xmutanthigh | [open log] Packing, planning, general running around!

Characters: Everyone! Even if you plan for your characters not to go on this trip, they can be doing other things here or talking about what they plan to do while the others are away.
Setting: The mansion.
Content: An open, free-for-all thread for all characters to talk about planning for their upcoming getaway to London (Jono's trip, which everyone else has appropriated for the whole school)
Status: Open and incomplete. Really, just talk about anything!

Jono was in the kitchen of the X-mansion, stocking up on snack foods for the plane ride, but it seemed to surprise Josh how little he was packing. "I'm going to pack for the plane," Jono explained, "and then buy food there. You didn't expect me to bring food to my hometown, did you? I have to eat what I can get over there!"

Meanwhile, some members of the staff were surveying the damage done to the west wing of the mansion during their recent attack by Kimura. "Oh well," Logan shrugged it off. "We'll bill it to the school, and anyway, most of the kids will be gone for the trip. Saves a lot of hassle not having people around for the construction."

Fortunately for the students, most of their living quarters hadn't been damaged, so they were able to pack their still-intact clothes and other necessities. As the days grew nearer to the trip, anticipation and excitement levels were rising.

"What's the deal with you and Gayle, now?" Josh asked Jono, as the two of the paused for a cookie break.

"Dunno," Jono answered with a shrug. "I mean... we'll see." He stuffed more cookies into his mouth and then said for an abrupt change in topic, "I wonder what everyone else is up to."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The last thing Julian felt like doing was rehashing more shit. He was a miserable sort of depressed person and he knew it. He didn't like helping Josh kill Kimura, but he'd been struggling to just accept it and forget it as one of those necessary evils Frost was on about all the time. He didn't like Ali almost dying, didn't like the angry and grief-ridden streak this mission had made in him. And he didn't like remembering Brian. Even after James, even after the Academy bombings, the only way Julian coped was forgetting.

And maybe that was a problem if being an X-man was turning out to be a constant reminder.

So when he happened across Brian old basketball in some back corner of his closet, he gave it more than a once-over, more than a passing thought he pushed away. His fingers ran over the bumps and grooves for a moment and he exhaled, a little bit exhausted, and then set his jaw.

It was stupid, acting like that. It didn't accomplish anything. How many times had he been surly and angry for weeks on end, and for what? How long had he stayed in California after James' death? Grief was useless. So was anger. It was how he dealt with crap when he was a kid. But now he was at a loss how to deal with it at all.

He was thinking this when Josh ran in, and Julian's head snapped up in surprise, and he stared at the other boy for a moment, as if deciding how to react to his soft question.

"Yeah," he said guardedly, casually. He spun the ball on the tip of his finger, then tossed it back into its corner.

Josh was hesitant. He and Julian had talked enough these past few days - plenty more than they had, probably, in the whole time they'd been rooming together, and it was a little weird to be knowing what the other was thinking. At least vaguely. That old basketball brought back a flood of memories to both of them, of their friend Brian Cruz, codename "Tag," killed in an attack by Stryker. It was "the last straw," so to speak, that incited Emma and the students' move from the Academy to Xavier's School.

Josh wondered what he should say next. "Yeah. It's rough," he finally settled for.

"So's life," Julian answered with a careless air, but it wasn't careless at all. He sighed, pulled a few of his button downs from their hangers with a jerk of his hand and threw on top of his suitcase.

"Yeah. I know you knew him better than I did... still, I miss him too, you know," Josh said awkwardly. He shrugged and tried to act casual, and then stepped into the room. "I gotta pack. I totally spaced. I forgot about packing."

"Good job, Foley," he replied dryly, and grabbed another pair of shoes, walking over to his bag to fit them in a corner. He was quiet for a moment, trying in vain to ignore Josh's uncertain comments. He decided he liked it better when the only communication they had was a few homosexual slurs on his part and Josh's temper running out. It'd sure be easier than calling him 'Foley' because 'homo' sounded too tactless after his words.

Josh couldn't believe that he wasn't sure which was worse: uncomfortable, awkward silence, or homophobic insults from Julian followed by "Shut UP!" He decided that as weird their silence was, to just leave it be.

The next few minutes were spent in quiet, with the rustling of clothes and packing away for the upcoming trip. "It's good to get away," Josh finally said, throwing in a pair of warm-ups for casual downtime. "We're always getting harrassed by someone whatever school we're at."

"Listen, homo, I already had like ten therapy sessions today, so if we could just not talk about all our feelings," Julian snapped, exasperated and irritated, even if Josh was undeserving of the biting words. Julian grabbed a few t-shirts and stuffed them in his suitcase a little too aggressively, jaw locked so tight it was giving him a slight headache.

Edited 2010-10-09 01:47 (UTC)

Josh gave Julian a glare out of the corner of his eye and said, "Suit yourself. And don't call me that." With that huff, Josh stuffed a few more items into his bag and turned to exit. He wasn't sure how he was going to endure so many hours sharing a plane with Julian. Josh didn't want to share a planet with Julian when he got like this.

"Jesus, why do you take everything I call you so fucking seriously?" he retorted back, twisting his body to address Josh, who was nearing the door. Julian hated the guilt that rose in his chest; they had been getting along today. For once. Annoyance and regret flashed over his features as he stared down Josh's glare. The other mutant had stopped near the door, teeth gritted in irritation. "Just fucking pack, man."

"Because you do it in front of everybody, and you never stop?" Josh said bitterly. With that, he threw together a few last items and resolved to not have another conversation with Julian for the rest of the day... or at least until both of them cooled off again.

[open log] Packing, planning, general running around!

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