Logs:Fun Powers

Fun Powers
Dramatis Personae Naomi, Remi
In Absentia	2023-03-02 They will never. And I repeat, ever, make me feel bad for being exactly who I am.
Location <XAV> Conservatory - Xs First Floor
Tall panes of glass and a many-gabled glass ceiling protect this large indoor garden from the elements, while welcoming in sunlight to keep it warm year-round. Adjoined to the southern face of the venerable mansion and surrounded by more conventional gardens beyond, the conservatory is all Old World elegance from the outside. Within, however, it is lush and green and in certain corners--whether despite its careful tending by the groundskeeper or because of it--seems practically wild. Footpaths and a burbling artificial steam wind through the space, connecting its disparate parts. Benches are scattered throughout, thorough soft grasses or mosses under certain trees also invite rest. The outside wall is lined with tropical and subtropical plants. The ferns and cycads and epiphytes are kept moist by artfully hidden misters that also give the place a sort of magical ambiance, dense foliage wreathed at times with drifting patches of mist. Nearest the building is a desert in miniature, with a few impressively sized cacti as well as palo verde and other trees adapted to arid climes. Between these, and by far the largest section, is dedicated temperate zone plantlife from around the world, the beds growing more carefully manicured and the pads less winding as one approaches the center, where a clearing with a small ring of seats is a popular spot for some teachers to hold court. It's not that cold outside anymore, the Northerns have been insisting, at a balm forty degrees Farenheit all day that is only now beginning to tip back towards freezing. The on-off rain probably hasn't helped those with any amount of distaste for this season, nor the thick layer of clouds that have been shrouding the sun. In the conservatory, however, it is warm and just humid enough to be pleasant. Naomi has escaped from the chill in here, tucked up on a bench with her biology textbook open on her knees. There's a spiral bound journal layered atop that, the 's' of last note she wrote down -- "the mitochondria is only the powerhouse of __animal__ cells" -- trailing off in a long line down the page where she had nodded all the way off. She's dressed casually -- jeans, red hi-tops, a blue and gold Xavier's hoodie with the hood pulled up around her ears -- and using her jacket as a blanket over her legs. Dozing, her hand falls down, brushes up against her canvas backpack. That startles her awake again, to rub blearily at her eyes, loose threads of the hoodie catching on her scales, and then cast her attention back down at the textbook. It wasn't too long ago that Remi wandered into the conservatory for the first time. He found the warmth truly delightful and all of the greenery reminded him of his back yard at home. With all his father's carefully nutured plants, only some of which would he steal for the occassional home remedy for his mother. He'd brought his backpack with all of the regular supplies for a day or quiet reading, sewing or whatever his heart may desire. He took out a lollipop from his pouch that he had adapted now to hang on his bag, the neck pouch was annoying. He decided to adorn himself in whatever clothes he could find today, a black Star Wars hoodie, a pair of baggy grey jogging bottoms and of course, his bright pink sneakers. He'd forgotten to pay attention to where he was going as he walked, staring at the beauty of nature and thinking about if people would miss a leaf or two. He stumbled and fell head first against a stray branch, scuffing his forehead slightly. "Well...Ow, I guess!" he chuckled to himself but it was more a mix between a chuckle and a slight, soft whimper. Naomi doesn’t move from the bench, but does twist to try and look over her shoulder, though she can’t yet see the injured party. “Hey, you good over there?” Perhaps Naomi is a little too nap-sleepy-bleary to place that voice — there is none of her reflexive don’t talk to me attitude in her tone that Remi would recognize from their shared class, just some actual unfocused concern. Pushing himself up onto his feet and recollecting his backpack before slinging onto his shoulder, Remi touched a finger tip to his forehead, wincing only slightly. "Yeh! Just clumsy!" he called out, looking around to try and find the source of the voice. Up ahead he could see a hooded student on a bench. Walking closer he noticed the textbook. "Oh! Did I disturb your studying? My bad!" he apologised as he rummaged around in the front pocket of his backpack. Naomi pivots, one hand pulling down her hood to improve her peripheral vision. “It’s aight I was dozing anyway…” she trailed off when her eyes look up and catch black-pink hair, the end of a lollipop sticking out of her new company’s mouth. “Oh. Hi, Remi.” Now that wary edge is returning to her voice. Now she’s shifting, moving her notes out of the textbook to close it. “…whatchu doing out here?” He pulls out a sealed anti-septic wipe and dabs it on his forehead with a smile. "I came out here to relax. If I stare at my biology textbook any more I feel like i'll start dreaming about mitosis." Swiping away any dirt in his cut he folded the wipe back up and popped it back in the packet to dispose of later. "What about you.....It's Naomi, right? We're in the same biology class!" he seems unaware of her tonal shift, either that or he simply just did not care. "Mhmm. Naomi. Winters." Emphasis on the last name, in case Remi hasn't made the familial connection yet. "Girl I know. You ain't subtle with the staring, heads up." Naomi curls one of her locs around one finger, taps her scales with another. "We don't get loads of new kids round here, trust that everybody knows who you are by now." She looks back up past his scuffed forehead, eyes briefly lingering on wipe, then to the cascade of pink hair Remi has tied back. "So is that natural or do you dye it?" Remi blushes slightly and smiles, not taking it upon himself to sit down beside Naomi just yet. "I am sorry about that! I didn't mean to be rude! You caught my eye because well, let's be honest, it's kind of hard not to! I just thought your scales were kind of fucking dope, ya know?" His mind did linger on Naomi mentioning everyone probably knew him by now. But, it sounded about right. "Oh! No I dye it. The upkeep is kind of a pain but, I kind of like the ritual of it all." he tucked the lollipop he'd been taking in and out of his mouth in order to talk into his cheek for sake of ease and ruffled his fringe a bit, trying to cover the scuffed skin. "...'dope'." The ridge of scales that constitute Naomi's eyebrows don't rise as much as heighten as snakeskin folds up into it. "Most folks do not think they're cool. Most folks don't want to be clocked for freak walking down Main Street. You do know most people gonna think that's a mutation, right?" She gestures at the pink side of his hair again. "I done heard you've been a mutant for like five minutes maybe you don't know." "So? I know that there are people out there that will say and do things because i'm a mutant, or because i dress the way I do or because of the things I say. If I comformed to every single thing i was supposed to be i'd be this weird being void of any personality or individuality. I dye my hair pink because I want to and if people think that's a mutation then so be it" he rolled his eyes as he talked about how society essentially bullied people for being any different than they were but cracked into a smile as he finished. "I think your scales are insanely cool, legitimately. Yeh, people are gonna talk shit, you're different. I was warned about you by.....gods, what was his name." Remi sighed. "I don't know, it was like a Jack or a Chad or a fucking.... I don't know, Declan or something. I politely laughed in his face and walked away. I have pink hair, you have scales. You're not so scary hun." he chuckled. Naomi studies Remi intensely -- she was never smiling in this interaction but now she's actively frowning. "I'on get it," comes at last. "You already got this whole -- femboy thing -- its not like this school's woke on anything 'cept mutants -- like, what are you gonna do if you go down to the city? Get hatecrimed? You can't quit being a freak or Asian and I ain't the gender police but. Why add visibly mutant in there if you don't gotta?" Her voice has been getting steady -- not louder, but more intense. "It's not fun. It matters." Somewhere after all this, I was warned about you worms its way into Naomi's awareness. Her expression turns sharper. "Was it Jon, hatboy is annoying as hell he can't even play guitar that good. What --" and her voice is turning cold, "-- them white boys saying 'bout me now." Remi at this point smiles softly and sighs. "Because in all honesty. Yeh, look at me, I got all this going on. The face, the body, the voice, im asian, im gay, now im a mutant. Woopdy fucking doo. I refuse to hide even a single part of myself just because some ignorant fuck decides that he doesn't like the countless things about me that i can't change or dont want to. I've been punched, pushed, kicked, spat at, screamed at, all sorts. They can break my bones, cut my hair, they can do whatever they want." he seemed at this moment to tap into a little bit of deep seeded rage inside him as his voice got higher, not shouting at Naomi, but moreso at the world. "They will never. And I repeat, ever, make me feel bad for being exactly who I am. Fuck 'em!" he shouted up at the sky with a cheeky grin on his face. Looking back down at Naomi, he chuckled. "I get it. And I get why some people would do everything in their power to dilute their abnormalities. But I sure as shit am not one of those people. I don't think it's fun, I know how hard it is. But I wanna live my life not hide." "Damn aight." Naomi very briefly looks impressed at the sheer volume Remi is putting out in the quiet conservatory, though not entirely convinced. "Shit you done thought 'bout this I thought this was some new-freak nonsense that's all. Lots of folks mutant an' proud until first time they get into deep shit." The frown returns, though -- "You ain't said. What they done told you 'bout me. Kinda important if you gon' say 'I get it' to me." His mouth pops open into a little "o" shape. "You're right. Well, like I said, kind of unsure on the name. He's very bland looking though so maybe it is that Jon Whatshisface. Basically he told me to "stay away from the freaky snake girl or she'll make you do some fucked up shit" and then he started talking about a sport with some form of ball." Remi waved his hand in the air at the mere mention of sport. Remi went into his pouch and picked out a lollipop. "You want one? I didn't make them I promise. They're just regular suckers." Naomi takes the offered candy only after the clarification. Doesn't unwrap it yet, not until Remi's answered her question -- "You ain't gonna explode it neither, right?" She spins it by the stick. "That sounds more like Dylan, Jon too fancy to cuss and Dylan been big mad admin won't let him on any of the sports teams." She's not denying the accusations, though. Just watching Remi's face curiously. "You believe 'em?" Remi smirks slightly. "Not unless you give me a reason too." Very clearly joking. He tilted his head for a second and took this opportunity to plonk himself down on the bench, making sure not to sit too closely to Naomi. "I mean, im not denying your ability to, I guess from what he said it's some kind of mind control thing but surely if you were gonna do it you'd have already done it by now right? Just like if I wanted to do something to you I would have already done it by now" "Done heard you don't need much of a reason." Naomi is actually putting her textbook away, pushing her bag away from the bench, out of what might be a potential blast zone. Points the lolly at Remi. "I wasn't holding a potential sugar bomb before. Maybe I ain't figured out what I want you to do for me, yet. Maybe I been stealing your brain this whole conversation. How would you know?" Remi sighed with a tired chuckle. "Naomi, If you're gonna do it. Do it." he looked at her with an over it expression. "I want to eventually learn how to use this sugar shit to help people. I'm also working on a way that I can maybe like, reabsorb some of the sugar from things, I figured it's better than just blowing stuff up all the time. Though, I can't lie, kinda fun." "I'm not threatening I'm asking." Naomi's nose scrunches in annoyance. "Girl, think. The headmaster, Dr. Grey, buncha students can read minds, change minds, they don't come with helpful hints that they doing it. We got like, five empaths per grade. There was a girl who could hear everything couple classes back. Miss Mukhopadhyay can show up in your dreams, find out every embarrassing nightmare you got. How you gonna know they ain't doing that? You think your brain bigger than Xavier's?" Naomi speaks like she's explaining something very simple to a child. "Maybe you think you got what someone can do, but then they bust out something wild different. Mr. da Costa, our bio teacher? He frail-but-hot now but come spring he's literally on fire. Bet that's fun for him, right? Up 'til you get set on fire for not minding your business." She points the lolly back at Remi. "Not everyone gets candyland powers. Not everyone gonna blast what they can do, or how they do it. Might be you wanna recalibrate for that, sometime." Remi shrugged. "I suppose so. There's something new to think about every day here." he sighed. "Thanks for giving it to me straight though. But listen, I don't know how to use my powers properly yet apart from my little firecrackers. And I hurt a guy, like really badly cause I didn't understand them. I understand that on the surface yeh sure the gay kid is literally sugary sweet but i hurt someone and that scares me. Just because I don't look into people's minds doesn't mean that this shit is easy. I'm trying my best out here and yeh i'm not doing too great a job now but damn. Call a bitch out much?" he laughed to himself. "Welcome to Xavier's. Hope your brain survives the experience." Naomi looks only a touch smug as she finally unwraps the lollipop. "Nothing about this shit is easy. Sorry," comes a little abashed, "to hear that, I -- can relate a lil bit. To hurting people by not understandin'. Probably," she adds, "laying off the body-candy till people get to know you, would help with the trying." Remi holds his hands up as a symbol of peace. " That I can promise you, there will be no more of. Xaviers covers my excessive need of sugar so I'm sticking to the consumption of regular made candy. My stuff is just for blowing up as of right now." He let his head hang back. "No need to apologise, these things happen I suppose. I've made some questionable choices since I've moved here but I'm just glad I'm in a safer place. I don't wanna hurt people. I'm gonna be a nurse for crying out loud. What about you? We can start off with the basics of getting to know each other ya know, none of that hard stuff. What kinda things you into Naomi?" He turned his head ever so slightly, looking at her with his near black eyes “Maaaaaaybe you wanna cool it with them fireworks too, people don’t love explosions.” Naomi is trying, and failing, to suppress a small, amused smile. “Aight lil Miss Bubblegum Nurse, I see you. I ain’t thought that far ahead yet don’t ask me what I wanna be when I’m grown.” She unwraps the lollipop and sticks it in her cheek. “Uhhh, I play percussion, I’m on second string of girls basketball even though I ain’t even like it that much, and --" she sits up a little straighter, leans forward like this is some big secret, "-- I can do liquid eyeliner on other people real good." "but if i don't make fireworks, how am i supposed to be able to practice my control? It's all i know i can do, well apart from making gross candies from my own blood sugar and apparently i can suck out the blood sugar from another person but......i think i'll take a pass on that one" he chuckled to himself. "You seem like a percussionist, I play strings but..." he leans in closer to mimic her. "I can't do my eyeliner to save my life. This morning I had to do my wing so many times i said fuck it and just walked away with no makeup" As he leans in closer, Remi can see Naomi’s eyes go wide, starting around but if I don’t and maximizing around suck out blood sugar. She leans away and stands up, grabbing her pack as she does. “Maybe,” she suggests, voice aggressively mild, “when you done figured out how to control doing none o’ that, I’ll teach you. See you in class, Remi.” She pivots on her heel and walks away, occasionally glancing backwards to make sure she is, in fact, leaving him far behind.