Logs:The Future is Ours

The Future is Ours
Dramatis Personae AJ, Leonidas, Roscoe
In Absentia Quentin, Dallen, Charles	2024-05-24 “I know I charged this before we left.”
Location <NYC> Le Bonne Entente - Astoria
This hotel is the reincarnation of a condemned neoclassical cathedral, drastically yet skillfully renovated such that its majesty feels distinctly sacred but agnostic of any particular creed. The annexes and exterior redesigns harmonize stunningly with the original architecture. By day plentiful sunlight streams in through tall stained glass windows. At night the white marble exterior is lit from below to faintly ethereal effect. The grounds are not extensive, but meticulously landscaped, with tables and seating arranged within a circular colonnade and benches scattered along paths through the surrounding gardens. Though a cheerful cacaphony of pop music and chatter is filtering through the elegant doors leading back inside, it is quiet out on this patio, the night air crisp and cool; the stars outside Xavier's spring formal are dim and light-polluted compared to those in the exquisitely decorated ballroom. Roscoe is alone out here for now, in a sort of unremarkable prom tux and clip-on bow tie, sitting cross-legged on a marble ledge probably not made for sitting; there is a small NO SMOKING sign about a foot to the side of his head, but he's not smoking anyway. Though he's also not vaping, just squinting irritably at an ombre disposable vape, bapping it with the palm of his hand like maybe he can shake the juice back into action before trying again. Leonidas might not be winning any awards tonight, but that didn’t stop him from dressing like it. His tuxedo is a deep purple and has been tailored to fit his massive form, a black pocket square to match his diamond point bow tie, and a silver fob attached to his vest. Despite previous assumptions “Mr. Two Left Feet” is nothing if not a theater kid at heart and actually turned out to be a competent dancer, but dancing requires spoons which need recharging, so he’s found himself leading the way outside next to Roscoe, who he offers a cheery wave. “Should’ve figured you were out here.” He fishes a red vape from his pocket, attempting to take a hit from it before just sort of staring at it. “I know I charged this before we left.” AJ also joins the two older boys outside, needing a break from the "Out of This World!" theme that had been preset for prom. She was dressed in a matching knee-length purple gown with a black ribbon detailing the waist. Her hair had been curled, now framing he face in loose waves that shimmered and glowed. He make up was dark and shimmery, accenting her eyes and dark purple lipstick tied the look. She wore black kitten-,heel straps sandals, her nails black and glittery. A crescent moon necklace, delicate clip and star cut-,out studs finished her look off. "Hey ..." she greeted the boys, stabsubf off ro ryevside a bit. Roscoe is thumping his vape a little harder against his palm with a scowl, but the scowl gets blinked quickly away once he raises his head. He gives Leonidas a wordless, friendly upward nod -- 'sup -- and AJ a quick up-down glance. His, "Hi," is kind of quiet; he slumps back against the wall, turning his vape absent-mindedly in his hand, over and over. He takes a deep breath in, like he is drawing up his energy, before he adds, "You guys tried the food here? This place is fucking nice. Really takes the sting out of the alien attack." “Imagine making enough to actually stay here. Going to go right back to living at the poverty line once I graduate.”Leonidas sighs as he walks forward to lean against the railing, trying again to hit his vape. “Trying hard to be hopefully, but I just don’t see any of it working out. Just wish I could go back and do it different. Make some more friends. Keep the few i have alive.” He gives up on the vape and just sort of stares out into the night. “Never really gets dark here. I hate that shit.” " ... they might send me off to a mental health facility. I'm nor sure, just what I overheard ..." AJ eyes rhe vape and sighs. "Can I take a hit off of yours? Please?" Roscoe is still playing with his vape in his hands, his head tilting up to rest against the wall at his back, his eyes fluttering shut. "Any of what?" he says -- his eyes may be shut, but his head is tilting at Leonidas with strange accuracy. "You're only screwing yourself being such a doomer, man. 'Course it won't work out if you don't look forward to it." He tries to take another hit off his vape and then ruins the sage, sagacious air he adopted to bestow this advice by scowling at the vape again, shaking it in his fist. Maybe AJ wasn't asking him for the lend, but it disappears very hastily into the suit, and now Roscoe is just fussily adjusting his sleeves, like, who me, what vape? His eyes have reopened, very wide but very blank, dark and unreadable, trained on AJ. "Who's 'they'." “Shit, you’re right. Could be alright. Might be able to find a cheap business to buy.” Leonidas agrees with a slight nod, trying to hit his vape again and it working while he’s leant out. “There we go.” He leans back to look over and exhale, but nothing comes out and he looks concerned for a moment, “what the fuck, i know I hit it.” He half panicks, leaning back out and exhaling the vapor. “Oh. The fuck?” He offers the vape stealthily to AJ, “Probably for the best. Hallucinations are a bad sign somethings wrong dude. You’ll only be gone long enough to get medicated and for them to make sure you’re alright.” AJ takes it abd takes a long, shallow inhale andf frowns when nothing comes out. With a heavy exhale, she hands it back to Leindias. "If Quentin didn't try to guilt-trip me, they wouldn't have gotten so bad .. that spoiled baby doesn't get what it's like! Maybe he should get his mind puppetef and then scarred do he sees the Grudge lady hanging over his bed. Maybe that'll actually make him less of a stuck-up "I'm better than you" bitch." Roscoe blinks once at AJ, then his gaze darts away. "That's a horrible thing to wish on anybody," he says. “I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. Prometheus was fucked.” Leonidas is too distracted to noticed it doesn’t hit and leans back off, taking another long drag and exhaling vapor skyward, “He wasn’t even really wrong, he was just an asshole the way he went about it.” He’s quiet for what feels like a long time when you’re sneaking a smoke. “The future is ours though. We just have to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.” His gaze follows an apparently human couple for several heartbeats before settling for somewhere in the middle distance. “All we can do right. Be better?” AJ exhaled and hung her head. "Hate that you're right... fine, I wish he'd just get a personality besides a totally entitled "I told you so, I'm better than you!" baby." AJ flicks her fingers and eyes Leo. "Hey, you know that thing isn't working, right? It's busted." It's very hard to tell, now, what Roscoe is looking at. "I guess that is all we can do," he says, and when he adds, "The future is ours," there is a bit of morbid laughter in his tone. He does glance just for another second back to AJ -- "Quentin is an asshole. But he's having a good time at the dance instead of bitching about how much you hate him. Food for thought?" But now he is swinging his legs down to slide off the marble ledge, tugging his suit jacket straight again when the motion rumples it. "I'm going back in," he announces. "You two should try and have some fun, too." With that, he is turning and disappearing back through the doors. “Of course dude. Take care.” Leonidas says, hand lifting in a wave before looking back at AJ, “Wadiyatalkinabeet?”he asks in his best Sassy, taking another drag and blowing a cloud into the night before offering it out again. “He’s not wrong. If I want to do the whole hero thing I’ve got to learn to handle a few harsh words.” AJ snorts, manages to smile and does her own: "Ugh, men dah-ling!" Before shaking her head, amused. ".. Yeah. I dunno just he gets under my skin so easily. Him and now Dallen did. Maybe Xavier was right, and it's a good idea to go to therapy this summer." “I feel that.” Leonidas agrees. “Not looking forward to it, but it’ll probably help. Not like I have any other plans.”