ArchivedLogs:Home for the Holidays

Home for the Holidays
Dramatis Personae Mallory, Thomas
In Absentia	2013-12-21 Thomas is summoned for the holidays in England, while Mallory remains behind.
Location <XS> - Foyer
Xavier's foyer provides a suitable introduction to the opulent mansion. Teak-paneled, wood floors immaculately polished, vaulted ceiling ribbed with dark wood boning, there is no doubt this school was built with no expense spared. The hallways branch off to the separate wings, with the grand staircase spiraling upwards to the residential dorms above. The foyer has enough foot traffic through it on a normal day that its hardly ever precisely empty. Students passing through it on the way to the kitchens, teachers on their way out the door, and various people simply using it as a cut through to get where they need to. This evening is no different, and the holiday decor simply makes it more festive of a walking path. Making his way out of the elevator is a face not often seen on campus, though the one wearing it is there all the time. With his pageboy cap on, Thomas looks quite dapper with his suit coat done up, even with the suitcase being dragged behind him. No, what is odd is the fact that his face is covered in make up, quite well done actually, and he looks for all intents and purposes the average human fellow. The few folks passing by pause a moment then continue on their way, but he doesn't seem to mind the fact that its normalcy drawing attention. Pausing, he checks his watch then glances down the various entrances as if he was looking to see who was coming through. The doorway to the foyer opens on silent hinges, bringing with it a gust of somewhat damp, chill air from the outside to swirl amidst the warmth and holiday cheer. A moment later, Mallory enters the foyer, dressed in a somewhat more relaxed manner, now that classes have drawn to a close for the semester. She wears a deep green tunic length sweater over a gold tone tank top and black tights that cling to her unusual legs, simple gold chain necklace at her throat, and tiny gold stud earrings in her earlobes, her long hair back in a messy braid that falls just to the base of her tail. One hand clutches a simple white envelope, crumpled from her frustrated grip, as she closes the door quietly behind her. Even as she leans against the door, Mallory regards Thomas with her unnaturally dark eyes, quiet for a time, even to him, though the turmoil and frustration still leak through the improved mental shielding. "Been summoned home, brother of mine?" Mallory asks, though her voice falls a touch flat. << First Christmas we will not actually spend together, if my memory is correct. >> Mallory offers, mental flashes of childhood memories, shared bright spots of momentary cheer and happiness. Her nose crinkles slightly at the sight of the heavy makeup, the covering cap, as she looks down at herself briefly, shaking her head, "Had gotten used to seeing you as, well, you." "You know it. I'll probably get the usual questions and haranguements. At least I wont have to worry about marriage offers yet. I don't think they'd be able to find anyone to their liking anytime soon." Thomas offers her a shrug and shakes his head. <<Like that yeah. I think you'll have a better time here than I will there. Well, as long as there aren't any zombies at school still. And you have Aloke>>, with the last mental word accompanied by the picture of a lightbulb. "I had only had to put it on a few times since we've gotten here. City visits mainly. Still, hard to break years and years of habit." << And all my licences, passport and documentation shows this face. Wonder how long that will last ey? >> and with that there is a slight frown, and a careful touching of his face with the mental feeling of itchiness. "Oh, I certainly doubt they would give up quite so easily. After all, you /are/ their only child," Mallory retorts with a wicked grin, her hand tightening further around the letter in her hand, a soft swirl of anger, betrayal, and exasperation eeking past her defenses as she sighs. "And you never know, I rather suspect they will have /some/ lovely ladies to have you prance about with," Mallory chuckles, accompanied by a mental image of her favorite dressage horse mid prance, complete with ribbons in its mane. She sticks her tongue out at him, bright pink against her dark colored lips, << Jerk. I rather appreciate the company, and the light. >> A flash, shared, of her view of the world in the darkness, the flickering outlines, quickly quieted away, << But yes, I cannot say I will miss the awkwardness of dinner in that ridiculous getup I had to wear. The being expected to retire early my rooms and stay away from everyone. I will still miss you, though, you know. >> Pacing across the distance between them, her hooves clicking softly on the flooring, Mallory sighs, looking at the makeup, "Impressive, though, I must say. You have gotten amazing at it, Thomas. Regretful that you have to maintain the charade." "They'll come around eventually, they have to. Give them time to cool off abit from... well ya know." Thomas shakes his head, sadness flowing through the link. << At least your flashlight was one you picked. I have to be our parent's pretty pretty pony long enough to set things right. >> As she comes to him, he raises an arm as if to hug, then pauses somewhat awkwardly. "Years of practice. I guess I always will be better at putting my make up on than you." << One day you'll be back home. And you can bring whatever nightlight you need to get through till morning. >> “Technically speaking, they do not need to do anything more than they have already done; I received a letter from their lawyers enumerating the ways they have severed ties, and I am fairly certain the standing order for family not to associate with me is still in place,” Mallory says, a wry smirk on her lips and a chuckle. << Maybe they will change their minds for you, as well. Perhaps even allow you to do that ‘marrying for love’ thing that I hear has been all the rage this century. Stranger things have happened in this world. >>The hesitation to hug gets a curious glance, but Mallory moves in to embrace her brother in a solid hug << Don’t worry, I’m not going to smudge your makeup. Or steal your hat. Promise - I am at least a bit more mature than that, now. >> A bubble of mental giggling accompanies a memory of a chase, Mallory having stolen Thomas’s new hat and run with it, shortly after the fire in the orchard that changed their lives. “They don’t exactly produce makeup in my skintone, brother dear. And hiding discreetly has never been my strong suit, skin being the least of my worries in general,” Mallory says with a smile. << One day I may be allowed to return to the estate. But not now. Maybe I’ll even be able to introduce Aloke to the rest of the family. But thus far, he has at the very least met the relative whose opinion I actually value. >> Mallory shrugs, releasing the hug at last, though there is a twinge of concern at the thought of meeting families, a snippet of conversation echoing that subject, of family approval. The librarian winces briefly at the apprehension that brings with it, the gnawing feeling of anxiety in the pit of her stomach. “So what time is your flight out?” she asks, quieting her mind with a subject change. “Pft, they’re just cranky and caught up in public opinion. They’re our parents after all, no matter how embarrassing we may be to the family name.” Thomas shakes his head and sighs as the hug is released. <<If I behave and do what they want, maybe they’ll have an easier time accepting you back. You know I’ll suffer through whatever shrew I need to for you.>> At the mental giggling, he pushes back with the image of stolen easter chocolates going into his mouth. << Candy was more important than hats. >> “And you’d be surprised what they make. There's this show on the telly with all the movie make up prosthetics. You should take a look at it sometime.” Offering a small smile at the comment of opinion valuing, Thomas shakes his head. <<Then I’ll stop making lightbulb jokes about him. I’m sure I can find something else to tease you over him about. But just to be clear, I really don’t want you sharing any… of ya know…>> though the last mental words come with a large wave of mental blackness censoring. “It’s tonight. The hope is to avoid any of the bad weather coming in. I wanted to get there and back quick enough that I wont be gone from you too long, but long enough there that they are appeased.” <<And I’ll sneak you some goodies from home. Customs don’t worry about that at least. Want me to set anything on fire for you?>> “/Everyone/ is cranky because of public opinion,” Mallory says with a sigh, shaking her head, quickly silencing the wave of frustrated, fiery anger that rises in her, “Uncertain how that will come to bear on us, given the recent laws and our resident status.” A frown creases her features, and she looks solidly at Thomas with her jet colored eyes << Thomas, no. I am /happy/ here, regardless of what the family thinks or says. While, yes, I would like to eventually make amends with them, but not at the cost of your happiness. You deserve to make your own happiness, not just follow along with their demands. >> Her tail lashes behind her, echoing the frustration that shadows her mind with the statements. In response to the Easter candy memory, Mallory’s mood lightens, and she giggles, “Well, in that case...” She reaches up to snag Thomas’s hat from his head, perching it instead atop her head, jauntily canted to the side to accommodate her more prominent horns. << Thank you. He has come to mean quite a lot to me. And you have a full trans-atlantic flight to mull over ways to be a typical little brother about this. >> Mallory quips mentally, leaning an arm on Thomas’s shoulder to emphasize their height difference, a smirk on her dark lips. << Promise, no overshares. I am getting better at it, at least. >> She snorts, shaking her head, “Although I will make you suffer if you spoil the Christmas Special - it airs back in England before it airs here. No spoilers, or I will end you.” Nodding at the timing of the flight, she sighs, “Return flight on Boxing Day, or expected to stay through that, as well? I imagine you will be back in time for the new year?” The offer of smuggling goodies back from home gets a chuckle, and she ponders for a moment, going over the list of traditional holiday foods << Hm, there were always those adorable little mince meat pies, with the little stars and bells and such on them. I imagine they wouldn’t be /too/ difficult to bring back. I won’t go about requesting anything extravagant like a Christmas pudding, though I think I may take a stab at making one this year… >> she trails off, mentally noting to look up recipes and ingredients, decorations and timings all rolled into one. “We’ll see how it goes. I know my documents are all, ya know. Like this,” Thomas says as he gestures to his made up face. “I don’t think there's quite a deadline yet on the matter, so it can be put off while the legal challenges push through.” << We will see how life goes then. Since I doubt that there's anyway for everyone to be happy with the situation. May just need to outlast them. I’ll suggest more heavy red meat and fry ups for meals while I’m home, after all, it’s not like I have to worry about getting fat. >> With the stolen hat, he does look cross and lets out a sigh. “You don’t get to steal my hat unless I get to steal your candy. And since you don’t Have any currently…” he reaches up to try and swipe back his hat from his taller twin. << I’m thinking up puns on his name. So far nothing is quite alike. >> Thomas makes a face as she leans on him, and nudges her side and finally acquires the hat now that it’s in reach. “And here I was going to offer to stream it back to you over skype. Guess you’ll have to wait the extra hours like all the other colonists then.” He sticks his tongue out at her threat to end him. “I’ve got the flight scheduled for the thirtieth, so should be back in time for the new year.” << I’ll bring back some chocolates at the very least. You liked the dark chocolate oranges right? >> which comes with the taste of them, followed by a bitter ick face. “Good luck on the puddings. If you start now, you may have enough time to soak through the stuff with cream. Or were you planning to toss in a couple more splashes of brandy?” “Ah, right. Mine are all like,” Mallory gestures at herself, grinning, “Seeing as I was not permitted to attain a passport until certain things happened to change minds.” Memories of the day after the protest in England, their parents stern and disapproving as they waited outside the jail for Mallory to be released. The librarian laughs at the memory, a dry, somewhat pained sound attempting to cover up the pang of regret that echoes through the thought. << We will see. I am… surprisingly content here, even with all that has gone on since our arrival. The fact that you are here as well rather adds to making this place feel more like home than “home” ever did. >> She smirks wryly, affecting an sickeningly sweet voice, “That said, please, feel free to use your insane metabolism to our advantage. A good builders breakfast never did anyone harm.” When he attempts to swipe the hat back, she leans away, just barely keeping it out of his reach, giggling lightly. << I know a few, but I am not going to tell you them. Figure it out on your own, brother of mine. >> Mallory chortles, securely locking said puns and wordplay away from mental reach. She does bow her head slightly so he can retrieve his hat easily, “Oh, you’re so sweet. That would be tempting - it really won’t be the same without the snarky commentary I have come to expect during these things. But I truthfully doubt they would let you do that, assuming you are staying in your old rooms. Remember - they can’t know you have seen me, let alone work with me?” She sighs, crumpling the somewhat forgotten letter in her hand once again, the frustration fades at the thought of chocolate oranges << Oh! I had somewhat forgotten about those. I don’t even know if they have them over here. But yes, the dark chocolate is /excellent/ and the raspberry ones are good too. And keeping the dark chocolate around means you are less likely to steal it, too. >> She grins brightly, and coughs, “I’ll have to see what I can do. My last attempt at cooking one /might/ have cause a small kitchen fire. Apparently /that/ much brandy is ill advised.” As the memories flow through, Thomas shakes his head and shares back the memories of pressures and postures and discomfort of being shown. “We both have what we have because of what our parents decided for us.” << I don’t know, I think I’d rather not have zombies in any home I’m in personally. At least the alcohol selection is pretty good. >> At the smirk, he chortles and shakes his head. “I am pretty sure the doctors disagree with you for everyone else. I think I could pack away two or three and maybe get a healthy weight.” He pats his stomach at that, nodding. << Oh, I will think of them. And they shall be terrible and cause suffering across the land. >> Thomas twirls a fake mustache evilly at that, and shakes his head. “I know they can’t know. I just figured I would probably be able to manage it. Even if it is on an old crap telly instead of the good one.” << Bah, no wonder you like the vile stuff. It was all I would leave behind. Blech. So I will be sure to bring back the good stuff, and a few small containers of the wretched stuff. >> He sticks his tongue out, careful not to get the make up on his face bothered by the action. “Alright, so not quite so much brandy in that process. But you can always make the sauce as strong as you like. I think they kitchen fans would be able to suck up the alcohol fumes enough not to ignite it.” Mallory cringes in guilt at the returned memories, shaking her head and frowning, “Apologies, Thomas. Neither of us exactly had a comfortable time of it, thanks to them. If nothing else, it did shelter us from the open ridicule and scorn by the public, I suppose.” The ‘bright side’ of the argument seems flat as she speaks of it, and she shrugs << But here we are, now. And the zombie problem appears to have been cleared up, so I’ll stick with my contented assessment. Besides, I did say I was ‘surprisingly’ content. >> She maintains an innocent smile and shrugs, glancing around briefly to make sure that Hank is not walking past at this point, “Minor details. Who listens to doctor’s orders, anyway? Unless it’s to ‘run’ I take it with a grain of salt. Tastes better that way.” << Brat. >> she responds, accompanied by an imperceptible eye roll when he twirls his invisible moustache. << And yes, obviously your poor taste in sweets is to blame for my far classier choices. Genetics isn’t always fair - apparently I got all the taste in our generation >> she laughs out loud, flashing fanged teeth in a broad smile. “I may have overdone it just a touch the first time, but cooking has never been my strong suit. I’ll give it another try some time soon… maybe not over the holidays, as it just seems like a touch higher expectation at that time for a proper pudding. Without premature flames,” she snorts guiltily, but shrugs again. “We each had different problems and different shackles to deal with. Yours was to not be seen by the rest of the world. Mine was to pretend to be what I no longer was. I’m sure psychology majors would have a lovely field day with both of our issues.” Thomas gave a smirk at that as he settled his hat back into place, careful of the horns. << I imagine part of that is due to your fellow. Guess no blood sausages or yorkshire puddings for him. Ah well, more for us then, >> he thought with an amused bit. “I’m sure we have different doctoral matters to worry over instead. On the plus side, I can keep my cup of tea nice and hot without much effort, so an even bargain.” << Dastardly so, >> Thomas grins at the eye roll. << You got all the taste of an angry old lady. You even like anise flavored things. Terribly horrid things. So so terrible. >> He does make a distasteful grimace at that. “Enjoy your cooking endeavours. At least I’ll be on another continent at that time. You’d probably put licorice in just to be contrary.” << I’m fairly certain the counselors and psychologists on staff have their hands full with the students, as is >> Mallory sighs under her breath, running a hand along one horn and glancing around the hall, “We would be but one footnote in a long thesis on the psychological impact of X-Gene expression on parent/child relationships.” She crinkles her nose in distaste at the thought, shaking her head, “Someone should write that. Maybe it’ll open some eyes to just how bad things can be.” There’s a gentle elbow to Thomas’s side at the commentary on diets << No, none of that. But he makes an /excellent/ curry, so I’m not going to complain. Besides, the blood sausage around here is spotty at best - I’ll pass for now. >> Mallory chuckles and shakes her head, “Ah yes, the priorities. As long as our mutations don’t interfere with tea, everything will turn out alright.” There’s a twinge of concern here, as medical concerns are brought up, but it is quietly pushed away without comment. << Pfft. Like I was left a choice. You /ate/ all the normal chocolates. I had to scrounge the forgotten candy bowls for sweets half the time. Brat. >> Mallory retorts, sticking her tongue out at him with a laugh. “And I would not ruin a perfectly good pudding with licorice. Just for that, I’ll be certain to save one for you when I cook them. So you can suffer through my horrid cooking,” Mallory chuckles, leaning gently against her twin, “Be safe out there, travelling. I’ll miss you, brother of mine.” << True enough, but at least they have the staff to handle the needs of the children. I doubt our parents would have sent us here anyway had it been available at the time. Harder to cover up something if you are admitting it exists. >> Thomas shook his head at the thesis statement though. “Oh yes, I’m sure that would give all sorts of ammunition to the anti-mutant agenda. Probably call for x-gene testing as part of the pre-natal suite and suggest aborting.” Letting out a sigh at that, he snerks at the elbow to his side. << I wasn’t making Fun of his diet, merely commenting on it. I would never be so crass as to do that, and you know how crass I am >>. “Indeed, if not for tea, we’d just be mere shadows of our existence. I’ll make sure to grab some tins for bringing home. Maybe I’ll buy an extra suitcase while I’m there to fill up with goodies. I only packed the carryon, should be enough to sit me through the week.” << You had the choice of not eating horrible things. I also would have accepted treatises written about my greatness in exchange for some good chocolates. >> Thomas smiled at banishment of licorice from the pudding though. “Many thanks to all things holy for that. And I will gladly suffer through it sister-mine.” He checks the buzzing phone in his pocket, and looks at the screen. “That’s the cabby I called. Guess its time to make way to the airport.” << I don’t know. It would have been a way to keep us out of sight, out of mind. Prestigious boarding school across the pond? I rather imagine they would have sent me here, if nothing else. >> Mallory responds, not sounding too pleased at the fact that she would have been separated from Thomas earlier in life. She winces, closing her eyes for a moment at the talk of prenatal testing, the wave of anxiety rising briefly before being silenced once more, “It isn’t always necessary to do a gene test for it, brother.” She sighs, shaking her head and shifting her weight from hoof to hoof, demonstratively << Fair certain had both of us shown physical mutations on the early ultrasounds, we would not be having this conversation. >> “Hah. That will be a fun time at customs, I am certain of it. Appreciated, though. Even if it comes with a healthy heaping of ridicule over my taste in sweets,” Mallory says with a lighter chuckle, turning to happier topics. << Oh yes, that would have been a fair trade, oh humble one. I survived with my tasty dark chocolate. Thank-you-very much, >> she giggles mentally. “I’ll save the pudding for the New Year then. If I start it now, it should be edible by the time you return,” Mallory chuckles, glancing at his phone when he pulls it out, “Ah. Time to go, I suppose?” She glances towards the door, then back to Thomas, pulling him into a side hug << Travel safe, and call me when you land, alright? I’ll walk you to the gate. >> Thomas nods resignedly at her assessment. << You’re probably right about that all. But we exist, so we can unleash our horrible mutant nature upon the world. >> He offers a small smile and answers the phone hushedly before closing the call. “Yeah, that is the cabby. Don’t worry, I’ll hire a bigger car to bring me home when I come home.” << There will be much ridicule when I return, but also candy. It is a balanced equation. >> Hugging her back, he nods to her offer. << Yeah, you can come out and enjoy the lovely winter weather. Don’t even have to worry about seeing my breath. >> There is laughter in Mallory’s mental voice as she pushes open the door, keeping it open so Thomas can wheel his luggage out << Oh yes. Fear the wrath of the awfulness of mutant professors. Such terrifying fiends that have been unleashed upon this world. Assigning homework. Grading papers. The horror. >> She snorts out loud, grinning as they head out into the cool damp air, “Pfft. Our metabolisms are fast, but even I don’t think it is advisable to bring a /car load/ of sweets home from holiday. Ridicule is fine. Just remember the dark chocolate.” Mallory’s breath is just as visible in the cool air, and she shrugs << Alright. Lets get you on your way. Don’t want you to miss your flight and disappoint the family. >> She chuckles as she they walk << Merry Christmas, Thomas. Love you, brother of mine. >>