Fast Times at Mutant High

[Ghost]

"Laaa-ah-aaah! Ooh la la la la la laaa!"

The voice hung ominously in the bleak January air. Night fell fast and the sprawling grounds of Dr. Cullen's Institute for the Gifted were lit softly by quaint, wrought-iron streetlamps. Warm glows from student's rooms spilled out onto the gravel driveway and freshly cut lawns. It was the first night of term and everyone was settling in.

"Aah-ah-aaah-ah-aaah! Ooh la la la la la laaa!"

The singing continued, faint and eerie. It moved through the trees, and across a basketball court until it disappeared around the east side of the building. This was the girl's wing, and it still being fifteen minutes from lights-out, they were all in full voice; laughing, singing, and gossiping. Chris appeared in the corridor with a sound akin to a bubble surfacing in a pool of tar.

"I predict a riot! I predict a riot!"

He sang irregardless of the squealing girls running indoors, and bobbed merrily, carrying a hefty brown paper bag brimming with goods. The teachers had been called to another one of their "emergency staff meetings" so patrolling professors were scarce.

"I predict a riot! I predict a riot!"

He turned off the main corridor and stolled the length of a narrower hallway, decked with framed paintings and fancy lighting. This was the hall for seniors and this was were the magic was to happen.

"And if there's anybody left in heeere that doesn't want to be out theeere..."

He skidded to a halt on the polished floor and stood before a large, beautifully crafted, wooden door. He booted it and waited.

[Jacinda Blake]

"Suddenly there came a tapping!" She arose from the cozy confines of the beanbag, to answer the door, knowing full well who it was.

As she approached the door, blonde ponytail swinging, she recited loudly. "As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door!"

Just at the door now, she stopped short and pretended she wouldn't open it, after all. "'Tis some visitor, tapping at my chamber door!" In the end, she took pity, but only because he had promised to find her snickerdoodles.

She opened the door with a smirk. "Only Chris, and nothing more. Hey you, get in here.." Fingers, topped with sparkly, blue polish reached out into the hall and grabbed the waiting visitor, by his shoulder, tugging him inside the room before he was spotted.

Jacinda was far more relaxed this semester, thanks largely in part to the circle of friends she kept, this one included. As soon as the door was shut she helped him with the bag, pointed to his nose and muttered. "Goo."

Then turned without further explanation, like it was a common occurance and scuttled off with the junk food loot..

[Ghost]

"It's not goo. It's snot."

As Jacinda gave her trademark "Eww!", Chris wiped a glob of translucent slime off his nose and disappeared into the bathroom. He heard her unpacking while he washed his hands and checked his face in the mirror. His reflection flashed him a toothy smile and he turned to leave. He didn't get very far because the pink mat came away from under his feet and he crashed into the bath with a resounding clang.

"Ahh!" he groaned, and staring up at his feet suspended aloft, said, "Bugger me with a... toilet brush! Does that fluffy mat of yours have a life of it's own or something?"

[Carlos Calaveras]

A familiar face appeared in the doorway. “Hola, Casper - que pasa?”

Carlos was grinning. He offered a helping hand and after a moment of hesitation, knowing full well what those hands were prone to do, Chris accepted. Carlos slapped him on the back, pushing the taller boy back out into the dorm, where Jacinda was unpacking the snacks for the evening.

Spotting something he liked the look of, Carlos reached over Jacinda's shoulder and picked out a bag of popcorn. A moment after the packet touched his hands there was a pop! and the bag began to inflate, a tantalizing buttery smell filling the air. Jacinda eyed him accusingly.

“What? I'm hungry!”

[Jacinda Blake]

"Hey! No making fun of the the fluffy pink rug.."

She was almost concerned. Almost, but it sounded like there would be survivors from the calamity of the somewhat girly bathroom.

Jacinda started randomly dumping snacks into bowls, figuring that taking the lot with them would cut down on trips for refills. Besides, they all had the same cooties in this bunch.

She just shook her head at Carlos. "You're always hungry."

She continued on, digging through the bag until.. "Oooooh yes! There you are.."

She pulled out a tupperware container, still warm from the contents within having recently been on a cookiesheet. Pulling back the lid she closed her eyes, inhaling the cinamon-dusted nirvana of the snickerdoodles.

Grabbing a roll of papertowels, figuring it was the best she could hope for tonight, she balanced a bunch of bowls together. "So what are we watching anyways..?" She started making trips, back and forth with the snack bowls, making everything just so.

[Anja Drake]

The noise in the coming from one of the rooms down the hall all but didn’t catch Anja’s attention. It was extremely hard not to, they weren’t obnoxious but just loud enough to distract Anja from her book. It had been a year since she first started at the Cullen’s Institute; and as far as she was concerned she was getting around and along just fine.
<o></o>
The Braille version of Gone with the Wind was extremely enticing to the Italieness. However…
<o></o>
Curiosity got the best of her and she proceeded to put the classic on her bedside table. , Grabbing a hair band and sweatshirt, she maneuvered her way to the door and out into the narrow hallway with well practiced precision. As far as sight went, Anja couldn’t distinguish one door from the other, so she relied on her hearing. With that she followed the voices down the hall and to a room no more than six rooms down from her own.
<o></o>
Not knowing who the voices belonged to didn’t stop Anja from giving a slight knock on the wooden door before grasping the door handle and pushing it open slightly. She found the auras from the room very unique and different from one another; although, they were only vaguely familiar to her, meaning she barely interacted with these students before.
<o></o>
“Uh, hi.” Anja spoke shyly in her unique accent as a slight twinge of pinkness came to her cheeks. “I heard noises from down the hall and I, uh, sort of came to investigate.”

[Ghost]

"So what are we watching anyways..?"

"Well, about that..." he began, but words failed him as an attractive girl appeared in the doorway.

"Oi oi!" Chris greeted her, "Investigate away. We've got nothing to hide."

He stole a handful of popcorn from Carlos and munched eagerly on it. He didn't wait to swallow before he started talking again.

"You're Anja, aren't you? Well, Anja, I hope you like food that's bad for you."

[Carlos Calaveras]

Carlos watched with a smirk as Chris tried to talk through a mouthful of popcorn. “Slow down, amigo. You'll choke.”

He tossed a piece of popcorn into the air, caught it in his mouth and flashed a triumphant grin.

“You wanna join us, Anj'? We got half the Hammer Horror collection on DVD.”

[Batdude]

Thud!

...skitter skitter...

Suddenly, a spectacled face descended from above in the window. A decidedly bat-like face. Hands with leathery wing-flaps extending from the little fingers lowered from above, holding a bag of cheetos and a twelve pack of Cheerwine.

"Greetings from upstate, shut-ins! Brought some discount party favors."

[Jacinda Blake]

"Well, about that..." he began, but words failed him as an attractive girl appeared in the doorway.
He'd been about to say something, Jacinda was sure of it, but she was equally distracted by their guest.

"Oh hey, Anja! I'm sorry! Were we being loud already?!" Jacinda, popped around the corner. She knew Anja from classes only, but this was a good opportunity to change that.

"We've got equal amounts of sugar and salt overload. If you tell me what sounds good I'll pass it your way and yeah.." She grinned. "It's scarey movie night.. So watch out for Chris.."

Jacinda passed Carlos again on her next trip by. She tried to steal a handful of popcorn, but wound up chasing the little paper bag around, as he kept it just out of her reach. She gave up, sticking her tongue out, and grabbed a little six-pack of colas. The next piece he tossed into the air though, she claimed. With a little gust of wind, she floated the popped kernel off course, and into her mouth as she walked by.

She turned as she passed and grinned, munching happily.

Jacinda actually jumped when Marty appeared. That was not a good sign. The lights weren't even off yet, and already she was spooking. Feeling stupid she crossed over and opened the window, letting the poor guy in. He had brought Cheerwine after all.

"Hey you... Your offering to the junk food Gods has been found worthy.. enter and stuff your face."

[Anja Drake]

"You're Anja, aren't you? Well, Anja, I hope you like food that's bad for you."
Anja faltered in the doorway for a moment before stepping all the way into the room. She had smile on her face brighter than one could imagine.
<o></o>
“Of course!” The smell emanating from the room was magnificent. Anja still was hesitant about being around other students, though, having no sight would do that. “The greasier the better.”
<o></o>

"Oh hey, Anja! I'm sorry! Were we being loud already?! "We've got equal amounts of sugar and salt overload. If you tell me what sounds good I'll pass it your way and yeah. . .She grinned. "It's scarey movie night.. So watch out for Chris.." <o></o>
<o></o>
She addressed Jacinda. “No, no you weren’t terribly loud at all. I’m just a little sensitive.”
<o></o>
Anja reached out with her hand and found the back of a small couch; trailing her fingertips lightly across the sofas back, she found the edge and walked around it. “Oh, anything would be great.”
<o></o>
She made a quick check before she plopped down, afterall, she didn’t want to sit on someone by accident.
<o></o>

“You wanna join us, Anj'? We got half the Hammer Horror collection on DVD.”
She had been a bit distracted by Marty’s entrance and went on with treating the new member with a grin. Who knew that this was going to be so much fun?
<o></o>
“I’m sorry but…” Anja turned her attention toward Carlos and hesitated before speaking. “What is Hammer Horror?"

[Ghost]

"Alright Marty," he said, once Batdude had come in through the window. He relieved him of the cheetos and drinks. "Good man."

He emptied the cheetos into a bowl and helped Jacinda with the rest of the food. When they were together at the table, he took her to one side and spoke quietly.

"You know the way this was supposed to be a quiet get-together for a few of us..."

She gave him an incredulous snort and looked around the room. He understood her meaning but continued.

"Well, you might want to expect... more," he said, and cringed.

[Maxine Flannery]

:: The words Hammer and Horror caught Max's ears as she meandered down the hall, and she wore an elfin grin as she poked her head in the open door ::

"It's great to know the younger generation still appreciates high culture. :D Do you have Captain Kronos?"

[Carlos Calaveras]

Marty's arrival was more than welcome. A horror flick night wouldn't be complete without the bat himself. Carlos snapped off a can of Cheerwine from the pack. He opened it with a hiss, foam – predictably – spilling out all over his hands. He sucked his fingertips clean and gave Anja a disbelieving look.

“You don't know Hammer Horror? Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy?”

Carlos struck a pose, arms outstretched and eyes rolled back in his best zombie impression, and lumbered towards Jacinda with a campy groan.


"It's great to know the younger generation still appreciates high culture. :D Do you have Captain Kronos?"

Maybe it was the sugar kicking it, but the appearance of Professor Flannery didn't seem to distract Carlos from channeling the undead and wrestling Jacinda into a bear-hug from behind.

“Kronos? I got that and the whole Karnstein Trilogy... crazy day-walking vamps.”

[Jacinda Blake]

She gasped, pulling Chris further away from the rest of the students. "How many more..? It's not like we're going to be able to keep this quiet because we already...."

Jacinda started to ramble, feeling something like panic. Chris was cringing and almost looked sorry, that had to be bad. She peeked back out and was going to nod at Anja, but immediately realized she couldn't and called out that she'd bring her a plate.

Then Professor Flannery walked in. Jacinda paled.

"Chris... You better run.." She turned to swat him, but was distracted by an inhuman rumble.

She squealed and ran at Professor Flannery like she was some sort of neutral safe-base free-zone where monsters could not enter, but she was still caught from behind. Wiggling free from Carlos with a laugh she, gave the cool teacher on campus an apologetic smile.

"It was just supposed to be movies.. I swear."

[Maxine Flannery]

"The Karnstein Trilogy???"

:: Maxine's face took on a naughty grin ::

"It's a good thing I'm here, John would shut this party down." :p

:: She doubled, and sent her dupe on a mass pizza run ::

[Ghost]

"Alright, Max!" Chris called out, and gave the professor the thumbs-up.

He snatched the bowl of cheetos from the table, grabbed two bottles of pop, and joined Anja on the couch.

"It's about to get crowded in here. Best grab a seat while I can. Cheetos?"

He opened a bottle and handed it to her.

[Anja Drake]

“I don’t watch TV much.” She smiled weakly and half heartedly gestured to her eyes. Carlos must have though she was strange. “They don’t have many Braille versions of classic horror available and my finger reading takes too much effort.”
<o></o>
A true, hearty laugh escaped her as she observed Carlos’ awkward movements when he impersonated a zombie. Of course she had heard about the tales of the monstrous Frankenstein, the bloodthirsty Count Dracula, and the vengeful Mummy, though she had never been aware of the term Hammer Horror….she felt very out of the loop. She had never seen a horror flick, her mother had kept her from such things.
<o></o>
She smiled and called a ‘thank you’ when Jacinda hollered that she would bring her a plate. When Professor Flannery came in, Anja gave her a slight wave and greeted her with a grin.
<o></o>
Anja’s senses were a little slow from all the action that she only realized that Chris was next to her when she felt the couch cushions move slightly under her.
<o></o>

"It's about to get crowded in here. Best grab a seat while I can. Cheetos?" <o>

</o> “Thanks, Chris.” He handed her a drink and she took it with calculated care before she scooted closer for better access to the bowl.

[Batdude]

"You know the way this was supposed to be a quiet get-together for a few of us..."

Marty gave Chris a funny look and pointed up to his oversized ears.

"Guys I could hear you practically from Jersey. There's a reason why I keep foam in my dorm."

He snagged a drink and gravitated toward a position very near the TV. Even then, he squinted, his eyesight not his best asset.

"As retro as this is, you gotta find the irony in a bunch of muties settling in to watch classic horror."

Echolocating the cheetos, Marty fished a few from the nearby bowl as he watched.

"Horror is a manifestation of our more realistic biases. We can look at this objectively, but way back when, this was escapism for people who were uncomfortable with commies, buttsex, or black people or whatever. It's pretty disturbing when you think about what the genre's subconcious originally was. It's all kitsch nowadays, but you've gotta watch out for that occasional guy that takes it seriously."

[Carlos Calaveras]

Marty's analysis of their viewing for the evening was a little too much for Carlos, who had been successfully flunked psychology for the past year. Instead of joining in the intellectual debate, he pulled up one of the rooms giant beanbag chairs and flopped down in front of the TV. He strained to look back over his shoulder at Chris, who seemed to be getting on well with Anja.

“Hey Casper, we waiting on anyone else?”

[Ghost]

"Horror is a manifestation of our more realistic biases. We can look at this objectively, but way back when, this was escapism for people who were uncomfortable with commies, buttsex, or black people or whatever. It's pretty disturbing when you think about what the genre's subconcious originally was. It's all kitsch nowadays, but you've gotta watch out for that occasional guy that takes it seriously."

"Wait, so are you saying you do want to have buttsex with a black commie or you don't?"

To answer Carlos's question, he simply shrugged, and nodded at Jacinda with a frightful look on his face. He leaned back on the couch, getting comfortable next to Anja, and looked at her.

"You're not missing out on much with these films. Just cheap make-up and dodgy special effects. You will be able to enjoy the rubbish acting though."

The bowl was in his lap when she delved in for a handful. He smirked.

"So, Anja... do you scare easily?"

[Jacinda Blake]

Jacinda carried a plate of cookies over too the couch, figuring that Anja would smell them coming, at the very least. Just in case, not wanting to startle her, Jacinda announced that she was right behind her, before setting a hand on Anja's shoulder and bringing the plate around to her reach.

"Here you go, Anja. These are 'The Best'. The rest of the snacks are on the table in front of you, just ask Chris if you aren't sure what sounds good."

To Chris, she just smirked. "If you are asking me to choose between The Wolfman, Frankenstein's creature and Dracula, I'm afraid my answer must always be Dracula."

She grinned and scuttled off to put the movie on, muttering "...that man's the right kind of creepy."

Once it started playing, she got cozy on the floor, laying on her stomach with a pillow under her folded arms.

[Anja Drake]

She finished licking the excess cheese powder of her fingers when Jacinda came around with the cookies.

"Grazie, Jacinda. I'll devour them momentarily." Anja chuckled, taking the plate from Jacinda and patted the hand that was on the her shoulder.

The rest of the group was getting ready for Jacinda to start the movie and Anja put the plate down for a second, she slipped her sweatshirt over her head before settling into the cushions and picking up the plate again. The sound of the TV indicated that it was time to start.


"So, Anja... do you scare easily?"
Anja flashed a smile a Chris as she answered his question. "Hmm, I suppose it depends on the situation." She whispered, not wanting to disturb the others. "And how much I'm actually paying attention. What about you?"

Secretly, the biggest thing she was afraid of was...herself.

[Damien E. Dervish]

With another thud and a grunt, the fourty-five pound, devilish looking mutant hauled the two five pound buckets of ice cream up on the final step. With the added weight of the two liter of Vault on his back, along with the sprinkles, whipped cream, chocolate syurp, strawberry syurp, Double-Stuf Oreos, and bag of cherry Twisslers Pull and Peel, Damien was carrying at least half, if not more, of his body weight in unhealthy foods. Wonderful stuff.

After about another two minutes of hauling the goods, Damien finally found the dorm room where the festivities would be going on. Perhaps a bit younger than most at the party, Damien heard about it eavesdropping while hanging upside down, toying with the security cameras....again. This time, it was to fix the bypass loop that he fed into it, playing a Family Guy marathon. Thank God that punishment was over with.... Once at the door, Damien, with a grunt, eased one of the buckets of neopolitan ice cream to the floor, and knocked on it rapidly.

[Carlos Calaveras]

There was a knock at the door. Carlos glanced around the room and got the impression that everyone was avoiding making eye-contact – no one wanted to give up their seat to let the late arrival in. Carlos sighed and climbed to his feet. Whoever was outside was hammering at the door.

“Alright! I'm coming!”

His hand was just on the doorknob when a poof sounded behind him. Carlos whirled around and saw that in the space he had formerly occupied, on the big beanbag, was sitting a girl with dark hair and a Cheshire grin on her face. She had teleported inside.

“Oh, clever... nice.” :|

About to go in search of another seat, Carlos paused when he heard a softer knocking. He edged the door open and smiled at who was waiting outside.

“Hola, little devil. You got here just in time. Pull up a, uh, cushion?” he laughed, and closed the door behind Damian.

[Jacinda Blake]

Jacinda waved at Damien from her spot on the floor. "Hey Damien, we just started watching, you haven't missed anything."

She watched Carlos picking his way around the room in search of a roost, equal in coziness to the one he had lost, but not having much luck. She rolled onto her side and gave him an amused look, until she caught his eyes. Then scooted over and patted her cushion, offering to share.

[Carlos Calaveras]

Carlos gave a 'what would I do without you?' grin and set about getting settled into his new spot, nudging Jacinda to move over a little further. In truth, he didn't even need the space. It just made him grin to see her reaction.

[Ghost]

For a moment, Chris had been so distracted by her smile and by building up euphamisms around her statement regarding how much she was paying attention that he didn't realise he'd been asked a question. He lost the dreamy look in his eyes and became flustered.

"Erm... well, I think... yeah... what did I say?" he mumbled, then loudly sputtered, "Oh, yeah!"

He was hushed by a ginger-haired boy who'd recently fell through the ceiling and sat cross-legged on the floor near the television. He leaned in close and whispered.

"I don't get scared but... if you get scared, I'm here. I mean, if you need to get out and go for a walk or something. Not that I don't want to go for a walk or anything it's just I've seen this film before so I- you want a cheeto?"

[Veritas]

please delete this post

[Batdude]

"Wait, so are you saying you do want to have buttsex with a black commie or you don't?"

"Haha, no need to fly all the way to Transylvania, you can get that in Newark, Broseph!"

The entire dorm had become a diabetic hell, and Marty helped himself to the community pool of sweets.

"I mean obviously Vlad Dracula has Romanian folk roots and there is a good story in there, but we're not Romanian peasants, so the story gets changed. All of these stories really got their start right around the rise of communist Russia and Dracula as we know him in early cinema is a personification of the old world wanting to suck the blood of capitalism and wealth out of our so-called chaste white anglo-saxon protestant women.

I won't even start on King Kong, that one is too obvious."

Marty suddenly realized that nobody was actually listening to him and he sort of mumbled off.

"Oh, heh, and watch the wire harness slip here, it's hilarious."

[Anja Drake]

"Erm... well, I think... yeah... what did I say?" he mumbled, then loudly sputtered, "Oh, yeah!"

There was really no doubt that Anja would have burst out laughing if they hadn’t already started the movie. Chris just seemed so…flustered? She couldn’t see his expression, so she naturally assumed that he had been a bit distracted by the movie. Her body racked silently with laughter.
<o></o>

"I don't get scared but... if you get scared, I'm here. I mean, if you need to get out and go for a walk or something. Not that I don't want to go for a walk or anything it's just I've seen this film before so I- you want a cheeto?" <o>

</o> Her giggle fit stop abruptly. “You’re not afraid of anything?”
<o></o>
She was thinking cleverly inward, he was scared of something…he had to be. She grinned like a cat at him and poked him playfully in the shoulder. “Well…if I could listen to the movie then maybe I’ll get scared…”

[Damien E. Dervish]

amien smiled, a flash of sharp, gleaming white fangs and incizors at Carlos.

"Gladly. I brought ice cream, among other sweets that could probably kill us with their sugary-goodness!"

As Jacinda finished speaking, Damien looked over at her from the entrance.

"Good! I love the Hammer Horror series!"

For a being of his stature, Damien would have some difficulty getting the ice cream stored away, but this didn't dissuade him a bit. Damien slowly carried the ice cream to the freezer, and with some effort, managed to get both buckets into it. The chill in the air rose slightly as he managed to push the door shut. He rummaged through the remainder of his sack of snacks and found exactly what he was looking for: his extra-large can of Slim Jims. Pulling a can of Vault from a corresponding bag, Damien took off with a slight flap of his wings, landing on the back of the couch, giving his best performance, pretending to be a vampire.

"I vant to suck your blood! One! Ah-ah-ah-ah! Two! Ah-ah....whoa!"



Damien, strangely for his normally graceful self, lost his balance, and fell off of the back of the couch. His landing was unceremonious, leaving Damien in an awkward position behind the spacious couch. Damien muttered curses as he climbed and fluttered his way onto the couch. With a pout on his face, Damien reaquired his seat on the top, gathering his goods.

After a few taps on his soda top, deft black claws popped it open with ease. The hiss of carbonation was drowned out by the scream of a damsel in distress. Damien's little trick diffused the foam that would've probably spewed everywhere. But his other act of the clowny vampire had instead made him look more ridiculous than normal. Grumbling, Damien snapped open the can, tore open the wrappers, and began eating on two Slim Jims at a time, while holding the can with his tail. Sometimes it came in handy, that tail did....

As Marty mentioned the harness slip, Damien looked over at his batlike countenance.

"Didn't the actor break his legs or something when the stunt went bad?"

[Jacinda Blake]

Scrunching up her face at being rolled off her own pillow, Jacinda shoved her way back, despite the fact the it placed her extremely close to Carlos. She didn't seem to mind, reaching over and grabbing a wobbling pile of Twizzlers from a bowl.

She whacked him with one, by way of an offering.

[Ghost]

“Well…if I could listen to the movie then maybe I’ll get scared…”

"Oh!" he said, there was mischief in his eyes, "Let's get scared then."

The teleporter was at the table full of snacks, he called her over, and with a poof, there she was, holding a large bowl of popcorn. He took two mighty handfuls and sent her on her way. He settled back into the couch and gave Anja half of his popcorn horde. Behind them, Damien crashed to the floor. Chris cheered.

"Nice one, Carlos!" he said, and threw a piece of popcorn at his head, "That's two down, only another... seven more to go. You can do it!"

He brushed off some crumbs Damien had dropped and pretended to turn his attention to the film, his eyes frequently glancing back at Anja.

[Anja Drake]

She gathered the popcorn Chris gave her in her hands and gently used her pinky to trace the couch cushion to find her plate that she left there.

It was hard, to say the least, to concentrate of the movie. With all the new arrivals and motion going on it was extremely difficult to focus her attention on the dialogue and sound coming from the televsion. Centering her senses on one thing was relatively hard, since her "vision" picked up so much around her.

Anja smiled to herself as she all of a sudden remembered her journey with Artisn to the New York. Focusing in the city was harder than centralizing her thoughts in this small room, but yet, they rivaled eachother.

The smile faded, she took a cookie that Jacinda had requested and a few kernels of popcorn. A scream came from a distress women in the film; it caused her to grin again and she secretly wondered if Chris was watching her to see if she jumped.

Taking a deep breath, she moved her hazey eyes to flickered to the TV set and this time successfully focused on what was going on in the movie.

[Batdude]

"I dunno" Marty replied to Damien's question about the film.

"I zone out on easter eggs and special features and they pointed out all the wire gaffes. I guess it wasn't quite Ang Lee stuff yet."

Marty found himself watching Jacinda more than he was watching the movie, but having nothing to really say, he generally played the wallflower.

[Damien E. Dervish]

Damien grinned at Marty.

"Yeah, that happens to me sometimes, as well. Probably the hyperactivity kickin' in or somethin'. As for the Ang Lee stuff, I doubt it. That was some time later, I think in the late eighties, early nineties. Much like good rock music, save for the classics..."

A clawed and black right hand held out a few wrapped Slim Jims, as more filler dialogue spilled from the speakers of the entertainment system.

"Want some?"

[Carlos Calaveras]

Scrunching up her face at being rolled off her own pillow, Jacinda shoved her way back, despite the fact the it placed her extremely close to Carlos. She didn't seem to mind, reaching over and grabbing a wobbling pile of Twizzlers from a bowl.

She whacked him with one, by way of an offering.

Carlos feigned a flinch. “Hey, careful with that... you'll take someones eye out!”

It was a joke, but knowing his luck, anything was possible.

A piece of popcorn, thrown by Chris, bounced against his head – no doubt it was the first of many. He laughed it off.

“Not everything is my fault, you know? You can't keep blaming me forever!”

[Jacinda Blake]

Jacinda grinned fondly at all the bickering. No one was even trying to be quiet really, but it wasn't bothering her.

Snuggling deeper into the cushion, she lay her head on her folded arms, watching the movie, but she listened to the dialogue from behind her. All about where movie screw-ups were and what junk food was the most necessary to have at all times.

She tuned in and out, not really always paying attention to the conversation, as the movie continued.

[Ghost]

“Not everything is my fault, you know? You can't keep blaming me forever!”

"Guilty until proven innocent, my friend. Guilty until- ooh, yes please!"

He took a Slim Jim from Damien and tore the wrapping open with his teeth. His eyes were back on Anja, she stared ahead with a small smile on her lips. He decided to go with the flow and slouched until comfortable so he could enjoy the rest of the film. His plan was to wait until Anja gets so scared she turns to him to provide manly protection. A few minutes later, he was fast asleep with a half-eaten Slim Jim hanging limp in his hands.

[Tess Abrahams]

It was, the girl decided as she wearily trod upstairs, bag slung over her shoulder, altogether a little strange to be back at the Institute. Not the physical act of being there--it was a relief to be in it's familiar halls again, though she wished she'd been able to arrive earlier when it was bustling with activity. It was just that only days before she'd been thousands of miles away in an entirely different world. Re-acclimation was slow in coming.

Why couldn't her parents ever take a normal family vacation? Tess Abrahams would have been content to laze about in Oregon, exploring the woods with her younger brother and father and helping her mother try out new vegan recipes. Instead, Thomas and Genevieve had met her at the airport in a flurry of excitement, announcing their plans to spend the next six months in Serbia. Her father and a group from Human Rights Watch were going to Kosovo on their latest campaign; they thought it was a perfect opportunity for Tess and Felix to expand both their borders and their humanitarianism.

Although she'd been sad to leave them (ultimately she was glad they'd made the trip, how could she not be?) Tess was looking forward to sleeping on a real bed again.

As she shuffled down the corridor to her room--oh it'd be great to see Jacinda again--Tess began to suspect that sleep was not something that was going to be available in the near future. She twisted the doorknob and swung through, suddenly confronted with everyone.

A wide grin split the girl's face, out of place with the blood-curdling scream that blared from the television. Tess hoisted her bag onto her shoulder with a small grunt and gracefully began manouvering through the sea of limbs. "Hey! Well, at least I didn't miss the party entirely!"

[Damien E. Dervish]

As Chris quickly snatched the Slim Jim out of Damien's clawlike hands, Damien looked down. With exaggerated effort, Damien began to count his fingers, pointing to each one individually.

"Okay....that's three, four, five. Hey, I still have all my fingers! I was expectin' stumps to come back....Do they not feed you here? Or does it just go right through you....?"


Damien trailed off, realizing the social bumble as it came right out of his mouth. Damned ADHD.....His head instantly snapped downward, and he only sheepishly looked back up, red orbs gazing uneasily at Chris.

"Damn. I'm sorry, bubba....that..uh, came out wrong...You know, I'm just gonna keep eatin'...."

Damien quickly shovelled several Slim Jims into his little mouth, the sharp teeth making very short work of the processed sticks of meat. His tail came up, and he took a sip of his Vault to wash it all down.

[Carlos Calaveras]

A late-comer to the gathering was picking their way through the minefield of snacks. Carlos was about to protest the interuption when he realized just who it was.

“Contessa! Sit your bendy self down. Where you been?”

[Anja Drake]

After a small plate full of cookies and finishing off the cheetos, Anja felt that she needed to change up her "munchies". She had stopped paying attention to the film about five or so minutes earlier; there was just too many conversations floating around and she couldn't help but eavesdrop....however, it was only a little.

She partially payed attention a conversation about the slightly shady graphics of the older film. But, as if to satisfy her wish for a new kind of treat, Anja overheard something about a...Slim Jim? She shifted on the couch to turn toward Damien; he had been so nice to her after her meltdown at their first year orientation.

"Hey Damein, could I try a...Slim Jim?" She grinned as nearly climbed over Chris in the process of making it easier to pass her the plastic wrapped meat stick. She hesitated however...

It hadn't taken her long to realize that Ghost boy next to her was asleep; she'd noticed that a short while earlier that his breathing had regulated into deep, even breaths...which often indicated a person in slumber. Using her senses, she directed her hand and clumsily felt around for the empty cheetos bowl.

She found it and almost couldn't the beginning of her giggle fit. Composing herself for a second longer, she skillfully placed the bowl upside down on top of Chris' head. He was the new human lamp.

Grinning with triumph at her small prank, she went back to retrieving a Slim Jim from Damein.

[Jacinda Blake]

There was another squeal, this one not so much blood curdling, as girly.

"Tess!" Jacinda grinned, crawling over Carlos demanding he hold her spot for her while she ran to jump on Tess. Gaining her feet, she illustrated how very light she could be when motivated and just ran over everyone in between her and her friend.

[Ghost]

"Heeey!"

Chris cried, jolting upright the moment Jacinda squealed. He held is hand out like he were holding a remote control, aimed for the television and clicked thin air a couple of times. He snapped out of his sleepy stupor and looked around. Jacinda was hugging her roommate, Anja was chewing a Slim Jim, and he had something on his head. He made no sudden movements. Slowly, his hand reached upwards and felt what he realised to be a bowl balanced gingerly on his blonde crown. He grimmaced and took it off, eyeing his friends with suspicion. He cleared his throat and played it cool.

"Have I missed much?" he muttered to Anja.

[Damien E. Dervish]

The black-furred mutant smiled, easily opening a Slim Jim for Anja. He even moved over between her and Chris, at the top of the couch. He slipped the opened Slim Jim into her hand. Best to be considerate and make it as easy as possible on her.

"These are the best!"

Shortly afterward, Chris started awake. Damien leaned down, having repositioned himself between Anja and Chris, to randomly "divvy out" the goods of Slim Jims, cans of Vault, and other goodies. With Anja's mouth currently full of Slim Jim, Damien took the liberty of quickly answering for her.

"Nah, not much at all. Other than more people added to the party, which is typical around here. Well, Tessa did come back. You know, Ms. Bendy? She showed me a few moves to improve my skatin' tricks and stuff. Oh, and the heroine nearly died....again. Same freakin' murderous, hammer-wielding psycho, the usual. Oh, and the bad wire slips."

His mind a blur of random thoughts, Damien pulled a cold glass bottle of Coke from his backpack, popping the top. With his tail, he slowly lowered the bottle to Chris.

"Coke?"

[Maxine Flannery]

:: Max remained quiet, even as her dupe arrived with a dozen large pizzas. The variety ran the gamut from supreme and double pepperoni to chicken fajita and garlic shrimp. There were also boxes of cheesy bread with marina sauce for dipping. Her contribution to the party ::

[Anja Drake]

Anja gave Damien a thumbs up as if thanking him for the Slim Jim and for taking the liberty of answering for her. Her mother had always made a fuss when she had spoken with a full mouth. “Oh mia, Anja! Don’t talk with your mouth full.” she always used to say.
<o></o>
She gladly made room for Damien and simply sank into the couch.
<o></o>
She finished her Slim Jim promptly and as she did, she smelt the pizzas arrive. She crumpled the Slim Jim wrapper in her hand and swallowed the rest that was in her mouth. Carefully, she stood up and braced herself with one hand on the arm of the couch in order to maneuver over a body or two that lay on the on the floor.
<o></o>
She walked over to Max; she was easy to sense and distinguish. Her aura was something like a see through Russian matreshka or like one person’s aura inside another. Anja addressed her with an appreciative smile and thanked her for the pizza.
<o></o>
Finding an unused plate, she loaded it with three slices of three different kinds of pizza; which kind she obviously didn’t know, but the smell suggested mushrooms on one and some sort of meat on the others. She picked her way relatively easily back to her spot on the couch. She placed the plate on the center cushion just underneath the spot Damien was sitting before sitting down herself. She nabbed a random slice before offering the other two to Damien and Chris.
<o></o>
“I didn’t know if you two wanted any, so I just grabbed some just in case.”

[Damien E. Dervish]

Damien looked down, to see Anja offering food. If there were two things he never turned down, it was pretty women and food. And both in the same moment!? Sweet! Damien thought to himself as he slowly reached down for the meat pizza. How did she know he loved the meat pizza?

"I must say, Anja, that ya have some uncanny sense of what a small, imp-like mutant loves! Thankee!"

Once the meat pizza was in his hands, Damien took a large bite, savoring the five different meats on one gooey slice of pizza.

[Tess Abrahams]

Tess returned Jacinda's embrace with equal force, squeeing merrily. Her roommate was her dearest girlfriend, a bond that had been forged by midnight conversations, borrowed homework, and shared misery at 'that time of the month'. "Oh my God, I missed you so much, you have no idea!!"

She looped an arm around Jacinda's slim waist and together they waded through the bodies. Tess was relieved to find all her friends returned and much the same as she remembered. It made coming back to the Institute feel more like coming home. Not that she was very different beyond the normal changes a few months make; a little thinner, which didn't suit her, and some scorching red streaks in her otherwise dark hair were the only noticable differences.

"Carlos, you knave! You survived into another year." Tess gave him a clumsy hug as she flopped exhausted to the ground. Someone yelped as their legs were squashed. Yawning widely, the girl called out an apology and shifted to precious open space.

[Jacinda Blake]

Jacinda made no move to be delicate about snacking, she just picked up a whole pizza box with a grin. "Thanks, Professor.. This is awesome!" She loved it that Professor Flannery had become their 'supervision'.

Alternately laughing and catching up with Tess, she made her way over to their prime location on the floor, delivering the goods. She set the pizza box down then rolled over Carlos again back into her spot, only this time she actually tried to squish him.

"He's not allowed to leave, or we'll squash him like a bug. Right Tess...?", Jacinda grinned, claiming a piece of pepperoni pizza and a paper towel.

[Twitch]

In the past year, Joe had really learned to drive in the snow. Madison, Wisconsin taught him that. In the past year, he had grown three inches and was encroaching on six feet. He was a wiry rail, though. His feet went from ludicrous to almost fitting his height. Joe's reflexes went from amazing to superhuman. He'd often spend time waiting for the keyboard and mouse to catch up with him. Even with an over-amped USB port the poor MX518 mouse and Model M keyboard couldn't keep up. He'd been banned from more servers than he could count for "hacking" and had given up most online games in the past six months.

Even Travis, the kid who'd given him a warm welcome, had become wary as Christmas blew by. After a discussion with a sympathetic principal and his mother via teleconference, Alisha Patterson decided it was time to send her son to the Cullen Institute.

Shod in snow tires and lightly dusted from the eastbound snow-storm a hundred miles back, the black Pontiac Trans-Am rolled into the Cullen Institute's driveway. It loped, glugged and thumped in the cold air. Joe was eternally grateful the heat worked well. It was packed with his clothes, computer, and little else. Most of the other things he might have wanted were in Atlanta, in a house he couldn't visit.

Shod in a brown leather jacket, jeans and an Atlanta Hawks skully cap, he knocked on the large door.

[Pan]

That night, Duncan had been asked to monitor the west wing while the majority of staff were absent. The mansion was still and he'd had no trouble with students out of their rooms after hours. He'd been making himself a cup of tea when he heard a knock at the front entrance. It echoed all the way down the main hall. Rather than assume one of Maxine's duplicates would answer it, he made haste down the corridor while trying to make as little noise as possible - John Rhee had promised him some footwear. Finally, he arrived at the door and pulled it open. He smiled at the boy stood before him.

"Alright, mate. What can I do for you?"

[Twitch]

Joe simply stood still for a moment, his brain processing the somewhat unexpected. His mother had warned him, but he had to over-ride his feet.

"I-I... I'm looking for, uh." He said, inwardly frustrated. He had started to master his speech impediment, but when he was nervous it came out again.

"I'm s-s-sorry." He couldn't remember anymore. He pulled the paper out of his back pocket. It was a letter from his mother, with instructions, and some warnings.

"I'm J-J-Joe Patterson. I w-w-was told I-I should see Mister Daniels or Miss Dupont." He took a deep breath.

"Alisha Ironwod Patterson enrolled me." he finally managed to not studder.

[Pan]

"Patterson! Ah!" said Duncan, with dawning realisation, "Come in!"

He stepped aside and pulled the door open further to allow Joe inside. His face was practically aglow and he beamed at the boy, his eyes fixed on him while he closed the door. He approached him and spoke in a hushed tone.

"I'm afraid Mister Daniels is away tonight and Miss Dupont is presently indisposed. But I can help you. My name is Duncan MacLaverty. Pleased to meet you!"

He extended his hand.

[Twitch]

Joe took Ducan's hand and shook it, probably a little too firm and a little too fast. Joe winced inwardly. Everything was so awkward. I mean, this Duncan guy seemed ok even if he had funny legs and ears and stuff. Not to mention that Scottish accent.

"I'm, uh, yeah. I guess yah know. Heh." Joe chuckled nervously.

"Do I n-n-need to m-m-move" deep breath "the car?" He asked. He was about to ask about where to find a meal in the next twenty miles but his stomach did it for him.

[Pan]

"Not until morning. The garage has already been locked tonight."

He spoke softly, taking note of Joe's discomfort. He half-hoped it had been one of the Maxine's who had welcomed the newcomer. A new school is daunting enough without being greeted by a goatman. Nevertheless, he was proud to be able to accomodate the son of Alisha Patterson and it showed.

"I'll show you to your room and then we can see to getting that belly filled up, eh?"

[Tess Abrahams]

...

"He's not allowed to leave, or we'll squash him like a bug. Right Tess...?", Jacinda grinned, claiming a piece of pepperoni pizza and a paper towel.

"We'll take his money and then squash him." Tess corrected, sharing a wicked grin and reveling in the company of the good ol' gang. The girl eyed the treats, looking in vain for anything not processed or artery-clogging. There were none--it was a thoroughly perfect teenage party, after all.

Again the girl disrupted the mess of sprawled mutants, standing up and wriggling back to the door. "I'm going to get some carrot sticks, save my spot Jas!"

Tess laughed and dashed out, the playful jabs about her health-nuttiness following her as she barrelled noisily down the stairs towards the kitchen.

[Anja Drake]

"I must say, Anja, that ya have some uncanny sense of what a small, imp-like mutant loves! Thankee!"

Nothing hid the grin that formed. "You're welcome, Damien."

She peered about the room and noticed a few new arrivals. Tess was back! She was a nice girl, and Anja really enjoyed talking to her. She would have to say hi later, but for now she would just lounge on the couch for a while longer.

She peered back at Damien. "What's going on in this movie? It's hard to understand."

[Damien E. Dervish]

Damien leaned down the couch, so he could get right near Anja's ear. In a fairly quiet voice, he recanted the story.

"Well, more or less, this guy's spirit is goin' around, seeking vengance on the decendants of those who murdered him by sentencing him to death. The hammer is actually symbolic of the gavel of the court system. The movie actually has a deeper meaning, showing the faults of the court system, but then completely blows its credibility by having bad wire trips, sketching acting, and a murder returning from the dead to seek vengance. In other words, a train wreck...."

Damien smiled, sliding a can of Vault down to Anja's hands.

"Figured you might be thirsty..."

[Anja Drake]

She took the Vault happily and thanked him.

"That bad, huh?" She joked and playfully smacked his leg. To be truly honest, the movie had lost its interest before she even got off the couch to go get pizza.

She finished the rest of her slice in three big bites; the pizza was amazing! Wiping her mouth with the inside of her hand, she put the plate down on the floor by her feet and curled her feet back under her.

"What's your favorite kind of movie?"

[Twitch]

"Oh wow, thanks." Joe said, sincerely. Duncan seemed like an allright guy.

"My mom did sort of warn me to expect the unexpected but it's a whole 'nother thing in person." He said, following the Satyr lookalike. He looked past Duncan, and noticed that the place was huge.

"So how many people are here? I mean, it looks monolithic."

[Carlos Calaveras]

Carlos wheezed as he was 'squashed' beneath Jacinda, garnering a few laughs from those whose attention had drifted from the campy horror of the movie.

“Ay! I thought you were supposed to be light as air!”

[Jacinda Blake]

"Yeah! Got your spot in the reserved section, my lady!" She hollered to Tess as she ran out in search of rabbit food, as if she really needed to eat healthy.. Jacinda smirked.

As for Carlos..

"You be quiet. I am light as air. Thought you were supposed to be hot stuff...?"

She didn't even flinch, just took a sip from her soda and grinned at the silliness of the movie..

[Pan]

"You will be the seventy-ninth student presently on campus. We have fourteen teachers and other members of staff who also live on the grounds."

Duncan grinned at Joe's use of the word "monolithic", when he was his age, such a word would've sounded foreign to his ears. He led him out of the foyer and into a long corridor which branched off midway to the left and right. His hooves clacked against the wood and he cringed with guilt. He caught Joe staring and grinned with amusement.

"There's quite a few students who, like me, have physically apparent mutations. It will take you by surprise at first but in no time at all you'll be used to the sight of claws and paws... tails and scales... wings and... things!"

[Twitch]

"All I can remember from the last time I was here was that it was a lot emptier and it was just a handful of kids. I think I was four. This place still looks huge." He said.

Joe noticed that Ducan's hooves bordered on obnoxious against the wood flooring. Poor guy, everyone could hear him coming.

The luggage in his hand would do for a few nights, but he'd get the rest of later, he guessed.

Most everything seemed quiet, except for one room was rather rambunctious, with movie sounds and a lot of different conversations.

"Sounds like a pile of people are in there."

[Tess Abrahams]

Having successfully foraged in the kitchen Tess was returning with an armful of goodies; carrots, celery, red peppers and--this was the best part--hummus. She galloped back in the direction of the dorm rooms, crunching noisily on a sliver of celery and taking great enjoyment out of sliding along the floors in her socks.

She rounded the corner, and very nearly collided with Duncan and some guy.

"Whoa!" Tess skidded around them, bending over backwards (literally) and just managed to avoid dropping her plate of crudites. "Sorry."

Recovered, the girl twisted open the door, allowing the noise to spill out without the door to filter it, and paused before entering. The two who'd she'd nearly skidded into were still standing there. "Oh. You guys want some pizza? There's plenty."

[Damien E. Dervish]

Damien looked down at Anja from his perch on the top of the couch, red eyes shining in the darkness.

"Well, personally....I like comedies. Life as a mutie....and a prospect for the X-Men, is serious enough. One of my personal favorites is Major Payne. It's even funnier, my pop says, if you were or are in the military. Well, I was a prospect for the ROTC program at the other school....then again, my jokin' antics kept me doin' pushups. I still have awesome biceps from the year's worth of pushups...And havin' been in a program like that, it actually enriched the movie's experience even further, makin' it not only funny, but absolutely believable."

[Pan]

Duncan stood speechless and stared at Tess in disbelief. If he had been surprised by the noise coming from one of the rooms, he was stunned by the flexible girl's sudden appearance and her remarkably nonchalant attitude to flouting school rules before a teacher.

"Pizza?"

He approached the door wearing a bemused expression and half expected a punchline. His mouth fell agape when he peered inside to find a dozen students squeezed into one room. There was a horror film on the television and an impressive quantity of snack food debris littered every surface in sight. He spoke softly.

"What's going on?"

[Uncanny]

Well he was awake now and decided to go for a walk rather than lie in bed trying unsuccessfully to get back to sleep. Uncanny swung his legs out of the zebra-striped bed covers and clasped the cold wooden floor with his bare toes. He winced at the frostiness and tippy-toed around in the dark trying purposefully to accidentally kick his slippers accidentally on purpose. After a few seconds of bumping into the wardrobe, desk and bed several times he finally stood awkwardly on the rim of his slippers and let out an almighty roar of both pain and frustration.

A moment or so later, Uncanny limped his way down the corridor until his unhighly attuned sense of hearing picked up sounds within less than superhuman range. He turned a corner and spied Pan standing by an open room with an unfamiliar face accompanying him.

But having enrolled just the other day, most faces were unfamiliar at Dr. Cullen's. He limped over and stood beside the two... well he knew Pan was a mutant, and it was a safe bet the other guy was too given where they were, but anything's possible.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" He peered inside shyly, smiling at all the faces of people he just hadn't had the courage to meet just yet.

[Twitch]

"Oh man, pizza." Joe said, his stomach outthinking the rest of him. He could smell it. Must be from the local joint he passed. It was real, New York pizza like he had with Uncle Steve before he left to Wisconsin.

He reached over someone, a blonde. He didn't really notice, just cradled two slices, somewhat folded in his hand and retreated to the back of the room, closer to Duncan.

"mmmmm."

[Jacinda Blake]

With something like a squeal, Jacinda rolled over Carlos again, hopped to her feet and scampered over to the door. Professor MacLaverty didn't look thrilled about the goings-on. Intervention!

"Professor, I'm really sorry, it was just supposed to be a couple people for a movie and snacks, but word got out.." She neglected to point at Chris, figuring he was more likely to get in trouble than her, she could take a bit of heat.

Jacinda spoke quickly, shrugging to indicate that she didn't even know half the people here, new students were invading her room left and right...

"Professor Flannery is here." Jacinda pointed her dupe out. "She ordered the pizzas, so there is plenty to go around if you guys want to stay?"

She smiled at the two new students flanking one of her favorite teachers to talk to, being a sucker for accents. "Hey you guys, welcome to Mutant High."

"Dig in."

[Pan]

"Well..."

Duncan glanced around the room, looking rather overwhelmed, and scratched his head. He had no doubt in his mind that there were at least half a dozen school rules being broken right before his eyes. He was torn between his own nature, which told him to let them have fun, and his obligation as a teacher. He gave in to the former, after all, who was he to undermine Maxine's authority?

"As long as Professor Flannery is around, I don't see any reason to be a spoil sport. But remember... I didn't see this."

He gave Jacinda a wink. Uncanny lingered in the doorway so he encouraged him inside with a pat on the back. Joe appeared to be settling in quite comfortably.

"Joe, you room is three doors down and here's your key. There's plenty of food here and your bed is already made. Is there anything else I can help you with before I make a swift exit?"

[Twitch]

"Hi." He said shyly to Jacinda.

Joe shook his head as he finished a bite.

"Thank you, Duncan." Duncan smiled and made his eway out of the door.

[Ghost]

While new faces popped up, Chris allowed himself to zone out and swapped his attention between the slice of pizza Anja gave him and the Coke from Damien. When Professor MacLaverty appeared in the room he suddenly tensed up so quickly, the bottle's contents seeped out in a fizzy froth. The professor seemed alright with the situation and brought with him two newcomers; both dressed far better than him, he noted.

"Wait a minute!"

He lurched up and out of his seat. One of the newcomers was still stood awkwardly by the door, glancing about with evident discomfort. Chris bounded across the room, navigating the sea of bodies with reasonable success, and approached the boy in the slippers. In one hand he held a half-eaten, floppy slice of pizza and in the other, his frothy Coke.

"I recognise you! You're the skateboarder, right?"

[Jacinda Blake]

"There are just way too many people to make proper introductions right now, but.. I'm Jacinda" She smiled.

She poked Chris in the shoulder. "This is Trouble, otherwise known as Chris."

Jacinda swung her gaze from the newest addition to Cullen's to the other late arrival, the skateboarder that Chris was so excited about. "Hey there. Zack right?"

"Make yourselves cozy, we're all relatively harmless. Hope you guys like cheesey horror!" she grinned and leapt over everyone in the path between her and her cozy spot with Carlos.

[Uncanny]

The room was packed. The students all looked pretty comfortable with everyone around them so he thought what the hell and joined them inside. One of them came over almost straight away.

"I recognise you! You're the skateboarder, right?"

Zack smiled.

"Yeah, I guess so. dude." he replied, holding his hand up for the guy to shake it. He was about to introduce himself when the host jumped in for him.

"Hey there. Zack right?"

"Yeah, Zack Solomon, sorry I don't know anybody's name yet. I've kinda just hung around in my room while settling in. I haven't really made an effort to meet anybody yet."

He glanced around the room as he spoke, catching a proper glimpse at all the different people. A scream errupted from the tv that made him smirk.

"Cool room - I'm still kinda workin' on mine. It's a little dorky right now but...well I think I can come up with somethin' cool. Sorry, you mind if I grab a slice of pizza. The smell you know, it's like, reeling me in."

The hand lunged down towards the table like a hawk swooping down to catch it's prey amongst the grass.

[Anja Drake]

With the new addition of Jack Solomon, Anja was even more distracted than before. Jacinda and Chris had definately made themselves known and now, Anja guessed it was her turn.

"Ciao, Zack!" She called quietly in her native tongue from her spot on the couch; she spotted Jack through her senses at the now dubbed, "pizza-table". The pizza was amazing and she knew exactly what his craving was like; she smiled at him. "You can sit here. It's crowded but there's still room."

As if to show what she meant she patted the couch cushion she was on. Before he even acknowledged her, Anja moved to the center seat of the couch, the spot right under Damien's hanging legs. She figured she could handle sitting between Jack and Chris, if that silly ghost boy decided he wanted his seat back.

After she settled, the Italian mutant leaned backward and peered up at the imp-ish mutant with a grin. "Sorry, Damien. I hope you don't mind."

[Tess Abrahams]

Having comfortably wedged herself back into the masses, Tess balanced the plate of veggies on her stomach. She inhaled a few strips of peppers, suddenly very aware of how hungry she was, before looking up at the two new guys.

"I'm Tess. So," She said, absently offering the plate around just in case anyone else wanted a break from the grease. "Where're you guys from and whattya do?"

[Ghost]

In order to shake Zack's hand Chris clamped the pizza slice between his teeth, the cheese started to run so he had to cut the friendly gesture short in order to save the carpet from ruin. He munched frantically at the mouthful he'd torn from it and raised a finger so Zack was made aware he had something to say. Once his mouth was almost clear, he spoke.

"So, how long have you been skateboarding, man?"

He paused to take a swig of Coke and ask himself if he actually just used the expression "man". He turned on the spot and stood next to Zack to oversee the gathering, like he were adopting some kind of parental role. The next thing he said, he kept quiet.

"I've always fancied myself as a bit of a skater. Er- boarder!"

[Damien E. Dervish]

"Wha? Do I mind you and I sitting next to an awesome skater!? Are you CRAZY!"

Damien sucked down his Vault, smiling all the while, tail flicking about behind him excitedly.

"Only way I mind is if he starts hitting on you. Then I'll have to own his awesome, skateboardin' behind."

Damien smiled, hoping Anja appreciated the joke.

[Uncanny]

"So, how long have you been skateboarding, man?"

"Uh...since I was six, I think. My older brother got me hooked on it. I remeber thinkin' man, there's no way I could do that. All it took was perseverence and a lot of band-aids!"

He finished off his slice of pizza, licking his chops like a lion polishing off a tasty gazelle.

"I've always fancied myself as a bit of a skater. Er- boarder!"

"Oh, you should give it a try, dude. I've got a spare board and some pads if you wanna join me outside sometime. Or inside!" he added cheekily, sticking his tongue out and crossing his eyes.

Zack heard someone call out to him. That girl on the couch. Did she just call him Jack!? He shook his head dismissively before nudging Chris with his elbow.

"You gonna crash on the couch?"

He jaunted over suddenly, settling down next to the girl who seemed to have a demon perched above her.

"Hey dudes, I'm Zack - Zack Solomon. The hand went out instinctively. Hey, meeting new people was easier than he thought!

[Twitch]

"Where're you guys from and whattya do?"

Joe was glad Zack was there to soak up the attention he mostly didn't want. Just... pizza. He grabbed another slice.

"I just drove from W-w-wisconsin" He clenched his jaw shut in frustration, stifling an argh. Until his Mom and the Feds said otherwise, he moved from Wisconsin, and that was that.

"Well, G-g-g-georgia, or-r-riginally." He stopped, almost waiting for someone to start mocking his stutter. It wouldn't be the first time.

[Carlos Calaveras]

Carlos watched with casual interest as some more new arrivals joined the group. It was getting pretty crowded now, so much so that with all the conversations going on, the movie was all but drowned out. Carlos didn't mind too much though, and was quite content to spend the time either ribbing Jacinda over her attempts to play hostess or holding her snacks just tantalizingly out of reach.

[Jacinda Blake]

She'd picked up right away that Joe was uncomfortable. New kid, and a stutter too, would have been a bad combination at any other school, but at this one she didn't think it would get noticed overmuch. Just in this one room there was a boy with a half-bat face. Another one who looked like he'd flown off some gothic church, and Anja was blind. They were a bunch of misfits, but they were kind of a family and she hoped that Joe would see that..

Jacinda grabbed a bottle of Cheerwine, and one of Coke and lifted them up in invitation. "Joe? Tasty beverage to go with the pizza?"

In the process of being friendly, the bottle of Cheerwine suddenly popped open in her hand, spraying Jacinda with sticky red soda. She just sat there dripping for a minute..

"Right.. I'll be going to change then." She considered rolling over Carlos and sharing her mess with him, but refrained and just stepped over him kicking him in the backside lightly.

"Be right back.." She wandered off toward the bathroom, peeking back to smirk.

[Ghost]

"The Omen strikes again!"

He lumbered over bodies until he reached the couch, Carlos made a face as if to protest his innocence but he was cut off when Chris said importantly:

"It's always you! When someone drops their lunch in the canteen, it's you. When a dog actually eats someone's homework, it's you. When I miss when I pee, it's you. Even when you're out the country, mate, it's you!"

He dropped into the couch next to Anja, who was introducing herself to Zack. Damien's tail was draped over the front of the couch next to Chris's shoulder, he gently tugged at it.

"Oi, Damien."

[Damien E. Dervish]

Damien, his ADHD kicking in, had the distinct idea that he was going to be tugged on, and expected it. He looked down at Chris, finishing off his can of Vault.

"Yeah? Whatcha need, bubba?"

[Ghost]

He leaned in and spoke lowly.

"See this guy, here? Talking to Anja? He's going to teach me how to skate... with a skateboard."

He gently poked the little guy in the chest, wearing a thoroughly pleased-with-himself grin.

"What do you think of that, eh?"

[Anja Drake]

"Hi Zack. I'm Anja Drake." She smiled at him from her comfortable spot and took the liberty of shaking his hand.


"Only way I mind is if he starts hitting on you. Then I'll have to own his awesome, skateboardin' behind."
Anja released the skateboarder's hand and stuck her tongue out at Damien. Although she never did quite understand the term 'hitting on' someone, she got the general gist of the statement.

"Don't be jealous." She poked his foot with her finger and flashed him a smile as well to show she was teasing. "You need not worry Damien. I'm a big girl."

[Damien E. Dervish]

amien smiled at Anja.

"Well, of course I can see that! Big as in...what, almost two foot taller than me?"

He leaned back over to Chris.

"That would be cool, havin' a pro-boarder teaching you to skate....I tried extreme, in-line competiton once. But I never got recorded, thought I actually had the best score. Somethin' about bein' a mutie and havin' wings or somethin'......And the tail-wrap-n-spin didn't get much respect. Bastards."

Grumbling, Damien reached over for his next can of Vault, and brought up a claw, puncturing the top with ease, screaming out as he did so.

"KILL!"

[Twitch]

"Thanks." He smiled a little. Jacinda was pretty cute.

He took the Coke. Cheerwine was awful. One of his Dad's friends was in love with it, and would make runs to South Carolina monthly for cases of it. Now Coke was a beverage he could get behind. It was from good old Atlanta. He took a sip.

Joe jumped a little at Damien's outburst. Liquid arced out of the bottle. as he dropped the Coke he had just been handed and the two slices of pizza seemed to tumble in the air, slow motion like. He matched pace with the arc of the fluid, and collected it without spilling anything besides a few drops, but he barely snagged the pizza inches from the ground.

"J-j-jeez."

[Damien E. Dervish]

Damien looked over, watching the incredible display of reflexes.

"That was AWESOME! Sorry 'bout that. Had a Major Payne moment."

Damien then registered that he was new to the school.

"Ah, you must be one of the new guys. Not used to my outbursts. I'm Damien. And judging by your accent, I'd say you were a fellow Southerner. Atlanta?"

[Morgan Evanar]

bippity bump

[Carlos Calaveras]

Carlos grinned a little as he watched Jacinda walk away. The thought of following her was tempting, but his all too brief fantasy was interrupted by Chris accusing him of causing ever catastrophe under the sun. Carlos laughed along with the joke and, looking back towards where Jacinda had disappeared off to, saw that the bathroom door was now closed. Damn.

He'd lost all track of the movie now, even though the plot was one he knew well. A glance around the room told him that others were equally distracted, in particular by the two new arrivals. He yawned and lolled back in the bean-bag chair, eyes closed and arms outstretched.

[Jacinda Blake]

As soon as the bathroom door shut Jacinda groaned.

Real smooth, Jas.. Why not dump some Cheetos in your shirt as well?

She stripped out of the sticky shirt, and washed up at the sink in record time. Tess would have been so proud! Jacinda took way longer in the bathroom than her athletic friend. She opened the connecting door to her bedroom, ripped the first shirt she found out of the closet, rubbed some lotion on her arms so that she was back to smelling pretty and was back out to the party in a flash.

Her spot on the floor, television front and center, had been taken in her absence. She would have launched a protest, until she saw Carlos had secured a beanbag and was looking quite cozy. With a grin, she tip toed on lighter than air feet over to him, and plopped herself in his lap victoriously.

[Uncanny]

Zack's hand swooped forward, claw-like, as he aimed for a can of coke on the table just in front. But just before he caught his prey, he hesitated.

"You guys mind if I take one?"

A random head turned from the tv, with a mouth stuffed full of potato chips. The girl's eyes were wide and her head shook rapidly in a no not at all sort of way.

"Thanks!"

His talons grasped the can before reeling back to the couch where he opened it with a satisfying hiss as the gas escaped. He took a mouthful.

"Ah...that hit the spot."

He gulped half the can in seconds - the kind of thirst-quenching display that would put an elephant to shame.

"Oh yeah - I need that. The pepperoni must be extra-spicy!"

He turned to his newfound companions on the couch - Chris, Anja and Damien.

"So..what do you guys...y'know...do?"

His voice was uncertain. Being new, he really wasn't sure if that sort of enquiry was okay. Taboo or not taboo - that was the question!

[Anja Drake]

Anja was officially distracted from the film; not that it wasn't interesting, it was just there were so many new people stopping by. She shifted underneath Damien to make herself more comfortable; she sat so that his legs were on either side of her head. It was definitely more comfortable than practically sitting with her head folded at a ninty degree angle.

She hooked her fingers around both of Damien's feet, to help her get even more situated...she just hoped he wouldn't fall off the couch from her leverage.


"So..what do you guy...y'know...do?"
Drake turned her head toward Zack; understanding what to say was always hard at first, but after a while it became more natural to ask about mutations.

"No need to be shy about asking." She stated happily at first but then dropped her voice, as to not disturb the others who were actually watching the movie. "I can transform into an alternate persona; it's really difficult to explain, though. I also have a type of sixth sense, I guess you could say.."

[Ghost]

"Mine's also a bit complicated but the long and short of it is I can become a ghost: walk through walls, become invisible, poltergeist stuff, even possessions from time to time. I'd give you a demonstration but I'd rather not leave the furniture or myself in a mess. I have the whole Slimer thing to deal with, too."

He eyed Zack inquisitively, his gaze momentarily searching his person for any tell-tale signs of abnormality.

"So show us your freak calling card."

[Damien E. Dervish]

Damien smiled as Anja put her hands across his feet. It tickled a bit, but he could deal with it. After all, he did grow up as the smallest of seven siblings. Ticklings were not unusual where he came from.

Upon listening to their explanations to Zack's question, Damien grinned even further.

"Well, lesee....I have these..."

He extended his retractable, black, furry claws.

"And I can fly, and have a prehensile tail...I can see in the dark...I can climb pretty good with the claws and whatnot. I have a great sense of what not to do when performing the crazy antics I...uh, perform. And I look like this. You know..."

Damien waves his hands, as if to say it's nothing to accept accolades about.

"Pretty much everything but the kitchen sink. Oh, and I've always been like this, so I pretty much have a handle on my powers, and how to deal with them."

[Twitch]

"I can play 100% expert Rock Band drums on any song. All the Nine Inch Nails too." Joe shrugged when a few didn't understand.

"I've got quick limbs." Joe added.

[Uncanny]

Zack nodded pleasantly, listening to the others as they laid their secrets bare He turned to Joe at hearing about his reflexes.

"Cool, dude. You should join me and Chris when I take him skateboardin' - you'll probably find it easier than most if you're quick on the draw."

He turned back to his fellow couch potatoes, who were looking at him inquisitively...well...except for Anja.

"Oh...I can sorta...turn into animals. Basically."