8228/A Talk with the Boys

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A Talk with the Boys
Date of Scene: 13 October 2021
Location: Clarice Ferguson's Quarters
Synopsis: Lydia seeks out her adopted family to check in with them after being turned into a vampire. Some concerns are raised, but it quickly devolves into a fight between Clarice and Theo. Pete, thankfully, manages to intervene and get everybody on the same page. Then, somehow, the conversion devolves into Ru Paul's Drag Race.
Cast of Characters: Lydia Dietrich, Raven Darkholme, Clarice Ferguson




Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia spent the rest of the night with Mystique, cuddling her as much as she could. She still couldn't sleep, but she wanted to be there in case her lover woke up to find her gone. When the morning came and Mystique woke up, Lydia spent time reassuring her that she still loves her, she doesn't blame her for what happened and that they'll get through this together. She, then, ordered Mystique to go get some breakfast, and Mystique told her that she was going to get some work done afterwards.

Lydia then sat with one of her journals... a new one this time, to write out her concerns about being a vampire. To document her feelings and the physical changes that's occurred to her. When she was done with that she decided to go and meet Theo and Pete. They wanted to meet her new vampy self, and it was only fair that she honor that request.

So now it's late morning and she's at Clarice and the boys' door. She knows they're in. She can smell them. She knows Clarice's smell now, but she wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the boys until she actually meets them.

She rings the door chime and calls out, "Clarice? Theo? Pete? Do you want to talk?"

Raven Darkholme has posed:
The morning conversation was still heavy in both Pete and Theo's minds, even as Theo was attempting to do his homework and Pete was playing his guitar. There was a lot to think about really, because there has been A LOT of emotions.

The minute the chime sounded and Theo heard Lydia on the other side of the door however, that all changed. He was on his feet and to the door, cursing it for not sliding open faster and just hugs her. "Yes!" he answers the question she asked.

In that time, Pete managed to look up and set the guitar down.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice's second attempt at sleep was more successful than her first - with Rahne's solid presence there keeping some of her confused dreams at bay. It wasn't exactly a restful sleep - it was peppered with images of predators, or her family on the run and under siege - but she had managed to sleep.
    Now she was seated at her desk trying not to feel annoyed. Attempts to help with the workload, so Mystique could focus on other matters, had been rebuffed - rather tersely, in fact. She knew it wasn't personal, but with her own emotions raw, it was something she had to remind herself of quite forcefully. And Pete's guitar music helped with that, as well.
    At the sound of the chime, and Lydia's voice, Clarice turns in her chair and rises. She doesn't make any attempt to stop Theo from going to Lydia, but there's a tense readiness to her posture as her brother enthusiastically greets the predator at the door. "Lydia, please come in. ...soon as Theo's done throttling you, of course."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia almost recoils at the hug. Almost. She wasn't expecting it and there was a part of her brain that went ATTACKER! but the rest of the brain smacked it down and went 'it's only Theo.' She returns the hug to the boy, enjoying the contact only releasing him once she's sure that he's had enough. Hopefully he won't notice how cold she is. Bodies aren't meant to be at room temperature.

"How did you sleep?" she asks Clarice, stepping through the threshold. "Hopefully a little bit better once you managed to pry Rahne off of her and dragged her to bed."

To Theo she ruffles his hair, "How about you? How're you holding up?" And then over his head she calls out, "Hi, Pete!"

Raven Darkholme has posed:
The hug lasts only a few moments, before Theo slips his arm around Lydia and walks her into the room. He's small, that's true, but he still wanted to play the gentlemen and escort her in. Once she's inside, he let's her go. He noticed the cold, he knew what she was, the truth was... he's the one who didn't care.

"I'm alright," Theo answers. "For the most part. A few issues," he eyes Clarice. "but we're working through them.

Pete remains sitting at his desk, setting his guitar in the case on the floor in front of him. The level of tension in the room rose by fifty-percent, and most of that came from Clarice. He didn't want to know that, so while trying to block that out, his mind decided to wondering other ways, namely Lydia.

"Hi Lydia," he offers. "It's really good to see you."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "You know full well it's you we're worried about, Lydia," Clarice answers. She closes the distance between herself, and her friend, offering Lydia a brief, one-armed hug. She wasn't used to the cold feel of the woman's skin, and it only served as a reminder of the alienness of all this. "The boys want to do everything they can to help," she comments, instead of giving voice to any of her thoughts. "Please, make youself at home."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"I'm worried, too," Lydia says as she makes her way over to the couch. She looks over the room, seeing the guinea pig cages and all the markings on the walls for future runs. "I see you're getting ready for the guinea pigs," she says with a smile.

She, then, turns serious. "I know they do." She turns to the boys in question, "I want you two to be careful around me. For now at least. I don't know what I'm capable of. I haven't gotten hungry yet, but it's only a matter of time, and I don't know how bad that'll end up being."

Now she addresses Pete directly, "I heard you wanted to try to put me to sleep and..." her brows furrow in worry, "I think it's a good idea to try. I want you to be able to protect yourself, or others if I get too... vampy."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo frowns and almost glares at Clarice, but he manages instead to glare at the wall. Clarice apparently had spoken to Lydia before they could, once again creating a them versus us situation. Walking around the couch he pauses a moment to looks back at Lydia, then just walks to his desk to once again attempt to do home work.

Pete closes his eyes a moment, letting out a slow breath before opening them again. Standing up, he walks over and sits himself on the arm of the couch. "I already know that I can," he states plainly. "There's nothing about your mind that is any different than before." That he's willing to say out loud. The predatory nature is a whisper that perhaps even Lydia doesn't hear yet, and he's not going to mention it. "I could knock you out and wake you back up with a thought, so no worries at all there."

He glances over to Theo now which gets him glared at, so he looks back to Lydia with a, "I'm sorry, but the Theo you are trying to reach is not available, please leave a message at the grump."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    There's a brief, but visible wince from Clarice as Theo abruptly retreats back to his desk. She tightens her jaw, before forcing a more neutral expression to take it's place. "Yeah - we're excited about bringing them home in a bit," she admits, as she takes a seat on the couch next to Lydia - leaving a small gap between them. "I think it'll be good... for all of us," she remarks, while fighting against her own urge to retreat from this situation. Everything about it was painful.
    She turns her attention towards Pete next, allowing herself a faint frown. "You're certain? I don't want there to be any doubt when it comes to your safety. This is about Lydia's wellbeing - as much as anything else."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia nods to Pete looking somewhat relieved. "That's good to hear. I thought as much but ... what if I was wrong? What if I was something that just /thought/ that it was Lydia." She shakes her head. "I found that doubtful but... you never know." She glances over at Clarice. "I trust his judgement. He knows his way around a brain."

She looks between Theo, Clarice, and Pete, scowling. It doesn't take superhuman senses to see that something's up. She gets up and goes to Theo and rests a hand on his shoulder. "Hey," she says gently. "What's up? Something's going on with you two."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Pete remains perched on the arm of the couch, his eyes shift to Lydia, the return to Clarice. When he speaks, his tone is so calm, because he is calm, nothing about him is upset and the concern he feels remains but there's no need for it to seep through.

"I realize I don't show a lot of control, not being able to stop myself from seeing and hearing thoughts or feeling other people's emotions, but Clarice, that's way different then using my abilities. I may not be trained, but I have been working on it for almost three years now. I know my limits, I know what I can do, and I can tell you two very important things. One, this is Lydia, the same Lydia we've always known and loved," at this he offers Lydia a smile and apologetic smile, for having done what he did. "And two, her mind is no different than yours, and I could shut you down. So yes, I can shut her down. I mean, do you want me to show you? Is that the only way to prove it? To put her through something she doesn't need to be put through just because?"

Theo was primarily just staring at his text book, the same page. "Just..." he mutters, then looks up at Lydia. "I get that things change, but every time something happens, Clare gets even more over protective and the walls of the box get smaller. We're working on it, cause I know she doesn't mean to make me feel boxed in, and that every thing she does is because she loves me, but... you're family too and apparently, I can't take care of myself at all, not even a little. And that's going to hurt Clare that I said it, but it's how I feel, so it's better if I just do my homework and keep it to myself, because now she's going to be upset and she's already over stressed cause the world is spinning out of control for her too, and she tries very hard to conceal it, but she fails at it. She locks it all away, then says things like 'what you feel matters' while concealing her own feelings. She's over whelmed Lydia, completely and totally in over her head, and that /is/ my fault for existing."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice's gaze follows Lydia for a moment, before locking onto Pete instead, listening to each of his words. At his questions, though, she shakes her head - even if she would, yes, feel a little better if he did demonstrate. "I trust you, Pete," she answers him. "But if we test it or not - that's not up to me, at all. That's Lydia's decision, not mine. I'm glad you feel confident, though. And that Lydia's..." herself. That their sister really isn't gone, even if all of this still feels wrong.
    Her gaze locks onto the woman with her surrounding ash-cloud, before Theo steals her attention instead. And while she does indeed struggle to keep her expression calm, and neutral, Theo's words do indeed sting. But it's the last thing he says that really hurts. "Theo, no... Please don't- Do I really make you feel that way?" That he regrets existing? She stares at her brother, stricken by the thought that she could possibly cause him that much pain.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"I'd be willing to do it if it helps put your mind at ease," Lydia tells Clarice. She looks worried. Worried with how Clarice is taking this, worried that Pete might have to, one day, actually shut her down, and worried about Theo and Clarice's clashes with each other.

Lydia leans over Theo's back, draping her arms over his shoulders to give him a kind of backwards hug. "It's not your fault," she reassures him. "These kind of clashes are natural for a parent/child relationship. I know she's not /really/ your parent, but she's doing her best to try to keep you safe. You add on top of the stress of dealing with the China situation and then you have my kidnapping happen back to back, well, /anybody/ would be overwhelmed. /I'm/ sort of overwhelmed, but I hide it better."

One of the things about being a newly turned vampire is that she's feeling all of her emotions a little bit more sharply, so blood tears start to well up in her eyes. "I don't want you to /ever/ think that your mere existence is wrong, or anything like that. You're here. We /want/ you here. We're /happy/ that you exist. You have made our lives, especially Clarice's, so much brighter than you can imagine."

She feels the tears start running down her cheeks and curses, "Shit." She stands up before she can drip blood onto Theo's head. "I don't know if I'm going to get used to this," she mutters, making her way to the bathroom to clean herself up.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Pete turns on the arm of the chair to look at Theo, but the younger teen's eyes are following Lydia out of the room.

"He said it wrong," Pete says quietly. "Try again Theo, please?"

Theo sighs, then takes a deep breath. "I didn't mean that existing was a bad thing, but existing your your life is Clare," he turns now to look at her. "You aren't my parent, you shouldn't be the one to take all that on your shoulders. I want a sister, not a mother. I want to joke around, play games, get to know each other as siblings. You are /not/ my parent, you never will be, and yet that's what you're trying to be... you aren't."

He looks toward the bathroom again, then back to Clarice. "Can you do that Clare? Can you /just/ be a sister and stop trying to raise me in the image you want me to be? Stop trying to control everything in my life? I stopped being a kid a long time ago. I don't /need/ a parent any more, what I need a sister."

Pete looks toward the bathroom now, since he got Theo to rethink, reword and express. "I don't want to do it unless I have to," he calls to Lydia, and for Clarice's benefit. "But if you both want me to show it, I will."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    This isn't supposed to be about her, today. It isn't supposed to be about her, and Theo. It's supposed to be about Lydia. But everything - //everything// seems to come down to this, these days. She's growing so weary of having a fight she doesn't know how to resolve. "My life is better with you and Pete in it. I... I want to be your sister, even when it means watching ridiculous movies with horrible cat robots." I mean, the cat in Hocus Pocus was just //awful//.
    "But I- you know I don't mean to make you feel trapped, but I don't know how to- I'm not your parent. You're not a little kid. But I'm still your //guardian// - it says it right there in the word. And even when that isn't true anymore, I'm second in command of the Brotherhood, and the safety of the members will still be my job. I don't want to forbid you from doing anything, Theo. I- all I'm trying to ask for is reasonable precautions. Can't I ask for that? Can't I have that much? I don't- I don't mean to make you feel this way, but I just- I have a hard time understanding what I've asked for that's so unreasonable. What, specifically, I've done that-"
    Clarice shakes her head helplessly. "I'm trying. I'm sorry that I screw it up, I'm trying, I want to fix things..."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
The sound of running water stops when Lydia is done washing her face. "I only want you to if it'll set Clarice's mind at ease," she calls out to Pete. She comes out of the bathroom looking refreshed. Well, as refreshed as anybody as pale as her can get.

"Horrible cat robots?" she asks. "What kind of movie is this?" She moves into the living room and plops herself down on the couch. "Next time you all have movie night, don't leave out eldest sister," she chides.

As for the argument, she frowns. "If Theo wants to be part of the Brotherhood," she muses aloud, "why don't we start giving him some training? It'll make it so that even if we put restrictions on him, we're getting him ready so that the next time something like this happen (god forbid) he'll be ready for it?" She looks between Clarice and Theo. "This seems to me to be a reasonable compromise, I think."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo closes his text book, there's no way he's getting that done right now, he can't even see the pages. "I can't," he says quietly. "I have to graduate from high school first, which technically I could have tested out and graduated when I went to Happy Harbor. Clare doesn't want me to join the Brotherhood anyway."

Looking back over at Clarice he says, "Why does it become about you? I told you I know everything you do comes from love. I'm the one who said I know you're doing the best you can and that you're overwhelmed... I said those things, which means I get it Clare. You're wearing too many hats, and refusing to remove any of them for any reason because you're trying so hard to aim me away from what you do because you fear so much I'll end up like you... and the whole time you're doing this, you think I don't know that."

Pete rubs his temples a moment, noting that Theo is talking about all the feelings and that he knows what Clarice is doing, while Clarice is still trying to be some kind of pillar and show no emotion. "Clarice, you have to be exhausted," he finally says. "So tired of locking everything up and not getting to be yourself, because you fear yourself and fear what other think of you. What you don't seem to get is that Theo and I already know you, know what you are, know what you do. There's not a mutant in Genosha who doesn't know about you, you're portals are kind of distinctive."

Taking a slow breath, he slides over to sit beside Clarice on the couch. "You fear so much that you're going to screw something up with Theo and me, that you stopped being you. You don't see it, because you're so wound up all the time, and you don't /hear/ what we say because you struggle with yourself so much... so please, please, just listen... you aren't screwing anything up. You aren't broken. You aren't the horrible monster that you fear we'll become. You /must/ let go of that, because all the things you ask, all the reasons and things you tell Theo to wait, don't do, think of something else, all of them are because you're afraid of losing him and of him becoming like you. I'm sorry Clarice, but he's already like you. Strong, determined, terrified of letting you down and that you'll shove him more and more away as you two fight constantly over the same things. You don't mean to do it, he doesn't mean to do it, but neither of you actually ever communicates because you are both hiding so much from each other all the time..." he shakes his head, then just hugs Clarice. Sometimes it really sucked being able to feel everything.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I never said you couldn't train! That you can't join the Brotherhood!" Clarice practically. "I never said those things," she asserts. "I-" She starts to flounder, which is about when she gets wrapped into Pete's hug - which she leans into, gratefully.
    "I'll train you. Mystique, or Mister Creed will train you. You should- I want you to learn. And there's- there's lots of ways you could help the Brotherhood, not just combat missions. But if you- if that's what you want, I never said you couldn't. I never said that. I can't- I don't get to decide something like that."
    Tears begin streaking down her cheeks again as she adds more quietly, "I'm trying to listen. I'm trying to understand, really. I don't want to fight like this..." Because it hurts too much. //God// it hurts. "I know- I know Theo's a lot like me. I see it, I do. And you don't let me down. I'm so proud of you. You're- you're stronger and smarter than I am. Why wouldn't I be proud?"
    She lapses into a few moments of silence before she'll add in a whisper, "Part of me is a monster, though. It just is."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia listens to Pete and nods along with him. Damn, that boy is smart. She doesn't add anything to it because he's eloquent enough as it is. Clarice's self depreciation, though, garners a scowl. "Don't put yourself down like that," she says. "You're strong and you're smart. I should know. I've been tutoring you in English, and you've advanced tremendously. And you're /not/ a monster. How frequently have you gone hunting lately? How many times does that urge strike you since Theo, Pete and I have come into your life?" She shakes her head. "You're not a monster. You're just... broken in some ways, and you're beginning to mend."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Pete keeps the hug for a moment longer then sits up and looks at Clarice.

"Clarice isn't broken at all, and she's not a monster either." He offers Clarice a smile. "She thinks she's a monster because society wants her to believe she has to be a certain why to be 'normal', but that's all horse hockey. If people can't accept our sister the way she is, right now, this moment, then they can go fuck themselves."

Theo looks back at the closed book. "Sure Clare, you'll train me, but not combat missions. I can be ready for anything, but not combat missions. Even though I never said that I was looking to do combat missions, unless that's what's required of me... your fear, projected onto me, again." He finally looks back at her. "How can I do anything, ANYTHING, knowing you don't want me to do it? I'm constantly torn between what you want and what I want, because you say you'll accept, that I can choose, that's it's all up to me, but not combat missions. You make sure to always say that, or something like it, to make sure, no matter what, that I know you don't want me to do that. So how can I? How I can do it knowing you don't want it?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I never said I was dumb. I said Theo's smarter - he is. He's brilliant. Pete's no slouch either. But I never said I was dumb - I'm not," Clarice insists quietly, looking between Lydia and Pete, once she's released.
    "Rahne helps too," she admits. "But- it's not normal that I- I //need// to kill sometimes. I enjoy it. It's- I'm grateful there are people who can accept that, but you honestly think there's nothing wrong with that?"
    She looks between the pair - but as ever, it's her little brother that knows just what buttons to push to get a reaction, as their warring pain continues to inflict more harm on one another.
    "What do you //want//?" she finally snaps at Theo. "Am I supposed to be honest about my feelings - or hide them from you? What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to make this stop?" she shouts in frustration. "I don't know what you want! I don't- I don't understand. I don't understand what I'm doing that's so wrong. All I want is- I want you to be happy. I don't- I don't know how to do this, Theo, I never had a family before! Not since... not since- I'm trying. I don't understand..." She shifts on the couch, turning away from all of them, her arms hugging across her middle as she struggles to rein in her frustration.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia scowls. She didn't mean broken like that. She thinks that trauma causes breaks and fissures that need time and help to heal. She doesn't know how to tell Clarice that, at the end of the day, it's /okay/. "I'm sorry," she says. Just that. "I'm sorry."

When Clarice is shouting, Lydia winces. She doesn't like how upset she's getting. She doesn't like how upset /everybody/ is getting, and she feels helpless to do anything about it. She looks down at her hands as Clarice and Theo go at it, and only spares a glance at Pete to see what he's doing.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Pete is breathing, eyes closed, breathing. He never loses his temper, because he knows that everything he does can effect others if he loses control of himself, so he takes in the waves of anger, and breaths them out with each deep breath. Standing up, he opens his eyes to find Lydia looking at him, and offers her a weak smile.

"Well, at least they're communicating," he states calmly, in fact everything he says it calm. "Instead of locking it up." Now he looks between them and he starts with Theo.

"You want a sister and no over sight, no one tell you what to do, well tough shit Theo, you're going to get told what to do. I get told what to do all the time, I don't like it. After spending most of my life on the streets, raising myself, you think being told by someone who doesn't even really know me what to do makes me jump for joy? No, of course not. We all have trauma, every person in this room has trauma, and it effects /everything/ in our lives. Suck it up Theo, accept that there are some things you don't get to do until your eighteen and stop acting like a ten year old."

Now he looks at Clarice, "And you... you don't understand what you're doing wrong, because you've never had a family, and you don't know what your doing. You /do/ inflict your concerns and fears on Theo every chance you get, you do remind him that you don't want him to be part of the Brotherhood every time it comes up. He gets it, as you heard, he gets it, I get it... you don't want either of us to have the life you had... but that's the past Clarice, the Brotherhood is the future for mutants. Why would we not want to be a part of it? No one said combat missions, we just want to be ready in case it happens, and in case anything else happens. We also have to consider here that the second in command of the Brotherhood, who goes on combat missions and has scared the hell out of both Theo and I at least once, is telling us don't do what she does because she's afraid we'll get hurt or killed. News break, you could get killed to, so you have to throw that argument out because we sit here, waiting, panicked, afraid, hoping you come back. If we have to suffer that, there's a chance you might have to as well, but no one said combat mission."

"So how about we reach the conclusion here and now that Theo and I will be training to join the Brotherhood, and end that argument once and for all?" Again he looks between Theo and Clarice. Theo is staring at his shoes, listening and behing chastised by his best friend, and getting it... he deserves it, but even he doesn't know how to communicate his thoughts that well. Him and Clarice have that in common.

"Now that that has been decided, over and done with, never to be talked about again... let's move to the next order of business, shall we? Lydia..." he looks to her. "... you have our support, even if we can't all act like civilized human beings all the time. The anger and pain that flows through this room is stronger than a hurricane, but it doesn't change that we all love you and want to help you. That means yes, if you need blood, Theo and I are willing to help out if needed."

A deep breath is taken. "And finally, the last order of business. "Clarice, Theo... neither one of you are allowed to talk about anything relating to the Brotherhood or work for the next week. The only things you can talk about are school, relationships, the possible gender change, maybe go shopping, see a new country. For the next week you are brother and sister, not guardian and ward, or so help me I will make you both dream about little pink fuzzy things tickling you mercilessly."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice remains silent the whole time, her arms still hugged around her middle, breathing deeply and slowly as she tries to get herself back under control. //This// is why she often ends up bottling up her emotions when she talks to Theo. To prevent exactly this from happening. To try to keep herself from losing her cool. Little by little, though, she starts to regain some semblence of herself.
    "I'm sorry that I somehow made you both think I don't want you joining the Brotherhood at all - because that was never true. Honestly," she answers in a quiet voice. "I just- all I want is for you both to be happy, and as safe as possible. I know- I know it's hard for both of you when I go out on missions. I hate that you have to- that that fear is part of your life. I know there's some- that I can be a bit of a hypocrit, sometimes. I just- I know, I get it, I just..." She sighs loudly. "I'm sorry Pete. And Theo. And- and you know I'll help you however I can, Lydia. You know that."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia looks horrified at the thought of feeding from the boys. "There's no way I'm taking your blood, Pete. Or yours, too, Theo. Or /anybody's/ until I'm sure I can control my hunger and not drain you dry." She looks sullenly at her hands. "You have to understand... when she drained me dry it was some of the worst pain I've ever been in. I /don't/ want to inflict that on any of you. We'll stick to blood bags for now, and have a contingency plan in place that does *not* include taking from you two." She looks up and meets the eyes of the boys one at a time to make sure they understand that this is not an argument that they could win with her.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo doesn't want to keep doing this, just as much as Clarice doesn't want to, but the gap between their thinking is so broad, he's beginning to wonder if it would ever disappear. He loves his sister, more than anything in the world, but everything makes her upset, and then she locks it up, and they end up butting heads like to mountain goats over that tiny little ledge they both managed to find. He knew he did the same thing, that's why he was a goat in his thinking as well.

"You didn't make us think you didn't want us to join Clare," he finally says. "But like Pete said, you've made it clear you don't want us to do what you do... which I said... so mixed message... but I agree with Pete, I don't want to talk about this any more. I don't want to fight any more. I can't keep doing this, I just... I can't. I love you, and all we do is hurt each other, constantly, and I can't take it any more."

Looking up at Clarice finally, he's got tears in his eyes. "Can we just stop, like Pete said? Can it just be over now?"

Pete stares at Lydia for a moment, putting a pin in that to look to Theo. He walks over to his brother and friend and puts his arm around his shoulder. There is obviously a conversation was taking place between them, and for that moment Pete is focused on Theo. When Theo finally just nods to Pete, the older boy nods back and then looks to Lydia.

"Neither one of us is offering up a neck Biggest Sister," he says with a smirk. "We were thinking into a glass or something, when you know, you had it figured out."

Moving back over to the couch, Pete sits back down by Clarice. "So we good to be done with this and settle on a week with no more conversation about it all? Just shopping, and joking, and playing games?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I'd like to," Clarice agrees with Theo quietly. "I'd really like to. I can't take it anymore, either." Of course - she's talking while Pete and Theo are trying to have their literal tete-a-tete, but with her back turned to the others, she see that at the moment.
    She does allow herself a moment of relief, however, when Lydia refuses to drink from the boys. Thank goodness for small mercies there. And honestly - maybe she hadn't been giving Lydia quite enough credit for- still being Lydia.
    When Pete comes to sit by her, she leans into the boy, offering a nod to his words. "I hope so. I'd like to. I don't mean to hurt either of you."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"O-oh!" Lydia says, feeling embarrassed. It feels weird because she's suddenly aware of the /absence/ of heat in her cheeks that she usually feels when she's embarrassed. She lifts her hands up to her cheeks and rubs them with her fingers. "I just... when I think of somebody offering my mind goes right to their neck because that's..." There it goes again! Trying to blush but can't! She smacks her cheeks a few times but it doesn't help, and she just flops her hands back into her lap. "Because that's kind of what I want to do," she concludes.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Pete wraps an arm around Clarice, then leans in to whisper something in her ear. <"You don't hurt me Clarice, not once, not ever. I'm more patient, and I get the waves of emotion, so... it all balances out for me. Theo just needs more time to learn patience, but he really does love you."> Then he kisses her cheek and looks to Lydia.

"I love you Biggest Sister, but you can keep your fangs to yourself," he grins up at Lydia while still hugging Clarice. "You can fang Mystique, or maybe Clarice, but no fangs for us."

Theo remains sitting at his desk, once again looking down at his feet and wondering how one shoe got untied. Reaching down he ties his shoe, then he stands up and walks over to hug Lydia for a moment, then he walks around the couch to hug Clarice. The minute he wraps his arms around her, he starts bawling on her.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Doubtlessly, Pete feels the wave of relief that fills Clarice as he whispers that she's never hurt - and as he comments on Theo's love, she nods her head in confirmation. "I know," she murmurs. "I know he does." Is that always how you get hurt the worst? When you love?
    When Theo joins them on the couch, she wraps her arm around her brother's form, holding him close and pressing her cheek against his short hair. "It'll be okay. We'll figure this out eventually. I would do anything for you, Theo. Anything." They will figure it out. ...won't they? "I love you, and Pete, and I'm so sorry. We'll figure it out."
    She lapses into a brief silence before she finally adds, "Lydia - you're my sister. If you needed some of my blood... I'd give it. We're- we'll figure all that out too. Yeah?"

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Look," Lydia says firmly. "I'm not taking any blood from anybody unless you donate it at Dr. Hathaway's. If I ask for you blood... just say no /fang/ you." She grins looking at each of her adopted siblings for validation of her terrible pun. She, then, just groans and hides her head in her hands. "I'm going to be one of /those/ vampires aren't I?"

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo just lays against his sister in silence, too many things going through his head for words. This was perfect to him, just hugging his sister, being close, so what if he was still crying, that'd stop eventually.

Pete snerks, "Greeeat, you are going to be one of /those/ vampires. I can see it now."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Well. That's ok. You're still our Lydia, and that's all we care about." Clarice frees one hand from around Theo to hold it out towards Lydia, looking towards her as well as she silently invites her into the hug. Maybe they all need this.
    "So what should we do this week?" she asks. "...Disneyland? Scuba dive in a tropical paradise? Check out Machu Picchu? ...terrible movies marathon?"
    And then - suddenly rememering an unanswered question she adds, "Oh. Hocus Pocus, Lydia. Pete made me watch Hocus Pocus - and the robot cat was just... awful."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Since Lydia hasn't figured out how to pop her fangs, she just mimics them by dangling two index fingers in front of her teeth. "I vant to suhk your bluuuhd!" she says in her worst Transylvanian accent. Yup. Gonna be one of /those/ vampires. She giggles and shakes her head. "Not really, but I /am/ going to dress up as Elvira this Halloween, though." She looks down and smooshes her breasts together. "Gonna need a push-up bra though because I am not /nearly/ as big as she is."

Claire's comment gets a raised eyebrow. "Hocus Pocus? The one with Bette Middler as one of the three witches? It had a /robot cat/?"

"Oh!" she says, her brain stuck in Halloween mode. "Are you guys too old to go trick or treating? We could go and hit random suburban blocks and see what kind of Halloween decorations they've got."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Pete starts laughing, rather hard, then sprints into the bedroom and returns with a push up, padded bra. It might be better not to ask, but he offers it to Lydia. "Not only will this make you her size, but the top part will be your real breasts!" He says cheerfully. "I've never been trick or treating, or worn costumes or anything like that, but I've heard we're too old, most people will get all bent if we try."

Theo /finally/ manages to get himself together and sits up, wiping at Clarice's now wet shoulder. "I used to as a little kid, but haven't in a long time. I sort of spend most of my life wearing a costume, pretending to be some one I wasn't... so never really got into it, but... if I can go as a dapper British guy, like Benedict Cumberbatch, I'd go."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "One of the characters was a poorly constructed mechanical cat!" Clarice answers Lydia. "If you make it sound like you haven't seen the movie, you have to be careful. Pete will go fetch his DVD and make you watch it," she warns with amusement. "I only dressed up for Halloween the once. For my fifth birthday. I had a Halloween themed birthday."
    She doesn't seem to mind in the least that her shoulder is now wet - as she reaches out to jokingly muss Theo's hair, a small smile on her lips. "You can be dapper as fuck, Theo. I'd told you before, you wore that suit well." Her expression sobers up a little as she adds more quietly, "We're okay, yeah? I'll never give up on you - don't you ever give up on me. Right?"

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia blinks as Pete comes out with a bra and tells her what it does. "I don't know if we're the same size," she says dubiously, taking the undergarment. "I'll give it a try, though." Pete's comment about being too old gets her thinking. "Maybe there's a swanky Halloween party we can crash." Maybe it's because she's a vampire, now, or maybe it's she just wants to prove that she's still 'cool' despite being a vampire that she's become more daring.

She nods in agreement with Clarice. "Theo, you can dress however you want for Halloween. If you want to do Benedict Cummberbatch, we can see if we can't dress you up as him in Sherlock? People should be able to recognize that."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Pete grins broadly, wiggling his brows. "It'll fit you Lydia, trust me, I'm never wrong about fashion, women's under garments or shoe sizes. If you ever need anything waxed, plucked, straightened or curled, I'm your guy." With that he moves back to the couch and sits. "No idea what kind of costume I'd wear," he lies with that broad grin on his face. "Oh I know! I'll go as a woman!"

Theo was just about to say something to Lydia but Pete's appearance with the bra and then his comment slays him, almost literally. He starts laughing so hard he tips over. "Sher..." he tries to speak, still laughing. "Sherlock... works."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    The bra had escaped Clarice's notice - until it really becomes the focus of everyone else's attention in the room, which is backed up by Pete's comments on women's appearal. She looks between her two brothers - confusion and questioning in her gaze as she tries to put the pieces together - on why Pete would be so interested in women's clothes. And apparently - own a bra. Is that what he was spending his clothing allowance on? She was baffled. "...I very much feel like I'm missing something here."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Okay, okay," Lydia says, acquiescing to Pete. "I bow down to your better judgement." The quip about plucking or waxing causes Lydia's grin to drop a little. "I... don't know if that's a good idea. I mean. Maybe in areas where I'm /sure/ I don't want any hair to be but... technically I'm dead. I don't know if hair will grow back." Way to ruin the mood, Lydia.

That is until Clarice's confusion has her grinning again. "Pete's a drag queen. He dresses up as a girl in a kind of campy way. It's fun! He can probably explain it better than I can, but if you watch a season of Ru Paul's Drag Race you'll get the idea."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Pete hmms, not letting the mood get killed. "Hey, the places woman wax, they don't /want/ the hair to come back... so it's all good Biggest Sister... could give Raven a clean field to play in." And then he realizes what he says, eyes go wider and his cheeks go red. "Oops, to familiar," he then mutters.

Theo is still just laughing, the whole thing is just killing him. "Ru Paul is the Queen of all Dragon Queens."

Both Pete and Theo do fake bows, three in a row, then Pete says, "A Drag Queen is a gay man, who chooses to dress in the most fabulous and amazing woman's clothing, then performs on the stage. They don't want to be women, they emulate the female gender in a flamboyant way." As he talks he pulls up a few photos on his phone to show to Clarice.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    //He// dresses up as a girl. Clarice is clearly looking from one, to the other, trying to put the pieces together to make sense of what she's being told. Though there's also a brief, breathy laugh as Pete - yes. Gets too familiar.
    Her expression quickly goes back to thoughtful, though, as she accepts the phone, and scans through the photos. "Okay. So... Pete is still a boy, though?" She seems to need this confirmed, just to make sure she's following this right. "Pete is a boy - who likes other boys. And enjoys wearing girl's clothes sometimes... as a hobby?" She looks between her siblings, checking to see if she got any part of that wrong.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
If Lydia could she'd be blushing head to foot right now. Instead she just buries her head in her hands. "Oh my God Pete, just no."

When Pete pulls out the phone she says, "I just have to see this," and crowds around Clarice to look over her shoulder as she swipes through the pictures. "Pete," she says. "You look /fabulous/. I'll need to get some makeup tips from you."

She looks over at her sister, as she tries to work out the details of what drag means. "Essentially, yes," she tells her. "There may be more nuance to it that I'm not familiar with," she says, looking up at Pete for confirmation, "but, yes, that's the gist of it."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Pete flips through the pictures so Clarice can see the numerous outfits he has, a lot of them, far too many of them. "Yes, I am still a boy, I love my penis. Yes I still like boys, I love their penises." Not that it needed to be that involved, but clearly he's getting more comfortable. "It's just a hobby, you don't have to worry about me confusing you any more than that."

Theo finally manages to get a grip on himself and sits up. "We can watch Ru Paul together some time, will help you understand better."

Pete them looks to Lydia, "Always willing to give pointers, I'm still learning. Lots of video watching, face time with other Drag Queens, and of course painting myself up cause Theo won't let me practice on him."

Theo snorts, "Listen, I /just/ got to be mostly male, no way are you painting me."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Sure," Clarice agrees. "Apparently that's what we're doing this week - watching Ru Paul." She doesn't know what that really means, but she is game to find out. "I mean - with all the other stuff that-" She shrugs her shoulders. "Okay, fine. Pete enjoys dressing up like a girl." It's hardly the weirdest thing she's had to adjust to in the last - oh - even //24 hours//.
    "I still think we should do something big this week, though. For the photo album. A trip. Or- I don't know."
    Her gaze goes towards Pete as she adds, "I don't mind if you want to practice make up on me. But- well. I'm not sure how helpful that'll be. //I'm bright pink.//"

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"I'm game!" Lydia calls out when Clarice concedes that they're going to be watching Ru Paul. "It'll be a good way to relax and keep our minds off of other things for a while." She grins at her sister, "Relax. You'll love it. It's all camp."

She gets to her feet and plants a kiss on the forehead of all her adopted siblings. "I love you all, but I've got to go check in on Mystique and see how she's doing. I worry about her."

She takes a deep and unnecessary breath to steady herself to walk the halls of the Asteroid to look for her lover. She was just in a room with three people who, admittedly, smelled tasty, and she didn't want to take a bite out of them, so she's feeling pretty confidant that she can be out and about for a bit while she looks.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Pete cheers, "Ru Paul!" then looks to Clarice, "Pink isn't an issue darling Clarice, I mix my own magic." Apparently Pete is already doing that make over in his head, which Theo gets to share because he starts snerking.

"We'll watch a couple of seasons, then pick some place to go, like Disneyland... I've always wanted to go there and see if I'm taller than Mickey Mouse."

Pete rips himself out of his thoughts, "Mystique is in the Training Room," is called after Lydia, before he also stands, walks over to hug Clarice then heads into the bedroom without another word.

Theo snerks again, "He's planning, and I still have home work to do."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice reaches out to give Lydia's hand a squeeze, as the woman prepares to take her leave, and flashes her a smile. "Remind Raven we're all here for her. For both of you," she remarks, before turning her attention back to Pete and Theo. "I'd be happy to try Disneyland. I haven't been yet, myself," she admits.
    And then Theo is reminding her he has homework to do. If she were being completely honest, she's loathe to let go of her brother when they've only just seemed to mend things - but he did have to finish his homework. "...alright. Go finish up. And then we're watch some Ru Paul, or we could do some reading together, or whatever. I'm up for anything," she promises. She gives Theo another tight squeeze, before releasing him.
    She should get back to her own work, anyways. Even if she doesn't want to.