7819/Let The Right RA In

Let The Right RA In
Date of Scene:	13 September 2021
Location:	Roxxi's Room
Synopsis:	Jubilee drops by Roxxi's room, unannounced, to check to see how she's settling in. She doesn't dare enter without an invitation and Roxxi doesn't dare give one. They spend some time walking around the grounds and talking about what brought her to Xavier's.
Cast of Characters:	Jubilation Lee, Roxxi Smith

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Jubilation Lee has posed:
    A new student is always cause for celebration. The old RA, the venerable Tracy Fleeb, was a legend. She made every new kid coming in feel like a million bucks. Jubilation Lee was the natural, obvious replacement once Tracy graduated and this is her first year doing the job. Unfortunately, life had other plans. And so, Roxxi Smith would find herself on a warm September evening with a vampire standing outside her door.

    Jubilee stands motionless in the hallway. Kids coming up the stairs turn around and go back down immediately after seeing her, whispering among themselves about this or that. One kid swears they saw her turn into a bat. Another kid swears that Jubilee promised to turn /her/ into a vampire next. It's a lot of dumb rumors, but all of it creates a situation where no one will go near her.

    She reaches out for the door knob but her hand does not make contact. She stands there, motionless, frozen even, and unable to take the doorknob in her hand. She closes her eyes tightly and tries, really she does, to grab that knob! But she JUST. CAN'T. DO. IT. "Fuck!" she whispers under her breath. It's just a door. Why can't she open it? She was going to do the Kramer slide-in from Seinfeld! Jubilation hangs her head and leans on the door frame. She knocks three times.

    "Roxxi? It's Jubilation," she announces.

Roxxi Smith has posed:
     Roxxi has spent the day in orientations, class placement exams, and even sitting in on a few classes. Her class schedule set, she had a stack of books and a reading list. She sat at her desk, frowning at her Math book, as turned to the assignment page. Getting reoriented back into school was going to be harder than she thought.
    At the nock, the blue-haired teen lept up from her desk and hurried to the door. Dressed in her cargo pants, and Led Zepplin tee, Roxxi obviously didn't vary much in her clothing style. Throwing open the door, she stared at her guest. "Oh! Hi Jubilation!"

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Standing there, absolutely positively in the hallway, is Jubilation. She doesn't step back, to give their conversation space, but doesn't cross through the threshold. She's wearing a pink t-shirt with a neck hole that has been cut to expose her shoulder. Black spandex short-shorts are the rest of her outfit, along with a pair of white sneakers. She looks as she usually does these days: supernaturally ravishing.

    "Hi, Roxxi," she says with a smile. Fangs. Suddenly, Jubilee's eyes rise. "Oh!" She pulls a pair of Ray Bans that were tucked into the elastic waistband of her shorts and puts them over her eyes, just in case. "I almost forgot."

    "How are you settling in?"

Roxxi Smith has posed:
     Roxxi stares at the other young woman a moment, before answering excitedly. "Oh, great! I went to all my classes today and even got books! I don't think I am going to do very well in math, though.." Muffins, for his part, hung from a belt loop.
    Roxxi starts to step back, but Jubs fangs give her pause. She pulls muffins from his loop and slides him onto her left hand. After a moment of conference, she looks at Jubilation, chewing on her lower lip. "I don't think I can let you in.." She says, a little crestfallen and uncertain.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Some of Jubilation's humanity peeks through in this moment. For a brief moment, it looks like she's been punched in the stomach, not that such a thing would really affect her now, but the visual indication remains. She looks shocked. Jubilee stares at Roxxi from behind the sunglasses, though a brief glance is given to the puppet. Back to Roxxi. Some part of her is itching to reach out and snap this girl's neck for this. How dare she?! But, that part is not Jubilation. That part is something else entirely.

    "...Oh," is all she can say. It comes quietly. She's dealing with a new set of vampire emotional responses, but this one was all human. She doesn't even talk about the problems with math. She's too struck.

    "Why not?"

Roxxi Smith has posed:
     Roxxi fidgets, fighting her own set of emotions and instincts. There is a duality in her as well, though perhaps not as profound as is in Jubilation. The sweet innocent, versus the hardened survivor.
     "Muffins says that something about inviting a ..um.." She searches for a politically correct version of vampire... "Blood ingesting dependant individual does something bad. " Roxxi pauses, face skewed pensively. "Does it count if you are already allowed in the building?"

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilation's eyes lower. Vampire. It doesn't need to be said. She looks over her shoulder and catches a small gathering of whispering students watching her on the other side of the hallway. Jubes turns back to Roxxi. "I...I get it, it's fine," she eventually replies.

    The question about vampire rules causes Jubilee's head to bob up and down gently, like she's just going through the motions of the conversation. Finally, after what could be considered an uncomfortable length of time, she speaks.

    "...I don't know, I guess it's like one of those questions, like, what happens if Gizmo eats something at 11:59 but he gets some stuck in his tooth and swallows it after midnight, right?" she tries. She even manages a faint smile. Some part of her, the human part, is trying to make the new student not realize what a dagger she just threw and how hard it had landed. She's trying to roll with it. She can cry later. Well, actually, she can't.

    "I think maybe that whole inviting thing is just a silly story, maybe. I don't feel like anything would happen to me if I came in."

Roxxi Smith has posed:
     Roxxi continues to fidget, certain of what to do here. She clearly means no offense. She's also not about to let an uncaged tiger into her room. She also takes no notice of the kids across the hall, as they are likely just as confounded by a grown teen talking to her sock puppet as they are of Jubes idling in the doorway.
    Speaking of, Roxxi confers a second time with Muffins. At the end of which, she steps back and swings open the door. It is not an unspoken invitation. Instead, she says, "Are you able to step in without me inviting you?"

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    When the door swings open, Jubilation looks past Roxxi at the room behind her. Ah, the wonders of a fresh Xavier's room. Her own once looked like that. Not anymore, no, but there was a day when it did. She had a cowlick, more or less, and pink shades. Even a horrible yellow rain coat! Now, she's abandoned that look and instead has long, flowing black hair, and would never be caught in a yellow rain coat. Times have changed.

    The question gets dodged AND answered at the same time. "Why would I come into your room if you didn't invite me?" she asks gently.

Roxxi Smith has posed:
     "To see if you are able!" Comes a quick, cheerful response. "Muffins says, if you can enter without me asking you in, then there is nothing to the movie stuff, and we don't have to worry about it." And this is how she survived on the streets so long, by herself. Good ole Muffins logic.
     The room was still in pristine, 'new student' elegance. So far no efforts had been made to personalize it. The only evidence that Roxxi had taken over residence was her boots set neatly by the door, and her stack of books.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilation's eyebrows rise over the top of her Ray Bans. They're worn to protect Roxxi from getting hypnotized by her eyes. It might be a pointless precaution, but the only thing worse than six weeks of detention is more. Instead of asking 'who's Muffins' she instead plays along. "Well, you can tell Muffins that I'm not coming in without being invited, no matter what," she explains with a shrug. "I mean, I'll stand out here like a dope if that's what you want."

    This would not be the last of these indignities. No, not at all. Some kid gets pushed out of his little group because he got dared to take a selfie with Jubilee, to see if she'd show up in it. She does. Jubilation fills her lungs with pointless oxygen and lets it out noisily -- a sigh -- for maximum effect. "Either way, I just came by to see how things are. See if you need anything. See if you've made any friends. New students always do this thing where they hang out with the teachers and it's, like, pretty tragic if you ask me." She shrugs her shoulders. "And, I was going to find out if you smoke so I could show you the trick for opening the window." She shrugs. "I /don't/ smoke. The way I see it, Noriko deserves the work of art you see standing before you and I can't do anything to wreck it." She winks, but it can't be seen behind the sunglasses.

    "I just winked."

Roxxi Smith has posed:
     Roxxi laughed and held up her sock puppeted hand. "Muffins heard you just fine." She frowns thoughtfully, chewing on her lower lip again. "Oh. You don't want to know if you can do it?" She asks curiously. "I would want to know." She concludes arms crossing over her chest.
     Roxie stares as the kid runs up for a selfie. Instead of inviting Jubs in, however, she grabs her boots and pulls her door closed behind her. "Let's take a walk! I hear there was a pond? Oh, I've met you, Noriko, uh.. Richard something or something Richard? But everyone was nice in classes..."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "This isn't going to make a lot of sense, Roxxi, but... Not all of this makes sense to me," Jubilee finally admits. If she has some kind of reaction to the door getting closed like that, it's not obvious. "Yeah, there's a lake," she replies with a nod. "It's cold and you can't see the bottom and I know a guy who was dating this girl whose cousin said their chemistry tutor got pulled under by some kind of weird sea monster. I guess it's more like a lake monster, but, you know, they're probably pretty similar." She flashes a grin at the new student and walks towards the main central staircase that leads to the foyer.

    "So, uh, what's your, you know, mutant power?" she asks suddenly as she descends the stairs. Some use that word with hesitation, but not Jubilee. She calls it a power, not an ability. She's a mutant and proud of it. Well, she was a mutant anyway.

Roxxi Smith has posed:
     Roxxi follows, listening attentively. "Wow, a lake monster? That's so neat, well, not if she got eaten I guess..." She trailed off, as they head down the stairs. At the question about her power, Roxxi gasps, "Oh! Well... Henry said I absorb energy, convert it, and redirect it!" She frowned. "I can soak up the light, and make rocks explode."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilation leads them through the main foyer and past two full-length mirrors. Despite the legends, Jubilee casts a reflection in the first mirror as she walks by. The second mirror, however, is empty. She almost goes past it completely before her reflection seems to sync back up and pass through the mirror a couple of seconds behind her. "Oh, I'm just kidding about the lake monster," Jubilee answers. "That's the sort of crap you gotta be on the lookout for. New students always get told dumb things like that. If anyone tells you there's a pool on the roof...there isn't."

    She opens the large heavy door and holds it open for Roxxi and Muffins to walk out first. She'll follow behind. "You absorb energy and use it to explode rocks. That's cool. I used to be able to do something like that," she replies. Her voice goes solemn. "...But, I don't know if I can do it anymore."

    "Why are you here?" is the next question that comes. "I mean, did your parents kick you out....Or...I mean, well, you know what I mean. There are tons of places to go. Why'd you come here?"

Roxxi Smith has posed:
     Lips form a round 'oh' of understanding. Roxxi nods. "Right, yeah." Pranks and hazing weren't unfamiliar to her, she'd just not been expecting any. As they went through the heavy doors, Roxxi continued to question. "Have you tried?" she asks innocently, of Jubilation's abilities.
    When the subject changed to her reasons for being here, Roxxi sighed a little sigh. "Oh, my parents died when I was five." Someone like Jubilee, who's likely heard many a similar story, she can easily tell this one for the fish story it is. "We had a great big house. With horses! And, a lake too... but they died in, a plane crash! So I went into state care." This part at least was true, but Roxxi spoke about it in a bland, uninterested tone. "I had a few foster homes after that, before going into the group home. I didn't like it very much. So I left. I hitched my way this direction because I heard it was easier for mutants."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Someone like Jubilee, whose life basically was that story, does not dare question it. "I'm sorry to hear that," is what she says instead. "I, uh, know how all of that goes." In life, this would be the moment that Jubes brings her arms around her own front to shield herself from the cold. It's September, but it still gets chilly at night. This isn't a concern for her, anymore, of course, so she just lets her arms hang at her side. The question about whether she tried to use her mutant powers goes unanswered.

    "Group homes suck," she adds softly, leading the way to the path that would bring them to Breakstone Lake. Her tone suggests a personal knowledge of that fact. "All the coloring books are already done." She blinks her eyes a couple of times and frowns. Why did that memory pop in there?

    Suddenly, Jubes stops and turns her head towards Roxxi and Muffins. "You can't see in the dark, can you?" she asks, realizing that for the first time, she took one of her new vampire abilities for granted.

Roxxi Smith has posed:
     Roxxi brought her arms up as well, crossing and holding them at the opposite elbow. She hadn't brought a sweater or coat. she rubbed her upper arms briskly as they walked. "Yeah, they're all done..." She answered softly, concerning group homes.
     As Jubilee turns to face her, Roxxi blinks. "No.. There aren't any lights out there?" That would definitely cut their little nature hike short. She was starting to shiver in any event. "I forgot my coat." She points, proving her backup superhero name, Captain Obvious.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilation shakes her head. "No, no lights. I'm sorry," she says. She sounds like she means it, too. Jubilation turns and starts walking back to the mansion. For a short while, she was just a kid walking to the lake without all the baggage that has been burying her recently. It will have to wait for another night. "It would probably be a lot better during the day time, to be honest," Jubilation admits with a shrug. "Can't help you with that, obviously, but I'm sure someone will take you." With her back to the lake, Jubes leads them back to the mansion.

    "I'm sure you gotta get back to that homework and I'm sure there's some kid whose roommate drank her soy milk or something. Not like they'd dare come to me about it..." It's the sort of meandering kind of talk that signals she's looking to go their separate ways.

Roxxi Smith has posed:
     Roxxi digs out her phone from one of the many pockets in her pants. She flits to the flashlight app and lights the path for them... Well, really just for her. She glances up at Jubilee, her change in tone obvious. "Oh. Yeah, I do need to do homework.." That felt almost alien to say, after over a year without it.
     As they head back towards the heavy door, she studies the shadowed profile of the other teen. Hauntingly beautiful as it is, the shadows cast her features into further mystery. "Well, if I see her, I will tell her to go to you!" She offers, speaking of the theoretical student with the missing soy milk as a current situation.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilation opens the door effortlessly, sending it swinging on its hinges. It exposes a group of teens huddled around where the antique mail slot was positioned. They were being watched. As soon as the door is opened, they scream and run for it. "She's still alive, if that's what you're wondering!" Jubilee shouts after them. Her tiny fists are balled up at her sides, fingers clenched. How much longer would the Beast inside her put up with these indignities? How much longer would it allow Jubilee to let it happen?

    She stands there, staring at the group of boys and the direction they left in. She takes a step, perhaps to follow, but stops. "Yeah... " is all she says. She was only vaguely paying attention to Roxxi. When Jubilee turns to try and offer a smile at the other girl's offer, it becomes clear that vampires can cry. A single streak of blood slides slowly down from behind her dark sunglasses, tracing a path along her cheek.

Roxxi Smith has posed:
     As Jubilee turns to face Roxxi with that strange blood tear, Roxxi responds reflexively. The blue-haired teen steps forward to offer a quick and spontaneous hug. "It'll be okay!" She offers brightly and then runs up the stairs towards her room. "You guys should stop that!" She says to the slowest of the boys as she goes.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubes stands there, not daring to return the hug. Her fists relax and open down at her sides, however. When Roxxi gets in closer, Jubilee turns her head sharply to keep her mouth as far from the girl's neck as possible. She wouldn't want any of the students getting the wrong idea and thinking she's sucking blood. Or, worse, getting the wrong idea and telling Noriko!

    When Roxxi runs up the stairs, Jubilee reaches to her cheek and wipes aaway the blood and heads towards her room.