ooc- Sorry for the lateness, my awayness and the postie getting half eaten caused serious delays. Oops hardly seemed to sum up the situation as Angela noted the sudden shift of emotional state, not that it was exceptionally unusual for peoples emotions to shift when being pulled from their thoughts, in fact it was quite common. The difference here was that it had been from a rather content state to a more perturbed one. Considering how Angela was, she knew it well enough from her own experiences of nervousness with strangers to wonder if it would be better to try and politely back away with respect to make things easier for the girl. So much for braving the great unknown of the social life… you just don’t have that skill girl. Some people seemed to find it so easy to make friends, some found it so easy to speak to people they’d only just met, and yet try as she might, Angela just didn’t seem to feel she had that gift. The small concealed dragon squirmed slightly in protest to the very thoughts that flowed his mistress’s mind.
People were strange to Angela, they were all so different, each one with a tale of their own to tell, one of greatness, and whether it be a great good or a great evil each and every one had a burning need to revel in their fantastic tales. Some didn’t like to speak of them, but it weighed down on them, it made them different… some people just seemed different, if it was the way they moved, the expressions on their face, the clothes they wore, Angela wasn’t sure… all she knew was that there had been people she’d passed in her life that took her attention, that made her stare despite her best efforts. Since she’d come to the school it seemed that a lot more people caught her eye in the same fashion, and Angela wasn’t sure to be intrigued by that, or afraid… afraid for them, afraid for herself and how they all seemed to be drawn to the same place.
Even as Jinlo moved her arm, seeming to almost cringe away from a girl who was so used to being the one who was in the others position, Angela kept her gaze on the other’s own eyes. Someone had stood up for her once, someone had spoken to her, had showed he noticed her, Taylor… she remembered him of course, hard to forget a guy with yellow skin. But it had been weeks since the empathy had last seem him, and all up her time with him had been very little. The only time she did see the electric mutant was when they had training sessions together, and thus they didn’t do a lot of talking… oddly enough it made Angela more confused and awkward around him. Talking to someone was hard enough, seeming to befriend someone and then have them barely talk to her after convincing her to join the school… well that did just make it plain awkward.
"I....I'm Sorry" One didn’t need to be an empathic mutant to know the serious nerves that this other young woman had, only it was difficult to judge how to react, some people hated it when their discomfort was noticed, others just wanted to be left alone so bad… some just didn’t seem to know what they want. And the young Miss Clarice was apparently not the only one in that latter category.
Whatever sense of sympathy took place, Angela wasn’t going to push herself onto the girl… but she was most definitely taken by her, an interest decidedly settled that caused thoughts to linger on the girl and what could have happened to make her the way she was. Some people were introverts by nature… some were just forced to that state by some intervention life had thrown at them. Inside, Angela was a very curious and nosy girl, but she didn’t push to pry, she just waited, bided her time to learn what she could… or at least, that’s how she saw it sometimes, personally she really didn’t like people who asked too many questions. If someone wanted to say something, they’d tell you when they were ready… the brown eyed girl had to admit that if she really was all that nosy, she’d take a great more pleasure in discovering everyone’s fears, however instead there was only guilt.
I just hope I’m not blushing. The thought wasn’t so random really, there was a warmth in growing in her cheeks as Angela watched the other back away, it wasn’t every day that the recluse student made an effort to socialize. Perhaps her pleasant meeting with that other new guy, Dan, and the decent enough bonding with her team mate Matt were all warping her behaviour and giving her the impression she might be better at making friends then she expected… Well ok, there was the fact she has happened to encounter an extremely nervous person… oddly enough that reminded her of Racheal, even if the feral mutant wasn’t the same sort of recluse. Ok, so perhaps I’m not all that bad… just slightly too hopeful. The thought of admittance brought a light tug in the corner of her lips as Jinlo vanished off from sight… though the faint smile faded as Angela found herself staring on after the girl, even if she wasn’t in clear view any more.
The steady steps that had Angela trail off around the enclosure were more thoughtful then curious, while she did read the occasional information post that was scattered along the path she was more distracted with other thoughts. And just as Angela tried to ponder the emotions she felt flow from the other girl, Jinlo's form could be seen sitting off on a bench not too far away. Although Angie smiled slightly, the other girl was already looking away... perhaps there was a chance that just needed a little tender pushing. Ok, now... how does one tenderly push? Angie felt almost awkward, she was never one to really initiate encounters, but she'd done it once or twice in her life and it had turned out for the better.
"Are you from Xavier's?" It seemed like the safest bet, and if the reply was no then a curt smile and polite few more words and the both of them could then disappear, but if there was a yes... well then there was a chance to have company, even if it would be slightly awkward at first, it was better then nothing. And besides, it's what Mr Summers had demanded!
Re: Friday March 30th: A School Trip to the Zoo
(OOC - Sorry its shorter then I would have liked but I wanted to at least get it posted before work.)
The blonde haired feral quickly made her way up to Connor and
Racheal. She quickly noticed however that she had although not intentinally barged in between the two which she could tell the two seemed to be confused as to who she was and what she wanted.
"Yes?"
She immediatly noticed that the tone of the response was sort of a confusing tone as in he didnt know who she was which to some people might have been a downer moment but for the tall feral it didnt bug her. She had found a few people she had to reintroduce herself in a few different circumstances so it was nothing new. Her main objective here was to be friendly and outgoing, something that after her brother passed she found it more difficult.
"Oh Im sorry if I interupted you two I dont know to many people at the school really.....Even now so I was hoping I could hang out with a face I recognize?.....Would that be ok Connor?" She immediatly turned to the girl who was really quite attractive but there was something about her Shalimar could sence something else about her but she couldnt put her finger on what it was but she didnt want to be rude. "Forgive my interuption my names Shalimar but people call me Shal to be easier so whatever you prefer. Whats your name?"
Shalimar smiled to the two of them and hoped she had made a good first impression on the two. All the while her feral sences were going nuts from all the different sights and smells.
Re: Friday March 30th: A School Trip to the Zoo
Admittedly, had Connor been himself and suddenly remembered all, he may have been even more irritated should be have known that Shalimar would assume he’d just forgotten her out of innocent forgetfulness. Considering the problems they’d have and the fact that despite her brother had forced himself onto Madison, Shalimar still felt she had the right to defend her brother’s inexcusable actions when Connor pulled Brennon away from his sister. And considering that had been the last time they’d spoken, well, he’d have been rather annoyed to think she would strut up to him without so much as an apology for her attitude on the matter… Of course, Connor had been in a foul mood at the time, but regardless, no one ought to defend someone who unwelcomingly kisses someone who has made it rather clear she wanted nothing to do with them. The Creed’s were just lucky that Logan had happened into the kitchen and Connor’s fury had unfortunately turned onto his father briefly before storming out.
"Oh Im sorry if I interupted you two I dont know to many people at the school really.....Even now so I was hoping I could hang out with a face I recognize?.....Would that be ok Connor?" Actually, that had been a plan of Connor’s too… unfortunately who he recognized and who recognized him seemed to be two different things entirely. He still wasn’t sure how well he knew this other girl and therefore didn’t want to say he’d rather be alone, just in case he was friends with her. But then again, he didn’t want to say yes either if it’d upset Racheal, so it seemed Connor gave a rather vague yet clueless shrug of his shoulders. If it was noticed he wasn’t sure, Shalimar seemed to have instantly turned her attention to Racheal and while that took focus off Connor, he felt even more awkward for some reason. At least with Racheal he had known he didn’t know her before his amnesia… Shalimar didn’t make it clear how well he knew her, just that they obviously knew each other.
"Forgive my interuption my names Shalimar but people call me Shal to be easier so whatever you prefer. Whats your name?" Oh… well ok… at least the new girl was making nice and trying to fit in with the group by doing all the introductions, which was definitely good considering that Connor couldn’t introduce people he didn’t know. Though obviously he’d have been able to introduce Racheal… who didn’t seem at all comfortable with this situation herself, but Connor worried it might seem rude if he butted in. For now his head tilted slightly, he didn’t like that Shalimar was closer to him then Racheal, he wasn’t sure why he didn’t like it to the extent he didn’t like it, but he definitely lost his sense of comfort almost entirely now that he was… alone. Bright eyes burned their vibrant blue hue as a small smile tried to find an assuring stance on Connor’s lips as he watched Racheal… if she ran off, he so wasn’t going to deal with this alone… then again, he could run off to the other group and that way Shal would have more then just him to talk with… eventually giving Connor the chance to hunt down wherever Racheal would head off too… He didn’t want to seem so paranoid, but the green-eyed feral seemed rather ready to dash off, and it was a relatively scary thought.
Re: Friday March 30th: A School Trip to the Zoo
It was a useless attempt, but she figured it couldn’t hurt to ask around. Someone must have seen a kid disappearing. Then again, this was the zoo, where children were running rampant, and people were more interested in tigers than tikes. Anxiously twisting her hair into a short ponytail, Len adjusted her messenger bag and scanned the crowed. "Sorry," The answer was almost expected. It would have been way too easy if he’d noticed. "I didn’t notice anyone running past. but if you tell us what he looks like, this cousin of yours, than maybe we can help you find him. Well some of us anyway. I’d only slow you down.
And now she just being a bother. Taking a breath, Lenora scrounged a weak smile, calming slightly with almost a bit of defeat. ”Short, blond, braids, purple backpack. And if you see her walking through glass like it’s not there, then that’s her.” She really should be used to this. After all, there were days that she was convinced Kia was born to be the pebble in her shoe. What the hell had she done in some distant past-life to deserve this punishment? Her punishment, Len thought tiredly. Why ruin the trip for anyone else?
”It’s okay…if you just happen to see her, try to keep her with you? Mr. Summers will probably kill me for losing her.” As soon as her parents had taken in the brat, she’d grudgingly taken up the responsibility of cousin’s keeper, supposedly the role model and big sister that everyone assumed her to be. They’d never had to babysit children who would chose scrabble over chutes and ladders, then argue about the correct spelling of color/colour, and intentionally let herself get caught for watching late night talk shows only to blame her for allowing it. Already accepting that Kia would be fine for a little bit by herself, she knew a pursuit would probably only challenge the crafty little demon mind.
“I didn’t see which way he went either but I’d be happy to help you look if you want.”
Raising an eyebrow to the one that spoke up, it was a tempting offer that earned up a small smile. “Great, now I feel horrible. I don’t want to mess with your plans.” Rolling her eyes, her laugh was uneasy, as if trying to brush it off. Running her hand through her hair, she looked up.
”I’m horrible, aren’t I, losing a kid. I don’t even know where to look first. “ Damn Kia, for making her do this. The moment she said these words, she knew she owed the guy a debt. “If you help me find her, I won’t know how to pay you back. “ She exaggerated a little. Kia could take care of herself. It was whatever she got into, and would later blame her for it, that made Len uneasy.
”I think she likes penguins. She might want to head that way.” Lenora vaguely recalled. Rubbing the back of her neck, she sighed with another uneasy grin. ” Really, I’d hate to be a bother though…”
Off to the side, she wasn’t searching for a kid, but she was in search of anyone who might not mind her tagging along. As find as she’d be alone, it was always a little more fun to walk around with others. Even if she barely knew them, making friends was better that a lone laugh at gorilla antics. Spinning around at the sound of her name, Isa whirled left and right in search of the source. Catching a hand in the air, a grin spread across her face.
He was in a class or two with her, Riley, she recalled. It was hard to forget faces when her first impression was that everyone seemed to have mixed feelings about the other. Raising her hand, she answered with an ”Oi! “ and jogged her way over. He stood with a couple others, and a rather distressed looking girl who seemed to have had her zoo trip abruptly ruined. Didn’t ruin her mood as she smiled happily.
“Hi, Riley, right?” her portugese-tainted words paused, hoping she wasn’t wrong. “Having fun? What’s going on?” Even a barely familiar face had her comfortable enough to be friendly, nodding to the others around him as she vaguely recalled seeming them around the mansion. Aside from a few people she recognized from classes, and the scarce few she had met outside, she didn’t know too many people, inspiring a shrug and a cheerful, “I’m Isa. I think I’ve seen you all around before. Friends of Riley?”
Re: Friday March 30th: A School Trip to the Zoo
Okkk.. the timing of the dialogue got a little out of joint in the last post so ive tried to make everything fit.... let me know if its ok.....
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Why was it, Michael wondered, that whenever he made a plain statement of fact those around him looked at him as if he was wallowing in a vat of self pity? The simple truth was that he wasn’t built for racing around chasing after lost kids in a crowd like this. He was however well aware that didn’t mean he couldn’t still be useful!
Ah well in a way he supposed he should have considered himself lucky that both Riley and Ben cared enough to worry that his self esteem was taking a beating. Indeed Riley was giving him a little pep talk to make sure that he was done with selling himself short, not that that had ever been Michael’s intention in the first place. He’d just have to be more careful how he expressed himself in the future, he realised, making sure that what he said wasn’t open to misunderstanding, even well intentioned misunderstandings like this one.
Not that Bens look had been purely one of disapproval at his choice of words. There had been more than a hint of the well known ‘what the hell have you dropped me in this time’ expression in the glance he had shot his friend’s way. Which Michael supposed was fair enough. After all he had sort of volunteered Ben’s services for the rescue mission in hand. It was just nice to see that the whole thing had been tempered with a sufficient measure of good humour, something that would no doubt be needed if they were to lift the worried newcomers spirits out of the doldrums.
… her name’s Isa," Michael blinked in surprise, the name coming out of the blue and more or less hors subject but none the less most definitely referring to the girl who had previously waved and whom Riley now called over. Not that Michael had much time to register his understanding with more than a quick smile before the other girl answered his previous question and yanked his attention back to the case of the missing cousin.
”Short, blond, braids, purple backpack. And if you see her walking through glass like it’s not there, then that’s her.”Ok that probably merited another blink, not to mention making the need to find HER even more urgent Because a child on their own ran all sorts of dangers ,but one who was likely to pull mutant powers out of her hat wily nilly was in a whole other league. ”It’s okay…if you just happen to see her, try to keep her with you? Mr. Summers will probably kill me for losing her.”
Yes, the young Scot thought , he probably would. After all, the teacher did take responsibilities very seriously indeed and looking after a child probably came right up there at the top of his list. Michael wouldn’t want to be in the girl's shoes when he found out about this little mishap. Though if they retrieved the missing child quickly enough perhaps he never had to know. Not that that was the most important thing at the present time though. Getting the little girl back safe came before everything else.
Ben had already volunteered to help with that, something which apparently hadn’t gone unappreciated, even if his offer did seem to make the girl feel somewhat guilty. “Great, now I feel horrible. I don’t want to mess with your plans.” she said ruefully. ”I’m horrible, aren’t I, losing a kid. I don’t even know where to look first. " That wasnt good. In a place this size any clue would be better than nothing but that wasnt something Michael was going to say. Not when the girl was still this flustered at least.
“If you help me find her, I won’t know how to pay you back. “ she added sincerely before having a welcome flash of inspiration. ”I think she likes penguins. She might want to head that way.”That was a point. Penguins did attract kids like bees attracted honey if the documentaries Michael had seen were anything to go by.It certainly would be worth a look.
Really, I’d hate to be a bother though…. “the newcomer continued, though such awkwardness wasnt necessary at least as far as he was concerned and he was certain his team mates felt the same. In fact Michael was sure one of them was gong to tell her not to be silly, that they would be glad to help albeit each in their own way but none of them got a chance straight off for at that moment Isa arrived amongst them, obviously happy for the invite and as yet unawares of their ‘little’ problem.
“Hi, Riley, right?” she said brightly her accent as marked as Michael’s though from a very different source. “Having fun? Maybe it was the concern that showed on the unknown girls faced that made her revise her estimation of the situation for she suddenly added What’s going on?” before introducing herself to the group with a quick still cheerful “I’m Isa. I think I’ve seen you all around before. Friends of Riley?”
“Well Ben and I are” Michael said lightly. I’m afraid I don’t know the young ladies name. But this is a perfect time to find out. he added with a friendly smile. I’m Michael. Michael Grant. Pleased to meet you both.
Re: Friday March 30th: A School Trip to the Zoo
It was always impressive how moods could suddenly changed. Moments earlier she’d be happy, and fairly relaxed despite the crowd, despite some of the awkwardness she’d felt. In away Connor was a safe hold. The only other person here she honestly trusted that she had yet seen was Michael, and with a brief glance towards the group, she noted the others and decided invading wasn’t really an option there, though she noted Ben, someone she’d intended to talk to but never really found he nerve, if you like, to find him out to talk to him.
Eyes were fixed, though, primarily on the femme fatale who had interrupted that feeling of relaxation, a peace she rarely seemed to gain when surrounded by so many. She didn’t like sudden interruptions. And she struggled more, if she was honest, around other females than around the guys. After all, between the ages of 5 and 16 it had only ever been her and her brother. And perhaps it was because of that she felt more familiar around guys. Girls on the other hand… it had been a girl who had betrayed her trust, which had made Racheal the loner she had been before coming to the institute. At the time it had felt so good, after the death of her brother, to find someone she could talk to, that she could trust. And seemed to understand her! The that girl reported her mutant companion to some anti-mutant activists. Just the memory sent a shudder down Racheal’s spine. Not that she didn’t enjoy the presence of other females, it felt more balancing. But that didn’t necessarily mean she had to talk to them!
"Oh Im sorry if I interupted you two I dont know to many people at the school really.....Even now so I was hoping I could hang out with a face I recognize?.....Would that be ok Connor?" At her words, Feral’s eyes turned towards Connor, not sure what to expect. Previously it had been established he didn’t remember her. But that didn’t mean he’d say no. At the shrug silently Racheal despaired. Was that a yes or a no? Or a maybe? Who could tell? Still, in some ways Racheal was more than glad that he’d not just come out and said ‘Sure, not a problem’. After all, to her it was a problem. If this stranger joined them, what would she do? Perhaps she’d try and make an excuse. It would depend on how Connor seemed. If he wanted her to stay… if he made that clear... then she would stay despite her own feelings. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be with Connor, after all, that was why she had come in the first place else she wouldn’t have bothered. It was just everyone else she didn’t particularly want to deal with!
"Forgive my interuption my names Shalimar but people call me Shal to be easier so whatever you prefer. Whats your name?" Uh oh. The other female feral’s eyes had turned to her now with the question. Racheal didn’t like introductions. Especially awkward ones like this. Of course, they were necessary. But being directly asked her name like that felt worse. Still, she held herself steady, mentally softly scolding herself. What was wrong with her? She didn’t normally freak this badly. Brief glance was shot to Connor, a shot that revealed a slight smile on his lips, and she drew some strength from that, drawing her own, sharp feline gaze back to the newly introduced Shalimar.
”I’m Racheal.. never shortened” She said slowly, with an almost warning attached. She hated being called names like ‘Rach’. Worse was being called things like Kitty or Kitten. It had cropped up a few times in the Exiles.. though as of yet they were lucky to find out that this was more of a tiger than a kitten. Not that she disliked kittens. Just the pet name. It had been something her twin had called her in tease. Just like she would call him pup. Just goes to show, no matter how close you’re supposed to be, you still had fights with siblings.
But thoughts of the past didn’t belong here, now. Her words hadn’t been sharp, or stern. No, they had been quiet, almost shy. And now she felt awkward. Was she supposed to say anything else? Give her approval for Shalimar to stay or go. Or to say something rather more tedious, like it was nice to meet her. Why did people say that when they didn’t yet know if it was! Still, she should say something. Just.. what was becoming a problem. Her mind drew a complete blank. She hadn’t even been expecting the other girl to introduce herself! Her gaze darted back, partially for reassurance, partially for guidance and a mental support to steady herself on. There had to be something. Shalimar had mentioned she still didn’t know many people in the school. She could sympathise with that. Neither did she. But would that make it look like she was suggesting she stayed with them? Maybe… just maybe she could say it without sounding like that?.
”I don’t know many people here either..” She said slowly. ”Not well anyway… those I do I’ve found that throwing myself into the unknown seemed to work best to get to know them..” Okay. Perhaps that was a slight exaggeration. Or a big one really. Though it wasn’t completely untrue. She’d gotten to know Michael by forcing herself to trust him, to open up a part of the her world that she normally kept hidden, not knowing what his reaction would be. And with Connor.. well, the first time they met, even if he didn’t remember, it was her throwing herself into this world to start with. And then later, to trust herself to be able to call him back from the waters and help him. To her, the unknown was opening up her world to others. However, it could always be taken as a suggestion that now would be a good chance to go and find new people to talk to, without actually saying it. It wasn’t often Racheal was tactile with her words, and even this was, in a way, an accident. She just didn’t want it to sound like an open invitation to stay. After all, in the end, it wasn’t her decision.
Hannah: In this world we're forced to make choices everyday. We don't always know the consequences. But it's how we react to them which makes us who we are
Re: Friday March 30th: A School Trip to the Zoo"Great, now I feel horrible. I don’t want to mess with your plans" Well Riley found himself wondering what it would be like to lose Emily… ok so she was 14, but she was his kid cousin, she was still so young and innocent, despite the boundless comforts she tried to offer him. She was intolerably stubborn with her desire to be there, to make sure they knew she cared, to make sure everyone she loved knew she may be young but hell would be paid if they didn’t come to her when they needed someone to approach. It didn’t matter if she was 14, it didn’t matter if things were beyond her understanding, she’d make sure they’d know she most definitely didn’t feel they were smart in trying to keep her out of the loop when they so obviously needed someone to talk to. "I’m horrible, aren’t I, losing a kid. I don’t even know where to look first." What if he lost Haley? Oh god now that would be frightening, at least Emily was smart, cautious, vibrantly determined to be the mature adult beyond her years. But Haley? She was only two years old… imagine what could happen to her? The people who could take her, hurt her, the people who may trod over her accidentally while she crawls around, who might run over her in their careless haste! Prams! Trolleys! Cars if she got lost in the car park!
No… no one would get to harm his baby cousin, because too many people were after him, and she was far too helpless, far too innocent and far too easy a target for him to be anything but utmost militant in his duties are her guardian while she were in his care. He’d had Haley in the dorm rooms once, obviously his parents had come by and there were still looking after the twins, Haley and Nina. There was no play time out in the main area if his parents needed Riley to take care of her just quickly while either they rested or did certain chores that two babies were just too much to handle in tow. At least Emily could look after one and Riley the other so it was all so much more manageable while the twin’s parents waited anxiously back in Iowa. Of course Aimee had recovered within days of getting sick down here, when her husband took her back home to Iowa so they could at least see their own doctor, one they could afford and trusted. Being too sick to look after the twins mean Martha and Jonathon had offered to look after them while they remained with Riley for his duration as a patient with Dr McCoy, something which turned a few days visit into a few weeks, not that the parents minded in the slightest… if only it hadn’t been under such dire circumstances that their stay had been prolonged.
"If you help me find her, I won’t know how to pay you back." The girl continued, pulling Riley briefly from his thoughts of how he’d have acted in her position… probably a hell of a lot more frantic, but that could be because for this young woman her cousin was just off on her own, no doubt in her mind. For Riley, he’d be paranoid that Haley would have been taken, used as bait to lure him back to the Initiative, or worse just taken out of some twisted vile need to show Riley that they could still control and ruin his life. Or perhaps scared of what might find her… a helpless little toddler, how demons loved to find such treats, yes Riley would be scared, scared of what he’s seen happen to other families, scared of what he knows is not only very possible, but very common. "I think she likes penguins. She might want to head that way." If Riley wanted to say he wasn’t already plotting out routes and courses of action like he’d always been trained to do as a team leader in charge, then he’d be sorely lying. He’d already let his eyes rescan the map of the zoo’s layout, the cogs turning in their ever present state of command and duty. But even he knew things may not go down well if Riley started taking charge and handing out orders. Oh how he did feel the urge, there were different routes that went towards the Penguin exhibit, if they split into three groups, two could go the forward route, and one group could run around the back quickly just so there’s less of a chance for the girl to be missed as they searched, they’d perhaps even be able to corner her if she seemed determined to stay in hiding… Militant much? Sometimes Riley hated that he was just as finicky as he’s been teased for being… especially when someone like Max runs around calling him Finicky Finn or just ‘Finn’icky to be purely annoying, in front of not only random students but as well as his classmates, even Catherine…
"Really, I’d hate to be a bother though…." If a child’s welfare hang in the balance, how could she consider this a bother? Or was it that Riley’s ordeal with having parent hood, or family in general, constantly seeming to be ripped from him just make the former agent all that more sensitive on the subject? "Hi, Riley, right?" A new voice on the scene, pulling Riley from his contemplations and causing him to stare at the fresh face in the group, he pulled an automatic smile just not to seem impolite due to his distracted thoughts. "Having fun? " Yes and no oddly enough… of course no for the fact that there was a missing child and if this slip up was discovered Mr Summers would most definitely give a scolding for the recklessness, last thing he needed was some wayward mutant child causing some sort of panic in a zoo full of fretful people. Not only would the child be at risk, but if she was running amok then there was definitely a chance for some bad blood to be stirred for ‘mutant’ misdoings around humans who may offer little tolerance. But then… there was also that small part of a yes that effected the situation. The fact that this was Riley’s element, not some happy cheery outing with friends which was an oddity he rarely got to muse himself with, but with a mission! A goal! Not aimless wanderings designed for no other purpose then fun, pure happy fun and freedom. Now there was caution! Need and urgency overriding basic simple interactions to give them all a higher purpose to cling to… oh god he needed a life.
"What’s going on?" Riley parted his lips to tell her all about how the group was just off to lend their eyes in helping find the missing cousin of this other girl, however words barely formed before Isa continued with a pleasant introduction, one that ensured Riley’s silence to continue. "I’m Isa. I think I’ve seen you all around before. Friends of Riley?" What would they say? What did she expect? What happened now? Oh no, he really did not them saying ‘of course not, we’re just hanging here’ or ‘well I guess he’s sort of… well… yeah… I guess.’, it wasn’t just paranoia, it had happened before, few and far between but then again these blunt questions were just as rare. Maybe if Riley just hid his face right now before the others skilfully avoided the ques-"Well Ben and I are"-…Thoughts had frozen and breath had somewhat stilled at the effortless reply that came from Michael. They considered him a friend? So sincere! So honest… was it really true though, or was Michael really just that masterful with his cover ups to save face? Yeah Riley had a handful of friends…… well… maybe more a ‘fingerful’ of friends… It wasn’t like he had a lot of opportunity to socialize though, especially with the Initiative and his heavy class load he instilled upon himself.
"I’m afraid I don’t know the young ladies name. But this is a perfect time to find out." Michael continued, Riley seemingly grounded to a stillness, a numbly pleasant feel spreading despite the stupidity of the scene… or at least so Riley thought as he noticed his own reaction to the very simply stated words of… if not true bonds of actual friendship, that at least of tolerable amity! Team mates, yes that was something he was used to, a form of interaction he was accustomed to… but friends? Now that was still a new experience… as shameful as that was to admit, not that he didn’t work hard to be loyal to the friends he did have, but even Riley knew he just didn’t spend the amount of time needed to really get to know them. Not like he’d been able to do while in Green’s dorm, even his friendship with Scott had dramatically improved. "I’m Michael. Michael Grant. Pleased to meet you both." Introductions! Riley smiled softly, probably dumbly, though took the reigns of the flurrying feeling inside and racing thoughts and mentally slapped himself into focus. Not that he needed to introduce himself… his name had already been stated. Then again… well Isa hadn’t seemed a hundred percent convinced about it so perhaps it wouldn’t look so stupid if he assured her, if not anyone else, that he indeed was named Riley. It had to be better then standing there like a goofball.
"And I…" He started, distracted as his eyes caught the sight of a lone figure while they did their usual scan of the scene… Catherine, still off on her own, she hadn’t really fit in well with students, not because no one had every not tried to reach out for her, but simply because she pulled away from people when they did. How he knew that feeling well. Ok, so he could continue standing there gaping or try and pretend he was doing some sort of dramatic pause for effect, no matter how obvious it may be to those who paid attention. "… am Riley Finn." Riley turned his head to where Heath and Arlen were, both however seemed to be staring at any number of things which took them by surprise, both at least able to take comfort in knowing they, together, shared a lack of knowledge with much of this. They were pointing, at one random thing and then another, low voices sharing comments between them, Riley would have introduced them but they were a few feet away being as distracted as ever and Riley didn’t want to interrupt them just to introduce them… since they were busy, and they had more things to worry about then names really… But that’d be rude wouldn’t it? People weren’t so brash and efficient as they were in the Initiative, and he felt torn between efficiency and civility. "Isa, her kid cousin’s gone off for a wander on her own, we were going to go look for her before she gets into any mischief." A brief pause. "And before the teachers find out."
Re: Friday March 30th: A School Trip to the Zoo
It would be a leap of faith… no… more precisely it would be a suicidal leap of guilty desperation! But hell, if anyone was straight forward and brash enough to do such a thing, then Dawn was definitely the one to do it! Perhaps walking away now would be the smartest thing she could do, perhaps sinking back into the folds of the enveloping crowd, Ah… but that’d be the smart thing to do. The young witch thought to herself as she walked as casually as possible forwards. And we all know a Demore just doesn’t settle for smart moves. There was a mental roll of her eyes, not only did their dad make the stupid choice of running off with a younger model then Dawn’s mother, but her sister ended up killing herself in the line of a Slayer’s duty. A deep breath was taken in, everyone else (save for the missing father of course) was dead, so it wasn’t as if she’d be lonely on the other side should this backfire horribly for her. Ok so… here goes… at least I’m wearing my lucky earrings… wait, I was wearing these when we got chucked into that other dimension… The light tapping of heels slowed… but there was no turning back now, technically there never was, not from the moment she saw Catherine standing there… Dawn had always insisted one day she’d go and apologise… that day just never seemed to come.
"…Cat?" The young beauty addressed the other attractive girl with her sweet voice, though she was awkward, slightly nervous… it’s true that Catherine hadn’t treated Riley well and for that Dawn was hurt and upset… but at the same time, Catherine had gone through every girls nightmare, in fact, if the rumours were anything to go by, and if Riley’s brief conversations pointed towards anything… The Washington youth had gone through more then just one nightmare that all girls fretted over, all girls feared and worried about, constantly being told to be careful or warned of the possibilities… Angela had wanted to go to Catherine, but the agility mutant pushed them all away, and with Angela Hughes having been responsible for getting the couple to Iowa… well it was understandable why she remained shamefaced despite all these months.
"Hey… kinda hectic today eh? Figured if we could survive hell … maybe we just might survive a trip to the zoo as long as we stick together." A nervous smile, she could just say drop dead, she could hiss, she could smile timidly, she could scream, she could run off crying… Dawn braced herself for whatever may come.
(Just in case you wanted to postie with Catherine Jenn, figured I could throw Frost in, but a little later, so Cat could meet and greet her, I know you wanted Cat to meet her, only she’d not approach and I can’t see Catherine being all chummy at the moment)
Re: Friday March 30th: A School Trip to the Zoo
As much as it was unavoidable, Jinlo could not help but feel panicked to a certain degree, as the other occupant within the butterfly enclosure approached. Although she found that earlier her attention was drawn towards the female, having been keeping visual tabs on her movements through the greenery, she did not ever believe nor want the fact that anyone else would be interested in perusing a conversation with her. Trying to make herself appear as if her attention lay else where, as the female approached her, to the point she were standing perhaps a few feet away from her, that she was questioned about her being part of Xavier's.
Knowing nothing on how she was to answer such a question. Saying she was part of Xavier’s was announcing the fact that she was a mutant, something that she was sure would not do her any favours, not that she’s accustomed to having any in life. Subtly narrowing her gaze as she looked over the female standing to her side, trying to draw upon any familiarity to her from the zoo’s entrance, or even around the institute’s campus. She appeared to suit the age gap for the numerous students, but she was uncertain whether it would be enough to confirm if she was from Xavier’s.
There was the consideration however that the young woman herself was from Xavier’s, as Jinlo doubted the fact that many outside of the institute would know of their presence here, it would just look like any other regular school trip, with various youths charging throughout the attraction. Slowly she observed the young woman as she waited upon an answer, the subtle movements of her facial muscles being placed under intense scrutiny as if Jinlo was reading and assessing her character.
Hesitantly Jinlo nodded, in affirmation to the question. “I’ve only just started” Jinlo spoke weakly, so that any unfriendly ear could not pick up her confirmation. Although the wording was something questionable in comparison to the amount of time she had spent within the campus grounds. Being within the grounds for what must be coming up to a week now, most of that time however she disregarded, for the believe that the days spent under sedation did not count in her eyes, neither did the initial days of her counselling with Dr McCoy. This was perhaps the second day that she had been within a stable frame of mind, having over come the most recent of obstacles that hindered her recovery.
Slowly and nervously Jinlo raised her hand towards the side of her face, the tips of her fingers brushing against the sterile strips that were jutting across a gash that was sustained as a result of her falling from a medical ward’s bed in a fit of panic, brought on by a trauma induced nightmare. Her face visibly wincing as she pressed against the swollen mass at the side of her head, before her fingers carefully coaxed her hair over the side of her face, partially concealing her eye and the healing wound.
Re: Friday March 30th: A School Trip to the Zoo
If a dramatic pause was ever needed in the future, Angie would most definitely come to this girl for pointers on how to produce the most effective kind! However the empath had a feeling that this wasn’t so much as an intentional kind, this moment seemed driven mostly by an insecure and perhaps untrusting nature. How curious this girl was! And by the looks of things she was most definitely recovering from something… a fight maybe? Oh no wonder she was so timid, though honestly, Angie was hardly of a domineering hight that unnerved people in her presence and it wasn’t like she was butch or anything… Still, when people had ghosts then it effected them in all sorts of ways and Angie could tell this ghost was definitely one haunted soul.
Ok… freaked now. Being stared at wasn’t the most appealing of things, it caused unease and gave a sense of discomfort, if Jinlo had been male then Angie would be turning heels and fleeing by now. But something kept her there, something that seemed so familiar inside of the other girl, a pain that was deep, a feeling of wanting to be alone and yet a desire not to be, a fear of people she didn’t know and a longing for someone, or at least a longing in general for something… Angie could be jumping things, the fear she could see, or feel and understand… the other emotions, so faint… so blurred to her senses.
“I’ve only just started” Another newbie! A smile crept warmer upon Angie’s lips, the illusionary empath giving an almost relieved sense by her expression. Though the smile faded somewhat as the other girl moved to brush some hair over her wounded face. Amusing really, not the wound itself, but the fact that they were both shy, both new and both started at the school with injuries! Well if that wasn’t common grounds to start a discussion on… Angie might as well just throw herself out of a window, because there wasn’t much better chances to strike up a conversation then that, and if she mucked it up, then god she was too hopeless to deserve another chance.
"I’m pretty new too," Came the reply that would help not only link Angela to the school, but also reveal that both girls had a similar ‘newbie’ rank that seemed to follow new students around like flashing neon lights at times. "Technically I’ve only been here almost three-ish weeks myself…" Because, technically, she’d been there a few days two weeks before that when recovering from her gunshot wound to her shoulder… perhaps it should have been a warning to the empath as to what sort of things the students got caught up in. The first school trip ended up out in some nowhere known island… well… nowhere known outside of the school itself… and well it’s rivals apparently, and god knows who else. The teachers had really been beside themselves with grief and worry and guilt… it must have been hard on them to realize how risky it had been on the island that they thought was secure and safe. "But um…" She stated feeling rather dumb about it, fingers played with the strap of the bag which Fear lay curled within as the awkwardness felt a little restricting, at least the girl hadn’t completely shot her down… that was something, right? It seemed like such a simple thing to converse with someone and invite them to tag along, and yet… it really wasn’t, at least that’s how it always seemed to Angie. Hell, if I can converse with a dog who ends up talking back with me because she’s really a student.. and if I can get medical aid from a giant cat, well then I can damn well make a new friend… or at least acquaintance."…yeah,"Oh yeah that was really intellectual."Have you seen Dr McCoy about that? He’s pretty cool… I got mixed up in a rush with some of the students a few weeks ago before I knew about Xavier’s and some weird guy lunged at them but hurt me in the cross fire. I like to pretend he was on drugs as the only explanation for his behaviour… well… other then being male." Perhaps not the best thing to humour about but Angie tried to make light of it, even if she was just a few inches off getting hit in the heart, or the head for that matter, he guy was a total jerk… then again, most of them were as far as she was concerned. Perhaps not the best topic of discussion, but at least it was something other then ‘um’s and ‘ah’s…"I’m Angie by the way." It wasn’t really the best detour from the topic of idiotic males, but then again, people like Dr McCoy and Dan really brought out the best in guys it seemed, perhaps there was hope for their gender after all…
Ben listened carefully to the description of the missing cousin, who in fact turned out to be a girl rather than a boy as he had first assumed. It just went to show that little girls could be just as much of a handful as boys. He smiled to himself; apparently he had been a bit of a terror himself when he was young and he couldn’t help but wonder what his mother would have done in this situation… probably disowned him. It seemed however that the girl in front of him did not have the leisure of simply ignoring the problem and hoping it went away, and with the added worry that mister Summers might find out it would have been just plain mean to not offer to help.
But she seemed to feel as if she was burdening him, which in a way she was but if he had not been prepared to shoulder this particular one he wouldn’t have offered.
“Great, now I feel horrible. I don’t want to mess with your plans.”
Plans? There were no plans yet. Or at least the plan had been “get to the zoo” which as far as he could see had been accomplished; the rest was just going to be taken as it came. He was about to reassure her that it was ok, with such a big group no one would miss him really when her guilt caught up with her again.
”I’m horrible, aren’t I, losing a kid. I don’t even know where to look first. If you help me find her, I won’t know how to pay you back.”
Well if Ben knew anything about children it was that they were incredibly easy to loose. Mainly because they had a horrible knack of actually trying to loose themselves. So he did not think any less of the girl who stood facing him looking annoyed and worried. As for being owed anything he did not agree with that notion either but he was not going to voice that not yet; for he had met people who took great offence if you rejected something they offered.
”I think she likes penguins. She might want to head that way. Really, I’d hate to be a bother though….”
Penguins, Ben smiled again. He liked penguins, he had loved the movies he had watched as a child about them and it had stayed with him. Besides he was obligated to like penguins as he had a friend back home who worked with them the zoo. So seeing as he had met Roxy the world’s greatest penguin he felt somehow obligated to like all others as well. His reminiscing was suddenly cut short by the arrival of a very enthusiastic youth, who apparently had been signalled over by Riley… showed how little attention he had been paying to the goings on around him. As a result he stood silently while Michael diligently introduced them, which brought into focus that he had not introduced himself to the official damsel in distress for the day.
He did not however get the chance as Riley introduced himself in a rather choppy fashion and then launched into an explanation of the current situation for Isa benefit; and in doing so revealed that it seemed like this rescue mission was going to be a team effort. Which really did not surprise the darklight mutant, Riley had been a team leader as well as a good guy there was no way he could pass up this opportunity. Ben shot Len a crooked smile and took a back seat there was no point in having to many chiefs and not enough Indians.
Re: Friday March 30th: A School Trip to the Zoo
As she listened to the other girl speak, in an attempt to ignite some form of conversation between them, she could not help but feel inwardly relieved at the revelation that she was another student, her knowledge of Dr McCoy was more than enough evidence of the fact. Choosing not to reply just yet as the question about had she sought medical attention for her wound arose, so that to allow for the other young woman to finish, if even to a degree out of courtesy. Her eyes fell to the ground as mention of the male gender was brought into the air, it was hard not to display the great distrust that she had of the gender, especially through the way in which she seemed to inwardly cringe and bite on her lip in response.
Slowly bringing her gaze away from the floor back towards the girl in front of her “I have seen Dr McCoy” Jinlo spoke calmly a slight smile on her face, “This is my first day out of the Medical bay since I arrived, Dr McCoy suggested that I take a break from the counselling sessions” she elaborated, unsure on the response that her words would ultimately receive, be it pity or a degree of caution being directed to her because she was a psychopath of some sorts. Now I have done it, the thought racing through her mind as the assumption that in a few seconds the girl who introduced herself as Angie would be swiftly edging herself away.
Not that she could really blame her, she knew that she was causing a lot of grief for Dr McCoy during his counselling sessions, she had the impression that although he was infinitely patient towards her slow but hesitant embracing of her ‘gifts’, it seemed that perhaps the kind beast was beginning to tire of repeating himself, well as far as she could see he would be, after all despite often being in a relative state of disarray during the sessions she some sensation that she was going in circles about herself.
“My Name is Jinlo” she spoke after a brief silence, as her gaze reunited with Angie’s a light smile coming to her face, knowing that the somewhat unconventional name often brought about a bemused reaction. “It’s mostly an oriental name, my great grand mother was Chinese” she explained, she had a vague knowledge of her heritage at best, but it was because of the raven black locks of hair, that her parents saw fit to name their daughter after her ancestor.
Inwardly wincing at herself for being so outwardly neurotic, by having to explain the slightest detail of her name, just so someone would not have to look at her in bemusement over her name. She was certain that if she had not already deterred Angie from staying within the vicinity, her recent display of neurosis was certainly going to scare her off.
Re: Friday March 30th: A School Trip to the Zoo"…Cat?" The word tugged at her mind, though she paid little attention to it. Her eyes were glued to the front of the brightly coloured leaflet that she held in her hands. Dark eyes trailed over the paper, devouring the pictures which were scattered around over the front. It had been too long since she'd done anything like this ... ten years perhaps, or longer since she'd stood in a zoo before. Her life over the past few years had provided few diversions as innocent as this ... alcohol, clubs ... she closed her eyes tightly, tucking the memories of her former life to the back of her mind.
"Hey… kinda hectic today eh? Figured if we could survive hell … maybe we just might survive a trip to the zoo as long as we stick together." It took a moment for her to realise that Dawn's words were aimed at her. Her eyes lifted quickly from the leaflet she held in her slim fingers a sharp retort on her lips. She hesitated as she realised that Dawn's words were neither cruel nor filled with spite.
Catherine found herself unsure as to how to respond ... her and Dawn had hit things off badly ... but it was so long ago ... what would make the other girl act so differently to her. She felt her cheeks glowing pink as Dawn awaited an answer from her ... what was she supposed to say.
'I guess.' The words were nocomittal and felt awkward in her mouth. She glanced away from Dawn, folding the map back up again, unsure as to what Dawn wanted from her. Her eyes glanced up, finding Riley's back without effort as he towered over his fellow students. Cat's gaze flicked to Dawn and then dropped to the floor as she remembered all the angry words she and Dawn had exchanged about Riley.
Edited by: Silverbunni at: 6/30/07 5:56 pm
Re: Friday March 30th: A School Trip to the Zoo"I have seen Dr McCoy" Score one for the rambling session then! She hated it that she tended to carry on about things too much and yet sometimes it was the only way Angela actually managed to say anything. "This is my first day out of the Medical bay since I arrived, Dr McCoy suggested that I take a break from the counselling sessions" Counselling sessions? Wow.. they did have a lot in common, that was if by counselling she meant endless time upon time of having someone try and pull out your thoughts and sort through the jumbled mess. As far as mental cases went, Angie liked to think she was hardly one to be considered bad, but that the years of her youth that were spent out of class and in one session or another with Vicky, her counsellor, definitely made Angie wonder what a ‘bad case’ would have to go through. Counselling didn’t instantly strike Angie as a sign of a dangerous mental psycho, after all, everyone had problems of some kind, but not everyone could always deal with them, be the situations extreme or not.
There was a brief pause, and Angie wondered if she was supposed to say something else… but what else would she have to say? What more was there? It’d make her seem as if she was really pushing for conversation and that wasn’t the impression the empath had wanted to give.
"My Name is Jinlo" A smile crept onto Angie’s lips as relief filled her, that was good… a line thrown her way, more then she had thought would happen a moment ago. "It’s mostly an oriental name, my great grand mother was Chinese" How interesting! Angie loved the culture, from the fantastic tales and stories they made to the basic dinning of Chinese cuisine, she even had her own set of Chinese chopsticks from one of the last few meals she had with her father before his illness took him from her.
"I was named after my grandmother, on my dads side… not as unique however." Angie added with a light chuckle that made her smile brighten more in the moment. "Want to finish the walk through here and move on?" She offered with a hopeful look, not that she wanted to rush out of here, but just to have something to keep their feet busy with, and waking was the best medicine for keeping the mind distracted well enough to make silence not so awkward.
Re: Friday March 30th: A School Trip to the Zoo
Nervously Dawn waited, to think all the things she’d faced since learning to walk, from dead beat fathers, murdered mothers and an awol sister that soon met the same fate as their mother, leaving Dawn to face the world and all the creepy crawlers within it on her own. A hang awkwardly stroked aside her fringe, an uneasy smile on the attractive girls features as she waited for whatever was to come… whatever that would be.
"I guess." The ambiguous reply didn’t go completely unnoticed as just what it was meant to represent… Dawn hadn’t been the best of people when it came to Catherine, but god knows Catherine herself was hardly the best either, which in the end is what had caused the fall out. If Catherine hadn’t been such a selfish rotten fish when it came to Riley… if Riley had acted anything like Cat had, then dawn would have jumped on him just as sharply as she had Catherine, people just shouldn’t treat others like that, and Dawn wasn’t always the most diplomatic when it came to voicing her opinions.
"Good, good." The reply came, her slender frame falling smoothly in line beside the young miss Hall though no attempt to read the map in the others hand was made, Dawn eyed the others in the group to try and distract herself from the awkward situation. "Gee, talk about feeling left out." Said in more of an off hand jest, Dawn tried to fill the silence with any sort of comment and one regarding the gathering students seemed fitting enough. A lone figure ended up easily been spotted, as most of the left over students seemed to be that hanged back away from the forming groups. "Hey Frost." The two weren’t entirely chummy, but they knew each other, and while they didn’t socialize they were friendly enough around each other, having friends in common helped build bridges between people, and Dawn and Frostbite happened to the by product of such an event.
"Dawn." Not being the most warm-hearted person, Frost gave a neutral response back in greetings, a light smile half heartedly forming on the features of the ice elemental mutant. The white-fringed blonde eyed the two over girls with a bored expression, her clothes seemingly completely inappropriate for the weather condition at hand, but Frost didn’t seem at all phased by the chill against her flesh. "I’m thinking of hanging myself, the only person from my team to come is the Barbie Leader Miss Lets-Fire-Blast-Everything-To-Hell-And-Back Garnet." The annoyed glance the white clad young woman made towards the back of the fast disappearing Garnet was evident enough of her disapproval and dislike of the other student. "Anyway… Catherine right?" To be a friend of Riley’s for as long as Anna had been, it meant that no matter what, one knew a lot of this girl, whether you wanted to know it or not. "I’m a sucker for the polar bears and penguins… want to tag along?" The offer was made towards Catherine as much as it was made towards Dawn, perhaps more so towards Catherine since… well… Dawn could be an acquired taste, and at times you jut had to be in the mood, and if you got Dawn in a chatty stage of her day… Frost wasn’t sure she could last a day full of chirpy chatter without someone else to suffer along side with her.
Re: Friday March 30th: A School Trip to the Zoo
Hand curling around the leaflet she was holding her eyes found the back of Riley’s head, looking away a moment later … she didn’t want to antagonize Dawn into saying anything. In truth she wasn’t even sure how she felt towards the prospect of her and Riley herself… they had been through so much… was it even possible to get back what they had lost. For a hundredth time she wished that she could go back in time to the first time she had turned up at the school. For sure she would have done things differently to the way that they had turned out at the moment.
"Good, good." Glancing sideways Cat was surprised to see Dawn fall in beside her. Inside she stiffened, wondering what it was that Dawn wanted from her. It was a bit hard to believe that after all this time Dawn was suddenly going to put the past behind her and act all friendly again. Suspecting she knew not what Cat was about to spit out a curt dismissive retort to the girl next to her, but then Dawn spoke again.
"Gee, talk about feeling left out."Catherine was unsure what she meant … the Dawn felt left out or that she herself should be feeling left out? Still struggling to decipher what Dawn meant she heard the other girl shout out a greeting. Lifting her eyes in the same direction as Dawn’s she saw Frost standing by herself. The young agility mutant had never interacted with Frost before and thus her feelings were neutral towards the other girl. "I’m thinking of hanging myself, the only person from my team to come is the Barbie Leader Miss Lets-Fire-Blast-Everything-To-Hell-And-Back Garnet."
Regarding the other girl with interest Catherine decided that Frost’s attitude was once she rather liked. The frosty mutant seemed willful and quite as disapproving of authority as Cat herself. She found a smile gracing her face. "Anyway… Catherine right?" She nodded in response to the others question. Polar bears? Penguins? To be honest she didn’t really care much about either of them. Animals were animals, she wouldn’t mind getting a glimpse the “cool” animals … the lynx, wolves, tigers.
‘Whatever … I don’t mind.’ The words weren’t expressed unkindly, in truth she didn’t really care which of the animals they went to see… only she wanted to catch a few glimpses of Riley that day. She had hoped maybe they could chat … but it seemed unlikely now that he was clustered around with his new team mates. Her eyes lighted upon the solitary figure of Paige, close to the entrance to the zoo and trying to avoid the teachers gaze. Cat wondered if Paige was worried about being put in a group with others… the girl was so stupidly solitary. Looking back at Frost she put the younger mutant out of her mind.
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Re: Friday March 30th: A School Trip to the Zoo
Slowly narrowing her eyes as she listened to the young woman before her speak, talking lightly about her grandmother; quietly she contemplated the proposition that was put forward to her, her gaze shifting away from Angie towards their surroundings, taking in the various plants and brightly painted butterflies that floated gracefully around them. The appeal of the butterflies had somewhat diminished, the child hood fascination seemed to have faded, the innocence that was long since stolen from her replaced with a dark cynicism, the initial appeal of the butterflies had faded, the idea that they would reignite a spark of a time where she was once happy, before her life spiralled into an almost decade long pit of despair.
Nodding in answer as her mind concluded her next direction during the day out. “Yes may be best to do so” Jinlo spoke, casting a light smile towards Angie as she returned her gaze towards her. “I guess this place did not have the same appeal that I imagined” she added, her face showing a degree of disappointment, “They don’t seem as captivating as they once did” She reasoned with a sigh, as she eased herself back onto her feet, with a light shaking of her arms she urged the cuff of her cardigan sleeves over her hands, before folding her arms across her chest.
Taking a step closer to Angie, she waited until she moved off along the trail, before walking along side her, her eyes watching the butterflies as intently as possible, hoping that somewhere along the route she would be able to rekindle the fascination she held towards the graceful creatures, but as hard as she tried, she could not see the one butterfly specimen that had originally ignited her passion for the species.
As they approached the two sets of doors at the exit to the enclosure, Jinlo lurched forward to pull the door open for Angie to pass through first, following her through she cast one last look into the closure in hopes of seeing the one butterfly she was looking for, but yet it seemed that it was not to be, closing the door behind her, she turned her gaze towards Angie. “What are you at the institute for” Jinlo spoke, before furrowing her brow slightly, “I mean what if your ability” she elaborated. “If you don’t mind me asking”
Re: Friday March 30th: A School Trip to the Zoo
OOC... trying to deal with Fireflie's departure .... it may not be pretty...
....................
Maybe he had dropped Ben in it. In fact he had probably dropped them all in it. But then again it didn’t have to stay that way. After all there was nothing in the rule books that said this had to turn into a tragedy. Maybe it could just be an regular school outing. With its regular contingent of lost kids!
After all, provided this particular cousin didn’t pull any stunts, then they and she both should have been safe enough. The newest arrival however didn’t seem to think that she wanted to get caught up in even this much of a mess! Introductions which had seemed warm in the beginning turned out to be half hearted on her part Or maybe she just wanted to have one day without problems. Michael couldn’t really tell. All he knew for certain was that she had found some excuse to wander off into less troubled waters. And that he and his team mates had let her go.
Which was a shame! Because the lost cousin turned out not to be lost at all! In fact she had somehow made her way to Mr Summer’s side.. or he to hers .. it didn’t really matter in the end. Al that counted was that order was restored and that no on had been hurt in the process. Chalk one up to Green Rescue Squad Michael couldn’t help thinking as Len lead her recalcitrant younger cousin away.*Kittens up trees a speciality! *
Not that he wasn’t glad that this incident had come to a happy end! After all he could do with a break as well as the best of them. After all, it wasn’t because he had taken to life at the Institute like a duck to water that he couldn’t appreciate a little peace. And today had seemed like the perfect occasion to get some. Until recently that was .And now that problem had been dealt with. So here they were. Three teenagers at the zoo! With only his crutches to slow them down “Houston , we no longer have a problem “ he said with a smile. “So where do we go next! “
Re: Friday March 30th: A School Trip to the Zoo
As Ben tried to cope with the overwhelming events happening around him he was pleasantly surprised to find that fate had decided to smile on all of them today. Isa had appeared with enthusiasm only to find herself faced with half the members of green strike in “planning mode” as they all tried to come up with a plan that would both help find the lost little girl and still allow some fun on this outing. This it seemed had not gone down to well with her; she had brightly introduced herself but had decided in the end that she would rather find a slightly less serious bunch to attach herself to. Ben couldn’t blame her, he knew that he was boring and he was happy that way but he did not feel offended by other people’s more extravagant personalities and their subsequent choice to have as little to do with him as possible. He did not want to be a kill joy.
The darklight mutant turned his attention back to the girl that looked both guilty and pleading at the same time and wondered if she ever managed to have any fun on things like this or if looking after her younger cousin consumed all of her energy. It would be a shame if that was the case for you were really only young once. He made a mental note to seek this girl out again once all of this was over and see if she wanted to do something fun… His thoughts were interrupted by a small voice attempting to attract someone’s attention.
“Lenora… psst… Lenora.”
He watched as the girl facing his turned to find the source of the small voice. He let himself follow her gaze until he spotted a small girl stood innocently next to Scott Summers. When Lenora’s eyes finally locked with those of her “lost” cousin he saw the child stick her tongue out at her cousin and go to catch the teacher’s attention. No doubt she intended to blame Lenora for leaving her. Ben rolled his eyes; children could be so annoying he sometimes wondered why people bothered. But as Lenora sent him an apologetic glance and ran over to her cousin before she caused any more mischief , he sighed one day he would probably have children and love them more than anything… but until then he was quite happy to have as little to do with them as possible.
The swift departures of both girls had left them all standing facing each other in a rather bemused fashion which did not last long as Michael broke the silence in his usual good natured manner.
“Houston , we no longer have a problem. So where do we go next!”
Ben turned his gaze to Riley who had been in the process of deciding where they would go. All that mattered to Ben was that they had a fun, stress free time. That and maybe seeing the penguins after all.
Re: Friday March 30th: A School Trip to the Zoo
It was like someone up there spotted Riley was getting an easy way out and just snapped their fingers to make sure he didn’t take it. The following moments solved their problems and the need for Riley’s help and the help of all the others faded away to once again leave him stranded for a day of socializing… He’d be a whole lot happier if he didn’t feel as if all he did was mess up chances like that, people seemed more put off by him then charmed, and that had a tendency to wear a guy down.
"Houston , we no longer have a problem" Michael declared with mixed emotions, but as everyone thought, at least the kid was safe…But who’s Houston?. The phrase seemed random to Riley, who didn’t quite catch the meaning of it in the confusion of the situation. "So where do we go next! " The map once again was poised open before Riley as his hazel gaze stared down at the printout. Arlen wanted to go to the Marine life section… Came the returning thought, so Riley glanced back at the mer-prince and their misplaced student from another time, Heath. A glance returned to Ben, who didn’t seem as if he was about to speak up regarding their next step, so Riley replied to Michael’s question with only a slight hesitation.
"Towards the marine section…?" The former soldier looked back once again towards Arlen and Heath, both of who were staring at the pictures of the animal’s on the main board showing the outline of the zoo. "Arlen, Heath," Summoned the seemingly elder student, who did manage to catch the other boys attention, as both turned their focus over to Riley, their attitudes towards Riley seeming friendly and respectful. "Proper introduction, Heath, Arlen, this is Michael and Ben," A gesture of Riley’s hand signal which name was pinned to which face, allowing Arlen to give a Princely bow of his head and Heath giving a formal bow of introduction to the right person as names were announced.
"A pleasure to meet you my fellow students," Grinned the former knight as he finished his bow, Arlen gave a moment’s pause with silent poise before he too greeted them. "It is a pleasure," The prince agreed with a flick of his tail that had been mimicked from Arisa’s biology, and though Riley eyed it briefly, he knew asking Arlen to hide it would cause more attention towards the tail then discretion, the Prince still refused to see the dangers when it came to flaunting his tail which he kept with pride.
"Just… remember what we learned in class guys, for when we speak to people outside the school, we’re trying to blend." It wasn’t that Riley was generally paranoid about their behaviour… it’s that he knew exactly how they behaved at times, and when you see a blue tailed boy talking in depth to animal’s in random pet store windows about their captivity, people tended to stare. "Lauren showed me how to use a blender…we made milkshakes." Heath nodded, looking somewhat accomplished judging by his expression, but Riley just smiled slightly, not sure if he should be amused or worried about that reply, however letting the misunderstanding slide instead since he wasn’t too sure giving an English lesson right now would be right, it was supposed to be a fun outing for the students.
"…Was there anything you wanted to stop by and see on the way there, I’m not really fussed… the animal’s I’d be interested in aren’t even here," Riley questioned both Michael and Ben, throwing in a personal comment with the question due to his quest to seem more open to people, apparently that could help people get to know others, well… it never hurt to try new things.
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