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xp_logsSooraya, Angelo and David deal with a bunch of teens getting rather... rowdy.
“I hope Sylvie is finally starting to relax a little?" Sooraya shook her head. "Wait... I know... you can't say anything. But when I talked to her yesterday she seemed a little less skittish.
"I think we're making progress. It's not unusual for kids to take some time before they feel fully comfortable, though. It's only our second appointment." Jim waved vaguely at one of the community center's regular staff. He was still working on getting everyone's name down, but he could at least recall faces. "How's her mom doing, by the way? Any luck finding a job yet?"
"It's hard for visible mutants." Sooraya winced a little and lowered her voice for the sake of discretion. "She has an interview of two coming up next week, so she's hopeful. But we both know she is also still dealing with her own trauma. I'm gently trying to encourage her to talk to someone as well, but she's so focused on having that job and needing to take care of Sylvie... "
Jim frowned. "She's going through the employment center, right? Could someone there suggest it to her?"
"They've tried, but she is..." Sooraya fell silent, tilting her head. In the sudden silence she could hear shouting and the dull thumps of flesh hitting flesh. "Okay, that almost sounds like a fight... but where..." She quickened her pace, almost rushing towards the sound.
It was coming from the gymnasium. It didn't seem to be a serious altercation; eight youths, perhaps, all in the sort of scrum that usually resulted from one party saying something untoward about another party's sister or mother or girlfriend. It did, however, mean sixteen fists and elbows were being thrown around, and there was only one person present trying to control the situation.
"Guys", Angelo said, inserting himself between two of the boys who were facing off with his skin defensively extended, "if you don't cool off you're going to get kicked out for the day, at least."
"Longer if it were up to me. Party is over, boys. Break it off." Sooraya's voice rang out. She'd grabbed one elbow to keep a punch from being thrown, but in one corner she spotted and heard the faint crackle of lighting. "And using powers on each other outside of sparring or powers training is an automatic three day ban." She called out, reaching over to grab the boy in front of her in the scruff and dragged him back a little. "Is that really what you want over a game of basketball?"
"Everyone calm do--" Jim started just as he saw Angelo take a blow across the cheekbone from a wild elbow. Instantly his posture changed, and the offending youth suddenly found himself telekinetically dangled five feet in the air.
"Stop," Jack growled.
"You, stay put." Sooraya almost growled at the boy she'd pulled back. She quickly glanced at the boys immediately surrounding Angelo, before dissolving into her sand form and dropping to the floor. Ribbons of sand flowed along the floor, around the boy's feet and even under their shoes. From there it flowed out, ribbons linking together to cover the floor completely. For one moment the sand stilled, but then it was torn away from beneath five pairs of feet, followed by five sets of buttocks hitting the floor.
Sooraya shifted back to her human form, fists in her side and glaring. "We said enough!"
"I'm okay", Angelo assured them both, straightening back up. "He didn't mean to get me. But boys, you're all going to have to go home now."
The boy who'd been dangling into the air was lowered, although Jack did emphasize the point by suddenly releasing him when he was still a foot from the ground. There was a general sense of barely repressed hostility from the others, and a dire look passed between the two that he pegged as the instigators.
"Don't even think of starting something in the parking lot," said the telekinetic as the two groups suddenly found themselves firmly but insistently shoved even further apart by an invisible hand. "You think we don't have people who'll be able to tell?"
Taking in the room, Sooraya narrowed her eyes. "Ange, you got any idea who was on which side?"
He glanced between the two groups. “I think Haller’s got it. It was more or less team on team.”
"Out," Jack said shortly. The two groups, suddenly much less inclined to make trouble, appeared to decide it was in their best interest to follow Angelo's instruction and go home.
Once they'd left Jim resumed control. "Are you okay?" he asked the younger man, gesturing to his face. "You seemed a little off your game."
“Little bit distracted, maybe”, he admitted ruefully. “Somebody told me something I need to process some more.”
"Let me see." Sooraya batted Angelo's hand away, studying his cheek for a moment and then carefully prodding it. "I vote icing it for a while just to be sure.What in the world just set this of?"
He shrugged. “Kids being kids. Somebody started shit-talking, the other guy took it badly, then everybody else joined in.”
"Hopefully they don't continue it off-site. My range isn't that good." Jim glanced back at Angelo, eyebrow raised. "Distracted? Anything you want to talk about?"
He hesitated. “I need to get confirmation. Let’s just say… something from the old world I might just get back.”
"You're sounding awfully mysterious there." Sooraya took his arm, steering Angelo towards the small office next to the gym where an ice pack could be found. "Who might you get back?" Catching David's look, she added: "You know me by now, right? Some at the center don't call me a worrywart for nothing."
Jim raised an eyebrow. "Only at the center?" he asked. He understood Sooraya's concern, though: this level of secrecy seemed strange. 'The old world'?
"If it's really not something you're ready to talk about yet, though, we can respect that," the telepath continued. This time the look he gave Sooraya said, Yes, really.
“If it doesn’t work out like I’m hoping, I’d rather everybody didn’t know about it yet”, he said simply. “One way or another, I’ll tell people when the time’s right.”
Grabbing an ice pack from the small freezer, she held it out to Angelo. "If that's what feels right to you, then that's the most important. We're here if you need a listening ear though." Sooraya grinned mischievously. "Or tea with cookies. Guess who taught me that?"
“I hope Sylvie is finally starting to relax a little?" Sooraya shook her head. "Wait... I know... you can't say anything. But when I talked to her yesterday she seemed a little less skittish.
"I think we're making progress. It's not unusual for kids to take some time before they feel fully comfortable, though. It's only our second appointment." Jim waved vaguely at one of the community center's regular staff. He was still working on getting everyone's name down, but he could at least recall faces. "How's her mom doing, by the way? Any luck finding a job yet?"
"It's hard for visible mutants." Sooraya winced a little and lowered her voice for the sake of discretion. "She has an interview of two coming up next week, so she's hopeful. But we both know she is also still dealing with her own trauma. I'm gently trying to encourage her to talk to someone as well, but she's so focused on having that job and needing to take care of Sylvie... "
Jim frowned. "She's going through the employment center, right? Could someone there suggest it to her?"
"They've tried, but she is..." Sooraya fell silent, tilting her head. In the sudden silence she could hear shouting and the dull thumps of flesh hitting flesh. "Okay, that almost sounds like a fight... but where..." She quickened her pace, almost rushing towards the sound.
It was coming from the gymnasium. It didn't seem to be a serious altercation; eight youths, perhaps, all in the sort of scrum that usually resulted from one party saying something untoward about another party's sister or mother or girlfriend. It did, however, mean sixteen fists and elbows were being thrown around, and there was only one person present trying to control the situation.
"Guys", Angelo said, inserting himself between two of the boys who were facing off with his skin defensively extended, "if you don't cool off you're going to get kicked out for the day, at least."
"Longer if it were up to me. Party is over, boys. Break it off." Sooraya's voice rang out. She'd grabbed one elbow to keep a punch from being thrown, but in one corner she spotted and heard the faint crackle of lighting. "And using powers on each other outside of sparring or powers training is an automatic three day ban." She called out, reaching over to grab the boy in front of her in the scruff and dragged him back a little. "Is that really what you want over a game of basketball?"
"Everyone calm do--" Jim started just as he saw Angelo take a blow across the cheekbone from a wild elbow. Instantly his posture changed, and the offending youth suddenly found himself telekinetically dangled five feet in the air.
"Stop," Jack growled.
"You, stay put." Sooraya almost growled at the boy she'd pulled back. She quickly glanced at the boys immediately surrounding Angelo, before dissolving into her sand form and dropping to the floor. Ribbons of sand flowed along the floor, around the boy's feet and even under their shoes. From there it flowed out, ribbons linking together to cover the floor completely. For one moment the sand stilled, but then it was torn away from beneath five pairs of feet, followed by five sets of buttocks hitting the floor.
Sooraya shifted back to her human form, fists in her side and glaring. "We said enough!"
"I'm okay", Angelo assured them both, straightening back up. "He didn't mean to get me. But boys, you're all going to have to go home now."
The boy who'd been dangling into the air was lowered, although Jack did emphasize the point by suddenly releasing him when he was still a foot from the ground. There was a general sense of barely repressed hostility from the others, and a dire look passed between the two that he pegged as the instigators.
"Don't even think of starting something in the parking lot," said the telekinetic as the two groups suddenly found themselves firmly but insistently shoved even further apart by an invisible hand. "You think we don't have people who'll be able to tell?"
Taking in the room, Sooraya narrowed her eyes. "Ange, you got any idea who was on which side?"
He glanced between the two groups. “I think Haller’s got it. It was more or less team on team.”
"Out," Jack said shortly. The two groups, suddenly much less inclined to make trouble, appeared to decide it was in their best interest to follow Angelo's instruction and go home.
Once they'd left Jim resumed control. "Are you okay?" he asked the younger man, gesturing to his face. "You seemed a little off your game."
“Little bit distracted, maybe”, he admitted ruefully. “Somebody told me something I need to process some more.”
"Let me see." Sooraya batted Angelo's hand away, studying his cheek for a moment and then carefully prodding it. "I vote icing it for a while just to be sure.What in the world just set this of?"
He shrugged. “Kids being kids. Somebody started shit-talking, the other guy took it badly, then everybody else joined in.”
"Hopefully they don't continue it off-site. My range isn't that good." Jim glanced back at Angelo, eyebrow raised. "Distracted? Anything you want to talk about?"
He hesitated. “I need to get confirmation. Let’s just say… something from the old world I might just get back.”
"You're sounding awfully mysterious there." Sooraya took his arm, steering Angelo towards the small office next to the gym where an ice pack could be found. "Who might you get back?" Catching David's look, she added: "You know me by now, right? Some at the center don't call me a worrywart for nothing."
Jim raised an eyebrow. "Only at the center?" he asked. He understood Sooraya's concern, though: this level of secrecy seemed strange. 'The old world'?
"If it's really not something you're ready to talk about yet, though, we can respect that," the telepath continued. This time the look he gave Sooraya said, Yes, really.
“If it doesn’t work out like I’m hoping, I’d rather everybody didn’t know about it yet”, he said simply. “One way or another, I’ll tell people when the time’s right.”
Grabbing an ice pack from the small freezer, she held it out to Angelo. "If that's what feels right to you, then that's the most important. We're here if you need a listening ear though." Sooraya grinned mischievously. "Or tea with cookies. Guess who taught me that?"
