Log: Clarice & Jay (backdated)
Apr. 15th, 2008 09:37 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsJay comes to Clarice to get some shirts altered and they end up discussing the team. It does not end well at all.
With his bare hands, he pulled off the prices, tag for tag and tossed the five shirts into a bag. All things considering, if he got this job, he'd be needing to dress in something nicer than what Kevin was currently suiting himself up in. While the shirts weren't exactly up to par with what he would consider comfortable, they did accent the colour of his wings well, and he didnt think anyone would really care once he walked in the door - they'd be too busy looking at his wings. Collecting up the bag, Jay made his way out of his suite and three minutes later, found himself at Clarice's door, giving it a brief knock.
"Come in!" Clarice called from where she was laying on the couch flipping channels. There was nothing good on TV and she was contemplating a movie. She'd never had this much time on her hands before and it was going to drive her insane, even though even she would admit that she was not up to her normal speeds.
Jay pushed the door opened, looking to see if Monet was in the suit as well, but she wasn't in sight and thus, he closed it behind him and walked in, bag in hand. "Hey, ya busy?" he asked, though it was obvious she wasn't, unless one considered watching TV as busy. "Ah mean, Ah could come back later if ya need, or something?" he offered weakly.
Making a face at him, Clarice turned the TV off. "If I watch one more episode of Family Fued I will kill John O'Hurley Dancing With the Stars or not. What's up?"
"Huh, Ah kinda like Family Fued too. Ah'm pretty good at it," he smirked and held out the bag. "Ah got some shirts 'ere an' Ah was wonderin' if, ya know, ya could give em a whirl. Maybe put a few holes in 'em fer ma wings? Maybe make it look like Ah' bought em that way." He winked at her and tossed her the bag. The shirts were fancier than normal.
Clarice raised her eyebrows, surprised. He had never really expressed much interest in getting his clothes fixed for his wings before, at least not by her. Of course, she was interested though, it looked better to get the shirts fixed instead of wearing them in tatters, "You buy them too big so I have something to work with?" she asked, already wandering into her room for some pins and chalk. Since he was here she would measure him and make sure it was correct.
"Well Ah didn't buy 'em so big tha' they make me look like Ah'm drowning." He stepped further inside, shifting awkwardly while he waited and decided that maybe he should take off the baggy shirt he was wearing. Grabbing the hem, Jay arched his back, pulling it over his head and pulling it off, one wing at a time. "Ah know ya did a few things fer Kev, so Ah thought it'd be better ta come ta you instead o' a tailer. Ah'll pay ya, just tell me tha price."
Boys were so stupid sometimes, "You want your shirts big so I can cut them down and have extra material work with," she explained as if talking to a slow kindergartener while sliding her pin cushion on her wrist. "Anyways..." she pulled her measuring tape out and began working on his back, measuruing his wings, and figuring out much to actually cut. "Stay still."
"Oh." Yeah, that was obvious now that she pointed it out. Her fingers were cold and Jay's wing shifted, instinctively getting in the way of her hand on his skin. "Ah!," he arched his back away from her touch and looked over his shoulder. "Yer hands are cold," he complained, but gave her an apologetic look. Usually the cold didn't bother him but it did today. "So you an' Kyle huh? How's tha' workin' out fer ya?" He couldn't help but ask.
"'Cold hands, warm heart.' Now stand still or I'll stick you!" she wasn't anywhere near sticking anything yet, trying to measure how much material she'd have to remove for the shirts to lay flat against his back and not have gaping holes around his wings. "It's fine. You and Kevin?" how awkward was this? Talking about her current with his ex. Weird!
"Warm heart.." he echoed, brushing a hand over the inside of his elbow, scratching at it. He was nervous about her threat. Slivers made his skin crawl, he could only imagine what it would feel like to have to pull a pin out. "Ah, ya know, we've been better. Kev's busy, Ah'm busy. Ya know how it is." He didn't find it nearly as awkward as she did. "Ya know, 'fine' ain' a good word. Sounds like yer bored or somethin?" Bored didn't fit in the same sentence with Kyle. Ever.
Sticking him with pins wasn't a threat, if she was going to threaten him she'd use her pig sticker - aka a sword. Or even a blink disc, like she had in Japan. Now those were worthy threats, a simple sewing pin was a not a threat, at least not from Clarice. "Of course I'm bored, I'm stuck here doing nothing while everyone else has school or training or whatever. Stupid immune system gone to shit," she had no problems with Kyle, she was just envious of him being able to do anything and everything.
"Bein' stuck 'ere only means ya should be doing somethin' in tha mean time. Like this, keepin' yerself busy an' wha' not. Right? You could always volenteer fer somthin?" As soon as Jay said it, he made a face and ran a hand over it, trying to shake the feeling that he was sounding very much like a recruiter. "Okay, wait, tha' ain' wha' Ah meant. Ah jus' meant... something... else. But not tha'."
"I'm doing your shirts, aren't I?" she asked, sticking him with a pin not-quite intentionally. It was only a tiny pin prick though, not even enough to draw blood. "Now. Hold still," carefully. she peeled the shirt off his arms and laid it flat on her work table, taking some shears and cutting carefully. Hopefully, this would work, if not....she owed Jay a new shirt. "Put it on again."
"Ugh! Ah know it ain' like takin a bullet but--" Jay sqwaked arching away from where she got him."Yeh, Ah guess," he replied, resisting the urge to scratch where she was just working. His wings tilted back, twitched from it and he was trying to keep them out of her way, but failing miserably. Thankfully out of the shirts (and away from those pins), Jay turned around, brushing a hand over his bicep while he watched on. He didn't think she would have gone and done it right on the spot, so he was surprised, to say the least. He did as commanded, taking the shirt and slipping his wings through the new holes, turning around. "Well, how's it look?" he asked, modeling it for her. "Ah gotta job at Silver, so Ah need ta dress a lil' better."
"It looks like it's not done yet so quit asking," Clarice replied sharply. She still had to fix the seams and add in some sort of velcro or something so the shirt would close around his wings. Really, she wasn't anywhere near done yet. "And bullet-shmullet, you have a healing factor. Which means it hurts and is unfun, but not exactly something I lose sleep over. Hold still," absently, she pushed one wing out of her face and kept working.
"You've been shot huh?" he asked, assuming she had from the way she spoke. "Okay, no, wait, 'ere's a better question. Why did ya join tha team? Was ya needin' somethin' ta do, or ya just wanna help people?" he asked. It was a legit question, he felt, though she may or may not want to tell him. He tried to reach behind him and scratch at a part where she was working, only because it irritated his skin. As much as he loved to be touched, he hated to be poked.
"Shot at, never actually shot," but still. She'd worked in the medlab and as an EMT, it wasn't as if she were living in some imaginary no-one gets hurt world, "Why'd I join the team? You don't ask the easy questions," in truth, there were a lot of reasons it just depended on her mood and the time of day. "I hadn't planned on it at first. Terry has wanted to since forever. I didn't. I...needed something more in my life though, so I started working in the medlab and studied to become an EMT. Worked for the county for a while too doing that. And stuff kept happening around here, you know? After a while, patching up the team wasn't enough. I wanted to get out there and DO something and unlike a lot of people here, I can't pass or blend in. Who better to show that mutants aren't scary evil monsters than me? I'm mostly harmless. So I joined. And I don't regret it," carefully she marked his shirt with chalk then took the pins out so he could take it off. "I'll have your shirt ready tomorrow afternoon."
Jay pulled the shirt off, slipping his wings out carefully so he didn't tear them. "Well, not ta be a kiss ass, but from wha' Ah saw, ye fit tha profile well. Like you was meant ta be on tha team an' do yer part. Forge too, Kyle an' Terry - they all fit it." He kept his mouth shut on the fact he was considering trying out, only because he didn't want to get into a debate like he had with Forge awhile back. Passing her the shirt, Jay snatched up his t-shirt and pulled it on.
"Personally? Ah think ya should be tha negotiator fer tha team. Yer pretty scary when ya got yer mind set on somethin'. Like some 'no shit' policy goin on in tha' brain o' yers. Break 'em down wit' yer willpower. Hope Kyle knows wha' he's gotten inta." He smirked.
"Why'd you ask?" she asked him, curious. Not a lot of people really did, except Scott and Ororo when she first asked to become a trainee. She has smarted off at one point saying she had joined for the awesome uniform. "Thanks, but...I'm not a leader or whatever like Scott or Nate. I'm just....I do my part. And I look purple," that actually played a role sometimes.
Taking the shirt from Jay, she hung it on her dressmakers dummy and began sticking pins back in it where she'd chalked the shirt, "The negotiator? You're joking right? I'd be all 'do what I say bitch or I'll bust a cap in yo ass,'" she said, in a pathetic attempt at street speak and giggling at how lame she sounded. Really, that was why she did it, because her attempts were so funny,. "Kyle's fine. I mean, it's good. I'm not going to bust a cap in him or anything," even if she had chased Shiro around a few times at sword point.
"Cause Ah've been thinkin' 'bout it fer sometime ta join it or whatnot. Yanno? Scott's given me a whole bunch o' shit ta read an' Ah'm goin' through it but, Ah dunno. Still thinkin' 'bout it? can't make a decision. Maybe it's procrastination. Feels more like doin' ma homework than something. Hey, do ya get paid fer it? Ah never even thought ta ask that? Ah mean, it would take away from tha job an' stuff. Right?" He didn't ask anymore about Kyle mostly because it was awkward from any angle he approached it from.
Clarice turned and stared at him, unable to believe he had asked that question. "Don't join the team," she said, her voice hard and devoid of emotion, "You don't join because you get paid! You join and train and get your ass kicked because there is a tough thankless job that needs doing. There is no applause or ticker-tape parades! There's just injury after insult and maybe an early grave. If you haven't figured that out from the logs then you're a moron! What we do isn't a hobby or a lark la-di-da, it's hard work! And maintain a life? School? A boyfriend? You couldn't handle it," it was harsh and was meant to be. She'd never been so insulted in her life and that included insults thrown at her by mutant haters.
Jay held his hands up defensively, brows creasing at the sudden harsh way she took his questions. "Wha' tha hell. Ah can't ask a few questions? Ah don' know alot 'bout it." His wings bristled and he brushed his bangs out of his eyes. "Tha's real supportive there Clarice. Maybe ya havn't noticed, but Ah've been through a lotta shit already, so more ain't gonna matter. Ah wasn't lookin' ta be a gold digger, jus' someone tha' needs ta make a livin' cause payless jobs don' put food in yer stomach an' a roof over yer head. An' don' call me a moron, cause Ah ain't."
Was he serious? He looked serious, he sounded serious, but he couldn't be. Clarice paused, waiting for him to reveal it was a joke or something. She stood there blinkng at him in disbelief. Reaching up, she pulled her wig off her head revealing the sparse hair on her head, "Because I give a rats ass about your feelings?" she replied sarcastically, "You're not the only one. You're not some unique snowflake that gets special treatment. No. Grow some balls and then come talk to me about joining," she cross her arms in front of herself, "In case you hadn't noticed, every one on the team works or goes to school. In a few cases, both. Every one. We manage. You want to join, you will find a way too."
"Ah didn't say Ah was," Jay barked, snapping his mouth shut. He hadn't seen her ever take the wig off, hadn't really considered it much until it was off and he didn't know what to say other than go to hell. "Well, Ah asked so Ah guess tha's wha' Ah get. Right? A good honest ta god answer - tha same one everyone gives me. Yer right there. Maybe Ah shouldn't be doin' shit cause Ah can't. Can't be a singer, can't be on tha team, can't be nothin'." Jay turned around, heading for the door, throwing it open. "Thanks fer tha support Forge."
Everyone knew Clarice was brutally honest about some things, emphasis on the brutal part. She didn't mince words and she called things as she saw them, good or bad, right or wrong, "Life's not fair Jay!" she called to him, "Decide what's important to you then make it happen. That requires sacrifice and it won't be easy. Nothing worth it ever is. If it was, everyone would do it. Doesn't mean it isn't worth it though," she paused as he slipped out the door then followed, "I'll have your shirts tomorrow!" she yelled at his retreating back.
With his bare hands, he pulled off the prices, tag for tag and tossed the five shirts into a bag. All things considering, if he got this job, he'd be needing to dress in something nicer than what Kevin was currently suiting himself up in. While the shirts weren't exactly up to par with what he would consider comfortable, they did accent the colour of his wings well, and he didnt think anyone would really care once he walked in the door - they'd be too busy looking at his wings. Collecting up the bag, Jay made his way out of his suite and three minutes later, found himself at Clarice's door, giving it a brief knock.
"Come in!" Clarice called from where she was laying on the couch flipping channels. There was nothing good on TV and she was contemplating a movie. She'd never had this much time on her hands before and it was going to drive her insane, even though even she would admit that she was not up to her normal speeds.
Jay pushed the door opened, looking to see if Monet was in the suit as well, but she wasn't in sight and thus, he closed it behind him and walked in, bag in hand. "Hey, ya busy?" he asked, though it was obvious she wasn't, unless one considered watching TV as busy. "Ah mean, Ah could come back later if ya need, or something?" he offered weakly.
Making a face at him, Clarice turned the TV off. "If I watch one more episode of Family Fued I will kill John O'Hurley Dancing With the Stars or not. What's up?"
"Huh, Ah kinda like Family Fued too. Ah'm pretty good at it," he smirked and held out the bag. "Ah got some shirts 'ere an' Ah was wonderin' if, ya know, ya could give em a whirl. Maybe put a few holes in 'em fer ma wings? Maybe make it look like Ah' bought em that way." He winked at her and tossed her the bag. The shirts were fancier than normal.
Clarice raised her eyebrows, surprised. He had never really expressed much interest in getting his clothes fixed for his wings before, at least not by her. Of course, she was interested though, it looked better to get the shirts fixed instead of wearing them in tatters, "You buy them too big so I have something to work with?" she asked, already wandering into her room for some pins and chalk. Since he was here she would measure him and make sure it was correct.
"Well Ah didn't buy 'em so big tha' they make me look like Ah'm drowning." He stepped further inside, shifting awkwardly while he waited and decided that maybe he should take off the baggy shirt he was wearing. Grabbing the hem, Jay arched his back, pulling it over his head and pulling it off, one wing at a time. "Ah know ya did a few things fer Kev, so Ah thought it'd be better ta come ta you instead o' a tailer. Ah'll pay ya, just tell me tha price."
Boys were so stupid sometimes, "You want your shirts big so I can cut them down and have extra material work with," she explained as if talking to a slow kindergartener while sliding her pin cushion on her wrist. "Anyways..." she pulled her measuring tape out and began working on his back, measuruing his wings, and figuring out much to actually cut. "Stay still."
"Oh." Yeah, that was obvious now that she pointed it out. Her fingers were cold and Jay's wing shifted, instinctively getting in the way of her hand on his skin. "Ah!," he arched his back away from her touch and looked over his shoulder. "Yer hands are cold," he complained, but gave her an apologetic look. Usually the cold didn't bother him but it did today. "So you an' Kyle huh? How's tha' workin' out fer ya?" He couldn't help but ask.
"'Cold hands, warm heart.' Now stand still or I'll stick you!" she wasn't anywhere near sticking anything yet, trying to measure how much material she'd have to remove for the shirts to lay flat against his back and not have gaping holes around his wings. "It's fine. You and Kevin?" how awkward was this? Talking about her current with his ex. Weird!
"Warm heart.." he echoed, brushing a hand over the inside of his elbow, scratching at it. He was nervous about her threat. Slivers made his skin crawl, he could only imagine what it would feel like to have to pull a pin out. "Ah, ya know, we've been better. Kev's busy, Ah'm busy. Ya know how it is." He didn't find it nearly as awkward as she did. "Ya know, 'fine' ain' a good word. Sounds like yer bored or somethin?" Bored didn't fit in the same sentence with Kyle. Ever.
Sticking him with pins wasn't a threat, if she was going to threaten him she'd use her pig sticker - aka a sword. Or even a blink disc, like she had in Japan. Now those were worthy threats, a simple sewing pin was a not a threat, at least not from Clarice. "Of course I'm bored, I'm stuck here doing nothing while everyone else has school or training or whatever. Stupid immune system gone to shit," she had no problems with Kyle, she was just envious of him being able to do anything and everything.
"Bein' stuck 'ere only means ya should be doing somethin' in tha mean time. Like this, keepin' yerself busy an' wha' not. Right? You could always volenteer fer somthin?" As soon as Jay said it, he made a face and ran a hand over it, trying to shake the feeling that he was sounding very much like a recruiter. "Okay, wait, tha' ain' wha' Ah meant. Ah jus' meant... something... else. But not tha'."
"I'm doing your shirts, aren't I?" she asked, sticking him with a pin not-quite intentionally. It was only a tiny pin prick though, not even enough to draw blood. "Now. Hold still," carefully. she peeled the shirt off his arms and laid it flat on her work table, taking some shears and cutting carefully. Hopefully, this would work, if not....she owed Jay a new shirt. "Put it on again."
"Ugh! Ah know it ain' like takin a bullet but--" Jay sqwaked arching away from where she got him."Yeh, Ah guess," he replied, resisting the urge to scratch where she was just working. His wings tilted back, twitched from it and he was trying to keep them out of her way, but failing miserably. Thankfully out of the shirts (and away from those pins), Jay turned around, brushing a hand over his bicep while he watched on. He didn't think she would have gone and done it right on the spot, so he was surprised, to say the least. He did as commanded, taking the shirt and slipping his wings through the new holes, turning around. "Well, how's it look?" he asked, modeling it for her. "Ah gotta job at Silver, so Ah need ta dress a lil' better."
"It looks like it's not done yet so quit asking," Clarice replied sharply. She still had to fix the seams and add in some sort of velcro or something so the shirt would close around his wings. Really, she wasn't anywhere near done yet. "And bullet-shmullet, you have a healing factor. Which means it hurts and is unfun, but not exactly something I lose sleep over. Hold still," absently, she pushed one wing out of her face and kept working.
"You've been shot huh?" he asked, assuming she had from the way she spoke. "Okay, no, wait, 'ere's a better question. Why did ya join tha team? Was ya needin' somethin' ta do, or ya just wanna help people?" he asked. It was a legit question, he felt, though she may or may not want to tell him. He tried to reach behind him and scratch at a part where she was working, only because it irritated his skin. As much as he loved to be touched, he hated to be poked.
"Shot at, never actually shot," but still. She'd worked in the medlab and as an EMT, it wasn't as if she were living in some imaginary no-one gets hurt world, "Why'd I join the team? You don't ask the easy questions," in truth, there were a lot of reasons it just depended on her mood and the time of day. "I hadn't planned on it at first. Terry has wanted to since forever. I didn't. I...needed something more in my life though, so I started working in the medlab and studied to become an EMT. Worked for the county for a while too doing that. And stuff kept happening around here, you know? After a while, patching up the team wasn't enough. I wanted to get out there and DO something and unlike a lot of people here, I can't pass or blend in. Who better to show that mutants aren't scary evil monsters than me? I'm mostly harmless. So I joined. And I don't regret it," carefully she marked his shirt with chalk then took the pins out so he could take it off. "I'll have your shirt ready tomorrow afternoon."
Jay pulled the shirt off, slipping his wings out carefully so he didn't tear them. "Well, not ta be a kiss ass, but from wha' Ah saw, ye fit tha profile well. Like you was meant ta be on tha team an' do yer part. Forge too, Kyle an' Terry - they all fit it." He kept his mouth shut on the fact he was considering trying out, only because he didn't want to get into a debate like he had with Forge awhile back. Passing her the shirt, Jay snatched up his t-shirt and pulled it on.
"Personally? Ah think ya should be tha negotiator fer tha team. Yer pretty scary when ya got yer mind set on somethin'. Like some 'no shit' policy goin on in tha' brain o' yers. Break 'em down wit' yer willpower. Hope Kyle knows wha' he's gotten inta." He smirked.
"Why'd you ask?" she asked him, curious. Not a lot of people really did, except Scott and Ororo when she first asked to become a trainee. She has smarted off at one point saying she had joined for the awesome uniform. "Thanks, but...I'm not a leader or whatever like Scott or Nate. I'm just....I do my part. And I look purple," that actually played a role sometimes.
Taking the shirt from Jay, she hung it on her dressmakers dummy and began sticking pins back in it where she'd chalked the shirt, "The negotiator? You're joking right? I'd be all 'do what I say bitch or I'll bust a cap in yo ass,'" she said, in a pathetic attempt at street speak and giggling at how lame she sounded. Really, that was why she did it, because her attempts were so funny,. "Kyle's fine. I mean, it's good. I'm not going to bust a cap in him or anything," even if she had chased Shiro around a few times at sword point.
"Cause Ah've been thinkin' 'bout it fer sometime ta join it or whatnot. Yanno? Scott's given me a whole bunch o' shit ta read an' Ah'm goin' through it but, Ah dunno. Still thinkin' 'bout it? can't make a decision. Maybe it's procrastination. Feels more like doin' ma homework than something. Hey, do ya get paid fer it? Ah never even thought ta ask that? Ah mean, it would take away from tha job an' stuff. Right?" He didn't ask anymore about Kyle mostly because it was awkward from any angle he approached it from.
Clarice turned and stared at him, unable to believe he had asked that question. "Don't join the team," she said, her voice hard and devoid of emotion, "You don't join because you get paid! You join and train and get your ass kicked because there is a tough thankless job that needs doing. There is no applause or ticker-tape parades! There's just injury after insult and maybe an early grave. If you haven't figured that out from the logs then you're a moron! What we do isn't a hobby or a lark la-di-da, it's hard work! And maintain a life? School? A boyfriend? You couldn't handle it," it was harsh and was meant to be. She'd never been so insulted in her life and that included insults thrown at her by mutant haters.
Jay held his hands up defensively, brows creasing at the sudden harsh way she took his questions. "Wha' tha hell. Ah can't ask a few questions? Ah don' know alot 'bout it." His wings bristled and he brushed his bangs out of his eyes. "Tha's real supportive there Clarice. Maybe ya havn't noticed, but Ah've been through a lotta shit already, so more ain't gonna matter. Ah wasn't lookin' ta be a gold digger, jus' someone tha' needs ta make a livin' cause payless jobs don' put food in yer stomach an' a roof over yer head. An' don' call me a moron, cause Ah ain't."
Was he serious? He looked serious, he sounded serious, but he couldn't be. Clarice paused, waiting for him to reveal it was a joke or something. She stood there blinkng at him in disbelief. Reaching up, she pulled her wig off her head revealing the sparse hair on her head, "Because I give a rats ass about your feelings?" she replied sarcastically, "You're not the only one. You're not some unique snowflake that gets special treatment. No. Grow some balls and then come talk to me about joining," she cross her arms in front of herself, "In case you hadn't noticed, every one on the team works or goes to school. In a few cases, both. Every one. We manage. You want to join, you will find a way too."
"Ah didn't say Ah was," Jay barked, snapping his mouth shut. He hadn't seen her ever take the wig off, hadn't really considered it much until it was off and he didn't know what to say other than go to hell. "Well, Ah asked so Ah guess tha's wha' Ah get. Right? A good honest ta god answer - tha same one everyone gives me. Yer right there. Maybe Ah shouldn't be doin' shit cause Ah can't. Can't be a singer, can't be on tha team, can't be nothin'." Jay turned around, heading for the door, throwing it open. "Thanks fer tha support Forge."
Everyone knew Clarice was brutally honest about some things, emphasis on the brutal part. She didn't mince words and she called things as she saw them, good or bad, right or wrong, "Life's not fair Jay!" she called to him, "Decide what's important to you then make it happen. That requires sacrifice and it won't be easy. Nothing worth it ever is. If it was, everyone would do it. Doesn't mean it isn't worth it though," she paused as he slipped out the door then followed, "I'll have your shirts tomorrow!" she yelled at his retreating back.
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Date: 2008-04-23 03:58 pm (UTC)I make sure my people get paid. If it's going to be tough and thankless, that's all the more reason it ought to have a paycheque.
Sorry, couldn't resist.