Blue Plate Special

[Ever Talbot]

I resist the sudden urge to raspberry him, feeling a bit of heat coming to my cheeks. Busted. I pulled the toque down on my head, squinting my eyes hard as I try to reshift back to normal. It works, thank god, and I can feel the tips of my ears sticking out. I start to tuck them back in as Jav *finally* introduces himself to Pagan.

"I thought you were staying home today." My voice sounds annoyed; I guess I am a little -- I can handle myself, I don't need Javier Spencer trailing me and watching over me. "Don't you have class or something?"

[Pagan]

He took the other boy's hand and shook it with a warm smile. So many new friends! Padre was shifting uncomfortably over by Mr. Stix... he didn't like so many new people hanging about...

"Jason Heller." he said pleasantly at the identification of the newcomer, "Hopefully a friend, or friend to be." the mention of a school piqued his interest... "So are you two students somewhere?"

[Javier Spencer]

"Class let out early," I answer Ever. I personally don't care if she's annoyed with me; she needs someone to watch her back, at least for a little while. Switching gears to Mr. Jason Heller:

"Let's start with "friend to be" and see how it goes from there. We're going to some institute near here. We haven't been there long, but it's pretty good. You go to school?"

[Pagan]

He nodded, "Friend to be then!" Padre was glaring at the group at this point, and looking at him oddly Jason finally understood. "OH!..." he shook his head a bit, "Mind if we have this conversation while we walk?" Jason started towards the exit at a leisurely pace.

"As for school, nah. Despite the boyish charm I graduated a few years ago."

[Ever Talbot]

I shrug at Jasons' suggestion and we all head out of the alleyway and down the street. Jav slips in between me and the new guy, while I'm trying to match their pace with my stubby lil legs. I have to keep myself from blurting out that I've never really been to school untill now.

"From high school or something else? Jav and I are lucky we got into this place. Our, er, last school was real crappy."

[Javier Spencer]

"Lessons were impractical, boring, and long with no breaks. We never really learned a whole lot of anything there."

I'm determined not to talk about this. There's gotta be better things to talk about.

"So you have a job, or do you sit around your parents' house playing video games all day? Before the Institute, I did the latter."

[Pagan]

They'd made it out of the alley and were walking down the street, a trio of tin cans trailed just behind the trio of humans, rolling, as it were, of their own volition.

"Yeah, High school." he answered Ever, nodding, "Nothing spectacular, just you know... normal stuff."

The boy started asking questions next, "No, no job to speak of. Odd jobs maybe, here and there to get me through, but nothing that keeps me settled in one place, I'm something of a wanderer. Guess you could say I'm trying to find myself."

He avoided the mention of his parents, not a subject he wanted to talk about really... after his dad had died, his mother had become so depressed, he just had to get out of there, especially when she started drinking...

[Ever Talbot]

"Oh."

I don't really have much to add to the conversaton. The Institute was my "home" for waaaaaaaaaay longer than I'd like to think about -- I barely had a normal life before hand, and as for parents? Don't really remember them. I try to keep this from showing on my face, not really knowing if I'm succeeding or not.

[Javier Spencer]

I put an arm around Ever's shoulders without really thinking about it.

"So what the hell do we do for fun, anyway?" I ask. "I mean, what do teenagers do when they've got time to kill on a school day? Do we go to a mall, or the movies, or do we just loiter in front of a drugstore?"

[Pagan]

"They!" He paused, scratching his chin, "I don't really know..." he frowned slightly, "In truth, the two of your are the nearest thing to 'real'" he glanced apologetically at using the term to his three friends, "friends I've ever had."

[Ever Talbot]

I feel my shoulders stiffen as soon as Jav puts his arm around me, my ears perking up in surprize. As I try not to let every drop of blood in my body rush to my face, I give Jason a sympathic look.

"It's okay to have only a few friends; you can always make more, right?"

[Javier Spencer]

"Smaller social circles are better, to me. It's easier to keep track of everyone and get the world together when it's only 5 to 8 people. Plus you tend to know those people better. At least, that's been my experience."

I had a little high school before mutantcy kicked in, and my group of friends had been tight-knit. It's the sort of thing you'd see in a movie; a little group of semi-outcasts just trying to get by. The Institute will be good for getting back into that little social groove. Now if I could just get back into my good study habits.

[Pagan]

New friends - it was a pretty sweet concept. Even if it made Padre and the other's nervous. He could see why, once children had real friends, they usually stopped playing with the imaginary friends. His trio didn't have anything to worry about though.

It's kind of hard to ignore three manifesting figments after all. "Absolutely, I could always use a couple more friends." He smiled and placed his hands loosely about the back of his neck - they were just kind of wandering aimlessly now. Maybe that's what teens did now adays. Good as thing as any, he supposed.

"So what's this school you guys go to? Like the local high school or somethin'?" he figured they lived around here, or at least in the general area.

[Ever Talbot]

"Uhhhh...."

Do you really think I'd say "Oh no, it's a special school for mutant freaks like us, go freaks!" as we're walking down a public (although, not that busy) street. Heck no.

"Um, it's kind of a special school, but it seems pretty normal to us. Lots of classes and sports and...things."

I realize I sound like the biggest dork in the entire history of the world, and pulled my toque down lower. Javs' arm is still around me, which isn't helping my social skills at ALL.

"We just enrolled a lil bit ago, so we're still getting used to it."

[Javier Spencer]

"Probably somewhere between high school and college. Maybe a little closer to college. They say they're trying to get us ready for life in the real world, or whatever." I shrug, letting go of Ever and lacing my hands together behind my neck. As much as I hated that stupid power-killing collar, it's strange without the weight of it there. "I don't know really what it takes to get enrolled. It was basically taken care of for us."

[Pagan]

The whole thing was sounding more and more curious by the second. He had never heard of a school like this, but he should probably let the topic die for now.

They walked past a park, or were starting to - and Jason stopped blinking a few times and staring at the small gazebo in the center. He could remember seeing small groups of kids converging on places like that, and 'hanging out'.

"You guys want to head over there?" he motioned at the small wooden structure, "And just chill for a bit?"

[Javier Spencer]

"Sure. I'm up for whatever. You'd think a city would be more exciting...but no, not really."

We reach the gazebo and I sit on one of the railings it has. Not sure why they'd set it up with one. There's a picnic table in the middle, but that wouldn't be nearly so much fun to sit/stand/walk on as this rail. Maybe that's why it's here.

"...yeah."

I'm out of subject matter.

"Somebody talk."