ArchivedLogs:Here There Be Dragons

Here There Be Dragons
Dramatis Personae Kai, Peter
In Absentia	2013-08-16 '
Location <XS> Boys' Hall - FL2
The boy's dormitory is more densely lined with doors than the main thoroughfare, nearly all of which sport some kind of bulletin or dry-erase board, or some manner of poster. This hallway is slightly more cluttered than its counterpart across the hall, with door-hangings prioritizing posters and decorations and dry-erase missives marginally more likely to be composed of crude drawings. Peter is /on the ceiling/, at the moment. It's not easy to ceiling-crawl at Xavier's; many of the ceilings were not designed to handle the weight of a strapping young man -- nevermind having all that weight concentrated at the hands, knees, and feet. But through trial and error (okay, mostly error) Peter's managed to find the portions of the ceiling that /can/ support his weight -- the points where support beams run parallel to the tiles and give the surface a little extra holding power re: his weight! So, to someone who happens to be looking up, it seems like Peter's... crawling very /carefully/ on the ceiling. Stretching his hands out far as he moves, wriggling here or there... clad in his red hoodie, blue sweatpants, and two-toed socks. The strings of his hoodie dangling; his hair hanging upside down -- eyes peering down. If and when Peter finds Kai, he will stealthily crawl over him and proceed to make a sound: "Psst. /Kai/. Up." Kai is a man with a plan. Or a book on planning, anyway. It's a very good book, with ideas for planning any kind of party, as evidenced by the title 'IDEAS FOR GOOD PARTIES'. It's got all his attention as he wanders down the hallway in the general direction of his dorm room. Dressed in cargo shorts and a yellow t-shirt, his bare feet are not engaged in hop-stepping, mostly because he has the book open, blocking his view. He nods as he reads, smiling to himself. When Peter hisses from above him, Kai freezes, and slowly looks up with wide, almost-round eyes...up, up, up...until his head is craned back to see the ceiling-clinging teenager. "Peter." It's a greeting that seems almost amused, and he stretches a hand as if he might grab one of those dangling strings. "Why are you climbing on the ceiling?" "--because..." Peter begins, nose wrinkling, as if he's just been asked why he is /breathing/. "Because I can?" This is followed by more scurrying; Kai manages to bat the strings (which are bobbing wildly as Peter moves) as the boy clambors further down the hall, before -- hup! -- he jumps down, landing with a flip on his feet. The soles of his socks cushion his landing, but it still makes a noticeable ba-whump. "--I'm taking Ivan to a bug museum," Peter announces, rather firmly! Before his eyes settle on the books in Kai's hand, scanning the titles oh-so-intently. "Ideas for Good Parties? Why do you need ideas for good parties? I have /all/ the ideas for good parties," he announces, very firmly. Kai smiles at the answer to his question, and lifts a thin shoulder. "I suppose that is a good reason for doing many harmless things," he allows, bobbing his head. "If they are fun." The dismount from the ceiling is watched carefully, as if Kai is studying how to do it -- just in case he needs to get down from there one day. The ba-whump gets a thoughtful pull of the Korean's eyebrows, but he doesn't seem to have a question to accompany it. "Oh, he will like that," he says of the bug museum, nodding vigorously. "That will be a good thing for you two to do. Is it in the city?" When Peter notices the book, the younger boy colors, and pulls it closer to himself. "Oh. It is...the time of year in which I was born?" he offers, looking a bit anxious as he confesses. "I thought it might be a nice thing to have a party, but I have never given one before." "The time -- your /birthday/?" Peter says, a little more forcefully, now -- leaning forward toward Kai, peering at him. As if he's looking for a 'DATE-OF-PRODUCTION' label. Inspect! "I didn't know it was your birthday! When is your birthday? Like, it isn't today, is it? Oh man I think I missed Ducky's birthday I miss everyone's birthday. Oh, hey, right, I wanted to ask -- if you wanted to come to the bug museum? I don't know if it's in the city," Peter admits, quickly adding: "I actually have no idea where the bug museum is I just -- plan on going to a bug museum? I don't know which one. Whichever one we find." "Well," Kai says slowly, blushing a bit darker at the sudden inspection. "It is not my /birthday/. I do not know what day that is. But I remember my mother said that I was born in the hottest part of the summer." He lifts his shoulders. "It might be past, already. But I wanted to wait until Ivan came back to..." he ducks his head, suddenly shy about the whole matter. "Ducky's birthday was yesterday," he says. "She left a piece of cake in front of my door. I am going to make her a picture as a gift." The invitation to the bug museum brings his head back up, and he furrows his brow. "You will /really/ take me to the bug museum?" he asks, his tone cautiously hopeful. "When you find it?" Peter claps his hands together. Sharply! "Oh, that's cool, you can just pick a day then. Who gets to pick their birthday? Do you like Saturdays? Saturdays seem like a good day to have a birthday on." The mention of the bug museum prompts a nod out of Peter, before: "--we can probably bring a couple of people? I dunno maybe the whole /bug/ club or anyone who just really wants to see -- bugs. Oh I bet Anole will want to see bugs. We could make a class trip out of it or--" Peter pauses, here; apparently he's just remembered how the last class trip went: "--or just do it. Real quiet like. Just a few of us. Quiet would be good," he decides, nodding his head. "Oh, yes. I was planning to have it on Saturday," Kai says. "The book says to have parties on the weekends." He smiles, and listens to the explanation about the bug museum with a small tick of his eyebrows that might be disappointment, but is too quick to really judge. "A group of people would be good," he says, chewing at his bottom lip thoughtfully. "If there are people who would like to go." He frowns, as if remembering something. "Museums are safe places, yes? I have never been to one before." "...they're supposed to be safe, /but/, uh, hm, maybe we should, uh..." Peter's voice trails off, eyes slinking around the hallway. "I mean, I'm gonna be... all chitin-y? There. It'll probably be fine but maybe it'd be better to just be -- me and you and Ivan? Or maybe someone else if we think of it and they really want to go I just don't want us to have any sort of trouble. Saturday," he decides, mid-discussion, "is an excellent choice. /This/ Saturday? Like, tomorrow?" "I would like that better," Kai says honestly, his brow relaxing as he smiles lightly. "I have been looking forward to going and doing things with the two of you when Ivan returned." He lifts his eyebrows. "And we can get Slurpees on our way home!" Because 7-11s are /totally/ safer than museums. He shakes his head at the question of the day. "I could not put together my first party in so short a time," he says with a small giggle. "I will probably have it next weekend, before classes start again." He wrinkles his nose. "I hope it will be fun for people. The twins said I should ask Desi to throw it for me, but I do not know her very well." "Oh, Desiree? She's, uh, she's cool," Peter admits, this statement arriving with a notable flush of violet that creeeeeps up his face. "She could throw you a pretty awesome party, if you asked her -- slurpees, oh right, yeah. Uh, we could -- do that." Peter's mouth twitches into the slightest /hint/ of a grin. "--I'll ask one of the teachers -- um, Jax, maybe? Or maybe..." His eyebrows pinch together. "Dr. McCoy -- he really likes science." Peter's hand darts down -- instinctively! -- toward one of the two thwippy things he wears, touching the wrist-mounted device. Kai wrinkles his nose at the flushing of Peter's chitin, and his mouth presses tight. "I do not think I will ask her," he says a bit flatly. "It is my first party; I should do it." He nods at the addition of Slurpees to the itinerary, and furrows his brow. "Doctor McCoy does like science," he says slowly, also glancing at Peter's wrists, probably following that hand. "But he is awfully..." he purses his lips to one side of his face, and makes flailing motion near his skin. "Fuzzy? It might be better to ask one of the other teachers." He wrinkles his nose thoughtfully. "Who are less so." "...oh, right. Fuzzy. And I'm chitin-y, that'd probably -- yeah we have to be. Careful about that," Peter says, lips tightening, forming a tense, straight line -- his eyes suddenly focused on a point just above Kai's left shoulder. Eyebrows crunching together. "Need a teacher who, uh -- people don't think is... mutant-y. I guess. Hm. Uh. I'm sure... we have a couple. Or Jax could," and here, Peter grins, gesturing at himself, "could make /me/ not look mutanty, I guess. That'd be /weird/. Kind of might be cool to do it just for a day, though." "Mister Jackson can /do/ that?" Kai seems surprised at this bit of information, and his eyes widen to near-circles. "He can make you look like you did before?" Clearly, this is baffling information, and he furrows his brow. "I thought that he made light, and color." His lower lip juts out as he considers this. "I do not think I would like to see you like that," he says, as if it's up to him to decide such things. "Your chitin is a very pretty color, and it looks very handsome on you." He lifts his eyebrows as a thought lights up his eyes. "Oh! Maybe -- " he closes his mouth, considering a moment. "There is a new teacher," he says. "I have only seen her in passing. But some of the students said that she likes nature very much. Maybe we can ask her." "Jax can --" Peter frowns a moment, a thoughtful look slipping across his face. "--do some stuff, with light? I don't know if he... shows it off, a lot. But he can do illusions, yeah. Really /amazing/ illusions. Not permanently, but for a little while. I'd just be curious, I guess? I've been chitin for so long I sometimes wonder what it's like to... --hm? New teacher?" Peter's eyebrows bolt up at this mention. And /nature/, oh-/ho/. "Who's that? I haven't heard of a new teacher." Kai blinks at this new information on Jax, and nods. "That is very interesting. I hope I will see it some day." He smiles, and lifts his shoulders. "If it is a thing you are curious about, then you should do it," he says encouragingly. "But maybe not at a bug museum." The questions about the new teacher get a quick shaking of his head. "I do not remember her name," he admits. "It had a lot of Os in it. But she is very pretty, with dark skin and white hair." Kai waggles his fingers near head. "I only saw her once, on the stairs. But other students knew her, so she might not be new." "...hm, maybe. I'll -- talk to him about it. It'd be weird, but maybe cool, I'm just... I mean, I like the chitin, I just sometimes wonder? I can't even remember what old me used to look like, now." Peter provides a meek grin. At the description of this new teacher, though... "--lots of Os. Dark skin. /White/ hair?" This makes Peter's eyebrows dart up. "...did she." Peter reaches out, then, to take Kai's shoulder very carefully. His eyebrows knitting together as something very serious swells over his face. "Kai, did she have pointed ears?" And then, much more muted, as if this is even /more/ important: "...does she -- worship a spider Goddess?" "You do not have pictures from before?" Kai might be teasing, but he looks pretty earnest about the question. His expression slips into concern at Peter's reaction to his information, and he furrows his brow as he looks down at the hand on his shoulder. "I saw her once," he repeats slowly, emphasizing each word. He looks up, frowning up into Peter's face. "On the stairs. She did not have pointed ears." His head tilts, and he studies the older boy for a long moment. "Why is that important?" "--no, well, I mean -- my parents do, I guess. I don't have any pictures. I guess I could look at one of the pictures they have -- I just never. Really cared about pictures? I never thought I'd care what I used to look like. But I never really expected to..." Peter gestures at his face, giving a crooked grin. "Change /that/ much." At the mention of Ororo's lack of pointed ears, Peter seems to relax; his grip on Kai's shoulder loosens, then slips away. "--just, I dunno, we've been kind of -- getting D&D-ish up in here? Dragons and liches and I thought maybe she was a /drow/ but I guess -- not." Kai wrinkles his nose at the explanation, and tips his head further. "I only understood the word 'dragon'," he says, furrowing his brow. "What is 'deeandee'?" For a while, Peter can do nothing but respond to this question with a Peterstare. Before: "It's -- dungeons and dragons. It's, uh, hm. It's..." His hand reaches up to scratch at the back of his head, brows /furrowing/ with the force of his thought -- trying to think of a way to translate... "It's a game you play? Where you pretend to be, like, heroes? Set way back in medieval times? And there's magic and dragons and monsters and dungeons you explore. And you have /adventures/ and save the day. You play with little figurines you march across a map and with dice and stuff it's actually -- I haven't played it in /ages/ I was thinking about forming a club. 'Cuz one of the mutants here is kind of -- Lichy?" Peter grins at this summary. "Mya? And I think she's interested." Kai listens to the description with a studious look, righting his head and lowering his chin. "It sounds interesting," he says. "Is it hard to learn? I like to play games." He frowns, remembering something, and he lifts a bare foot to rub it along the back of one calf. "There are dragons in it? Are they like Foom? Or like Spike, from My Little Pony?" When Peter mention Mya, Kai smiles brightly. "Oh, yes! I have met Mya. She is made of smoke, but not really. Her body is in a special room somewhere." He drops his foot with a thump. "She is very nice. And her smoke is pretty. Is that what lich means? A person who is made of smoke?" "--they're uh, actually, probably a /lot/ like Foom -- do you -- know Smaug? From the Hobbit?" Peter asks, before -- suddenly rising up and doing his best scary dragon voice, hands lifting over his head to mimic /claws/: "My armor is like tenfold shields, my teeth are swords, my claws spears, the shock of my tail a thunderbolt -- my wings a hurricane, and my breath -- DEATH!" ...before Peter quickly lowers his hands. "...uh sorry I -- kinda loved that book. Sorry," Peter says, before quickly adding: "It's not /too/ hard, kind of complicated -- oh, liches are like. Dead wizards? Who come back to life, they're /zombie/ wizards. Like, her skeleton is in the basement, you know? And I thought -- I mean, she's not /really/ a lich. But yeah, she's pretty cool...!" The peal of laughter that comes out of Kai at Peter's dragon-voice is loud and sudden, and he clamp his hand over his mouth to muffle it, eyes crinkling deeply. "That does not sound very Foom-like," he says, when he's gained control of himself. "I am reading the Hobbit!" he says, straightening. "Sebastian said there were books about The Lord of the Rings, and when I looked, they said that The Hobbit came first, so I am reading that. It is very slow going, though. It is hard to read, at times." He furrows his brow at the Mya comparison, considering it carefully. "She can make things from her smoke," he offers helpfully. "That is /like/ a wizard." "Yeeeeeah, I guess I don't do a dragon voice really well. There was this really /weird/ cartoon I saw once that had him in it though -- hn. Actually," and now Peter is pulling out his phone! Apparently intent on showing Kai this very thing. Thumbs twiddling away at the touch-screen as he continues, regarding the Hobbit: "Have you read the 'Riddles in the Dark' chapter yet? Or the bit with the trolls? Hm, I dunno if this is a spoiler -- I mean, I guess it isn't, not really, since you know they're going to meet the dragon /anyway/... also yeah she is kind of a wizard. We're /all/ kind of wizards, though." And then! Peter is lifting the phone up to show Kai, hitting play. Showing him. SMAUG'S BOAST, from the 1977 animated version of the Hobbit. 'BE DONE WITH YOUR /RIDDLES/!' "I am just to the part where they have encountered the Goblins," Kai says, after a moment of thought. "They have already met the trolls." He giggles in memory. "It was funny, the way they tricked the trolls." When Peter holds out his phone, the younger boy leans forward to watch the video. His eyes widen as Smaug rears up into frame, and his eyebrows threaten to disappear into his hairline. "Oh." It's very soft, and the only sound Kai makes through the whole clip. When it ends, he straightens, blinking hard a couple of times. He STARES at Peter for a long moment, his mouth working with an unspoken question. Then it closes, and he swallows hard. "That is a very interesting thing," he says slowly. "I...will you send that to my phone?" Peter seems somewhat surprised at /Kai's/ reaction! But he's already twiddling away, humming even as he does: "Sure, I can -- here, just -- send you the link, I think? I, mmmn..." Twiddle, twiddle -- sent! "--there we go. But, uh, you might not -- want to watch any of the related videos 'cuz they have spoilers? As far as the book goes? You probably want to finish the book it's not bad, even if it's a little -- tough, I guess? Riddles in the Dark is my favorite chapter, s'got Gollum. Shane can actually do a really good Gollum impression," Peter adds, with a sheepish grin. "--but the dragon bits are really great too." Kai fishes in his pocket as his phone vibrates, and he pulls it out to look at the text with a nod. "This is the only video I care to see," he says. "I would prefer to finish the book before I see any of the movies. There is one that has real hobbits, like the Lord of the Rings movies." He nods enthusiastically. "I am looking forward to seeing it. It has the same Gandalf, as well." He wrinkles his nose at the mention of Shane, and smiles. "He is sort of /like/ Gollum," he says. "With sharp teeth, and being small and skinny. If we did a play of it, he could play that part." "He can do the 'gollum' sound, too, it's kind of freaky -- though," Peter taps his jaw, thinking, eyebrows mashing together, "he doesn't have an obsession with a ring, at least. Oh," Peter adds, eyes widening, "--I'm supposed to--!! Meet somebody in the workshop I will talk to you later, okay, Kai? Oh /man/ you should see Desolation of Smaug when it comes out I bet that will be all sorts of -- interesting. 'Cuz, /DRAGON/, but -- yeah anyway I will -- talk to you later?" "Maybe he has not found the right ring," is Kai's counsel on Shane's lack of Gollum-ness. But that's all he can offer, because then Peter is REMEMBERING. "Oh! Yes, you should go," he says, bobbing his head. The suggestion of watching the movie gets a furrow of his brow. "I think...I have to speak to someone, first," he says. "But it should be interesting, yes." He lifts a hand, then, and resumes his trek towards his room. "I will see you later," he offers, then he stops, and turns around. "Do not forget about the bug museum," he says, eyebrows raising. "It will be fun." "--speak to someone? And okay! I'll email you once I figure out /which/ museum, and, uh, I'll look for -- the teacher you mentioned, maybe? To take us." And then, Peter is on the /walls/, because SCREW FLOORS. "I'll talk to you later, Kai!" And then he's crawling along the walls toward the exit from the hallway, toward the workshop! "Good-bye, Peter," Kai says, lifting his hand as the older boy takes to the walls. Then he's tucking his party book under his arm, and pulling open the link on his phone, playing the video and watching it through fully once before he moves again, into his room, hitting the 'replay' button.