Nailah at XI - Lunch

[Nailah]

Nailah is standing in the door to the dining hall, wondering how she's best gonna make it to the food and then a table without drawing too many looks.

[Michael Asters]

"Hi," the boy said, peering past her at the door. He looked... slightly confused. "Did they not start serving yet?"

There was something about his words that somehow didn't ring true.

[Nailah]

"Ack!" she spins around when she hears someone talk to her. "Oh, no no, they're open and everything." she squeaks out.

[Michael Asters]

"Oh, okay," he said. He smiled a little. "Are... you going in?" he asked.

[Nailah]

"Yeah. Sure."

"Eventually..." she mumbles.

[Michael Asters]

He looked at the door again for a moment. "So I don't suppose that this would be a good time for someone to come along who could put out a psychic vibe that would keep people from paying much attention to someone walking through a lunch line, would it?" he said, 'idly.' And this time, there was no ring of a partial lie in what he said.

[Nailah]

She blinks as she tries to catch up on what he's talking about.

"You can do that?" she asks wide-eyed, probably sounding like an idiot considering the place she's at.

[Michael Asters]

He nodded, looking past her at the door again, speaking like it wasn't a big deal, and like he hadn't been able to feel the nerves radiating off of her from halfway across campus. "I mean, if you want me to, at least."

[Nailah]

"Yes please!"

[Michael Asters]

Mike smiled. "Just stay close. And don't get annoyed at people if you have to ask them something twice before they catch that you said something, okay?" And with that, he pushed open the door to the cafeteria.

[Nailah]

She nods and sticks close behind, trying not to literally hide behind Mike as they get their food. Not that she could anyway being a couple inches taller than him.

[Michael Asters]

"Don't worry. To everyone else, we're just like something they pass by every day. You kind of see it, but you don't really think about it and pay attention to it," he reassured her, picking up his tray and starting to move through the line ahead of her, picking up various lunch dishes that had been set out for the students.

[Nailah]

"I was kinda hoping that's what it'd be like anyway..." she admits. "But most people here still look kinda normal."

[Michael Asters]

Mike shrugged. "It gets to be less of a big deal as you're here for a while," he said honestly. "Last year we had a guy whose skin was made of parafin, and looked like a pink blob with a visible skeleton and organs inside. If he could do all right, you can do fine."

"Not saying people aren't going to be curious, but people who are assholes about it tend to end up having unfortunate accidents happen to them at some point or other."

[Nailah]

Nailah scrunches up her face. Mutant solidarity is nice but that still sounds kinda icky.

"Well that's good to hear. It's just, I dunno. My parents built up being a mutant to be so awesome and everything and then I end up like this..."

[Michael Asters]

At that, Mike gave her a once-over. Not that he was staring or anything, but a comment like that did tend to require someone to know what they were talking about, and he'd honestly been more fixed onto her mental state than anything when he'd come up. "Well, on the bright side, you have a family that doesn't have a problem with what you are and no massive lawsuits regarding your power developing," he offered, not seeming phased by the physical part. Then again, he had just said he'd known a guy with see-through skin. "Being a mutant can be good. But... everyone here's kind of in that awkward 'growing into it' phase, you know?"

[Nailah]

She seems to think about that for a moment, looking increasingly embarassed.

"I guess I just always assumed others would have it more together than me. Or easier or something... That's pretty selfish, isn't it?" she asks and for the first time actually looks around the room and at the other students.

[Michael Asters]

He shook his head at that one. "Nah. Not selfish. I mean... come on, who doesn't think something like that? Pretty normal, really." He had to practically swipe his card himself, much to the surprise of the lady at the end of the lunch line who (naturally) hadn't seen him there.

[Nailah]

"Yeah, but it makes sense everyone would have the same problem. Or similar ones at least."

She looks a little confused at the card when Mike pulls his out until she remembers the one she's been given and manages to fumble it out before it's her turn.

[Madison West]

Madison appears above one of the tables rather suddenly and falls onto it, disrupting several student's lunch.

"Oh man, stop it stop it stop it," Madison says trying to concentrate and failing as she ports away again.

[Michael Asters]

Mike winced as he watched the display. "Yeah, stuff like that? Happens from time to time," he admitted, idly hoping that Madison was all right. He waited for her to finish with the cashier, then looked around a little before turning back to Nailah. "Ladies first?"

[Nailah]

Nailah was still blinking at what just happened.

"Wha? Oh, right, thanks..." she mumbles and goes to sit down where there's room.

[Jubilation Lee]

Jubilee walked in, giggling at something the boy who was beside her said, as they headed to the lunch line.

[Michael Asters]

Mike glanced at Jubilee as she passed, following Nailah toward a table. "Why does she always wear a raincoat?" he wondered out loud for no particular reason.

[Nailah]

"I dunno. Why do you shave your head?" she shrugs.

[Michael Asters]

"Because I just hate doing my hair that much," he said with a shrug.

[Nailah]

"And maybe she just hates rain that much." she grins slightly.

[Michael Asters]

He grinned. "Could be. Doesn't tend to bother me, I guess, so I never really thought about it."

[Nailah]

"Rain really sucks. Or getting caught in it anyway."