xp_logs | Angelo and Jay (Reply)

They run into each other in the grounds, getting away from the latest journal argument, and end up having an in-depth discussion about families.

Tired of the latest in-house upset, Angelo turned off the computer and turned his attention to Joyita, who was only too happy to see him reach for her leash, and was waiting by the door before he took it off the shelf. Laughing, he fixed it to her collar and headed outside.

Jay, also tired of the latest in-house upset, had retreated from the computer lab after his last comment to Paul and decided to have some alone time outside. Humming softly to himself, he sat down underneath a tree and leaned against the trunk.

Sadly, alone time was a hard thing to come by at Xavier's School. Joyita had apparently decided she wanted to explore the woods today, and Angelo had no particular objection, so went along with it. He didn't see Jay until they had almost reached his chosen tree.

Eyes closed and lost in thought, Jay didn't know anyone was aproaching him until the dog barked loudly. Almost jumping up, Jay opened turned around and saw Angelo and Joyita approaching. Sighing, he thought about just getting up and leaving.

Angelo, unsure if Jay would welcome company, considered changing to a different path, but decided to find out for sure before he did that. He raised a hand, with a tentative, "Hey, Jay."

There was not getting out of it now. "Hey," he replied, lazily waving a greeting. He couldn't help but smile a bit as the dog ran up to him and started sniffing him. Petting it, he looked up at Angelo and said "Nice pup."

Angelo grinned, relaxing a little, and proceeded to say what might be the exact wrong thing. "Yeah, she was a birthday present from Paige."

"That was awfully nice of her," he said, obviously unimpressed, as his smile faded. "Ah thought dogs were expensive. How'd she manage to wrangle up enough cash for her?"

Angelo shrugged. "Didn't ask. There's a shelter not far from here, one of the girls volunteers there, so I figure that's where she came from."

"Hmm." Jay absently scratched behind Joyita's ears, staring off into the trees. Realizing that he was monopolizing Angelo's dog and that he was just standing there, he sighed and scooted over. "Ya'll can sit if ya' want," he said non-comittally. Not that he wanted company, no. But it was rude to play with someone's pet and just leave them standing there.

Angelo nodded and sat down, trying to be companionable. "So. How was your first couple of weeks?" he asked. "Apart from today."

Jay shrugged. "Nothin' special, aside from all the bull ya'll seem to put yourselves through. Some jackass posin' as you and spillin' your guts, lovers quarrelin' like Jerry Springer, kids fallin' apart 'cuz of their powers . . . Ah'm not in Kentucky anymore."

Angelo chuckled wryly. "No, you really aren't. Welcome to Mutant High."

"Ah wonder how much of all the problems here come from the dang journals."

Angelo shrugged. "I think a lot of 'em'd happen anyway. The journals're a convenient place to argue, but the stuff'd get said with or without them."

Jay rolled his eyes. "Bitchin' and moanin' is the priority on them, Ah see. Ah don't think anyone's ever posted anythin' worthwhile, 'cept maybe your thing yesterday about the guy who pretended to be you."

Angelo shrugged again. "Define 'worthwhile'. Good part of the time, they're used for public announcements an' stuff. Communication. Doesn't always have to be all meaningful."

"'Worthwhile.' Noun. Havin' any kinda value besides mere prattlin'." Jay softly ran a hand over Joyita's back and sighed again. "Ah just don' get it all. This place is s'posseda be the Great Mutie Center where we all learn how to hold hands an' sing Kumbayah, but everyone's at each other's throats.

Angelo chuckled quietly. "Hold hands an' sing Kumbayah? Who've you been talkin' to?"

"S'what Ah gathered from Sam 'n Paige when they could be bothered to write home 'bout this place. Sam liked to brag about the X dude and how his dream was the cat's meow."

Angelo shrugged. "Sam's an X-Man before he's a student or a teacher. An' Paige's wanted to join the teams from the beginnin'. Doesn't mean we all do. It's a good place, it really is. Gave a lot of us a home when we didn't have one. But it's not perfect, an' it's sure as hell not everybody gets along like one big family."

"Since when do families even get along?" Jay countered. "As far as Ah'm concerned, this place is just like any family reunion Ah've ever been to, just without all farm equipment."

"Wouldn't know. Only family I've ever had, 'part from my mom an' my dad but he died when I was little, I made for myself."

"Ah've got plenty of family ta spare. Ya'll can have Paige if ya want," he offered. He wasn't kidding, either.

Angelo blinked. "As a sister? Think I prefer her bein' my girlfriend, actually", he answered lightly.

Not like she makes much of a sister in the first place, he thought. "Whatever. You can take Jeb or Mel, then. Which'd you prefer, a brother or sister? Ah've got it all. Heh, come one come all to the Guthrie sell-off. Everyone must go," he snickered.

Angelo grinned slightly, reaching over to pet Joyita, who was now sprawled out on her back between the boys, shamelessly begging for attention. "Never had either, not blood-related, so I don't mind."

"Ya'll're the lucky few. Everyone's go such a hard-on for the idea family here that they don't even know what it is." Jay shook his head and softly rubbed Joyita's belly. "It's blood, and nuthin' else. Family can be just as hurtful as strangers."

Angelo shrugged, glancing sideways at Jay. "Gonna have to take your word for that - I've had what I called family, but it was just close friends really - but... yeah. I can see that."

"Like, ya' can have brothers an' sisters an' parents, but they don't mean a dang thing to you. Or ya' can have them and they might as well be your enemies if they can't accept you for whatcha are." Jay was ranting now, but he didn't want to stop. Talking felt good. "You can have a perfect life in all respects 'cept for home. So gives a dang about family? They're superfluous." Ooh, big word.

Angelo was watching Jay carefully now, while trying not to be obvious about it. "Kind of lonely tryin' to do without them, though", he ventured. "'Less you've got somethin' else to take their place."

"'Course," Jay scoffed as if it were obvious. "Ah ain't so blind to see that people need people. Heck, people need just one person. It can make the entire world go away, y'know? 'Family''s just a pretty word to label relatives with. S'not love."

Angelo nodded. "Agreed, it's not automatically love. Families do pretty shitty things to each other, sometimes. But that don't mean it's not ever."

"The love ya' can get from family don't mean horse manure," Jay spat. "No, there's a different kinda love, a better one. That one ya' need. Paige says she loves ya, yeah? So you know what Ah mean."

Angelo nodded, ignoring the "says". "Yeah, I do. You mean the kind of love that doesn't come out of obligation, yeah?"

"Exactly," Jay nodded. "Romantic love, love from someone who knows ya' heart an' soul, beats out family everyday. Ya can't hurt each other if ya' share that kinda love. Family's a different matter altogether."

"Different, yeah", Angelo answered neutrally. "I'm not claimin' to know what it's like in your family, Jay, but different don't always mean less."

Jay was talking too much, and if wasn't careful, he'd let something slip. But at this point, he wouldn't be surprised if Angelo just went and reported everything to Paige. It was time to leave. "Maybe." He stood up and brushed dust off the seat of his pants. "Listen, Ah've gotta go. I'll see ya' 'round, Ah'm sure."

Angelo looked up at him with a nod. "Okay. An', yeah, it's hard not to run into people round here. See you later."