2014-05-09 - Too Pool for School

Late Spring, 2014, The backyard of the Xavier Mansion----
Two furtive figures dressed in dark clothing stand near the edge of the olympic-sized swimming pool, specifically near where one would normally be putting in chlorine and those other pool chemicals. Over on the other side of the campus, another small group of students led by Haroum Ibn Salla al-Rashid is busy "tagging" one side of the garage to provide both a distraction if needed, and to draw attention away from the Hellions' -true- goal. Just what nefarious purpose might that be? Well, suffice to say that should the payload be properly delivered, the next several people to take a dip in the pool are going to end up completely hairless.
No words are passing between the two. They've actually been quite stealthy by most peoples' standards. One of them is crouched near the receptacles for the chlorine and whatnot, with the other, taller fellow keeping lookout.
<<C'mon, Q...we don't have much time before -someone- here catches on to us.>> Julian telepathically sends to his partner-in-crime Quentin Quire, <<One of the adults, I mean.>> Of course, there's every possibility that Charles Xavier is already aware of what's going on, but allows it to continue regardless, perhaps feeling the competition is good for the Generation X members. Or maybe he's asleep. It -is- rather late at night, after all.
Sleep is for the weak. Or people who have not been trained to be killer assassins from their birth, or those not pranking, partying, or whatever else people do at this later hour. Laura Kinney meets one of those criteria at the very least, and finding the inability to sleep she decided to do what was natural to her, and walk the grounds and make certain that the school that now harbored her was safe. A futile effort, perhaps, considering the sheer amount and talent within the school, but Laura doesn't operate on possibilities or chance. Only certainty. Her footfalls are silent, even before the wind carries to her nose the scents of - unfamiliar people. And chemicals. Her upper lip curls, and she lowers her position, moving in a slow pattern around Julian and Quentin so as to take them by surprise, ready for anything.
<<This is a delicate process,>> Quentin's 'voice' comes back in Julian's head snarkily, <<One that lesser minds could not possibly comprehend.>>
There's a pause. <<Also, I can't get the stupid cap off.>>
The pink-haired Hellion quietly wrestles with the top of the chemical soup that will soon be infecting the Xavier pool. <<Any second now...>>
Let's be honest, Julian is is a reasonably perceptive guy, but there's no way in Hell that he's going to spot or hear Laura if she doesn't want to be. So he's still looking around and seeing nothing. <<Seriously? Do you need me to get the thing open for you?>> He looks around once more, still thinking matters are completely A-OK, <<All quiet out here. Isn't this the part where I'm supposed to say "too quiet?">>
As Q is quite occupied with tring to get that particular stubborn cap off, and Julian is both attempting to watch Quentin and keep an 'eye' out, it's not all that hard for Laura to approach from the back of the shed that the two boys are at, opposite them, and work her way around the side of the building, carefully, quietly.
And in the pale moonlight, she watches their shadows betray them. And the moment Julian is moving to shift his head in any direction away from her, she's moving. The only initial sound that occurs is a 'SNIKT', and two lethal wrist claws are out, right at Julian's neck. She's also keeping an eye on Quentin, one clawed hand pointing his way. "Tell me why I should spare you from poisoning the water. I reccomend you stay still and do not provoke any further reaction on my part."
"No worries, Slice-and-Dice," Quentin drawls, a sneer pulling at his lips as he eyes Laura's claws. 
<<Julian, she looks like an awfully sharp one. You may need some bubble wrap.>> Quentin mentally flicks out to his companion, his tone lazy and entirely unimpressed. And he mentally reaches out to Laura's to try and make her forget what she's seeing.
Of course, you know, she's half-Wolverine. So psychic intrusion isn't exactly the best play.
"Holy Shit, it's Wolverrrrchick?" Julian's tone starts kind-of-frightened and ends...kind-of-intrigued, as he studies the girl with deadly adamantium blades at his throat rather nonchalantly, "Oh come on, it's not //poison//. Julian notes, "We might give you guys a lot of crap but we'd be bored as hell if you //died//." That's...probably not helping. Of course he's not aware of what Quentin may or may not be trying at the moment. "So how about you put the stabby-bits away, huh?"
Laura does not have the experience, or training that Logan does when it comes to psonic invasions, and so Quentin's attempts work. Partially. First, the arm pointing it's claws towards Quentin start to lower, and retract, then those at Julian's throat, giving the young man some breathing room. For a brief moment.
And while Quentin has relieved the momentary plan of attack on Laura's behalf, and the reason for her investigation and threats, it doesn't change the fact she doesn't recognize either of them. Or the time of day. She demands instead, "You are not students here. What are you doing on the school grounds?" And while the claws aren't out, now? She doesn't look any less calm, or relaxed.
"Team Captain Summers asked us to come check on your pool," Quentin lies. And he doesn't exactly bother covering that fact, rummaging in Laura's head with a slightly annoyed expression. Stupid... Wolverines. And their stupid... healing factors being fairly good at keeping psions like Kid Omega /out/ (or at least, as it seems here, having lessened his effect). He attempts to rewrite her memory of tonight to say something about... not having seen them, at all, go home nowplzkthx.
Not that it works. Laura's brain would not appreciate that flavor of intrusion, most likely.
"Yeah, just here checking on the pool," Julian smiles oh-so-innocently (not). "Looks like we just need to balance the PH levels and it'll be good to go." He does take a slight step back away from Laura, and is ready to throw up a TK shield if needed, but for now he doesn't go quite that far. "It's all good, you can probably just go back inside and go back to sleep or...whatever."
"You are both lying." It's a factual statement. And if logic failed her due to the hour of night, or the fact that neither of them look like technicians? Well. She's Wolverine's Clone. She has other ways of noticing these things. Her nose twitches - and again those claws come out, but this time she does not point them - directly, at Julian or Quentin. "You are poisoning the pool." And with a clean, fast push of her foot, the container with the hair-removal chemicals in it is sliced in half, much of the chemical instantly spilling out on the concrete. "You are clearly not assassins. You are not skilled enough. What is your intent?"
<<Gawd. Her head is like a rock. I'll keep trying her, but you try your pretty-boy charms.>> 
"Aw come on..." Julian notes mournfully, shaking his head as the chemical spills out onto the pool deck. Julian sighs, "It was just a harmless prank. You know, a joke?" He shakes his head, "All that work...it was gonna be awesome." He looks to Laura once more, "It wasn't going to hurt anybody." And he's not lying. Well, except for maybe their pride, but no -physical- harm. He shrugs, "Well, guess there's no reason to stick around, now."
Laura's body does not shift, or give way. However, after examining Julian a moment, the young woman steps down, and the claws retract back into her wrists. The footclaw had been only out long enough to slice the cannister, before it'd been retracted. "I will escort you off the property to make certain you leave," she tells the two. But at least she is no longer seeming on the verge of fighting them. She looks to the chemicals, spilled, then to Quentin and Julian in turn. "I do not understand how this is a joke. But I neither understand Bobby's form of humor, either, or the actions he also calls pranks. However, you are not from Xavier's. You do not belong here."
"All right, all right, we're goin'. Jules, mind giving me a lift?" Quentin grins, his own TK focused on guiding the puddle of chemicals into the pool.
Waste not want not!
Well, it will be more like "mange" than "nair" but hey...maybe that's even better! Julian grins at Quentin and nods to Laura, "We can see ourselves out, thanks." That pale green glow then envelops him and Quentin alike, starting to lift them off of the ground, as well as providing a degree of protection to both of them as they go.
The flippant attitude of the two MA students only sparks anger in Laura, whose never been taught or cared to, until recently, have any sort of control over her emotions - those at least, she's familiar with. And the fact that her 'targets' are now fleeing? Provokes a fight or fight harder response in her, and her claws pop out, not seeking to kill, but ... to, well, maim. And a well-placed stab to Julian's kneecap to bring the two of them down is initiated.
Quentin laughs darkly as the two rise, protected by Julian's TK field, and Laura's stabb attempt glances off the bubble. "Later, Uncle Charles."
"Damn...don't go away mad, Stab-Girl." Julian pauses just out of Laura's reach (unless she really jumps for them), shaking his head, then grinning. He offers up a little mock salute, "Seeya around." The field does indeed feel solid. The claws can't seem to find purchase to "cut" anything. In any case, after that little "farewell" Julian and Quentin zoom off towards the edge of the Mansion grounds in a pale streak of green energy.
Category:Historical Log