17564/I'm Not Allowed to Say It's Mandatory

I'm Not Allowed to Say It's Mandatory
Date of Scene:	02 April 2024
Location:	Radical Arcade
Synopsis:	Several Xavier's people gather for a little meet-and-greet in the Radical Arcade!
Cast of Characters:	Jubilation Lee, Jay Guthrie, Patty Sloan, Julio Richter

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Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilation spent her morning, the de facto end of her day, carefully making her way around the three dorms, slapping posters done on brightly colored copier paper to spread the word about the I'm Not Allowed to Say It's Mandatory Meet-and-Greet that would be happening at the Radical Arcade that evening. Part of offering Jubilation Lee the title of Director of Resident Life meant an expectation that a good amount of nonsense like this would be happening on the regular. A total of three hundred flyers were hung, which was a very solid feat considering just how dangerous it was for poor Jubes to make her way around the property while the sun was still up!

    Three hundred flyers to fill a space as small as the Radical Arcade...

    Jubilee's phone is hooked up to the arcade's sound system, creating a competition between Lady Gaga and the various boops and blips from the arcade games running through their "attract" modes. The arcade is already stocked with snacks and drinks and things, but Jubes brought down a bunch of 'exotic flavors' from 'regions beyond' as the flyer promised. Chips and cookies and things from the Recreation Room, naturally.

    Jubilee is alone in the arcade, early for the first time in her un-life, and can be caught dancing and singing along to Born This Way, setting a tone of fun and carefree nonsense.

Jay Guthrie has posed:
A tall, slim, winged young man enters the arcade. He looks around and sees that the place is not as packed as he would have expected. That's probably a good thing. Jay doesn't like big crowds. He wouldn't even have showed up at all but the flyer ironically suggested this was mandatory.

"Uh, hey, Miss Lee," Jay mumbles as he heads to where food and drink is. Holding a drink is a great social shield for the shy. He gets a Mtn Dew. "Is this, uh, the right day?" He glances around awkwardly.

Patty Sloan has posed:
Patty had been very busy of late. She'd been training and running and just busting her butt to get into the best shape of her life. She has had a lot of fun doing it but she hasn't exactly had a chance to really hang out with people lately. So when Patty had a flyer slid under her door, she jumped at the idea to head to the arcade and hang out with her new friends.

Patty quietly walks into the arcade. The sweet sound of Lady Gaga ringing out but its partially drowned out by the sounds of the different arcade machines. She gives a wave to Jubilee and to Jay. "Hiya Jubes. Hiya Jay." She calls out before making her way to a pinball machine. Popping a quarter in, she starts the game up.

Julio Richter has posed:
Julio Richter rests in one of the encased windows, earbuds in, staring out the window with elbows on knees. Full wallflower mode. He ain't bothering nobody.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Well, that depends, /Mister Guthrie/," Jubilee answers, really dragging out his name, perhaps to make it known that she's still the same Jubilation, Jubilee, Jubes that she always was...except paler and less alive. She turns to face the sound of Jay's voice and comes face-to-face with his shirt. Jubilation tilts her head back and squints, giving Jay a once-over with her eyes, coming to full terms with how much taller he is than her. "...If you're here for the estate sale... you missed it..." Her attention shifts backwards, as attention deficit is allowed to take hold.

    "And none of this Miss Lee stuff. I'm younger than you!" she insists. It's technically true...from a certain point of view.

    As Patty calls her Jubes as she passes by, Jubilation snaps her fingers, leaving behind a tiny colorful sparkle in their wake. "Ya see?" she grins up at Jay, giving a blink-and-you-might-miss-it glimpse of her fangs as she does. "Jubes. Patty gets it!"

    Without even skipping a beat, Jubilation continues the conversation on the move. "Looks like today's the right day to finally spread your wings, uh, metaphorically..." she adds, grinning back at Jay as she makes her way towards the window where Julio has set up. "Just like Patty over there!"

    Finally, Jubilation leans forward and brings her lips towards Julio's ear. "Hello Julio Richter," she announces, not respecting the obvious intent to be left alone.

Julio Richter has posed:
Julio Richter looks briefly afflicted by Jube's vastly more powerful personality, but settles into meeting her eyes with his and then removing his ear buds and attempting to put them into Jubes. He smiles in anticipation, eyes twinkling handsomely.

Jay Guthrie has posed:
"Sorry," Jay mutters when admonished. He takes a big drink of Mtn Dew to cover for something. Maybe he's not acting as disaffected as he wants people to think he is. "Jubes." He shrugs. He walks with Jubilation as she does the talk-and-walk thing, though clearly he isn't really sure if there is a more-cool alternative to that.

As they pass by where Patty is playing pinball, Jay moves over to watch as Jubilation continues on toward Julio to violate his Safety Circle.

"Hey," Jay says to Patty after he watches her play for a bit. "Pinball, huh? Cool. S'much better than video games." He takes another drink of soda. "You, um, ever play Black Knight? It's a really good one."

Patty Sloan has posed:
Patty Shakes her head. "Nope Never played that one. Honestly the only one I played before was KISS. It was the only machine a diner near where I lived had." She flips the flippers a few times sending the ball flying into a few targets. "I like playing pinball. It is really good for hand-eye coordination plus you have to get good at working angles. I'm not super good at it but I keep trying ya know? I'm bound to get better eventually. "Then as if on cue. the ball goes right down the middle into game over hole. She winces and fires off her next ball.

"Did you ever play the KISS Pinball machine?" She asks as she shoots targets again, trying to rack up her score.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "I'm kinda thinking that maybe people decided not to come because...." Jubilation starts explaining to Jay as she starts coming to terms with the apprehension she heard some students had when she was announced as the Director of Resident Life and they realized she would have keys to all the rooms. "...You know, cuz...."

    She doesn't finish.

    Julio manages to put Jubilation off-kilter a little, as powerful as her personality might be, when the earbud goes into her ear and she catches those twinkling eyes of his. She makes the mistake of returning his gaze. Her eyes are haunting, almost mesmerizing for mortals to view directly. It's as though they contain the answer to every one of life's problems, large and small, and there's just nothing more important than lo----AND IT'S ALL OVER as soon as Jubilation covers them by awkwardly pulling her Ray Ban sunglasses down from her hair and over her eyes, shielding Julio from any accidental glamours. As soon as she does, Jubilee spins on her heel and starts dancing along to the Mexican punk song that Julio has queued up for her, once again relaxed and carefree.

    After a few moments of bopping around, Jubilee holds the earbud out for Julio to take back. "Thanks," is all she says, grinning up at him while wiggling the little earbud in between her thumb and index finger.

Julio Richter has posed:
Julio Richter stares at J. Lee, intensely. The string of attraction cut instantly short when the glasses cover the mesmer's eyes. He takes in a wounded breath, crinkles his forehead and draws back his buds like he was pulling anchor and ready to sail away.

Jay Guthrie has posed:
Something really unusual happens. As Jay glances over to see the interplay between Julio and Jubilation, which is followed by a dancing vampire display, a weird thing happens to his lips. They aaaaaaaaalmost curl up into a smile, which, of course, would cause him to detonate into a million pieces if it actually happened. So good thing he was able to restrain himself.

"Whassat?" he says to Patty. "Oh, wait, what?? They have a pinball machine for the band KISS? That is so sick. I was just playin' God Gave Rock and Roll To You th'other day on my guitar."

Patty Sloan has posed:
Patty smiles and gives a quick glance to Jay before she returns her attention to the silver ball. "You play guitar?! That is so cool!" She continues playing the game, trying her best to get her score up higher. Suddenly the machine does a little chime and a second ball is released. She does her very best to keep both balls going.

"I never played an instrument. School kinda sucked for me. Was bullied a lot before they found out I was a mutant. Talk about suckage. Thankfully they didn't find out I was different until a few weeks ago. When I blew my big bully into a DVD rack." She laughs happily and loses one of the two balls.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Sorry," is all Jubilee can say for herself, though there's a brief peek of her eyes rolling at herself over the top of her sunglasses. "I was in here by myself and, like, I forgot." 'To put my sunglasses back on' is what she means to say but doesn't.

    After giving Julio his earbud back, Jubilee folds her arms across her chest and watches Patty and Jay enjoying the pinball machine together. A smirk appears on her face, lingering a little as the two talk about music. "Booooo!" Jubilee calls out, bringing her hand up to her mouth to pretend like she's in the crowd at a concert. "A guitar? Everyone knows that's just a ukulele but, like, worse..." Jubilee grins a little, fully aware that she's not going to get anyone to agree with her on this. It's mostly just for laughs.

    "...Thanks for coming, you guys," Jubilation adds, shrugging one shoulder to make it clear she's not kidding around. "...I guess people are buying in to those rumors..." She gestures to the fact that only a couple of people came to this, dismissing the whole vampire thing as a mere rumor.

Jay Guthrie has posed:
When Patty seems pleased that Jay plays guitar he gets even closer to that Forbidden Expression: a smile. But he doesn't. It's just not becoming of a misanthropic musician to be going around all smiling at stuff. But dang it was close because why else do boys learn to play guitar than to impress girls?

"Well, I could teach you a few chords or somethin' sometime," Jay continues, following it up with an unsure shrug. "I mean, if you wanted. You can jam some pretty good tunes with just, like, learning six or seven chords."

He looks over to Jubilation. "At least yer doin' something, right?" he says to the vampire. "Most people just sit around and hope the world will come to them. Relax and have a Coke or somethin'." Then Jay screws up his forehead in thought. "Do you, y'know, drink Coke?"

Patty Sloan has posed:
Patty loses her second ball and she gives a sigh. "Damn it!" She shakes her head. Again the machine chimes and releases another ball. The last one for her turn on the machine. "That would be really awesome. Thanks Jay! I may take you up on that." She pulls back and fires off the silver ball and is on the move again. The machine dings and chimes over and over as Patty uses the flippers to fire off the targets and such. "Hey Jubes, You are awesome. It is a fun event and it sure beats training again. I needed a bit of a break you know? All work and no play make Patty a dull girl." She gives a quick wink before going back to the game. She doesn't comment on the whole coke thing. It does bring a smile to her face given the last time she offered Jubes a coke.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Ha-ha, very funny," Jubilee answers, another attempt to just dismiss the vampire thing as a dumb rumor. She's regular.

    "Of course I do," Jubilee answers, folding both arms across her chest in a demonstrative huff. She doesn't actually make a huff sound, but all of the movements and shifts in posture might give the impression that she did. Jubilation gives Patty a little are-you-crazy kind of look when she says she's awesome.

    "I know I am!" Jubes answers. She lifts one of her feet just slightly so the hidden wheels of her Heely sneakers can engage, transforming her sneakers into would-be skates. She pushes off and skates over to where she arranged some of the snacks. She comes back with two regular, high-fructose-corn-syrup Cokes and holds both of them out for Patty and Jay to take. "...I had, like, thirteen or fourteen before you guys got here," she claims.

    Though kept secret by her Ray Bans, Jubilee squints. "Gonna show us a few chords, hmmm..." she repeats. "I swear, you Guthries are dangerous." Jubilation doesn't explain what she means by that. Instead, she grins to herself and once again pushes off with her sneaker skates. "I know, I know, you like the fake soda," Jubilee drones, not even giving Patty a chance to protest, as she skates back to where the sodas were, apparently on the hunt for a sugar-free version for Patty.

Jay Guthrie has posed:
The winged young man silently 'Ohs' when Jubilee hands him a Coke. He accepts the soda. "Thanks."

Jay slides onto a stool to sit for a bit. It's an awkward evolution because he has to make sure he parts his wings enough so as not to sit on them. Movies make having wings look really cool, but in reality they are a huge pain. They're easy to injure, they make it really hard to wear shirts and jackets, and you have be constantly watching out that you don't knock stuff over with them.

"How...how are the Guthries dangerous?" Jay asks, tipping his head to the side a bit. Jay glances back and forth between Jubilation and Patty as though trying to figure out if he's being pranked right now.

He takes a drink of Coke.

Patty Sloan has posed:
Patty shrugs and her wings follow suit. She smiles to Jay before looking back to the pinball machine. "I have no idea what she is talking about. I've only met two Guthries. You and your one brother, Sam. I also met his significant other. She is actually helping me learn some self defense stuff." She loses her last ball but she manages to get number six on the scoreboard. She quickly puts in her initials, PS. Then steps away from the machine.

"You're up Jay!" She grins gesturing to the pinball machine. Her own wings spread out in a rather comfy looking position. "I don't drink regular soda because of the sweetener they use in it. Its kinda... well it has a funny taste." She blushes a little.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "You know!..." Jubilee insists, oh-so-confident that the Guthries must be aware of their own vibe.

    "You guys, like, with your belt buckles and your trucks and, you know, that whole, like..." Jubes reaches up and doffs an imaginary hat. "...'ma'am'....thing. Like... I'll show ya a few chords..." Jubilee looks back and forth between Patty and Jay, slowly realizing that she's putting her foot in her own mouth on this one.

    "You know!" is said again. It's just a desperate attempt to get out of this.

    Jubilee waves her hand in the air, dismissing the whole thing like the burden of proof isn't on her. "You know," she repeats, quieter this time. She holds out the sugar-free Coke for Patty to take.

Jay Guthrie has posed:
Well it was /bound/ to happen eventually if Jay kept hanging out here -- and this is one of the reasons he avoids crowds. When Jubilee does the whole hat-doffing-ma'am-I'll-show-ya-a-few-chords thing, Jay. Actually. Smiles. He /hates/ it, but he smiles nonetheless. The tops of his ears turns a bit red and he looks down in a don't-look-at-me-I'm-hideous sort of way. But shucks durn it by god, he's grinning.

"That is not at /all/ what we're like," Jay insists as he stands up off the stool again and moves over to take his turn on the pinball machine. "Bein' polite to a lady is how I was raised."

He presses start and pulls the plunger back, launching the silver ball. He actually turns away from the machine as soon as the ball launches because he becomes overwhelmed with a sudden thought. "And I offered to show you some chords because I was being a dumbass the other day on the basketball court," Jay says to Patty. "Everyone showed up all of a sudden like out of nowhere and that weirds me out sometimes." He shrugs once. "And you seemed like someone dope to hang out with." While he's pleading his case the unattended silver ball goes down the drain. He blinks and looks over at the machine. "Shit," he murmurs.

Patty Sloan has posed:
Patty accepts the coke zero from Jubilee. She cracks it open and takes a long sip. "Thank you Jubes. I love this stuff." She laughs a little bit as she takes another sip. Her attention goes to Jay. She watches him playing the pinball machine. Then when he turns away, She quickly responds, "Hey its cool. I am looking forward to learning some guitar chords." Then the ball goes down the drain. She blushes and covers her face before stifling a giggle.

Happily she takes a seat on on a barstool. Her wings are a bit more manageable than Jay's thankfully. She still has to make sure they are up before sitting down. Sitting on ones wings is never a good thing. "Its alright though. Nothing to worry about. I just thought you were trying to be cool." She grins.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Oh, come /on/!" Jubilee insists. "That's /totally/ what you guys are like."

    She looks over at Patty, as though the other girl might back her up on this, forgetting that she's new to Xavier's and won't have accumulated enough Guthrie experience.

    When Jay's ears fill with blood -- a detail easily noticed by Jubilee for some reason -- she grins and reaches up to try and pinch those cheeks. "C'mon... it's not a /bad/ thing..." Jubilee explains. "I'm just saying. I was ready to learn some chords too and I play the uke."

Jay Guthrie has posed:
When Patty says she assumed Jay was trying to be cool he sighs and shakes his head, letting out a small laugh. "I was trying. But I'm prolly the least cool guy on this campus." He flicks the plunger and shoots the second ball. This time he pays better attention, keeping the ball in play. He wasn't just giving a Patty a line earlier, he really /does/ know how to play pinball. He even has a knack for being able to jiggle the machine just enough to affect the ball's trajectory but not enough to trip the tilt.

"Anyway, it's kinda nice just hangin' out with you guys," Jay says with a small shrug, his eyes flitting around to follow the pinball. "I'm kinda glad not many people showed up."

Patty Sloan has posed:
"You're right, Its kinda nice to just be hanging out and stuff. We aren't swimming in a sea of people trying to get to know each other here tonight. Its a little more personable." She smiles and watches Jay play the game. She snickers as she observes the man's actions with the paddles and the ball. "You weren't kidding. I think I'm going to get knocked to number 7!" She laughs a little.

She turns her attention to Jubilee. She smiles to her and shrugs. "I wouldn't know. I only met Sam ones and this is the first time I've really gotten to hang out with Jay. So I am guessing the Guthries have a reputation for courtesy and Hospitality?" She smiles bright at that.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "They're, like, why cavemen painted on walls...." Jubilee explains to Patty, elaborating on the Guthrie status as the template of masculinity. Jubilation's smile fades a touch as Jay reminds her that not many people showed up. There has been a weird vibe since the student newspaper published that op-ed piece about the rumors that there's a vampire on campus. "Yeah..." she admits, slumping a little as she leans back against the Ms. Pac-Man game that watches over the pinball machine. "...I guess people decided to skip this one." She may be taking it well, but it's clear that Jubilee has suffered a tremendous blow this evening. She was once student body president, elected so many times that she seemed like student body dictator. She was the self-proclaimed most popular student four years-in-a-row. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

    "I'm gonna go track down all the flyers... I don't want to see a bunch of evidence everywhere..." Jubilation decides before flashing a glum peace sign. With that, she skates out the door...