Logs:Just In Time For Spooky Season
| Just In Time For Spooky Season | |
|---|---|
| Dramatis Personae | |
| In Absentia | 2024-10-23 "Does this make me a Halloween staple now?" |
| Location
<NYC> LaGuardia Airport | |
Afternoon on a Wednesday is not the busiest time for travel, but the airport is still a hectic mess of stressed travelers and exhausted workers and bored TSA agents looking for someone's day to ruin. It's not the most cheerful of Welcome Homes -- for the most part. Appropriately, then, Avi (a tiny bit broader and considerably taller than last year) is dressed quite serious and businesslike, a no nonsense black suit that looks similar to that of several other Professional Drivers here waiting to meet their charges. The sign he is holding as he stands solemn-faced outside the security exit also looks similar to those held by many drivers-waiting-for-pickup, a plain white square with name printed in bold all caps. The name written there does say GHOSTY BOY, but who's really paying attention? "Very thematic, does this make me a Halloween staple now?" The Ghosty Boy in question seems to appear beside his suited-and-booted friend, having snuck his way through another gate. Truthfully, he got turned around after baggage claim and been the bane of security's afternoon, but nothing could dampen his mood. Not today. His attire is far more casual than Avi's, his priorities clearly set on comfort than any real style, but his heart warms at the sheer amount of effort put into his pickup. Asva beams as he almost tackles Avi into a side-hug, having to reach his arm notably higher to hook around his friend's neck. "It's so good to see you! You look so suave-" Avi jumps as Asva appears, his Serious Chauffer on Serious Business demeanor cracking in an instant into a warm bright smile. "Boy scare me out my damn mind!" There's no heat in this, just cheerful amusement; he's returning the hug fierce, his printed name card creasing in his hand as he squeezes back. "Damn right you are, you back just in season for endless ghost jokes. Or, well, a week more of 'em anyway." He is reaching into a pocket of his jacket to start off the Interminable Ghost References by pulling out a tiny palm-sized present (wrapped, of course, in ghost-printed wrapping paper.) Then gesturing to Asva's luggage with a very clearly 'gimme' motion -- what's all this Growth Spurt for if not helping people carry stuff? "Missed your birthday by a mile but figure a welcome-back present do just as good. How's Canada been?" "If anyone's gonna find ghost-jokes I haven't already heard it's gonna be you," Asva chuckles, his jaw dropping at the sudden Gift Reveal, "Dude this is so cute! You really didn't have to pick me up and get me a gift." He feigns, before grinning once again, "But maybe you did, 'cause I also got you one. We should probably save them for the car when we have more hands though-" He passes the duffel to Avi despite it being the biggest of his luggage; the horrible scraping sound of the three-wheeled suitcase he begins to drag behind him showing that its actually the more merciful option. The gift is quickly tucked in the pocket of his oversized fleece -- which, of course, has a moose woven into the back fabric -- as the excitement for Avi's shiny new license becomes palpable. "It's been okay! Mom definitely loved having me home, and school was, well, school. It just, wasn't the same after Xavier's. What's new with you? Any perilous rescue missions I should know about?" "Please, we doing terrible 20s today so getting me outta football practice, you really doing me the favor." Avi hefts the duffel, eying the scraping wheel with a shake of his head that brings a quiet clicking from the beads accenting his short locs. He starts leading the way to the garage, one eye scrunching up as he considers. "Where I even start with what you should know about, maaaan. Did you see anything 'bout that spaceship crash out in Genosha? That was our teachers on that space boat, no lie. There was a whole betting pool going on whether they was all dead or off on some wild mission but didn't nobody put money on abducted to another dimension to have prizefights for aliens." “That-“ Is there a crazier word for crazy? Can he even use that word to describe anything that happens surrounding Xaviers? “Yeah I saw the crash, but I had no idea it was the teachers-“ His eyes grow wide, “Are they all okay? Jeez if it isn’t the students it’s the faculty… surprised the building hasn’t been zapped to another dimension yet.” His brow crinkles, the realisation that it probably already has hitting him a few seconds too late. "Wild, right? Like it already was bonkers back in spring when those terrible bugs first swarmed us -- I never een told you how badass I was that day but it was pretty badass -- but I didn't think it'd kick off some whole alien epidemic." Is two instances of alien trouble an epidemic? Who knows, this is uncharted territory. Avi has stopped by an elevator, squinting at the lights as if watching them will make the elevator come faster. "Rumors is they had a insane rough time. I ain't pestered 'em about it none yet, I know they're all getting mad annoying questions on the daily. Mr. Holland didn't make it back, though." This last statement is more solemn. "Not Mr. Jax," he clarifies a moment later, "his son, you know, real sharky looking X-Man, ride the hoverbike? X-Men gonna be suffering a serious reduction in cool with that loss, he was a real one." It's only now that he is remembering that in order to summon the elevator he has to actually press the button. The numbers finally start moving. Asva chews his bottom lip, attempting to process the world in which he's about to willingly jump back into. Quite selfishly, he finds himself wishing he was there throughout all this chaos, like he's actually having FOMO over a pseudo-alien-invasion and school-with-no-staff. His heart pangs soon enough, at the mention of Shane. They'd never met, but Avi was right - he was cool. "You're kidding- how did he-?" Pass, die, perish -- Asva can never seem to find the right word for it. The elevator finally dings and he shuffles aside to let the few passengers off before wrestling the broken suitcase in with him. He's watching Avi's expressions carefully all the while, noting the solemnity but searching for a little more surface emotion; the casual tone throwing him off. Perhaps Xavier's gives you a thicker skin the longer you're there, but that could be the FOMO talking again. "I'onno really." Avi's previous easy warmth is a lot more subdued, now, his head a little bowed, eyes fixed forward once he's in the elevator rather than looking at Asva. "Heard some insane stories about the whole thing and I ain't sure what to think. Sacrificed himself somehow, to help get everyone home? But there's a lot of other wild alien stuff I don't get at all." His hand is wringing a little bit against the strap of Asva's bag. "Things got a little chaotic at school while they all away. We joke a whole lot about how much better things'd be with some of those stick-in-the-muds gone but when I tell you, I was damn happy to see Mr. Summers' bleak-ass face back on campus." It's only here, now, that he peeks a small sideways look at his friend, his smile -- a little wan. A little crooked. "You sure you ready to jump back in? Probably sucks if you the only freak in town up north but probably just stepping foot on that campus your risk of tripping and falling into some bizarre nightmare 'bout to skyrocket." Asva chuckles, shifting his weight to face Avi a little better. He lifts a hand to place on his friend's shoulder, his infectious smile quickly returning to lighten the mood, "What, pass up the chance to be back in Freaktopia with aliens and who-knows-what-else 'round every corner, just to live with my Mom and Stepdad in Normie Town? No thank-you." He gives Avi's shoulder a light squeeze, the ding of the elevator opening into the garage forcing his attention ahead. As the two exit, and the excitement for riding in his friend's new motor builds, Asva pipes up in a playful tone, "Besides, I've always had terrible footing." | |
