9258/A Real Page Turner

A Real Page Turner
Date of Scene:	24 December 2021
Location:	Recreation Room
Synopsis:	Monet St. Croix enjoys a few pages out of her book before Jubilation interrupts. Jubilee can't understand why someone might want to read a book over other more interesting activities. Monet picks up on what might be driving Jubilee. Noriko makes a sudden, however brief appearance, but long enough to fire off some parting jabs!
Cast of Characters:	Monet St. Croix, Jubilation Lee, Noriko Ashida

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Monet St. Croix has posed:
It's sometime around the holiday. Monet St. Croix is taking some time to isolate herself over in the rec room. Of all the places where there's cheer, almost everyone seems to be not around here. So Monet has some solace to herself. She's curled up in one of the chairs, a mug of tea over to the side of her, and is sitting and working over on a book. If one could make out hte title, it would be about the Christmas Truce i the First World War. She would occasionally move to read the next page of it, seeming to take her time.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    The Recreation Room was, at one point in its history, a quiet place to be during the nighttime hours. Lately, though, the argument could be made that it's even more rambunctious at night than the day. Jubilation Lee's strict curfew is an unusual one if her unique situation is unknown. She only comes out at night. And so, tonight, she has decided that the Recreation Room is the place that needs her the most.

    The heavy wooden doors swing open as though a group of several fully grown men were behind them, but it's just little ol' Jubilee. Several students lingering near the snack area watch, wearily, as Jubilation walks in like she owns the place. Much to her dissatisfaction, they get up to leave, fleeing back to their rooms!

    "Good, go! Who needs you!?" Jubilee shouts at the fleeing students. She offers up one last indignant roll of her eyes and heads further in. The sight of Monet St. Croix in that chair, nursing that tea, reading that book... It all draws out some curiosity in the younger mutant.

    "Are you...reading... on purpose? Like, not for school?" Jubilation questions, staring down at Monet, having made her way over.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Having only heard the rumor mill about Ms. Lee, and paying it about as much credit as one would anything gone on about by teenagers, Monet St. Croix would deign to glance over at Jubilee. Going to turn her head, then take up the book she had been reading to fold it and put it over on her lap after a moment.
    "Arent you out after your bedtime?" Having apparently not heard of when a wild Jubilee is let out to frolic or likely not caring.
    Then shutting the book on her lap. "And yes, I do enjoy reading. And books. There is something.. Tactile about having it." She would give the girl her full attention. "Does such a thing surprise you?"

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    The suggestion that it might be past her bedtime draws out a look of surprise. Sleeping through the night feels like a distant memory for Jubilee. She raises both eyebrows, her nose wrinkling a little at the thought. "It's so early!" she insists, taking Monet's point to be sincere.

    As far as reading? Well. "I mean, like, I'd only do that if there was, literally, nothing else in the world. And... even then, I'm not even sure..." Jubilation answers, oh-so-sure of her stance on reading as a recreational activity.

    "Why are you /really/ here?" Jubilee asks, apparently finding the idea of someone reading for fun to be difficult to grasp. Without even waiting for an answer, Jubilation turns towards one of the few remaining students who didn't run for it when she came in.

    "Hey, Hambone! Was she watching TV before I came in?"

    Poor Hambone stares, deer in headlights for a moment and then runs for the door.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Having very little need to sleep herself, Monet St. Croix would glance at Jubilee, "So what has you up and about at such an ~early~ time?" Taking the care to enunciate it carefully for her conversation partner. "And to each their own when it comes to liberties, Ms. Lee. We all have our vices."
    A glance given to her book. "And what sorts of things might you consider of interest? Somethingw tih bright pictures and fancy colors? And I am here.." she would take a moment to think and try to formulate a response. Debating on whether.. Opening or honesty.
    "I am here because I have nowhere else that I could possibly be tonight."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Nowhere else to go? Jubilee translates. "Stood up? Ghosted?" Jubilation folds both arms across her chest. She's just not getting it. "That /sucks/... Never happened to me, but, like, that /sucks/. A whole evening just tossed in the garbage!" Before there's even an opportunity to protest, Jubilation hops up onto the arm of a nearby couch and waves the palm of her hand in the air.

    "You don't need no man!" she declares, balancing expertly on one of her feet, extending the other out in front of her body. Suddenly, Jubilation hops into the air and lands on the other foot. The whole thing is like some tribute to hyperactivity.

    "You should tap a few letters so he thinks you're responding to his text but then never send it," Jubilee decides before hopping onto her other foot.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet St. Croix would take a moment to sigh over at Jubilee, going to slowly adjust her position, "No, my sisters are already asleep and I spoke to them before they went to bed. They live with my parents in Morocco." She would explain patiently.
    Taking Jubilee's antics in stride like one might do with a younger child. "If you would care I could read you a story if that might settle you down. You seem to be quite rambunctious this evening."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Your sisters? Morocco?" Jubilation turns to stare at Monet. Stare. STARE. "Wait. You're sitting in here by yourself, reading a /book/, because your sisters went to sleep?" Her tone is incredulous, filled with disbelief and even a touch of pity. "You gotta do something /fun/!"

    The jab about being read a bedtime story goes ignored. "Want me to go wake everyone up?" she offers. Sincerely, too. "We could get out the Crocodile Mile and coat it in Wesson Oil so we slide super fast!" She shrugs. "I'm just spit-balling here."

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet St. Croix would glance at Jubilee as she would be.. "What?" Not exactly sure what the suddenly 'all attention on her' focus is about. "Ah, that won't be necessary?" Had Jubilee ever heard Monet be flat out caught by surprise and confused.
    "No, I would rather not wake everyone up." Deer in the headlights.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "It's no trouble. I was gonna do it anyway, probably," Jubilation insists, waving her hand in the air. She hops off the arm of the chair but doesn't run for the door. Perhaps she was joking? "Seriously, you say the word and I can have this place /filled/ with kids. Filled!"

    Truthfully, she can't. Not like she used to, anyway. These days, the only way she might be able to get the other students to follow her to the Recreation Room would be to use that hypnotic vampire gaze.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet St. Croix would glance at Jubilee, "That's not necessary. I don't particularly see the value in redirecting all their attention here. But.. Thank you." That would be tentative and sincere. "YOu don't have to go to the trouble for me." She sounds..
    Confused, and not in a bad way. Just confused.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Suit yourself," Jubilation replies with a shrug before moving away from Monet's seat, pathing towards the few students brave enough to linger near the pool table. "But, I gotta do /something/ ..." She says it like Recreation Room nonsense is somehow her personal brand, as though she owes it to some unseen force. "...If it gets any livelier in here a funeral might break out."

    Jubilation steps up to a group of teenage boys about to start a game of pool. Three of them move to the side but one of them is caught. He stares at Jubilation's eyes as she slowly draws near. She tilts her head to the side, just a touch, and smiles a big, fangy smile. The other student is transfixed, frozen even, as he gets lost in her gaze.

    "Go get Nori," Jubilation commands softly, dragging the palm of her hand against the boy's cheek, staring into his eyes as he stares into hers, helpless to the whole thing. As soon as Jubilation turns away, the boy nods his head rapidly and heads out of the Recreation Room, eager to please Jubilation for reasons he can't possibly comprehend.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet St. Croix would go to get up and follow along Jubilee. Glancing at her and taking an attempted scan. "Your file does not mention that you are telepathic." Has she read it? Wouldn't it say that Jubilee was something else? Or is she making a pretense of not knowing? "And what has you in such a need of.. Something to pursue?" Her tone is quiet and curiuos. But also not aggressive. Making a firm attempt to not be aggressive.
    Not asking 'is everything all right' because that's such an inappropriate and rude thing. And Monet would just go over beside Jubilee to cross her arms, looking down at the girl a few years her younger.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "I'm not," is Jubilation's answer. Simple. Accurate. "I'm just very convincing." It sounds like a massive oversimplification, but it's the truth, filtered through the mind of a vampire. How would she describe what she just did? Supernatural to some, yes, but absolutely natural for what Jubilation is.

    "Something to pursue? I..." For a moment, Jubilation finds no words. Monet's point actually makes a lot of sense in retrospect. Wouldn't it just feel /amazing/ to have something to pursue? To chase? Is that driving her?

    Jubilee is quick to change the subject. "Well, look, when Nori gets here, just you wait. You'd probably think she's gonna bee-line it for the food, but ten bucks says she doesn't." Jubilation looks up at Monet and grins, waiting to see if she'll take the bet.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
And Monet gives Jubilee a firm look, "And what pray tell do you feel the need to chase?" Her getting that sort of impression from the girl and.. Then it's going rapidly. The girl is thinking too fast, words turning to emotoin turning to dance and dizzying. It takes a moment for M to adjust to seeing it as emotoin. Rather than trying to conceptualize it to words in the first place.
    "And what, pray tell, Ms. Lee, means ou have to rush and pursue them? And is that something that you -need- to pursue or not? Or is there a mroe appropraite method of doing it?" Her tone quiet. Not barbed. Openly curious.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
The door to the Rec Room opens and closes as if it were victim to a gust.  Noriko is suddenly leaning back against the wall just inside, arms folded.  "You rang?"  It might take Jubilation's little drone more time to get back, if he does.

Noriko doesn't look dressed for sleeping.  She's just got a pair of slate blue cargos, one of her multi-colored raglan tees, some kicks, and her gauntlets on.  "Is there food here?  He didn't tell me anything," she rapidly reports as if she has to say things to occupy her mind while she waits for the answer.

"Persuasive," the speedster adds with a small smirk to Jubilation's assessment of her power.  This, however, is the first time she's seen Jubilation today...whatever today is to someone who sleeps on and off more like a domesticated animal than a human and another who is nocturnal.  The Japanese girl suddenly takes off after the little smirk and plants feather light kisses on both of Jubilation's cheeks...as she circles her once and ends up by her side, slowing down to lean and take Jubilee's hand.  Her eyes flick from Monet to Jubes and back as if she's trying to get a read on the situation, but she doesn't hide it.  She literally turns her head as if she doesn't realize she's not doing it too fast to see...or just doesn't care.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilation was never an easy person for telepaths or empaths to read, even in life, but lately it's even more challenging. Her thoughts, if they could even still be considered thoughts, are nebulous and scary, and often focus on trying to maintain control over some horrible, internal oppressive force of nature. An ever-present worry that a night will come when she can't. Tonight, though, Jubilation is restless and can't abide a quiet evening of sitting with a book, even if it's not her book and it's not her reading it.

    Monet's sudden line of questioning hits hard, drawing Jubilation's attention away from the carnival of attention deficit rolling around in her dried up husk of a brain. She blinks a couple times, briefly without words, before her mouth opens to reply. BUT! The gentle gust of activity that announces the arrival of Noriko Ashida and her familiar scent interrupts. Saved by the speedster.

    Jubilation smiles and tugs a little at the sleeve of her t-shirt. It's cropped to expose one of her shoulders but there's no reason she can't expose more of it. But then... Noriko asks about the food. Jubilation's smile fades. She shifts so her shirt is back in its original position. "I don't have the ten bucks on me. I'll give it to you tomorrow night," Jubilee mutters at Monet, totally unprepared to lose that bet. She turns towards Nori and gives her a gentle shove, sporting a playful frown.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
And M would gently follow over. And then she would say, lightly, "You have been thinking fo ways to neutralize every single individual present, and some that are not. And now you are feeling hounded over it and are attempting to distract yourself from it." The shift from Noriko's presence has Monet evaluating the other girl, giving a light nod.
    "So if you require distraction to help distract yourself from such penance.." That is the term that Monet finally settles on after some moments of contemplation. That might be an eyeblink. Might be a half second. But is definitely in a longer time than it would take for her to react to Noriko.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko doesn't miss that little tug and the re-straightening of the clothing.  Her smirk fades.  She insists softly, "It was a joke..." Kind of.  But seriously, if there was anything she wanted to eat it would already be in her mouth by now.

But Noriko suddenly seems to process some of what Monet has said.  "What?"  Her brow furrows defensively.  It might have been difficult for the speedster to both slow down and process something she wasn't expecting and Monet's communication style.  "Jubes hasn't done anything wrong.  She has nothing to do penance for."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    A more experienced vampire would have seen this coming. Maybe they wouldn't have allowed it to even happen. But, Jubilation is young and still learning the nature of the world and how she fits in it. So, when Monet starts driving her point home, really plunging into the depths of her thoughts and fears, Jubilation can't help but just... stand there, staring, frozen. Is this the same girl who just glamoured someone to start a fetch quest?

    When Noriko comes to her defense, Jubilation finally looks away from Monet and turns towards the speedster. "It's alright," she says softly. The gentleness lingers there, just for a second, before a fire returns to Jubilation's face. "Wolves don't lose sleep over the opinions of sheep," she announces, hiding herself in a mask of confidence as she pushes back in this invisible battle of wit.

    Sure, Jubilee just sent some poor kid on a mission to bring Noriko here, to hang out, to have fun, to liven things up, but plans have changed. Jubilation gives one last parting smile, a quick one that borders on curt, before turning to walk towards the door. Her feet are unmistakably pushing her along, one after the other, but her body does not bob up and down, as though she was floating along.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet St. Croix would shake her head at Jubilee, "She has done nothing wrong, no. Sh emerely thinks she has. And inside she targets herself over it again and again." Monet's tone would be quiet. "And there is the constant pursuit and escape." She would watch quietly. "And no, Jubilation, you have not done anything wrong as far as I am concerned."
    Then her smirk would go upwards, "And your plans wouldn't avail against me, Ms. Lee. I'm out of your league." The drop given. No harm was done even if subconsciously intended. Monet's own mask is back an dplace.
    "But you've done nothing to have to crush inwards so much upon yourself. I do wish you luck finding something to pursue."

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko softens at Jubilation' gentle words, but her lips purse slightly after Jubilation as she watches her go, only staying to listen to Monet and look back at her with a confused look.  "Out of her league?"  The girl feels as if she should be offended, but she also knows she's missing a lot of context and Jubilation just left.

"Maybe if you're out of her league you should just mind your own business."  Pew!  Noriko darts after Jubilation, leaping over a couch easily and landing near the door before she pushes through and vanishes from view.