Kevin & Clarice | BACKDATED
May. 13th, 2009 11:00 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsClarice celebrates the end of her semester by popping in on an absent friend and forcing fun upon him.
Backdated to the 13th because we forgot to post it.
There was a small wooden shed set out on the grounds of the West Coast Annex away from the building and the various bits and pieces of obstacle courses they used for training. It wasn't a very impressive shed, just something simple that one would expect to house things like a lawn mower and pruning sheers. Around the shed, however, were a number of rather large, metal structures Most were in some stage of progress while a few others were finished and had tags hanging off of them to remind Kevin who was picking them up and when.
Kevin was hauling a sheet of metal twice as long as he was tall and just as wide as his own shoulders from the pile of metal leaning against the side of the side. It was too hot to deal with his usual layers of clothing and there were few enough people here at the West Coast Annex that he didn't generally have to worry about accidents. For that reason the only thing Kevin wore on his upper body was a ribbed, white tank top that clung to him and revealed that this was enough of a habit that he'd developed a tan over the past few months. The Southern California sun had chased away the last of Kevin's unfortunate paleness that life up in Scotland and as a shut in at Xavier's had induced.
The sheet of metal was placed on the ground, Kevin careful to not have contact between his hands and the grass. After looking it over for a moment he slipped the toe of his boot under the edge of the long side of the metal and lifted it enough to get his fingers underneath so he could flip it onto its other side. Satisfied, he disappeared back into the shed to find the hand held metal saw he needed and the hammer he wanted to reshape the sheet.
Teleporting in from New York, Clarice looked around from her oh-so-fashionable aviator sunglasses. Well, there were signs of Kevin, but no actual Kevin. Poop. They had mentioned her coming out a time or two, but hadn't set a date or anything. Now, she had just finished finals and had decided to come. California beaches were awesome.
In deference to Kevin and his powers though, Clarice was clad in more than a bikini top and shorts.She actually had on a dress, one of those ginormous maxi dresses with a big print that was so fashionable and black gladiator style sandals. She was so SoCal chic.
"Kevin!" she bellowed in a decidedly un-ladylike fashion. That was fine with her."Get your lily white ass out here!"
There was a clattering that could be heard, something heavy hitting metal and then an exclamation of "Ow!" Kevin hopped toward the doorway on one foot and almost glared out into the sun. It took a second for his eyes to readjust to the brightness of the sunlight but once they did his expression morphed into a grin which was quickly overtaken by something akin to terror. "Is my room covered in glitter?"
There was a small wooden shed set out on the grounds of the West Coast Annex away from the building and the various bits and pieces of obstacle courses they used for training. It wasn't a very impressive shed, just something simple that one would expect to house things like a lawn mower and pruning sheers. Around the shed, however, were a number of rather large, metal structures Most were in some stage of progress while a few others were finished and had tags hanging off of them to remind Kevin who was picking them up and when.
"No, should it be? What did you do?" that was a tempting thought. Glittering Kevin's room was always fun. Of course, now he would be expecting it and that lessened the fun. She'd have to wait until he was not expecting it again. "I brought you stuff!" she indicated the large bag on her shoulder.
Kevin blinked at the bag, not really comprehending why she'd be bringing him anything. He disappeared back into the shed completely and came out with the hammer he'd dropped on his foot in one hand and the portable metal saw in the other. He was limping from the thwacking his foot had just taken. "What'd you bring me? And hi. And why didn't you tell me you were comin'?"
Looking at him over her sunglasses, she slid them back up her face and then opened her back, "I just finished finals. So I came. I mean, hello? Beach. California sun. Awesome!" pulling out a pile of clothes she tossed them all on the sheet metal before he began cutting it up, "And I brought you clothes of course. All unnatural, just like you like," she admired his arms and the definition in them without comment. "You have colour. I'm shocked."
Kevin's eyebrows shot up at the pile of clothes. "Wow. Thanks." Kevin abhorred shopping. Clarice loved shopping. Why didn't he think of having her do shopping on his behalf before? He wasn't sure about the bit of orange he saw in there, though. Clarice had always been on a mission to get him to wear something other than black, which he had actually begun to do but he wasn't sure he was ready for orange. At least there was nothing neon and no pink. That he could see. "Huh? Oh," Kevin looked down at his arm and tried to remember how pale he'd been before but he couldn't quite remember anymore and unless he wanted to check below the waistline of his boxers he wasn't going to. Kevin ruled that out as a possibility. "Yeah, well, less people means Ah don't gotta worry 'bout people much and Ah'm not such a fan of drinking eighty gallons of water to stay hydrated just because I'm wearing ten pounds of clothing, y'know?"
The clothes were all from a resale shop near campus in Maryland that apparently only sold clothing made from synthetic fabrics. They had some truly god-awful pieces there too. Hideous. However, upon realizing the fabric type for most of the things she had gone on a shopping spree, trying to find the less hideous pieces for Kevin. Just because natural, breathable good fabrics could not be worn did not mean that he had to despair with fashion, "It makes you look healthy and not so...sick," duh. Like she could really talk though with her non-tanning purple skin. "It's good. Anyways, try that stuff on and I can get more. Found a great shop near school that apparently hates natural fibers. Your kind of place, if you liked shopping." And people.
Kevin had set his tools down and picked up a short sleeved shirt. He was holding it up and examining it and then looked around it at Clarice. "Ah looked sick? When'd Ah look sick?" He frowned. Had he missed that part? Had he been sickly? Kevin poked at his stomach as if to ensure he wasn't emaciated. Then he pulled his shirt up a bit and peeled down the waistband of his boxers to see how pale he'd been. Kevin frowned a little at the tanline there and the difference in skintone on each side. "Maybe Ah was a little sickly," he admitted as the waistband was released and snapped back into place and he pulled his shirt back down. "Thanks, though. For the clothes, Ah mean. I'll try it all on later. When, y'know, Ah'm inside and all. How're finals?"
She hadn't thought he would try them on now. If only because he was sort of busy and slightly sweaty. Watching him actually check for his tan line was funny though. Hilarious. "Dude. You looked like...not bad, but definitely not good. I knew you were healthy, just really pale," she resisted the urge to poke him. Not only would he not appreciate it, she did not want to lose her finger, "Final's are over. So, what're you working on?"
"That was a 'were' not an 'are,'" he clarified, making a face at himself. Kevin started to gather up the pile of clothing so he could stuff it all in the backpack he had in the shed. "Lot's of stuff. Got some commissions. Those're done," he nodded off to her left. Everything was of the abstract, industrial variety of sculpture that Kevin favored. He hadn't done much with recognizable shapes after his first month at the West Coast Annex, but he was experimenting with organic shapes in metal and incorporating wood. After the clothes were stashed he came back out and went to a six foot tall sculpture that was gleamingly silver. "This is my favorite. A couple commissioned it. Wanted something endless." The sculpture had no easily discernible lines or breaks. There were no sharp corners, all curves and fluid.
"Sweet," Clarice approached to inspect it, nodding appreciatively. It was gorgeous, "So...you have your own business here?" she asked, she wasn't really sure. It looked like he did and the pieces, even the unfinished ones looked amazing to her. To be able to work with and manipulate metal...it was impressive. She thought it was more so than her altering of clothes or her occasional designs, though they had become less and less frequent with the demands of school and the team. "And people buy your work? That is so cool!"
"It's not a business." But Kevin was grinning and obviously proud of the fact she'd even assumed he did. "Ah met some people through my therapist and he showed them some of what Ah could do. It kinda traveled from there. He helped me find places to sell off some of my stuff like Ah always do and some of those people wanted commissions, too. It's kinda awesome, though, someone askin' me to create something for them. Like Ah'm actually someone who knows something and is worth all the money they keep tryin' to throw at me for stuff Ah make outta scrap metal." Kevin obviously didn't think he was that special, but his tone wasn't self-deprecating. Rather he just couldn't believe it. Leo had said he wanted to see Kevin's art in Central Park one day. It had seemed silly and far off to Kevin when he said that at the end of last year. But maybe it wasn't.
"You should make it a small business," she said, examining a large, partially finished sculpture, "you could be the next big thing, it'd be awesome. And I'd design you clothes," she wasn't designing clothes, she was examining the differences in Homo Erectus and Homo Habilis, but still. It would be fun. "And then I could say 'I knew you when,'" she stood properly then went over to a nearby spot on the grass to sit and watch him work. She hadn't expected him to go with her to the beach and this was better anyways, just hanging out.
"Ah dunno that Ah'm all that good to have a business and make anything out of it. Ah don't really got the head for all that stuff." An ungloved hand slid down the curving edge of a sculpture that ended in an abrupt and jarring edge that then cut to the side at a ninety degree angle. Kevin thought about it though. It'd be kind of amazing to make a life this way. Just creating and getting paid for it. Most people couldn't make a life out of the thing they loved. Clarice almost made it sound doable, like it wasn't just some pipe dream or something. Kevin pulled on a pair of gloves before he picked the metal saw back up and stared at his sheet of metal. His eyes moved from it to the sculpture he was working on as he thought. Something about the shape of Clarice's hair and the edge of her jaw caught his attention and then he nodded to himself. He pulled an edge of the sheet up so that it was raised onto one thin edge, then began to cut a foot wide strip off. As the cut piece of metal fell to the ground Kevin looked over at Clarice again, "Ah don't think Ah'll ever get well-known enough for your 'Ah knew 'im when' to happen. Sorry."
"You don't know that," Kevin was about her age, they still had plenty of time before things did or didn't happen like fame. It wasn't overnight and even those kids like Lindsey Lohan and the Olsen Twins were working and making their careers from birth, which wasn't like Clarice or Kevin. Of course, they weren't insane either, thank goodness. Those celebrity kids were nuts. "It might not happen over night, but it could happen. You gotta work it though, like on the catwalk," she began chanting 'I'm Too Sexy' by Right Said Fred.
Kevin had picked up his strip of metal and had laid it over an anvil that was a few feet off. The hammer was poised to strike and then she began singing. He stopped, arm raised and his eyes slid over to Clarice. "Ah'm not gettin' up and shakin' my booty for you to make money off of in the chaps you're gonna design for me. Just so we're clear there. There will be no Kevin and catwalks."
"You are no fun," she pronounced. That was something she stated every time they hung out. It was like, if she said it often enough it would suddenly not be true anymore. The fact was though, she and Kevin had little in common though they got along alright. It was a stretch to find something to do, "Do you rollerblade?" she asked randomly.
"Haven't in a long time." He gave her a wary look. "Ah used to be able to stay upright at least. Been a while though. You plottin' my demise?" Which he was positive was very possible. Clarice was benign enough, honestly, but she was all high energy and extroversion and he was dead on the opposite side of the personality spectrum. Kevin still wasn't sure how he'd ended up adopted by her, so to speak. It was probably that she liked that look of being doomed he got on his face when he found everything he owned covered in glitter or something like that. Though, honestly, he did like having Clarice around. Her brand of perky was kind of a nice change from Kevin's brand of low key.
"Well, I was thinking," she said, one finger tapping her chin in thought, "You aren't really the beach type, but there are boardwalks. And rollerblading on them would be fun," she hadn't roller bladed in years, but how hard could it be to pick it back up again? She had a bike, she was in good shape. It would be fun! And if nothing else, it would get Kevin out of his happy bubble a little. That was what Clarice loved, taking Kevin out of his comfort zone. After all, if she didn't do it, who would? Not Kevin, that was for sure!
"Ah'm not really not the beach type," Kevin corrected, "Ah'm just not the 'round too many people to keep an eye on type. Ah don't have a problem with the beach even if Ah gotta make sure Ah'm covered. Ah like the beach at night when there's less people. Bonfires and stuff, y'know?" He eyed his hammer, then put it down on the sheet of metal. "But if you wanna go rollerblading Ah'm down for it. Just, y'know, no taking pictures when Ah wipe out." Which he had no doubts he'd do.
Fair enough, Clarice just couldn't see him romping around in a pair of board shorts no matter who was or wasn't around. Frolicking in the ocean just didn't seem very Kevin-like. He wasn't the sandcastle type either. He was the wear tons of clothes and bitch because there was sand in them type. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. You know of a roller blade rental place? Or do you have something else you want to do that a) gets you away from here and b) isn't boring?"
"Define 'boring,'" he asked with a bit of a smile. "Ah dunno if there's a roller blade rental place anywhere or not. Ah only end up there at night usually. Ah think there's maybe a bike rental if all else fails." He would have suggested walking but Kevin was pretty sure that ended up in the boring category. "Or you could steal someone's skateboard and we could practice our crashing." Kevin hadn't been on a skateboard since he was fourteen or fifteen. Crashing seemed the likeliest result from that. But it'd fun maybe.
"Bikes, rollerblade, whatever," Clarice shrugged, it would both be good regardless. Walking was definitely boring. Why walk when you could roll? "Steal a skateboard?" she snickered, amused by the suggestion, "What is this? 1985? Should I get one of those 'skateboarding is not a crime' bumper stickers?" stretching her legs out she wiggled her toes, "I think we'll keep the traumatic brain injuries to a minimum, okay?" After all, Nate wasn't around.
"Who said Ah'd need a skateboard to get a traumatic brain injury? Ah don't assume anything's impossible if Ah'm with you." Glitter. Brain injuries. Dinosaurs made of glitter eating half his brain out of his skull. Clarice was special that way. In her own, fuzzy, ball of joy way. "And don't hate on the skateboards. Your prejudice isn't welcome here," he told her with a bit of a smile. "All wheeled modes of transportation are valid life choices, Clarice."
"Uh huh, you say that now, but you won't be saying it when you bash your skull in and I gotta scream at some poor overworked paramedic so they don't touch you and then I gotta suture your damn head back together and you know I'll do it crooked just to spite you," and add a barney band aid if it was someplace he wouldn't easily. She was sneaky like that. And evil, but mostly, she wanted to go do something.
He shook his head at her and started gathering tools and bits and pieces. "Why're you touchin' me to stitch me up if you won't let the paramedic do it? If Ah've got my head bashed in Ah don't think Ah'll manage to make sure you don't have skin contact with me. You're prettier not bein' a mummy," he told her as he started to shift the things that needed to be put away back into the work shed.
"'Cause, I'm not scared of you, dummy. And anyways, I know to mummy up as opposed to some hapless paramedic. I can just see that lawsuit, no thanks," she got up and adjusted her dress as he put his things away. "The weather here is gorgeous. Maybe I'll transfer out for the summer, be a beach blanket bimbo when I'm not on missions," she wasn't serious, but it was sort of tempting. It was beautiful, unlike New York where it was rainy right now and not nearly as warm.
"That's not always a healthy position to take, y'know. Not bein' scared of me, Ah mean." The sheet metal was the last thing Kevin had to move, pulling it to lean against the side of the shed and leaving the cut strip inside of it. "Ah don't think you'd make a good beach blanket bimbo. Don't ya have to be kinda stupid to pull that off? Y'know, shopping and boys and tanning and nothing else in your head? You're over-qualified. But you're right 'bout the weather. Had a heatwave a couple weeks back. That was awesome." He emerged from the shed with the lightest long sleeved, hooded tee shirt on that he owned. It was, remarkably enough, a light grey rather than black. Kevin locked up the shed quickly and turned to Clarice, "Alright, guess Ah'm all yours."
"Rock star! 'Course, you should be wary of saying that to me, I might break out the whips and chains," she was joking, but she did do crazy things every once and a while, "No one said I was the brightest bulb. You gotta admit though, I have fairly unique medical training," she was only an EMT, not even a nurse and had no intention of becoming one, though she still thought medical school was in her future to become a doctor, but she had skills not found too often outside of combat medics or CDC personnel who worked with dangerous things. She was used to working in high pressure, potentially combatant or dangerous situations and with an array of mutant powers that may or may not hurt her in various ways. It kept things interesting, "Anyways. We're not going to bust your skull open. We're going to have fun. And get sushi. I want really good, fresh sushi, too."
Kevin blinked at Clarice and looked as if he were seriously considering being afraid. "Ah thought you swore off men? Didn't you, Ah dunno, go to the other team or something? Isn't the whips and chains usually involved with sex at some point?" He was really hoping Clarice didn't proclaim having a sadistic streak or wanting to wear a strap on and teach him to take it like a man. That would just be awkward and he didn't have any sort of snappy retort for that, which it seemed he ought to have. Refocusing the conversation, though, Kevin went with something safe. Food was always safer to talk about. "Yeah, we can find good sushi. There's lots of it around. And no busted skull, check. Ah'll do my best." He said it as someone who got injured frequently, but the truth was that Kevin was so hyper-aware of the people and things around him that he didn't end up tripping or falling over or crashing much. Not even on wheels. Well, not yet anyway.
"Oh, yeah, I did," she shrugged and waved her new found sexuality away with one hand, "No men. Doesn't mean I gotta get all freaky-deaky or whatever. And last time I checked, you're still a dude, even if you like it in the ass," Clarice had such a way with words. And she had no idea who had pitched or caught between Kevin and Jay or if they switched off. She just made the assumption and ran with it, "Sushi. Good. For a minute I was afraid you were one of those guys who was like 'ew, raw fish! Gross!'" she made this high pitched whiny voice that was the complete antithesis of manly.
Kevin's eyebrows furrowed and his mouth was pressed into a thin line, the look on his face being best described as both unimpressed and confused. "For the record, no Ah don't. And raw fish ain't that scary. Ah like sushi. Long as Ah can convince 'em to stop putting so much avocado in all the rolls." He made a face. Kevin had quickly learned that Californians were obsessed with the avocado and it probably just made it worse being in Fallbrook, which was known for their groves of them. He thought they were squishy and sort of disgusting but they put the things on everything. There was a desperate effort on Kevin's part to not think about the thought that Clarice had thought about him and Jay not only sleeping together but who was likely on top and bottom. His effort wasn't as far reaching as to stop him from being a bit offended that she'd been such a bad enough judge as to get the roles reversed.
If Clarice had really thought about Jay and Kevin, she would have known which one had pitched and caught, but she had no desire to really delve into those thoughts too deeply. It was much more fun to just taunt him and let the barbs fly in whatever random direction the wind blew. "Avocado is weird. I only eat it in sushi. I think it's a west coast thing," she'd never had avocado until she'd had sushi, though her mom had always had it around to eat. It was sort of tasteless, she thought. And definitely strange. No, she was not an avocado fan either, "So, then. You're local. Where to first? And do we need a car? Do you have one?"
"Got a car, but," he trailed off and gave her a look. "Are you gonna have the patience for drivin'? Ah remember the last time you were in a car with me you started bouncing 'round in your seat like you had to pee or somethin' but you were just too impatient and went on about how long it took to get anywhere. But if you are patient enough Ah'd say sushi first. Ah know a good place on the way to the beach."
"Yeah, sure," she shrugged, not at all perturbed by his comments about her. She was not the most patient when it came to travel, even of short distances. She could drive and she had a bicycle, but really, she mostly teleported any significant distance unless there was a reason not to. She had to fly sometimes for missions, but even that wasn't so bad, going into situations like those blindly could be bad. "I'll behave. Just don't drive like my grandmother," Clarice viewed speed limits more as 'guidelines.'
Kevin nodded in the general direction of the garage and started to walk toward it. "By 'drive like your grandmother' do you mean under twenty miles an hour or like under eighty? 'Cause if it's the second one Ah'm definitely drivin' like your grandmother." And maybe like her dead grandmother according to Clarice's standards. Kevin was really fond of avoiding the cops and staying clear of being arrested, that meant staying resolutely beneath the speed limit.
"Eighty's a good start," Clarice allowed, with a smile. She drove less than that, but it had to feel like she was going somewhere and doing something, otherwise, she got bored. Traffic was not a good place for Clarice at all. She did not do well in it, road rage? That was Clarice in traffic. Thankfully, it was not something she had to deal with often, "Anyways, my grandmother rocked. And gave me my sewing machine. So you better drive like my grandmother, music loud and going fast."
"Well, Ah can get the music covered," he offered as a compromise of sorts. Kevin was definitely not dealing with the police for a speeding ticket. He just didn't think he'd react that well to anyone putting something on his record next to that bit about first degree manslaughter. Not even a hot girl was worth that.
Backdated to the 13th because we forgot to post it.
There was a small wooden shed set out on the grounds of the West Coast Annex away from the building and the various bits and pieces of obstacle courses they used for training. It wasn't a very impressive shed, just something simple that one would expect to house things like a lawn mower and pruning sheers. Around the shed, however, were a number of rather large, metal structures Most were in some stage of progress while a few others were finished and had tags hanging off of them to remind Kevin who was picking them up and when.
Kevin was hauling a sheet of metal twice as long as he was tall and just as wide as his own shoulders from the pile of metal leaning against the side of the side. It was too hot to deal with his usual layers of clothing and there were few enough people here at the West Coast Annex that he didn't generally have to worry about accidents. For that reason the only thing Kevin wore on his upper body was a ribbed, white tank top that clung to him and revealed that this was enough of a habit that he'd developed a tan over the past few months. The Southern California sun had chased away the last of Kevin's unfortunate paleness that life up in Scotland and as a shut in at Xavier's had induced.
The sheet of metal was placed on the ground, Kevin careful to not have contact between his hands and the grass. After looking it over for a moment he slipped the toe of his boot under the edge of the long side of the metal and lifted it enough to get his fingers underneath so he could flip it onto its other side. Satisfied, he disappeared back into the shed to find the hand held metal saw he needed and the hammer he wanted to reshape the sheet.
Teleporting in from New York, Clarice looked around from her oh-so-fashionable aviator sunglasses. Well, there were signs of Kevin, but no actual Kevin. Poop. They had mentioned her coming out a time or two, but hadn't set a date or anything. Now, she had just finished finals and had decided to come. California beaches were awesome.
In deference to Kevin and his powers though, Clarice was clad in more than a bikini top and shorts.She actually had on a dress, one of those ginormous maxi dresses with a big print that was so fashionable and black gladiator style sandals. She was so SoCal chic.
"Kevin!" she bellowed in a decidedly un-ladylike fashion. That was fine with her."Get your lily white ass out here!"
There was a clattering that could be heard, something heavy hitting metal and then an exclamation of "Ow!" Kevin hopped toward the doorway on one foot and almost glared out into the sun. It took a second for his eyes to readjust to the brightness of the sunlight but once they did his expression morphed into a grin which was quickly overtaken by something akin to terror. "Is my room covered in glitter?"
There was a small wooden shed set out on the grounds of the West Coast Annex away from the building and the various bits and pieces of obstacle courses they used for training. It wasn't a very impressive shed, just something simple that one would expect to house things like a lawn mower and pruning sheers. Around the shed, however, were a number of rather large, metal structures Most were in some stage of progress while a few others were finished and had tags hanging off of them to remind Kevin who was picking them up and when.
"No, should it be? What did you do?" that was a tempting thought. Glittering Kevin's room was always fun. Of course, now he would be expecting it and that lessened the fun. She'd have to wait until he was not expecting it again. "I brought you stuff!" she indicated the large bag on her shoulder.
Kevin blinked at the bag, not really comprehending why she'd be bringing him anything. He disappeared back into the shed completely and came out with the hammer he'd dropped on his foot in one hand and the portable metal saw in the other. He was limping from the thwacking his foot had just taken. "What'd you bring me? And hi. And why didn't you tell me you were comin'?"
Looking at him over her sunglasses, she slid them back up her face and then opened her back, "I just finished finals. So I came. I mean, hello? Beach. California sun. Awesome!" pulling out a pile of clothes she tossed them all on the sheet metal before he began cutting it up, "And I brought you clothes of course. All unnatural, just like you like," she admired his arms and the definition in them without comment. "You have colour. I'm shocked."
Kevin's eyebrows shot up at the pile of clothes. "Wow. Thanks." Kevin abhorred shopping. Clarice loved shopping. Why didn't he think of having her do shopping on his behalf before? He wasn't sure about the bit of orange he saw in there, though. Clarice had always been on a mission to get him to wear something other than black, which he had actually begun to do but he wasn't sure he was ready for orange. At least there was nothing neon and no pink. That he could see. "Huh? Oh," Kevin looked down at his arm and tried to remember how pale he'd been before but he couldn't quite remember anymore and unless he wanted to check below the waistline of his boxers he wasn't going to. Kevin ruled that out as a possibility. "Yeah, well, less people means Ah don't gotta worry 'bout people much and Ah'm not such a fan of drinking eighty gallons of water to stay hydrated just because I'm wearing ten pounds of clothing, y'know?"
The clothes were all from a resale shop near campus in Maryland that apparently only sold clothing made from synthetic fabrics. They had some truly god-awful pieces there too. Hideous. However, upon realizing the fabric type for most of the things she had gone on a shopping spree, trying to find the less hideous pieces for Kevin. Just because natural, breathable good fabrics could not be worn did not mean that he had to despair with fashion, "It makes you look healthy and not so...sick," duh. Like she could really talk though with her non-tanning purple skin. "It's good. Anyways, try that stuff on and I can get more. Found a great shop near school that apparently hates natural fibers. Your kind of place, if you liked shopping." And people.
Kevin had set his tools down and picked up a short sleeved shirt. He was holding it up and examining it and then looked around it at Clarice. "Ah looked sick? When'd Ah look sick?" He frowned. Had he missed that part? Had he been sickly? Kevin poked at his stomach as if to ensure he wasn't emaciated. Then he pulled his shirt up a bit and peeled down the waistband of his boxers to see how pale he'd been. Kevin frowned a little at the tanline there and the difference in skintone on each side. "Maybe Ah was a little sickly," he admitted as the waistband was released and snapped back into place and he pulled his shirt back down. "Thanks, though. For the clothes, Ah mean. I'll try it all on later. When, y'know, Ah'm inside and all. How're finals?"
She hadn't thought he would try them on now. If only because he was sort of busy and slightly sweaty. Watching him actually check for his tan line was funny though. Hilarious. "Dude. You looked like...not bad, but definitely not good. I knew you were healthy, just really pale," she resisted the urge to poke him. Not only would he not appreciate it, she did not want to lose her finger, "Final's are over. So, what're you working on?"
"That was a 'were' not an 'are,'" he clarified, making a face at himself. Kevin started to gather up the pile of clothing so he could stuff it all in the backpack he had in the shed. "Lot's of stuff. Got some commissions. Those're done," he nodded off to her left. Everything was of the abstract, industrial variety of sculpture that Kevin favored. He hadn't done much with recognizable shapes after his first month at the West Coast Annex, but he was experimenting with organic shapes in metal and incorporating wood. After the clothes were stashed he came back out and went to a six foot tall sculpture that was gleamingly silver. "This is my favorite. A couple commissioned it. Wanted something endless." The sculpture had no easily discernible lines or breaks. There were no sharp corners, all curves and fluid.
"Sweet," Clarice approached to inspect it, nodding appreciatively. It was gorgeous, "So...you have your own business here?" she asked, she wasn't really sure. It looked like he did and the pieces, even the unfinished ones looked amazing to her. To be able to work with and manipulate metal...it was impressive. She thought it was more so than her altering of clothes or her occasional designs, though they had become less and less frequent with the demands of school and the team. "And people buy your work? That is so cool!"
"It's not a business." But Kevin was grinning and obviously proud of the fact she'd even assumed he did. "Ah met some people through my therapist and he showed them some of what Ah could do. It kinda traveled from there. He helped me find places to sell off some of my stuff like Ah always do and some of those people wanted commissions, too. It's kinda awesome, though, someone askin' me to create something for them. Like Ah'm actually someone who knows something and is worth all the money they keep tryin' to throw at me for stuff Ah make outta scrap metal." Kevin obviously didn't think he was that special, but his tone wasn't self-deprecating. Rather he just couldn't believe it. Leo had said he wanted to see Kevin's art in Central Park one day. It had seemed silly and far off to Kevin when he said that at the end of last year. But maybe it wasn't.
"You should make it a small business," she said, examining a large, partially finished sculpture, "you could be the next big thing, it'd be awesome. And I'd design you clothes," she wasn't designing clothes, she was examining the differences in Homo Erectus and Homo Habilis, but still. It would be fun. "And then I could say 'I knew you when,'" she stood properly then went over to a nearby spot on the grass to sit and watch him work. She hadn't expected him to go with her to the beach and this was better anyways, just hanging out.
"Ah dunno that Ah'm all that good to have a business and make anything out of it. Ah don't really got the head for all that stuff." An ungloved hand slid down the curving edge of a sculpture that ended in an abrupt and jarring edge that then cut to the side at a ninety degree angle. Kevin thought about it though. It'd be kind of amazing to make a life this way. Just creating and getting paid for it. Most people couldn't make a life out of the thing they loved. Clarice almost made it sound doable, like it wasn't just some pipe dream or something. Kevin pulled on a pair of gloves before he picked the metal saw back up and stared at his sheet of metal. His eyes moved from it to the sculpture he was working on as he thought. Something about the shape of Clarice's hair and the edge of her jaw caught his attention and then he nodded to himself. He pulled an edge of the sheet up so that it was raised onto one thin edge, then began to cut a foot wide strip off. As the cut piece of metal fell to the ground Kevin looked over at Clarice again, "Ah don't think Ah'll ever get well-known enough for your 'Ah knew 'im when' to happen. Sorry."
"You don't know that," Kevin was about her age, they still had plenty of time before things did or didn't happen like fame. It wasn't overnight and even those kids like Lindsey Lohan and the Olsen Twins were working and making their careers from birth, which wasn't like Clarice or Kevin. Of course, they weren't insane either, thank goodness. Those celebrity kids were nuts. "It might not happen over night, but it could happen. You gotta work it though, like on the catwalk," she began chanting 'I'm Too Sexy' by Right Said Fred.
Kevin had picked up his strip of metal and had laid it over an anvil that was a few feet off. The hammer was poised to strike and then she began singing. He stopped, arm raised and his eyes slid over to Clarice. "Ah'm not gettin' up and shakin' my booty for you to make money off of in the chaps you're gonna design for me. Just so we're clear there. There will be no Kevin and catwalks."
"You are no fun," she pronounced. That was something she stated every time they hung out. It was like, if she said it often enough it would suddenly not be true anymore. The fact was though, she and Kevin had little in common though they got along alright. It was a stretch to find something to do, "Do you rollerblade?" she asked randomly.
"Haven't in a long time." He gave her a wary look. "Ah used to be able to stay upright at least. Been a while though. You plottin' my demise?" Which he was positive was very possible. Clarice was benign enough, honestly, but she was all high energy and extroversion and he was dead on the opposite side of the personality spectrum. Kevin still wasn't sure how he'd ended up adopted by her, so to speak. It was probably that she liked that look of being doomed he got on his face when he found everything he owned covered in glitter or something like that. Though, honestly, he did like having Clarice around. Her brand of perky was kind of a nice change from Kevin's brand of low key.
"Well, I was thinking," she said, one finger tapping her chin in thought, "You aren't really the beach type, but there are boardwalks. And rollerblading on them would be fun," she hadn't roller bladed in years, but how hard could it be to pick it back up again? She had a bike, she was in good shape. It would be fun! And if nothing else, it would get Kevin out of his happy bubble a little. That was what Clarice loved, taking Kevin out of his comfort zone. After all, if she didn't do it, who would? Not Kevin, that was for sure!
"Ah'm not really not the beach type," Kevin corrected, "Ah'm just not the 'round too many people to keep an eye on type. Ah don't have a problem with the beach even if Ah gotta make sure Ah'm covered. Ah like the beach at night when there's less people. Bonfires and stuff, y'know?" He eyed his hammer, then put it down on the sheet of metal. "But if you wanna go rollerblading Ah'm down for it. Just, y'know, no taking pictures when Ah wipe out." Which he had no doubts he'd do.
Fair enough, Clarice just couldn't see him romping around in a pair of board shorts no matter who was or wasn't around. Frolicking in the ocean just didn't seem very Kevin-like. He wasn't the sandcastle type either. He was the wear tons of clothes and bitch because there was sand in them type. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. You know of a roller blade rental place? Or do you have something else you want to do that a) gets you away from here and b) isn't boring?"
"Define 'boring,'" he asked with a bit of a smile. "Ah dunno if there's a roller blade rental place anywhere or not. Ah only end up there at night usually. Ah think there's maybe a bike rental if all else fails." He would have suggested walking but Kevin was pretty sure that ended up in the boring category. "Or you could steal someone's skateboard and we could practice our crashing." Kevin hadn't been on a skateboard since he was fourteen or fifteen. Crashing seemed the likeliest result from that. But it'd fun maybe.
"Bikes, rollerblade, whatever," Clarice shrugged, it would both be good regardless. Walking was definitely boring. Why walk when you could roll? "Steal a skateboard?" she snickered, amused by the suggestion, "What is this? 1985? Should I get one of those 'skateboarding is not a crime' bumper stickers?" stretching her legs out she wiggled her toes, "I think we'll keep the traumatic brain injuries to a minimum, okay?" After all, Nate wasn't around.
"Who said Ah'd need a skateboard to get a traumatic brain injury? Ah don't assume anything's impossible if Ah'm with you." Glitter. Brain injuries. Dinosaurs made of glitter eating half his brain out of his skull. Clarice was special that way. In her own, fuzzy, ball of joy way. "And don't hate on the skateboards. Your prejudice isn't welcome here," he told her with a bit of a smile. "All wheeled modes of transportation are valid life choices, Clarice."
"Uh huh, you say that now, but you won't be saying it when you bash your skull in and I gotta scream at some poor overworked paramedic so they don't touch you and then I gotta suture your damn head back together and you know I'll do it crooked just to spite you," and add a barney band aid if it was someplace he wouldn't easily. She was sneaky like that. And evil, but mostly, she wanted to go do something.
He shook his head at her and started gathering tools and bits and pieces. "Why're you touchin' me to stitch me up if you won't let the paramedic do it? If Ah've got my head bashed in Ah don't think Ah'll manage to make sure you don't have skin contact with me. You're prettier not bein' a mummy," he told her as he started to shift the things that needed to be put away back into the work shed.
"'Cause, I'm not scared of you, dummy. And anyways, I know to mummy up as opposed to some hapless paramedic. I can just see that lawsuit, no thanks," she got up and adjusted her dress as he put his things away. "The weather here is gorgeous. Maybe I'll transfer out for the summer, be a beach blanket bimbo when I'm not on missions," she wasn't serious, but it was sort of tempting. It was beautiful, unlike New York where it was rainy right now and not nearly as warm.
"That's not always a healthy position to take, y'know. Not bein' scared of me, Ah mean." The sheet metal was the last thing Kevin had to move, pulling it to lean against the side of the shed and leaving the cut strip inside of it. "Ah don't think you'd make a good beach blanket bimbo. Don't ya have to be kinda stupid to pull that off? Y'know, shopping and boys and tanning and nothing else in your head? You're over-qualified. But you're right 'bout the weather. Had a heatwave a couple weeks back. That was awesome." He emerged from the shed with the lightest long sleeved, hooded tee shirt on that he owned. It was, remarkably enough, a light grey rather than black. Kevin locked up the shed quickly and turned to Clarice, "Alright, guess Ah'm all yours."
"Rock star! 'Course, you should be wary of saying that to me, I might break out the whips and chains," she was joking, but she did do crazy things every once and a while, "No one said I was the brightest bulb. You gotta admit though, I have fairly unique medical training," she was only an EMT, not even a nurse and had no intention of becoming one, though she still thought medical school was in her future to become a doctor, but she had skills not found too often outside of combat medics or CDC personnel who worked with dangerous things. She was used to working in high pressure, potentially combatant or dangerous situations and with an array of mutant powers that may or may not hurt her in various ways. It kept things interesting, "Anyways. We're not going to bust your skull open. We're going to have fun. And get sushi. I want really good, fresh sushi, too."
Kevin blinked at Clarice and looked as if he were seriously considering being afraid. "Ah thought you swore off men? Didn't you, Ah dunno, go to the other team or something? Isn't the whips and chains usually involved with sex at some point?" He was really hoping Clarice didn't proclaim having a sadistic streak or wanting to wear a strap on and teach him to take it like a man. That would just be awkward and he didn't have any sort of snappy retort for that, which it seemed he ought to have. Refocusing the conversation, though, Kevin went with something safe. Food was always safer to talk about. "Yeah, we can find good sushi. There's lots of it around. And no busted skull, check. Ah'll do my best." He said it as someone who got injured frequently, but the truth was that Kevin was so hyper-aware of the people and things around him that he didn't end up tripping or falling over or crashing much. Not even on wheels. Well, not yet anyway.
"Oh, yeah, I did," she shrugged and waved her new found sexuality away with one hand, "No men. Doesn't mean I gotta get all freaky-deaky or whatever. And last time I checked, you're still a dude, even if you like it in the ass," Clarice had such a way with words. And she had no idea who had pitched or caught between Kevin and Jay or if they switched off. She just made the assumption and ran with it, "Sushi. Good. For a minute I was afraid you were one of those guys who was like 'ew, raw fish! Gross!'" she made this high pitched whiny voice that was the complete antithesis of manly.
Kevin's eyebrows furrowed and his mouth was pressed into a thin line, the look on his face being best described as both unimpressed and confused. "For the record, no Ah don't. And raw fish ain't that scary. Ah like sushi. Long as Ah can convince 'em to stop putting so much avocado in all the rolls." He made a face. Kevin had quickly learned that Californians were obsessed with the avocado and it probably just made it worse being in Fallbrook, which was known for their groves of them. He thought they were squishy and sort of disgusting but they put the things on everything. There was a desperate effort on Kevin's part to not think about the thought that Clarice had thought about him and Jay not only sleeping together but who was likely on top and bottom. His effort wasn't as far reaching as to stop him from being a bit offended that she'd been such a bad enough judge as to get the roles reversed.
If Clarice had really thought about Jay and Kevin, she would have known which one had pitched and caught, but she had no desire to really delve into those thoughts too deeply. It was much more fun to just taunt him and let the barbs fly in whatever random direction the wind blew. "Avocado is weird. I only eat it in sushi. I think it's a west coast thing," she'd never had avocado until she'd had sushi, though her mom had always had it around to eat. It was sort of tasteless, she thought. And definitely strange. No, she was not an avocado fan either, "So, then. You're local. Where to first? And do we need a car? Do you have one?"
"Got a car, but," he trailed off and gave her a look. "Are you gonna have the patience for drivin'? Ah remember the last time you were in a car with me you started bouncing 'round in your seat like you had to pee or somethin' but you were just too impatient and went on about how long it took to get anywhere. But if you are patient enough Ah'd say sushi first. Ah know a good place on the way to the beach."
"Yeah, sure," she shrugged, not at all perturbed by his comments about her. She was not the most patient when it came to travel, even of short distances. She could drive and she had a bicycle, but really, she mostly teleported any significant distance unless there was a reason not to. She had to fly sometimes for missions, but even that wasn't so bad, going into situations like those blindly could be bad. "I'll behave. Just don't drive like my grandmother," Clarice viewed speed limits more as 'guidelines.'
Kevin nodded in the general direction of the garage and started to walk toward it. "By 'drive like your grandmother' do you mean under twenty miles an hour or like under eighty? 'Cause if it's the second one Ah'm definitely drivin' like your grandmother." And maybe like her dead grandmother according to Clarice's standards. Kevin was really fond of avoiding the cops and staying clear of being arrested, that meant staying resolutely beneath the speed limit.
"Eighty's a good start," Clarice allowed, with a smile. She drove less than that, but it had to feel like she was going somewhere and doing something, otherwise, she got bored. Traffic was not a good place for Clarice at all. She did not do well in it, road rage? That was Clarice in traffic. Thankfully, it was not something she had to deal with often, "Anyways, my grandmother rocked. And gave me my sewing machine. So you better drive like my grandmother, music loud and going fast."
"Well, Ah can get the music covered," he offered as a compromise of sorts. Kevin was definitely not dealing with the police for a speeding ticket. He just didn't think he'd react that well to anyone putting something on his record next to that bit about first degree manslaughter. Not even a hot girl was worth that.
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