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Post by Pyro on Oct 25, 2006 15:23:42 GMT
John’s leant against the gate post by the time the others catch up, playing idly with the flame arcing from his Zippo and trying to look like he really isn’t at all concerned by how they all seem determined to kill themselves. Maybe this isn’t such a… nah. Don’t be stupid. Of course it is. He snaps the lighter shut and looks up, biting his tongue as far as the guttering goes because not only has that got to have woken someone up but the fact that it’s hanging loose beneath his window is like a big neon light (why, exactly, he’s worrying about little things like this when there are telepaths around is only a mystery if you think they know… which John doesn’t. He prefers convincing himself that they’re somehow totally oblivious to their nocturnal rambles, because the alternative doesn’t make that much sense).
< ”Everyone dies, Johnny”[/color]
”Sure. And fire always burns and it never snows in July.” he says wryly. Not that he believes they’re immortal, of course, except in the way that all teenagers are set to burn on forever… ”No dying tonight, capeche?”
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Post by Josh Dalton Worthington on Oct 26, 2006 3:47:30 GMT
The ground seems much softer than it should be, and none of his bones seem to be sticking out of his body. And he's cold.
Josh opens his eyes. There's white stuff in the way, and he swipes a hand over them. What the hell? It's snow, and miraculously he's not in need of an ER. And there was that whooshing noise...
"Geez. Thanks, Bobby." He makes his voice sound as sincere as possible. Later he'll be beating himself up for once again failing to levitate himself, but for now it's off for fun. He grabs the proffered hand, and pulls himself up and out of the snowbank.
"Ah, sorry Rogue. I haven't been able to figure out how to levitate myself yet..." She looks a little spooked - and rightly so. Without their powers both he - and her boyfriend! - would have needed serious medical attention.
Aack. I hope no one heard all that racket. Even moreso, he hoped that he hadn't caught any telepathic attention. With a bit of concentration, he thinks he can detect Jean's mental signature for a second - but it's gone after he blinks. No way, as cool as she is, if she knew we were leaving Scooter would be down here with shock collars.
They regroup near the gateway. Josh notices the pipe hanging over the lawn. He concentrates briefly, and it rises silently back into position. That should do it.
"So... where to, guys?" Josh tries to not look like he just fell off the roof and into a snowbank. Damnit. He flicks some snow out of his hair.
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Post by Bobby Drake on Oct 27, 2006 19:06:03 GMT
> " Geez. Thanks, Bobby. "
"No worries." He grins as he helps Josh to his feet. "Just evening up the score a bit, right?"
> " Sh'd hit both'a y', f'scarin' me like y'did "
Bobby ducks his head a little sheepishly as he catches up to Marie. "Sorry, hon. Accident. We’re OK, though… that’s what’s important, right?" He squelches the impulse to add Besides, now you know how I felt when you were on Liberty Island, because it just isn’t fair… it’s not like she’d gotten herself kidnapped by the Brotherhood on purpose. (Of course, he hadn’t fallen off the window ledge on purpose either, but it’s not quite the same thing… right?)
And the truth is he’d been more impressed by Marie than scared when he’d heard she’d been part of that operation. The fear came much later, when he’d learned what Magneto had done to her, had meant to do to her… and, while he’d never admit this to Marie, he really hadn’t been as scared for her as he’d been scared by the implications. That was when he’d started to understand why the Professor stood up to Magneto’s Brotherhood, why it mattered… started to get that it wasn’t just about mutants being treated like people, it was about treating everybody like people, not like machines or animals or weapons.
Which, it occurs to him, is something he should add to his paper… even if you have the power to read someone’s brain like a computer databank doesn’t make it OK to treat them like one. He wishes he’d brought his laptop with him, or at least a notepad. Of course, John would tease him mercilessly about it if he had.
He’s distracted from his little academic reverie by Josh catching up.
> " So... where to, guys? "
Bobby turns to John and nods. "Yeah, good question. Mr. Presley? Your adoring public awaits…"
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Post by Rogue on Oct 27, 2006 23:18:46 GMT
"Ah, sorry Rogue. I haven't been able to figure out how to levitate myself yet..."
"Sorry, hon. Accident. We’re OK, though… that’s what’s important, right?"
"Yeah. Jus' don' do it 'gain."
She smiles slightly, and nods to the two of them in a "I forgive you" sort of way. She's not really angry with them, it's just...it's only the beginning of the night, and this is already going on? Hopefully the rest of the evening won't inclucde any more several-story climbing expeditions, because it's unlikely that their luck would hold out for another climb.
Both Josh and Bobby are asking where they're headed, now, and waits silently, arms crossed over her chest, smile on her face. It's going to be an interesting night, but she hopes they get to the safe(ish)-interesting part sooner, rather than later.
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Post by Pyro on Oct 27, 2006 23:53:48 GMT
Now that they’re clear off the Mansion, and everyone seems to be more geared up (or at least committed enough to what’s going on, because neither Josh nor Bobby would want to sneak back in alone now) there’s no reason not to let them in on something more of the master plan (why he thinks distance matters at all, given that they’re watched over by omnipotent telepaths is another point he’s not going to think about, because the whole mind-rape question makes his brain flip out and he needs to be sharp if the others are going to keep making stupid mistakes… the window thing was far more worrying than he’d like to admit). A quick gather in gesture and he leans in and drops his voice conspiratorially – more for effect than any practical reason, since anyone who’d be in a position to hear them is not worth stressing over because there’s nothing he can do. It would be far better if tonight were pitch black instead of the weird blue of late summer when it’s never really dead-night, but it’ll do…
”Baker Mansion” he says, simply. Because what more can you say? Just the two words are usually more than enough, because everyone *knows* about it, the archetypal deserted house with tragic urban mythology and everything… should be interesting. If the others are brave enough to go, that is.
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Post by Bobby Drake on Oct 29, 2006 21:34:19 GMT
> "Baker Mansion"
Bobby laughs, then stops abruptly when he realizes it’s coming out as more of a nervous laugh than the sophisticated mocking laugh he’d had in mind. Not that he believes in any of that hokey haunted-house stuff, of course… nobody with half a brain believes in ghosts.
Right?
He notes that he doesn’t sound very convincing, or convinced. Something about living in the Institute has changed his attitude towards what’s “impossible” over the last year or so.
Oh, come on, he thinks to himself. Just ‘cuz I room with a kid who can control fire with his thoughts, and my school’s Headmaster is more literally a headmaster than most, and my girlfriend is a kinda-sorta vampire, that doesn’t mean there’s any such thing as ghosts and haunted houses and superstitious stuff like that. Dead people stay dead, they don’t come back to cause trouble among the living… that’s just silly.
Anyway, there’s no way he’s going to admit to any hesitation, especially not if it makes him look like a coward in front of John and Marie. Besides, it reminds him of telling ghost stories around a campfire and stuff… he’d had to give up Scouting when his powers started getting out of control, but he missed the camping out. Not that spending the night in a broken-down suburban house is the same thing as camping in the woods, but it could actually be a lot of fun.
He looks around at the other kids and grins. "That’s brilliant, Johnny... we should’ve done this months ago! Come on!" He reaches out instinctively to take Marie’s hand, then pulls back reflexively, then repeats the gesture more intentionally.
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Post by Rogue on Nov 1, 2006 16:29:14 GMT
"Baker Mansion"[/color]
Hm. The "haunted" mansion? Being a firm believer that ghosts are real, in some form or another, that's a little unnerving. But, then, she's not about to back out of this - it'll be fun anyway. And even if she were to back out, she'd rather not try sneaking back in after all that effort, and she'd pro'lly tag along anyway.
So, yeah she's a little uneasy, but still smiling, because she's convinced it'll be fun anyway. Good company, and John's mischeviousness, combined should prove interesting enough as it is, no matter where they go, and some spookiness might just add to it.
Bobby seems enthusiastic about it, and he reaches for her hand, hesitates, and tries again. She resists thinking about the reason for that, taking his hand with a smile in his direction.
"Soun's good t'me." she finally says.
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Post by Pyro on Nov 1, 2006 22:08:49 GMT
… obviously he’s not in the least bit relieved that no one has tried to pull out. Obviously he’s delighted that the plan is going ahead. Yep. Because he of course is John and doesn’t believe in kid’s table shit like ghost stories. He’s always been the most cynical of them, the one who still doesn’t believe that human flesh can pass through walls the way Kitty makes it or turn to ice like Bob’s, despite knowing that he can set his alight and just watch without anything happening (because obviously that’s normal… and no, he doesn’t understand how that works and prefers not to think about it… next question).
He doesn’t need to wait for Josh’s reply – if Bobby and Rogue are in, then there’s nothing the kid brother of the group can really do except tag along – and so broadens his grin, darkens the glint in his eyes to a right, let’s rock sort of mischievous, and… and heads off. Not paying any attention to Rogue and Bobby’s little dance around each other’s various hang-ups (though even if he were watching, it would be with a suitable knowing nausea at the whole couple thing and not anything else).
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Post by Josh Dalton Worthington on Nov 2, 2006 1:40:28 GMT
> ”Baker Mansion”
Josh suddenly stops trying to get the snow off his clothing. Baker Mansion? The creepy ghost one? Telepaths tended to have a strong belief in life after death. The human mind was a resilient construct…
“Oh, ah. Cool.” He tries to sound nonchalant.
Telepathy only works on living people, right? Of course it does. He follows after the rest of the group, feeling very much the scared little brother. Which is ridiculous, since I’m older than Bobby.
“So, how late are we staying there? I’ve got a round in the Danger Room tomorrow morning…” This he directs at John, the obvious ringleader. Please not all night please not all night please not all night…
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Post by Bobby Drake on Nov 2, 2006 4:15:26 GMT
Bobby heads off after John, Marie’s hand clutched in his. This is gonna be great!, he thinks, and if he seems to be trying a little too hard to convince himself of that, he doesn’t notice.
> " So, how late are we staying there? I’ve got a round in the Danger Room tomorrow morning…"
He turns his head to call back over his shoulder, not realizing the question was asked of John, "Come on, what’s the point of going to a haunted house if we don’t spend the night? Should’ve brought sleeping bags, though." He briefly considers going back for his, then realizes that would be dumb.
Well, John was running this particular show, maybe he’d stashed sleeping bags there in advance. If not… well, there had to be somewhere he could grab a few hours of sleep; he had a morning class himself. Certainly he didn’t intend to do a lot of drinking… the last time he did that he’d thrown up all over John, and yeah he’d been nice and hadn’t mentioned it at all, but Bobby wasn’t going to count on that happening twice.
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Post by Rogue on Nov 14, 2006 4:28:49 GMT
Following after Bobby as he leads her by the hand, she too glances back briefly as Josh speaks, then looks back ahead as Bobby replies.
“So, how late are we staying there? I’ve got a round in the Danger Room tomorrow morning…” [/color]
"Come on, what’s the point of going to a haunted house if we don’t spend the night? Should’ve brought sleeping bags, though." [/color]
Sleeping there? No way she's going to end up getting any sleep - sleeping anywhere but in her own room is nearly impossible. Hopefully at least one of the others would stay up with her. And hopefully they'll have light, she thinks, because even heading into this sort of dark is making her feel like she's starting to panic, even with the others' dim outlines visable.
Though they may all be too drunk to worry about anything like sleep or dark of ghosts, later.
Now, though, the further they get from the dim lights the mansion's yard has lit, the more nervous the darkness creeping in around them makes her, and she automatically edges closer to Bobby as they walk.
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Post by Pyro on Nov 14, 2006 4:46:01 GMT
”Sleeping bags, Icicle?” John’s tone is at quite possibly its most disparaging (which given the *normal* level is, erm, intense) as he casts a glance back at them, one eyebrow raised. ”You don’t go to a haunted mansion to sleep…”
Thinking about what exactly one does do at said haunted mansion as it looms out of the shadows, the darkness feels a little closer, though he brushes that off because it’s silly. Ghosts aren’t real, end of, and the flare of flame which he twists into a hovering orb, radiating a dancing orange glow which illuminates the group, is for Rogue’s benefit, obviously. Because he knows from their all-nighters – and they’ve had enough of them, at first from the nightmares, then later from any flimsy excuse – that she has issues with the dark.
He stops again, reaching the twisted metal marking the gap in the railings which will serve for a way in. ”Last chance to back out, kids.”
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Post by Bobby Drake on Nov 16, 2006 19:51:12 GMT
> " Sleeping bags, Icicle? You don’t go to a haunted mansion to sleep… "
Bobby grins in the flickering firelight. " Ah, you’re just -- " he’d been about to say “too chicken to sleep there” but cuts himself off, realizing it would hurt Marie’s feelings. Bobby doesn’t really understand what goes on with her at night, but he knows she often has trouble sleeping and supposes that a night in a “haunted” mansion would be a strain on her. He makes a mental note to stay awake with her as long as he can… he wouldn’t be much of a boyfriend if he just let her sit there alone all night with John, now would he?
"um, trying to get everybody on your sleep schedule," he finishes lamely. "Won’t work… some of us actually go to class."
There’s no lock on the door… the place has been deserted forever, and their little corner of Westchester is still a sleepy enough suburb that nobody’s buying it up to turn into condos or tract-housing. Wonder what happens to the Institute when that happens? Guess we’ll move, or something… if we end up anywhere densely populated any chance at secrecy goes out the window. Heck, if nobody’s looked into it yet there might be a term paper or something in it… should be easy enough to work out real-estate trends in the area over the last six years or so, and – he puts the idea for now, knowing how much John will tease him for thinking about schoolwork on their little outing, and walks into the old building.
Bobby discovered recently that it’s easier for him to navigate in the dark than it is for most people, since he can kinda “feel” the empty spaces by the differences in their heat-signatures. It’s a strange feeling – it’s not like seeing at all, and it’s hard for Bobby to trust it, but he’s learning. So its relatively simple to follow the widest hallway to the end, which turns out to be a large room. Moonlight filters through the broken windows, showing an old fireplace and a lot of shelves. "Guess this used to be a library, huh?"
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Post by Josh Dalton Worthington on Nov 20, 2006 4:44:26 GMT
Josh follows slightly in the wake of John, who seems way too excited about this entire thing. Frankly, the whole ghosts thing was starting to put him on edge a little. He was nearly certain that a normal telepath couldn't communicate with those who have passed on through normal 'thought-speech'... but that had really never come up in his lessons with either Jean or Professor Xavier...
This place might have been cozy, once. There's something comforting about a library with comfortable chairs, and a fireplace, but Baker Mansion has fallen on hard times.
"How's this?" Josh levitates an armchair back upright, brushing dust off it.
"You're the ringleader here, John. Do you want to go somewhere else? We - you - could light a fire." Josh inclines his head to the nearby hearth.
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Post by Rogue on Dec 20, 2006 4:30:49 GMT
She shoots a thankful grin in John’s direction as she small hovering bit of flame lights their group. She considers actually saying something, but decides against it, at least for now.
”Last chance to back out, kids.”
She simply flashes a grin, almost as if to confirm that she’s still in, though it’s hardly necessary as she enters first the gates, and then the house, wandering through it, looking at everything as best as she can in the dim light provided.
It’s…strange in there. Kinda nice, in an old, creepy kind of way... And there’s the underlying feeling that she doesn’t belong in here, of course, and that has her a little…edgy. But aside from all that, she could actually see this being fun – no sign yet of anything out of the ordinary, or spooky, or anything, either.
"Guess this used to be a library, huh?"[/I]
Yeah, a library makes sense. She can picture it being nice, back in the day - books all over, a nice quiet place to relax. Maybe someday someone'll fix it back up.
She moves off from the others, sticking to the edge of the room, running a gloved fingertip over the dusty shelf to her left absently. “S’nice...Dusty, but nice.” she comments, glancing back over at the others with a smile.
She glances at her dusty fingertips, and wipes them on the leg of her jeans, and wanders back over towards them a little with a grin. “So, we gonna get this ‘fun’ started, o’what?”
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