[Video] Friday, late morning

[catchingflies]

[The network is lucky. It missed out on one panicky teenager bouncing around and screaming as the spaceship shouted at him and alarms blared. The feed opens with alarms still blaring, but at least there's no more voices coming from the ship, and Todd is a little calmer, though he still looks pretty freaked out.]

Okay, so. I, uh, I think I got myself locked in. The doors won't open and somebody was goin' on about a lockdown. And there's some kinda weapon er somethin' in here.

[He shuffles nervously, looking around, then adds plaintively,]

Help?

Comments

[lehnsherr]

[out in the open again, erik finally takes a moment to just breathe. the draw of the metal the ship is built from should be a distraction, but with toad on the floor nearby, he's able to focus. he has a reason to.]

You were lucky, this time. [his arms are folded now, serious expression in place. he isn't used to having to deal with younger mutants. those he works with are the most heavily trained. but even he knows that simply telling a teenager to behave isn't going to make the slightest bit of difference.]

What happens when you decide to go off exploring again you find yourself without any way to contact one of us if something goes wrong? The Xaviers' reach isn't infinite. You need to think before you act, Toad.

[catchingflies]

[Stung, Todd sits back up straight and glares petulantly. Why do they keep yelling at him for this stuff? It isn't his fault!]

Hey, I was thinkin'!

[Well, sort of. Just not about the right things. Besides, he totally had his communicator with him the whole time!]

I mean, we came outa there, it can't be all bad, right?

[lehnsherr]

We may have arrived through that ship, but that doesn't make it safe.

[as far as he's concerned, it's the complete opposite really. there's a reason that the ship is still full of occupied pods, and he knows it isn't by choice. his charles wouldn't have opted to return to one.]

Who's to say that it'll let you back out the next time? Who says that you'll be conscious long enough to call for help?

[catchingflies]

[Sulky-looking now, too, Todd folds his arms and continues to glower.]

Hey, I'm cool. I'm faster'n anything they got in there, I bet. An' there some cool stuff, too. Found a car-bike-lookin' thing that I bet would get you places faster'n jumpin', if it worked.

[He's not used to being scolded. Just yelled at. He could have handled that. But a scold from somebody who actually uses logic? And (according to Jocelyn) actually kind of cares about him? Totally outside his experience, and thus ability to cope with maturely. ... not that he has the ability to cope maturely with much.]

[lehnsherr]

[sulky or not, erik still doesn't look impressed. in fact it's a little worse thanks to toad's reaction. serious, who thought it was a good idea to leave the kids unattended?]

They have ways of counteracting your abilities. Don't forget that. [so it doesn't matter how fast toad can be. from where erik stands, he's taking an unneeded risk for the sake of exploration. or is that boredom.]

[catchingflies]

Dude, they ain't on that ship.

[Is that Erik's problem? That he thinks the authority people are gonna swarm out and stop him? Todd relaxes a bit, then, because that is totally not on his radar at all.]

They never got near it, far's I know. They don't go far 'nuff from that dome of theirs. I ain't worried 'bout them, long's I stay outa their way.

[lehnsherr]

As far as you know. Don't allow complacency to get the better of you. You may believe they have a routine in place, but things change. They aren't amateurs.

[granted, the most he knows about them comes from stories shared by others and the few details he could gather through observation. There's only so much you can learn from simply watching though.]

[catchingflies]

[He's never gonna get let go until he gives in, is he? Todd shuffles a bit on the grass, looking at his feet, before he mutters,]

Okay, okay. I'll be careful. A'right?

[lehnsherr]

[not at all. unfortunately, toad won't be falling off his radar any time soon, if erik has his way.]

Better. [and a glance back toward the ship again.] Now, I suggest it's time you return home and don't bother coming back here again.

[catchingflies]

[Yeah, like that's gonna happen. Well, maybe not for a while, but still. Todd's a teenager: ten feet tall and bulletproof, at least until trouble actually strikes.

But he's done arguing about it, anyway. So he picks himself the rest of the way off and grumbles,]

Sure, whatever.

[He takes one hop away, then pauses, shuffling with awkwardness rather than reluctance this time, before saying,]

Hey, uh, thanks, man. For gettin' that door open and whatever.

[lehnsherr]

[he shakes his head in response; a dismissal of his gratitude. it doesn't matter just how much trouble toad or quicksilver get themselves in to here, he knows he isn't going to hold back in trying to help them if something goes wrong. breaking toad out of a locked room was simple enough.]

No detours. [and then he's heading back toward the ship himself instead. it's time to fuse a few doors shut.]