ArchivedLogs:Cheerleader(s) in the Treehouse

Cheerleader(s) in the Treehouse
Dramatis Personae Ellin and Jack
In Absentia	2015-11-03 "I think almost everyone is pretty anyway. Unless they r wearing ugly shoes." (part of flutp.)
Location <XS> Treehouse
Built by enterprising students of yesteryear, this treehouse has weathered generations of Xaviers' students coming up here to study -- or escape from studying. A cozy retreat, its wood planks are sturdy and well-sanded, fit snug together to keep out draft. Snacks occasionally find their way up here, and the roof keeps the rain off well enough to pass a night -- so long as the teachers don't catch any students at it. For anyone agile enough to make the jump, a lucky leap juuust might carry them from here to the school rooftop, so long as they're careful of the drop... It's later in the night, after dinner but before curfew and the treehouse isn't vacant tonight. Though one could be forgiven for thinking otherwise when what appears to be an empty pair of jeans, old sneakers, and a school hoodie are sitting up there. Jack, ever invisible, is quietly working at what little homework he has. With so many people sick, a lot of classes got canceled and some teachers elected to skip assigning homework too. The invisible teen's reading a book but his thoughts are wandering elsewhere, making it a little easier to assume he's just a pile of clothes and homework. She's harmonizing with herself! No words though. Just loud, smooth humming. Indeed, while individually they would never end up on a CD, they certainly provide a good addition to any choir. Amazing Grace, this time. So when the first of her bodies (all the shirts numbered one through five) crests the scene, she doesn't really notice the 'pile of clothes'. When Ellin's second body gets up, her eyes begin to trend towards them. The third gives her enough spatial data about the room that the fourth one up is waving at the empty clothes effusively, and the fifth, once it piles in, is drawing out a tablet PC and typing a simple phrase on it. "HI." The sound of humming startles Jack out of his thoughts and his unseen eyes flick up towards the entrance. The song makes him tense once he recognizes it, bad memories brought back. The sight of five identical girls climbing into the treehouse has him blinking a few times though. That's a new sight even for Xavier's. The tablet-drawn greeting prompts him to raise an empty sleeve for a little wave. "Hi," he replies. They all pick a wall opposite Jack, and pull out their tablets so they can all type. When one of them runs out of space on their tablet, the other will be with yet more words to continue the sentence. Perfectly orchestrated. At least the humming stops for now. She keeps typing. <Nice 2 meet u. Im Ellin.> Every single tablet bears those exact same words before they're erased and they begin to type out their communication. <Am I interrupting ur reading?> Ellin tilts her head slightly. <How r u? Ur up late 2, like me.> Jack sits up a little more, hooded head tilted slightly to the side as he watches the coordinated typing. "Umm..." he trails off, reading all the messages and then rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm Jack...and you're not interrupting. I wasn't really...paying attention to it," he replies. "It's not that late, guess I'm doing alright," he offers an unseen frown. "Can you hear me or..." he trails off awkwardly. Three rubs her nose, stifling a sneeze, and shakes her head. The others take care of answering. <Im not def. Im just not supposed to speak english while Im sick.> She shuffles her seating, then goes on. Jack lets out a breath, a little tension leaving his shoulder. "Lo siento...just making sure," he says. There's a pause though as he processes something. "Wait, what? Not supposed to speak English?" and another pause. "And you're...all the same person?" The girl has a blank look when the boy speaks a little bit of spanish, but at least she manages a smile! Still smiling, she nods. <The disease is like language based or something I guess.> She stretches out her legs, all at the same time in a long, lesiurely yawning motion. <Yes. 1 mind, 5 fantastic bods.> Doesn't suffer from a small opinion of herself at least! <Not speaking english is hard.> And cue Jack freezing up for a moment. "Language...like...oh man. And there were zombies and...this," he looks down for a moment, trying to calm himself down. "this is not good," he eventually gets out. He looks back up when he catches the yawning motion. He nods to the clarification, glancing at each of the five and takes a deep breath. "Yeah...it looks...a little annoying." <Thanks for not freaking out like almost everyone else. Im not a zombie and Im not gonna be.> She just sort of decided that. Not a whole of thinking went into the decision. Ellin is nothing if not a chipper person, most of the time. Jack manages to stop himself from laughing. He's freaking out, he's just doing it on the inside and trying very hard to not let it show. "Typing isn't...so bad. Better than having to write it all out," he offers. "Yeah...I'm all...perma-ghost. No off switch," he murmurs. "I play football here...gotta keep in shape." <Football? Yay! I totes used 2 be a cheerleader! OMG. U guys need cheerleaderz then. Iz there a squad?> Ellin looks three hundred percent more chipper now. <It sucks. Im not 2 good with spelling and grammer an stuf.> She seems to think for a bit, then goes on. <Im sorry u dont have an off switch but u seem like ur really nice so its cool 2 me. I think almost everyone is pretty anyway. Unless they r wearing ugly shoes.> She lets her eyes slide towards the shoes for a moment, before apparently deciding they are up to snuff. They go on. <Athletics is where Im good. Not so much the class stuff.> Luckily, part of his mutation is making it hard for her to tell Jack is freaking out. "I don't think we have an...official squad. At not yet. I mean...one might form now that there's so many new people," Jack replies, rubbing the back of his neck. The shoe line has him frowning a bit deeper. Even if he bought new shoes initially thanks to the school, Jack tends to default to his comfortable old sneakers he'd been wearing since living on the streets in Jersey. They may have seen better days. "You'll get better with class stuff. I mean...if I can get through classes and not fail horribly, anyone can," he forces a little chuckle. The girl frowns a little bit, all five of her dithering and looking uncomfortable. Another laugh bubbles up. <Even if theres no squad I will cheer 4 u next time u play. Oh boy I hope we get a squad and I can join!> Five meanwhile heads towards the ladder. <Im getting snacks. U want something from teh kitchen?> "Thanks," Jack murmurs a little awkwardly. "Ah...no. Thanks...I should get back to my room so I'm not disturbing my roommates by getting in too late," he says, packing up his stuff. "I'll see you later." <Oh. Okay. C u later!> That's an effusive smile. She even offers a hand for a shake from number three, though the rest all stay put. And then? Then the rest begin surfing the internet. Because. Jack shakes the offered hand, his own invisible but solid. "I'd be surprised if you did," he murmurs almost automatically to the 'c u later', heading out of the treehouse a moment later.