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Post by James West on Sept 23, 2011 18:11:16 GMT -5
It was a hot day, the sun shining down like a massive heat lamp and cooking the Texas prairies. The only comfort from the heat were the few clouds that dotted the azure sky, but even they seemed to avoid getting in front of the sun. A few rattlers basked in the sun out in the prairie, blending in with the brown grass and sagebrush, all the plants had already started losing their color for the winter. With all the dying plants, the large grove of vividly green trees in the middle of the flats stood out like a sore thumb amongst the sea of brown. That specific, and somewhat random, grove of trees marked the headquarters of the massive West Cattle Co. Ranch.
In the middle of the grove of was a massive white mansion, looking much like the civil war era plantation homes. It was magnificent, to say the least, and seemed a little out of place being so far from any civilization. Whoever lived at a place like this obviously wasn't hurting in their wallet, if the size of the ranch itself didn't say that already. Behind the house were a large set of corrals, several pens full of horses and cattle, two barns, and two young men walking among the horses.
"I can't believe you're gonna try her again. Sometimes I wonder if you're a masochist J.W. You know if dad finds out you tried to ride her again, he's gonna kill you." The young man with blonde hair said, shaking his head as he watched his brother putting a rope around the neck of a large black horse.
"Well, you don't have to worry, because I... Am one helluva BAMF." The dark haired young man said with a charming grin toward his brother, leading the horse out of the pens and into a round corral to ride it.
"Bamf?" Ethan questioned, raising a brow as he followed his brother to the round pen.
"Yeah, one bad ass mother fu-"
"Someones coming." Ethan interrupted his brother, pointing at a cloud of dust coming from the dirt road that lead to their house. "Probably that agent from the shipping company, I'll go talk to them." Ethan said as he began to make his way toward the house.
James nodded and closed the gate into the round pen, carefully picking a saddle up off the side of the fence and moving toward the black mare, "You go do that." He said as he slipped the saddle onto the horses back, a mischevious grin plastered onto his face.
Ethan paused and turned around, "Take that saddle off, don't you dare ride her while I'm gone." He said, eyeing James.
James sighed and slipped the saddle off the horses back and tossed it to the ground, "Fine, I won't ride her, you can trust me." He said with an all to polite grin.
"No I can't..."
James looked shocked by what his brother said, but then shrugged slightly and grinned, "No you can't." His brother shook his head and continued toward the mansion. As soon as he was out of view James grabbed the saddle and slipped it back onto the horse, the same dare-devil grin back on his face. The horse he was getting on had never been ridden longer than a few minutes by anyone on the ranch, even though everyone had tried to break her. Most simply gave up on her, but James, he loved the fact that she practically killed him every time he got on. Perhaps he was a masochist...
At the house, Ethan finally made it onto the massive front porch, leaning against one of the pillars as he watched the car approach. It definitely wasn't anyone that was from around here, and something told him it wasn't the agent from the shipping company. If it wasn't the agent, then one thing came to his mind; drug runners. They ran rampant this close to the border and they had shot at the ranch workers before. Ethan's arms were folded behind his back, and in his right hand was a 45. revolver, if it was the cartel then things would get real interesting real fast...
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Post by Rose North on Sept 23, 2011 18:55:32 GMT -5
Rose was being forced to be the school’s little errand girl, flying around the country, tracking down mutants Xavier had found before he and some of the older X-men had gone on that top secret mission. The old man… Leaving his X-men with homework. As if they didn’t have enough on their plate already!
Rose didn’t even know if they’d contacted the guy already… If they hadn’t, this was going to be one hell of a conversation…
She’d flown from New York to Austin, and then proceeded to renting a (way to fast) car, and turning what was normally a five hour drive into a two hour drive… Basically, you wouldn’t want to be in the car with her, very crazy driving. It was no wonder that as she approached that out of the way mansion, one of the residents thought she was a drug runner. Thankfully, she slowed down a little on the dirt road.
Pulling up to the house, she put it in park, and stepped out, her sunglasses protecting her eyes from the intense sunlight. She sighed, pushing them up onto the top of her head, slowly looking towards the house where a young man stood there, just watching. ”Hey. I’m looking for a guy named…” She pulled a folder out from the passenger seat of the car. ”James West. You know him?”
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Post by James West on Sept 23, 2011 19:27:37 GMT -5
As the car got closer to the house, Ethan tightened the grip on his gun. Whoever it was, they were driving like a bat out of hell, and obviously on a mission. Though he looked calm and relaxed, he was preparing himself for what could potentially be a fight. When the car finally came to a stop, a cloud of dust covering the car and hiding the driver, he pulled the hammer back on the revolver; barely squinting as the cloud of dust the driver caused blew over him. After a few moments, the dust finally cleared, revealing a... woman? Not just that but a finely dressed and attractive woman.
Though, he didn't let go of the gun yet, for all he knew she could still be someone looking for trouble; which made him listen just that much more closely as she spoke. What she said next made him let out a slight sigh, she was here for James. Great, so she was looking for trouble... He slowly let the hammer down on the gun and slid it into the back of his pants, between his blue jeans and black t-shirt.
"Yeah I know him." He said as he took a few steps down the stairs to greet her, holding out his hand to shake, "Names Ethan West, miss?" He asked tilting his head slightly, asking for her name.
Ethan's bright blue eyes glanced over her, she was very attractive. Why was she looking for James? Suddenly a thought came to him and he shuddered inside, if he got her pregnant I'm gonna kill that little prick.
"I'm Jame's brother, is he in trouble?" Ethan asked with a raised brow, glancing at the folder in her hands.
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Post by Rose North on Sept 23, 2011 20:30:12 GMT -5
It was a good thing the teenager hadn’t drawn that gun. It would have been very bad for him. None the less, Rose had picked up on the tension instantly. And the last thing she wanted was to start a fight…. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t win it. Messing with Rose was one of the stupidest things anyone could do, especially humans.
She set the folder back in the car. It was basically useless to her now, seeing as the only things it could tell her was basic information, when the only thing she wanted to know right now was what this guy’s power was. ”Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Rose. Rose North.” Putting on a charming smile, she took a few steps forward to shake his hand. From his name alone, she knew he was related to the guy she was looking for. Well, that certainly made things easy for her.
Chuckling softly, shook her head. ”No. I just need to talk to him. Is he here?” Oh, he’d better be there…. Rose was not going to waste the whole day trying to track this guy down.
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Post by James West on Sept 23, 2011 21:03:29 GMT -5
"A pleasure Rose." Ethan said with a kind smile in return, he was far from flirting though, just being cordial. Most people were surprised because they always seemed to expect rude behavior and strong Texan accents when they talked to anyone out here, but Ethan had noticed that most people out here were generally more polite than the people from the city. This woman was definitely from the city, but nice for now at least.
The woman was sweet, and she didn't seem to be upset, maybe for the first time ever someone was looking for James without the intent of either arresting him or sueing him. "He sure is ma'am, just follow me." Ethan said with a polite nod and began to walk around the corner of the house.
"You don't look like you're from anywhere around here, where are you from if I may as-" Ethan was cut off by a loud squeeling sound that echoed throughout the estate. The squeeling was followed by deep bellowing, and a loud ruckus was coming from behind the house. Ethan instantly recognized the sounds as a very, very, very angry horse. His first thought was that the horse was attacking James... He should've known better.
As they turned the corner of the house, the sight that greeted them was one of absolute chaos. The round pen where James and the horse had been was completely full of dust, a massive cloud hanging over it and hiding what was going on inside, the but commotion that was causing the dust made it somewhat obvious. Suddenly, the entire side of the wooden round pen exploded as a solid black horse fell through it, throwing the splintered wood in all directions. This hit didn't stop the horse from bucking, nor did it throw off the man riding it.
On top of the horse sat a stoutly built young man, wearing dark blue jeans, and a simple white button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up passed his forearms. On his head was a black hat that was pulled down tight over his head, hiding his face in shadow. In each hand he held a leather rein, pulling both of them towards his hips and forcing the horses head to bow down. The black horse squeeled, bellowed, and kicked with every twist and buck, but the man stayed on top of her.
As the horse and the rider got closer to Ethan and Rose, you could hear something over the squeeling of the horse, "SH*T, SH*T, SH*T...." With every rough jump the word was yelled. The horse twisted and turned in the air, jumping almost six feet high with every jump. As the horse got closer, Ethan grabbed Rose and pushed her out of the way just as the horse landed where they had been standing, throwing dust everywhere.
The horse slammed her side into one of the trees, trying to rub James off, knocking his foot out of the stirrup. Immediately, as if knowing he lost his footing, she jumped straight up and turned her belly turned the sun, sending James flying off the saddle and straight into Rose's car. The car alarm went off, and the horse took off into the pasture, leaving James on the ground.
Slowly he got up, coughing slightly and dusting the dirt off of him, before turning to where the horse was running away. "WOO! That was a helluva ride... I think I broke something... " He said, rubbing his leg and examining the very fine car, which he thankfully didn't dent.
Ethan cleared his throat, "There's your man Rose..." Ethan said with a nod toward his brother, and a disapproving shake of his head.
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Post by Rose North on Sept 23, 2011 21:45:46 GMT -5
Rosed nodded in response. Personally, she didn’t care about this guy, she was here for James after all. But she would still be pleasant. Kind of had to, actually. With a formal smile, she followed him. ”Thanks.”
He was in the middle of asking a question when squeeling could be heard. What the hell? What was that? ”What’s that sound..?” Well, she got her answer pretty quickly, since they came up on a pen that was surrounded by dust. After a few seconds though, they could finally see what was going on. Some guy, who, with her luck was probably James, was riding a horse. A horse that looked like it was trying to kill him. Talk about a thrill…
She would have, calmly, stepped out of the way, but the older brother, Ethan, had grabbed her, giving a mighty shove and sending her scrambling. ”You’re joking….” She didn’t need the brother to tell her this was James.
Rose watched with a bored, and slightly irritated expression as the horse continued trying to throw the young man. Finally, it succeeded after getting one of his feet out of the stirrup…. And sending him flying into her rental. ”…..”
”Yeah…. Kind of figured. I hope he was the one that broke something and not my car.” Sighing, she glanced back at Ethan. ”Thanks for the help. I think.” Shaking her head, she moved back towards her car, hands on her hips as she stared at the young man with a scowl. ”Are you always this flamboyant?”
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Post by James West on Sept 23, 2011 22:01:45 GMT -5
"Me too..." Ethan said unapologetically, sure, he looked out for his brother and made sure he was ok, but that didn't mean he didn't deserve a beating sometimes. "No problem ma'am, I better go catch that horse, let me know if you need anything." Ethan said with a nod, turning toward where the horse had run away to. This was usually how it went, James made a mess and somehow worked his way out of having to clean it up.
James on the otherhand was still staring at the car. It had Texas license plates but a rental sticker was at the corner of the plates. So whoever drove it wasn't from this area, regardless, it was a hot car and if James knew anything, it was cars. A soft voice behind him made him turn to the apparent owner of the car. With a car like that he would have expected a man, not a woman. That just made her more intriguing and he hadn't even met her yet. A soft smile spread over his handsome features, which were marred slightly by the large amounts of dirt caked over his body from the ride and fall.
"Generally only on the weekends ma'am." He said with a slight grin, "Well, you don't look like you work for the shipping agency. I'm James West, what can I do for you ma'am?" He asked with a charming grin, holding out his dirt covered hand to shake hers. He glanced down at his hand and quickly retracted it, dusting it off before holding it out again with a sheepish smile. The woman was definitely attractive and looked to be about his age. Though, if he had learned anything in his life, he knew that looks could be deceiving. For all he knew she could be a very pretty man! Boy he sure hoped not...
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Post by Rose North on Sept 23, 2011 22:21:50 GMT -5
”I’m sure we’ll be fine. Thanks for the offer though…” If Rose could avoid involving the human, she would. Or… Possible human. You never knew with siblings. Sometimes all the kids were mutants, sometimes only one. Maybe someday one of them would be coming back for Ethan. This time though, they wouldn’t involve family unless they had to.
Rose slowly approached the young man, who had been admiring her car before her sudden appearance. She held back a disgusted look when she realized he was covered in dirt and mud. ”Shipping agency?” An eyebrow raised, before she shrugged. It really didn’t concern her. ”No, I’m here to talk to you, believe it or not. About an… offer of sorts.” She paused, forcing a charming smile. ”I’m Rose.” She paused for a moment, waiting until he brushed most the dirt off his hand before reaching out to shake his offered hand. ”I heard you’re…. ah, what’s the word they like us to use….” She paused for a moment, thinking. ”Having problems? The kind you can’t exactly mention to other people.” She smiled sweetly, but it came out a little colder then she would have liked.
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Post by James West on Sept 23, 2011 22:43:06 GMT -5
"All the way out here to talk to me? Well I'm flattered ma'am." James said with a slight grin, politely listening to what she said. The more she spoke though, the more the smile faded from his face. He glanced around as she explained why she was here, as if looking to see whether or not anyone else was listening, before looking back down at her. Soon there was no smile to be seen on his face and an all too serious look replaced it. A look that was almost dark in nature, and seemed to show that he wasn't quite the joker he seemed to be.
"I don't know what you're talking about ma'am. But if you're talking about what I think, then here isn't the place. Out here people get killed for... having problems." James said darkly, motioning toward the house.
James calmly made his way toward the house, picking his hat up off the ground along the way, though didn't put it on; it had been completely torn up in the ride. When they got to the door, James politely opened it, letting Rose go first, before entering himself. Inside the foyer, the decorations were lavish, as well as the furniture, a stark contrast to the ranch outside. He tossed his torn hat onto the nearby hat rack and turned back to Rose, folding his arms as he looked down at her.
"Okay, before I say or do anything else, you better make yourself real clear about what you meant outside and more importantly... How the hell do you know." James said calmly and directly, the sweet flirty nature he had only moments ago had rapidly shifted into a stoic one, almost cautious or fearful. James may be goofy sometimes, and flirt the rest of the time, but that didn't mean he was stupid...
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Post by Rose North on Sept 23, 2011 23:04:40 GMT -5
Rose smirked a little. "It isn't something I could put in a letter or call about." They didn't call families other then to set up meetings. Coming in person made things... Easier. Not to mention, most people didn't believe you if you called. 'Hey, I'm a mutant too! You should totally come to Mutant high!'. Yup. Great way to start a phone call. At least in person you could demonstrate you were serious.
Rose expected his response. Most mutants reacted in a similar way. Some went into denial. Some got violent. Some... Got very suspicious. Nodding at his gesture, she slowly followed. Of course he was being cautious. At least inside she could demonstrate her own power to help convince him... If need be.
Once inside, she waited for him to finally start talking. When he did, she chuckled, finding the whole thing funny. "Real clear?" She paused for a moment, tilting her head as she smirked up at him. He might be taller then her, but for some reason her presence was much more dominating then his own. "You want it bluntly, fine. I know you're a mutant." She propped her hands on her hips.
"As for knowing... I have a... Teacher basically, who's very good at reading people. He finds people like you- us."
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Post by James West on Sept 23, 2011 23:21:31 GMT -5
James narrowed his eyes slightly, listening intently as he waited for Rose to speak. He could tell immediately that she had somewhat of a dominating aura about her, she wasn't afraid of much, and was good at being in charge; it was intimidating. Well, it would have been intimidating to most, James just found it interesting, most women didn't have that strong of a personality from what he had met. Though, it shouldn't be surprising that it would be hard to intimidate a person who rides two ton animals that want to kill you, for fun.
As she spoke, he didn't make a movement, taking in everything she said and lsitening carefully. After she finished he paused for a moment, watching her, as if waiting for her to crack and admit she was lying. "Us?" He asked eyeing her, he knew what she meant, and though he still had his arms folded his entire demeanor seemed to change. He was much more relaxed.
"That Xavier guy sent you huh, he called not long ago saying he wanted to set up a meeting or something. I'm sorry for the hostility." Almost immediately, the tone in his voice changed as well, back to the way it had been outside; friendly, with a constant undertone of flirting...
"It's not the same down here as it is where that Professor is. Sure, mutants are disliked up there too, but down here... They kill them." There was a touch of remorse in his voice, it was obvious he knew someone who had been killed in such a way. More importantly, he knew a person who went "mutant hunting" frequently, and was unfortunately born from him...
James glanced down at his clothes, seeing just how dirty he was, "Look, make yourself at home and give me a little time to get the dirt out of my mouth and then we can talk, alright?" He said with a charming grin, which was once again marred by the dirt on his face.
He made his way up the stairs at the back of the foyer and turned down the hall, into his room, "So why didn't Xavier come himself? Not that I'm complaining mind you, you are a lot easier on the eyes than I bet he was." James called down the stairs as he quickly pulled his muddy clothes off.
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Post by Rose North on Sept 23, 2011 23:53:15 GMT -5
"Yes us." Rose didn't offer any proof that she was a mutant. Either he believed her, or he'd ask. Only if he asked would she show. And, apparently he believed her, because that little word made him relax.
She raised an eyebrow. So the Professor had called him? That made things a whole lot easier. "Professor Xavier." She had to correct him. "What exactly did he tell you?" Actually, scratch the easy part. It made it a little harder. Because now she had no idea what Professor X had told the guy. She'd hate to repeat anything.
"Disliked? Mutants are hated everywhere. At least down here you know who the enemy is." She smirked, not going into details. "Besides, I'd really like to see the mutant haters down here try to stop some of my friends." Or her. Specifically though... It'd be hilarious to see them try to deal with Freya. That would be quite the show...
Anyway, at least he was considering his appearance now. She wouldn't have to hide her disgust anymore. "Take your time." She moved into the side room, slowly lowering herself onto one of the couches as she examined the decorations. It looked like one of the Nightshade summer homes. How sad... Even a nice place like this was considered mundane to her family. Hearing what he yelled, she chuckled. "Flying isn't the easiest thing when you are wheelchair bound." She paused for a moment. "Besides, he's dealing with some more.... Urgent matters at the moment."
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Post by James West on Sept 24, 2011 0:14:41 GMT -5
"He didn't really tell me much to be honest. Said that he knew what I was, and what I was going through and want to meet me to talk about it and something or other about a school." James said, trying to remember the conversation they had on the phone. It had been a few weeks ago, and James had been trying to talk and avoid his dad at the same time so he hadn't been able to pay complete attention to what he said. At least now their dad was gone for a few days on business so he could actually talk to Rose, she had perfect timing...
James was quickly getting dressed, having already put clean clothes on and washed the mud off of his face, "You think there is supposed to be comfort in 'knowing who the enemy is'? It's not illegal to hurt a mutant down here, so if you fight back, then you break the law and become a wanted fugitive. Not much comfort in that..."
After a few minutes James came back down the stairs, his face could actually be seen now without the layer of dirt and mud on it. He stepped into one of the side-rooms where he had heard her voice, it wasn't the main living room, more like the room that you could rest in before the living room. Which was all confusing as hell to James, he may have had rich parents, but he definitely didn't grow up in a rich lifestyle.
Sitting down on the couch opposite of Rose, he smiled charmingly, "So, you say you're a mutant... What can you do exactly, or are unnaturally attractive features your mutation?" He said with a slight grin.
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Post by Rose North on Sept 24, 2011 0:46:36 GMT -5
"School. Right. Xavier's school for gifted Youngsters. Often referred to simply as 'Mutant High'." She wasn't all that shy about it all. Rose was proud to be a mutant. She didn't care who heard, or who saw what she could do. This guy however... His nervousness about it all was understandable.
"Break the law?" Rose couldn't help it, she started to laugh. "Humans are silly creatures. They believe we aren't human beings, and so their laws don't protect us. We don't have human rights. So why should we follow human laws?" She was smirking. She'd broken the law countless times, like plenty of other mutants. "Besides, humans fear us. Most don't have the guts to come after us."
It sounded a bit... twisted. But it was true. Why should mutants listen to human laws, when humans were so set on defining them as inhuman?
Freya smirked as he returned, finally clean, and sat across from her. "What can I do?" She stared at him, that smirk almost wicked. "We call it Dark matter." A short pause. "Don't make the space joke. I've heard it my whole life, and I really don't want to hear it again." Something shimmered around them, a dark substance that was shaped like a dome. It lasted only a few moments, before disappearing.
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Post by James West on Sept 24, 2011 1:07:52 GMT -5
Sadly, James both agreed and disagreed with what Rose said. Yes, James had been on the wrong side of the law on numerous occasions, he was known for being a liar and a cheat. To an extent, he didn't agree with some laws. However, he understand their purpose, they were not human laws but societies laws and society wouldn't be quite so civil without them. Besides, if no one followed any laws, it would be A LOT harder to be a liar and cheat. After all, where's the fun in breaking something that's not there?
Almost the instant she said dark matter, several different jokes popped into his head. Though, she beat him to the punch, making him laugh a little. He watched as a shimmering black dome formed around them, it was very strange to say the least. Obviously James was not used to such open displays of mutant powers. All of the mutants in the south stayed hidden, the ones that were hunted were the ones that... Didn't blend in so well.
"Well, that's pretty cool. I think I could have a lot of fun with that." He said with a slight grin, "Well, I suppose I can show you mine then." James glanced around the room before simply turning back and facing Rose, a mischevious sort of grin on his face.
Slowly he stood up and walked over to her, then bent down and grabbed the corner of the couch that she was sitting on. With one hand he grabbed the leg, and lifted both the couch and Rose up into the air. After holding them up for a few minutes, he sat the couch back down very gently and walked over to the one he had been sitting on.
"That was easy compared to some other stuff I've done. My skin also... Is hard." James said, as if struggling to think of how to describe it, "It takes a lot to cut me... Among other worse mutations..." The latter part was said somewhat quietly. There were other obvious mutations that were going on, but none of them were beneficial, he had a feeling that she'd probably ask to see everything though; the Professor had questioned him about it after all.
"So, what's this school about then? Are you a student there, or a teacher?" The flirtatious undertones in his voice were not subtle, and James was curious just how old this Rose was. Not that age made that much of a difference to him...
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