xp_logs | Jay and Angelo mid afternoon (Reply)

Jay and Angelo talk about food and the wrath of Lorna

"Jesus Christ, look at ya," Jay said, halting a few feet into the rec room, surprised at the crutches. "Wha' happened ta yer ankle there?"
Rolling up a music sheet in his hand, he made his way in and perched himself up on the back of a chair. His red wings hung off the back, dropping a few feathers in his wake as he settled. He'd been walking around, searching for some sort of inspirational muse to smack him in the face. This didn't strike him as anything creative, but it was coming close.

Angelo twisted to look at him with a wry half-grin and said solemnly, "I fell out of a plane." Joyita was sprawled out at his feet as usual, though even the dog seemed to be taking more care than normal with his plastered ankle.

"Couldn't it just, ya know, be somethin' normal like Ah fell outta a tree?" he asked, eyeing the dog, and snapped his fingers, clucking and hoping to coax the animal to him for a greeting. "Nobody just falls outta a plane and lives ta tell tha tale."

Joyita, always friendly when there was no obvious threat, got up and ambled over to lick his hand. "You do when you've got a telekinetic controllin' the fall most of the way down. He just lost it at the end." Of course, it hadn't exactly been a plane, but that part was controlled information.

Jay smiled at the approaching dog, and let his hand be licked before he smoothed it over the dogs head. He loved the touch of fur, coarse, and he reflected on how much Kevin missed because he couldnt' touch. "Who did that?" he asked. "Cause if Ah was fallin' from a plane, Ah'd sure as hell wanna know that they have full control an' ain't gonna lose it."

"Normally he does", Angelo said a little defensively. "It was Nathan, but he wasn't in the greatest shape either that day. He got us to where we'd survive the fall." Or where they had a chance of it, anyway.

"Well that's good. At least ya survived," he said sarcastically. "No matter that yer gonna be useless afterwards. Maybe even fer a couple 'o months. Just as long as ya survived."

"There's useless and useless." That came out sharply. "Just 'cause I can't walk without these don't mean I'm no good to anyone. Even the team, I can do comms."

"Al'ight, al'ight," he waved it off dismissively. He was really getting the negative from everyone this week and had just about enough of it. "How's Amanda?" he asked as a change of subject, though now that he thought about it, the whole thing was probably not what he wanted to bring out.

Angelo really didn't take kindly to being called useless, but that change of subject - and Jay's friendliness to his dog - were a balance to his mood. "She's good. Went back to work on Saturday, catch up with her paperwork an' all."

"Good, good," he worked distractedly with the dog, rubbing the ears and tried to ignore the immediate decline of his mood, thinking about Paige. "An' so she'll be back when?"

"The weekend?" Angelo offered with a half-shrug. "Maybe sooner, but she'll be here on the weekend for sure, for the bus run. Depends how busy she gets an' stuff. 's a long drive from the city."

"Oh good," he repeated. "So,” he paused, trying to think of something else then his brotherly duty to say something about Paige. He had already brought it up with Amanda and she acknowledged it. That should have been enough. "Yer uh, okay then?"

"Yeah, we're doin' pretty good", was the easy response, though Angelo was watching him more carefully than the words and tone implied. "You? How're you settlin' back in?"

"It's like sitting on a bunch o' thorns, living 'ere 'gain. Can't seem ta get comfortable 'round no one." Angelo was the last person he expected to be confessing that to, though he was relieved for the subject changed. "Some things Ah missed, most of it, Ah didn't. Just waiting fer January. Maybe somethin' good will come outta tha New Year. Know what yer doing fer Christmas?"

"Same thing I always do, I guess. Split the time between here with the littles an' my mom's house. You gonna stay here or head back to the farm?" He seemed genuinely interested. "Give you a bit of a break from here, maybe."

Jay shrugged. "Ah don' know yet. Maybe hang 'round. Ah wanna go home but Ah don' wanna leave ma roommate stranded. Ma mamma's got 'er house full, so, we'll see wha' happens. Maybe Ah might ask ma roommate ta come." He doubted Kevin would want to. "Anythin' planned 'ere? Ya know, fer the students an' such?"

"Lorna normally puts somethin' together for the kids that aren't goin' home. Not sure if she's doin' it this year now she's livin' away from the mansion, but probably. Maybe Dani'll do it if she's not."

"Yeah, lucky fer me, she ain't at livin' 'ere or Ah'd be hearin' all 'bout how Ah should be fixin' ma diet so Ah wouldn't be sheddin' so many feathers. Between Lorna an' Dani, Ah don' know who ta suck up ta tha most when Ah want some food. Both of 'em are good cooks. Thou' if Lorna's heard that, then Ah could find maself a new place ta live."

Hey, she's not that bad", Angelo protested lightly. "Not like she thinks because she can cook, nobody else's allowed to be good at it. What's she want you to eat for your feathers?"

"Oh Ah know. It's just Ah tend ta put ma foot in ma mouth concerning Lorna an' 'er cookin'. Then Ah'm doin' more then suckin' up. More like grovelin'. An' Ah don' know wha' she wants me ta eat. Ah was suppose ta ask - ororo told me - an' Ah did ask, but thankfully, she fergot, or Ah'd be eatin' some sorta bird food, Ah'm sure."

"She normally comes up with pretty good stuff", was the easy response. "Takes pride in it, too - just 'cause it's healthy doesn't mean it tastes borin'. You're not the only one here who'd need special food."

"Yeah, like Kyle, or.. " he paused, thinking about it. "or.. others." He didn't know how many people had special diets, or couldn't think of any right now, aside from Kyle. "Ah'm sure it don' taste too good thou. Probably it'll be bland an' just blah. Shame she couldn' make it inta pie. Then everyone would wanna taste."
"Maybe she could", Angelo offered. "You should let her take a shot - nothin' sayin' you'd have to finish eatin' it if you don't want."

"Have ya lost yer mind? Ya ever tried ta eat somethin' an' then say, 'gee, ah don't like this, sorry' and survive? Ya just don' do tha' on any occasion, unless ya wanna lose yer privileges o' eatin' tha food they cook. Tha's just beggin fer 'em ta get mad. Ah always eat wha's put down in front o' me, unless it’s chicken . Cause tha's just wrong."

"...fair point", he allowed after a moment's consideration of his mother's likely reaction to that. "Okay then, nothin' sayin' you'd have to eat it again. But chances are really good you'd like it."

"An' if Ah don', she'll keep shovin it inta ma face till Ah eat it again. An' then Ah got tha same problem Ah started with. No, Ah'll just stick ta tha plan o' avoidance. It's served me well so far. Ah'll be sure ta send 'er yer way if she comes a'lookin. Maybe she's gotta nice remedy fer yer ankle."

"Nah, I don't think even Lorna can do anythin' about broken bones."

"Except break more, Ah reckon."