2012-07-17 Move In Day

Fall classes don't start for several more weeks, and most incoming Freshman won't be starting the College Experience until then. But having graduated, Illyana's room at Xavier's needs to get ready for a new student and so... she needed somewhere to go. Her solution? Start University early with one class, and move into the dorms there! Which is what she's doing now. Sure, the easy thing would be to just teleport everything into her room, but she's trying to keep a low profile. Which is why she's carrying a box down the hall which is big enough to be awkward and heavy enough to make moving it around to see not so much of an option. "Next time," She says, voice strained, "I don't let Piotr help me pack."
 
 
Peter Parker is in a similar boat. Well not him, really, but his friend Howie James, who happens to be taking the same intro class that Illyana is in. Bros gotta be bros, see, and when a dude's gotta move the rule is you help him out no matter what because moving in by yourself is totally terrible.
 
 
So anyways, as Illyana is passing in the hallway, a gangly boy wearing 50s style heavy rimmed glasses nearly bulls her over. He can't see over the large box he's carrying, "Oh, man, sorry." He pins the box against the wall to give Illyana some more room. "Tight confines," he says awkwardly.
 
 
The box-bumping has Illyana stumbling back a bit and while Peter pins his box to the wall, she sets hers down before she drops the damned thing. "Tell me about it." She says in a grumpy manner. "I'm beginning to understand why people hate moving." She tucks some of her blonde hair back behind one ear as she looks over at Peter.
 
 
"Yeah, uh, I...I hate i..." Peter stops mid sentence as he realizes he's never actually moved before. Huh. That's odd. Hey, uh, think of something to say, dude. Right. "You uh...You live here, then huh?"
 
 
Illyana slowly arches one brow as Peter comes up with uh... well, nothing. One corner of her mouth quirks upwards in a small smirk. "Hence, the moving in." She says with a gesture to the box at her feet. "And I'll probably get to move *again* in a few weeks when the Fall semester starts." She nods to the box. "You moving in too?"
 
 
"Yeah, I live here, I mean no I'm moving my friend in. /He/ lives here. He goes to collegehiI'm Peter." Peter smiles sheepishly and nods to her, looking away. This would be an opportune moment to offer to shake her hand, because that's what normal people do when they greet and what not, but his hands are taken up by pinned box. "His name is Howie. Nice guy."
 
 
Illyana's brow furrows a bit as Peter starts to agree and then corrects himself and ends in a rush. Her smirk broadens a bit. "Nice guy.. He your boyfriend?" There's a glint to her eyes as she asks the question, like it's more to torment him than information she's actually looking for. "I'm Illyana." She leans forwards a bit to offer one hand over to him, even though he's got that box.
 
 
Peter pauses and shakes his head soberly, "Uhm. No, not really. I mean, if he is I guess we take things really slow. We've been friends since we were little and he hasn't even put a move on me y..." As the hand comes over the box, Peter reaches to take it and CHICKACHICKA BOOM BOOM, the box falls to the ground. The Nintendo 64 game system that Howie's kept in mint condition may or may not be working, "Pete! Tell me you didn't drop that box!" Howie's sounding worried a few doors down in his room. "Don't worry man, I c..." He pauses before finishing and kneels down in terror. "Dude, I can fix it. I can probably fix it."
 
 
Illyana's eyes crinkle at the outside edges as the smirk broadens into a grin at his reply. "It didn't sound like it, but I wanted to see if you started every reply with an affirmative." She admits. Illyana looks down as the box crashes, cringing a bit. "Sorry." She apologizes because well, she kind of expected that to happen.
 
 
"Yeah, well, I mean no, I don't. I don't always I me..." "DUDE!" yells Howie as he steps out into the hallways. "My 64!" 
 
 
"I can fix it dude, I swear to god. I just need a soldering gun and we're good."
 
 
"You better be able to fix it, man." Howie looks destroyed as he picks up the machinery as if it's a dead animal in a shoebox and takes it into the dorm for its last rites. 
 
 
Peter, meanwhile, is looking through old games. Bond. Mario 64. Some old sports ones. Zelda. Hey. "Anyone tell you you kind of look like Zelda?"
 
Illyana can't help but smirk again as he starts out with 'yeah'. She just smiles over at Howie as he comes over, not interrupting their little exchange, trying not to snicker at his expression. Illyana shakes her head a bit and then looks over at Peter with a bit of confusion. "I look like a video game?"
 
 
"Yeah, you know. I mean, with the grey exterior and the blocky featu...No, silly. Zelda's /in/ the game. She's a princess. The compliment works a lot better if you're familiar with the series I suppose." Peter sighs, "Howie's going to kill me. It's nice to meet you Illyana. I'm sorry it has been under such terrible circumstances. My death will be soon."
 
 
"I don't play a lot of video games." Illyana admits. Not to mention she might not have been born when the games came out. "I'll tell you what, it was my fault you're incurring the Wrath of Howie, so I promise I'll protect you, hmm?"
 
 
"Well, Illyana," Peter says as he inspects another of the games. Turok. Before looking back at her. "I can't tell you how comfortable that makes me, what with your terrifying demeanor, large frame, and bulging muscles. I mean, all is not lost..."
 
 
Illyana can't help but grin briefly, giving him a flash of white teeth. "I'm scarier than I look. Promise. But if you'd feel safer with big and strapping, I'll let you hide behind my big brother?" She leans down enough to pat his shoulder and give him a wink. "I'll keep you safe." She teases him.
 
 
Peter grins and nods, "Okay. Maybe we should go judge the damage..."
 
 
Peter returns the smile, gathers the games, and makes his way the few feet towards Howie's room. There, underneath a light, is the wreckage. Peter, hopefully with Illyana in tow, enters the room slowly. "Uh...Howie?"
 
 
"Dude, it's totally fucked."
 
 
"I'm like so sorry."
 
 
Howie sighs and says it's alright, but he totally doesn't mean it.
 
 
"I think I can fix it." Peter hopes he can anyways.
 
 
Illyana doesn't figure that anyone's going to make off with her stupidly too-big and too-heavy box that Piotr packed for her, so she ducks in after Peter. She peers at the mess over Peter's shoulder. "You should find working bits from other ones and do like a deconstructed Franken-box." She says, giving her ever-helpful two cents.
 
 
Very slowly, but in unison, both Howie and Peter turn slowly and look towards Illyana incredulously as if she had just...I don't know...farted or something.
 
 
"I'll keep it here and you can come by next week. When do you go back to school Pete?" "Hrm? Sch..Hm?" "Back to school. When do you go? Last year it was like August 30th or something. Ready for your senior year?" "Sen...Yeah." Busted, Pete looks at Illyana and then back to Howie. "Oh yeah. Stoked. Listen, I'm gonna help this chick get the rest of her stuff moved in if that's cool with you. I can bring my solder gun and get those pieces put together tomorrow or something."
 
 
When the pair of them turn to look at her she gives them a flat look in reply, blue eyes briefly going icy. The ice breaks at the mention of Peter and his impending Senior-goodness and she slides her gaze over to him with a slight smirk. Then she looks back over to Howie and gives him a nod. "I'll see you in class." Because she did recognize him.
 
 
Howie nods, "Yeah, sounds good."
 
 
Peter exhales and walks out the door. Mojo totally ripped to shreds. "You got some more stuff?" he calls over his skinny shoulder. Doesn't look like he could lift much anyhow.
 
 
"I saved the big one for last." Illyana says, nodding to the box that she left on the hall floor. "But it's alright. I can get it." She wouldn't want him to pull a muscle or anything!
 
 
"Nah, don't worry about it." Peter reaches down and picks it up pretty easily. "Trick is to lift with your legs. It's physics. Where do you want this?"
 
 
Illyana does look mildly surprised, because she's stronger than she looks and knows that it was Pretty Damned Heavy. "Uh, down the hall here." She says, moving in front of him so that she can unlock the door and open it cautiously. She peers in and a few small heads come up from small demons that have been setting things up in her room. 'Helping'. She glowers at them and makes a 'shoo!' gesture. One ducks under the bed while another dives for the closet. One goes stiff on her bed, pretending to be a stuffed animal. Holding the door open for Peter she facepalms. Oi.
 
 
The toy is noticed almost immediately. "Cool stuffed animal." He sets the box down in the center of the room. "What's in here, a dead carcass? It's way too heavy. I don't know much about movin' but you gotta spread that stuff o...Nice place." Peter looks around the room idly, just sort of standing there.
 
 
"Yeah. He was a uh, present." Illyana glares at the demonling who stays very. Very. Still. The question gets a shake of her head, "Nah. I keep the dead bodies in my other place. That's mostly books, I think. Problems when people help you pack." The room is much like Howie's, but her stuff is only half-unpacked. Of course, the demons have decided to hang up posters of metal bands and one even got out what one hopes is red paint to draw some protective sigils on the wall. Gotta pity whoever gets stuck with Illyana as a roommate. "Let's be honest, it's a dorm room." She says with a laugh. The demon under the bed starts to creep outward, trying to sneak up on Peter's shoes as he comes to a stop near the bed with an eye toward his laces.
 
 
And now Peter starts to notice the weird posters and the weird markings. "Uhm. What's with the red paint? Is it some thrashmetal thing a hipster wouldn't understand?""OhwaitbyhipsterImeantnerd. Either way."
 
 
As far as the demon, Peter has no clue. Completely oblivious.
 
 
Long, spindly arms reach out, tugging laces looser so that the demon can tie them together before slipping back under with a raspy wheeze sound. "Oh, yeah, I like metal. Thrash, heavy, speed." Illyana says with a dismissive shrug and then gives him a so-sweet smile. Innocence! See??
 
 
"Oh, that's cool. I'm more of a mid 90s to 2000s indie rock guy." Peter looks at one of the poster's in particular, "I'm not sure I've ever heard of these guys, but the poster is totally confounding." He takes a step towards it and his spidey sense goes haywire for a second. Instead of landing flat on his face, he catches himself in a pushup pose. He looks between his arms and under his chest, down by his feet. Tied together shoes. What the....
 
 
"Some of them are local bands." Illyana admits. Some are 'local' in the UK but she doesn't mention that. She starts to say more when he starts to fall, moving forward to try to help and then blinking as he catches himself. "Wow. Nice reflexes. What happened?" She can guess though, and glares over towards her bed.
 
 
"I..." Peter seems shocked as he rolls over onto his behind and grasps at the laces of his skater shoes. "I don't know. That's...." He looks up at her. "They didn't tie themselves together. Do you have a roommate somewhere?" He raises an eyebrow at her and is sort of at a loss for words as to how to explain. His scientific background is standing beside itself.
 
 
Illyana raises her hands, palms out. "Hey, I was in plain sight the whole time." She says, quickly wiping away the glare for that innocent look again. "No roommate yet, no. Maybe my room is haunted."
 
 
"Yeah. Right. Haunted." Finally, Peter gets the shoes untied. Dang, that was tight! He uses her bedpost and pulls himself up, "You don't believe in that stuff, do you?...Wait a second." He peers at the stuffed animal demon thing. The red paint. The death metal posters. Then back at Illyana. "One of two things is the case. You've lured me here to eat me. Or, you're a LARPer."
 
 
Illyana pulls her lips back and snaps her teeth at him, grinning. Then she shakes her head. "No and... no. Sorry. You look a big stringy." She teases him with a wink. "You don't? Believe in Magik?" For some reason that question amuses her to no end, blue eyes glinting.
 
 
Peter shakes his head and chuckles awkwardly, "Nah, I'm more of a science guy myself. I'm majo...I will major in some sort of engineering probably. /Next/ year. When I go to college." He looks a bit crestfallen, though he already got busted a bit ago. "What about you? You believe in magic, hauntings, aliens. All that stuff?"
 
"'There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio...'" Illyana smirks again and flops onto her bed in a sitting position, pulling her legs up under her. "How could you look at all the stars out there, and think we're alone in the Universe? Or think that in a few thousand years we've unraveled the mysteries of life and death? Or look at the news with heroes and villains that do things we can't explain and say definitively 'no'?"
 
 
"Well, the aliens thing I kind of buy, but it all just seemed to flow together. But if they could really visit us, I think they'd do it in a much bigger way than out in sparse fields on the History Channel." Peter chuckles and looks around for some place to sit. He decides the corner of the box will have to do. "The magic stuff? I dunno. Nassomuch."
 
 
Illyana hitches a shoulder in a shrug. She's not too surprised. "Well, in the interest of Science and keeping an open mind, I'm sure you can at least agree that there's the *possibility*?"
 
 
"Well, sure, there's a possibility. I mean, I don't really know one way or another, of course. It just seems that the belief in magic from all the generations before were just sort of unraveled by science, you know? I mean, we kind of explained how the world works. And continue to do so. Kind of taking the magic out of the unknown and making it known."
 
 
"But if you know how magic works, then it's not unknown." Illyana says, crossing her legs and seeming more amused than impassioned. "And science *guesses* at how the world works, if you assume certain things are true. Which is not to undermine science. I have some friends and family that are very into the science scene."
 
 
"Well, it basically rules out what it can rule out, but your point is duly noted lil lady." Peter shrugs his shoulders, "I don't believe in it...no." Quickly looking to change the subject, he asks, "So, what about you? What are you majoring in here? Are you excited to be here? Nervous at all?"
 
 
Illyana winkles her nose a bit. "Undecided." She admits. The other question gets a bit of a shrug. "What's to be nervous about?"
 
 
"Well, I mean being away from home. Meeting new people," Peter's grin grows, "I mean I hate meeting new people a lot of the time. It can cause anxiety."
 
 
 
Illyana's expression slips into something very neutral as she shrugs again. "I've been away from... home before. And I'm not much of a people person." She forces a bit of a smile there.
 
 
"Ohhhh." Peter nods slowly. "That's a hint, right?" He checks his watch and nods, "Well, I should probably head back. My aunt needs me to pick up some things at the market on the way back anyhow." He stands, "It was nice meeting you Illyana. Good luck with your first semester."
 
 
Illyana's smile loses some of that forced air and she ducks her head a bit. "Sorry. Not a hint I'm just..." She shakes her head. "Thanks for the help, Peter. Good luck with Howie."
 
 
"Not a people person? Yeah, me either really." Peter smiles and nods, "Thanks. I think he's...well, I think he's devastated. I gotta swing by and try and fix it. Maybe I'll hop by and see if you're in, or something. No pun intended."
 
 
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