ax_main | TJ and Clarice | Backdated to 12/09

It's an Exiles reunion! Wherein TJ and Clarice eat too much and swap respective life experiences, and decide to test the actual limits of human tolerance in a plan that is ill-advised but absolutely unsurprising.

TJ couldn't believe she was back to taking classes at Xavier's, not when she'd made a point to attend public school in her own universe. That wasn't an option here, and her tail flicked in annoyance at having to stay cooped up in Xavier's or wear an image inducer. That was so many levels of bullshit. And now she had about two years' worth of classes she hadn't been taking to make up for. She'd be lucky if she graduated high school before she was of legal drinking age.

But at least her online orders of clothing had come in, and so she was wearing a pair of brown fake leather shorts and a white crop top as she headed for the cafeteria for breakfast. She had just rounded a corner when she nearly walked into - "Clarice!"

The lavender-skinned mutant stopped up short, and actually blink-ed backward a few steps to avoid walking into someone. Someone who looked familiar, and seemed to know her, except, well, this would have been a hell of a secret to keep, for as long as this. Still. "... Kurt?" she answered hesitantly. This was a helluva thing to run into before she even had a proper breakfast in her.

"Ugh, sorry," TJ said immediately, grimacing at the mix-up. "Also, no. TJ. Different flavor of awesome blue-furred mutant."

"TJ?" Clarice repeated the two letters as if tasting them, then shook her head. "Well, I guess it don' matter. The more, the merrier, when it come to our colorful set, ay"?" She blinked over next to the other girl, and gestured toward the cafeteria. "Welcome to the school. If you haven' seen it yet, I'm about to show you the best part--the part where the food live. We can chat there." She looked at her narrowly for a moment, then added, "You really do look an awful lot like Kurt, though. Mudda sick. What're the odds?"

"Pretty good, actually," TJ stated, and stepped into the cafeteria, forcing herself not to stare at the lavender-skinned mutant and catalogue the differences between her and her friend. "In the world where I'm from, he's my dad."

Clarice could only stare, at that--though the fact that word had gotten round about Tommy and Billy and their relationship with Wanda meant it wasn't quite as shocking as it could have been. Not so unbelievable, either. "Lemme guess: you's related to that gal from the Brotherhood set, too?" she joked, mostly to disguise her initial confusion.

"Actually, yeah," TJ confirmed without missing a beat, and with a cheerful smile. The sort that looked a little too sharp, if you weren't used to fangs in your smiles. "Assuming you mean Wanda, and not... whoever else is in that outfit right now."

"Well, mudda fuck," Clarice murmured, making a beeline for the food without really thinking about it. "I guess that prob'ly stands to reason, then." She shook her head. "I think they go by Fatale and Phantazia, if that helps at all. Phantazia's real name is Eileen; I never caught Fatale's."

"I don't think I ever met them," TJ replied with a shake of her head. "So at least they're not my alternate family." Having Wanda and Pietro in the Brotherhood was enough, thanks.

"They ain' all bad," Clarice protested, as she piled her tray high with food--and with the distraction, she barely thought twice about what would otherwise be an extremely strange conversation. "They was pretty nice to me at the party the had a while back. Anyway, I guess this means you know me from ... someplace else?"

"Yeah," TJ confirmed, piling a decent amount of food on her own tray, but still less than Clarice. "Yeah, you - well, another you - and I were teammates. Hopping from world to world, righting timelines left and right. It was a fun ride."

"I ... have a pretty difficult time imaginin' that," the island girl admitted around a mouthful of cole slaw. "Laura runs me ragged in sparrin' a couple times a week, and I ain' even sure I could do anything to right this timeline." She shrugged. "Other me must've had a lot more goin' for her, ay'?"

TJ smiled at the thought of her friend as she took a seat - crouched on the chair - across from Clarice. "She comes from a difficult world. Apocalypse is running it pretty ragged. Um. A super old immortal mutant with way too many powers and a hard-on for ruling over Earth," she explained with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I've never met a nice one of him."

"Huh," Clarice tried to digest that, failed, and quickly decided to concentrate on her food, instead; no sense ruining her appetite thinking of parallel herselves that might or might not be having a rougher time. "I hope we don't have one of those here, then. But I guess if he super-old and immortal, too, he prob'bly woulda turned up by now? Mutants been in the news for months."

"He resurfaces from time to time," TJ said, not letting the conversation stop her from eating. "Or, well, beams down or whatever. He had a spaceship. I mean, he did on my world. I didn't get a History of Apocalypse rundown the other times we fought him. Whatever. Blink's the best. She leads us, actually."

"Right. So. Ancient evil immortal mutant who lives in space. Easy enough to wrap my head 'round." She tilted her head around a mouthful of mixed vegetables. "Blink who? I was thinkin' of usin' that for my codename on the team. Didn' realize it was a'ready taken."

"I don't think she'd mind her alternate self using it," TJ pointed out with a smirk.

"Oh," said Clarice. "Guess that makes sense then." She shook her head and smiled crookedly. "I thought I'd seen just about everythin' there was to see since I came to Xavier's, but lo' and behold, here's somethin' else that'll take some gettin' used to."

"Tell me about it," TJ said with raised eyebrows. "Sounds like things have been pretty calm here so far, anyway."

"Well, yeah. If you's using evil space-dwelling mutant tyrants as a basis for comparison," she pointed out wryly. "We had a bit of a commotion kick up when the Brotherhood went and declared war on humanity a lil' while ago; that shook people up a bit. And before that, there was a rally in Central Park in the City." Clarice's expression grew pensive. "That ... was kinda eye-openin'."

"Yeah, that sounds pretty quiet," TJ stated with a skeptical moue. What was the Timebroker thinking, dropping her somewhere so uneventful? Or was it about to get really eventful?

"Seemed pretty eventful while I was livin' it," Clarice contended. But it sounded like TJ was used to a lot more, when it came to day-to-day adventure. She shrugged. "For me, I get enough adrenalin workin' on figurin' out how to throw a punch. And practicin' with my powers." After a considering look at the golden-eyed girl, she added, "You don' happen to have any pointers you could share, ay'? Watchin' the other me do her thing, an' all."

"I was gonna say, we can train together if you like," TJ offered. "I've got years of X-training and I've spent a couple of years fighting alongside a very efficient warrior with, probably, the same powers you've got. Teleportation, right? Via portals and javelins?" If Clarice had been thinking of calling herself Blink, she assumed it was for the same reason her Blink had.

"That'd be awesome. Thanks," Clarice breathed, tucking into her food with fresh vigor. "'Cause y'know," she went on, between mouthfuls, "I managed to get a couple lucky hits on Laura a lil' while back, but I'm thinkin' that's more the surprise factor than anything I'm actually doin' right. I mean, I can teleport her an' me all over the gym, but I can' really land a decent hit. And I get the feelin' that once she gets used to it, the tables'll turn completely. I don' wanna fall any further behind."

"Who's Laura?" TJ asked. "What's her thing?"

"Laura's ... Laura?" she offered unhelpfully. "She's got claws that pop out of her hands an' feet, but she doesn' use 'em when we train together. Good thing, too, since she's fast enough and good enough at fightin' I hardly stand a chance even when I cheat. She also heals really, really fast--like, right before your eyes kinda fast. Girl's kinda intense, but she's gotta good heart. Definitely a good friend to have."

"Huh," TJ let out. "She sounds kinda like Logan." And no one knew him here. Maybe he didn't exist, but a female version of him with claws on her feet on top of her hands did? "Is she Canadian?"

"She's mentioned Arizona once or twice," Clarice hedged, gaze flickering to the side with some discomfort. "But I don' think she's from there. Not really. I think that was a place she had to escape. I'm not sure she even knows where she's from."

"...is her codename Wolverine?" What? TJ had to ask, at this stage. Maybe she'd just been born way later than Logan, and a girl, and with extra claws. She'd seen weirder stuff in other worlds.

"Ah, I think is X-23?" she replied uncertainly, not really sure what TJ was getting at with the question. "I dunno what it means, though."

"Huh." TJ shrugged, tail flicking behind her. "Might be nothing. Whatever. We can train together, if you like."

"I would, thanks," Clarice agreed readily. Followed almost immediately with, "Do you teleport, like Kurt?"

"Nope," TJ replied with a shake of her head, and a smile. "But I'm as awesome at acrobatics and wall climbing. No, my things are energy bolts, and possession."

"Po-what-now?" the other girl repeated, somewhat uneasy with the sound of that.

"Yeah, it's the one most people make that face about," TJ confirmed easily, like she'd had that reaction her whole life. Which she hadn't; she'd only known it since she'd manifested. "I can hitch a ride in people's bodies."

"Hitchin' ride ain' so bad," Clarice nodded. "People is do it with me all the time, in a different sorta way. 'Possession' kinda makes it sound like I'd be the one along for the ride, though, y'see?"

"Good point," TJ agreed with a nod. "But don't worry, I don't do it to just anyone. It's an 'on a necessary basis only' trick."

"Is good to know," she affirmed, smiling crookedly. "So, other'n the fact is too calm, how you likin' school so far? Or ... bein' back in school? I dunno. Seems really complicated, ay'?"

"Honestly? I'm pretty pissed," TJ stated with a purse of her lips. "If I was going to finish high school, I was hoping it'd be in my own world. With my people." She smiled, though, because she was going to stay positive. "But this place is pretty cool, apart from the image inducer BS."

This time, the face Clarice made suggested she was nothing but sympathetic to TJ's complaint. "I know. I hate havin' to go outside not lookin' like me, even if it means I can go outside. But my parents always told me it wouldn't be safe, and 'round here they say it wouldn't be safe ... and as much as I hate it, I guess I can' really go against it, either."

"My parents always taught me not to hide what I was," TJ replied with an unhappy pout. "I'm giving it two months before I snap and go against it." Would she still be here in two months? Ugh, this was awful.

"My parents always taught me I needed to hide who I was, or else it'd be trouble," the island girl admitted, somewhat guiltily. "But after comin' to the school, I can't imagine goin' back into stayin' inside all the time, or duckin' e'ryone that isn' close family. I still get kinda nervous around strangers, but I'd like to get to a point I could be outside with no inducer and not have to worry about how other people'd react." That particular dream, however, seemed very, very far away.

"It's kind of always a worry, you know?" TJ said, then made a face. "I mean, where I'm from, it's pretty safe, but you still get the odd hater. I just don't like the thought of letting those assholes stop me from going out, being who I am." She paused, then offered, "If you ever wanna give it a shot, I could come with you. Besides, there's no trouble you can't teleport out of, am I right?"

"Maybe," Clarice said, and it wasn't the hedge the answer would have usually been. In fact, she actually thought it might be possible. As long as her parents never found out, of course; her mummy would drop dead on the spot, and her daddy would hitch-hike all the way up from Miami to give her the cut-hip of a lifetime. But ... it was still worth attempting, despite all that. It was the only way people were going to get used to the idea of mutants in their public spaces--by people like TJ and Clarice, who couldn't hide what they were without technology, actually being out in them. "I'm a lot better at it now than I was when I started. But where's a good place to try it? It'd have to be someplace pretty modern, ay'? Somewhere that's a'ready seen it all."

"I was thinking NYC?" TJ offered. She hadn't thought about it like Clarice was; she just wanted to figure out how different it was from the city she'd known. Apart from being Avengers-free, anyway. "Or - aren't there cities that've proclaimed themselves to be mutant-friendly?" She would have to google all that stuff if Clarice didn't know. But a city or a town like that might be a good place to start for the teleporter.

She blinked, particularly noticeable, given the unusually vibrant green of her eyes. "I ... don' know. But I will find out," the last was said with a smile. The idea was maybe a crazy one, given what Magneto had so recently pulled on national television, but anything was possible. "An' I guess our poppin' into a place like that would be a good trial run for e'ryone, ay'?"

"Pretty much," TJ confirmed with a fang-baring grin. This Clarice might not be her friend, but it sounded as if they might end up friends anyway. "It'll be an adventure."

"I like adventure," Clarice affirmed, shoveling some more mixed vegetables into her mouth and grinning broadly.

"Oh, you and I are gonna get along great," TJ predicted with a happy chuckle, yellow eyes glinting happily.

The other girl gave a confident nod, magenta hair spilling over her lavender face with the motion. "I think so, too."

TJ and Clarice | Backdated to 12/09

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