Pop-Tarts Are Tres Chic [open!]

[Alison Blaire]

It was ten am before Alison Blaire woke up. It wasn't one of those slow wake-ups where you lazily drift in from a good dream. She didn't wonder where she was, and why she wasn't in her bed. It was like even while sleeping she couldn't escape the knowledge of how terrible wrong last night's events had gone.

She got up and got dressed, put her hair in a ponytail, and did some basic make-up. She was new, after all, and assumed she might be needing to meet with whoever was in charge and explain why she was crashing in their school and had turned up in the middle of the night. And she wanted to make a nice first impression, not just to whoever she had to meet with, but to everyone else. She didn't doubt that somebody in the school would think to go to the media with the fact that she was there, and she wanted to at least look like she wasn't miserable.

Fortunately for her, she was an actress. And even when her world was in shambles, she was able to put on a pleasant face (after a few layers of foundation to hide the bags under her eyes) and leave her room.

She didn't know where anything was, but she assumed that it was all downstairs. She followed a stampeding group of kids who looked to be about twelve down the stairs and down a hallway. And found herself in a kitchen. Wouldn't a school have, like...a cafeteria? Hers had, for the two years she'd gone there before leaving her hometown for Hollywood.

There was an assortment of breakfast food on the island counter, and Alison eyed it, ignored for the most part by the chattering and constantly moving kids. She picked up something in shiny silver wrapping. Pop-Tarts. She rarely had them...Usually she had something fresh. But hey. Beggars can't be choosers. And she was definently a beggar.

[Maggott]

Maggott, slightly groggy and wearing a pair of X-sweats and an X-hoodie, snuck through the mobs and gobs of kids in the kitchen, attempting to get to the cupboards. Clearly came in through the wrong door, he thought.

Maggott didn't, and wasn't going to, actually eat with the other students, but he and the girls still did need to eat at some point, and hoarding a little real food now prevented missing furniture later. There were only so many MIA chairs he could shrug off.

He noticed a new student among the horde, and slid up next to her between a kid with green spikes for hair and a teenage girl whose mouth looked like it had fire inside. The new girl had just pulled out some Pop-Tarts, one of the many bizarre American foods that had made its way to South Africa, invading the homes of the rich and tantalizing the poor.

Maggott reached out carefully, grabbed the full box from beneath her hands, and pulled it toward himself. He smiled at her. "Morning, luv."

He shifted the box under his left arm and stuck out his right hand, just as he was jostled by a red-headed teenage girl. He gave a little laugh and shrugged, then stuck his hand out again. "I'm Maggott."

[Alison Blaire]

"Morning, luv."

Alison looked up to the face that sat atop the hands that had grabbed the Pop-Tarts box from in front of her. As he stuck out his hand and introduced himself, she gave him a friendly smile and slid her hand into his, shaking it.

Maggott? As in...the slimy gross bugs. 'Well, it probably means something some other language. He looks African.'

"Alison," she said with a nod, her smile never fading. She tended not to introduce herself by her full name when it seemed like the people around didn't recognize her. It was at those times that she got to enjoy a little bit of normalcy. But unfortunately, she could see that the teenagers behind Maggott were looking at Alison a bit too closely, and whispering to each other. She didn't look at them, but glanced down to her Pop-Tarts as her hands started to attempt to open the silver wrapping.

"I just got here, yesterday," she said, to make conversation. If he asked why...well, she'd find some way to make it sound like no big deal without actually lying. She tried not to lie unless she couldn't see another way around the truth. That and the people who lied to the press usually ended up getting caught sooner or later.

As she had spent all night hoping and praying would happen to Eric Beale. Sooner - much sooner - than later.

[Maggott]

Maggott wished he could have popped some food in his mouth as so many people did while they were listening. It seemed like such a normal thing to do, and gave the listener something to do besides stand there like a loskop. On the other hand, maybe that's why so many Americans were so fat - all they did was talk, and eat while talking.

He noticed both that she was having trouble with the annoying silver wrapping - he had opened these things before, so he knew they pain, even though Eany and Meany invariably ate the wrapping as well - and that some of the younger students were looking at them. He'd seen his fair share of strange pupils here, so the staring surprised him.

He reached out and gently took the Pop-Tarts from her hand and ripped open the packaging, just to have something to do with his own hands. I'd be a fat oke if it wasn't for my powers, he thought.

"Only been here a little while myself," he told her as he handed the pastries back to her. "But this place is kief ek sê." He smiled widely.

[Alison Blaire]

(ooc: Ack! Sorry, I forgot to reply!!)

Alison wondered if he'd actually been speaking english, and his accent had made something he said sound especially weird. But after a moment of thought, she determined that he had definently been speaking another language. "What language is that?" she asked, looking to Maggott with an interested gaze.

It definently wasn't French, nor Italian, nor pretty much any other European language she'd ever heard of...She considered some kind of African dialogue, but she didn't want to judge the book by its cover, so she cocked her head to one side slightly and waited for a response, as she broke off a piece of her PopTart and put it in her mouth.

[Maggott]

"What language is that?"

"English, luv, with a bit of homegrown Afrikaan. Just a bit though." He smiled wider and gave a loud laugh. "Don't worry if you don't understand it all,

Maggott's empty stomach growled audibly. He had let the girls out in his room, but left the window open, telling them that they needed to stop eating the sheets off his bed or people would start to wonder why he always needed new ones. He was starting to get truly hungry though, and while his appearance in the kitchen gave the others the idea that he ate like a normal mutant, it still didn't fill his seemingly bottomless stomach.

He put a hand over his belly and gave Allison a sheepish grin. "Guess I need some padkoss more than I skeemed, huh?"

When the girls were full, they'd return to him, but that didn't alleviate his worry over what they might be eating in the meantime...

[Alison Blaire]

Somehow, Alison almost followed his words. At least, the words that seemed to fit were 'food' and 'thought'. She thought it over for a moment, turning her head slightly and smiling slowly as she decided that that seemed to be a correct interpretation.

"So you're from Africa? Thats really cool. I've never been to Africa." She'd been all over Europe, and Canada, and Australia, to name a few...but there wasn't really a high demand for a tour to go to Africa.

She became aware that one of the teenagers sitting nearby them was watching her closely, seeming to be waiting for an opportunity to jump in. Alison's glance his way apparently invited him. "Whats your name?" he asked.

Alison looked to him, and smiled a small but friendly smile. "Alison."

A pause. He'd heard her introduce herself to Maggott, so he'd probably been expecting a last name. "You're Alison Blaire, aren't you? So...are you really a mutant? Cause everybody on the news is saying you are."

Alison made sure not to let her smile falter in the slightest. "Yes, I am a mutant." She wanted to add 'and I didn't really hurt anyone', but she also didn't want to look desperate for someone to believe her. Though she pretty much was.

"That's so cool," the girl beside him gushed, staring at Alison in awe. "So what're your powers?"

Alison paused. She really didn't want to talk about it - to anyone, let alone to a kid she didn't even know. "I'm...still figuring those out," she answered carefully, in the kind of tone she used to tell reporters not to bother pressing her any more about the particular subject.

But it was a lie. She wasn't figuring her powers out. She hadn't used them or even tried to use them since the catastrophe that was the premiere - though it was only the previous night, she didn't plan to use her powers, nor 'explore' them, for a long time to come.

She glanced sideways at Maggott, silently willing him to jump in and rescue her from the kids or something.

[Maggott]

Maggott could sense that Alison was very uncomfortable with the kids stares and questions. He'd had his fair share of stares since coming there, though most of the students were too afraid of his slugs to approach him directly. Phase had thouroughly enjoyed the girls' company, treating them more like bunnies than the deadly creatures they were, but he sadly hadn't seen her in awhile.

He stepped forward and put a hand on Alison's shoulder and put out his opposite one to the children. "Okay, kiddies, press conference's over."

He began to usher Alison towards the door, to the anxious protestations of the students.

"No, no, just send all your questions to my office, boykies and girlies!"

[Alison Blaire]

'Thank you,' she thought to Maggott as she gave him a grateful look that reflected the sentiment clearly, as he steered her out of the kitchen. "Thanks," she said under her breath once they were a little bit down the hall, and out of earshot of the kids, even though a glance back told her that they had moved to the door and were peeking out of it as she and Maggott walked away.

"I get that kind of stuff a lot...but it'll be awkward, staying with so many people and getting it so much." She still said 'staying' - because she didn't have any plans to be 'living' there. She just needed to get away from the world for a while - though of course she was already corresponding via phone with many different contacts, and knew that she'd have to make statements and meet with the police department, her record company, etc., over the next few days.

[Maggott]

"Thanks. I get that kind of stuff a lot...but it'll be awkward, staying with so many people and getting it so much."

Maggott smiled down at her and laughed. "Don't worry, doll, a blue African with two metal slugs gets a bit of attention too. Everyone here does in their own way," he gestured to the halls of the school, "but I think it's all lekker as hell."

"Whatever the littlies think of you, I bet it's only happy thoughts. That's all I'm thinkin right now, luv."

Maggott began to walk further away from the kitchen, hoping she'd follow. "Gotta find my lovely girls, I flash they're eyeball deep in trouble. Wanna join me?"

[Alison Blaire]

Alison listened to him, finding herself growing increasingly hesitant to meet these...slugs? Metal slugs? What??

She didn't know if she was taking what he'd said too literally - maybe 'slug' was a slang term for 'cat' or something...But she didn't want to insult him, so she declined kindly. "Actually, I was hoping to find Warren," she said apologetically. It was the truth; she really wanted to find him and...well, maybe discuss what had happened. Or maybe just hear him talk and make jokes, and take her mind off of what had happened for a while.

[Maggott]

Maggott began walking away and waved a hand in the air. "Suit yourself, luv" he shouted without turning around. "Lekker meeting you!"

[[Exit Maggott]]