Caleb & Clint, backdated to 4/5/18
Apr. 5th, 2018 09:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ax_spellbinder posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
ax_mainCaleb and Clint discuss the new situation they find themselves in.
Clint made it back to their room...after a brief stop to lose his lunch in the bathroom. The principal, headmaster guy had put him and Caleb in the same room, which was, at least, some small comfort. As soon as he walked in the room, he crouched, lifting Frumpkin into his arms, hugging the cat to his chest as he headed for the bed he'd chosen. He said nothing at first, just looking over at Caleb uncertainly as he kicked off his shoes and pushed himself into the far corner of the bed, hogging his roommate's cat.
Like Clint, Caleb was tucked up onto his own bed. He had a hardcover notebook tucked under his knee, and a few pens, which looked a lot like the nice ones from the infirmary, piled next to it. He signed, What’re you thinking?
Even though Clint could hear now, he found the signing comforting, especially since it preserved the quiet of their room. Setting Frumpkin in his lap, Clint raised his hands and signed, I met someone.
Already? You work fast. Caleb said with a small smile.
Clint started to sign no, then paused. Wanda was hot. Maybe once he got his head together...but he shook it, and looked up to sign, I learned things. Don't know if we're safe.
Caleb went cold. What did you learn?
It was too difficult to remember how to sign, so Clint just cleared his voice and pulled Frumpkin into his arms. "They have a training room with holograms.”
“A—what?” Caleb grabbed his notebook, and pens and moved from his bed to Clint’s, pitching his voice lower so they ran less of a chance being overheard. “Why would they have a training room with holograms? What kind of school is this?”
Clint shook his head. "I don't know. They seem to...like it? At least the girl I talked to did. And the kids that rescued us knew how to fight.”
“Did the girl say if they make everyone train?” Caleb told himself to calm down. This wasn’t the Right again. There were no locks on the doors. They weren’t constantly monitored. They had free access to their mutations. Xavier had even told them they could leave whenever they wanted and all current evidence pointed to that as being true.
No, Clint found himself signing without meaning to. "I guess she said they had to reserve it.”
Caleb made a quiet, thoughtful sound. “What do you think?”
"I don't know," Clint admitted, running a hand down Frumpkin's back. "Maybe everyone uses them now?"
It had been a long time since Clint had actually been out and about in the world, and before that, he hadn't exactly had the best access to technology. Maybe holographic training rooms were all the rage now?
Caleb shook his head. “No one who came to the Facility ever mentioned it. Molly would have said something.”
"Then I don't know," Clint reiterated. "It doesn't add up. I was thinking of trying to ask around.”
Frowning, Caleb rubbed his jaw. “We could leave. If this place is anything like the Facility they won’t let us get past the front gate.”
Clint's lips quirked, and he gave a little shrug. "I already tried it. They let me walk out, no problem. Not...not that I would leave you or Molly or Cal. I was just testing it out.”
Caleb furrowed his brow at Clint at the reassurance. “...Alright.” He reached over to scratch Frumpkin behind an ear. “Maybe this place is what they say it is then.”
"Maybe," Clint agreed. "The holo shit just freaked me out.”
Caleb laid his hand over the one Clint had on Frumpkin. “We’re never going back there.”
Breathing out, Clint quirked a small grin. "I sure as hell hope not. Now we just have to figure out how to keep Molly out of trouble.”
Caleb took his hand away. “That’s more of a challenge than escaping from the Facility was,” he said with a chuckle.
Clint looked around the room, slowly relaxing, his mind working. "So if this place really is what it says it is, and the Right's still out there, maybe looking for us, what's the plan? Do we stay here for a bit? Take in the lay of the land?”
“It’d be stupid not to. We have a free roof over our head and free food.” A library Caleb couldn’t wait to get his hands on. “And it’s safer than the streets.”
Caleb had a point. Clint had never been specifically 'on the streets' himself, but already, the school seemed a hell of a lot better than any of the foster homes he'd ever been in. They gave him clothes, and money, and a phone. There was unlimited food, which was still hard to believe, and he only had to share his room with one other person. "So. We stay. For a bit.”
Clint was saying ‘we’ an awful lot and Caleb was beginning to realize that the friendship they’d struck up in the Facility hadn’t been one of convenience. Clint was here to stay. He smiled, and nodded. “We stay here for now.”
Caleb pulled his spell book onto his lap. “I could put an alarm on the room if it’ll help you feel safer.”
"You can do that?" Clint asked, looking up.
“I can do a lot now,” Caleb replied. He’d added most of the spells he’d already known to his book. It had taken time, but it was worth it. If anything happened, he wasn’t going to be caught unprepared this time.
And Clint couldn't. Which was fucked up in a funny but not funny sort of way. Clint gave him a slight smile. "An alarm on our door would be awesome, except I'll forget and trip it on the way to the bathroom.”
“I can make it so you won’t. You and I—and Molly—can come and go as we please.” It was a spell the Right had thought useless, which Caleb had never understood.
"What about Frumpkin?" Clint asked curiously.
As if he understood, Frumpkin let out a prrp and rubbed his cheek against Clint’s knuckles.
Caleb smiled at them both. “And Frumpkin, of course.”
Clint leaned down and kissed the cat's head, relaxing a little more at the thought. "So we put an alarm on the door, and we stay and check this place out for a bit, at least until we can get back on our feet.”
“Until we get back on our feet,” Caleb agreed, then stood and crossed the room to the door.
Caleb started the spell. The words came easily, like they’d never been taken from him, and, as he spoke, he moved his hands like he was unspooling thread. Magic as thin as wire and glinting like silver hung from his hands. He passed it across the door, then moved slowly around the room, stringing it across the walls until he was right back where he started. With a flick of his fingers, the magic remaining in his hands disappeared and the thread he’d hung faded out of sight.
"You. Are fucking amazing," Clint told him, leaving no room for question. His roommate was magic.
Clint made it back to their room...after a brief stop to lose his lunch in the bathroom. The principal, headmaster guy had put him and Caleb in the same room, which was, at least, some small comfort. As soon as he walked in the room, he crouched, lifting Frumpkin into his arms, hugging the cat to his chest as he headed for the bed he'd chosen. He said nothing at first, just looking over at Caleb uncertainly as he kicked off his shoes and pushed himself into the far corner of the bed, hogging his roommate's cat.
Like Clint, Caleb was tucked up onto his own bed. He had a hardcover notebook tucked under his knee, and a few pens, which looked a lot like the nice ones from the infirmary, piled next to it. He signed, What’re you thinking?
Even though Clint could hear now, he found the signing comforting, especially since it preserved the quiet of their room. Setting Frumpkin in his lap, Clint raised his hands and signed, I met someone.
Already? You work fast. Caleb said with a small smile.
Clint started to sign no, then paused. Wanda was hot. Maybe once he got his head together...but he shook it, and looked up to sign, I learned things. Don't know if we're safe.
Caleb went cold. What did you learn?
It was too difficult to remember how to sign, so Clint just cleared his voice and pulled Frumpkin into his arms. "They have a training room with holograms.”
“A—what?” Caleb grabbed his notebook, and pens and moved from his bed to Clint’s, pitching his voice lower so they ran less of a chance being overheard. “Why would they have a training room with holograms? What kind of school is this?”
Clint shook his head. "I don't know. They seem to...like it? At least the girl I talked to did. And the kids that rescued us knew how to fight.”
“Did the girl say if they make everyone train?” Caleb told himself to calm down. This wasn’t the Right again. There were no locks on the doors. They weren’t constantly monitored. They had free access to their mutations. Xavier had even told them they could leave whenever they wanted and all current evidence pointed to that as being true.
No, Clint found himself signing without meaning to. "I guess she said they had to reserve it.”
Caleb made a quiet, thoughtful sound. “What do you think?”
"I don't know," Clint admitted, running a hand down Frumpkin's back. "Maybe everyone uses them now?"
It had been a long time since Clint had actually been out and about in the world, and before that, he hadn't exactly had the best access to technology. Maybe holographic training rooms were all the rage now?
Caleb shook his head. “No one who came to the Facility ever mentioned it. Molly would have said something.”
"Then I don't know," Clint reiterated. "It doesn't add up. I was thinking of trying to ask around.”
Frowning, Caleb rubbed his jaw. “We could leave. If this place is anything like the Facility they won’t let us get past the front gate.”
Clint's lips quirked, and he gave a little shrug. "I already tried it. They let me walk out, no problem. Not...not that I would leave you or Molly or Cal. I was just testing it out.”
Caleb furrowed his brow at Clint at the reassurance. “...Alright.” He reached over to scratch Frumpkin behind an ear. “Maybe this place is what they say it is then.”
"Maybe," Clint agreed. "The holo shit just freaked me out.”
Caleb laid his hand over the one Clint had on Frumpkin. “We’re never going back there.”
Breathing out, Clint quirked a small grin. "I sure as hell hope not. Now we just have to figure out how to keep Molly out of trouble.”
Caleb took his hand away. “That’s more of a challenge than escaping from the Facility was,” he said with a chuckle.
Clint looked around the room, slowly relaxing, his mind working. "So if this place really is what it says it is, and the Right's still out there, maybe looking for us, what's the plan? Do we stay here for a bit? Take in the lay of the land?”
“It’d be stupid not to. We have a free roof over our head and free food.” A library Caleb couldn’t wait to get his hands on. “And it’s safer than the streets.”
Caleb had a point. Clint had never been specifically 'on the streets' himself, but already, the school seemed a hell of a lot better than any of the foster homes he'd ever been in. They gave him clothes, and money, and a phone. There was unlimited food, which was still hard to believe, and he only had to share his room with one other person. "So. We stay. For a bit.”
Clint was saying ‘we’ an awful lot and Caleb was beginning to realize that the friendship they’d struck up in the Facility hadn’t been one of convenience. Clint was here to stay. He smiled, and nodded. “We stay here for now.”
Caleb pulled his spell book onto his lap. “I could put an alarm on the room if it’ll help you feel safer.”
"You can do that?" Clint asked, looking up.
“I can do a lot now,” Caleb replied. He’d added most of the spells he’d already known to his book. It had taken time, but it was worth it. If anything happened, he wasn’t going to be caught unprepared this time.
And Clint couldn't. Which was fucked up in a funny but not funny sort of way. Clint gave him a slight smile. "An alarm on our door would be awesome, except I'll forget and trip it on the way to the bathroom.”
“I can make it so you won’t. You and I—and Molly—can come and go as we please.” It was a spell the Right had thought useless, which Caleb had never understood.
"What about Frumpkin?" Clint asked curiously.
As if he understood, Frumpkin let out a prrp and rubbed his cheek against Clint’s knuckles.
Caleb smiled at them both. “And Frumpkin, of course.”
Clint leaned down and kissed the cat's head, relaxing a little more at the thought. "So we put an alarm on the door, and we stay and check this place out for a bit, at least until we can get back on our feet.”
“Until we get back on our feet,” Caleb agreed, then stood and crossed the room to the door.
Caleb started the spell. The words came easily, like they’d never been taken from him, and, as he spoke, he moved his hands like he was unspooling thread. Magic as thin as wire and glinting like silver hung from his hands. He passed it across the door, then moved slowly around the room, stringing it across the walls until he was right back where he started. With a flick of his fingers, the magic remaining in his hands disappeared and the thread he’d hung faded out of sight.
"You. Are fucking amazing," Clint told him, leaving no room for question. His roommate was magic.
