Jono
Jonothon sat in front of his computer and clicked idly through some Pearl Jam sites. Not much, really.
Jonothon? Xavier's calm voice came into his head, and Jonothon rolled his eyes.
What, mate?
I would like it if you came down for breakfast.
What's the point? I don't eat.
Still, I would like you to come down...
Well, you're the boss. Sullenly, Jonothon disconnected from the internet and slipped his boots on. He headed downstairs, loathing what he knew was to come. He stepped into the cafeteria and his eyes showed a flicker of the bitter fury he felt as all the conversations stopped dead in their tracks. Just what he needed in the morning. More chances to feel like the hideous disgusting disfigured freak he was...
Jono and Mordred
Jonothon stood there for a moment longer, envisioning in his head far behind his mental shields exactly how he was going to kill Xavier. Well? You gotcher blooming eyeful yet? The room went back to its conversations quickly. Jonothon's eyes narrowed and he stalked sullenly over to a seat in the corner. He sat down and folded in on himself, brooding.
"Well, he looks like he could outbrood his Broodiness himself, Angel of the Magnificently Gelled Hair," Mordred whispered to Gwen. "Wonder what happened to his face that he has to keep it bandaged like that?"
Gwen
Gwen shrugged and kept her head down. "Don't look at him... he'll think we're talking about him. Well... we are, but that's hardly the point. He probably feels a bit self conscious."
Jono and Mordred
"Yeah. Poor guy." Mordred raised her hand and kissed it. "Love you, mo cariad."
Jonothon really wished he could scream at the pity he could see in the other students eyes. Damn Xavier! No matter that he had to come down for lessons, anyway...he'd wanted to delay this as long as possible. Xavier came into the room and cleared his throat politely. All conversation stilled and the students turned to look at him. Jonothon very carefully didn't look at the tosser.
"Good morning, all of you. As you may have noticed, we have a new student. Jonothon, come here please."
Jonothon's sigh of affront echoed through everyone's heads. The non- telepaths jumped and rubbed their heads in some fashion as he stalked to Xavier's side.
"This is Jonothon Starsmore, codenamed Chamber. I trust you will all make him feel welcome," Xavier said. Jonothon fought down the urge to roll his eyes.
Now I've been trotted out for all the little students to take a gander at, can I leave?
"Jonothon, please be civil."
Jonothon's bark of bitter laughter sparked inside everyone's heads. Yeah, sure, guv. Whatever you say. He raised an eyebrow at Xavier's disapproving stare. Oh, don't worry. I'll be a good boy...mostly. Not bleeding likely if he had any say innit, he added to himself privately.
Jono and The Mavericks
"I like the way he sounds," Octavian murmured to Vortigern. Spike raised an eyebrow on the other side of the blond youth. "Well, think about it. He isn't afraid to snark at Xavier, he's from England..."
"Sounds like a candidate in other words?" Vortigern smiled. Spike rolled his eyes and Vortigern without turning to look, smacked him on the arm. Spike made a hurt pout. "Oh, and aren't you just the Big Bad?"
"Bloody right I am." Spike smirked. Vortigern sighed in a long suffering fashion and Octavian snickered. "So, ask him over already."
"Good idea." Vortigern lifted his head. Hey, Jono. Come and talk to some poor unfortunate guys from the other side of the pond?
Xavier nodded, and Jonothon shrugged, thinking, what the 'ell? Might as well do it. He walked over and sat down. Ok, Billy Idol punk look, Byronic artist but more enuthuasistic and less typhoid plagued, and clean cut gold blonde. 'Ello.
"I'm Vortigern Llewlyn, and this is Tav, and Spike." Vortigern smiled as he leant back into Spike's arms.
"Octavian, but do please call me Tav." Octavian raised an eyebrow delicately. "It's much more intimate, dontcha know, old boy."
Rightio then. Jono, or Jon. Jonothon's eyebrows went up slightly.
"I'm a telepath and light manipulator," Vortigern offered.
"I have this amalgation of powers I call Agility. I'm quick, pretty strong and have extra quick reflexes."
"I'm a vampire."
Right, pull the other one, guv. It's got bells on. This time Jonothon gave into the urge to roll his eyes.
"S'true, mate." Spike vamped out, and Jonothon was glad he didn't talk because he was sure he would have emitted a less then manly scream.
"Yeah, yeah, you're the Big Bad." Vortigern shook his head slightly, and Spike returned to his human face.
Funny, I was chatting with some bloke last night on the net who 'ad that for 'is name...
"You're the burns victim!" Spike said in astonishment, and then he grinned. "Bit of the bloody alright, mate!"
Yeah, for *you*, maybe...
"Ok, let's talk about football." Vortigern hastily diverted the stream of conversation, and they were soon discussing the merits of various football teams. Spike and Jonothon stoutly defending Manchester United, Octavian going for Liverpool, and Vortigern standing firm on his choice of Carmethen. Vocal and mental exclaimations flew back and forth.
Rogue
Rogue giggled, and attempted not to drop her tray.
"Liberty! Tell your kids not to tickle me," she said, still giggling.
All seven fuzzles were sitting comfortably somewhere on her person. She decided, though, that she'd better sit down soon before she dropped her breakfast. The new kid was sitting at the Mavericks table, so she decided to join them.
Rogue really was a rogue at times. She sit with one group one day, with another the next, and just as often by herself.
"Hi guys," she said cheerfully. "Mind if I join you? Rosa! Stop that! Can't you stay still? Oh sorry. The fuzzles are tickling me."
Jono and the Mavericks
Riiiiigght... Jonothon decided they were all bonkers.
"Fuzzles. Little round balls of fluff. They're aliens," Vortigern said helpfully. "And sure, you can join us, Rogue. This is Jono."
Pleased to meet'cha.
"So, how are all the little hairballs?" Spike drawled.
"Be nice, Spike." Vortigern hit Spike on the arm.
"Bloody hell! Why are you hitting me for?"
"Because I can, and you deserve it. Bad Spike." Spike's eyes glowed and he licked at Vortigern's neck.
"I can be badder."
"Gahh..."
Do they do this often? Jonothon asked curiously as Spike tried to reach Vortigern's tonsils with his tongue. The whole snogging madly in public bit?
Rogue
"The little 'hairballs' are good. Excitable. Cheeky. But good," Rogue grinned. "And nice to meet you too, Jono."
She gratefully sat down, putting her breakfast on the table.
"Nuh-uh! Scarlett don't you dare try to drink my juice. You'll fall in and then you'll be sunset red instead of just red."
She took the little fuzzle off the side of her glass.
Jono, Nathan, Vortigern and Octavian
Jonothon decided this was all too...odd for him. He stood. Nice meeting you all. I better go get ready for class. He headed towards the door, only to be halted by a thin man with scars down his cheek and brown hair. His hands shuffled a pack of cards.
"Fire...you're all fire. Burning so brightly but cloaked behind your dark despair..." Nathan cocked his head and stared intently at Jonothon. The boy backed off a bit. Nathan stepped forward. "You want to end, to burn down to an ember and let the pain die. Do you think that would work? Expunge the guilt? Take the blood away of a wasted life that lies on your hands?" If Jonothon had needed to breathe, he would have been gasping for breath in broken rasps.
Wot's the matter with ya? Wot are ya going on about? Jonothon demanded with a touch of fear.
"I ssssseeeee you, Chamber," Nathan said in a singsong voice. "Run and hide, child. Run to your darkness and beg it to enfold you. Hide you. Cloak you." Nathan's eyes gleamed with a sort of malice that hadn't been seen in the man's eyes before. Xavier reached out and Nathan spun around and bared his teeth. "Leave off, mind walker! He's important! He needs to reach the light, embrace the flame let it fly through him and give him wings!"
"Seraph..."
"He is blind. You are all so very, very blind," Nathan said pityingly. "You don't want to see what is beneath your noses. He needs to find his fire, that's all. Let it consume him. He is whole in his self."
I, I... Jonothon edged past Nathan and walked away quickly. Nathan laughed mockingly.
"Run, Chamber. Run and hide in your despair. What is life when death calls so sweetly? But you can't die..." Nathan walked away from Xavier, ignoring the man's irate gaze. Soon, he disappeared from sight and the cafeteria erupted into an outburst of exclaimations.
"Well, that was...different." Octavian blinked. "I haven't seen Nathan go for someone like that before."
"Well, someone who wasn't a vampire, anyway," Vortigern added.
Rogue
Rogue shrugged.
"We all have our moments," she said. "I wonder just what goes on inside his head. We all have our own problems. Some are a just more obvious than others. Everyone can see Jono. We can see the bandages because they're on the outside. No one sees the bandages in here."
Rogue thumped her chest sadly.
"Well, except Nathan," she smiled. "You know, it's weird, but since absorbing Tate, I've actually become curious about what goes on in other people's heads, instead of scared of it. Not that I would every absorb someone without their permission, outside of an emergancy. Rusty! I just told Scarlett off for doing that... you silly fuzzle..."
Octavian and Vortigern
"Bloody looney," Spike muttered. "I *never* take the ring off around him. He'd go for me if he could."
"Well, to be fair, he has spent most of his life running from vampires who wanted to eat him." Vortigern shrugged. "I hope Jono wasn't too freaked by him."
"Vortigern my dear boy, if I was Jono I would be running for the hills about now and thanking god for my escape from this lunatic asylum." Octavian smiled and shooed a fuzzle away from his orange juice. "Seraph is...a puzzle."
"Fractured...like Dru. He doesn't like Dru, but when they look at each other, they know what it is to be the other one." Spike made a helpless gesture. "Know what it is to see more then yer s'posed to..."
Dawn
Dawn grinned as she walked up. She had watched the exchange as she was walking over to the table.
"Speaking of vamps, Dru and Sabre are coming to visit today, and I think maybe the rest of their 'family,' is too," she said.
The Mavericks
"Oh, lovely," Octavian sighed. "More of the sniffing and the hungry gazes, and dear god, don't even get me started on the time Luka licked my neck. Gah."
Mordred and Vortigern chuckled. "Well, you're always going on about how-"
"Bloody attractive-"
"Generally good looking-"
"And down right gorgeous you are-"
"So you shouldn't-"
"Be surprised-"
"When someone takes-"
"You up in it-"
"Octavian, darrrrrrling." The two finished together. Octavian looked at them with horror.
"You two are sick. Really, really sick." The twins laughed harder.