ArchivedLogs:...Pedro?

...Pedro?
Dramatis Personae Ross, Dante
In Absentia	2013-07-27 Dante needs to do his research...
Location <XS> - Gardens
From indoor gardens to outdoor, though without the protective greenhouse glass the back gardens do not last all year round. Still, the gardens out here are well-tended and well-worth spending time in, as well. The paths wending through the beds of flowers and herbs and vegetables spread out through the school's back grounds, tended by students as a credit class. Benches offer seating and a small pond is home to koi and turtles, as well as a few frogs. At the far back edges of the garden, a droning buzzing marks a few stacked white boxes as beehives. The sun casts long shadows as it sets slowly over the horizon, light pouring over the school gardens like a warm liquid flame. It was that time of day that the afternoon birds sing happily as they flutter through the landscape, whilst the crickets begin chirping with content as they awake for the distant rising moon. The bench on which Dante sits is still warmed by the sun's rays, even as it sets past the treeline. The young man sighs softly to himself as he takes a sip of expensive whiskey from a small glass - obviously lifted from the school's kitchen cabinet. The bottle sits next to him on the bench, just waiting to be touched once more. The young man is clad in a black beater and an old leather jacket, worn by years of wear. Ripped, faded blue jeans cover his legs, and hides the top of his black combat boots, which also show much wear and tear. His left hand grasps the small glass tightly, the liquid within disappearing quickly with each sip taken. His other hand reaches into his pocket, pulling a cigarette expertly from it's pack, and placing it into his lips. He replaces the pack into his jacket pocket, and produces a zippo lighter with the Japanese kanji for "Courage" engraved onto one side. He lights the stick, and takes a long drag from the cigarette, exhaling deeply and letting the smoke rise around his figure. His long brown hair hides his boyish features, save his bright green eyes, which look out musingly towards the sun setting quickly over the horizon... This peaceful moment is quickly brought to a halt, as the distant sounds of wheels moving and repeated cursing become closer. A young, purple skinned girl with short brown hair and blue highlights, brown eyes, and long forward-pointed ears, wearing a Pokemon t-shirt, long blue jeans, and maybe 20 rubber bracelets on her wrists trotted in, with a small wagon wheeling behind her. In this wagon was a tiny metal robot-thing, with a tiny cowboy hat and a sign nearby saying "Pedro". As she wheels in, not noticing the man, she hit a small bump, causing the robot to fly forwards. "FUCK, PEDRO!". She quickly scurried forwards, catching the robot. "Pedro, are you alright? PEDRO?" She rocks him back and forth, putting him inside of the wagon again. "Don't you scare me like that again, you stupid robot." Dante takes another long drag of his cigarette, enjoying the serenity of the sunset as best he could. He sighs once more, taking no notice of the sound of wagon wheels behind him. It was almost as if it didn't exist in his world, it was less important than the whiskey within the bottle that urged to be poured. That all changed when "FUCK, PEDRO!" echoed throughout the gardens. Dante jumped, not expecting such an outburst in such a calm, quiet area. The bottle of whiskey in his hands slipped slightly, spilling the amber liquid all over his jeans, and NOT into his glass...the cigarette in his other hand popped from in between his fingertips, rolling off the seat and onto the ground. As quickly as he could, Dante replaced the cap on the bottle, set it down, and scooped up the cigarette so it wouldn't burn anything. He looked behind him finally once he'd regained his composure "The fuck was that?" he managed to sputter as he looked for a culprit... Still wheeling her robot, Ross jumped when she heard that she had been detected. "Oh, fuck, Pedro. Hide!". She quickly ducked into a small bush, even though she was not only too big, but also stood out, being purple. "I'm not here, I'm a bush. I swear. That is my mutation. I am just a bush.". Constantly muttering, trying not to get in trouble for wheeling a robot through the gardens, which may or may not be against the rules, she continues. "Also, Pedro did it.". "I...Uh..." There were really no words for this moment...In all his time working with people, in being in the theatrical arts...Hell, in working retail across the country...there were really no words... He watched, curious, eyebrows raised, as the girl shot behind the bush, and...he's not sure /what/ she was trying to accomplish. "God, and I thought Peter was crazy..." he mumbles to himself, smiling slightly as he stood up and took another drag of his cigarrette. "That's a rather talkative bush..." he quips loudly, taking a step towards her... Slowly realizing her ruse was up, Ross lifted herself out of the bush. "Um..Pedro made me do that.". Ross smiled bleakly, looking at Dante. "Wait..I haven't seen you around. You seem a bit tall, and old, to be a student...oh god, you're not one of those soldiers, are you? I'M SORRY FOR THROWING A PIPE AT YOUR HEAD.". She quickly dashes over to Pedro, hiding behind the wagon. "Or maybe it's the pills. Meh, it's always the pills.". She lifts Pedro up. "This is Lord Pedro I, deathbot extraordinaire. Also, I'm slightly crazy. My name is Ross. Nice to meet you.". She waves her hand, nodding her head. Atleast she's honest. "So, strange person..what are /you/ doing out here?" "old?" he begins to respond, before the student continued her diatribe. He jumped back a moment, surprised yet again by the girl's demeanor... But still...old!? He glances at 'Pedro...' then back at Ross...and he takes a quick inhale, holding his hand up to say something...but nothing comes to mind, so nothing escapes his lips... Yep...crazy would certainly be ONE word for it. "Uh...Dante! I'm Dante. And, well, i /was/ enjoying the sunset. It's usually rather peaceful out here this time of day, i just like to unwind..." Realizing that came off a little callous, he sighs slightly once more. "And it's nice to meet you, Ross. And...you too...Pedro..." he hesitates, his face scrunched slightly as he speaks, as if to convey 'I can't believe i just introduced myself to a robot...' Oh, come on...like you never had an imaginary friend? He thought to himself... Suddenly, Ross beings laughing like crazy. "Oh for fucks sake, you actually thought I thought he was real? Please, I don't have AI installed yet. I'm not /that/ crazy." She smiles at him. "I mean, I wish Pedro was real, but sadly, he's just..a paperweight with moving arms. Anyways, I could smell the smoke, so I thought I'd play a prank." She's a pretty bad liar, sadly. She wheels the cart closer to her. "Are you a teacher or something? Maybe heal-, wait, no, you're smoking, nevermind." She's cheerful as usual, placing Pedro back in the cart. "Well, it is nice to meet you, Dante." She places her hand out for a handshake, knowing that most teachers know her power, just to /see/. Not like she'd actually use it, but. "Such a pleasant day, isn't it?" He smiles and nods as she attempts, however unsuccessfully, to convince him of her state of mind. He pursed his lips gently, trying his best to hold back the laughter that dared escape his lips at the absurdity of it all. "Uh huh...Well, yeah, i'm a teacher. Theatre. Though i've been out for a little while, it's nice to be back...and it's nice to meet a new student...Ross was it? i dont think i'd seen you around when i was last here..." Most teachers probably do know her powers...but as he said, Dante had been out for a little while...and he'd just returned, with no time (or desire) to read up on the newest batch of students that had joined in his absence. So Dante was, sadly, one of the few that did /not/ know not to touch her...His hand met hers, squeezing gently as he shook her hand, oblivious to what he was opening himself up to. "It is, very pleasant. Even though it's almost over. it's my favorite time of the day, honestly..." /OH/. /MY/. /GOD/. He actually touched her. As their hands met, Ross couldn't help but want to use her powers. And if it's /harmless/, what's the issue? He may even find it fun. Hopefully. Grinning as their hands touch, she opens her mouth slowly. Her voice resonates in his mind powerfully. "Go over there, pick up Pedro, and stand in that bush.". She points to the first Pedro, and then the bush. Gleefully smiling, not actually sure what consquences she could bring, she awaits the outcome, just laughing in glee. This will not be good. "Of course!" he pipes happily, releasing her hand and quickly scampering to pick up the little robot, carefully cradling him as if he was real. "Come on, Pedro," he coos slightly "we gotta get going!" He moves with purpose to the bush, taking absolutely no care for it as he steps directly into the middle of the greenery. It wasn't until he was placed comfortably within the bush that his eyes flickered slightly... What the fuck?! Dante looked down, noticing quickly tht Ross was now several feet in front of him, in what seemed like an instant. He looked around at his new surroundings...inside a bush...there was a weight in his hands...He looked down... "...Pedro?" It takes Ross a second before realizing, that the staff will /probably/ not like her jacking with people's minds without their permission. "Uh...Um..". She turns to run away, but realizes this is a bad idea. "DON'T KILL ME OKAY I CONTROL MINDS VIA TOUCH I'M SORRY I THOUGHT IT'D BE A FUN PRANK.". Saying all of this without a single breath, she runs over, grabbing Pedro if he lets her. If so, she quickly puts him in the wagon, prepared to wheel off. "Please please don't kill me or maim me or anything, I have enough detention and I'm sorry! I just never really get a chance to use my power and thought, well, you shook my hand, maybe do something harmless? DON'T TURN INTO A DRAGON AND EAT ME, PLEASE!". Going through a slight sporadic break, seeing as she may get eaten by a dragon, she backs away slowly. "I think I uh, hear Xavier telepathically calling. Yes, that's it.". However, instead of just running..she awaits his response..?. "Unless that was cool, then, yes, I control brains. If not, don't eat me!". It took a moment for Dante to figure out exactly what had happened. His mind was still slightly foggy, his bearings not quite about himself... Let's be honest, it too more than a moment... It took Dante about as long as Ross snatching Pedro out of his hands for him to snap back into reality...He reached out to grab her to stop her from leaving, but recoiled QUICKLY...quickly enough to trip on the bush he was standing in, falling backwards. He hit the ground with a /thud/, looking up slightly bemused "The fuck was that?!" he cries out, more from confusion than anger. Perhaps if it had happened to someone else, he would have found the humor a little bit more quickly. But he didn't like people in his mind. It had only happened once, and he didn't like it then...this was no better. Fucking mind powers... "Not cool, kid. Definitely not cool..." he said softly as he stood up slowly, brushing off his jacket and glaring slightly at the young girl. But seeing her little freakout, he couldnt help but feel...pity? Maybe? He scoffed slightly, sighing with a hint of defeat, before making his way back to the bench, pouring a drink, and taking a big gulp of the whiskey. "No dragon turning here, kid. Don't worry...but I will advise, be careful who you do that to...might get you into trouble..." he looked to her as he took another drink, his eyebrows raising as if to say "dont worry about getting in trouble THIS time..." Ross nods, taking in all the words. "I understand, I'm sorry! I just thought, it'd be fun?". She looks sad, as she slowly begins to wheel Pedro away. "I won't do it again, I swear. If not, you can sic a dragon on me or something. Maybe.". She waves as she wheels away. This was a fun night. And luckily, no dragons!