an almost-stern tone, but the tone is offset by the grin on her face.
She moves a little towards the window, then stands in place, arms crossed, fidgeting. They're taking so long to discuss these things, and not hurrying up and going. It's making her antsy. Not because she's nervous about it, really, she just doesn't want them to get caught before they get to have any fun. If they're grounded or whatever, there'll be even less to do, more boredum, and that simply won't work.
She wants some fun before the angry people yelling at them starts. Or hopefully no yelling whatsoever, but that's an unlikely possibility.
|
|
|
|
Post by Josh Dalton Worthington on Oct 18, 2006 23:35:05 GMT
Josh detects a bit of surprise - possibly something else? - on Bobby's part. Mmm. I get too used to talking to Dr. Grey. Non-telepaths tended to be taken off-guard by it, at the very least. Some took great exception to it...
Fortunately Bobby seems to be on his side. He'd figured - John brought out Josh's troublemaking side, but taking one of the cars seemed excessive, especially if they were all planning on getting drunk. Besides, John didn't tease Bobby about being mini-Scott for no reason (though Josh felt that was a little unfair...)
> "So, Josh - that lower-me-down trick work on people as well as luggage?"
> "Rogue’s the only one with any balls -"
He shoots a sly glance at John. "I've got balls, alright. I'd just as soon they're not clawed off, thanks." He breaks back into a smile, glancing to Bobby. "It does. Who's first?" He motions for the window, and gets ready to climb out himself.
|
|
|
|
Post by Bobby Drake on Oct 24, 2006 15:33:40 GMT
> " Rogue’s the only one with any balls – no offence, sugah"
Bobby tries to think of something clever to say in response to the implied slight, but can’t come up with anything. Besides, he’s too distracted by John attempting a Southern accent.
Not that he has anything against Marie’s accent… quite the contrary, in her voice it’s mellow and relaxing and almost musical; he can, and has, just sit and listen to her talk for hours. But in John’s voice it’s just wrong.
Of course, letting Johnny know it bugs him would just encourage him to do it more. Natch, if I really wanted him to stop I could tell him how cool it sounded. But then Marie’d probably get mad.
> " Who died and made you Elvis? "
A smile flickers at the corners of Bobby’s lips at the tinge of annoyance in John’s voice. It’s become a kind of unofficial game between them over the time they’ve roomed together, seeing who can get the other’s goat. John’s score outstrips his by about a million, of course, but Bobby’s getting a little better. He ups his count by one, wondering if he’s the only one keeping score.
"I hate to be the one to bring you the bad news, Johnny-boy, but Elvis is dead. I hear Mystique does one heck of a good impersonation, though." Which had sounded less lame in his head before he’d said it, and he sighs in the privacy of his own head. Nice try, dork.
> " It does. Who's first? "
Quashing a sudden rush of jealousy over Josh’s powers, and his control over them, Bobby nods. "Why not? Don’t drop me, though, or your balls’ll be frozen off before Mo-Logan can even pop his claws." He glares at Josh in an attempt to look threatening, which he completely fails to bring off. (On the very large list of things Bobby would be embarrassed if anyone ever caught him doing was practicing being threatening in front of a mirror. He’d be even more embarrassed if he ever realized that his ‘threatening’ act mostly involved doing impressions of John in a bad mood.)
Then he grabs the windowsill with both hands and slides off. His intention was to lower himself down slowly, then drop the remaining ten feet or so to the ground, not really counting on Josh’s teek… instead, his hands slip and he drops, startled, to the ground below. Oops.
|
|
|
|
Post by Josh Dalton Worthington on Oct 25, 2006 0:14:32 GMT
> "Why not? Don’t drop me, though, or your balls’ll be frozen off before Mo-Logan can even pop his claws."
Bobby's mock glare falls flat, and Josh merely grins at him, eyebrows raised. And then Bobby falls out the window.
"Shit!" Panicked, Josh stumbles over to the window, and extends a hand out it in Bobby's general direction. The boy comes to a halt, narrowly avoiding a sharp impact to the head. In fact, he could probably stick out his tongue and touch the grass in his current position.
Josh lets out a relieved breath of air. "Seriously. Next time you want to get let down, just ask. I'm easygoing that way." He flips Bobby end for end, and sets him down onto the grass. That was close.
I hope Jean - or the Professor! - didn't catch my mental spike. If she did, this party's over before it started.
|
|
|
|
Post by Pyro on Oct 25, 2006 1:14:51 GMT
Clichéd as it is, John can’t help shooting back ”He didn’t die, Drakey, he just went home”, and is therefore sort of relieved that Bobby’s line about Mystique steals the dork-award… not that relief will spare him the withering glance John trains in on the Icicle. One back to him… okay, maybe not quite one. But close. Though he’s probably the only one still keeping score…
A couple more points are awarded in recognition of just how much of an idiot Bobby looks when he’s trying to be threatening (had anyone pointed out the intended likeness, he’d have been mortified… for the four or so seconds it took to torch that individual anyway), overriding further and deeper relief that he’s not going to be taking the Josh express just yet. It’s an odd thing for someone who routinely handles the untouchable and emerges unscathed to admit, but the idea that anyone’s brain can keep him from falling to a messy death is a stretch too far… he’d much rather rely on his own ability, which he knows he can trust, thank you very much…
… it seems like the better option, really, once Bobby pitches himself out of the window.
”Fuck” says it all, really, capturing both the oh shit, he’s going to die and freaky-telepathic-stuff in one nifty plosive little syllable, with a nice side order of just enough concern thrown in.
Fuck again, this time soley inward… because suddenly they have a deadline. Someone somewhere is bound to have heard that, or picked up on falling-Bob. So he’s over to the window and scaling down – on his own steam, thanks. No teek here, because unlike Icicle he’s got plenty of practice shimmying out of the window – pausing only briefly to grin broadly at Josh and Rogue with the usual cool insouciance. ”Not quite that quick, folks, but something close. Let’s roll.”
Scooping up the back at the bottom a similar line is reserved for Bobby – ”Try not to die, Drake.” – as he takes that aforementioned stroll, counting on the others to follow.
|
|
|
|
Post by Rogue on Oct 25, 2006 1:29:07 GMT
Rogue's jaw drops, as Bobby all but dives out the window. Speechless, really. Hoping he's not hurt, of course, but a little amused, once she's sure he's okay. Once she's down there, she's so hitting him for scaring her like that, she muses to herself.
Not quite that quick, folks, but something close. Let’s roll.” [/color]
She nods, and follows suit, climbing out, tossing Josh a "Don' l'me die." under her breath, with a wry grin.
Oh, shoot...shoes...She realizes she's forgotten - again - once she's halfway climbing down, but then decides not to bother - she always ran around barefoot as a kid, no reason not to now, except for the fact she doesn't know where they're heading.
"Josh, c'n ya fling down a random pair'a shoes fr'm up there? I kin'a...f'got mine." she calls sheepishly, quiet as she can, to the mutant who's still above her, then tosses a look back towards those on the ground. "Hope y'all don' mind..."
|
|
|
|
Post by Josh Dalton Worthington on Oct 25, 2006 1:48:02 GMT
> Josh, c'n ya fling down a random pair'a shoes fr'm up there? I kin'a...f'got mine."
In response, a pair of boy's shoes is flung out of the window, as Josh climbs out himself. Quickly, he reaches out with his powers and flicks the lightswitch. As he closes the window, Josh turns to peer down at the ground.
Uh oh. Someone had to have heard Bobby almost kiss the pavement, or detect their thoughts via telepathy. Or my telepathic presence. His mental shields weren't so awesome yet.
So he clambers as quietly as possible across the roof over to the drainpipe, and begins to shimmy down.
Things are going well until a rusted bracket snaps cleanly in two. The pipe angles out from the house, and begins to topple over. As it begins to drop over, like a felled tree, he loses hold of it and plummets towards the ground. <Fuck!>
Josh frantically reaches out with his powers, trying to stop his downward descent. It's completely pointless, of course - but he has to try. Since arriving at the Institute, he's been unable to physically affect himself with his powers. He scrunches up his eyes and hopes that Dr. Grey remembers how to set broken bones.
|
|
|
|
Post by Bobby Drake on Oct 25, 2006 5:04:38 GMT
The fall to the ground is oddly leisurely, in that way that the last few seconds of your life are supposed to be. Though seriously, how would anybody know that? It’s not like anybody’s ever come back from the dead to tell stories. Though possibly someone like Professor Xavier would know, if he’d ever been in someone’s head while they died. But I bet the idea didn’t originate with telepaths…
And in any case he’s supposed to be seeing his life flash before his eyes, instead of this weird self-referential internal monologue about the origins of folk tales about the last few seconds of life. After a moment he realizes that his subjective experience of time isn’t what’s screwy… he really is floating in mid-air suspended less than a foot from the ground.
> " Seriously. Next time you want to get let down, just ask. I'm easygoing that way."
Oh, right. Josh. Cool. As he flips head-over-heels (And for once that expression makes sense… usually it should be heels-over-head...) he tries to look calm, casual, like he’d intended for all this to happen. He manages to avoid throwing up, but that’s as close as he comes.
"Just checking your response time, is all…" Bobby wishes he were able to carry it off, but at least he isn’t freaking out or anything… that’s something.
> " Try not to die, Drake. "
"Everybody dies, Johnny." Logan had said that once, and Bobby thought it sounded pretty cool. Of course, Logan had said it when Bobby was freaking out when the X-Men were charging out to rescue Marie and Bobby had to stay back at the Institute because he wasn’t old enough to go with the team, so it wasn’t really a line he wanted to think about much. It did sound cool, though.
He chuckles at Marie’s sudden shoeless moment, then squelches a moment’s annoyance when he realizes those are John’s shoes, and they fit. It shouldn’t annoy him, but as with so much else that shouldn’t annoy him about John and Marie, it so does. Before he can say anything, though – and really, what would he say? – Josh is suddenly plummeting to the ground, and his telepathic <Fuck!> makes it clear that, for whatever reason, he can’t stop himself like he did Bobby.
Bobby reacts without thinking, gesturing with both arms as a torrent of snow, ice, and frigid air swirls out from him and collects underneath Josh as a combination snow-bank/ice-slide. It’s not the most elegant of landings, leaving the boy buried in several feet of powdery snow, but they say any landing you can walk away from…
Of course, that telepathic shout probably woke up half the Institute, and the sound of the gutter creaking woke up the other half. He’s about to suggest they cancel the night’s outing when he realizes John is already heading towards the gate, and Marie looks ready to follow, and he’s not going to be left out again. He gives Josh a hand out of the snowbank, realizing with some dismay that he probably just killed one of Storm’s flower-gardens, and runs to catch up with John.
Elsewhere in the Mansion, Jean and Charles both wake up suddenly at Josh’s telepathic shout. A moment’s attention is all it takes to confirm that nobody is in danger, although apparently it had been a rather close thing.
They don’t talk, exactly… with two telepaths of their skill, words are unnecessary, even mental words. Rather, they commune, and quickly conclude that this outing will do more good than harm. It’s a fine line they walk training kids like this… on the one hand, given too free a hand, they can get into trouble they have no way of getting out of… but on the other, without exercising some initiative they’ll never learn to deal with consequences. The Institute isn’t just about educating these kids, its about letting them develop responsibility to go with their power, and the occasional unauthorized trip is just part of the process.
Jean laughs, then telepathically calms Scott down when her laugh almost wakes him. It wasn’t that long ago she and Scott were kids, themselves, sneaking off in the middle of the night, and it was just the Professor pretending not to notice. The process seems to work OK.
On the other hand, there’s no reason she shouldn’t keep a discreet mental eye on them, now that she’s awake. And if the fragment she’d caught from John’s mind about their destination was accurate, she might have a little bit of fun of her own, while she’s at it.
|
|
|
|
Post by Rogue on Oct 25, 2006 5:22:43 GMT
As she reaches the ground, and picks up the shoes, sliding them on, calling a "thank'ya" up in Josh's general vicinity, and moving to head after John - so they can get out of there, and get to this fun that's waiting for them - she hears the telepathic projection into her mind, which the voices really don't like, but she's a little busy thinking about the fact that she's about to wittness serious trauma, with no way to prevent it.
Then Bobby saves the day, an instant!snowbank provided for Josh's landing pleasure. Cold, sure, but much softer than the ground he'd been heading towards. Rogue is really really glad they're all on the ground now - if the group was larger, she was sure someone would b breaking a limb tonight, the way things were going, and she really doesn't like that thoguht.
"Holy. Crap." she mumbles, running one hand through her hair. "I sh'd hit y'. Sh'd hit both'a y', f'scarin' me like y'did..."
But she doesn't, because...well, that's just not nessecarry, no matter how badly she's been startled twice tonight. And besides, they've gotta get out of here, so she too takes off running.
|
|
