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Out With the Old; [Pyrrhic]
Topic Started: May 29 2014, 04:13 AM (237 Views)
Mirage
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May 14, 2014
Right after the events of Lost Little Puppy


She drove and when Dani did take a vehicle she perhaps was the second most frightening driver behind Logan. She always heard he sped like a demon on his bike, so she assumed he had to be the worse. It was after all, a logical conclusion. She wanted something low key, yet hospitable so decided upon Five Guys a nice burger joint, which would make any teenager happy. If Ros didn’t like it here she was at a loss as to where they could have gone. They ordered, she paid for the two of them and after milling around waiting for food (Dani wasn’t the type to simply pay attention before food reached her) their number was called and she was joyous.

The two trays were brought over with no hassle and she began feasting on the fries. After a minute or two of munching she stopped so she could explain why exactly she brought him here.

“Well Ros, you see, I might be moving away from the mansion and joining another group.” She stopped to look at him. She didn’t expect him to be emotional about the declaration or even react, some teens were trained well in the poker face department, but he did have a right to know. “Usually, I’d just keep such information to myself, but since you’re a mentor you have a right to know.”

For a moment she looked at the burger he chose, not something she would enjoy, but it seemed filling. She took another bite of her own mouthwatering cheese burger with mushrooms, bacon, and all the things that made a burger great. It was filled with empty calories and nutrients, but that was what exercising and mostly clean diets were for. You had to splurge every once in a while, otherwise it became a diet and not a lifestyle choice.

“Look, the transfer is inevitable and I know it’s confusing, because I’m at the mansion all the time, but that’s my home. I can’t help but not be there. So what I’m saying is if you need my help, I will be there to help you. So what I need to know is how do you want to stay in contact? Twitter? Instagram? Cell? In the end it’s what you’re comfortable with. Don’t want to be that creepy old lady that doesn’t know when to stop hugging children now.”

Her eyes looked at Ros with great interest, because he had the most strangest of expressions and she could tell he had either a million things going through his head or nothing at all. Sneaky, that’s what Ros was, just one sneaky kid. In a good way though. Wanting to give him time to digest the information she began to eat her food again giving him the opportunity to speak, ask questions, or simply look at her as if though he were a puppy about to get run over by a ferrari-or Logan’s motorcycle.

“Oh, by the way, did I tell you I’ll be staying in New York City if everything transfers over smoothly?”
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Pyrrhic
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The drive to the burger joint was... interesting. Miss Moonstar wasn't the most cautious of drivers, and there was some terror that was caused by her driving. If this was Syracuse Ros would have suspected that his mentor was actually a Centro bus driver, not a mutant. Half days meant that the school never got enough buses, and the drivers didn't care that once they ran out of seats that the students packed themselves in tighter than sardines. Should the bus topple over in one of the many turns taken to sharply and way to fast, the death toll would be the subject of the evening news for days.

You would think that after a ride in a car with Miss Moonstone behind the wheel, a meal would be unthinkable. But Miss Moonstone was of the mind that the best time to talk was when you were filling your gut, and Ros couldn't help but agree. It's hard to speak your mind clearly and loudly enough when your stomach was growling like a grizzly bear. The more Ros's belly spoke up the less he was able to say. While he might not always be starving, he certainly always could go for a bite to eat. His bacon cheeseburger was fully loaded with grilled onions and mushrooms, peppers, both green and jalapeno, extra pickles, lettuce, tomato... And that wasn't even including the usual condiments that people put on burgers anyways. It was a mess of a meal, and just picking up the burger caused the tomato to start sliding out. Ros was a firm believer that the messier the burger, the better it tasted. Before he took his first bite though, Ros opened his burger up and added a few more french fries to the chaos.

The only Five Guys buger place that Ros had ever even come close to was the one next to the boluvard, next to the Chinese buffet that had an endless sushi bar as part of it. He had to admit that the burgers were pretty good, even if he would have chosen Red Robin's instead. For a little bit whatever he was going to say to Miss Moonstar was unimportant. They had a hot meal in front of them that was undeniably good tasting. Sure they gave good food at the school, but that was healthy. This was artery clogging, rot your guts over time junk, and it was wonderful. Ros had just taken a bite out of his sloppy burger when Miss Moonstar broke the news to him. He calmly set the burger back down on the plate and licked his thumb. It was important to give off the impression of being collected.

It's the Mitchells again, Ros thought to himself. The last family that had taken him in before he became a Sampson had been the Mitchells. At the time Ros was sure that they were going to be his family. His young mind did not understand the makeup of a family, and he had developed this false notion of what one really was. It would be years after they had returned him before Ros would stop asking himself what he had done wrong.

He could think of a dozen ways to respond to Miss Moonstar. The most juvenile way was to throw a fit. Yell at her, call her every filthy, rotten, mean name that he could think of, tossing his food down in disgust. Slightly less childish was just to yell at her, demand that she stay. You don't just force yourself into someone's life and leave them hanging. And Ros was sure she was going to do that. Anyone this willing to back out of the school and it's asociates would have no qualms with forgetting about the stubborn teen. Damn it Miss Moonstar, I actually need you. You can't just decide to be my mentor and then drop me like you don't give a flying... But rage wasn't the only thing that Ros felt. He felt like he had been let down. Unless you included parents, which didn't really count, he had never had a mentor before. Public schools never failed to dissapoint with the guidence that they offered. Councelors were so focused on just trying to get students on to the next grade that often there was no thought to the students interest or career aspirations.

Worst of all was the guilt creeping back up on him. Maybe if he had been more eager to show off his powers, or if he could have hit the bullseye the way that Zoe could Miss Moonstare would have been less likely to want to do this transfer. That small voice he thought he had long gotten rid of was speaking up again, asking “What did I do wrong now?”

She might be saying that she wanted to keep in touch, but Ros didn't buy it for a minute. Only parents kept in touch with teens and kids, and then only if they were your own. Maybe Miss Moonstar would drop him a line next year on his birthday, but he wasn't going to hold his breath on that. Which of the options she offered was going to be the least taxing on her? “Yeah, phone might be cool,” Ros said leaning back in his seat and hooking his thumbs on the lip of the table. He was focusing very hard on trying to keep his own feelings on the matter in check. This wasn't the first time he'd been ditched before, he doubted it would be the last. If he couldn't keep his cool that green energy was going to show up.

“You excited?” Ros asked, picking back up his burger. His questions that he had for Miss Moonstar before was now unimportant. Keep the conversation light and focused on her. After all, wasn't it always good manners to be encouraging of new career opportunities for people?
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Mirage
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“Of course I’m excited I’m just really...sad and happy which seems sort of like an oxymoron, but you know, humans emotions, all that complicated stuff.” She looked at a french fry with interest and took one bite as she tried to explain with clarity what exactly she was experiencing. “It’s good for me, but at the same time I will be losing a lot of good people. Not permanently, but they won’t be around the corner. And when people are a major part of your life and you leave them, it can be hard. Scary, but the thing is I’ve left before and we are still family. At least this time it’s only New York City.”

She hated the thought of leaving Rahne again and Piotr and how was she to properly tease Proudstar? These were questions that had obvious answers too. Maybe she was replaceable and usually such thoughts didn’t bother her, but it did make her worry that people wouldn’t understand this time. They understood why she left the first time, but the second time maybe would try the patience of a few of her friends. She felt certain Rahne would be there through thick and thin, but what about those other friendships which were held together lightly by a thin string of hope? One tug would cause it to break. It would take more energy on her part to keep in contact with them.

“It’ll be good in the end. I mean you’re taking it well, so that has to be a good sign, right?” Dani moved a strand of hair behind her ear and looked on at Ros. If he could stay strong, she really didn’t have a right to be overly emotional and explain why it hurt to leave, but how it was the right move for her. She needed to be the adult and keep an upbeat attitude about everything.

“Scott probably won’t let you do an overnight trip, but you could definitely visit one weekend and maybe during the summer we can plan a weekend trip, provided it’s cool with Mr. Summers,” ugh, she just called him Scott, didn’t she? “And if your family is okay with it. Maybe I can ask Piotr or Proudstar to accompany you, because you know optics. Male teen staying alone with older female doesn’t look good, no matter how innocent it is. That way you can get you know crucial male bonding. Oh there’s also Starsmore too. Which of the adult males do you talk to the most, Ros?”

Now that she was leaving him, she knew he could always contact her, but she needed to start putting out feelers to see who he could reach out to in an emergency in case he needed immediate support. Any X-Men there were capable of the job, but the truth was kids would pick out the adults they could relate to the most. One person’s mentor was another person’s nightmare. She thought bringing up just three names was a good start so not to overwhelm him. Plus, she didn’t want him to be silly and believe she was trying to get rid of him or something.

Emo kids, really.

Gosh, she loved that word emo. And hipster. She needed to use those words more often in conversation with Ros, because no one else could truly appreciate the teen banter and hip words, like a teen. Plus, Piotr and Proudstar would just tease her relentlessly and with good reason. She’s bringing it really didn’t mean the same thing to adults as it meant to kids. She couldn’t help it. Teenspeak amused her way too much, which was why beneath all that bravado, Dani was simply a kid at heart.

“Anyone in particular you want to get to know better at the school? We can make this happen. And if it’s Piotr I can force him to get an Instagram account today. That’s how serious I am.”
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Pyrrhic
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His attention was focused heavily on the process of eating his burger. It was easier to act as if he didn't care at all about this when he didn't have to do anything other than make sure he didn't choke. She was excited about it, though a little bit anxious. When Miss Moonstar mentioned having to leave home he just raised an eyebrow in mock disbelief. Leaving home to go to a new experience? How on earth would I know what that's like? Other than that brief moment Ros did not react much to her feelings of no longer being at a place you know well with people that you love. It was a common occurrence with many of the students at the school.

He did sigh when Miss Moonstar tried to justify her being able to leave with how he was taking this news. It would give the impression that had he made a fuss she would have reconsidered. "How I feel is irrelevant. You said that this move is already in the works, that it's inevitable. I learned long ago that when an adult has made their mind up about something, it does me no good to go against them. If I tried it with you heaven knows what kind of disaster you'll give me. Dictatorship relationship remember?"

The words themselves would have been a lot harsher if he had not said them while trying to keep some ketchup from sliding down his wrist and onto his arm. It was one of those moments when he didn't really separate his inside thoughts from his outside ones, but not nearly as confusing as it could have been. Not wishing to be rude, Ros grabbed a fry and used that to get the runaway ketchup. Arm freed of the creeping tomato based paste he was able to enjoy the liberation with the fry that had been so instrumental in it.

"Forget about Mr. Summers letting me come to New York. I doubt he'll do me any favors, I tend to not pay attention to him," Ros said, looking genuinely sheepish about that. He was the kid that was always a good student, listened to what the teachers said, was respectful of them. Hel his mom was a teacher and he had a better perspective on what it meant to be an educator than most of his friends did because of it. But Mr. Summer's had a personality that just did not mesh well with Ros's, and the man's class was intimidating.

He tried thinking about what male figure there was who could be the replacement mentor that Dani was trying to pass him off to. Again the headmaster was out of the question. The problem was that the ones he had met so far had nothing power wise that would help him with his questions about his own powers. "Dallas I guess is the one I talk to most. Or I should say he talks a lot and I just sort of sit there, wondering if I'll ever get to eating my sandwich. He's pretty nice. Who's Piotr and what's instagram?"
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Mirage
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Well, that was another fan of Summers right there, she thought to herself. Poor Scott didn’t have a huge fan club. Logan was clearly irritated by him and sometimes some of the kids thought he was an unnecessary hard ass. He was just made that way. That probably required another lengthy meeting to convince Ros he wasn’t so bad. Sure, even she wanted to roll her eyes over how stringent Scott could be, but he meant well and that’s what mattered the most.

“Grasshopper, how do you not know what Instagram is? Or Mr. Rasputin? Hmm, I should have probably called Piotr, Mr. Rasputin from the beginning. Okay, so you think Dallas talks too much, so not a good choice for you. Mr. Rasputin can be quiet. Well, I’ll have all of them talk to you, see which one you clique with but,” and then she grabbed Ros’ phone and was able to swipe in, right before the phone locked and downloaded Instagram on his phone. She held the phone up and took a photo of him with his mouth open and full of food and then wrote the caption:

Ready for Big Love

She slid the phone back to him and just behaved as if though none of that just occurred.

“Well, we should have another important conversation. Throwback 80s style, Salt N Pepa. Let’s talk about sex.” She took another bite of her cheeseburger without the slightest hesitation. “I would have saved this conversation for later, but since I’m leaving we need to get straight to the point. Are you doing it and if so, do I need to punch you, because if it’s not safe sex you’re an idiot. However if you’re not having sex, even better. Hopefully you won’t have any sex until you’re 21.” She began to eat her food again, ignoring any possible uncomfortable behavior from Ros. “Oh and you’re welcome.” The she stopped, holding a french fry in the air and amended her answer slightly, “And remember, herpes is forever.”

It felt important to have these conversations with Ros. She remembered when she was younger and then Roberto decided to talk about sex and that was pretty darn traumatizing. Plus her parents told her point blank if she ever got pregnant, she could forget about staying at the house. Life would be over for Dani. Now Ros, being this was a patriarchal society, probably wasn’t afraid of pregnancy. Herpes, however, scared all men. She was pretty sure Roberto ranted about that once and how his sex life would be over should he ever contract it. Because if something scared Roberto, clearly it would scare other sexually active men.

Man, why were teens even having sex? Ros was too young. He should at least get a girlfriend first or something. Couldn’t she just terrorize him to the point that he decides to wait until marriage?

“So tell me, do we need to discuss this further? I’m a very good listener. And I’m open minded, so if you already, you know did it, I won’t judge you. Unless it wasn’t safe, then I’ll punch you and then be supportive.”
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Pyrrhic
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Had he anticipated that she was going to do anything with his phone Ros probably still wouldn't have made a move for it to keep it safe. Sure his phone was what you would call a smart phone, but Ros was a dumb user. He used it to make calls and to check the time mostly. In any case his hands were occupied with his food, so he wasn't able to do anything about it. When she slid it back towards him he looked at her confused. Miss Moonstar knew how to handle his phone better than he did. "What did you do?" he asked, remembering again why his mentor was frightening. You could never know for sure what she had up her sleeve.

Having a last name helped. It was easier to put a last name to a face if you are a student. He wasn't sure what Dallas's last name was though. Maybe that was his last name. Dallas provided some comfort when he was still trying to adjust to his new surroundings, but Ros would have to admit that it would be nice to have someone that would listen to him instead of just talking to him. Maybe Mr. Rasputin would be a good choice for him to get to know. Miss Moonstar wasn't all that much for listening either.

And when she spoke, it could bring about disastrous results. At first he thought that she was just going to talk about the same usual things that any adult in a scholastic environment. Make sure to do your homework, make plans for your future, stay in school. That sort of thing. What he would have never guessed was that she would bring up the subject of sex. That was the kind of thing that you expect your parents to sneak up on you with. He was understandably shocked when she started asking if he was getting any, then going on to tell him that he should wait and at that point his brain kind of stopped working right. He began choking on his burger.

When air returned to his lungs, followed by a big swig of his soda Ros managed to let out a squeaky "What?!", his voice cracking halfway through. His ears started burning, turning a brilliant scarlet hue. "Miss Moonstar, I just turned seventeen, and only a few months ago I found out the hard way that I make my own energy that gets paid for with Advil and codine. Before that I had to deal with the end of the world. Sex is so not on the table. No, we do not need to discuss this further. We didn't need to discus it this far."
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Mirage
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As Ros squirmed and proclaimed they had no reason to discuss safe sex, Dani felt a bit of relief. She really didn’t want to go condom shopping with him, but had he needed it he would have helped her. Man, imagine if Ros was a girl, then she’d need to help him get birth control. Though this was a new day and age. Maybe there was male birth control he could take.

“Alright, so if you ever need male birth control or need to know about condom brands you know where to go. We can easily look up that stuff online you know.” When she took a sip of her soda she looked around the place, quite delighted in her choice of venue as this was the perfect place to bond, she thought. “Well, now that we got the all important sex talk out of the way, do I need to know anything else? Probably not huh?”

She began to eat again looking at Ros suspiciously, wondering why he had that wounded look again as if though she stepped on his gerbil. Teenagers. Why were they so difficult to crack? As she savored her hamburger, Dani thought about how to keep in contact with him. He wouldn’t have easy access to her anymore, but it was still possible. They could text, maybe chat, oh and there was Skype.

“Do you Skype?” She said after swallowing a large piece of burger. It was time to pour unhealthy amounts of ketchup and pepper on her french fries. “We could do that on certain days. It would be cool. Doug, uh, Mr. Ramsey taught me all about Skype. We can have Skype dates. Kinda cool, eh?” She took a bit of a french fry and another long sip from the soda, knowing she’d have to exercise to make up for this mass consumption of calories. Oh, but eating was so much fun. Sometimes being bad was so much easier than being good.

“You also gotta promise me to start lifting weights, so we can fix those bony arms of yours. You look like a stick bug. And they’re cute and all, but I need you ready for the real world. What if some kid wanted to fight you? I can’t have you knocked out after one punch.” The she stopped and leaned in. “You don’t know how to punch, huh?” She said in a low whisper full of shame. “Don’t worry, I can teach you.”
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Pyrrhic
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"I thought we didn't need to discuss this further," Ros said, wishing very much to be able to melt into the cushioned diner booth. It was bad enough when Miss Moonstar was asking him about his sexual activity, which was none existence, but now she was just making things worse by offering to help him go get contraceptives. As much as Ros loved his parents he didn't think he'd be telling them if he was getting any. That was something personal and intimate and best discussed only between the people who were doing the deed. His mentor did not need to know any of the details. "If I'm mature enough to have sex then I'm mature enough to make sure I do it safely. On. My. Own."

Point hopefully made Ros tried to focus back on his meal and put the whole awkward conversation behind him. Not that you could really call it, or any moment between him and Miss Moonstar a conversation. It was always more of he listened while she blathered on. Usually she was giving him one part lecture, one part bad advice. The problem was figuring out what parts of the lecture were actually worth holding on to. With this incredibly unsettling 'talk' it was possible that she was trying to tell him that she was concerned about his well being. Either that or she was worried about any girl that he might find attractive.

Ros winced though when Miss Moonstar brought back the subject of keeping in touch, mostly because of her choice of words. Skype was a possibility but the way that she suggested it was just one more nail in the coffin for Ros's dignity. "Could you please not use the word 'date'?"

It was time again for eating his meal, and the burger really was too good to just let sit there. Not only that but Ros was really hungry. It was like everything that went into his stomach only filled him for a brief period of time. He wondered if he would be able to get some kind of dessert. He certainly had room in his stomach for it. The silence while they ate would have been comfortable if not for the worry that Miss Moonstar would come out with some new way to embarrass him. His mentor's newest focus? His arms.

"They work just fine for me," Ros said looking at them. He might not be ripped but that didn't mean that he was a weakling. Truck days for his dad's store meant having to haul heavy boxes of books around. The question about if he knew how to fight was brought up. To this Ros could only gesture pointlessly and stare at her. Did he look like he was the kind of person who would get into fights? Everyone who spent time with him learned rather quickly that he was a bibliophile. "Miss Moonstar are you serious? That's what got me into this mess in the first place. I don't fight."
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