Xavin & JPB | Monday Afternoon

[xp-northstar.livejournal.com]

Xavin and Jean-Paul take a break from the mansion to visit a mall courtesy of image inducers. Impromptu plans for the weekend after Christmas are made.


It was weird looking down at a pair of hands that looked like they were supposed to look, rather than ... green. The bitten nails, the dry skin and the torn cuticle were unchanged but the hands were the way they were supposed to look. Xavin broke off another piece of muffin and ate it, watching the Christmas shoppers stream past their little cordoned off corner of the mall. "Thanks. I needed to get out of the mansion for bit."

Jean-Paul shrugged, then frowned at his reflection in a nearby shop window. "Think nothing of it." He poked at his cheek. "It is very irritating, this." Of course, he couldn't specify what was irritating, given the mall was busy with holiday shoppers, but still. It should be fairly obvious. He couldn't wear his own face out and about. "I am glad to have something to do that is not lurk in the library with the nag."

Xavin nodded. "It's just ... me, only not. And like, what happens when it breaks?" There was a shrug and then Xavin said. "Well, I guess I put on the balaclava in my bag and we pretend I'm a horribly disfigured burns victim or something till we're in the car. I don't know what you'll do."

Laughing a little despite himself, Jean-Paul shook his head. "It is only that... I find hiding these things frustrating, oui? You should not have to. I should not have to. Also, please remind me to never be blond again. It is very awful. Too awful." Taking a sip of his cappuccino, the Quebecois shrugged. "The world is a disappointing place sometimes. But it is good that you are not being a hermit. I was a hermit, after the accident. I think the nag would say I am a hermit, still. Or a gargoyle."

Xavin looked over at him and blinked. "Who is nag?"

"The British one who lurks in the library," Jean-Paul said, amused despite himself. "She interrupts me always. Most especially when I am at the best parts of the books."

"Oh, the weird one. I totally don't get her." Xavin finished the muffin and said, "Look, I have a favour to ask. We used to go on vacation to Colorado in winter sometimes and - I'm not asking for a holiday or anything! but I haven't skied or snowboarded or anything in like five years now and..."

Straightening, Jean-Paul outright grinned. "There is an unfortunately named store here somewhere, is there not? I am - was?" He paused to consider whether or not he was still technically endorsing any winter-related sports products, then shrugged. "It matters not. There are very many very good brands, perhaps not the best. If they do not have something good enough, there is always the internet."

The shift from needing good because the neighbours would see and care to ... not needing it wasn't easy. This stuff was expensive. "I don't need good stuff. Just something that'll do for next bit. The mansion might even have some old stuff I can borrow."

Jean-Paul looked at Xavin askance. "Oui?" He asked slowly, tilting his head to the side. "You would like to... do something? There are places to ski, of course. A day trip?"

"Mmm. I mean, as long as the image inducer doesn't break. I had to drop soccer and cheer squad and all when I... you know, turned green and it would be fun. It's not like we have to go to Colorado or someplace anymore. It's actually kind of convenient."

It almost physically pained the Olympian to let the question of quality gear slide, but he chose to do so because sometimes he could be tactful. "Oui, yes. And I would like it very much," he agreed. "The winter break for your schooling, it is soon?" An amusing thought struck him then - picturing Gabriel on skis. He wondered if the Texan actually knew how to ski. "Let us plan this."

"Yeah. We finish on the 23rd. But -" Xavin held up a hand. "I'm not very good at skiing. You should probably know that now."

Jean-Paul waved his hand through the air. "This matters not, also. We will find a place that does easy runs and difficult runs. Or - snowboarding?"

"That would work. I'm not that great at it, either but I can go forwards and down, more or less."

Jean-Paul's shrug was almost negligent. "I only judge people who claim to be very good when they are very bad. Do not worry about what I think of your skiing or your snowboarding. As long as you have fun, do not hurt anyone else, and do not manage to break your neck, everything will be good."

"I can do that." A man wandered by in shorts and Xavin said "As long as there's actually snow by then."

Smirking, Jean-Paul said, "Oui. Or we could go to one of the places that makes its own snow. It is not as good, but."

"We might have to. There are people in shorts here."

"Or, if you do not mind a trip so much, we could go to Canada. You have your passport, oui?"

"It's with my parents. They'd send it if Matt asked but I don't exactly look like the photo anymore."

Wrinkling his nose, Jean-Paul shrugged. "Ask this Matt, oui? And then... I do not know, there is someone at the mansion who can make a new one or put on a new picture, is there not?" He continues to frown, though, until he smiles instead. "Or! There is the one who does the..." He draws a circle in the air with his hand and wiggles his fingers. "From one place to another. No passport necessary."

"That might be best. I've never been teleported." Like you could say that and it was a normal thing. Never been teleported. "They're stalling because why should they send my passport when they don't want anything to do with me and I'm almost 18. Promise you'll bust me out of Canadian jail if we get caught?"

Very sincerely, Jean-Paul said, "I promise I will... bust you out of Canadian jail if we get caught." Then he laughs and shakes his head. "But we will not be caught, as you say. I am very good friends with the people at Whitewater." He considered that for a moment, frowning. "Or any of the others, oui? Whitewater might be too much. It is challenging."

"Is the whole place challenging or do they have some easier ones? And please, remember that you're going to bust me out of jail when I get arrested for being an illegal green mutant."

This was, possibly, one of the more ridiculous conversations of Jean-Paul's life. He shrugged again. "I will remember these things. And there are some beginner runs at the resort."

"Great. So... when do we go?"

"Your vacation, it is the twenty-third, oui? When does it end? The weekend of the twenty-sixth might work," Jean-Paul said, having pulled his mobile from his pocket to check the dates. "Or any weekend. Whenever you are not buried under school work and things. Perhaps others would like to come, also?" He's not so sure about that one, but it's also not really within his nature to purposefully exclude people who haven't horribly annoyed him.

Xavin nodded and grinned before sobering. "Just after Christmas would be ...amazing." The teen looked out at the passing Christmas shoppers for a moment before saying, "If you're happy with the others coming, that would be good. There's a few of us who can't go home for the holidays."

"C'est la vie," Jean-Paul muttered. Yes, such was life. And sometimes life sucked. "Oui, yes. Others, if you would like to invite them. I think I will ask Gabriel if he would like to come along, also."

Xavin gave a brief smirk at that. "Yeah, invite him. That would be good. I think he needs to get... away."

"Merci," Jean-Paul said, smiling. "I will begin with the planning, then. The phone calls. And you see who of your friends you would like to take with us." He was pretty sure he could get their rooms comped. Such was the joy of having a public Twitter where he could rhapsodize about the brilliance of the resort. Everyone loves free publicity.

"Thanks," Xavin replied.