![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
x-tarot.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
xp_logsAirports cause agitation, and when you're a traumtised mutant teenage girl, it can only end in badness. Angie and Jubilee snark. A lot. Really, that's all it is. Just snarking, that hides a lot of pain for the both of them. Sometimes, you need to vent to heal.
The ambient noises of the airport were, on a annoyance scale, fairly high. They were nothing, compared to the extremely local noises coming from Jubilee. The roar of engines, the people milling about, the squalling of small, tired children were all drowned out by the sound of gum being popped and snapped.
Angie had tried to be tolerant, and patient and forgiving. Admittedly, she had tried it Monday and Tuesday, with people who were not Jubilee, but she felt that under the circumstances, her ire was understandable. She typed the last words of an email, and closed her laptop. The invisible internet -thing- in the airport had only been so helpful in settling her agitation.
"Jubilee, if you do not stop that, I am going to find something horrible to do to you.", she said, not bothering to try to mask the level of irritation in her voice.
Jubilee looked up, the bubble she'd just blown popping before she spoke, she'd been trying to get one of the Tetris blocks in the little Gameboy she had to go where she wanted it to, and it was mocking her by not doing so. "Huh?"
"That noise. With your gum." Angie clutched her fingers around the side of her laptop, trying to prevent them from twitching with frustration. She wasn't having a good day. In truth, she wasn't having a good -month-, and if the noises didn't stop, it wasn't going to be a good vacation either. She should have definitely stayed at the school.
Jubilee shrugged, looking at her friend. Considering they were going to be sitting together on the plane, possibly it would be a good idea for her to find out what was bothering Angie now. She reached up and scratched the skin under her collar, now disguised rather ingenious as a neck brace. "Sorry, like, didn't realise it was gettin' annoying. Dude, but this is so not about my gum, is it? What's eatin' you?"
A single raised eyebrow was the only answer Jubilee received for several seconds. Once her hand relaxed itself, and the twitching stopped, Angie decided that she could answer, with at least some of the truth. She folded her arms, still irritated. "Other than knowing I am about to be trapped on an airplane with people who cannot get along, even if paid to?"
Jubilee sighed and closed the game of Tetris she'd been playing. "Gee, wonder who they could be? You know, it's not as if I started it. She's the one that's like, so totally a bitch all the time. If she'd just stop sniping at me, I wouldn't snipe back at her, you know?"
A highly abnormal - and in fact, unseen to anyone before this- icy cold glare passed over Angie's face. "I have had a horrible week. Amanda has had a worse one, and I am almost not sure having a worse week than me is actually possible. Do not make excuses for your inability to control your mouth."
Angie's comment hit home, and Jubilee's face tightened, becoming withdrawn, her fingers brushed her collar again as they often did these days. She think she's had a bad week, she's not the one whose wearing the collar Jubilee thought but didn't say.
"Yeah, you've had a bad week and so has she and I can be like, all understanding of that. S'not like I'm a total bitch."
A seemingly warm smile caused the corners of Angie's mouth to turn up, though it didn't' quite reach her eyes. "Good. I am not sure Ms. Frost or Mr. Wisdom would be very pleased with me if you did." She lowered her voice to a near whisper. "and I am certain that using my power on the plane would be an extremely unwise idea."
Jubilee's expression tightened into a pale mask, her eyes becoming flat and unwelcoming. It wasn't the first time she'd been threatened by someone but having it come from a friend was painful.
"Dude, way harsh. Like, I told you I wouldn't needle her, I meant it. No need to threaten me with shit. So totally beyond cool, way, way beyond cool. So beyond cool to be outside even the universe of cool. Dude, you even so much as draw in my direction and I'll knock your block off, in the old fashioned no powers variety way. I thought you were my fuckin' friend."
If the implied threat of violence shocked Angie, it certainly didn't show. Even through the fatigue and stress in her expression, she maintained an eerie smile. "Who said anything about drawing, Jubilee?" she asked, quietly. "That is the second time you've assumed I cannot take care of myself, and the second time you've threatened someone without provocation today."
Jubilee shook her head, her hair falling about her shoulders, semi concealing her expression. "I know you can take care of yourself. I never doubted it. But where I come from, you don't let your friends get hurt without doing something to the person who did the hurting. As for threatening, you threatened me first. What, like, I'm meant to be all docile now or somethin'? You know me better then that, Angie. You push me, I'm gonna push right back."
"Jubilee, you have barely even the first clue of how I was hurt. You have no right to step in." Angie's voice was even, though -barely- so. She shoved her hands in the front pocket of the heavy sweatshirt she had again borrowed from Doug, and scowled. "If you consider what I said a threat... " Inside the pocket, she ran her fingers over the cards she'd tucked inside. At the time, having them there just made her feel better. Now, she knew why.
"So what was it then? A promise? Christ, Angie, going psychotic much?" Jubilee glared at Marie-Ange, her hands tight fists against her knees. She wasn't entirely sure why she was feeling so angry, so hurt. But damned if she'd show it, not to Angie, not to anyone.
"Psychotic? Non. I am quite sure I retain my sanity, if nothing else. I still have no intention of ever harming anyone." Angie smirked, coldly. "That does not mean I will not take other methods of ensuring that the trip is free of you taking potshots at Amanda."
Jubilee stood, her eyes cold and hard as she picked up her bag. She'd promised she wouldn't take potshots at Amanda, hadn't she? "Didn't I already say I wasn't gonna take any potshots at her? Not like I'll be sittin' that close to her anyhow. But I'll be damned if I'll fuckin' sit there and take it if she lays into me. I had enough of being someone's punchin' bag when I was a kid. Damned if I'm gonna let anyone use me that way again, trauma or no fuckin' trauma. So you know what, Angie. You wanna do somethin' to me, go right ahead. Can't be worse then what's been done to me already." Jubilee slung her bag over her shoulder, turning away as if to walk off. "It only hurts after the first punch, you know. Then it's just one long pain till it's done. You can endure the pain, cause you know that sooner or later they'll get bored and leave you alone. Well, you'll get bored soon too, and then you'll leave me alone."
Angie's voice was a harsh whisper, barely audible. "Vous parlez au merde." She shook her head, and took the deck of cards from her pocket. "So much drama, for one little girl who can't control her powers." She turned, and began methodically shuffling the tarot cards, her hands moving rapidly, in practiced smooth motions.
Jubilee shook her head, recognizing the last bit of the French Angie had just spoken from an old Next Gen episode. She was tired of this, and it was time she walked away, before she said something she couldn't take back. "Yeah, drama, right. Look, Angie, I'll catch you on the plane, okay? Gonna go get myself something to eat before we take off. Just, I'm not gonna take potshots, okay? I promised and I like, keep my promises. Let's just leave it at that, okay?"
"So long as you keep your word, we will be fine, for now." Angie answered, too calmly for the even quality in her voice to be real. She finished shuffling the cards, laying out a simple spread of cards. "I would not want to resort to creative measures," she said, too quietly for Jubilee to hear, as she turned the final card over, to show a bound and blindfolded woman, surrounded by swords.
The ambient noises of the airport were, on a annoyance scale, fairly high. They were nothing, compared to the extremely local noises coming from Jubilee. The roar of engines, the people milling about, the squalling of small, tired children were all drowned out by the sound of gum being popped and snapped.
Angie had tried to be tolerant, and patient and forgiving. Admittedly, she had tried it Monday and Tuesday, with people who were not Jubilee, but she felt that under the circumstances, her ire was understandable. She typed the last words of an email, and closed her laptop. The invisible internet -thing- in the airport had only been so helpful in settling her agitation.
"Jubilee, if you do not stop that, I am going to find something horrible to do to you.", she said, not bothering to try to mask the level of irritation in her voice.
Jubilee looked up, the bubble she'd just blown popping before she spoke, she'd been trying to get one of the Tetris blocks in the little Gameboy she had to go where she wanted it to, and it was mocking her by not doing so. "Huh?"
"That noise. With your gum." Angie clutched her fingers around the side of her laptop, trying to prevent them from twitching with frustration. She wasn't having a good day. In truth, she wasn't having a good -month-, and if the noises didn't stop, it wasn't going to be a good vacation either. She should have definitely stayed at the school.
Jubilee shrugged, looking at her friend. Considering they were going to be sitting together on the plane, possibly it would be a good idea for her to find out what was bothering Angie now. She reached up and scratched the skin under her collar, now disguised rather ingenious as a neck brace. "Sorry, like, didn't realise it was gettin' annoying. Dude, but this is so not about my gum, is it? What's eatin' you?"
A single raised eyebrow was the only answer Jubilee received for several seconds. Once her hand relaxed itself, and the twitching stopped, Angie decided that she could answer, with at least some of the truth. She folded her arms, still irritated. "Other than knowing I am about to be trapped on an airplane with people who cannot get along, even if paid to?"
Jubilee sighed and closed the game of Tetris she'd been playing. "Gee, wonder who they could be? You know, it's not as if I started it. She's the one that's like, so totally a bitch all the time. If she'd just stop sniping at me, I wouldn't snipe back at her, you know?"
A highly abnormal - and in fact, unseen to anyone before this- icy cold glare passed over Angie's face. "I have had a horrible week. Amanda has had a worse one, and I am almost not sure having a worse week than me is actually possible. Do not make excuses for your inability to control your mouth."
Angie's comment hit home, and Jubilee's face tightened, becoming withdrawn, her fingers brushed her collar again as they often did these days. She think she's had a bad week, she's not the one whose wearing the collar Jubilee thought but didn't say.
"Yeah, you've had a bad week and so has she and I can be like, all understanding of that. S'not like I'm a total bitch."
A seemingly warm smile caused the corners of Angie's mouth to turn up, though it didn't' quite reach her eyes. "Good. I am not sure Ms. Frost or Mr. Wisdom would be very pleased with me if you did." She lowered her voice to a near whisper. "and I am certain that using my power on the plane would be an extremely unwise idea."
Jubilee's expression tightened into a pale mask, her eyes becoming flat and unwelcoming. It wasn't the first time she'd been threatened by someone but having it come from a friend was painful.
"Dude, way harsh. Like, I told you I wouldn't needle her, I meant it. No need to threaten me with shit. So totally beyond cool, way, way beyond cool. So beyond cool to be outside even the universe of cool. Dude, you even so much as draw in my direction and I'll knock your block off, in the old fashioned no powers variety way. I thought you were my fuckin' friend."
If the implied threat of violence shocked Angie, it certainly didn't show. Even through the fatigue and stress in her expression, she maintained an eerie smile. "Who said anything about drawing, Jubilee?" she asked, quietly. "That is the second time you've assumed I cannot take care of myself, and the second time you've threatened someone without provocation today."
Jubilee shook her head, her hair falling about her shoulders, semi concealing her expression. "I know you can take care of yourself. I never doubted it. But where I come from, you don't let your friends get hurt without doing something to the person who did the hurting. As for threatening, you threatened me first. What, like, I'm meant to be all docile now or somethin'? You know me better then that, Angie. You push me, I'm gonna push right back."
"Jubilee, you have barely even the first clue of how I was hurt. You have no right to step in." Angie's voice was even, though -barely- so. She shoved her hands in the front pocket of the heavy sweatshirt she had again borrowed from Doug, and scowled. "If you consider what I said a threat... " Inside the pocket, she ran her fingers over the cards she'd tucked inside. At the time, having them there just made her feel better. Now, she knew why.
"So what was it then? A promise? Christ, Angie, going psychotic much?" Jubilee glared at Marie-Ange, her hands tight fists against her knees. She wasn't entirely sure why she was feeling so angry, so hurt. But damned if she'd show it, not to Angie, not to anyone.
"Psychotic? Non. I am quite sure I retain my sanity, if nothing else. I still have no intention of ever harming anyone." Angie smirked, coldly. "That does not mean I will not take other methods of ensuring that the trip is free of you taking potshots at Amanda."
Jubilee stood, her eyes cold and hard as she picked up her bag. She'd promised she wouldn't take potshots at Amanda, hadn't she? "Didn't I already say I wasn't gonna take any potshots at her? Not like I'll be sittin' that close to her anyhow. But I'll be damned if I'll fuckin' sit there and take it if she lays into me. I had enough of being someone's punchin' bag when I was a kid. Damned if I'm gonna let anyone use me that way again, trauma or no fuckin' trauma. So you know what, Angie. You wanna do somethin' to me, go right ahead. Can't be worse then what's been done to me already." Jubilee slung her bag over her shoulder, turning away as if to walk off. "It only hurts after the first punch, you know. Then it's just one long pain till it's done. You can endure the pain, cause you know that sooner or later they'll get bored and leave you alone. Well, you'll get bored soon too, and then you'll leave me alone."
Angie's voice was a harsh whisper, barely audible. "Vous parlez au merde." She shook her head, and took the deck of cards from her pocket. "So much drama, for one little girl who can't control her powers." She turned, and began methodically shuffling the tarot cards, her hands moving rapidly, in practiced smooth motions.
Jubilee shook her head, recognizing the last bit of the French Angie had just spoken from an old Next Gen episode. She was tired of this, and it was time she walked away, before she said something she couldn't take back. "Yeah, drama, right. Look, Angie, I'll catch you on the plane, okay? Gonna go get myself something to eat before we take off. Just, I'm not gonna take potshots, okay? I promised and I like, keep my promises. Let's just leave it at that, okay?"
"So long as you keep your word, we will be fine, for now." Angie answered, too calmly for the even quality in her voice to be real. She finished shuffling the cards, laying out a simple spread of cards. "I would not want to resort to creative measures," she said, too quietly for Jubilee to hear, as she turned the final card over, to show a bound and blindfolded woman, surrounded by swords.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}