(OOC) Logs.
<< XS >> Recreation Room - Lv1
This, my friends, is a place for people to come and relax. Broad wide screen television in one area of the room with various other sofas and chairs around. Vivid walls of pale green and embossed gold wallpaper add a friendly air to this place. Tables, whether coffee or card, line the room, as well as an air-hockey table and fooze ball table for games. Closets support various items for fun, large bay windows give light to the room.
[Exits : [H]allway, [C]lassroom and [A]rboretum, and [G]reat [H]all ]
[Players : Ted ]
The rec room; a place where people go to watch TV, be seen, or just enjoy the company of others, none of which Ted is doing now. He's stretched out on a couch on his back, his shirt lifted mid chest, why? There is a large ray of sunlight shinning on the very spot he's sleeping in. The TV is on and a random Kung-Fu movie from the 70's is playing, maybe at one time he was watching it, but has since moved to this location.
Ted
Quark appears in the room in a *bamf* of smoke with a self-made sandwich in his hand, taking a large bite out of it as he glances around the room. Ah, the joys of summer--eat when you want, do what you want, all the time. At least when you're not working, anyway. Quark blinks in mild surprise and arches an eyebrow at the sight of the sunbathing lizard-boy, taking another bite of his lunch while studying the teenager and, most likely, fellow student. Hoping not to wake him, he sits down in a free chair near the TV, grinning at the movie.
Ted /was/ sleeping quietly, occasionally stirring with little movement, or his tail would swash lightly. Though Quark's sudden entrance doesn't wake Ted immediately, the smell of teleport does in fact wake him up. "UGH!" Ted screams and sits up holding his nose, "Stinky! By the gods who farted?!" He peers around seeing no one else but Quark, his eyes narrow. "Dude, tons of room in this entire mansion and you find the only room I'm in to come and stink it up!" Ted waves his hands in front of his face, glancing at the sandwich, licking his lips. Boy warming your scales in the sun, sure works up an appetite.
Quark blinks and turns around in his chair to glance at the revived lizard, calmly taking another bite of his sandwich. Mmm. Well, he must have a heightened sense of smell. Swallowing, he replies with a slight grin, "Sorry. I teleport so much, I guess I'm kind of used to the smell it makes by now. So...yeah. Name's Chris." A slight wave, and he turns back to the television and the kung-fu goodness. He waits until then to rolls his eyes, but still keeps that small hint of a grin on his face. "Nice to meet you."
Ted blinks at Quark, "Teleporting huh? I met another guy like that before, his smells like...I dunno but it burned my nose." He slowly climbs off the couch and stretches, his tail sticking straight out as his whole body stiffens. "Chris..." after the stretch his arms fall to his side, and his tail returns to swashing through the air. "I'm Ted, though ifn you want you can call me gecko, I'm cool with either." Ted returns to the cough, still looking half asleep, "So how long have you been at the school."
Quark frowns curiously at Ted's comment, then nods as realization sets in. "Ahh, you must be talking about Dakota. Yeah, his smells a lot different." Again, not that he's ever really paid much attention to it before. "Well, sorry again, Ted," he offers with a small smile. He leans back in his seat and turns back to the television, but still replies, "Well, I've actually been here since my junior year. I tranferred from a public school in the city, and I just graduated this year."
"You went to public school!" Ted says this like it's the coolest thing in the world, and it him it appears to be so. "Wow, I've only like seen stuff like that on TV and read about it. So what was it like? Lots of people, kids your own age? Was it cool?" He's literally on the edge of his seat, "I never got a chance to go to school, cuz I was born like this." He sighs, "This is my curse, but a lizard monster for the rest of my life." He chuckles as he remembers being little and scaring all the kids when he was little.
Quark chuckles under his breath at the sudden volley of questions. He's never actually seen someone that interested in something so...blasé. "Well," he begins hesitantly, "It's not that great, really. There are a lot of people, lots of opportunities, but you get the whole gamut of people. Some were really nice, but others were total jerks. I started to have people tease me and try to bully me when they found out I was a mutant, and that was just because my eyes were changing color after a while." He pauses, eyes Ted, and nods sincerely, "No offense, but...yeah, you probably wouldn't have fit in very well." He shrugs and glances back at the television taking another bite of his sandwich. "That's why I love this school so much more. People actually see the real you, not just the word 'mutant'."
Ted leans back into the couch as he glances at the TV, just in time to see someone catch a foot to the mouth. "Yeah well you get that everywhere Chris. I lived on the streets for a short time and that was, yeah well it wasn't fun. People are really brave when they're in a huge crowd and have bottles and things." He sighs, "Anyway I really like this school a lot too, but I don't think a lot of the students like me to much." He grins, "I guess it's because I'm so freaky lookin! Heh not that I mind at all, I'm used to not havin many friends."
Dazzler has arrived.
Quark nods seriously, grin fading a little. Isn't that true. "It's one of the hardest struggles in the world, now--being a mutant in a world like this. Most humans just don't understand the kind of things that we go through, and many decide to use us as scapegoats for their own problems. That's why what Professor Xavier believes in is so important." He takes another bite of his sandwich, which is mostly finished by now. He idly ponders leaving to make another. He adds with a frown, however, that "I've seen people weirder looking than you. Don't be too hard on yourself. And hey, I'll be your friend," is offered lightly with a grin again. He wonders to himself, though, if his opinions on the subject of obvious physical mutations would be different if he looked like Ted or Hank.
Ted nods quietly as he listens to Quark's words ring true. "It's funny you know. I came from a place different than this school; all they wanted was to be left alone. Alienating themselves from society, taking what they needed to survive and most importantly, staying outta sight. Then I come to this school and it's like, do your part to help your fellow mutant. Live in harmony with our human brothers and sisters." Ted sighs, "I tell ya man it's confusing, because I see some of the stuff they do on TV and I just wanna." He frowns, "I mean I may not lookit but I can cause some serious damage...same with half of the kids here. And yet...we gotta turn the other cheek and be good." He's quiet for a moment as he picks some lint off of his shorts, "How do you do that anyway? How do you turn the other cheek when someone calls you names or throws things at you?"
Quark ponders that in silence, munching on the final piece of his sandwich. Finally, he replies slowly, "...Well, I just try to make myself realize that I'm not perfect either, you know?" He turns to Ted with a small shrug and a frown. "I've been mean to people before, and I've had times where I get so frustrated I wish I would just beat the snot out of someone. But then I realize that, hey, what's the point in getting pissed off over it? Humans will be humans, and mutants will be mutants. I just try to fit in." He sighs and studies the floor, shuffling his feet around. It isn't very easy, indeed. "And I remind myself about this Brotherhood, too. Those people who go around and attack, sometimes kill, mutant haters and humans just to try and gain mutant superiority. I don't ever want to do that, never want to go that far."
Into the rec room strides the famous/infamous Disco Dazzler, the Pop Star mutant princess who has captivated the world, or at least the majority that listens, about equal rights and humanity. She is wearing an expensive pair of Jnco jeans and a tye-dyed shirt with the words: Rock the House Tour, 1998 on it. Her hair is pulled back into a single pony tail and she is scooping a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. Mm, double chocolate fudge. "Hey boys." She says, smacking her lips around the spoon.
Ted nods slowly, "I suppose so...what I suppose we do is like take over the world man, or at least a small part of it. Someplace like Canada or Washington...yeah and like change the name to like the United Mutant Confederacy, or something like that." He smiles, "Eh well I've been kinda mean too..." Ted looks up and blinks at Dazzler for a moment, "I know you! You were in the hallway the other day, but who are you? Spy!" Ted leaps up and points at her, "You're a spy aren't you! SPY!"
Quark turns around with a small curious frown on his face at that vaguely familiar voice, trying to place a face to it. He blinks and then gasps quietly, mouth opening in a small gape. Ted's accusations are ignored as he blurts out, "...Alison? Alison /Blaire/?" He never seen her up close, but he has heard quite a bit of her work. Among mutant right activists, she's a music legend; he never imagined he might meet her in person like this. Not so...casually. Huh. A small, sheepish grin on his face, he asks, "What brings you to this school?"
"Shh, kiddo, you may give yourself a headache yelling that loud." Dazzler says to Ted with a slight grin, working the spoon in her mouth for a moment, before popping it back into her Ben and Jerry's, licking her lips clean. As Quark starts talking, she grins. ".. Oh? You heard of me? Pah." She says as if it was no big deal, shoulders shrugging. There is a bit of amusement in her eyes though. "I used to go here, I'm one of the original graduates of Charles Xavier's, back in the early ninety's. Went to class with Jean, Scott and Ororo. So, who might you be?" She asks.
Ted has never heard of this /Alison Blaire/ don't get a lot of music channels in the sewer. "Sorry sorry..." he sits back down on the couch and watches Chris and this strange lady chat it up. "I see, oh hey...so uhm what did Livia say about my note the other day?" Would she even remember such a thing? "I haven't seen her around, so either she's busy or she's like avoiding me."
Quark gives a start. He knew she was heavily into mutant rights, but he never realized what kind of personal ties she might've had to the Professor or the X-Men. He grins, replying, "Wow, that's awesome. Must be nice, living out your dreams and stuff, huh?" He blinks, not realizing until her question that he never introduced herself. He offers a slight wave and replies, "My name's Chris, but my friends call me Quark." He goes to introduce Ted, but shrugs as he begins to talk to her himself. It would seem they've already met.
"Well, some dreams are worth having, some dreams are worth fighting for. I just hope that whatever it is I did, was at least somewhat helpful. Now its like when you turn on the news, its getting worse." Dazzler lets out a soft breath, looking faintly annoyed as she wrinkles her nose up a bit. "And.. No, I... don't know if Livia read the note or not, Ted. I suppose you'll have to ask her yourself." She flashes a bright grin, then tosses the empty ice cream box into the trash can. "So, how is everything?" She asks. "You know, seriously, you guys feel OK? Everything groovy?"
Ted glances at Chris wondering just what the gig deal with this lady was; he shrugs and glances at Dazzler. "I see, man I was hoping she would read it." He sighs and lies back down on the couch, his tail swashing back and forth. "I'm good I suppose..." Ted smirks and glances back over at Dazzler, "So like what was it like back then at the school? Is everything still the same or is it different?"
Quark replies with a small laugh, "Oh yeah, I'm doing great. Just...groovy." He can't help but crack a smile at that word. "You've had quite a busy career in the music industry, I'd say. You're probably not going to get much publicity by visiting the school. Or is that why you came--trying to take a break from all the tabloid headlines?" He pauses for a moment, a commercial during the movie briefly catching his attention. "It must be hard, living the life of a celebrity, isn't it?" he asks in a softer voice.
"Its like having four full time jobs at the same time." Dazzler admits as she gives herself a good stretch. "There is the tours, the writing, the recording, the signings, the mobs, the cameras, the red carpets, Grammy's, Emmy's, commercials, websites, investings, watching the tabloids, hiring body guards." Twirling her finger in the air, the end of it zaps to life in a shower of fireworks. Pew pew Paf! "Then ontop of that, there is the dieting, physical training, modeling. Yes, its stressful. I'd rather work at McDonalds at times." She says with a teasing grin. "I'm here because of Melissa, she mentioned that there may be a possibility I could help out in some way. And.. as far as the school goes, its more or less the same, though you guys have a lot of new technology we didn't have around."
Averillix has arrived.
Ted blinks at Dazzler as he hears Chris' words, "Celebrity? You're like famous and stuff?" He leans up and peers at Dazzler, wondering if he's seen her somewhere. He ponders a moment as he goes over the list in his head of shows he watches, none of the actresses on the show matching her. "That sounds like a lot of work..."noting her schedule, "...bet that money was nice. Speaking of money Avex still has mine! I need it so I can get some threads, though I can't say that I can go out in public." Ted pouts, "Man it's a no win situation."
Quark blinks and pales slightly at that list. Wow--that's a lot busier than even he had imagined. And he has a pretty lively imagination sometimes. "Talk about stress," he mutters with a shake of his head and a small grin. The display of mutant powers draws his attention for a moment, and he grins: she comes complete with mutant-power action! Awesome. "I'll bet it must seem weird, coming back after so long and seeing all of your childhood friends grown up. Must be really odd."
"It is odd." Dazzler says as she flicks her fingers, losing the zippo effect. She opens her mouth to say something, then closes it with a click, furrowing her brows. "Feels like home, but at the same time, doesn't, you know?" There is a brief smile upon the lips of the blaster, before glancing over to Ted. "You shouldn't /have/ to say that." She says with a clear of her throat. "One day, there will come a time where mutant and human will soon realize we all bleed the same red and everything will be bodacious. Which is why I started my Freedom of Voice tour a few years ago, head lining a few young mutant bands and up and coming stars like Hilary Duff, Mandy Moore and a few other kids that has their hand in the youth's pocket of today."
A soft giggle comes from the door of the Rec Room, from the direction of the hallway as Averillix enters. One of those huge straw hats rests upon her head, and she peers around, looking for wherever Ted's voice had come from. "Ted, you are so silly. I gave your money to -" Her eyes don't find Ted, but Dazzler, and when they do, she lets out a bright squeal, having to lean upon the entrance wall. "Oh my god! Dazzler?! Why is it that -" Fwoosh. All of Averillix's speech switches to French, and like any rabid fangirl, she starts to crying. Better than Michael Jackson.
Ted blinks at her, "I hear that all the time, but when will it happen? I mean my entire life is just passing me by because if I go outside...wait." He blinks again and narrows his eyes, "Bodacious?" That was generally an unknown word to Ted and he blinks at the sudden arrival of Avex, "You! Where is it? Who did you give it to!?" Then the Avex uses her fan girl WOMD and Ted covers his ears whimpering. "It'll melt your brain! Run away! She's gone mad with gibberish!" Ted over acts and falls over the backside of the couch twitching a moment. "...brain...melting...send for the...Marines."
Quark blinks and sits back down in his chair, a very confused expression on his face. Averillix is offered a small wave and a sheepish grin, but all he can do is stare in wonder at whatever it is those two are doing. So, he turns back to Dazzler with a grin and replies as he ignores the other two people in the room, "I've never actually seen you in concert, but I've heard some of your stuff on the radio. It's quite good," he grins. "And I hope you're right, about humans and mutants. Things seem like they're heading downhill from here..."
When Aver walks in, Dazzler is about to greet her, until she breaks down and starts crying. She shifts a bit for a moment, then puts on a big grin. "Aw, c'mon now, none of that! I'm just as boring and ordinary as the rest of the world. Hey there, call me Alison. What's yer name?" She asks, trying to get past the whole celebrity thing and find normal ground to walk on. As Ted goes into convulsions, she clears her throat a bit and waves him off a bit, cheeks flushing red. Quark's statement goes right over her head. Geez. Erf.
What is Quark /thinking/? In the flower child's world, Dazzler was now *the* only person in the rec room. ... /Dazzler/ was standing in the /rec room/. THE Dazzler. Oh my freaking god, hadn't Avex been in that exact same spot last week? The first (mildly) coherent English phrase to leave Averillix's lips is, "I am so sorry, I cannot help it. I am just having of all of your albums, and I have been to one of your concerts, and... And. I think my name's Averillix." If you thought her English sucked before, well... This was far, far worse. Rambling and hyperventilation were the keys to the day, and Avex doesn't step any further in, lest she ruin the sacredness of the moment.
It appears that no one thought it was funny or else someone would have laughed at least a little. Ted stands up and clears his throat, his cheeks a slight purplish color. "Well I suppose you gotta be super famous, I've never seen Avex act like this before." Oh wait, "So Avex what did you do with my money anyway? I earned all that fair n square and I like need some new clothes to impress someone!" He crawls over the back of the couch and returns to his seat before, just watching them. He glances at Chris and shrugs, still kind of lost in this whole situation.
Quark fills Ted in, "This is Alison Blaire. She's a popstar music legend, famous for her focus on mutant rights and equality. She's got something like...what, now...two or three platinum albums?" He turns to Alison with a shrug, unsure if that number is correct. "And apparently," he grins over at fangirl Averillix, "Averillix is a huge fan of hers." As if that isn't the understatement of the year.
"Three Platinum albums, two Grammy nominations." Of course Dazzler won't say a single mean thing about Shawn Colvin or Macy Gray. The former should have won it, the latter... geez, how did she scam that one away from her? Oh well. "Legend? Hardly Chris." She says with a chuckle in her throat as she pulls her hair back, then offers up a hopeful look to Aver. "... So... c'mon in.. join the party. We're just talking about the old days, and.. I think Ted here is trying to get your attention." She says with a grin, settling down upon the couch with a flump. Hardly graceful.
Averillix waves her hands in Ted's direction, like a kitten batting at a ball of string that she just doesn't want to play with. "I gave it to Jean, and you did not earn it, you stole a lot of it, you said to me, so there and stuff, and she has 2 nomimations for the Grammies, and then 3 platinum albums, and I own them all and ohmygod ohmygod..." Echo, anyone? Averillix goes to sit down in a chair, far yet near to Dazzler, and her left leg shakes a little bit, super excited. She's trying -so- hard not to squeal again...
Ted blinks at Chris, "Really! I never would have know, I mean I though she looked like a lady on General Hospital, but then I was like...nah because that lady on TV was taller." He shrugs and then his eyes go wide at Avex. "Y...you gave it to Jean!? That was my money! I need it! Now more that ever! What am I supposed to do now anyway? Huh? You said we would buy stuff with it." Ted pouts, "Who cares if I stole it or not...their fault for bein so careless in the first place." He leans back against the couch, his arms folded across his chest, looking very much like an upset little kid.
Quark grins at the correction, and gives off an impressed low whistle. "That's quite a track record," he grins. Averillix gets another chuckle and a roll of the eyes, but he doesn't comment. He'd probably feel just as giddy if he ran into some renowned scientist or something. Ok, maybe not. He offers a small frown in Ted's direction at the mention of stolen money and comments, "Stealing is against the law, Ted. I'm sure if you talked to the Professor or some of the other teachers, you could arrange for some kind of job to get some money around here, to avoid going into the city." He idly glances at his watch and blinks, commenting to the room at large, "Dang...I better get going. Got some stuff to do this afternoon, and I didn't realize what time it was already. Guess I'm off, then." He stands up and walks, not teleports, over to the door. As he heads to leave, he turns around and waves, offering, "Nice to meet you, Alison. It was a pleasure." And with that, he's gone.
Quark has a short discussion with Ted before Dazzler--yes, that famous mutant popstar singer--enters the room. Some minor chaos ensues, as fangirl Averillix goes into a giddy breakdown.
<< XS >> Gymnasium - LvB3
Far more tame than the vexing challenges of the Danger Room, the school's Gymnasium is no less enormous. Although requiring permission to be accessed by students by themselves, classes are occasionally conducted down here under staff supervision. Some of the equipment is a bit unorthodox, but other than that it's a standard-issue gym, the floors mapped out with the designs for a basketball court (to suit the four hoops that flank every wall), although the walls are covered in hard rubber tiling. Small alterations to cater to the needs of occasionally out-of-control mutant powers.
[Exits : [P]ool and [W]eight Room, [S]torage, and [H]allway ]
For once, there is something else playing on a stereo in the gym besides peppy dance music from the 80's. Taking this time to cool down and work out a bit before the evening ends, Quark is currently racing around the gym to try and lower his own time for the mile run. His form-fitting muscle shirt if currently soaked in sweat as he dashes around, eyes constantly glancing down to his watch. He wants to set a new record this time--at least for himself.
There is a loud whistle from the back of the Gym as Paige sits, watching. She snuck in while you weren't looking and has been watching you the past few minutes. "Go Quark! Run Quark Run!" She calls out. She is decked out in her own gym outfit.
Quark blinks at the sound of that whistle, yet takes a visible effort to drive it to the corner of his mind. He refuses to allow himself to be distracted so easily; on the contrary, Paige's presence starts to edge Quark on even more, his speed climbing quite quickly. Another long minute ticks by, and then Quark throws on a sudden burst of speed with the finish line just ahead. An instant later, and he is gasping for breath, finally starting to slow down after he glances at his watch. Six minutes, seventeen seconds. His new personal best, for sure. He takes deep breaths, trying to fight off the growing cramps that began to form after the five-minute mark. Turning and walking over to Paige after grabbing a drink from a nearby fountain, he offers simply with a flash of a grin, "Hey. How're you?"
"I'm alright." Paige says as she hops to her feet, heading over to him with a cheeky grin on her face. Sliding her arms around his neck, she leans in, giving him a firm kiss on the lips, before leaning back. "Good run you had there, you're /almost/ to my time."
Quark grins, announcing after the kiss, "Well, I got six minutes, seventeen seconds." A laugh, and then, "And if 'almost getting to your time' gives me muscle cramps for the rest of the day, I'd hate to see how I feel after /actually/ matching your time." He gives her a gentle hug, asking in a more serious tone, "So...how're you doing? You'be been down here an awful lot. I mean, it's quite a schedule you've got yourself on, working out and studying and all." The real question, 'Are you sure you can handle the stress?', is wisely left unasked.
"What stress?" Paige asks as she glides her fingers along his shirt slowly, offering up a wry grin on her face, before leaning into his hug. She quietly mmm's in her throat. "This is actually really fun for me, most I've ever had." She is trying her best to stunt her accent it seems, taking her time to not slur or drawl them together.
Quark doesn't answer her directly. What stress? Hello--she's got the workout schedule of an Olympic competitor, not a 15-year-old. Whether that is a good thing or not is left unanswered, for now. He shrugs, replying, "Well, as long as you're not overdoing yourself. I don't want to see you get hurt, as much as I have faith in your ability to handle it." He glances at his watch again. "It's starting to get pretty late, actually. What do you usually do at this time?"
"This late at night? I usually do a quick walk around the gym a bit, do some push ups, then go to bed." Paige says with a smile on her face as she threads her fingers into the back of his hair, pressing her nose to his.
"'Usually,'" he repeats with a grin. "Do you ever just say 'Oh, screw it' and spontaneously throw your schedule to the wind?" Playful banter aside, he shrugs, standing back to give her the space she needs to do said things. "That's not a bad idea, I guess. Although, one of the effects of exercise is that it makes you more awake. That's why it's usually a bad idea to do strenuous workout stuff just before trying to hit the sack." As if to emphasize this, Quark takes a seat on the ground, reaching forward to stretch his hamstrings. "Basic things like stretching can be really good for you. That's what I usually do, anyway."
Smirking, Paige says. "I like to be limber in the morning." She glances down at him, then rocks her shoulders. "Maybe I just need a good reason to say screw it, ya'know? Maybe you just need to.. I dunno.. drag me away from the gym." She hints.
Quark plays innocent, replying, "Well, I have no reason to drag you away from the gym if you enjoy it and don't feel stressed out. Which reminds me--did you ever break the six-minute mark?" He stretches to his side now, reaching one arm over his head to try and touch the opposite leg. He holds the pose for a minute, then switches sides. Amongst the stretches, he asks, "So, I heard you and Averillix got into a fight?"
"Hmf.. " Paige says as she watches him stretch out, letting her arms swing a bit at her sides. "Kind of. Maybe... its not important." She says with a tilt of her chin upwards, eyes defiant, almost daring the male to continue this line of conversation. Its obviously one she doesn't want to get into, at least not with him of all people.
Quark arches an eyebrow and returns that expression back to her, indeed daring to continue this line of conversation. If it's not because he's stubborn, it's because he's clueless. So there. "It is very important, Paige. Two of my closest friends here up and have an argument that apparently drives one of you out of the room you're sharing. It would be entirely uncharacteristic of me to not see if there's a way to bring you two back together." He says this in an entirely sincere tone, all the while continuing his stretching. Now, he has his hands grabbing his calves as he stretches his legs apart from each other and proceeds to slowly, slowly touch his forehead to the floor. Who says women are always more limber? In a mildly strained voice, he continues, "Try me. You might find that I'm on your side," he points out in a dry tone.
"You better be on my side, if you know whats good for you." Ouch, typical female response. "She told me I'm a bitch for breaking up with Chrome, because I had no right to judge him in what he did and that it wasn't his fault he's stuck in the position he is at." Paige fires right back at Quark, arms crossing over her chest. "And its because she's dating one of them, Brendan, and if you so much as breathe that to anyone else, I'll kick yer ass in." Geez, she's in a mood now. With a flip of her hair, she starts heading to the door, sneakers tapping into the ground. "Think ah'm all worked out fo' ta'night." There goes that drawl again, slipping through.
Quark's expression darkens considerably at the mention of Chrome. "Oh, I'm /definitely/ on your side in those regards," he mutters aloud in an oppressive, quiet tone quite unlike him. After a moment, though, he blinks and frowns as she begins to walk away. "Paige Guthrie, get back here right now. I'm not done talking to you." He idly wishes he knew her middle name so he could make his tone sound more strict; as it is, those words coming out of his mouth seem almost humorous. "And you can start by holding off on the threats. Please."
There is a loud snort from the young woman as she stops at the door, giving him a look over her shoulder at him, glaring. "Don't take tha' tone wi' me, ya'ain't mah' momma." She says with a hiss between clenched teeth. Obviously this conversation has got her a bit riled up and further discussing it may prove harmful. "What do ya'want?"
Quark frowns and bites his lip, strict tone traded in for concern. "Don't do this to me," he pleads, head off of the ground and turned towards her. "Please. I'm trying to help you, to talk to you. Don't make me the enemy." He sighs and shakes his head, adding, "I know you don't want to talk about it, but if no one does, you two are going to go on hating each other. And I can't stand it."
"And I don't mind." Paige says as she crosses her arms, showing off some Southern hostility. "Ah' don't care if she is mad at me fo' tha' rest of her life. She thinks ah'm horrible cuz ah' dumped a murderer. She doesn't understand ah' damn thing, only cares whats tween' 'er legs." She narrows her eyes a bit. "Ah'm mo' than content in going on wi' mah' life and not dealing with 'er. Ah'm not taking French or Botany, so, whatever."
Quark's frown deepens, and he shakes his head as if trying to shatter the illusion standing before him, to no avail. "...You don't mean that," he half asks, half pleads. "Don't let one argument stand between you and her. She has a different view on the situation, biased thought it might be. No one expects you to agree on anything. But you won't be seeing Chrome again anymore, and she'll probably never see that Brendan person again, so...can't you just put this all behind you?" He feels a punch to his gut as he remembers how, just a week or two ago, he had told her that being said didn't do her beautiful eyes justice. Now, they were filled with malice, and it was terribly worse.
"She was nevah' mah -friend-, Chris." Paige says, her voice rising up a bit more. "She was jus' mah' room mate, ah' nevah hung out with 'er ah' anything, it wasn't like we was buddies. Ah' don't know why ya' making sucha big damn deal 'bout this." She is obviously adamant about her decision, her 'ruling' more like it. "So let it go, please?" She asks, jerking her gaze away from his.
"Well, she is /my/ friend. And having you two at each other's throats is not something I want to live with." He sighs and stands up tilting his head from side to side to crack his neck. After a pause, he crosses his arms and asks in a frustrated tone, "Well, do you want to spar or something? We both seem to have some extra stress that we ought to get rid of. And it might give you that chance to 'kick my ass in'," he points out dryly.
"No, ah' don't wanna spar wi' you." Paige says with a frown. "Ah' don't know how ta' fight, yet, and its late." She keeps her eyes off to the side, teeth gritting. "An if you wanna be 'er friend, fine, ah'm not ganna stop ya', or even say anything bad 'bout 'er. Ah'm more than' capable of handling this like ah'adult."
Quark shrugs, offering in a softer voice, "The thing about fighting, about sparring, is that it's mostly instinctive. You learn quickly what your preferred style is, and then you spend the rest of your time perfecting it. I bet you'd do fine," he offers. He blinks, and ponders her last comment: if she was being a full adult about it, she wouldn't be avoiding or ignoring the situation. But, he can handle this truce. "She'll probably break up with that Brotherhood guy soon enough anyway, and then this issue won't even matter."
Welcome to dealing with girls, 101, you'll never, ever, be right. Paige shrugs her shoulders and narrows her eyes. "Bring Ju.. Chrome in here and I'll spar." She murmurs, before opening up the door to the gym. "Walk me to my room?" She asks.
Quark blinks and mutters, "By the time I brought Chrome in here, I'd have already done all of the sparring necessary." He sticks his hands in his pockets and walks over to her, placing a hand gently around her shoulder in a side hug as if testing to see if she's going to recoil from him again or something. "I would love to walk you to your room," he states. Walk, not teleport. Good idea.
Leaning into you a bit, Paige murmurs. "Sorry I'm being a bitch." She says as she heads out into the hallway, sliding her hand into yours, giving it a good squeeze. "Just been a long week and I'm feeling a bit burnt out."
"Apology accepted," he nods. Not "You're being too hard on yourself", or "Oh, come off it". At least he's to the point. "I know what you mean. These last few days have been moving terribly slow. And I still think you should learn to spar," he repeats, a hint of a grin forms on his face. "Helps manage aggression and whatnot."
"I will when Logan gets around to doing it then, I'm not going to learn from you." Paige says honestly. "I don't want to have either of us get hurt because we're both being stupid and silly, throwing punches and kicks at each other. If we're going to be doing any hands on activities, I'd rather it be something like this.." She stops and pushes him up against the wall, giving him a quick grin before leaning in for a kiss.
Quark only feels slightly insulted at that statement, but nods slowly. "That would be a wise move, probably." And, of course, the romantic shove against the wall and kiss make him grin sheepishly as well. After a moment, he he breaks away to mention, "I'll walk you to your room any night."
Giving him a goofy grin, Paige tugs on his hands again, then starts down the hallway, a bit of a sway to her step. Isn't she the happy one? "I bet you would." She grins up at him, fingers giving a firm, tighter grip for just a moment.
Quark confronts Paige about her argument with Averillix. Some minor arguing of their own ensues, but things settle down a bit in the end.