7919/Moving Out

Moving Out
Date of Scene:	21 September 2021
Location:	Jubilee and Noriko's Room
Synopsis:	It's decided that Jubilation is too much of a danger to room with Noriko, so the pair begin the task of packing up her stuff so Jubes can move to the other building. Promises of banana bread are made.
Cast of Characters:	Noriko Ashida, Jubilation Lee

---

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko had kept the tears at bay when she was with Ororo.  But she left before she lost that battle, and she did lose that battle, so she immediately sprints all the way from the rooftop down to the dorms and dives toward the bed.

The plan?  To ball her eyes out.  Nori runs to the one place she...no...she can't escape this here.  She blubbers to herself nothing intelligible and it is even less intelligible to someone listening to her.  Fast, garbled, brief.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilation is in the center of the room, sitting on her knees, and folding clothes that she's plucking from the top of the various piles on the floor. She had received word earlier that the decision was made to move her to another room. Jubilee had reluctantly agreed in the interest of keeping Noriko safe. From her. The narrative had gotten into her head, toyed with her, and ultimately led her to agree: she is dangerous.

    When the speedster blurs past her, Jubes turns her head towards the bed and the newly arrived Nori. "Nori?" she questions, hesitantly. She could ask 'are you okay?' or 'what's wrong?' but she likely already knows the answers.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Some deep part of Noriko must have felt like Jubilation had surely left already.  There's a look of shock flashed onto her face that appears, once buried in pillow.  She sniffs and swipes at her nose and eyes.  "You're still here?"  Usually knows everything about the room she's ending up in, completely aware of whether all the ducks are in a row, but she must have come in with blurry vision.

"Hey."  Now Noriko is shuffled onto her back, hands behind her head as she lays in repose with matted eyelashes.  "You...you need this?" she asks softly, her voice betraying her vulnerability.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilation's eyes lower. Her folding has slowed since Nori arrived and has now been reduced to just idle playing with the clothes. The shame she feels is alien to vampires. She should be ultra-confident, selfish even, but all she can feel is shame. Shame at what she is. Shame at what she has done to them. Shame at making Noriko feel this way. Shame knowing that the teachers are right about her and the danger she offers.

    "You do," is all she can say, not able to find the courage to look up. She sounds defeated, like she has accepted her fate.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Shame is something that followed Noriko from the island of her people.  She recognizes it easily and appears right in front of Jubilation, observing her faster than she can be observed before she slips back into the moment.

Noriko reaches to lift Jubilation's chin.  "What did Jean say?  What's going on?"  The speedster's brow furrows.  "Jubes.  This is dumb.  And at most, it will be for the school year.  I'm going to visit you every day.  I'll only come back when I sleep."  But sleeping alone sounds horrible to her.  Stomach-clenchingly awful.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "They say I'm a danger to you," Jubilee explains, her eyes darting away from Noriko as she lifts her chin. "That I'll hurt you. If I'm hungry." She can't bring herself to look at the speedster. Not for this next part. "...They're right." Jubilation doesn't know it for sure, but she'd never hurt Noriko. Never. But, the idea itself had gotten into her head, put there by others, and she can't take that risk.

    "Noriko..." She finally looks at the other girl. Her bottom eyelids have a thin, red line of blood. A vampire's tears.

    "I..." Jubilation shudders. She turns her head, shifting to avoid Noriko's hand. She can't look at her. "...You know how I feel about you, right?" After saying those words, Jubilation manages to turn in Nori's direction again. She has to see the speedster's reaction to that question.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"I can't even count how many times I've been a danger to you.  And they don't know how I sleep," which is no guarantee of anything even if Noriko says it this way.  "You'd never hurt me Jubes.  You'd never hurt me."

Noriko quiets, her gauntlet dropping when Jubilation shifts to avoid it.  Her eyes drop and that is where they are when Jubilation looks at her.  "I know you love me and you would never harm me.  I love you too."  Stupid tears are bolting out of her eyes, shooting down her cheeks and completely engulfing her eyesight.  For all her brave words she can't contain anything.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Yeah, well, this is a place for mutants, not vampires," Jubilation replies, closing her eyes and turning away so Noriko can't see her face. "I'm a danger they can't tolerate." She isn't one to feel sorry for herself, but everything she has heard recently really wedged itself deep in her mind.

    "I just..." Exactly how sorry about herself does she feel? Is Jubilee to the point where she's going to tell Noriko she just wants her to be happy, even if that can't be with her. Has she reached such a level of self-pity that she has counted herself out of future events?

    "If you don't want to be with a vampire, I totally get it," Jubilee manages. "But, I..." She looks down at her hands, now trembling. Jubilee is a vampire. Every instinct is telling her to rise up and take charge and reach for the neck of those who would dare make her unhappy! But, somewhere deep down, her humanity fights for control.

    "But I want to try," Jubilation manages, pain coloring her words. Instead of putting up some kind of front that might make her appear to have control of this, she's showing exactly how vulnerable she is right now. She's doing everything a vampire wouldn't.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"What?  You're still a mutant.  You still have powers that you need to learn to control..."

"No!  That's not even something that went through my mind," Noriko says emphatically.  "I want to be with /you/ Jubilation.  So what.  You're a vampire, but there's only one Jubilation vampire, and I want you.  I don't just want to try.  We don't have to try," Norikos babbles authoritatively on the tip of some kind of velocity induced roll.

"I already told you I'm coming over all the time," she insists.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "I'm something else," Jubilee replies quietly, the last moment of her self pity. The protocol on uncontrollable powers seems to be a little different in this case, likely from hundreds of years of folklore.

    Jubilation reaches out to pull Noriko into a tight hug. She closes her eyes and practically digs her chin into the speedster's shoulder. "There's a kitchen," she declares. "I can cook for you. Just like I always---" She stops right there, choosing to keep her fantasies about their future to herself. "I mean, if you want."

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"You're the person I love.  You always have been," Noriko says before she is easily pulled into the hug.  She hugs back just as tightly.  The speedster leaves the subject behind just like Jubilation, in lockstep.

"Yeah?  I'd like that," Noriko sniffs.  "..."  She just holds onto the other girl, not wanting to let go for a little while.  The finally, her stomach announces itself.  "I'm hungry," she admits.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "This is going to be so weird," Jubilation decides, squeezing Noriko tightly. Not being there all the time is just an odd thing to think about. Perhaps she briefly had taken for granted all of the little moments they had shared. The thought of not having Noriko there with her is an alien one.

    Jubilation's mouth curls into a smile. She lets out a single laugh. Noriko getting hungry suddenly always made her laugh, but there's just something sillier about it now. "Yeah..." Jubes mutters. "I know." She lets out a sudden sigh. "After I bring my clothes over, I'll figure out how to do that." How to cook.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"I guess you'll have to ask me over to...your place?  Do I get keys?"  Noriko sniffs again, trying to move beyond the sad to the BENEFITS.  Sure.  Sure.  She'll keep telling herself that.  "You can probably just tell," Noriko thinks that her blood must be different when she's hungry than after eating.

"I can help you with that.  It'll go really fast."  No.  The problem is it will be really horrible, but that's something Noriko runs smack into.  "I'm not relying on your sense of taste.  You're obviously biased."  Finally, she lets out a breath and pulls back enough to see Jubilation, but not enough to separate.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilee sighs. Her place. Keys. It's all just so horrible. "Yeah..." she answers quietly. It applies to both questions, but Jubes isn't willing to clarify. She gives Noriko another squeeze just in time for the speedster to pull back from her. Jubilee stares at Nori, eyebrows hiked. Two red tears have fallen from her eyelids and down her cheeks.

    Before Noriko has a chance to pull away further, Jubilee draws her closer to immediately resume their hug. She's not ready to let go. "My sense of taste is fine," she replies quietly, her eyes closing tightly.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"I'm sure whatever you make will be delicious," Noriko declares fondly.  She doesn't care that Jubilation's tears will stain her and she doesn't shirk from the bloody teared vampire.

"This isn't forever.  I'll figure something out.  Make something I can sleep in that makes them feel okay...then maybe they'll let me move in with you.  And even if they don't, fuck that."  Nothing will stand in her way.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilation exhales noisily, sending unspoiled oxygen into the air. "Nori," she begins, her voice taking on a mild groan. "They're right to be cautious." It's true and she knows it. Jubilee could swear up and down that she won't hurt Noriko. She could even believe it. But, still, she's cooperating with this so at least some part of her recognizes the danger that Nori is in. Even just the slightest possibility is too much.

    "So, you've had banana bread, right?" Jubilee questions. "If you have, I bet you liked it. If you haven't I bet you will like it." She gives the speedster a squeeze before finally releasing her. "I'll make you banana bread." Where is /that/ coming from?

    "C'mon, I gotta get back to packing. I'm supposed to be moved before the night is over." Talking about how one day transitions into the next requires a different mindset for any would-be vampires. Different phrases.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"I know.  I know there's risk," but Nori doesn't care.  "I'm going to figure something out.  Maybe drink stuff that makes my blood disgusting to you.  And I'll wear a shark suit to bed."  That last one comes with a little smirk.

"Banana bread?  You'll make it for me?"  The idea floors Noriko.  "I'd like that..."  Noriko rolls her eyes at Jubes worrying about making it in time, but gets to it, to put the girl at ease.

But then...which stuff is her stuff?  Noriko surveys the wasteland of a room.  Jubes might be onto something with packing right away.