1534/BAM! Kitchen Time!

BAM! Kitchen Time!
Date of Scene:	06 May 2020
Location:	Main Kitchen
Synopsis:	Gabby and Julian welcome Julio to the mansion. No kitchens were burned down during this episode.
Cast of Characters:	Gabby Kinney, Julio Richter, Julian Keller

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Gabby Kinney has posed:
The kitchens in Xavier's often smelled of wonderful things, whether people were cooking or ordering in dinner. Tonight was ... perhaps an exception. There's a small plume of smoke coming from one of the ovens as Gabby runs from the stovetop where she had been trying to cook. Instead she's distracted by the other issue in the oven. Grabbing a pot holder she yanks the door open only to cough fitfully at the smoke. "Julian!" She calls out fanning the dark smoke away from herself. "Can you get this out of there and into the sink or something I don't want to burn through my hands!"

Julio Richter has posed:
A rough-looking teenager wanders through the archway that connects the kitchen to the mansion's spacious foyer. His longish brown hair is pushed back, putting his stunned expression on full display as he stares around the room in open bewilderment. A light pink shirt -- mostly likely some kind of promotional handout -- just peeks out from underneath his grubby brown jacket. If the unfamiliar face and its expression aren't enough of a giveaway, he also has a pitifully understuffed duffel bag hanging from one hand by the strap. Definitely a new arrival.

As he steps into the kitchen and catches a whiff of what Gabby is working on, though, his slack expression suddenly crinkles. "Que mierda," he blurts out, putting the back of his free hand over his mouth and nose. The bag drops at his side and he sidles over to the kitchen fire extinguisher, starting to lift it (somewhat laboriously) off of its wall rack.

Julian Keller has posed:
Julian Keller hadn't been paying much attention but, at Gabby's call, he just turns and lays his attention momentarily on the guilty piece of crockery, removing it with a flare of green energy in his eyes, floating it over to the sink as he manages to turn the cold water on without breaking off the knob this time.

"You can probably burn your hands safely, being you and all, babe, but I do appreciate not afflicting me with the smell of burning Gabby."

He lets Julio spray down the oven if he must, depending on the level of flames, "Looks like Grubhub tonight."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"Oh, I could," Gabby informs Julian with a nod of affirmation as she's more than willing to step away from floating crockery and Julio's attempt to put out any further ashes inside. "But most people get grossed out when you're regrowing stuff."

A flashed grin is tossed toward the unfamiliar Julio with a small shrug as she backpedals her way toward the stove to ensure *that* didn't also catch fire." Sorry, I'm still learning to cook. That *was* supposed to be brownies. ... I guess they are still brown, technically." With a sigh she turns the stove off and slides the pot of mac and cheese to the side. THAT at least was only slightly overcooked.

Given the level of smoke in the air she makes her next stop the patio doors to open them wide letting in a blast of fresh air to suck out the yuckiness. "I guess cooking runs in the family. Laura can't, either."

Julio Richter has posed:
Julio has just gotten the nozzle unhooked from the body of the extinguisher when the plate up and drifts away, seemingly of its own accord. It isn't until Julian actually speaks that the newcomer notices him with a visible start. He tries on an uneasy smile, as a sort of greeting, but it quickly falters as he inspects the oven and the (haunted?) pan of charred death. Satisfied that there aren't open flames leaping forth to engulf them all, he lugs the extinguisher back where it belongs and, with a pained grunt, lifts it back onto the wall.

He turns back around to face the others, still looking shellshocked, and speaks in accented English, "I didn't follow most of that, sorry. Is everything OK? Are you in trouble now?" This is directed particularly at Gabby, who seems to be the chef-slash-arsonist. He retrieves his bag and heads to a spot about midway between where Julian is sitting and Gabby is airing things out. He still looks tentative and a bit spooked as he finally says, "I'm Julio? I'm new here."

Julian Keller has posed:
Julian Keller pops a pretzel in his mouth from the bag he has laying on the table. Chocolate covered. Spoiling his appetite, as usual. "She's fine, Gabby's one of those indestructible types. And if she were in actual trouble, I, as her boyfriend, would save her," he says. Marking certain lines officially for the benefit of the newcomer.

"And of course, you're new. Even if you weren't, you're new to me, which amounts to being new because, if I don't know you, well, are you even really worth knowing?" he says, an arch of the eyebrow and a hint of a smirk to show he's teasing. "Julian Keller, aka Hellion. Not at your service becaue ew labor, but nice to meet you."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney dusts her hands off on the sides of her pants in spite of not really needing to. It just felt like she ought to before she flashes a smile toward Julio at his introduction. "Hi, I'm Gabby. Nice to meet you and welcome! Sorry for the..." A glance is cast to the oven with a weighty sigh. "Mess." When Julian fills in the rest she nods a little in apparent agreement.

"You hungry? There's mac and cheese and something else I can dig out of the fridge that isn't going to murder you, I'm sure." Clearing her throat she nods. "Oh don't worry about me being hurt, I can't feel pain anyway."

Julio Richter has posed:
The newcomer seems to pick up on the lines being marked, as he quite deliberately looks down at himself and then over at Julian again, shoulders hitching and head rocking forward as if to ask, 'Do I look like I'm going to steal anyone's girlfriend?' And the contrast couldn't be clearer between the two boys: where Julian is, well, Julian, Julio looks like an underfed hobo who was clothed by a charity group and then sent here by mistake. Julian's remarks might be made in jest, but it's easy to picture them played perfectly straight, were he of a mind to do so.

Gabby gets an answer first: "Mac and cheese sounds delicious, thank you," Julio says with a sincere smile. "Please don't apologize, though. Your home is scary nice, actually. But it's good to meet you both."

Julian Keller has posed:
Julian Keller shrugs, "Women like strange things sometimes, amigo, but I was more saving you the trouble of effort. I do hate unnecessary effort, even in other people," he says.

"Mac and cheese is peasant food, but she at least knows how to make it. Actual cheese, what a concept," he says. "This house is alright, I guess. A bit old. Not enough servants i.e. no servants which seems almost criminally neglectful, but I guess most of us have powers and they want to keep the lid on. Can't have Katya the Ukrainian maid running her mouth to the employment agency," he sighs.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"Mac and Cheese it is!" Gabby agrees as she turns to start grabbing a few plates while the boys talk. The unspoken words between Julio and Julian go unnoticed or at least untranslated by her which just makes Julian's remarks earn a tip of her head in confusion. "What? Oh there's sodas or juice in the fridge, just don't touch the fancy beers. There's a beer rivalry going on between a few people here and..." Her head shakes. Nevermind the fact that she was certainly not old enough to consider beer herself.

"I guess technically it's a school but lots of us do live here. I live with my sister, but stay here a lot. There's more fun things to do here than in the city." Plus she had others she could hang out with instead of just being told to stay inside the apartment where it was safe.

A moment later a plate is proffered to Julio loaded up with slightly crisp mac and cheese, and another she lifts in the air to waggle in Julian's direction. "Come on, you gotta practice. No explodey or no mac," she teases.

Julio Richter has posed:
In the parts of the house he has seen, the thing that struck Julio certainly wasn't its age, and he makes that clear enough. "Where did a school get the money for a place like this, anyway?" he asks, taking a Coke from the fridge and accepting the plate from Gabby with an appreciative duck of his head. He goes to sit across from Julian, grunting slightly as he eases himself down. "Legal doesn't pay this well," he elaborates in an undertone. And it's clear from the look he passes Julian that he's trying to gauge what exactly he has gotten himself into, here.

His question raised, he almost immediately tucks into the food, not exactly doing anything to dispel the image of a charity case. When he takes a sip of the Coke, though, he grimaces, pulls the can away and stares at it for a second. "How does this stuff taste worse in the country where they make it?" he asks, the question probably rhetorical.

Julian Keller has posed:
Julian Keller shrugs, "Same place everything in this country gets money from: rich old white dudes. In this case, a bald one in a wheelchair with enough psychic wattage to light up New England," he says. He eats another pretzel as he concentrates at Gabby's urging, very carefully grasping the plate with his TK, floating it towards him. There's a slight sound of breakage and a shard of porcelain falls off one corner, tinkling to the floor.

"Almost," he says with a bit of a rueful snarl. To Julio, he adds, "My powers have a habit of breaking things into bits or m aking them explode. I'm trying to learn to be gentle. Gabby's a good help with that," he says with a wink to her.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"You're welcome!" Gabby offers cheerily to Julio. Whether he looked like a bum or not she didn't seem phased by his appearance at all; he was just another new face to get to know. And she knew what it was like to be hungry given she was practically staaarving right now. Maybe not starving. Still, she waits for the plate to be levitated over to the table and in spite of the crack to the plate she steps over to wrap one arm around Julian's shoulders in a quick squeeze hug. "And you're doing great at it. That would have gone through the wall in the past."

With that encourgement given she darts back over to the pot to scoop out a good portion for herself as well. "Oh they use a lot of fake chemicals and stuff in the soda here. Corn syrup instead of real sugar. But it's super addicting and you kind of get used to it after awhile," she has to admit in reference to the Coke.

Julio Richter has posed:
The comment about rich old white dudes gets a delighted snort from Julio, who smirks at Julian with new appreciation. He turns to watch appreciatively as the plate floats toward them, then winces sympathetically as it cracks, as though watching a favored team stumble near the end of a game. "So your powers get out of hand, too?" he asks quickly, trying not to sound too excited about that revelation, which is objectively unfortunate even if it is personally reassuring. "Hey, companero, I know how that can be."

Gabby gets a look when she reveals the Coca Cola Company's dirty little secret. "Corn?!" he asks in disbelief, immediately setting the can down. "There's corn in this?!" He pushes it away from him with one finger. "You're kidding me."

Julian Keller has posed:
Julian Keller gives Gabby an actually genuine smile, "You keep making me practice, I've got to get good or you'll never stop," he teases. Still, he seems genuinely satisfied with himself as he takes a bite of the food and nods at Julio's words.

"Guess that's what the place is here for, after all, so we can learn stuff. A safe place to practice, at the very least, without worrying about...well, people. People are the source of most problems."

At Gabby's diatribe about sodas, he takes a pull from his Red Bull, "You say that like it's bad."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney snorts faintly in amusement as she settles down into a chair at the table with the boys. Her own plate is set down, and she plucks up a fork to stir it up before taking a bite. "Just corn syrup. It's the sweetener. Sugar comes from cane which is a plant, too, it's just cheaper to grow corn. You get all sorts of substitions like that. Though they do sell Mexican Coke here, too," she points out with a waggle of her fork toward the drink. "Just comes in glass bottles and is more expensive. That uses real sugar at least."

Julian's gulping of the Red Bull earns a small shrug from her. "Doesn't bother me, but I don't really have the same metabolism as most people."

Julio Richter has posed:
"But sugar cane is sugar cane -- it's sweet," Julio objects, still looking alarmed. "Corn is just a vegetable. You put it in, like, tortillas." He spins the can around and peers at the ingredients, verifying with a shake of his head that Gabby isn't messing with him. "Puaf."

Despite his obvious nervousness in his new setting, Julio seems cheered by the interactions he's watching between Gabby and Julian. "So, the students here help each other improve?" he asks, connecting the two of them in a gesture with his fork. "As friends. Or, you know. Couples." A quick breath through his teeth betrays a hint of unease before he rallies to ask, "It's not just, like teachers or coaches yelling at you." He pauses to think (and eat several more bites). "I had imagined something more military."

Julian Keller has posed:
Julian Keller shakes his head, "Look, I don't care what's in it, I just drink the shit," he says. "I'll worry about metabolism when I'm old. For now, I plan to abuse my spectacular body."

To Julio, he nods, "There's a little of that. Usually from Cyclops. And, like, I get it, there's bad stuff going down. Giant robots, kidnappings. Gambit's libido. Real threats. But I'm not a soldier for anybody but me. Well , and her." he nods to Gabby.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"It's some how they process it. I dunno," Gabby admits with a helpless shrug as Julio looks at the contents of his soda can. "It's like super processed and sweet? Or sort of sweet. Boiled down maybe." She shrugs again and stabs her fork into some of the mac and cheese on her plate. "Oh, trust me this is not militaristic. Been there, done that. No, they train you here and there's some serious bidness training," she admits with a nod of her chin over toward Julian in agreement when he mentions Cyclops.

"Otherwise we have movie night and game night and sometimes someone will spring for pizza or tacos or something. There's a lake, and some camping areas, a garden, a pool. All sorts of stuff. But most importantly it's okay to test out your powers. I mean, within reason and all," she has to admit thoughtfully.

"Mine sort of do themselves so I don't have to control anything. I heal when I get hurt. No thinking involved. But there's some who fly or can tell the future or shoot laser beams out of their eyes or explode stuff," she explains.

Julio Richter has posed:
Julio points with his fork when Gabby finishes rattling off powers. "That one. I explode stuff," he tells her. Then, sitting up a little straighter, he puts a label on his ability: "Terrakinesis." He sounds more than a little proud of the word. "I pull power out of the ground and use it to destroy things. Sometimes slowly shaking it apart like an earthquake, sometimes all at once like a bomb."

He shakes his head and says, "Definitely not something to practice in this scary nice house. Maybe outside. FAR outside." Then, he sits back with a groan. "Speaking of abusing bodies," he continues, swallowing another mouthful of cheesy noodles before continuing, "I guess part of why I thought military was Doug with his /workouts/." He says the word like he's trying to spit it across the room. "I can barely move my arms. Stairs make me want to die. And I thought I was hungry /before/? I eat like I'm possessed." He sets his palms down firmly on the table. "He must have learned a lot from this Cyclops person."

Julian Keller has posed:
Julian Keller takes a break halfway through his mac, "Doug learns a lot from everything. That's kind of what Doug does," he says. "Might be a little overcompensation, too, since his power's not flashy or anything. People have to overcompensate sometimes," he shrugs. "Not a problem I'm familiar with."

"That power sounds pretty cool. Almost as cool as mine," he says. "Truth is, school's kind of what you make it. Like, there's some of that military stuff, but if you're not into it, they'll let you alone. Some people around here really wanna be X-men and out on the front lines fighting the good fight wearing their underwear on the outside."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"I mean that's probably what I'm going to do. I was raised to be ..." Gabby pauses giving Julio a glance. Perhaps mentioning her training would not be a way to put a new person at ease. "Eh, in the family business so to speak. Got a sister and father that do the same thing." Yeah she'll go with that. Hero not killer. Yes.

"Anyway, speaking of them, I have to go check on the old man to make sure he's not getting all boring with his books again," she explains as she gets up from her seat having already polished off her plate. Man she could eat quick for someone so little. Leaning over she kisses the top of Julian's head. "Be good. Glad to have you here again, too, Julio. I'll catch you both later."

Julio Richter has posed:
"Thanks for the food, Gabby. And good luck with your father!" Julio answers, sending her off with a friendly wave before turning back to Julian.

"It /would/ be cool if I knew any settings other than 'earthquake' and 'bomb,'" he contradicts the other boy in a dry, self-deprecating tone. "So far that's it. You can move a plate. I can, if I try really hard, /just/ demolish the kitchen." He shakes his head, then gives Julian an odd, skeptical look. "What, you're shy about your underwear?" he asks, teasing just a bit. Then, more seriously: "You truly don't want to fight? I mean, we tried to move away to a special island where we'd never bother anyone again, and they destroyed the /entire island/." He tilts his head to one side. "That didn't make you angry? God. I feel like I've spent half my life angry." His muscles -- such as they are -- clench, and then he's punished for it with a wave of Doug-induced pain. "Doug's language lessons were very good," he admits with a wince. "So learning powers make sense. I feel like I'm years more fluent than I was just a few weeks ago."

Julian Keller has posed:
Julian Keller shakes his head, "I haven't worn underwear since junior high," he says.

Julian considers the question, "I'm a privileged bastard with plenty of money, so I have no right to be that angry at the world. Most of it's tilted in my favor, other than the mutant thing and I'm working on getting a handle on that. Do I want to stop all this bigot bullshit? Absolutely, although I'm not convinced punching is necessarily the solution to that. I tmight make us feel good, but it's not going to change a lot of minds. I would prefer to accrue power like a sponge and then use it to smother my enemies in bad publicity and bankruptcy. Then, when they're on their knees and begging for mercy...then I'll punch them."

Julio Richter has posed:
Julio's eyebrows rise at the underwear comment, but he doesn't respond. Instead, he listens attentively to Julian's full answer, which seems like something the other boy has done quite a bit of thinking through. He considers it himself for several silent seconds, nodding almost imperceptibly. Then, finally, he seems to come to a conclusion of sorts, and leans toward Julian, asking, "Have you considered that punching them might make us feel /really/ good?" He sits back, crosses his arms, and lifts his eyebrows, as though that one added modifier might have changed Julian's entire worldview.