One Wild Ride [Kurt, Jubes]

[Jubilee]

(ooc: This is the day after they returned from Alkali Lake)

It was mid-afternoon, and classes had just let out. There had been the stampede of students through the halls for several minutes, starting in the classroom wing and quickly spreading throughout the school. Soon, the hallways were almost quiet once again, most of the kids having had gone outside, to their rooms, or to the rec room.

But Jubilation Lee, who was usually the first one to move to something entertaining as soon as school was over, had stayed in the hall. She was in the classroom wing, leaning against the wall wit hr arms crossed and one leg propped up on the wall. She stared across at the wall opposite her, which looked as though something had been hurled into it.

Which was exactly what had happened, as Jubilee remember clearly. How she'd been hit by darts, but somehow managed to whip around and send a last of electricity at the trooper, sending him flying back into the wall. Then she'd been hit by a second trooper from behind, and had blacked out, only to wake up in a highly protected cell in Stryker's military base.

As she stared at the indent, Jubes wondered when they'd get around to fixing it. She wanted to get a picture of it first, to hang in her room with the caption 'Dont Mess With the PAFs'.

[Nightcrawler]

Kurt glanced around nervously as he slowly padded down the empty halls, tail curling behind him. There weren't many shadows as the sunlight streamed through the windows, and he found himself wishing for somewhere dark that he could disappear from all the gazing eyes of students that followed him.

It was still his first day at the mansion, and it seemed that most of the student body - and some of the adults - still weren't used to his appearance. Such was the beauty of the circus, never feeling as though he was on the outside.

But he wasn't at the circus anymore - now he was among other mutants. It will just take time, he thought.

Turning a corner, he looked up from the ground just in time to stop himself from crashing into the young woman leaning against the wall. She looked familiar - one of the children from the cell - but he still stepped back, his head down slightly. "Entschuldigung."

[Iceman]

Jubes sidestepped to avoid the person who nearly ran her over, her leg dropping from the wall to steady her. She looked to the perpetrator, and was slightly surprised to see the blue guy who had saved her from that cell at Alkali Lake.

Though given the choice, Jubes would have seriously considered staying in the cell. The ride he'd taken her on had been sickening. It was like being claustrophobic and afraid of the dark, and being in a tiny, pitch black box where you'd puke your guts out if you could get any air.

"Entschuldigung."

Jubes looked him up and down before replying casually, "Geshundheit."

She didn't give him time to explain the wierd foreign talk, but let spill what had come to her mind automatically upon seeing him. "So, that disappearing act you did at Alkali Lake...It was the single sickest thing I've ever felt. Cool. But sick." It was apparent from her tone that she approved. She wouldn't mind being able to zip out of trouble every now and then.

[Nightcrawler]

Kurt looked at her oddly as she wished him health, wondering if there was some greeting that stemmed from his native tongue that he didn't know about. He had just opened his mouth to wish it back to her, but she was already talking again.

"So, that disappearing act you did at Alkali Lake...It was the single sickest thing I've ever felt. Cool. But sick."

The tip of one ear twitched in embarrassment. Her tone was one of approval, but he still felt bad for having to put someone else through the that. "Ja, I have heard from others that it is unpleasant for everyone else. I have been teleporting for so long that if I ever felt anything, I notice nothing now."

His eyes glanced at the wall, noting the heavy indentation. "Was ist das? What happened?"

[Iceman]

Jubes' gaze wandered to the busted-up wall, and a smirk tugged on her red lips. "When they stormed the school...I was runnin' for the cubbyhole and some G.I. stuck me with darts."

Jubes pushed herself off of the wall and took leisurely steps into the center of the hallway. "I was standing right here," she said, and it was clear that she had catapulted straight back to that moment in her mind.

"I PAFfed him," she said, shaking herself and looking back at him, unaware that he was new and probably couldn't tell a PAF from a belch. Looking back at the wall, she gave him some idea. "Threw him straight across. Guess they cleaned him up, but forgot about the wall."

She said it lightly, as if she viewed it humorously. But there was a very underlying hint of remorse for what she'd done, possibly killed the guy from the impact. She'd never wanted to hurt anybody, that was why she'd never shared Bobby's goal of becoming an X-Man someday. Too much drama.

[Nightcrawler]

Kurt stepped across the hallway, his bare feet padding almost noiselessly, and ran his long hand over the dent. It certainly could be caused by a flying human... and Gott in Himmel knew he'd seen enough of those at the circus.

Turning his yellow eyes on her, he ran his mind over her words. "Und was ist ein... PAF?" he questioned curiously. Obviously something strong enough to throw a grown man - but so were so many of the other powers at the mansion. Just knowing that meant little.

He could hear the feigned humor in her voice. It was obvious that she didn't like what she had done... but it was just what she had needed to do. It was a mindset he understood all too well. He wasn't sure how long he'd be able to stay in a place where there were classes on combat tactics and military invasion was a real possibility.

"Fräulein, you only did what was natural. God gave us instincts for a reason, and he does not fault you for using them." Kurt didn't smile, but his expression was still warm. "Know that you are forgiven."

[Iceman]

Jubilee stood silently and watched Blues--what was his name again? He'd mentioned it a couple different times, and something about a circus, before someone had cut him off, each time. Come to think of it, people cut him off a lot. Jubes was interested to hear his story; she'd always loved the circus. She'd wanted to be a trapeze artist, to take her love of gymnastics to the air. She bet she'd have nothing on this guy's acrobatics.

"Und was ist ein...PAF?"

Jubes' eyes lit up and began to sparkle as she smiled, as though she had a juicy secret that she was about to let Kurt in on. Whatever her powers were, she was clearly fiercely proud of them. But before she spoke, Kurt spoke again.

Jubilee listened to what he said, and it reminded her of back when she'd gone to church every week with her parents. Was this guy a priest or a bishop or something? He was really in tune with God, so much was evident. She admired that; she'd always admired spiritual people. She considered herself to still be a believer, though she had rarely attended church since leaving her home. Church had been a big part of her parents lives, and it reminded her of them.

"You can tell that?" she asked, covering the fact that she was impressed (and that she appreciated his words) with humor. "Howabout I tell you all my stupid mistakes, and we work on those?" She laughed; but she wished subconsciously that such a thing were truly possible.

"Oh, and--PAFs--" Jubes remembered his question (luckily she had chosen to take German in high school; she wasn't great, but she knew what he'd said). The eager gleam returned to her eyes, and she lifted her hands, palms up.

Tiny redspheres of glowing, sparking light formed above her hands, basking her skin in a faint red glow. She wiggled her fingers in dramatic preparation, then looked up at him with a growing smile. "How do you say 'fireworks' in German?" she asked mischievously.

She flicked her wrists upward and to the side, between the two of them. The lights flew where she directed them, and moments later, tiny fireworks exploded in flashing lights of red and yellow in mid-air, far enough from Kurt to make sure he wasn't singed. She watched Kurt for his reaction; it was always the best part.

[Nightcrawler]

Kurt's head tilted to one side, his yellow eyes still focused on her. "The wisest man knows that he knows nothing... but I believe, and for me that is enough." He smiled his shy smile, his tail curling in amusement behind him at her humor. "Heaven knows that I have been foolish enough, but I have been forgiven."

He watched curiously as she raised her hands and the glowing spheres appeared in the air above them. His small smile broadened and his yellow eyes followed the lights as they exploded, casting his dark skin with reds and yellows that reflected in his eyes.

"Feuerwerke," he said happily, watching the lights fade in the hallway.

[Iceman]

Jubilee giggled--which, though Kurt wouldn't know this, was a very rare laugh for her. But the similarity to the English version of the word, sounding odd when changed so slightly from the word she was used to, brought rise to a girlish laugh.

She lowered her hands to rest on her hips and tried to repeat what he'd said. "Feuerwerke," she said slowly, pronouncing each syllable. She was no longer afraid of him in the least, in fact he was kind of the opposite of threatening.

"So you're big inta hailin' Mary, huh?" she asked with mild curiousity as she unzipped the fanny pack around her waist and pulled out a stick of gum. She popped it in her mouth and chewed a moment before adding, "My parents went to church a lot. I mean, I did too. With them."

She talked of it casually, as she'd always been much more open about it than most people are about the deaths of people close to them. It didn't mean it was any less hard to deal with, that they were gone. But it was a fact of life, and Jubes had never been the kind of person to be discreet.

[Nightcrawler]

Kurt smiled at her as the laugh rolled from her mouth. To have such a marvelous ability, and to apparently be able to use it to protect oneself... the variety at the mansion was wonderful. He wasn't used to so many different abilities under one roof.

"So you're big inta hailin' Mary, huh?"

Kurt couldn't help but laugh at her phrasing. His English was fairly good, but the way he'd heard the students talking about things in the day he'd been here... it was a strange new world he was in.

"Ja, I try to pray every day," he conceded, his hand unconsciously running over the small rosary hanging from his belt. "With everything that I go through, it helps keep me hopeful."

His smile faded slowly when he heard about her talking about her parents. Were, did... these are not words that someone so young should be using.

"What happened to them, Fräulein... entschuldigung, but what is your name?"

[Iceman]

"Jubilation Lee," she answered to his second question. It was easier to tackle than the first. "Everyone calls me Jubilee for short, or Jubes for even shorter."

"And my folks died when I was fourteen. That's what we get for living next to people with the same last name who get prices put on their heads." It was a very unspecific way of telling him that her parents had been murdered because of a mistake. She liked it unspecific; it was easier to say that way.

"Haven't been to church since. 'Cept Christmas and stuff." She tilted her head to the side, cracking her gum in a moment of silence as she examined Kurt. "But I guess that's not a good excuse, huh? I mean, unless your whole family was in the circus business...And it didn't keep you from walkin' the straight and narrow."

[Nightcrawler]

"Kurt Wagner," he responded. "It is good to meet you, Fräulein Lee."

He listened sadly at the few details she told. It was terrible for her family to have been killed, mistake or not. Such a terrible tragedy to have marring her past. He wasn't about to press for details; she had shared enough for him.

His tail brushed the floor behind him as she continued to speak, and he smiled again. "Making it to church regularly at your age would me a miracle indeed. At least your parents set down the good foundation for you."

He scratched his chin thoughtfully as she talked about the circus, his eyes darting to one side. "My family is complicated." His mind automatically drifted to his adopted family, and he couldn't help but think: Margali... I have wronged you.

But such thoughts were best left for contemplation in the sight of God, not new friends, so he pushed it away and smiled at Jubilee again. "At least you have a home now."

[Iceman]

"My family is complicated,"

"Seems like everyone's here is," Jubilee said in response. "Bein' a mutant kinda comes with baggage. I don't think there's a single person here with a normal family. No--I take that back. Pryde's got it made with hers."

"At least you have a home now."

Jubes nodded. She didn't often stop and think about how lucky she was to be at Xavier's; she just wasn't the type to reflect on that kind of stuff a lot. But she knew she was lucky, and there was nowhere she'd rather be.

"Yeah. This place has everything. A pool, stables--I don't ride, but the waspy girls love it--They even got some mats and a couple beams in the workout room when I moved in."

Jubes blew a bubble with her gum and popped it. She explained as she scraped the gum off of her nose. "I do gymnastics. Prob'ly couldn't touch your mad trapeze skills, though, right?" She grinned and cracked her gum again.

"You'll prob'ly be training, though," she said, considering him as though she were the one to make the decision, and in her book he passed. "Be another X-keteer? It'd be hilarious if they had you join and made Bobby go through like a year of training. He's dyin' to become a big X-Man."

[Nightcrawler]

Kurt chuckled, thinking about how everyone else's stories might have compared to his. "Somehow, I think mein Familie is different from everyone else's. I was accepted as a mutant. In the circus, it made little difference."

Nodding his agreement, Kurt listened to her talk about the facilities. He'd spent part of the day walking from room to room (while still avoiding people whenever possible) and cataloguing all the locations away in his mind. He had then proceeded to teleport from place to place, making sure he had everything down. He had surprised a few skittish students in the lounge - and the horses had thrown a fit when he suddenly appeared and disappeared in the stables - but overall he was successful in his endeavor to learn the mansion.

His pointed ears perked up at the mention of gymnastic equipment. He hadn't made it to the exercise room, as there had been a huge guy with what sounded like a hint of a Russian accent in there working out, but the potential for practice was promising.

"Ah, you are a gymnast? I was hoping there would be someone here to practice with. Since I have left the circus, I do not wish to..." Kurt paused, running over the English in his mind. "Fall behind? Yes, fall behind mit mein Akrobatik."

As she continued to speak, however, his brow furrowed. Be an X-Man? He had to admit, while he enjoyed the fellowship of other mutants, the idea of joining a team so prone to violence did not appeal to him at all. He had been given the invitation already - from the professor himself - but it was going to require much thought. "We shall see how long I stay."

[Jubilee]

"Somehow, I think mein Familie is different from everyone else's."

'Well, yeah, they're blue,' Jubes thought shamelessly at this.

Jubilee gave a toothy grin to Kurt as he talked about gymnastics, but the grin dropped a notch as he continued.

"We shall see how long I stay."

To cover her disappointment, she started to joke, "Careful about lettin' Dr. Gr--" She stopped, her eyes dimming as she looked at the carpet. She kicked herself inwardly, thinking, 'Smooth, Jubes' sourly. For a moment, she had forgotten that Dr. Grey had died at the Lake. Her smile changed to reflect her thoughts, pursing her lips, before she moved on.

"Or Ororo...hear you with that. They'll think Logan's rubbing off on you."

"He's gone a lot," she explained, looking at Kurt again. "Drives Rogue nuts. Which drives Boby nuts. But hey, you don't have to be an X-Man to live here. I don't see it in my cards, that's for sure. I treasure my hide too much for that."

[Nightcrawler]

Kurt didn't comment on her slip, but one hand settled on her shoulder comfortingly before she started to speak again. He let his hand fall as she looked back up, giving her a small smile. "Ja, I have heard that he is quite the loner. Not much for sticking around."

He leaned back against the wall, dropping his hands into his coat pockets. "If you are not here to be an X-Man, why are you here? What do you hope to gain, Miss Lee?"

[Jubilee]

It was funny how his questions made Jubes want to give good answers; how they made her think that she ought to have some deeper meaning to her answer, because everyone had the ability to find that deeper meaning and focus on it, and because he had done just that.

She half-shrugged, answering, "A place to stay, with friends and...kind of like...a family. An education--sometimes. At least about my powers." Forever honest in her dislike of schoolwork, she was equally honest in her love of her powers. Still, her answer didn't seem like it would compare with his purposes for what he did.

To confirm this assumption, and because she was curious of the answer, she returned his question. "How 'bout you? Anything you think you can find here?"

[Nightcrawler]

He shrugged and looked down the hallway. He hadn't been able to give anything like that much thought yet; he'd only been there for a day. It was pleasant enough, good enough to call home if he wanted, and home was a feeling he'd been missing since he'd left his circus in Bavaria so long ago. There were people he could call friends here... Logan in his gruff way, Scott with grief Kurt could understand... Ororo with her calm faith in him. Maybe there was something for him after all.

His yellow eyes turned back to Jubilee. "We shall see." His tail curled behind him at the pleasant thought.