Roadtrip log: Jubilee, Forge, Catseye, Carlie.

[x-jubilee.livejournal.com]

Who Jubilee, Forge, Catseye, Carlie
When Friday, June 10th 2005 Time: Starts 1:30pm
What Happens They set off on their roadtrip - picking up Carlie on the way.






Jubilee lugged a bag filled with clothing toward the front door of the mansion, noting the small pile of baggage already assembled. She'd also brought camping gear, plus a couple of tents in those little tiny bags they always had around them to begin with but you could never fit them back into once you'd used them.

So, camping gear. Check. Sleeping bags. Check. Weird little food packages acquired from Cain in case of emergencies. Check. What the hell were MRE's anyway Didn't matter, hopefully they'd have enough money to last them the trip and not need to dip into those.

"We've got our bags, snackage, ourselves and a nice su..." Jubilee paused, as taking a look outside for the first time in an hour, she noticed the rain. "Okay, who's the wiseguy that ticked Storm off?"

Forge wandered into the foyer, pulling his hair back and jamming his baseball cap onto his head. Glancing out at the rain, he checked the sling on his arm. "Guess this means we're leaving the top up, eh? Burro, forward," he announced in a singsong voice. Behind him, his luggage rose up on eight spindly legs, skittering forward silently. Checking his PDA, Forge looked at the time. "If we want to make Detroit by dark, we'd better head out."

Curled up under a nearby couch, Catseye peered through the fabric flaps hiding her from the world. Again. He was doing it again, as though it was possible to get away with it. Rolling her eyes in an extremely uncatlike motion, Catseye waited until both were looking elsewhere to skulk off and head towards the garage.

It said something about how adaptable the kids at the mansion were that Jubilee didn't even raise an eyebrow at Forge's creation. Jubilee reached down and picked up a couple of the bags. She'd need to make several trips but it shouldn't take too long. "Sure. Let's get going."

Much later...

"Dude, I'm driving. That means I get to choose the first CD we listen to. It's like, totally roadtrip tradition." Jubilee replied, carefully reversing them out of the garage as she argued with Forge.

"Oh, like hell," Forge said, taking advantage of Jubilee's distraction to seize control of the stereo. "You're only driving down to Philly to get Carlie, then I'm taking over until Detroit. I didn't spend a day with Dr. McCoy rigging up this car for one-handed driving for nothing." It was rather ingenious, he thought. A floor-mounted shifter pedal like a motorcycle's, and a retooling of the steering linkage to be better operated one-armed.

Forge smiled, flipping through the CD wallet. Surprisingly, Jubilee's selections were... okay, a little pop-alternative, as mainstream as it got, but not bad for that. Sliding a CD in, they hadn't reached the city limits before they were both bobbing their heads in tune with the driving guitars and loud drum beats.

The music was loud. Very annoyingly loud with the speaker right next to Catseye's head vibrating in a nasty way. Hair still standing a bit on end, Catseye looked towards the front of the car with a low half-snarl and slunk up the seat, pondering how to pull them back to make her way in the trunk. Some cars allowed for that. And it wasn't as though the two in front would notice anyway.

A little later on the outskirts of Westchester...

Jubilee checked the sign up ahead and took a left, heading out of town. She was a little more relaxed now they were outside the main traffic spots and she leaned back, watching the rain sliding down the windscreen as she talked to Forge.

"Dude, I cannot believe you're totally dismissing Britney's influence on the music scene. Like, yeah, she was completely pop Princess when she started out but have you heard some of her latest stuff? Seriously cool."

"Oh, I don't deny the influence," Forge insisted, "I'm just saying it's a bad one. She's not a musician, or even much of a singer. All the credit for her success goes to producers, publicists, and photographers. Now, you want a good unheard influence on music, I could throw you some Opeth or some of the new electronica stuff out of France." He glanced out at the rain, seeing the clouds parting by the horizon. "I tend to like my music less... prefabricated."

"Okay, since when is any music not prefabricated these days? Name me one artist that doesn't have his or her or their songs written for them? Or produced the heck out of. I totally heard of this machine they use now that gives singers perfect pitch so they don't even have to get that right anymore. Alison's about the only singer I've met who I know writes her own stuff but she doesn't count till she brings out a new album." Jubilee said, grinning.

It was an interesting conversation, and she'd been worried that she and Forge might not have much to talk about on the trip up t get Carlie. But music seemed to be one of those universals that just about anyone could talk about. And was that sun she spied ahead? Thank God, they'd be able to pop the top on the car and truly ride to Philly in style.

Comfortably curled up in the trunk, neatly tucked into a space between a packsack and another bag which had proven to be decidedly comfortable, Catseye cracked open one eye lazily, then closed it again. They were being noisy and the music was plain horrible, but at least the driving was somewhat steady and they weren't hissing at each other. Stretching out one paw she then tucked it back against herself, dozing off once more. Being in a car tended to do that to her, for some reason. Trucks did too but it had been a while since she'd been in a truck.

Hours later, the exit for Philadelphia was approaching. "So set me straight on this," Forge asked, "Why exactly are we driving all the way to LA to watch a mall being torn down?"

Jubilee looked over at Forge for a second before turning her eyes back to the road. She needed to concentrate for a second to make sure she took the exit without plowing into any of the other cars that always seemed to take exit ramps as a sign to slow down to 'old person' speed. Least it wasn't raining though, that just made them all sorts of crazy, like they'd never seen water from the sky before.

"It's where I used to live, only home I knew for a good long while after I got fed up bein' 'little orphan Annie'. Thought I should go pay respects before it's gone for good." Jubilee replied, tone matter of fact. "Might even get a chance to show you what real Mexican food tastes like, the stuff that'll melt your nose hairs."

"I'm from Texas," Forge replied good-naturedly, "which still happens to be the northern half of Mexico for all intents and purposes. Your West Coast spice fu is weak, grasshopper." He smiled as Jubilee eased off the interstate, smoothly cutting off three other drivers without batting an eye. "You used to live in a mall?"

"Ayep. Genuine A grade mall rat, at your service. Got sick of the way my Foster Dad treated me, and decided to hop a bus to L.A from San Fran. Just wanted to get as much space between me and them as I could possibly get. Ended up spendin' my first night in L.A on this beach, then found the mall the next day. Rent a cops have to be the most easily avoided security detail in the entire world." Jubilee replied, keeping an eye on the passing traffic and idly flipping the bird to a driver who seemed overly enthusiastic in his horn use.

She was editing slightly, not mentioning to Forge the fact that her Foster father had liked to take out his general anger at the world by using her as a punching bag. The sessions with Sampson meant she was mostly over that part of her life, and she didn't particularly want to make Forge uncomfortable by dragging the entire story out. She'd noticed that people always got a little quiet when you talked about that kind of thing.

Forge pondered that for a while. "Sounds pretty lame, when you come to think of it. I mean, not to say it probably didn't sound like a good idea at the time," he explained, "but really - a mall? How'd you wind up at the school, then?"

"Followed Jean and Storm home, they looked rich, thought maybe I could get something outta them with the cute act. Chuck caught me at it and gave me a choice to stay at the school or go back. Don't know what he would've done if I'd chosen not to stay at the school. He's the responsible type, ya know? Don't think he would've just let me walk off." Jubilee replied, turning a corner and pointing to the glove compartment. "Can you grab the directions, we're close to the college, I think."

"Yeah, left on Weiss, two blocks, left on Sorority Row - they actually have a street called Sorority Row? - and her dorm's there. Wait," Forge paused, doing a double take. "You followed Dr. Grey and Ms. Munroe all the way across the country? Man, you must really have been bored."

Jubilee took the left, looking briefly at Forge with a grin. "That'd have to have been some bored. Nah, Jean's a telepath, right? And Ororo was a street kid once herself. Only managed to follow them to the mall exit, then I lost them and next thing I know, Jean's tappin' me on the shoulder. Gave me the fright of my life, that's for sure."

"And the rest was history, eh?" Forge said as he looked out the window at the large brick building. He unfastened his seat belt as Jubilee pulled into a visitors' space. "You want to go up and grab her? I'll get stuff moved around in the trunk."

Jubilee didn't get much of a chance to reply as a strawberry-blonde blur came tearing down the steps of the dorm. "Jubes!" Carlie cried, pouncing on the other girl as she climbed out of the car and hugged her breathless. Forge was about to get the same treatment when the sling registered. "OhmiGod! What happened?! Are you okay?"

Seeing that Forge wasn't about to get a chance to do anything like bag tetris while Carlie was monopolising his attention, Jubilee decided she might as well. Moving around to the back of the car, she opened the trunk, head turned toward Carlie and Forge. "So, Carls, you got your...ARGH!"

"Mrr." Firmly planted on the now prone Jubilee's stomach, Catsye gave the girl a reproachful look for making that much noise over a simple pounce. Stretching out a bit, trampling over Jubilee in the process, Catseye then indulged in a jaw cracking yawn. Car trunks were nice and all at times, but really, she'd been expecting them to stop sooner now. Looking around her ears pricked and she tapped the cheek of the girl underneath her lightly before prancing off to head in Forge's direction to say hello.

"Hey, Carlie. Hey, Catseye." Forge seemed completely nonplussed by the surprise, when in reality, his brain had decided simply to take a short trip to the town of Cope Failure, population: Forge. Squatting to scratch the purple cat behind the head, he nodded to Carlie. "Oh, this? Nothing major. Broke my arm falling off a horse. Built a new one."

"Built a... oh yeah, right, that's what you do. Well, I'm glad you're all right..." Carlie watched Forge scratching behind Catseye's ears for a moment and then couldn't hold it in. "You brought a cat? I mean, I love cats, they're my favourite animal and the purple's really cool, but they're not really a road trip sort of pet, and keeping it in the trunk? Isn't that cruel?" She went to help Jubilee up, aware the performance had gathered them a small crowd of onlookers. There would have been more only it was post-finals and a lot of people had gone home. "And Jubes, you've been a bad gossip source. You never said Forge broke his arm!"

With a low 'mrrr' of mingled amusement and typical
Catlike self-interest, Catseye flicked one ear towards the
girl giving Jubilee a run for the non-stop talking event award and butted her head against Forge's hand to be picked up. He had the good arm and she wasn't fancying having to dodge people if the crowd of teenagers got any more... interested.

Jubilee brushed herself off, looking over at Catseye
with a questioning look before turning and starting to push bags around till there was some space for Carlie's bags. She still couldn't believe how much they'd brought along. "Sorry Carls, I was kinda distracted with finals and stuff. And that's Catseye, who wasn't meant to be on this trip but seems to have decided to join us anyway. Don't let the appearance fool you, she can turn into a human just fine when she wants to, and can understand every word we’re saying."

"She does? Cool." Carlie collected the bag she'd dropped along the way down the steps and dumped it in the trunk. "I hear you on the finals thing. This place was _insane_ for three weeks. Still, it's summer vacation now, and we have a convertible!" With an impish grin, she looked around the other three. "So, I bet you guys are starving," she continued, ignoring the stares. Gradually the interest was fading as anyone failed to do anything spectacularly interesting or mutant-like and people remembered what they'd been doing. "The group's meeting us at this restaurant on campus. It's only a five-minute walk, and the car'll be safe here. Might want to put the top up, 'though."

Forge checked his watch, then pondered. "Yeah, we can squeeze in food before we've got to get on the road." He glanced around, waiting until they had ceased to be the centre of attention. Smiling, he looked down and picked up Catseye. "I figure we might need an extra seat if they have... pastrami," he said with a wink.

With a purr of approval, Catseye settled one paw on either of Forge's shoulders carefully, then pressed her forehead against his cheek. Then
pushing back enough to look around, the lavender cat deliberately
winked back at him before making a show of looking around intently, as
though the pastrami place might suddenly appear out of thing air.

"Dude, there's always time for food. Even when there isn't time, we make it." Jubilee replied with a grin as she went around to the driver's side and leaned in to flip the switch that would bring the top back up.

Even after years of being at Xavier's, she was still somewhat enamoured of the fact that she could have as much food as she wanted, whenever she wanted. She'd long past gotten over the suspicion that it would all be taken away any second but the sheer joy of eating would never pass.

"Most of our mutant rights group has gone home for summer vacation, but Samantha and Daryl and Christian will be there. Sam's the one who can talk to plants, and Christian has TK. Not very strong - the most he can do is float pencils and stuff," Carlie said, taking the lead once everyone was ready. "Daryl's human, like me, but he's the one who comes up with the ideas for stuff for us to do, mostly." She grinned at Forge. "I think you'll like him." Then she tilted her head curiously at Catseye. "So you came all this way in the trunk? You must have really wanted to come on this trip."

"She does whatever she wants, really," Forge explained, butting heads lightly with the purple cat. "Pretty much a force of nature when it
comes down to it. But enough about her - I'm looking for food,
conversation, and a place to stretch my leg, not necessarily in that
order. Hey, you changed your hair," he added absently, cocking his
head at Carlie.