Teamwork (Pre-game)

[Warren Worthington III]

(( ooc: getting the teampicking going ))

Warren blinks in surprise when Storm names him as a captain, and again when she names Josh. He’s not used to going up against Josh in sessions like this, usually they find some way to be on the same team, but hey, it’s just a game. No fair picking out my super-secret strategies from my mind, ok? he thinks playfully.

And apparently he gets to pick first, an advantage he’d better make count. He skims the rules briefly to get an impression of what they’ll have to face. OK… rescue a civilian… get an item… computer infiltration… catch a speedster… and evade threats Nothing seems to demand toe-to-toe combat, but it would be a mistake to count on that; there’s usually only so far evasion can take you. So, he’d do well to round out his weaknesses with a more combat-oriented teammate. Logan would slow them down; better to stick to aerial types. Which leaves Storm and Rogue. Storm’s more versatile but more vulnerable… and more experienced.

He’s still a bit indecisive – Toby’s timestop ability would be indispensable in the end-game, and it’s unlikely the boy will remain unchosen for the first loop, but you can’t have everything.

"Storm, you’re with me, then."

[Ororo Munroe]

> "Storm, you’re with me, then."

Ororo quietly moves over to stand next to Warren. It was going to interesting to see how the students handled her and Jake. The captains really were supposed to give them orders during the game like any other team member, but were they going to? She'd give Warren her strategic opinion, but she was a resource - not a substitute for his brain.

After a few more minutes Storm begins to get annoyed. Where are they? It feels like it's been weeks, not minutes. Well, we really need to get this started if we're going to finish up in time for final period.

"Alright, guys. I have no idea what's holding up John and Marie, but we really do need to get started. I know everyone has plans and that kind of thing afterward. How do we do this... Hm." A thought strikes her. "Logan, you didn't really want to do this anyway. Well, now you don't." This elicits a grunt from the other man, but she can tell he's slightly disappointed. Probably all bloodlusted up to kick student ass.

"And one more... hm. Anyone volunteering to sit out?" When silence greets the question, Ororo comes up with another solution. "Danger Room: Randomly select one player."

The monotone computer voice echoes out of the speakers. "Alice Kruglinski." Across the room, a superfast mixture of sadness and annoyance echoes, as a blur whips across the room. "Sorry, Alice. Next time, for sure..." She waits while the two leave. Again, she feels slightly annoyed at John and Rogue's tardiness.

"Now... Susan, you should probably become visible so someone can actually pick you." The other woman appears slowly as she pulls back on her invisibility, clearly enjoying the looks on several players' faces when she appears in their midst.

Storm looks around. "Aha, we need another captain, as well. Danger Room: Randomly select another player, and randomize remaining captain picks." The computer responds immediately. "Laurie Collins. New Order: Warren Worthington III, Joshua Dalton, Laurie Collins, Antonia Craft."

She looks satisfied. "There we go. Now, Josh, if you could be so kind as to continue?" Storm eyes Laurie for a reaction out of the corner of her eye.

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

> No fair picking out my super-secret strategies from my mind, ok?

Josh laughs quietly as Warren's voice whispers in the back of his head. At one time, it probably would be pretty easy to play fair. However, things like mutual battle strategy tended to flow between them with few boundaries. In a true situation, of course, that was an invaluable skill, increasing their reaction time and coordination... but it made it a bit hard to play fair.

I'll play fair if you do... it goes both ways these days, my little teep in training... Josh pauses for a second. Or something. Sometimes it's hard to tell who actually has the telepathy.

A thought occurs to him, and a huge grin splits his face. How's about a wager? Winner chooses our next location. What do you think? I pick the... He considers for a moment. Swimming pool.

At this point, Storm appears to get fed up with waiting for John and Rogue. Yeah, where are you, guys? He internally rolls his eyes. Most of them probably knew where they were, but he wasn't about to bring attention to it. Bobby was dealing with it surprisingly well, but it didn't mean things didn't sting a bit.

> "There we go. Now, Josh, if you could be so kind as to continue?"

"Oh... oh! " Josh jerks out of his reverie. "Well... huh. I pick... Bobby!" He gives Bobby a mischievous look. "It's been awhile since we've been able to practice together, and I've got a couple ideas for some power combinations..." He glances over at Laurie, wondering at her reaction. Captain didn't seem to be her thing. "Your pick, Laurie."

[Laurie Collins]

Laurie’s settled against the nearest wall of the Danger Room sufficiently occupied with anxiety (not terror because this was going to be fun right? …Right?) and the Matthew Issue (is she supposed to look at him? He’s not looking at her. Is he? Well, he’s not smiling. But neither is she. Oh God.) not to mind John and Rogue’s lateness, and is maybe even a little relieved by the delay in the proceedings. She isn’t expecting to be picked any time soon, she’ll probably be more of a liability than an asset to whatever team winds up with her after all, so she’s daydreaming and worrying over her own problems and thoughts, not really paying much attention to Logan and Alice leaving or Dr. Storm appearing and certainly not to the new-captain-picking, when the computerized voice rings out over the assembled crowd:

"Laurie Collins. New Order: Warren Worthington III, Joshua Dalton, Laurie Collins, Antonia Craft."

Laurie jumps like someone’s poked her with an electric cattle prod and looks around in obvious panic, waiting for someone to laugh and say ‘oh no, try that again’ or something of the like but Miss. Munroe is just and nodding and moving on and…oh God they really expect her to do this don’t they? Oh no, nonononono she thinks, trying to back up and bumping the back of her head against the wall she was already leaning on when she’d tried to skitter away. Well at least the first pick is obvious, she thinks with a bit of relief once she’s gotten over her initial shock, Bob knows how to do this sort of thing and I know him well enough not to be completely awkward around him which will certainly make this easier.

"Well... huh. I pick... Bobby! ...Your pick, Laurie."

…or not.

“Can I pick…abdication?” she asks, looking around her at the rest of the possible choices. Next on her list would have been Miss. Craft since she’s immune to her pheromones, but she’s a captain herself and then there’s the whole awkwardness over Matthew, Miss. Munroe after her, but she’s been chosen by Mr. Worthington already… Rogue! She’s really nice and she’s all invulnerable and flying and such—oh, right, I’m a captain because she and The Human Toaster aren’t here. Oops. She fidgets a little, darting a glance at Matthew, she wants to pick him, he’s usually good at calming her down when he isn’t being the reason she’s… un-calm… but what if he doesn’t want to be on her team? What if he makes some face and drags himself over and… even the thought of that is rather crushing and so she veers quickly away from that idea and suddenly blurts out the first name that comes to mind.

“Uh..Doctor Storm please?”

That’s a good choice right? I’m not sure what she does but it seems to involve being invisible and such which is always good…

[Tobias Smith]

Tobias remains against the wall, his eyes closed and not really caring about the pre-game drama unless his name is called or mentioned. Actually, he rather enjoys just resting in the shadows...what few there are in this room. His trenchcoat is still at his feet, but he will probably put it back on just before the game starts. Still, the drama goes on, Sparky and what's-her-face still haven't showed up, Ms. Munroe gets pissed, Sandwich Girl is a new captain, and the picking begins.

As the first three choose, Tobias sighs and thinks how it is just like every other sport he is typically forced into participating. He is never picked first, or in the first, second, or third rounds normally. Always being chosen last...but then again, that was before his power developed. The goth imagines stopping time and paying back every jackass who messed with him back home. At this, he chuckles very quietly, still with his eyes closed and him leaning against the wall. For once his pants aren't bagging, knowing that he will probaly have to run at somepoint, and having his pants fall during that said run would not be pleasant.

Tobias does actually smile slightly, as 'Little Miss ADD' is booted out of the room with Wolverine. He had not have to talk to the little hyper child OR save her spastic little ass this time. In his book, that was a plus. Now, he does not flinch or even react to Dr. Storm appearing from out of nowhere. After spending a few months in a school for mutants, you get used to the unexpected. Before Toni (Psychobitch) chooses, Tobias sighs again, and waits.

[Bobby Drake]

> "Storm, you’re with me, then."

Bobby’s surprised by that – he’d thought for sure Toby would be the first pick in this game. Sure, the kid’s an obnoxious jerk, but that time-stopping trick of his was practically unstoppable. Of course, he was one of the most heavily-damaged of us during the Invasion… maybe he’s got limitations I just haven’t thought about? It’s not like Bobby actually stays up nights thinking about his classmates’ powers, after all (well, not most of them, anyway)… he doesn’t know everything. On the other hand, Warren might just be going for an aerial team.

> " I have no idea what's holding up John and Marie…"

Bobby misses much of the next several minutes of activity while trying not to visibly wrap himself around the pain in his gut, and almost manages to convince himself that the way his eyes are shut tight is just because he’s testing out his heat-sense again, and not because he’s trying to wish away the possible answers his over-active imagination is suggesting to Storm’s question, and certainly not because it keeps him from crying.

Come on, Drake, it’s been weeks… you should be over this by now! Grow the fuck up, will you? The self-denigrating “pep-talk” comes naturally, but he stops it almost as soon as it starts… Sean had made a big deal about it in their last session, about how it was ultimately undermining his own recovery. Which made sense, when Bobby stopped to think about it; he’d just never thought about it before.

Actually, most of what Sean had to say was like that. Bobby had been pretty skeptical when he’d started his therapy sessions, not sure how some stranger who couldn’t possibly understand half of what he’d been through could help him deal with any of it. But he’d been surprised. He has no idea what it is, but there’s something about Sean that inspires Bobby’s complete and utter trust, makes him talk about things he wouldn’t normally say to anybody, not even himself. Even talking to Professor Xavier had never been so… easy. He’s told Sean about fears and dreams and fantasies and experiences that make him blush afterwards just to think about, but somehow it all seems perfectly OK when he’s lying on that couch... and he doesn't really understand why, but actually saying stuff out loud makes a huge difference in his head

In fact, just thinking about it now calms Bobby down significantly. He can almost hear Sean’s voice talking him through the anxiety, reassuring him that there’s nothing in his emotions to be frightened of or embarrassed by. Bobby wasn’t the first or last guy to fall for someone who’d dumped him, after all… and it had surprised him to realize that, despite the attempted murders and the Cure and the kidnapping and the lying about Rogue and the “please just crawl off and die” business, despite his own emotional flatlining, despite all the truly dramatic catastrophic failures of their relationship, what had most affected him was that last quotidian act of rejection.

> " I pick... Bobby! "

Hearing his own name called pulls his attention back to the here and now, and he’s surprised to realize John and Rogue’s absences don’t hurt as much as they had a moment earlier. I guess it’s like Sean says… it hurts more to try to avoid pain than to face up to it. He’d laughed at the time, remembering how he’d learned the same lesson in Logan’s martial-arts training sessions… now, thinking about it, he realizes the two aren’t as different as they’d initially seemed. First one to blink generally loses. The trick is not to blink first.

> " It's been awhile since we've been able to practice together, and I've got a couple ideas for some power combinations "

He can’t help but grin back at Josh’s mischievous expression as he jogs over to join him, icing up as he goes. "Yours to command, O captain my captain!" he replies, feeling vaguely like a Warcraft icon as he snaps off a mock two-fingered salute. More quietly, he adds "For what it’s worth: I’m more fragile and less in shape than I used to be and my control isn’t what it was, yet. On the plus side, I don’t seem to get headaches anymore… I think I could actually freeze that damned river this time, if I needed to."

[Warren Worthington III]

> Sometimes it's hard to tell who actually has the telepathy.
Maybe for you! I usually figure it out when other people don’t respond to questions I forgot to actually articulate. It’s a pretty good test.

> How's about a wager? Winner chooses our next location. What do you think? I pick the... swimming pool.
Sounds good to me – do I actually have to lose, though? I mean, I will if I have to, I have my priorities in life very clear, thank you – I’m just asking. He thinks about it for a second. If so, then I guess I pick the swimming pool too… if not, I pick… the back seat of my dad’s Rolls. You’ve been after me to start talking to my folks again, right?

Josh selecting Drake doesn’t surprise Warren; even with all the changes the kid has been through in the last year he’s still pretty much a known quantity. That team seems to be shaping up to be a straightforward offensive collection, no subtleties there… and Warren isn’t dumb enough to underestimate that. He’s learned the hard way that all the subtle strategy in the world isn’t necessarily a good defense against a strong left hook.

Warren can’t help but overhear Drake’s whispered explanation of his assets and liabilities to Josh, but mostly he’s just pleased to hear the kid seeming to enjoy himself again after the endless months of teen angst. Wasn’t that long ago any reference to Allerdyce and Rogue, in any context, would’ve affected him like a kick to the solar plexus, but apparently he’s getting over it. Good for you, kid… you can do better, anyway.

The Collins kid handles her sudden new role reasonably well… and Dr. Storm is an interesting choice; a potential wild-card. Warren looks forward to seeing how Collins uses her, as well as to seeing who Toni will pick… she’s something of a wild-card herself. "Which makes it your turn, Toni…"

[Toni Craft]

On one hand, losing Logan would set back her plans of victory ever so slightly. But on the other, if someone had claimed him before she had, Toni'd probably be missing some fingers before the day was through.

The Zip kid? Toni isn't so sad to see that one go. There could only be one motor mouth in a room at any given time, and she would not be the one to walk out that door today. No sir. Not when there was so much chaos to cause.

"New Order: Warren Worthington III, Joshua Dalton, Laurie Collins, Antonia Craft." And there was the cringe. She still had no idea why the computer in the Danger Room insisted on calling her by her full name. She had put herself through a Mission Impossible marathon to figure out how to hack the computer and change that pesky detail. The movies had provided little, but at least Toni had nearly 50 "Tom Cruise's nose is so big..." jokes by the end of it.

"Storm, you’re with me, then." Note to self: Wing-boy is harmless, but lightning hurts like you got sat on by Jabba the Hut's mom's third cousin twice removed.

"Well... huh. I pick... Bobby!" Second note to self: avoid getting turned into an ironsicle. Toni doesn't bother worrying about Josh. There are very few things he could do to harm her. At the most, he'd fling her across the simulation.

“Uh..Doctor Storm please?” Third note to self: ...okay, neither chick poses much of a threat.

"Now, who's gonna be my lucky little compadre number one?" Toni asks, surveying the remainder participants carefully.

Taking her brother was definitely tempting; his strength and literally explosive skills would be an asset to her team. But with all the recent drama between him and Laurie, she had to wait and see if Matty would be chosen by the younger girl. So, for the sake of her little brother's pseudo-romantic love life, she chose the next best candidate.

"Time-stopping-kid-guy-person! You're with me!" It was definitely better to have the kid with her, than against her, Toni reasons.

[Tobias Smith]

Again, Tobias is nice and complacent with not being chosen. Actually, to him, almost anything is better than being chosen by the next person in line. Naturally, it isn't 'Wing-Boy', Sandwich Girl, Ms. Munroe, or anyone else he would have been okay with. Then again, he knows he never is chosen in the first round. Life is good, life is fair, life is just...

>"Now, who's gonna be my lucky little compadre number one?" Toni asks, surveying the remainder participants carefully...Time-stopping-kid-guy-person! You're with me!"

....life is a bitch.

The boy cringes, when Toni picks him. Psychobitch. He's stuck, with Psychobitch. Tobias sighs, and slowly walks over to Toni's side. He walks with all the enthusiasm of a man on Death Row. As he gets near Toni, he mutters, ...Tobias...my name, is Tobias. Not Toby...not Tobers....Tobias.....or Clockwork if you really want to...

He glances over at Toni, the other teams, then up to the ceiling. God...you are sick. You are a sick, sick, sick bastard.

[Pyro]

Muchly delayed entrance by the dynamic dysfunctional duo - Rogue's post to follow, I am told - so yes, hi *waves*

John tightens the wristlighter strap for what seems like the millionth time, sneaking yet another *final glance* at the whole ensemble. For a uniform he’d pretty much resigned himself to never actually getting to wear – opted out of, even – it sits pretty damn well, and probably would have even without the benefits *dating* Rogue (read; getting his ass kicked by her in the DR under the pretence that’s a date because *real* ones are too damn awkward) have brought. Fingers crossed that transfers to the practical as well as aesthetic, because this... well, it’s going to be *interesting*. If by interesting you mean hell on earth.

The cynicism, at least, is familiar… because fuck all else about this is. Since when did he give a damn about ‘team building’ and ‘strategies’ and ‘morale’? Since you decided being on the team was important. He decides that’s an explanation, and not an invitation to extend the initial question further; in any case it’s a better answer than the more obvious, and honest since you want to get the hell out of here as soon as possible and doing that with graduation under your belt’s a hell of a lot better than just buggering off because the idea he’ll still be stuck here at thirty-something wondering what the hell happened is just a little too maudlin, and because he can’t let himself believe that he’d rather be elsewhere, however true that is, because… a million reasons, none of which he wants to look at too closely because the whole thing’s an elaborate house of cards ready to collapse if he puts the slightest bit of pressure on any one of the flimsy reasons it’s comprised of.

Look on the bright side; at least you’ll get to burn shit. S’practically fucking encouraged. And no, the fact Bob’s part of said shit doesn’t mean squat.

… and Rogue’s there, tugging at him without actually ever touching him as if she’s still terrified she’ll break him or something (and fuck, that excuse is getting real old really fast because as if she’d ever be able to properly hurt him? While the other way round is… inevitable, and he should probably feel bad that he’s resigned to that rather than fighting against it, but that’s another argument that’s best ‘saved for another time’, by which he of course means ignored completely) and they’re by now no doubt incredibly late…

*****

It’s bizarre, speeding up to a casual stroll, but he’s been dawdling all the way and so it’s only when he nears the Danger Room that he switches from hesitant to nonchalant, reversing roles so it’s him leading the jittery, anxious Rogue in with a couldn’t care less swagger and sure, I know I’m late, isn’t it wild? smirk. Both of which flicker slightly on seeing Bob – correction, on seeing Bob in those shorts (because that makes it a reaction to anonymous flesh, same as if it was anyone else wandering around like that, and not the person carrying it, because random voyeur’s still better billing than hung-up loser) – because in spite of all the minor changes which he’s schooling himself into definitely not noticing… holy shit, it still hits exactly where it should - and precisely where it mustn’t be allowed to, of course… no, definitely not allowed, and attention back on Rogue (totally ignoring how many levels of wrong it is that he has to force it back because clearly she’s compelling enough to hold it on her own else… okay, not going there). It gets easier as Bob ices up on his way over to Josh (has selection begun already? Fuck…); much as he’s supposed to be used to the weird and wonderful, and much as that particular shift should fail to fall into that category, it’s still all manner of weird given that he was so sure he’d never see it again… and that line of thought’s all manner of awkward, isn’t it?

The slightly warmer, though no less knowingly manufactured, grin is for Rogue, the accompanying comment – a totally blasé ”We’re late” without explanation or elaboration (because she’ll probably start babbling and offering them up anyway, because that’s the way she works… and because it’s more *fun* to let them think what they will and not have to lie outright, just let them leap to that conclusion on their own) – for the rest of the room as he takes up position at the edge of the group, leant back against the wall. The afterthought is quieter – ostensibly just for her and definitely not pitched just right so Bob’ll hear it but know he was never meant to – with a more wicked, teasing smirk. ”Fuck me, this place looks a hell of a lot bigger when I’m on my back and you’re pounding me into the floor, huh?”

[Rogue]

They’re so late…

Rogue glances over at John as they head up the hall, almost antsy as she fiddles with her gloves. She’s walking slower than she really wants to be because leaving him too far back would be bad, but he seems to be making every possible attempt to dawdle along the way and it’s getting tempting to drag him in there (except not really because she could hurt him and that would be really bad, but it’s more the thought that counts than anything).

It’s not like she doesn’t understand why he’d not want to go in there – she does, as well as she ever really does understand anything that is John lately, that weird mix of no idea at all and totally knowing. Yeah, it’ll be strange on a lot of different levels – and awkward on just about as many, too – but they’re supposed to be there and they’re late, and he’s hanging back playing with the strap to his igniter when they’re supposed to have been in there by now…

And coming in late, they’ll get more attention than if they’d been in there sooner, which she doesn’t want (and she doesn’t like that she really doesn’t want attention, but it’s not like she ever has, really, or like the sort of attention they’ll get busting in late – and together – will be anything like good…).

It would have made more sense to have arrived on time, even if it meant more random time to stand around and wait on the others, because at least then there would have been opportunity to fade into the background (though, with John, she doubts the fading into the background would have worked, seeing as he seems to have a thing against anything but being the center of attention when it suits him, and this would undoubtedly have been such a time)…

Whatever, though, what’s done is done, and they’re late, and she’ll just have to make due with it. It’s not like it’s the end of the world or anything (no, in comparison to a lot of things that’ve gone on recently, this is nothing at all, and she’s almost grateful that she can even be bothered by something so petty, that she has enough brain-space left to worry on it at all, whereas a month or so ago, she’d not even have bothered to show up, more likely than not…).

Of course, once they’re near is when John moves ahead of her, as if she were the slow one (and she should probably be annoyed by that, but … well, what does it really matter? Not like it’s going to make much difference who gets inside first or anything, and she didn’t plan on blaming him or anything in the first place, so whatever). She just sort of shakes her head with a quiet wearily-amused sort of half-laugh, half-sigh, and keeps walking, because he's John and that's how he is.

Once she gets inside, she doesn’t say anything, not wanting to announce her presence, really (though the footfalls on the metal floor pro’lly did that well enough already), and just flashes a small apologetic-sheepish smile towards the general populace of the room, before her eyes settle on the metal flooring, and she waits to hear what she’s supposed to be doing…

”We’re late”[/color]

…But of course since John’s not the sort to stay quiet and fade into the background he’s announced to the room their presence and lateness (not like they wouldn’t know, but… still), and she just sort of glances back up-and-over towards him a second, almost like silently shushing him, then it’s back towards the floor for her eyes…

”Fuck me, this place looks a hell of a lot bigger when I’m on my back and you’re pounding me into the floor, huh?”[/color]

And then her head sort of snaps up, a look of almost disbelief on her face, and she elbows him (careful not to hurt him), and hisses a quick ”Shush.” at him. Obviously he doesn’t mean what it sounds like, but that doesn’t mean she’s not blushing, because it still sounded like that and so, yeah, definitely blushing and not looking at anyone at all, not really sure who might have heard, but pretty sure she knows exactly what they’re thinking.

[Toni Craft]

The moment Tobias looks in her direction, Toni knows that perhaps picking him had been a bad idea. The boy is seriously lacking in proper fashion sense and enthusiasm. Now I just have to avoid killing him. Right, like that's going to happen. Teammate or not, if the kid didn't lose is smart-ass look, he'd find himself pinned to the wall with iron staples for the rest of the simulation. Toni's sure to send the message with a short, but punctuated glare that clearly says 'If we lose because of you, I'm going to wring you like a beer-drinking chinchilla.' But to make sure that no one thinks her mood has gone sour, she slaps a hand on Tobias' back with a little more effort than necessary.

"If I didn't know any better there Tobester, I'd say that you didn't want to be buddied up with dear old me! But we'll have the best of times! I'll make hot chocolate and you can bring the chimichangas and together we'll be envied by the rest of these chumps!"

Of course, it's her turn to pick again, so she discards Tobias and examines the remaining group again. Just as she's about to give into the urge to pick her brother, John and Rogue make a fashionably late arrival. And they're in the leathers no less. Toni grins that unnaturally wide grin of hers and promptly wanders over to sling an arm around John's shoulder.

"Johnny! I must admit, you look positively deadly. And the black really compliments the ass. To think I facing the possibility of not having any manflesh to look at." Arm still holding the short pyro to her, Toni eagerly pulls John back to her team's 'side' next to Tobias. "And then you came along and all my problems were solved! Life is good!" With a moment of afterthought, Toni adds, "By the way, you're on my team."

[Laurie Collins]

Laurie looks around the room in confusion, ignoring for the moment that it’s her turn to pick a team member as the emotional charge reaches a point where even someone so socially inept as herself can be made uncomfortable by it. Bob looks really upset about something for a moment before composing himself, Tobias and Miss. Craft have a snippy interplay, then John and Rogue walk in and everyone stares at them with a mixture of disapproval and curiosity, and she catches a few glances tossed at Bob as if seeing how he’ll react. There’s a comment from John and now Rogue looks embarrassed and she finds herself frowning at John as he’s snagged by Miss. Craft because somehow the tension seems to be radiating from him and causing unpleasantness for people she rather likes. Though a lot of good you getting protective of either Bob or Miss. Craft for that matter, would be, she chides herself and shakes off her brief, frozen silence to shrug sheepishly and mutter,

“Um, just a second…”

as she gets down to actually picking. I guess it comes down to whether I want to be a good captain or, knowing I can’t possibly be anything even close to that, give up and just be…me… and pick people I like. I probably should have picked Tobias instead of Doctor Storm though he probably hates me too…oh I’m going to be terrible at this. I could never even learn chess! She sneaks a glance over at Matthew again, she’s decided she wants to talk to him but she keeps losing her courage at the last moment and he hasn’t been seeking her out to give her the opportunity since she told him to stay away, maybe being on the same team would force some courage out of her? But that would be rather unfair to everyone else on my team, using this as a vehicle for my personal problems. I don’t want anyone to be mad when we lose, or think I’m stupid…no, I’ll talk to him afterwards.

“Rogue?” she decides aloud as she finishes the thought. That was a good tactical choice wasn’t it? After all the other girl was invulnerable, she could be the strength, Doctor Storm might know some tactics… and I will try not to screw up. She gives Rogue a tentative smile and a small wave before glancing nervously at Tobias and thinking that if anyone reacts to being picked by her the way he had reacted to Miss. Craft she’ll sink through the floor lack of phasing mutation be damned.

[Bobby Drake]

Bobby’s surprised by Toni’s first choice. Heh… I would’ve guessed she’d pick her brother. Interesting… I wonder if Laurie will? Or are they still dancing around that? He’s also amused by “time-stopping-kid person,” which he decides will be his new name for Toby, and by the kid’s foot-dragging attitude… there’s just something funny about a slacker with the power to stop time.

And then there’s John, in the bodysuit, and Bobby’s breath hitches but he’s pretty sure it doesn’t show – or, well, not to anyone not paying attention, anyway? – and he suddenly feels absurdly under-dressed. He really hasn’t seen John since the night he came back, he realizes -- it seems implausible, but it's true -- and while Bobby’d convinced himself he could deal with it before signing up for this exercise, John’s sudden appearance after he’d thought they weren’t coming after all catches him off-guard. And then there’s Rogue, looking flustered and apologetic about being late, and Bobby’s overactive imagination goes off again, and it doesn’t help – or, well, it does, but not in a good way – or, well, not in a helpful way – that John seems for just a second to be looking at him the way he used to. Of course, Bobby knows he’s probably just projecting, but it’s still an effort to keep breathing normally.And while he manages to resist the urge to suck his gut in or anything truly pathetic like that, he definitely feels less… exposed… after he ices up.

> " Fuck me, this place looks a hell of a lot bigger when I’m on my back and you’re pounding me into the floor, huh? "

It’s funny, how he can feel like he’s been kicked in the gut like this, even though right at the moment he hasn’t really got a gut to be kicked in. He chokes down the urge to mutter something snide (“Wow, you’ll let anyone top, huh John?” currently heads the list) and forcibly returns his attention to strategy. He’s actually appreciative when Toni picks John, and Laurie picks Rogue – for a minute he’d been afraid that Josh would pick one of them, and pathetic as this is to admit he isn’t sure he’s prepared to deal with that yet. Jeez, Drake, they’re two of your best friends. Maybe you could at least try to be happy for them? It’s really not all about you. Which is true, and he knows it, but it’s somehow unconvincing.

And now it’s Josh’s turn to pick again, and Bobby suddenly realizes there’s four players unchosen and only two slots. How did that happen – oh, right… we’d counted out John and Rogue. Wonder how Storm’s going to deal with that?

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

> You’ve been after me to start talking to my folks again, right?

Josh tries not to giggle. The back of a car seemed to stereotypically teenage, but he couldn’t ignore the pulse of excitement that came from the thought. Only if you want to. I mean, it’s something you need to want to do. I know you’re not exactly on the best of terms with them. At this point, Josh realizes picking is going on without him paying attention. Let’s talk about this tonight, okay? Maybe we can take a trip out there soon.

As always, Toni’s exuberance keeps everyone from taking the exercise too seriously. Which is good. This is supposed to be fun, right?

> God...you are sick. You are a sick, sick, sick bastard.

Josh snorts at this. Bob, the fact that Toby despises Toni could be something to exploit. Maybe we can split them up, because I’m not at all sure on how to deal with her. Spin her around like a top or something, I guess, but I’m not super effective against her. Hopefully there’ll be some stuff lying around I can throw into her path if she attacks me.

> ”Fuck me, this place looks a hell of a lot bigger when I’m on my back and you’re pounding me into the floor, huh?”

John and Rogue finally show up, and their lateness annoys Josh a little. Even more annoying is John’s statement, which was clearly meant to upset Bobby. He places a gloved hand on Bobby’s icy shoulder, and lets go after a moment without saying anything.

“Oh. I guess that would be my turn, then.” The choice isn’t hard. Toby would definitely have been useful because of his ability to travel instantaneously from one point to another, but Jake would be almost as useful in that respect. He didn’t tend to tell others about his ability to manipulate the perception of time - and having a telepath with a broader range of skills would probably be useful. A sudden mental image of the two of them telepathically clotheslining people together pops into his mind. “Jake, you’re with me and Bobby.” He looks over at Warren, tempted to bat his eyes. “Your turn, Warren.”