ArchivedLogs:Terrorizing the Socially Awkward

Terrorizing the Socially Awkward
Dramatis Personae Peter, Sophie, Faelan	2013-04-13 '
Location <XS> Great Hall
<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. Peter is seated in the Great Hall; he is currently sitting in front of his laptop, eyebrows /scrunched/ together, a set of big unwieldy headphones shoved on top of his head. The tussle-haired teenager's got on his usual re-bonkular glasses, red hoodie, blue jeans, and sneakers. He's missing those unusual wrist-watches he so often wears. He's also wearing - instead of his usual perpetual 'o:' expression - something more like a thin-lipped mopey /glare/. There's a notebook next to him, with a bunch of recent scribbles in it. Said scribbles /may/ circle around an unusual looking wrist-watch. Sophie, on the other hand, is just looking overwhelmed. This time of day there isn't too much crowd, so when she wanders around with tray of food she has her choice of sitting alone or trying to find someone to mingle with. Ultimately the decision is made to wander cautiously over towards Peter's table, and she sets her food down on the opposite side of the table from him, a seat or two down so as to let him have his space, but close enough for her to look over at him curiously. Thoughtfully chewing on an apple slice as she -- probably thinks she's being subtle, but she's pretty much outright staring at the poor guy. Scribble, scribble. Peter is occasionally clicking something on his laptop and returning to scribbling. He's got up - wikipedia articles on a bunch of stuff. Mechanisms. Chemistry. Valves! Electronics! HIGH-PRESSURE WATER-PISTOLS. But also, there's a clip on youtube he keeps returning to. If Sophie is a sneaky little fink, she may catch a clip of... is that a man in - armor? Yes. A man in massive, medieval armor. With a face-plate. Speaking in front of a podium, apparently to a bunch of diplomats. The caption underneath reads 'LATVERIA'S NEW DICTATOR?'. Peter keeps returning to this and frowning. It's when he flips back to his notebook that he notices the staring; pausing a moment as he scribbles - head lifting up - glancing about - and settling back on Sophie. /STARE/. Right back at her. As if to /out/ stare her. STARE. STARE. STARE. What the-- this was not. An expected response. The return stare initially results in Sophie freezing up, but finally she lets out a little squeak and breaks it off, staring instead down at her food tray for a minute. She bites her lip, face all bright red with embarassment, and finally stammers, "I-- I'm sorry, I just-- I'm sorry." Not really considering whether or not he'll hear her over headphones. She takes a long, awkward drink from a glass of juice, runs a hand through already somewhat mussed-up hair, and just-- resumes paying attention to her food. And, after a moment, thinks to add a third, "Sorry." Peter doesn't hear the first two sorries; but by the third, he's flipped off his headphones - dropping them around his neck with a swish of his fingertips. Eyebrows still crunched together. "It's - um, fine," he says, with just a hint of color touching his cheeks! "Just, uh - hi." Sheepish grin! Before, said grin threatens to be swallowed up by MOPEY-NESS. "...Peter. Are you new here?" Biting her lip, Sophie looks up from her tray a little hesitantly, and gives a slight nod. "Yeah, I.. I started this term." She scratches the back of her head, gives an awkward smile. "I didn't mean to-- I guess I didn't realize I was staring. It's just... It's weird getting used to everything. Everyone being.. you know.. 'different', and-- eating at school on weekends." She trails off a bit awkwardly, there, then thinks to add, "Oh, I'm Sophie." Making his way into the cafeteria with his acquired food tray, Faelan's too long jeans scuffed along the floor in a general wiff wiffing pattern. An overlarge, long sleave teeshirt that was just a plain hunter green adorned the rest of his body, and his gaze was sweeping over the inhabitants present as he searched for a table that wasn't overly crowded, and preferrably empty. He was even doing well not bumping into anyone for a change. "Different? Do I look different?" Peter asks the question with nothing short of pure, earnest curiousity; he looks down at himself, then - and at the back of his hand. Wiggling his fingers. As if /looking/ for something unusual. Then he notices his wrist, and the LACK that is there, and he looks all sad and mopey again. :( But, when he glances back up at Sophie, he manages a half-not-sad smile. "Oh, yeah - um, usually I'd be back in the city, but... I, um, I mean - I needed to work on catching up on some stuff." Like SOLENOID VALVES, if his currently open browser window is any clue. "...nice to meet you, Sophie! I, um - I'm Peter," he says, before adding: "I already said that already didn't I--" PETER'S table is not crowded. In fact, the only two people currently /at/ it are Peter and Sophie; the two are talking. Peter gives Faelan a glance - for a moment, his half-hearted mopegrin fades away to one of curiousity: "There's a couple of new people here..." "Well no, you don't look--" Sophie blushes again, getting all flustered, and slouches down closer to the table. "I just mean-- I don't know, like I said, everything's-- is 'mutant' an okay word to use?" It's sort of abrupt, the way she shifts to that question, but there it is. "That's what I meant. I just-- it sort of sounds like an insult and I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to call-- us, I guess. As far as I know there weren't any back home, so... I don't really know... how to act. It's-- overwhelming." When Peter's attention is caught, she turns to look at what he's looking at, and gives a little smile Faelan's way. "Pretty much everyone's new to me, so." Oh mostly empty table, the salvation of the socially awkward, as well as their prison in some ways. Scootching into the table to give the other two their room, there was some clattering and settling accompanying the motion, shortly followed by glancing at the others. "You hadn't seemed to have minded," Faelan said a bit hesitantly towards Peter since he had looked towards him. With Sophie's blushing and awkwardness, there was some small relaxing in him, as if he didn't have to worry so much. "Some people aren't really new, just harder to see. But, um, if you're new, hello. I'm Faelan." He wasn't going to mention the nickname that Jax had seemed to like, not sure if he was liking it himself yet. NO SOONER has the word 'mutant' escaped Sophie's mouth than does Peter's expression go from '