LOG: Operation Treehouse - Tabs and Yvette

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The area around the base of the tree was a hive of activity, noisy with voices and hammering of nails and laughter. But there was something missing from the scene, and it took a while to realise that it was the distinctive whine of a bandsaw, or the rhythmic and unmistakable sound of a handsaw, cutting through planks. The reason for this was the small spiky girl, employing her mutation with a certain amount of pride. Humming to herself, she ran her finger along the pencilled line Cain had marked, cutting through it with only a small amount of effort.

Tabitha balanced the large tray of snack food on her arms as she tried not to stumble across the grass. Her powers were more suited to destroying a tree house than creating one, but she could slice cheese and put them on crackers! She also carried a case of water in a knapsack.

She felt very proud for remembering that part.

It was strangely quiet for a woodworking project. Tabitha beamed when she saw the reason for the lack of screaming wood. It was almost poetic, to see the wood part like warm butter beneath Yvette's claws. She walked around to the hard-working girl to offer her food. "Hungry?"

Yvette looked up from her work, eyes flaring bright. "Oh, yes please, Miss Tabitha!" she replied, straightening from her task. "Thank you very much - it is to be making me hungry, all this helping. But it is fun, also."

Tabitha maneuvered the tray onto a stack of wood, glaring the pile as if daring it to dump the food onto the ground. Eyes still on the tray, she unslung her backpack and pulled out the water. "You're quite welcome, little bit. Hope you like salami and cheddar. I'm afraid I'm not very good at the cooking thing." She leaned over to eye the planks that had already been cut. "Good grief, girl. Those things are SMOOTH. You're amazing!"

That got a pleased little smile, before Yvette ducked her head shyly. "Mr. Marko showed me how to be planing the edges," she explained. "With my fingers. That way, there are no splinters for people to be hurting themselves." One of those long fingers stretched out and speared a slice of salami. "Perhaps you can be joining our cooking class during the summer?" she suggested, with a flare of her eyes that might have been a twinkle of mischief. "So you are not only eating the salami and cheese?"

Tabitha grinned and popped a snack into her mouth. "Who would eat all the leftovers then? I especially enjoy the rare occasion that I get to steal some GLORIOUS Cajun food. The spices, they make me weep for joy." She pretended to knuckle away a tear.

Yvette giggled, nibbling at the slice of salami - it was good, not unlike some of the food back home. "It is a good thing you did not meet my mother when she was here. She is liking people who like food, and she would be taking you home and stuffing you full. Poor Mr. Haller did not get away, almost."

Tabs snorted with laughter. "Oh, your mom and I would have been a match made in the farmer's market. I'm torn between being relieved and sorry that I missed her visit. What'd she think of the place?" She gestured to the mansion and grounds.

"When she was not so mad any more about me being kidnapped, she was very... how you say? Impressive?" Yvette scrunched up her nose as much as her skin would allow. "That is not right. But she thinks the school is the very fine place. So very big and pretty."

Tabs looked over at the mansion, positively LOOMING out of the New York countryside. "Well, it's big all right." She took another bite of cracker. "Just how many times HAVE you been kidnapped?"

"Only the two times," Yvette replied, snagging a piece of cheese for herself. "One when we are in Las Vegas, and one before I came to the school. Only I was in the coma, so maybe this is not counting."


"You should count every kidnapping for future blackmail purposes. Every time you really want your way, make wibble eyes at Scott or Jean and remind them of one of the incidents." She paused to think a moment. "Though, if you do it more than once or twice, it totally loses effectiveness."

"Is that what you did when you were at the school, Miss Tabitha?" Yvette asked, tilting her head curiously at the older girl. Tabitha wasn't like many of the other adults.

Tabitha coughed and blushed. "I probably played the "poor me" card more than I should have. I was a bit of a brat."

"But now you are the library teacher," Yvette pointed out with a small smile. "And there are students to be the brats at you, yes? It is, how you say? The karma?"

Tabs burst out laughing. "That's probably it exactly. But shh." She pressed a finger to her lips. "I'm pretty sure that if some of the older staff members thought of it, I would NEVER hear the end of it."

"Crossing my heart and hoping to die," Yvette said solemnly, before joining Tabitha's laughter.