xp_logs | LOG: Warren and Shinobi

Warren and Shinobi encounter each other smoking on the porch. They discuss the Hellfire Club, Sarah, Piotr, and mutation, and Shinobi promises Warren a strawberry cake. Takes place right before the Hellfire Club event.

Warren had already stepped out onto the porch and drawn a cigarette from his pocket when he realized he'd left his lighter on his desk. He was about to go back in to get it when he noticed a tuft of dark hair and a curl of smoke coming out from behind a wall. Shinobi. Figures. That boy smoked like a fiend. Warren approached him with a small smile. "Got a light?" he asked sheepishly.

Shinobi blinked in surprise as he looked up, a heavy coat tugged on over his white silk suit - he and the others would be leaving for Selene's soon, and he wanted to chase away his nerves before they left. "Warren. Sure." He bobbed his head in recognition before rummaging in one of his pockets, offering his lighter with a slight grin.

Warren lit up, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply. The first drag was always the best. He opened his eyes and exhaled a puff of smoke. "Thanks," he said, handing back the lighter. He leaned back against the wall and glanced over at Shinobi, noticing his fancy clothes. "Where are you off to tonight?"

"Endymion House for a Hellfire Club function," Shinobi replied with a smile tinged by lingering nerves, tucking his lighter back into his pocket. "Going to bump into my father there, without a doubt. Not looking forward to it, so.." He lifted his cigarette slightly, with a wry smile.

"Ah. The Hellfire Club." Warren nodded in understanding. "Actually, my father is part of that organization as well." Warren took a drag, thinking. "So why are you going, if you don't want to see your father anyway?"

Briefly, Shinobi quirked an eyebrow before he shook it off, simply filing the information away for later. "I'm being sworn in, as it were," he said simply, a certain measure of pride in his voice. "Emma was short a Bishop, and thought I'd fit the bill." Besides, it's the highest form of familial rebellion that he could possibly commit. What's not to like?

Warren raised his eyebrows. "Wow. Congratulations," he said, giving Shinobi a congratulatory pat on the shoulder. He himself had chosen not to get involved with the organization at this point in his life, but it was clear that Shinobi was proud, and Warren knew that not just anyone was let into the club. "Are you nervous?"

He allowed himself a genuine smile at the pat on the shoulder, inclining his head politely. "Thanks. And.. a bit," Shinobi admitted, eyeing his cigarette a moment before dropping it to the ground and snuffing it out with his heel. "But I think I'll be fine once I'm actually there."

Warren returned the smile, then eyed Shinobi from head to toe. Shinobi looked a bit apprehensive, but otherwise Warren thought he seemed every bit a Hellfire Club Bishop. "I wouldn't worry," he said. "You'll blow them all away in that suit of yours. You look sharp." He took a final drag on his cigarette and tossed it aside. He rubbed his numb right hand with his warmer left one. "God, it's cold out here," he commented with a little shudder. "I think I'm going to head back in."

"Thank Emma. She's the one who gave me the suit." Shinobi smiled wryly, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he eyed Warren. "Ah, do me a bit of a favor?" he asked after a moment, smiling hopefully. "I, ah, talked with Yana for a bit last night. Piotr's.. smothering her, a bit. Think you can distract him so the poor girl can breathe?"

Warren sighed wearily and closed his eyes. "Yana." He opened his eyes. "I'll try, but I have to tell you. It kills him when he feels he can't be there for her."

"I understand that," Shinobi replied patiently, inclining his head slightly. "But he's overcompensating. Try? There's a strawberry cake in it for you?" He beamed hopefully.

Warren laughed. "Strawberry cake seems to be the common bribe around these parts," he observed. "Can't say it doesn't work. But only if I can share the cake with Piotr-- who, I believe, will be upset enough to need it more than I will." The two of them were at the door now, and Warren held it open for Shinobi.

"What you do with your cake is your business," Shinobi chuckled, nodding his thanks as he stepped in through the open door. "Share it with Piotr, share it with Jake, hoard it for yourself, whatever works."

"In that case, I'll be sure to mention something to Piotr." His voice turned grim. "It's going to kill him, but I suppose it's necessary." He stepped in behind Shinobi, and turned to face him. "Well, thanks for the light and the heads up on Yana. Good luck at the Hellfire Club event. Do us proud," he said with a slight crooked smile.

"You don't necessarily have to say he's driving her nuts," Shinobi observed, his expression sobering as he looked back towards Warren. "He's running himself ragged. Just remind him that she's fine, and he's no good to her completely exhausted. Spin it." He shrugged then, and grinning lopsidedly. "I'll certainly try not to embarass myself. That would be bad."

Warren nodded at Shinobi's advice regarding Piotr, then changed the subject. "I'm sure you won't. Are you going with Sarah?"

"It took some convincing, but yes," Shinobi nodded, shrugging out of his coat and threading his fingers through the loop in the collar for hanging it up, draping the coat over his shoulder.

"Seems like quite a few people are going to this thing," Warren remarked. "Me, I'm just staying in tonight and watching Zoolander. Maybe taking a bath. You know. Recovering from all of the recent... events," he finished with a grimace.

Shinobi nodded, offering a sympathetic smile that did an excellent job of hiding his faint grimace of distaste. Zoolander? God. Americans. "I think we all need a chance to just relax. Spring break's coming up soon, that should help."

"Tell me about it. I think I'm going crazy. Seems these days that I can't turn the page in my planner without finding out that yet some other terrible thing has happened." Warren glanced at Shinobi. "What are you doing for spring break anyway?"

"I was considering taking the opportunity to nip back to London," Shinobi admitted, scratching the back of his head thoughtfully. "Depends on whether or not I can coax Sarah onto a plane or not, though. Failing that, I may see if she's interested in a road trip or something."

"Oh, London." Warren nodded. "I was going to go to Russia with Piotr and Yana but... Well, I don't exactly know if they'd be up for it anymore." He frowned at this reminder of how badly the recent events had shaken up Piotr.

"Only one way to find out," Shinobi nodded, seriously doubting Illyana would be interested in spending a trans-atlantic flight stuck in a plane with her brother and keeping that thought to himself. He regarded Warren thoughtfully for a moment before giving up, and cocking his head to the side. "Don't take this the wrong way, mate, but.. what do you see in him? I don't mean it as an insult, mind, I'm just.. curious."

Warren jerked his head in surprise, then inwardly sighed. This wasn't the first time he'd been asked this question, and he knew that several people still hadn't forgiven Piotr for his insensitivity. Still, he hated answering this question and was caught off-guard every time. "What do I see in Piotr?" he finally repeated. "Well, he's... he's Piotr. I know," he sighed, "I know he's had some issues with people here, but believe me, he's not the insensitive pillock that everyone seems to think he is. If you get to know him, he's actually quite nice. One of the kindest people I've ever met, in fact." He paused to collect his thoughts. "He's made some mistakes, and he's said some things he shouldn't have said, but he tries his darned hardest to do right, and that's more than I can say for most of the people I've known." He looked over at Shinobi. "What about you and Sarah?"

"She never apologizes for being who she is," Shinobi replied readily, not even having to consider the question even as he let Warren's response sink in. "She doesn't censor herself, I don't have to censor myself around her.. and I know she'd die for me just as soon as I'd die for her." He paused a moment, and added, "She understands. Not many people would."

Warren thought about this for a moment before responding. "You guys are... cute together," he said thoughtfully. "Never thought I'd see Sarah, of all people, become part of a cute little couple. I don't know her all that well, but as far as I can tell, you seem to bring out the best in her."

"We're very cute for cynical chainsmokers, yes," Shinobi chuckled, smiling oddly and stuffing his free hand into his pocket. "I won't tell her you said so, even if I agree with it. One of these days, I'll get her to agree that she's at least capable of being cute. Bit of an uphill battle sometimes."

Warren smiled in understanding. "I suppose her mutation makes her feel like a bit strange sometimes," he said, a bit sadly. "And I know how she feels... But she really is a pretty girl, when she can be bothered to smile. I suspect she'll look quite stunning on your arm tonight."

"She's always stunning," Shinobi countered, winking cheerfully before Warren's words more fully registered, and he blinked twice. "Don't tell me you're ashamed of looking like a bloody *heavenly messenger*?" He eyed the older man with a mixture of amusement and utter disbelief.

Warren laughed shortly. "Heavenly messenger indeed," he said. "I look exactly like a bloody angel... Do you know how much of an uproar there would be if I were to walk down the streets with my wings fully spread? Those Christian fundamentalists wouldn't know whether to worship me or burn me at the stake. Some mornings, that thought is enough to make one feel like a bit of a freak. Me, I prefer to stay out of trouble."

"You're too worried about what other people think," Shinobi said after a moment, regarding Warren with a slightly more sympathetic eye than he had been previously. "Don't concentrate on what the people out there would think of you if you had your wings out. Concentrate on what you think of you when you have your wings out. Your opinion is the only one that really matters. None of us are freaks, and you're a lucky bloke, getting such an angelic visage. If any visibly different mutant's likely to gain acceptance from the majority, it's probably you." He gave his words a moment to sink in before he looked down at his watch, pursing his lips in thought. "I need to go get Sarah, make sure she's all set to go.. I'll get you that cake tomorrow, 'ay?"

Warren nodded thoughtfully, surprised that Shinobi had turned out to be so sympathetic. He didn't know what he'd been expecting, but he hadn't thought he'd get a full-on pep talk out of it. "Yeah... Yeah, I'd better get going as well. Need to pry Piotr away from Yana." He smiled at Shinobi. "Listen, you have fun tonight. And don't you dare forget about that cake, or there will be hell to pay."