2250/X in the Morning

X in the Morning
Date of Scene:	27 June 2020
Location:	Main Kitchen
Synopsis:	Ruth and Julian meet and discuss the state of the world
Cast of Characters:	Julian Keller, Ruth Aldine

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Julian Keller has posed:
Julian Keller comes downstairs to get coffee. Most of the other students have already been up and at them, perky bastards that they are. Of course, things are a little less cheery with recent news of the world. Mutant Town getting scooped out of the city like God used a melon baller has, obviously, had a general negative effect on school spirit.

Not that Julian gives a fuck.

Since losing his hands to Mr. Sinister at the hands of a deranged Cyclops clone in service of said lunatic, Hellion has taken full advantage of his sick leave, blowing off all responsibilities and generally being a grouchy recluse. He wears a designer robe today, tied at the waist, along with drawstring pants. He opens the fridge with his mind and concentrates as he tries to use the coffee maker telekinetically. Subtlety hasn't been his strong point with his power, but he's had to work on getting better at fine motor control. He's already gone through three coffee makers this month.

Ruth Aldine has posed:
In dreaming, it's hard to tell when it's day and night once you're finally awake. While that's not true for most people, it is in Ruth's case. Some dreams are more real than she'd care to admit, and being that she barely has any friends here in this entire building, there was no one there to truly verify. It wasn't a sad case for Ruth, it was just the norm. Like, skipping out on dinner. By the time she was actually hungry, the kitchen was closed and she couldn't be bothered to make herself a meal. Which leads to this mornings hunger, which could have been done deliberately.

She did see her world opening up just a little bit this year.

Her own method of dressing was basic. Jeans. Regular shirt. Blindfold. Slippers. Weaving through the throng of kids who actively avoid and whisper, not about her.. just about stuff they didn't want her to hear. Sadness, malaise.. thank the heavens she was not an empath. But to the kitchen the Senior goes, neverminding Julian at the attempts of making his coffee. Right to the cupboard to reach for a bowl, the drawer a spoon, the cupboard again for a pot..

"Oh." She says quietly. "I forgot you have no hands. Sorry. I will help you." Does she turn to actually do that? Not yet. She was waiting for a response.

Julian Keller has posed:
"I don't need any help," Julian barks in irritation, turning and then pausing as he sees the girl with the blindfold.

"I don't think I know you. My name is Julian Keller," he says, as if it means something. "I, too, forget that I have no hands sometimes. Then I wake up and remember. At least I know longer break everything in my room when the memory comes now."

Is he being a little pitiful? Probably. But he's not lying about his suffering. Merely wallowing in it. The coffee finally starts and he sighs, having managed not to shatter the pot this time. "I can make telekinetic hands, but they always seem to be on fire. Not helpful."

Ruth Aldine has posed:
Ruth jumps, her shoulders lifting.. keeping her back turned but allowing her head to turn to 'look' in his direction. "Okay. Sorry." She goes about filling the pot with water, then places it down into the sink. It appears as if she changed her mind, and settles for cereal instead. Quick. Simple. Easy.

"I am Ruth. Ruth Aldine." She says in response. Though.. while she cannot empathize with him not having hands, she does understand the need to wallow in sorrow.

"It is okay." She says confidently. "Hands are not important." While it seemed as if she tried to make light of the situation, her tone came out deaf. "This is learning. This is control, sorry. I see it is good for you." No smile, but the cereal was taken, and soon she settles down upon the closest table, facing Julian.

"Would you like a spoonful? It's fruity."

Julian Keller has posed:
Julian Keller shakes his head, "No, thank you. I prefer bitter to sweet, at the moment," he says, proving it as he pours himself a cup of the blackest coffee. He takes a seat across from the girl, though, instead of retreating back to his room as he planned. Not entirely sure why.

"I presume your power compensates for the blindness somehow. Psychic or radar or some kind of nonsense like that," he says. "I'm sorry you can't see me. My face is probably one of the few comforts left around this place," he sighs.

"Lose any friends in Mutant Town, or are you an outcast like me?"

Ruth Aldine has posed:
Annnd.. Ruth doesn't eat. She moves the spoon around the bowl as if she intends to, but she truly doesn't. Picking up a handful of fruitloops, she drops it back in, one hand lifting to rest upon her chin as soon as he settles in. She tries to play it cool, someone is actually talking to her! But there would probably be only a matter of time before..

"..I can see you just fine." She doesn't comment about her powers, it was odd enough to explain it. Though, lately that hasn't been her main focus, just school.. without cheating..

"No." She states. "I am an outcast. Thank you." She finally lifts her spoon, taking a sip of the milk. "Sorry. I have no friends. People do not talk to me. Maybe that is better. Yes?" Her shoulders lift, and then fall again. "You lost no one in Mutant Town, sorry. It is okay to not care too much."

Julian Keller has posed:
Julian Keller raises an eyebrow, "Don't let any of the bleeding hearts around here get a whiff of that. We're all supposed to be tearing and gnashing our teeth because some fish-faced fools with whom I happen to share an errant gene got swallowed up. Don't get me wrong, I ran into whoever did it, I'd twist 'em up, but I've got my own fucking problems."

He figures he probably can't bitch too much about the hands. He figures she's kind of lying about the eye thing, because he lies a lot and he knows what it looks like, but he's n ot going to argue about it. Again - not caring is very useful.

"I guess I've got a couple of friends. Not that I asked for them," he shrugs. "Gabby, Illyana. That idiot James," he mutters. He realizes he hasn't checked in on the other people who were kidnapped with him. He got lost in his own pain. Only child syndrome.

Ruth Aldine has posed:
"Sorry. Did someone tell us to?" Ruth asks. "To be angry. I am not angry. I am sad yes. But I can not be angry. My aunt, sorry, says there is no use in being angry with something that is out of your control. You get grey hairs." She sips her milk again, occasionally pushing the cereal aside.

"I am not lying. Sorry. I can see you in seconds. Robe. You are wearing a robe. Your skin is like mine. Your eyes are blue. Your hair is like mine. Thank you."

"Your friends are okay. You are not selfish. Please, it is okay to worry about one-self when one loses something fundamental." Insightful? Probably not! Intrusive, yes! "Like a bite?" She pushes the bowl forward, leaving the spoon resting against the rim. "Or sip milk. I sip milk."

Julian Keller has posed:
Julian Keller shakes his head, "You should eat it. I don't need it. You do, I bet," he says.

"Be careful who you show that, too. Some people get very bitchy about having their minds read. Mostly because they have secrets. I don't bother. I always say what I mean. Which, again, contributes to the not many friends issue."

"And I am selfish. I merely admit it to myself. The main difference is, of late, I've been feeling a bit guilty about being selfish. As if I owed someone something," he sighs, sitting back in his chair as he floats his cup and takes a long drink before setting it back down, his power making his eyes glow a soft tint of green.

"Maybe I do. I don't know anymore. Everyone around here wants to be a hero. I'll pass, thanks all the same."

Ruth Aldine has posed:
"Mm." Ruth drags the bowl back, finally taking a bite of the cereal, which has gone a little bit soggy.

"Sorry. I cannot help it." If she really tried, she possibly could, but how else was she supposed to get friends? She listens to the spiel, taking it for what it was. An admittance of the truth. Which, oddly enough, was a little bit refreshing.

"Someone owes you hands." ...

"I just want to be okay." That was her little confession, one that was followed by a little smile. "I won't, though."

Julian Keller has posed:
Julian Keller shrugs, "I don't mind. Got enough telepaths around here, if you think your thoughts are private, you're delusional. Bein' bitchy about it doesn't mean anything. Which never stopped bitches from doing it," he says.

He looks at his stumps and sighs, "Yeah. But I killed the guy who cut them off. Not that it mattered, he was just a tool. Brainwashed and programmed, like a robot. Essex did it to me but I can't touch him. Not yet anyway. Maybe someday. But I'm in no rush to die. Not even for revenge."

Ruth Aldine has posed:
"You do not mind, then you are my friend, thank you." Weird girl! She pushed herself right on him in that moment, metaphorically at least, and settled into a casualness she never knew that she could. Now, is when she pounded back the cereal, eating greedily and without grace, slurping up the bit of milk that was left on the spoon after she took in bits of the soggy cereal.

"Mm.. I have never killed anyone." She says through soggy mouthfuls. "Sorry. What was it like?"

Julian Keller has posed:
Julian Keller stares for a moment. "Nobody else has asked me that," he said. "They all reassure me that I was justified, that it was the heat of the moment, that no one blames me," he says. "But it felt...bad. It felt strange. It felt gross. It felt...fulfilling. I was so angry, I was...insane with it. And I wanted to kill him and I did. But it didn't make anything better. And now I've just got the memory of watching his face...melt...from inches away," he says with a shudder.

"I don't recommend it. I don't know how the ones who do it can function."