ArchivedLogs:Illusions of Safety

Illusions of Safety
Dramatis Personae Dylan, Rasa
In Absentia	2014-10-16 '
Location <XS> Great Hall
The largest room at Xavier's, the Great Hall is designed to hold all of the mansion's residents and then some. Built for the mansion's bigger functions, it serves as the school's dining halls on ordinary days, and ballroom when needed. On school days, long trestle tables stretch across the hall, high-backed chairs with plush cushions offering seating for the students. Still acclimating himself to the layout of Xavier's, Dylan is just wandering for the moment. His clothing could be described as well-worn, but that would be giving them a bit more credit. The holes at the knees are not intentional, nor is the fringe at the bottom hem. Despite the fact, that he is obviously new here, he doesn't have so much an expression of being lost - or even the wonderment that many new students have - it's more like he's casing the joint. His eyes move from exit point to exit point with a studious glance. The only thing that keeps his being more obvious is the unruly mop of hair that partly covers his eyes. Like his examination of the building, Dylan seems to, at least subconsciously, size up every potential threat - being every single person that happens to cross his path. Rasa crosses his path as ze heads over to where dinner is set up on buffet tables against the wall. The technicolor mutant mutes the vibrant lime shade of hir skin with an oversized black tee shirt, graying baggy jeans held up around a narrow waist by a belt that can't be seen. Ze pauses and raises an eyebrow, one leaf green today, studying him with eyes the color of blue jello. Ze keeps moving after a half step pause, grabbing a plate and surveying the offerings. Ze settles upon a cheese burger, a helping of mashed potatoes and a oreo cookie milkshake despite the fact that it is clearly marked as vegan. The offerings are piled onto a plate, a single fork is selected, and a couple napkins are acquired. Ze then turns back to the room, hir darker tipped furry tail twitching behind hir as ze surveys the room for a place to sit. Eventually he makes his way over to the food. Like his surveillance of the hall, Dylan is equally deliberate with his choice of dinner. No. deliberate isn't really accurate, almost overwhelmed by the options available. Finally, he gets a cheeseburger. He sighs slightly, "Don't guess there's any chance of gettin' a Guinness, huh?" The question being rhetoric, he grabs a glass of iced tea. His hazel eyes flicker around for an empty spot to sit and eat. As luck would have it, he moves over in the direction that Rasa was looking. "We're teenagers. Schools get shut down when they serve minors alcohol." Rasa shrugs quietly, pulling out a chair with a hooked foot and ankle, settling hir tray onto the table. Ze looks over at the newcomer and then eyes the empty chair across from hirs. "Want to sit? New here? You still have that - fresh in the gates look." Ze settles into hir chair, carefully. Ze has to angle hirself so that the tail slips in between the bars of the back support, curling inward and under hir chair after. "Don't worry. I won't bite." Dylan rolls his shoulder slightly which fuses into a shrug, "My old man gave me my first beer when I was like eight, but I was just talkin', not that I really expected it. I got the no alcohol lecture when I was being quoted the rules." He takes one of the empty chairs and turns it back to the table's edge, straddling it. He cants his head slightly, "What makes you think that I'm new around here?" He grins slightly, "Funny you say that... I'm not sure that my roommate won't bite... in fact, I'm pretty sure that it's probably just a matter of time..." He looks over at Rasa, "I'm Dylan, by the way." "Who is your roommate?" Rasa inquires, somewhat of a requirement after that line. Ze pulls the small bit of paper off the straw in hir milkshake and takes a sip. "I'm Rasa. I've had alcohol before. Mostly beer. There was some harder stuff a couple times, but mostly I steer clear of that. Drunk doesn't always work well with my mutation." Ze takes another sip then reaches out for hir burger, taking a little bit of care as ze lifts it, making sure the some what wobbly sandwich is set solidly in hir fingers before bringing it closer. "Um.. Shane... " Dylan's voice trails upward, as if questioning if Rasa knows him. A dangerously impish grin spreads across his lips. "Oh, alcohol and my... mutation combine for some major fun." He pauses for a second, "Well, generally... " He pauses again, "No... all the time... just not for everyone." He takes a ridiculously large bite of the cheeseburger, like someone who is used to having to always scarf down his food in a hurry. Etiquette and fine dining were obviously strangers in his home. "Ah, Shane. Yes. He might. He's definitely someone who likes to use his mouth. Tends to keep it verbal, for the most part. I was his twin's roommate up until this semester. We're all kind of close." Rasa smiles a little, then takes a bite of hir burger, chewing quietly. Ze doesn't have as much chewing to do as Dylan does, so there is less waiting for hir mouth to be clear. "Well, that's good at least. Drinking is supposed to be fun, or so I've been told." Another nibble, then, "so, what do you think of this place? Still getting used to it?" Dylan raises an eyebrow, "Twin? There's two of them? Oh jeez." Oh, there isn't much waiting for Dylan to start talking either, but once again etiquette and him are not close friends. He glances around and shrugs, "I'm still trying to figure out what the catch is." He washes down the half-masticated burger with a large drink of the tea. "Not really sure that I'll be here long enough to get used to it, honestly." "B and Shane are very different. Nearly opposites, but if you're put off by sharky teeth, yeah, there's two of them." Rasa shrugs and continues eating, resting hir burger on the plate when ze is half way through and starts in on hir potatoes. "The catch is that you gotta give school a try and start thinking about the future again as if it matters. That's pretty much all, but for some people, that's huge. For other people, it's a chance to learn stuff denied to us normally. There's safety here too, but you also have to live with a bunch of mutants, which can be pretty ... special sometimes." Dylan smirks slightly, "Only put off by sharky teeth if they're ripping my arm off my body. " He takes another huge bite. A few chews and he swallows. "I've never really been that good at school. Way I look at it, some people are smart. Some people just aren't. I fall into the aren't category." He goes to pick up the glass of tea, then sets it back down. "Safety is an illusion. It's like a rainbow. Sure it's pretty to look at, but you can chase it all you want, but you can never actually grab hold of it... it's always just over there." "Yeah, well, I won't say he's never ripped an arm off. I don't actually know what all he's done." Rasa doesn't have a lot to say on the subject, a little distracted by the thought. Hir skin starts to shift in color, changing from light and limy green to a darker blue green. Ze takes a deep breath, hir fork swirling into the mound of potato. "Safety is less of an illusion when you're facing down actual foes. The illusion of complete security is not something we suffer from. But you're only going to figure out what you think after some time." Another deep breath, food still played with. "But... school isn't just about grades. Sometimes, it's about learning things. We've got an excellent auto shop, teachers who help with state paperwork, and healthcare. Plus, you know, learning how to get the most out of our powers." Dylan cocks his head. "Well, right now, I don't have much of an option... it's either this place or juvie... So for the moment, this place is the lesser of the two evils, I guess." Having eaten only about half of the cheeseburger, he slides the plate away from him, as if he was done eating. No wonder he looks underweight if that's all he is eating. Auto shop, now that's music to his ears. "Well, maybe there is something that is worth looking into... You know, maybe..." He flinches slightly, as he hears a voice in his head. "um... that's going to take some time to get used to... I think I just got summoned to the principal's office." "Ahh. Yes. That does take some getting used to. Other people in your head." Rasa blushes a little and nods. "Well, good luck in you somewhat scholastic endeavors. I hope you find something useful here. Your roommate might be helpful, too. He finally found something he loves in running a business. The school is helping him with classes on all the nuts and bolts of that - or at least pointing out which classes can help with the nuts and bolts. But... um. You should go. If you're being summoned, and all." Ze gives a small nod before lifting hir fork, the potatoes piled perhaps a little too high for a single bite. Ze only puts half of it in hir mouth. "See you around," ze gives a wave once ze can speak clearly again.