Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to Xmen Revolution. We hope you enjoy your visit.


You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Corner Pocket; [Leech, Open]
Topic Started: Sep 6 2008, 04:48 AM (223 Views)
Ari Boyd
Unregistered

Time of day: 5:30 pm
Place in Timeline: August 29th

Ari was uncharacteristically bored. It was evening and usually she had plenty to do. But the weekend was starting, her classes over for the day, and it wasn't time for dinner yet. The brunette had made her way to the student lounge, eager for some entertainment that didn't require her to drive into the city.

Striding into the room, she glanced around, an easy smile slipping over her lips as she waved at several of the people that she recognized. Ari was fairly friendly and social and now that she was a 'teacher', she was spotted even more easily. It was still a little weird to think about or to refer to herself as a staff member, but technically that's what she was. She was only nineteen though, which made teaching and being a friend a difficult line to walk. It was almost like sometimes she had to choose between being too easy-going or just stern enough to gain her student's respect. It would likely come with time, but she'd only been teaching for a little more than a month.

Ari's brown-eyed gaze landed on the furthest pool table in the room. She moved to rack up the balls, retrieving a pool cue from nearby and rubbing the tip with the tiny block of chalk available. Ari wasn't the best player, but she wasn't the very worst that had played pool either. Really, it depended on her warming up and what kind of luck she was having that day. Since it seemed she was playing alone, she busied herself with busting the rack, the cue ball smashing against the others with a high crack.

The brunette was lost in thought as the balls scattered. Things had been good lately, with nothing too horrible or life threatening happening at the school or to any of the people she cared about. It was a rare moment of peace and Ari clung to it. Being a mutant and living where she did, a dull moment never lasted long, if there was ever one to begin with.
Quote Post Goto Top
 
Leech
Unregistered

It had been over a month since he had arrived here. After the flood, he didn't really know what to do with himself. Artie had been his guiding spirit, showing him around, introducing him to the other mutants. It was nice to have the boy's company around, as Leech never really had company when he was within the tunnels under New York. On that note, Artie was still a boy and, even though a bit socially displaced, Leech was nearing the finish of his second decade of life. Odd, for a boy his age to cling and rely on a boy as young as Artie.

And now, his guiding spirit was gone. Leech had originally suspected Artie to be in his classes, but then had noted the time. Maybe the boy had gone out with his other friends, or maybe that intimidating woman -- Callisto -- had pulled him elsewhere for some reason. Either way, he had no idea where his closest friend was. Although he felt completely awkward around other people, Leech had finally settled into the Student Lounge. He sat on a chair, his legs pulled up to his chest, arms surrounding them. He wore glasses, dark shades to cover his light-sensitive eyes. It gave him an almost enigmatic appearance, but that was the complete opposite of what he was actually feeling. He was still shy around other people -- especially girls. And it wasn't easy to hide a blush on his pastey features.

Curled in his seat, he watched as a woman he had seen with a blue man with a devil's tail several times appear without him, making it hard for Leech to know who it was exactly without the man, Nightcrawler, he believed, clinging to her. Biting the inside of a cheek, Leech, sat, watched as she greeted some of her friends and made to play a game where one took a stick and pushed a white ball into a triangle of solid and lined balls, then proceed to push those balls into the holes lining the perimeter of the table. He didn't understand the game, even as he sat here watching people play.

Unbothered, Leech was fine. He didn't talk to anyone and no one seemed to take particular interest in him. The shy boy only moved, well, flinched, when the crack of the white sphere hitting the triangle of colors startled him. Loud noises... he was not yet accustomed to them.
Quote Post Goto Top
 
Ari Boyd
Unregistered

Ari's concentration had been on the rack of balls as they separated with a loud crack, but from the corner of her eye she saw the slight jump. Glancing sideways, her dark eyes landed on a young man she hadn't met yet, but whose physical description was familiar to her. What was his name again... He wore sunglasses, which actually made him look kind of mysterious. Not that he needed another element of mystery.

She'd spotted him hanging around with Artie before. Artie was so sweet and he seemed to make friends everywhere he went. It seemed that no one could resist the little pink-skinned boy. She wondered if maybe the older male hung around with Artie because he was so loving and easy to get along with. After all, just because they were at a mutant school it didn't mean that all of the inhabitants were extremely friendly to those that looked different than themselves. Even in a place filled with 'their kind' there could be a little bit of bias and fear. It was human nature to stick to what you knew. Artie and Leech seemed to have the physical thing in common. It wasn't hard to see why they'd bonded.

Ari looked apologetic as she rounded the table to position herself a little closer to the white-skinned man. "Sorry about that. Didn't mean to startle you--Do you play?" she asked conversationally.

"I'm Ari. I don't think we've met yet," she said, extending her hand towards Leech. She'd seen him around before, but he gave of the vibe that he was extremely shy. Usually that would've prompted Ari to introduce herself sooner, she could be outgoing like that in the mansion, but she hadn't gotten the chance. Ari wasn't as social outside of the mansion, but the brunette had been at the school for many years and by now it was almost second nature to greet people coming into it.

He was completely hairless from what she could tell, his skin an almost chalky white. She was quite used to unique appearances by now, hell, her boyfriend had yellow eyes and a tail and her best friend was green with fluted ears... But she was intrigued nonetheless.

"How do you like the school so far?" she asked, quirking a dark eyebrow. She noticed that he was wearing his nullification bracelet and she suddenly remembered what it was that he did. Nodding toward the pool table, she asked, "Do you want to play with me?" She frowned slightly, admitting honestly, "It's not as fun by myself."
Quote Post Goto Top
 
Leech
Unregistered

Ever since he left the infirmiry in the lower levels of the mansion the day he first awoke from his brief coma after the flood, Leech had developed the curious habbit of tugging at the wristband on his forelimb whenever he got nervous. The band itself was simple, but its purpose was one that was useful, to him and others. It suppressed his mutation, negating his ability to, ironically, negate mutations. The paradox was one that had humored him only in the beginning, but now he was beginning to wonder how long he would have to wear it. For all the people here knew, he was simply Jimmy, a boy whose skin was pastier than the clouds and eyes the color of a burned pink. Leech was only called by Leech by a select few -- though it was entirely possible people knew his power and he just didn't know they knew. With the band supressing his mutation, he had no reason to be called by the name. Leech was Jimmy as much as Jimmy was Leech.

If anything, Artie understood the concept.

His fingers moved to wrap around the wristband he wore, tugging it, shifting it around the width of his wrist. He knew he could take it off at any time, but he had grown comfortable seeing mutants still be able to use their powers around him. But that wasn't why he was nervous. He felt eyes on him; eyes from the girl that had struck the white ball into the others atop a green plane. His pink eyes shifted behind his sunglasses, looking elsewhere, not considering the fact that she could not see them. His molars pressed upon the flesh inside his cheek nervously, his chin turning as she looked apologetically in his direction. Shyly, he responded.

"It is fine," he said coyly before shaking his head slowly in response to her question. He had never played. He had never even touched the table.

Legs still raised to his chest, nearly crouching on the chair, a pale, fragile hand extended to return the physical greeting. Even as he shook her hand his fingertips seemed to be retracting when the touch went on. Like a child wanting to be on his lonesome, when his hand was finally freed he tucked it close to his person, almost savoring the contact despite his natural fears.

He nodded, a communication he often used with Artie when the boy projected various images. He was used to only socializing with Artie, never really having to speak much. Their messages had always gone between them fluidly. Here, however, it was very different. He didn't have to watch for the holograms projecting from his close friend's mind floating in the air. Instead, he had to read for signals, listen to words, and act upon the information he was given.

Leech barely had any idea how to respond, let alone play the game.

"People here call Leech Jimmy, but Leech or Jimmy is fine," he said quietly, nearly rocking in his chair. His eyes were looking throught the air between his knees, focused on the ground. "I like it; people are nice to Jimmy." His speech had improved some since he got here, using more correct ways or referring to himself and others rather than by his name each time he would use an "I".

He considered his options about the game. He had seen enough games to know how to play, but whether he was good at it or not was the question. He could always simply pass and remain quietly here in his own seat, shut down in his own little world of silence and observation. Yet he had developed a need to learn to be with other people, even if he felt completely awkward about being around them.

Again he nodded, accepting the offer and silently he unfurled his limbs and lifted his lanky figure from the crouched chair. His pantlegs were wrinkled, his plaid shirt buttoned incorrectly. This new life, he was just getting used to it. A month in and he had at least learned to tie his shoes. Progress was progress.
Quote Post Goto Top
 
Ari Boyd
Unregistered

Ari gave an easy nod as the young man gave his names. She paused to think of which name to go with, but since he seemed to refer to himself as Leech, Ari went with that, "Okay cool. I'll call you Leech then. It's a cool name anyway."

"I'm glad you like it so far," said the brunette, smiling warmly toward the pale man. "I came here when I was fourteen. Haven't left since," she said with a slight smirk. Honestly, she couldn't picture her life without the mansion now, particularly because of the people inside it. She hoped that Leech would eventually feel like that too. It felt good to have a family that was like you, that had powers and understood you, instead of fearing you.

Leech unwrapped himself and moved to stand, and Ari quickly moved to grab another cue. She noticed that his shirt was buttoned unevenly, that despite his height he still looked frail in a way. Ari was quite sure that time at the school would help him. He'd learn to take care of himself and stand with a more confident stance. Maybe, if he stuck around, he'd be the one greeting newcomers with a smile and a handshake.

Ari didn't let those thoughts get too far ahead of her, instead focusing on the now as she handed Leech the stick. "Here ya go. So basic premise is you hit the white ball toward the others and you try to get them to go into the pockets. I don't play too strictly, but when either of us gets a ball in, that one becomes your type. Solids or stripes. I didn't get any in, so you go now."

She moved over to allow him some room, leaning her stick against the ground as she leaned against it. "So where are you from?" She hesitated, her voice taking on a more somber note as she remembered all the death that had occurred that week when she'd been forced to be a child, alongside most of the X-Men; her primary concerns dealing more with what page in her coloring book to start on rather than who might be in mortal peril. "I heard Artie found you in the flood, but were you a Morlock too?"

Ari realized that Leech wasn't very talkative on his own, but that didn't stop her from being inquisitive about where he'd come from. Of course, if he would rather not talk, she wouldn't push him. Silences could be comfortable, depending on who you were with. Ari didn't know Leech well enough yet to have that with him, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad. He had a sort of calming presence about him, despite the fact that he looked so nervous.

The brunette shifted, moving toward the nearby stereo, "Do you like music, Leech?" She turned the stereo on, fiddling with the stations until she landed on something she liked. Alternative rock, not too loud, not too heavy, but a smooth beat and good lyrics. "You can change it if you want," she offered, a lighthearted shrug rippling through her shoulders.
Quote Post Goto Top
 
Leech
Unregistered

He was glad to know someone had been here for a few years. So far, he could only endure this short amount of time with relative ease, but he thought that his personality would not be able to endure this sort of place for too long. He was a silent, reclusive sort of boy, and all this socializing and being around people was taking its toll of people. Standing, his lanky figure swayed, finding balance with the shifting of his weight. He was tall, thin, and frail. Despite being a man of age, he was more akin to a small child. Physically weak and timid in his entirety, Leech seemed to adopt the mannerisms of a child.

Grabbing hold of the stick, he examined it closely for the first time. Crafted of fine wood with a small, blunted end, it was thin and, well, suitable for poking balls from one end of a table to another.

"Here ya go. So basic premise is you hit the white ball toward the others and you try to get them to go into the pockets. I don't play too strictly, but when either of us gets a ball in, that one becomes your type. Solids or stripes. I didn't get any in, so you go now."

"Alright," he said meekly, lifting the stick up, his pale hand laying out on the green plane where the balls were set. In front of his hand was the white ball, blank and pale as himself. He positioned the stick in the crook of his hand between his thumb and forefinger.

"So where are you from?" she asked him. Where was he from? He had no idea. He was an orphan and never had a chance to know who his birthparents were. Most foster homes didn't want a pale, mutated little boy in their homes. Home? He never had one. This place and the tunnels were the closest thing he could associate with home. "I heard Artie found you in the flood, but were you a Morlock too?" His hand swayed at the mentioning of the flood, his pink eyes peering through his sunglasses at the ball, trying to aim the stick at the center of it.

"I don't know," he responded to her first question, biting the inside of a cheek, falling into his typical silence again. "Morlock? That is what they call the mutants in the tunnels?" He blinked behind his glasses. "Leech is half-Morlock, then. Leech lived in the tunnels and is a mutant, but Leech did not live with the other Morlocks. Leech lived on his own, he was afraid," he said softly, pushing the stick forward. It it the ball at an angle, sending it into a completely different direction than he wanted it to. It bounced off the edge, nearly going into a pocket on the side. He frowned and moved, going to hit it again. He had no idea it was her turn. "I only knew Callisto. Leech met her when she found him. Leech is... scared of her," he said, positioning the stick on his hand again.

As he went to hit the ball again, Ari had turned on the stereo. Though he faultered again as the sound came out of no-where, Leech hit the ball into another, sending a solid green ball a striped blue one. It didn't go into a pocket, though. He pulled back, allowing her at turn at hitting the balls. "I don't listen to music or what it is called; Ar-tie lets me listen to his..."
Quote Post Goto Top
 
Ari Boyd
Unregistered

Ari didn't push for answers as Leech remained quiet. She wasn't overly pushy anyway, but with Leech she was consciously trying to be less so. When he replied that he didn't know where he was from, Ari accepted it with a nod. He wouldn't be the first person not to know where he was from, and he wouldn't be the last, even if it was extremely sad. Kurt didn't know about his birth parents either, and she knew that if there was information, he would have wanted to know.

She didn't know that one could stay with the Morlocks and not really interact with them, but Ari supposed it made sense. Callisto, in the one time she'd interacted with her, had been fully consumed with the welfare of her people. Perhaps she had understood Leech's need for a solitary life. To Ari, who loved to be surrounded by her friends and mansion family, it seemed a lonely existence.

"Yup, Morlocks. I've met a few besides you and Artie and Riptide. I met one a few months ago in the park. He was playing this flute... It was really lovely," she said with a nod, remembering that day in the park she'd met Petros. He'd been covered from head to toe in dirt, a cloud following him around. A live Pigpen, if you will. Ari noted that Artie was skipping her turn, but she didn't stop him. It was only a game after all. Ari could be extremely competitive at things like Danger Room sessions or bets, but this was different. They were just...spending time.

"Why were you scared? Because of Callisto only? Or the rest of the Morlocks?" Ari gave a small laugh, "I've met her before. I don't blame you. She...cuts an imposing stance." She remembered being on the receiving end of a few dirty looks that day the Morlock leader, some of the X-Men, and some of X-Factor had worked together to take down the mutant auctions. It seemed like a very long time ago now, and Ari remembered standing by Warren's side, working to avoid the black-haired woman's jealous gaze. Dating Warren had brought on plenty of female jealousy, but Ari distinctly remembered Callisto's burning gaze. Leech was right...she was kind of scary.

The brunette smiled at Leech as he gave her a chance to shoot and she lined up her shot as best she could, "So you and Artie are pretty close then?" She smiled to herself as she thought of the lovable little boy, "He's very sweet."

Ari took her short, sending the orange solid into the corner pocket. She whooped happily, grinning wide as she straightened. "So I'm solids then. That means you can only get the striped ones in. If you get one of mine in by accident, I get the credit."

Looking at the white ball, Ari quickly added, "Oh yeah, if you get the white one in by accident, you lose your turn and then when you do go, you have to shoot it from between these two dots--" She illustrated, just so Leech would know. "You only get one try when you shoot, and if you miss, it's my turn again," she said simply, remembering that he'd taken the extra shot earlier. She might not have played strictly, but if Leech someday wanted to play with more skilled players it was best he know the rules now.

Ari moved to take her other shot, this time only nudging the purple ball a little closer to one of the pockets, but not getting anything in. "See, I missed, so it's your turn again," she said, moving to the other side of the table and leaning against her cue. "I'm not very good, but it's still fun," she said with a small shrug.
Quote Post Goto Top
 
Leech
Unregistered

"I have only met Ar-tie and Callisto... That I know of. They are the only Morlocks I have met; Leech avoided the others in the tunnels. He was... afraid." He said, his eyes looking down at the edge of the pool table. There were reasons he avoided most people. Where he came from, he experienced traumatic conditions where mutants would keep him around to abuse his nullification powers.

"Callisto is just scarey." He said, his lips curling into the vague form of a smile. In truth, he was terrified of her. Not because of her imposing figure, it's just... something else scared him. She was imperious, her eyes always cold -- that look reminded him of calloused individuals he had met and abused his power. As much as he feared her, he respected her. He was thankful for her, really. She protected him from the people on the streets and allowed him to take up occupancy within the tunnels.

"Ar-tie is my brother." It was the only thing he could call the boy. Despite their ages, their relationship was just that. It was an awkward, strange relationship. Leech, though an older and physically more mature boy, assumed the "younger brother" role between them. Artie was the one that guided him around. Artie was the one that introduced him to other people and helped him assimilated into the environment of the mansion. It was hard, but Artie was there. He looked back at the table as she explained the conditions of the game now that she had gotten one in a pocket. She was to go for the solid balls, and he the stripped ones. She went on to explain the the condition of the white ball. He nodded.

"Alright," he said, cognitively beginning to analyze the game more in-depth than he had before. He assumed the black ball was the last one that was to be hit, as the color itself was negative, and the games he had seen before avoided it. His pink eyes narrowed behind his glasses, watching as she moved to strike the white ball. She went for the purple ball, but it stalled just before a pocket.

"Leech is not good, too." He moved to the table, placed the stick near the white ball and prodded it with the end. It went rolling down the green plane, crashed into her purple ball. The white ball stalled and the purple ball went elsewhere, bumping into the orange-stripped ball. It rolled into the hole. Still his turn.

He moved around the table and shot the ball again, aiming for the stripped red ball between the black 8-ball and blue-2. He missed this shot. "Your turn."
Quote Post Goto Top
 
Ari Boyd
Unregistered

Ari watched Leech carefully as he spoke and she wondered how hard he must have had it. She had close ties to mutants with physical mutations, so she knew what they shared and what she experienced in their company, but Leech seemed so alone. So completely solitary. Alone even amongst those like him. It made Ari feel inwardly sad for him. No one should have to be alone like that.

She imagined his powers would have been problematic at times, depending on the mutants surrounding him. Ari knew she wouldn't have enjoyed losing her powers even temporarily, but she could've dealt with it. There were mutants that were linked so closely to their powers that their entire manner of living would've been at stake. It was definitely interesting to think about. Whether Leech's natural presence would've been a helper or a hindrance. Ari would undoubtedly think about it when she had time with her thoughts, and it was likely that it would leave her feeling pensive in a melancholy way.

The way he spoke of Artie though, made Ari feel slightly better for the man. At least he had someone that he considered family. She'd seen hints of the relationship between Artie and Leech; how naturally they got along in their quietness. Artie because he couldn't physically be loud, Leech because he seemed to speak very little.

Ari smiled fondly as she thought of the people she loved. "I have people I consider my family here too. It's a good feeling. I couldn't imagine life without them now," she said honestly. Really, she was so emotionally linked to some of the people at the school that she could barely think about moving away from New York if the time came. Her boyfriend, her best friends, the woman and girls she considered sisters...her teammates... There was too much to keep her rooted in New York. She couldn't see herself anywhere else. Not right now, anyway.

The young woman was confident that if Leech stood at the school and continued being led by Artie, who was friendly, playful, and made it easy for others to flock to him, that eventually he would be able to say something similar. Ari hoped so anyway.

She laughed as the pale boy agreed that he wasn't good, but Ari shook her head, "No, you're not bad for the first time playing. I used to have trouble just hitting the balls." Ari fiddled with the stereo again, returning quickly to watch Leech take his turn. The orange striped ball rolled into the pocket and Ari clapped her hands together, the cue resting in the crook of her elbow. She gave an excited whoop, "See?! You're already better than me when I started." She hesitated a second before grinning crookedly, "Actually you might be better than me in general now."

Watching him aim for the red ball beside the black one reminded Ari that she hadn't explained that rule, "Oh yeah--you can't get the black one in until you've gotten all of the rest of your type. And then you have to say which pocket it will go into before you hit it. If you miss, the game continues. If it ends, you win." She ticked off a few more rules on her fingers, "Also, if you get it in before you've gotten the rest in, I'll win the game. Or if you knock it off the table." Ari wasn't playing terribly strictly right then, but Leech should know as much about the rules as she could remember.

He missed the second shot though and Ari took two smooth steps as she spied the best shot to try for. Leech had the right idea going for the red striped one, so Ari focused her attention on the blue solid that had been resting beside it. Her brown-eyed gaze narrowed in concentration as she held the cue loosely, passing it through her pointer and middle fingers as she sent the white ball cracking into the blue. A bright grin slipped over her lips as it sped into the nearest pocket.

Singing quietly along with the music playing behind them, Ari lined up to take her next shot: the yellow-1 into the middle pocket. The white ball cracked against it, but the yellow ball ricocheted off the corner of the pocket, instead hitting the green solid and sending it toppling into the closest pocket. Ari hadn't been aiming for that, but it certainly looked fancier than she could do on purpose. "Wish I could say that was all skill," she said with a trilling laugh as she looked toward Leech.

Attempting to get the yellow once again was a futile effort and Ari sighed with a shake of her head, "Stupid evasive yellow...."
Quote Post Goto Top
 
Leech
Unregistered

He smiled, looking down at the table from behind his glasses, his hat tilting a little with the action. Supposedly he was better than her already after just a few shots. He didn't believe that fact, but the compliment made his will to socialize grow a hint stronger. Leech was a boy in a man's body; as such, he reacts more like a child than the teenager he should be. His hands tightened around the pole, his lips curling, retaining the smile as she went to strike.

"So the black ball is not one we are supposed to hit?" he asked, brows raising as he watched her lean over the table to hit the ball. Aiming, she sent the white ball into the blue with a vibrant crack. The blue ball rolled into the nearest pocket, sinking away into the catches below. Leech fell silent after that as Ari went to take her next shot; this time, the yellow-1 would be sent towards the middle pocket. It shot across the green plane all the balls lay upon, rolling into a green ball and sending that into the closest pocket.

"Hehe," he chuckled quietly, giggling really, as she commented on her own passive skill at the game. As he took a few steps around the table to take a shot, Leech leaned over, prepared, and then stopped.

Floating above the table was a hologram of a bee appearing as a butler.

Posted Image

Leech turned his head, angling it towards the doorway. There, the pink-skinned boy, Leech's "adopted" brother, Artie was standing with a wide smile on his face. Leech smiled in return, understanding. Looking up to Ari, he smiled, althought he action diminished. "Leech is sorry; Ar-tie says dinner is ready."

He changed his position a slight, angling the white ball towards the ebony sphere, the black-8. Pushing the pole forward, he shot the white into the 8-ball and they collided with a crack. The momentum carried through the white made the 8-ball roll through the cluster of the remaining rainbow of spheres. It disappared in the far corner pocket.

Placing the pole on the table, he smiled to Ari, tipping his head in kindness and left with a smile. As Leech reached the door with his pink friend, holograms of pizzas began floating everywhere.

Posted Image
Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
« Previous Topic · Xavier Institute Archive · Next Topic »
Add Reply