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| cycling trivialities; WWX crossover [kyle, open - ask] | |
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| Topic Started: Feb 12 2010, 01:55 AM (1,229 Views) | |
| Wiccan | Feb 12 2010, 01:55 AM Post #1 |
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Time of Day: 10:45 am Place in Timeline: 16th February Political science was about as boring as JTV prime time. Van Leerson managed to make the subject tolerable, if that, but Billy had a huge problem balancing schoolwork with all those pesky extracurricular incidents involving his ever-expanding superhuman family. Fitting scholastic endeavours into moments not filled with end-of-world chaos was a mean feat in of itself. It was difficult to concentrate on court structure or Congress when your Grandfather was trying to crush that system and replace it with his own. Billy shifted forward in his chair and rested his chin on his knuckles, twisting his pen in between thumb and forefinger. He was sure he was coming down with something. Every movement made his nerves jump, little feverish lurches making it hard to think. Half-hearted, he jotted a note onto the page in a lazy scrawl and with a frown tried to pay attention. (Sometimes, it went so well. Sometimes, sometimes, William walked outside like it was normal, like he understood normality, like it wasn’t an esoteric bit of information he didn’t have permission to access. Those times he chatted about movies and comics and sometimes boys, gossiped with the younger nurses and went home for visits and joked with his brothers. Then there were times like today, where everything felt wrong, and everything flickered like a broken light bulb. He felt split into two parts, neither here nor there, and he couldn’t fixate himself to one spot, and had to pace the rec room because he couldn’t sit still. They’d offered him Ativan or one of those telepathic enema things but he’d ignored both suggestions and they weren’t forcing either down his throat or into his skull; nothing was ever compulsory around here. But it was getting worse. He was about to) answer a question when everything shook around him. Billy’s pen trembled where it dug against the paper. Flicker. Palpitations harried through his chest, left side seizing up into a painful spasm. Flicker. Vision doubled and blurred out and when it refocused he was no longer sat in the classroom, no longer being lectured on the intricacies of the federal judicial system, instead teetering unsteadily on his feet and (he was sat in a desk, a school desk, and if he could have believed that when he reached out and touched the wooden tabletop it wouldn’t fall apart in his fingers, wouldn’t turn out to be just sawdust and lies and intangibility, he might have reacted sooner. Strange folk surrounded him all slouched at tables, twiddling pens, scratching at notebooks, slumped on elbows. Dazed, William shrunk down into the chair and clutched at the sides so that they dug into his palms, turned them red and white and smarted. He stared down at them, not quite believing that his hands hurt where the plastic chewed into his skin. Dreamscapes and hallucinations had never hurt before. He lifted one and gawped at it as if it wasn’t his, and certainly it seemed unfamiliar, blemished in places he didn’t remember scarring. The band strapped around his wrist was new but it looked old, felt worn, felt comfortable, and these clothes, these boots, none of them were his. He grabbed fistfuls of the t-shirt and stretched it out, craning his neck to read the upside-down band logo, didn’t make much sense of it, and then tugged at the scarf until it came loose. Red fabric clumped between his digits.) Whitewashed walls stared back at Billy, cold and insipid. A small panicked cry squeaked from between his lips. He backed up too fast and got entangled with a chair, almost fell backwards over it, lost his balance and fell anyway. A collection of soft-backed seats nearby housed several patients. A plump fifty-something peered at him curiously over the top of the magazine she clutched, crumpling it closer to her chest and leaning forward, narrowing suspicious bug-eyes at him and muttering under her breath, grinding her teeth together. Someone in blue wearing a tag that said ‘Lila’ ploughed towards him and grabbed his arm, trying to help him to his feet. Billy gaped at her, thoughts screaming through his mind, clamouring too loud-- where was he? How had he gotten here? Who were these people and why did this middle-aged blue-clad woman look at him with such a jarring sense of familiarity and concern? She stunk of hand sanitizer. She stunk of college and hospital and hairspray. ‘Lila’ sunk to her knees and smiled at Billy, and asked, “William, are you ok?” with such horrifying compassion Billy thought he might puke. Flicker And then he was back amongst familiar surroundings, tables, chairs, faces all of which he knew except now (he wasn’t gripping anything, his fingers grasped at empty space, trying to feel for that red material, and he was on the floor all confused and tangled amongst chair legs. Lila was standing over him, taking hold of his arm. She looked worried.) Billy surged to his feet, desk screeching. His scarf, suddenly loose, drizzled to the floor and pooled beside his feet. “Did I just…? Wha-?” He gulped air like it was running thin. “…Did you see me just…? Did I just teleport or something?” |
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| Tommy Shepard | Feb 13 2010, 02:09 AM Post #2 |
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Class sucked. It was boring and long and full of phrases about ethics and politics that Tommy couldn't of cared less about. Mr. Van Leerson stood in front of the classroom, his stalwart earnestness as evident as ever as he used his hands to express points the young speedster was barely registering. His leg bobbed up and down quickly under his desk. It was his ever present movement, a quirk he used to deal with the nervousness that being a hundred steps in front of a slowed down world often brought. He tried to focus his attention to the man at the front of the room and whatever lesson he was teaching this afternoon. Who knows, there may have been a test or something tomorrow. It was no use though, after a few moments of diligently trying, the boy drifted back into his own head space, letting the teacher and his lesson fade into the background. There had been melancholy that had somewhat taken over Tommy since the craziness of the family he had grown up without unfolded in front of him. He had become somewhat detached from the life he had built for himself at the Institute lately. A fact he attributed to being torn between the family he had grown up with and the one he know knew as truth. Tommy began drumming his fingers quickly on the top of his desk. The frustration the speedster almost always felt when being cooped up in one place for too long threatened to overtake him. Was this really fair ? For everybody else this stupid class lasted an hour, for Tommy it was like a year. Tommy shot a gaze back up to the front of the classroom. Van Boring was still prattling on about whatever . This was never going to end. From the corner of his eye, Tommy could see his twin. Billy was seemingly paying attention, though sometimes it was hard for Tommy to tell what his brother was thinking. They didn't have the benefit of a lifetime shared learning each other's favorite phrases or individual facial expression. He did know the reality warper well enough to know what happened next wasn't exactly normal. His body seemed to clinch and then his face became strange and unfamiliar, as if it were being hijacked by some other being. Then just as suddenly, he jumped up talking about teleporting and craziness. "No no no no no," Tommy exclaimed,"I'm so over magical phenomenon." |
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| Elixir | Feb 13 2010, 04:00 PM Post #3 |
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Josh had always been an intense kid. Work, school, play... whatever he was doing, he always tried to do the best job he could with it. He'd always been a bit of a spaz, constantly worrying what others thought of him, sweating over some girl, and fretting over his test grades and always trying to prove himself. Screw Magneto and Nahrees... Josh Foley's worst enemy had always been himself. At least until he woke up from a really long nap. The judicial branch of government... blah blah blah... I know all this! I just want to freaking GO BACK TO BED. Not my fault that Charmed marathon went till four in the morning! Cleavage and hot witches... how do you expect me to go to bed? As almost everything but VanLeerson's lecture swam through Foley's mind, he sat at his desk doodling a picture of Kratos from God of War stabbing a demon version of Mickey Mouse in the chest. Occasionally he flipped his page over and scribbled a couple of noteworthy statements his professor had made; apparently he wasn't completely oblivious to the day's poly sci lesson. Pressing gel pen tip back to his small masterpiece, Josh was just starting to color in demon Mickey's eye when the clatter and screech of a desk raking across the floor made him jump. Looking around wildly, he caught sight of Billy, positioned behind and to the left of him now standing, looking more than a little confused. “Did I just…? Wha-? …Did you see me just…? Did I just teleport or something?” Foley blinked at his roommate and best friend, brow furrowing at the strange question. Billy usually had to murmur an incantation to teleport, and the results were usually spectacular enough to grab everyone's attention. Josh was pretty sure had his friend actually teleported anywhere, Kyle wouldn't have continued droning on about Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Yeah... despite what it looks like, I am listening. "No no no no no... I'm so over magical phenomenon." The corner of Josh's mouth flickered slightly at Tommy's quip as he gave the speedster the briefest of glances. His eyes returned to Billy, concern showing in his startling blue eyes – a pigment that had not changed. He knew of Billy's fears of going dark side... of the crazy the warlock felt was lurking just beneath the surface. “Uh no. You've been here the whole time. Dude... you okay?” |
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| Kyle Van Leerson | Feb 13 2010, 06:59 PM Post #4 |
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As much as Kyle cared about the topics he was teaching he was almost as sure that was how much the majority of the students in the classroom didn't. He couldn't fault them really. What was speeches about legislation and bills and rights of Congress compared to patrolling sessions with Wolverine or Danger Room training with Storm. Politics lacked the edge and excitement that most of these kids craved, and try as hard as he could the young teacher couldn't find ways to drill in the real life ramifications that the workings of government had on the jaded mind set of this group of mutant youth. It may not have been exciting but it was important, and he believed if he could get them to understand that he could make the difference he had set out to all along. He remembered the teachers of his own student years saying, "If you reached one student, just one, then you've done your job", but he had never bought that. He didn't want to settle for just one of them, rather he wanted all of them to at least leave his classroom a little wiser for the day. Life wasn't easy for them, and it was probably only destined to get worse heading into the future of a world at the hands of so many mutants that had declared themselves self appointed liberators and terrorist. He wanted them to understand that the world was never going to be owned by the ground claimed on a battlefield; it was decided by the people who sat behind the desk and signed the pieces of papers and put into effect laws that just or not, were still considered laws. What was the adage, the enemy you know is better then the one you don't. Maybe that was too harsh, for all the faults Kyle saw in the workings of government he knew there was potential there too. He just had to get these kids to see that as well, and all of that was dependent on whether or not he could keep them awake long enough to do it. This particular day though even he was finding it hard to muster the strength through the lesson plan. In the wake of the Brotherhood's most recent round of terrorism the teacher was struggling to swallow the medicine he himself was dishing out. How did you preach to children about the need for peace when all you saw around you were cries of war? He felt as if he was killing daylight promoting the need for understanding and paper work while the evil doers of the world were making broad actions that were visible to anyone with a television and cable news. Lately he was feeling the world needed him more as an X-man then as a teacher, and that was surprising because he had not set out that frame of mind at all. Maybe that was the trouble in the lesson, maybe they could see and hear the doubts that he himself was having in what he was teaching. He was halfway through a speech on a topic that he himself was having trouble comprehending when the disturbance from the back of the class caught his attention. “…Did you see me just…? Did I just teleport or something?” Something had set off the Kaplan kid or at least something had happened that had garnered the attention of the kid's two flat mates, Kaplan's twin in the face Tommy Shepard and the former golden toned Josh Foley. Images of the Foley kid sprawled out catatonic on the floor of the Inhuman's palace floor flashed through the teacher's mind for a split second. It had been months since the events of that day, but still Kyle had trouble getting those images out of his head. What had happened on the moon still cost him sleep at night sometimes, he had been used as a pawn in a mad man's plan and rendered down to a stature slightly above that of an angry primate. Had he been able to say what had happened had been the possession of just a foreign force it might not have troubled him so much, but the knowledge that the things exploited existed in him scared him at times. He saw what he could become if he had no control of his anger and resolve, and the scary part of that equation was a part of him, way down deep, had liked it. He pushed those thoughts out of his head and chose not to look at the black Josh who served as a reminder of that time. " Eyes up here people" he said calling the class back to attention. He needed to find out what was going on, but what he didn't need was the entire class of students also trying to get into the action. "Open your text books, and start reading. I don't care where just read something, or just stare at the pages and pretend you are whatever makes you happy." He told them as he walked towards the back of the room. The Kaplan kid looked flushed, and feverish. Perhaps he was becoming ill? Kyle had had little experience with this since he started teaching at Xavier's. He had made it abundantly clear to them all that if they felt as if they were going to be ill and needed to haul ass to the bathroom they had his blessing and didn't need to stop and ask for permission. Squatting a bit in the row between the three desk of Kaplan, Shepard and Foley. Kyle lowered his voice in hopes to keep the conversation from as many listening ears as he could. "What's going on back here?" he asked them, " No one saw you teleport, Billy, but your not looking so well, are you feeling okay? Cause you look like kid you've seen a ghost. What happened?" All things being as they were Kyle waited and imagined when dealing with someone who had such a mutation as Kaplan did that any sort of explanation was liable to follow. |
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| Anole | Feb 13 2010, 11:29 PM Post #5 |
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Vic actually enjoyed political science, but he was probably the only one in the class who felt that way. His notebook was covered in disorganized notes, little assistive diagrams, and scrawled notes to self. If anybody else had missed class and might have needed his notes, they were SOL. Hell, in a few weeks, Vic would be lost, trying to read his own notes. That’s why he generally tried to learn all the important bits before that happened. He wasn’t sure when it happened, but at some point in Van Leerson’s lecture, Vic became aware that he’d dazed out, or something. His mind had just wandered off to nowhere, leaving him staring down at his desk, head cradled in hand, and unmoving. He thought he enjoyed political science. Apparently that was not truly the case. Vic heard movement to his back, the rustling of clothing, and paid it no mind. Tommy was back there somewhere. Vic was aware of a speedster’s impatience, and simply focused on figuring out what what important for him to write down, and what wasn’t. He couldn’t understand why teachers told them stuff that nobody, not even they, cared about. It was a waste of everybody’s time, and just served to confuse the students. Once again, distractions from behind pulled Vic’s attention away from the note taking. This time it didn’t sound like inconsequential fussing, and he twisted in his seat to see what was going on. Kaplan was on his feet and looking frightened, and Tommy was yelling about supernatural something, and Vic was… Confused. Van Leerson’s attempts to regain control over the class got Vic to halfway turn back around, but his eyes were still on Billy. He didn’t know Billy particularly well, but that didn’t stop him being a bit concerned. Was he okay? |
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| Wiccan | Feb 16 2010, 10:19 PM Post #6 |
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“I was just… I was just like… somewhere else. I mean, it wasn’t like a normal teleport, I mean,” he dragged down another unsteady breath, mentally demanded that the adrenalin pounding through his veins stilled, and when it didn’t he tried to ignore it, and when he couldn’t, tried to exhale it all in a silent whistle. When stars burst across his retinas he realised with a start he’d squeezed his eyes shut. They snapped wide and he stared from Josh, with his new scowl and too-black skin, to VanLeerson, who looked tired and worried and overworked, to Tommy, who hovered somewhere in between bored and horrified, and with something that sounded like a nervous laugh he blundered into a stammered explanation. “There were people who knew my name. A woman. Some woman in a uniform. It kinda looked like some sort of-“ he stalled again, mouth making shapes without producing noise. It looked like some sort of hospital, he’d been about to say. Some sort of institution. The way that rattled on the end of his tongue, hanging unvoiced and loud in his head, in that instant made him question everything, everything- the solidity of this environment and the tentative grip he kept on his sanity. All that fear built up and threatened to burst. “I’m fine,” he stated with such clarity and conviction he almost believed it himself; “I’m fine.” But on that repetition he wavered. An inexplicable wave of anger rose in response to his shaky certitude, this little clusterfuck of concerned faces all peering at him expectantly. Josh especially, those bright blue irises intense with worry, startling against his skin. “It was nothing. I must’ve fell asleep or something, god,” he barked another hollow chuckle and took an unconscious pace away from the questioning sets of eyes. “I uh… yeah, I had trouble sleeping last night, y’know, I get nightmares and stuff so… stupid…” He trailed off. Images of Lila’s simpering features loomed large and very lifelike, that mole on her forehead bulging and brown, wire frame glasses crooked, makeup gathered white and chalky in the creases of her crow’s-feet. Her nametag, big and bold across her left breast. Billy heard himself repeat I’m fine for the third time, and realised that he really, really wasn’t. |
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| Kyle Van Leerson | Feb 23 2010, 11:52 PM Post #7 |
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There was no guide book for things like this. No one ever set you down and explained how you handled different situations. Kyle chewed for a second on his bottom lip. He looked the young Kaplan kid over once again. Blood and bruises he knew how to respond to, vomiting, fainting, stuff like that he had worked out answers and replies, but for something like this… Billy Kaplan seemed seriously freaked or at least he had been. Kyle could see the teen trying to pull it together, to excuse his outburst with nervous chuckles and fidgets. The last thing any kid wanted was to stand out and be embarrassed, especially amongst peers and friends. What the teen was saying was plausible, maybe he had just dozed off for a moment. That didn't speak to highly to the excitement of Kyle's class but the teacher knew he'd rather that be the root problem then something else, but what if that wasn't it? Each student, hell each person in this school carried a different mutation. Each gift or power whatever you wanted to call it came with its own set of instructions. Billy Kaplan was a probability alteror. The laws of physics and nature bent to this kid's will. Maybe the teen had just fell asleep for a moment, but maybe there was more to it. Kyle hadn't been back at the school very long, but he had been around long enough to learn that you overlooked nothing. Tales of Wanda Maximoff, someone who carried such a similar mutation as Billy, were the stuff of common gossip. When you could bend the fabric of reality to your demands, it played its toll on your psyche. Kyle debated for a moment on what course of action to take. He had no reason to doubt the excuses Kaplan was offering except for the nagging doubt in his gut. Work like this required you follow your instincts more then the visible facts. Maybe he was being a nervous anxious teacher molly cuddling the kids in his care, but he knew he'd rather be overzealous and be wrong then not pay enough attention and live with his guilt if something was to be amiss and he had missed all the warning signs. "Come with me for a minute, Billy." he said to the teen standing up and leading them both to the hallway outside the classroom. It would be easier to get the truth from Kaplan he surmised if there wasn't such an audience hanging on every word. "The rest of you keep on reading in your text book. I'm feeling generous today, maybe we'll have a pop quiz on the jurisdiction of Congress, and everything I'll ask you will be in that text book. Now is your chance to get an easy A." Walking out into the hall, Kyle pushed the door to the class room near closed, leaving it cracked enough he could still look in in case the room erupted into chaos. "Okay, cards out on the table here, Billy. What happened back there? Did you really fall asleep or is there more to it? Your powers aren't something to be taken lightly, a dream might not just be a dream. If there is something bothering you I need you to tell me, I need you to trust me here." Kyle tried to keep his voice and expression that of someone understanding and sympathetic, and he pushed down his own doubts and worry about what might be going on. Sometimes things really were what they seemed, but sometimes especially when you dealt with a kid who could make the sky rain stones if he wanted, they weren't. "What do you think happened?" |
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| Tommy Shepard | Feb 25 2010, 04:26 AM Post #8 |
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Tommy knew better than this. He hadn't grown up with his berother, not in the traditional way anyhow, but in the months that had passed since he came to find out thier relationship, he had grown to know him. As it was, he knew his quirks. Like l brothers, Tommy could tell when Billy was mad or upset, pissed (which he usually was) or fed up (also a frequent occurrence). Unlike normal brothers however, their relationship had a different tint. In addition to vthe normal range of emotions his brother displayed, Tommy was privvy to a different look, the look Billy got when crazy magic reality warping crap went down. Billy was currently wearing that look. It was because of that that Tommy did not believe his brother when he repeated over and over again that he was okay. Something was definitely not okay. Tommy stood in a quick fluid motion, the rest of the room seemed to drop off as he focused on Billy. The young speedster had had enough of strange occurences, but if something was wrong he wasn't about to shy away from it. "Bills, truth time, what's really going on ?" Billy explained something that made no sense, though Tommy had been prepared for as much. Van Leerson strode to he back of the classroom and after questioning, escorted Billy outside. Tommy gave his brother a look on the way out, attempting to see if he should follow. When he was satisfied that Billy would be okay out on his own, he sat down and waited for his return. "Eyes up front people," he said sternly, trying to gaurd his twins privacy. |
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| Elixir | Mar 2 2010, 04:32 AM Post #9 |
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Josh watched Billy intently as he explained what his outburst had been about. He watched Mr. Van Leerson just as intently, noticing that teach was staring at his roomie just as intently as he had. Then he looked down at Tommy, who was watching his twin intently. There is a whole lot of intently going on here. “It was nothing. I must’ve fell asleep or something, god...” He looked away as the warlock finished his half-assed excuse, his eyes roaming meaninglessly over the pages of his book as the wheels in his head turned rapidly. Were it anyone else, 'spaz' would have been the first word to pop in Josh's head, but this wasn't just anybody... this was Billy. This was the same guy who had accidentally flooded New York. God... he flooded New York. What the... that was... so many people died because he screwed up on a spell. Geez... all that power... no wonder he's so messed up. And suddenly it all clicked in place for the moon boy. It was as if for the first time he actually saw the significance of what Billy had told him that night... and it made the bottom of his stomach disappear. How many people knew that? What if Billy freaked out and accidentally killed someone with his own powers. If Bobby's powers went wack, they could just break out the heaters or the thermal underwear, but if Billy was having problems with his powers... Billy's a spaz, but I know him well enough to know when something's up, and I think something's up. "The rest of you keep on reading in your text book. I'm feeling generous today, maybe we'll have a pop quiz on the jurisdiction of Congress, and everything I'll ask you will be in that text book. Now is your chance to get an easy A." Josh watched as Kyle and Billy disappeared out the door then looked down at his text book. Yeah... thanks for the heads up, teach. A pop quiz on something in the book. That narrowed it down five hundred pages. "Eyes up front people," Tommy called out to the rest of the class, being the protective brother. “Dude,” said the noseless fourteen year old in front of him, “What's up with that?” Elixir threw his classmate a dark look that made him recoil slightly. He cast a meaningful glance over at Tommy before sliding out of his seat and slipping to the door, pulling it open just a crack... enough to hear what was going on. He didn't care what anyone else thought... someone had to watch out for Billy... keep an eye on him, and as his best friend and confidant, that fell on Josh. |
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| Wiccan | Mar 3 2010, 11:22 PM Post #10 |
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“I don’t think it was my powers.” He didn’t have to lie. If Van Leerson knew anything about body language, those uncontrollable nuances and twitches and flickers, he’d have realised in a second that this time, Billy wasn’t trying to be dishonest. Being able to touch all realities at once gave way to the very unreal sensation that nothing was guaranteed on a very primal level. Not that the simple, everyday staples could be taken away—that was a possibility that everyone was forced to live with, whether they acknowledged it or not—but that the chaotic nature of deterministic mechanics meant that Billy could never function in a stable or sensible universe. And because of that instability, his innate connection with all of those endless possibilities, he was intently aware of how precarious a point the integrity of his mind balanced upon. He was terrified of going insane. “It wasn’t like… I know what it feels like, my powers, like when I’m using them.” This was like those half-awake moments in between semi-consciousness and sleep, trawling through those sluggish quasi dreams before you realise you’re actually in bed, sheets tangled around your legs, drool sticky on your cheek. There had been no rush of adrenaline, no tingling in the nerves along the ridge of his spine, no electrical or thermal disturbances on his vision. He knew what reality warping felt and looked like. “I don’t know.” That one was a lie. “I felt a bit sick.” Honesty came in tiny increments, Billy afraid of what might happen if he admitted he thought that from a personal point of view it was something much more sinister than his abilities spazzing out. “Look, is it ok if I just take the rest of the lesson off and go lie down and go see the nurse at some point for some ibus or something? I don’t want to make a fuss or whatever. I feel kinda stupid.” Lila glanced over her shoulder, fiddling with a cup and a water butt. The little tank glugged and glooped as air bubbles bloomed inside the glass like jellyfish. She turned and presented the clear plastic cup to Billy and once again smiled that sickening smile. “Stupid about what, hon?” --- William hesitated in front of Kyle, sounds dying on his lips. He tried chasing them with another sentence but wasn’t entirely sure what to say. Not comprehending, he leant over to stare at the expansive corridor stretching off behind the unfamiliar man. Light festered at its far end, bright and harrowing. He anxiously glanced back at the teacher. Maybe he had accidentally wandered off into the unexplored depths of the facility. His hands knotted in a corner of the t-shirt, fingers acting out nervous habits he’d developed over time. “…Why did we uh… I think I need to go back upstairs…” |
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| Kyle Van Leerson | Mar 6 2010, 10:27 PM Post #11 |
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Kyle tried to seem approachable and calm, as if he knew exactly what he was doing, but in all honesty he was running blind. Almost everything he encountered at the school was a trial by fire. He had learned to trust his instincts more than anything and at night he offered up prayers in a faith that had long since lapsed that he wasn't doing more harm then good. Because the young teacher knew he didn't have the answers or the ability to lead by example. He may have been in charge of teaching them but it was as much a learn and go process for him as it was for any of the students in his charge. In a lot of ways he imagined it was sort of similar to parenting, you did the best you could and hope you were accomplishing more positive things then harm along the way. He looked at Kaplan intently as he talked, trying to keep his face a mask of concern and understanding. He worried for the kid, he worried for all of them, but the ones like Billy especially. Powers like Billy had had always struck Kyle as being more burden than blessing, in theory he imagined it all sounded very cool, the ability to warp probability and even reality, but it was dangerous and not just in the hurting others kind of way, but in a way that would threaten ones sanity and reasoning. Look at what had happened to Wanda Maximoff, lost somewhere, perhaps driven insane by what her abilities could do. Was the same thing happening to Wiccan? He and the Scarlet Witch shared such similar powers, even similar code names, had a legacy of mental decay also followed in the tradition of coincidences? Even as Billy tried to explain Kyle knew the situation was heading out of his depth. Maybe this was medical, maybe mental, maybe just something very small that just seemed like more of a problem then it really was, any or all of those ways it was more then Kyle knew how to deal with. A supportive nod of the head and kind words were not what this situation was now calling for. Hank and Avery might know more what to do, and if it came to it maybe even Jean, but the teacher hoped it didn't come to that. He liked Kaplan well enough, the kid didn't deserve to suffer for something that was never his choice. Being a mutant laid claim to too much of these kid's life as was, it didn't deserve the right to steal their sanity and health as well. “I felt a bit sick.” "Maybe you should go see Nurse Doyle, then. You could be coming down with a bug or something, maybe its just throwing you for a loop." Kyle spoke his answers affirmatively. Yes, that was what was happening, no need to think anything else or suspect something more sinister. What was the old saying sometimes the simplest answer was also the right one. "Maybe we should get someone to go with you, in case you get feeling bad along the way." Kyle turned his eyes for a second to the door his hand touching it, ready to open it and ask for one of Billy's flat mates to walk with him to the infirmary when Billy spoke up again. “…Why did we uh… I think I need to go back upstairs…” "Upstairs?" he answered the teen, confused," You want to go to the observatory?" His hand still in the edge of the door Kyle looked at Billy again, and as he did he felt his stomach go a bit queasy with worry. He knew these kids as well as anyone could. When you spent hours a day with them, sometimes longer you grew to recognize them. Something about Billy at that moment seemed different, changed. Physically he looked exactly the same, but his posture, the way he was fidgeting with his hands.. Kyle had never seen Kaplan do anything like that before, and why was he talking about going back upstairs? They had just walked out of the classroom, the boys dorm was on the first floor, the infirmary below that, what did Billy want to go back upstairs for? It was getting increasingly more confusing and thereby more suspicious. Keeping one eye on Billy, the teacher opened the door some to see the newly darkened Josh Foley standing by probably listening to everything that had been transpiring. Kyle didn't have time to get upset, concern for Kaplan was too pressing and strong at that moment. Foley was one of Billy's friends and roomates he knew, if anyone would have an insight into what may be going on with Billy it would be him. "Josh, can you step out here for a minute, the rest of you eyes in the books people. This is still a classroom, and we are all still on the clock." As soon as Josh exited the room Kyle closed the door. He didn't want any of the others involved in this. If this was anything other then something simple the last thing anyone needed on their hands was a room full of upset teenagers worried and panicking over their friend and classmate. "Billy, isn't feeling very well, Josh. I was wondering if you would be willing to go with him to see the nurse." Shooting Josh the quickest of raised looks to let him know everything might not be alright, he turned back to Billy. "Josh is going to walk with you down to see Avery, I'm sure everything fine." Why was he talking to Billy as if he was a stranger and child, and why was he trying more so to reassure himself then the teen? In that moment Kyle didn't know. There was no reason to be worried he knew except for the nagging feeling in his gut, that something, something fundamental, was not right. He had no reason to be worried except for what his instincts were telling him, and the teacher had learned to trust his instincts long ago. |
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| Tommy Shepard | Mar 14 2010, 03:36 AM Post #12 |
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Van Leerson took Billy out of the classroom. Tommy was sure his intentions were good, to keep whatever was happening to Billy private. Still, in doing that the stuffy teacher was, in effect, keeping Tommy out of the loop, something that was unacceptable to him. Whatever was happening to his twin, Tommy was sure it wasn't as simple as a common sickness and he doubted very seriously that the teacher would be qualified to help him. Tommy was the one who had been there, through all of it. Tommy knew the strange ways his brother's powers could act, the weird things they sometimes did. Josh threw a look at the speedster. Tommy had grown close to both his brother and their roommate in the time he had been in the Institute. As such, that glance said more than words ever could. Josh was a cool guy. He was brave and kind, and luckily for Tommy, he was a welcome dose of fun, which stood in strong contrast to Billy's no nonsense lameness.The best thing about Josh however, was that he actually cared about his friends, the young reality warper being top on that list. The dark skinned mutant left his chair and crept to the door opening it slightly to listen in on what was going on. Tommy couldn't hear what was going on, but he could tell by the looks on his eavesdropping friend's face that his concerns were valid. He rushed to the door as Van Leerson opened it. The speedster could tell that his teacher was trying to be professional and keep it all together,but underneath the sort of panic grown ups got when the rules that they had learned so long ago seemed to break in front of them. Tommy had unfortunately, grown quite accustomed to that look as of late. Van Leerson instructed Josh to take Billy to the infirmary. Looking at his twin, Tommy saw a look that actually frightened him. Wiccan looked distant and almost completely foreign. It was as if the features that they both shared were somehow the same but undeniably different. "Wait, no. I've gotta come too." There was a conviction in the speedster's voice. In looking at Billy he had completely forgotten his place. His words were not so much a request as a command. "Something is going on here. I'm sure you have a really important quiz or whatever coming up and I'm really gonna hate to miss it, but I need to be with my brother." Looking back at his teacher, he suddenly remembered that he was powerless to make that decision. With a bit of pleading in his voice he went on. "Come on Van Leerson, I mean, Mr Van Leerson. You've got a brother right ? What if he needs me, for like, a blood transfusion or something ?" |
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| Elixir | Mar 14 2010, 05:12 AM Post #13 |
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Most of Billy was blocked from view by their teacher... the only thing he could see was the top of the warlock's head moving this way and that as he seemed to stutter and work his way through words Josh couldn't quite make out from his position. His brow knitted in serious concern... having lived with Billy for a year and a half, Foley could almost smell when something was seriously wrong with his roommate, and this was one of those times. He wrinkled up his nose almost as if he could literally smell something off. Dude... he's wiggin. Something's up and he's confused or really scared, because he's not telling Mr. Van Leerson everything. I can almost tell by the way the top of his head is moving over teach's shoulder. He needs to get outta here... go somewhere away from all these people. Suddenly, Kyle turned away from Billy and grabbed hold of the door, causing Josh to jump backward slightly as he expected the dark wood to swing back and hit him in the face, but nothing happened. Still... Josh began to walk backward, bumping into Vic's desk when the aperture finally opened to reveal Van Leerson's searching eyes fall on the gunmetal-skinned youth. The teacher called Josh out of the room with an almost distracted tone; Tommy was immediately out of his chair, insisting on being included. “Yeah... Tommy come with,” Josh said with conviction, “We'll take him straight to the infirmary.” Kyle told Billy where they were going to take him, and without hesitation, Josh threw an arm around his roommate, giving him a brotherly squeeze, “Yeah... c'mon. Me and Avery will give you a good look and make sure you don't have any brain damage from that Call of Duty all-nighter we pulled.” Josh guided Billy around the corner toward the nearest elevator that would take them to the sub-basement when he paused, waiting for Tommy to catch up. He glanced from one brother to the other. “Alright dude,” he said as he settled his gaze on Billy, “What's up? You feeling strange? Seeing monsters? What? Do you really think we need to take you to Avery, or should we just take you upstairs and let you cool off in the room?” It was so unlike Josh to not do as he was told and take his friend to the infirmary, but Josh had enough experience with his roommate to get a good idea when medicine would help and when it would just hinder the real healing, and right now he suspected that Billy just needed to get away from everyone and be around a couple of people he trusted more than anyone else. He looked in the warlock's eyes, noticing... something different. “What do you think?” |
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| Wiccan | Mar 14 2010, 05:34 PM Post #14 |
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It was almost funny to hear people talk in the same language you grew up speaking and yet fail to understand a single thing they said. Almost. Billy. They were calling him Billy. The staff at the hospital had given up trying to get him to respond to that name. He’d tried—at first he’d wanted that little piece of his old life, as if trying to reclaim one of the parts of himself he’d lost in the time since, but in the weeks that had followed he’d felt an increasing discomfort in hearing those two syllables bounce off his eardrums. That name seemed accusatory. He’d see Nate standing there, jaw slack, saying Billy? and all those bodies on the television would lump together, bloated eyes white and unblinking. There was a certain amount of safety in William. Mom and Dad had liked to call him that, and still did, although as he’d aged Dad had preferred the nickname… but Dad hadn’t adjusted well. Before the move he’d visited and tried, tried to engage, tried to make conversation through the gulf between them, through the fog of medication, when work hours had permitted (and as a cardiologist, he’d often been busy) but there had been a genuine desire to connect, and William had seen it. That strained expression, the forced smiles. Even though it had been difficult, he’d tried. When the truth of the situation had been revealed Dad had recoiled like a snapped guitar string. Dad wasn’t anti-mutant. He wasn’t even opposed to the relocation, although for a long time he’d tried to solicit the skills of a teleporter in order to arrange a daily commute to the ‘States (needless to say, Jus Soli authorities hadn’t been enamoured with the prospect), but living with the knowledge of what his son had done wasn’t as simple as dropping everything and leaving it all behind like it could be transplanted into the foundations of their old house, left with the bricks and the stairwell and the lint between floors. He didn’t visit now, under excuses such as high workload. William was mentally unstable, not stupid. He understood. And that nickname became associated with anguish and miscommunication and a lack of willingness to engage on any emotional level. So there was nothing comforting about the name Billy. Yet these people were throwing it around as if it didn’t matter. As soon as the boy with the unnatural black skin flung his arm across William’s shoulders he cringed as if burnt, shirking the limb off with a shoulder and shrinking away from the invasion of his personal space. William blurted a faltered, “Don’t-“ but didn’t know how to continue. Don’t touch me. Don’t call me Billy. Don’t take me to that infirmary to see this Avery. He caught sight of Tommy’s features and felt blood drain from his chest so fast his head spun: he was hallucinating, unquestionably. He shut his eyes tight, hands passing across his face as if trying to wipe the dissonant imagery away. When he reopened them those people were still stood around him, all too close. The polished floor still shone amber and the mahogany wood panels still glowed dully under the lamplight. “Come on, you were doing so well,” he hissed at himself. |
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| Tommy Shepard | Mar 16 2010, 03:00 AM Post #15 |
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Josh went along with Tommy insisting to be included. Josh carted him off like so much dead weight. There was a difference in the boy that Tommy was trying hard not to notice. To admit that Billy was going through another crisis was to admit that the roller coaster the pair had been stuck on for the last few months wasn't over. It was to admit that it might never be. Still, as he passed the corner and out of view of Van Leerson and, as far as he could tell, the eyes of any of the other adults that were almost constantly filling the halls, it lightened the speedster's heart a bit to see Josh taking matters into his own hands. It had become clear to Tommy during, what had quickly turned into the strangest period of his life, that these matters were never fixed in the matters most adults saw fit. Avery, as sweet and kind as she was and had been to him, was almost assuredly going to be out of her element with this. Tommy almost skidded to the pair, though he was careful not to make noise and stir the other teachers. Josh was already questioning Billy. It was clear that he too saw something beyond mere sickness. "Do you really think we need to take you to Avery, or should we just take you upstairs and let you cool off in the room?” Tommy listened as his now dark skinned roommate listed off the possible next steps, but Tommy, being as he was, couldn't hold his opinion. "Oh, come on Josh, Avery's not gonna be able to fix this. I mean look at him. We both know this isn't a physical thing." Tommy caught his besieged brother looking at him. His face was familiar. It was the same look Tommy saw staring back at him the first time they met, save for a shade of vague pain. It was as if he were perplexed by the speedster's very existence again, as if the last few months had been wiped from his memory and he was once again trying the decipher the doppleganger that stood before him. "Bills," he said, a bit of panic now in his voice. "What the hell ?" His mind jumped a thousand miles an hour, flitting back and forth between the possible explanations. None of them seemed too comforting. "Damn magic," he yelled, all the while knowing that what his brother did wasn't magic, not really. Whatever it was was close enough though to make the proclamation. He had been unable to contain his frustration. He clasped a hand in front of his mouth remembering where they were. “Come on, you were doing so well,” he hissed at himself. "What is he talking about ?" he asked Josh, his voice back in an almost whisper. "Billy, you're scaring us little bro. Do we need to get you somewhere. Should I go get Strange or....or Mom." It was the first time he had used that term to describe Wanda Maximoff and the word felt funny as it left his lips. To be honest, he wasn't really ready to open that Pandora's box back up, but if his brother was suffering from some sort of issue based on his abilities, she might be the only one who could help. |
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1:01 AM Jul 11