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| X-Treme Makeover Home Edition | |
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| Participants | Gambit Jubilee |
| Synopsis | The demolition is always more fun than the reconstruction. |
| Location | Chinatown |
| Time | January 4, 2016 |
| Posted By | Jubilee |
The crisp morning air of the winter is actually enjoyed by a certain young Chinese girl. As she blows out puffs of 'smoke' her juvenile nature has her takihng little drags of an imaginary cylinder between her fingertips. She's well out of the way of the public eye at the moment, having a little quiet time in a place that used to be her parent's garden. Like many parts of the city, Chinatown hasn't been completely rebuilt and there are many pockets of devastation and decay. But it's home.
The Ragin' Cajun isn't doing too much raging at this moment. In fact, he's just making his way through Chinatown. He's got no reason to really be in a hurry. Nor does he have any reason to actually be in this part of town, except for passing through. He does, however, give a bit of a knowing nod to a couple of shop owners and vendors as he makes his way down no particular street. His hands are fast at work with a deck of cards, as he idly shuffles in rhythm with his strolling. There's not a lot of action going on, so he has to keep himself busy, even while walking. Lest he get bored.
Now, it just so happens that one of the board fences the Cajun is walking by at the moment just might be hiding the willowy Asian from the alley last night. It's not doing a good job however, as the girl is sending little colorful globules into the air that are exploding like little poppers. She's alone, she's going to practice. No one in this neighborhood would turn her over, she's certain of it. She doesn't even notice the shadow passing over the holes in the fence as her back is turned to it.
Gambit is very keen and observant when it comes to his surroundings. He has to be. He's a thief. And the moment he sees one colorful thing out of place, he realizes that he needs to figure out what in the hell is going on. His body turns before his head looks up from the cards in his hand and he's as quiet as he is during times of breaking and entering. He leans onto the fence a bit and peers over the top of it, raising an eyebrow. "Jubilee." is whispered, though it's probably easy to hear with him being this close. "Now dat's clever." Apparently, he's not bothered by colorful poppers coming from the girl.
All the while, the young girl is hard at work with her little poppers. She has one of her hands lifted and the little poppers are flying in a swirling tornado just above it. That is, until the wooden fence creaks, then she spins around and that same hand flies toward the slats. The colorful little pfaffs shoot toward the fence and explode in a near blinding light against it. No harm done, really, but while they are exploding she is disappearing. Right behind a small piece of brick wall that once might have belonged to a house.
"Jubilee!" Gambit's already calling her name. Mostly because he's shielding his eyes from the blinding flash. "Oh, dis not da' kinda' action I was hopin' for." Remy mutters as he grabs the top of the fence and leaps over it. Style and grace are on his side as he lands on the other side, immediately taking off in a brisk jog for what the only option could possibly be a good one for hiding: brick wall. "Jubilee! It jus' me, girl! Remy! Don' be scare now, girl!" Remy's footsteps draw him closer, but cautiously, even as he holds a Seven of Clubs in between his fingers. Just in case.
The girl's long trenchoat readily gives her away, since she hadn't the foresight to pull it with her and she is mentally cursing at herself in a foreign language. When Remy finds her, she's shrunken against a dilapidated corner with her arms over her head. The crunch of his boots against the gravel and snow heralds his proximity and her body involuntarily quivers. She's preparing for the worst, but then the Cajun's voice registers as somewhat familiar and she peeks one eye above her arm. "Remy? What are you doing here?"
"Oh, not'ing much. Jus' checkin' out de mornin' firework display." Remy plasters on a smile, flicking his wrist and making the card he was carrying go away. He's relatively sure that there's not going to be any trouble right about now. But it doesn't matter. He's Remy LeBeau. He's ready for anything. That same card carrying hand is extended out towards the Chinese girl, so that he may offer her some assistance in getting back on her feet. At least, in the most literal of senses at this particular juncture.
Gripping the man's hand, Jubilation pulls herself to a stand and then promptly lets go. "I was not expecting company this morning. I would have cleaned up." It's a joke, it must be. Who cleans up an empty lot and the wreckage of what was once a house? The young teen jams her hands into her pockets and kicks at some of the gravel at her feet, perhaps trying to move it someplace else. Tidying up the gravel maybe. "You will not tell the police where I am? Or the sentinels?" It's likely that they already know, after all, this is her last known address.
"Now what Remy got t' gain by turnin' you in, girl? Ain't no business o' mine where you sleep." Remy frowns a little bit, though, as he looks around this particular lot. "Den again, maybe you should look into somet'ing dat actually got a bed." Then there's a small smile. Mostly, because he's joking. "An' maybe a roof. Dat's always helpful." Oh, the Cajun Charm.
"I have a roof, it is over there." Jubilee points to what was once a piece of the roof, lying on the ground. "I have a bed as well, it is elsewhere." Perhaps in her old room, one would really really hope not. She lifts her chin upward and gives the man a small smile before it drops from her face into her usual serious expression. "But I am thankful that you would not turn me in. Would you like to go find something to eat?" With any luck, the Cajun might be treated to something that isn't in a dumpster or garbage can. Notice that she did say find and not buy.
Raising an eyebrow, he's actually impressed that this girl can keep such a sense of humor, even if the smiles fade just as quickly as they come. He offers a bit of a shrug. "Listen, girl. You don' have t' live like dis. Dere be places 'round da' city dat take you in. Y'know, shelters. T'ings like dat." Remy's trying to talk some sense into her, without the full on preaching tone. "Dere? You don' gotta' find anyt'ing. Dey bring it right out t' ya'. On a plate an' everyt'ing." He should know. He's had to do it before.
The warmth fades from her eyes and the girl glowers before she looks away. "I will not go to a shelter, I am capable of taking care of myself. If I go to a shelter they will take me away." It's a valid concern, she is underage, after all. "People here give me things to eat for helping them. I have many neighbors that I help. Many friends." There could be a few enemies thrown into the mix too, but they haven't been as lucky as Remy in stumbling across her little sanctuary.
Remy's hands immediately go up and he shakes his head. He even takes a step back. "Hey, you do what you wan', girl. Remy jus' offerin' a li'l friendly advice. Dat's all." Oh, the Cajun knows all about helping others and trying to do the right thing and stuff like that. He also knows all about doing the wrong thing. So he's not about to push. Not when it's not his business, to be perfectly honest. "I jus' don' t'ink dis da' best place for girls t' be tryin' t' make home. It get dangerous at night, here. T'ings happen." Maybe Remy knows more about what goes on in Chinatown than he initially let on. "An' unless dem firecracker you got come in a bigger size, you might can't handle dem."
"I just do not wish to go to jail." Jubilee says quietly as she sits down on a small pile of bricks that has been fashioned to resemble something like a bench, or a low table. "If I go to a shelter, they will find out that I am different and I will go to jail." She does give him a small smile for his concern though and shrugs helplessly. "I do not spend every night in this place. Only the warm ones." As to his concern, the girl simply lifts one of her hands and a bunch of small globules form in the thin air. "They come in larger size, I am trying to make them bigger. Would you like to see?"
Remy takes note of the surroundings with his peripheral, just in case. But he's not too worried. "Jus' so long as you know what you doin'. Remy ain't tryin' t' go blind." Gambit flashes a small smile, as he takes a step over towards something that looks stable enough to lean on. He just kind of puts part of his weight on there, while giving what's probably the most of his attention. "Don' you worry 'bout not'ing. Ya' secrets safe wit' Remy."
The girls stands and turns toward the bricks she was sitting on. The swirl of globules concentrate into one larger one about the size of a large softball. Laying her hand against it, the pfaff explodes into a colorful array of fireworks and reduces the bench into a pile of red gravel. She seems a little tired by this point, but only for a moment because she stands straight as an arrow and gives the man his first glimpse of a smug grin. "You see? If I practice, perhaps I can do this many times." She gives a long tired sigh and the steam of her breath puffs into a cloud in front of her.
"Impressive." Gambit actually does look like he's impressed. But that could also have something to do with the fact that this is a girl showing off to him. He's always had a soft spot in his heart for girls. "Dey always say practice makin' perfect. I bet you get de hang o' it, in no time." Gambit shrugs just a bit. "I s'pose bein' able t' do dat give you de right t' stay where you want. Jus' be careful. Dem robot t'ings, dey ain't as easy t' impress."
"I will not allow the sentinels to find me again." Jubilee is quite firm on this point. So firm that she kicks at the pile of red brick rubble and sends a cloud of dust into the cold air. It's nothing to dwell on, however and the young Asian turns toward the Cajun again. "What is it that you can do? Do you just have red eyes that makes you different?" She doesn't close in to study him a bit further, but she does lean toward him slightly.
"Remy can do all sorts o' t'ings. Mostly, I jus' play de hand I'm dealt." And that's when his hand flicks up and there is one of his many playing cards, held out for the girl to see. Ace of Hearts, at this particular chosen moment. Within moments, the card starts to glow with a combination of pink and magenta, before he turns and flings it. It tears through the air and collides with some random pile of rubble, exploding with the force of a small grenade. Remy just shrugs as dust and brick and whatever else are thrown into the air. "I win."
Color the raven haired girl impressed. She just stares at the pile with her mouth agape and her dark eyes wide with surprise. "Yes, you win," she whispers, her loss of voice only explainable by the sight she just witnessed. Then she turns toward him and raises her eyebrows curiously, "Does it work with only cards? Or can you do it with many things? Do you think I will learn to do something like that? We are both able to explode things, yes?" Uh oh. Now he did it. Girlie's lookin' for teacher now.
"Anyt'ing I can put my hand on, I can make go boom." Gambit doesn't feel the need to explain the specifics of his power. Instead, he just kind of decides to show it off a bit more. He swirls a bit, flowing his trenchcoat and steps over to where a piece of brick is. He kicks it up into his hand and holds it for a moment. "Bigger it is, bigger de boom." At his point the rock starts to glow pinkgeta and he then hurls it off to the side. But nothing happens. It just rolls along the ground and stays there, still glowing. Huh.
Jubilation stares at the hunk of rock for a while before she treads carefully toward it. The crunch of her boots is practically the only sound ringing in the air, the neighborhood which is normally busy seems a little quiet. She's as careful around it as a Cambodian is to a landmine. That is to say not very careful at all. Slowly, she creeps even closer to it, giving Remy a quick glance before stretching out one of her feet to tap at it.
Mini-Choom!
Luckily, the rock wasn't that big. So the delayed explosion that comes from it is just enough to knock poor, curious Jubilee off her feet. Poor girl might suffer a small bit of embarrassment, but that's about it. Remy, on the other hand, stays where he is, flipping through some more of his cards, as he watches the show. "Sometime, dey don' go off right away." He shrugs, even though he's smiling. Oh he loves playing with his powers sometime. "Remy ain't quite sure if what you do an' what he do, da' same. Mine only come in one color."
Indeed, the explosion did send the girl flying and she would have likely landed flat on her behind if it weren't for all of the years she'd spent training. If she couldn't land a backflip off a surprise start then she wasn't worth her weight in Olympic metal. When she finally skids to a stop, she raises her hands into the air like a true gymnastic champion. Yes, she's showing off now. Once again, she turns to him and skips up to where he was leaning against the brick wall. "But the things we do both explode. Is it not somewhat the same?"
Another impressed grin comes off the Cajun as he watches the girl stick her landing, in the snow."Remy don' know de details." is Gambit's reply, since he's still not sure if he should even be sharing this information. But he might as well. No reason not to, as far as he seems to be concerned. "I t'ink I make t'ings blow up an' you blow t'ings up wit' what you make." Remy's shrugging continues to be all the rage, since he's too busy not really caring about whether or not his power matches up with hers. "Guess dey similar. But dat don' mean I can show you de ropes." Just in case she was getting any ideas.
A single nod from the girl shows that she gets his meaning. "I understand. It can be quite troublesom to have someone such as myself asking questions all of the time. But thank you for explaining to me." She's posturing now, obviously she did care whether they matched up. It would have been a second commonality, the first being they're both freaks of nature. She takes in a quick scan of the area and frowns as she points upward, her brown eyes locking on his red ones. "Did you notice that things have grown quiet? Perhaps it is time to run."
Gambit frowns just a slightly. He's known the lonely road. He knows it very well. Maybe too well. "Listen. Jus' cuz Remy don' wanna' be ya' Mr. Miyagi don' mean we can't be friends. I tell you, I hate t' see anyt'ing happen t' someone like you. You got spunk. Dat's always a good t'ing. An' you seem like you want t' help people. De world can always use more o' dose." Remy smiles and makes his way closer to Jubilation, still seeming as nonchalant as possible about what may be lurking in the quiet. "Which be why, iff'n somet'ing is headed dis way, it be best if you ain't 'round t' see it." Gambit's willing to hold whatever it may be off. Awwww.
It just so happens that Jubilation knows Mr. Miyagi and as a result her nose wrinkles as her face turns to a grimace. "I hope you do not wish to be Mister Miyagi, he smells of cabbage and old socks." Maybe it's not the same Mr. Miyagi. She headshakes at his offer though, springing away from him quickly to jump to the top of the rickety fence. It seems they're both a little graceful when it comes to vaulting. "I am capable," she states plainly, teetering on the tops of the board precariously as she waits for him to join her. "Come, let us go find where the noise has gone."
"Ooooh weee. Dis girl gon' be de death o' me." Gambit has to make sure he says this to himself, before he's already taking a step and leaping up to land on the fence next to the Jubilee. He crouches there and narrows his eyes, just to see if he can't spot anything out of the ordinary. "Let de good times roll." Oh, my. This is going to be an interesting friendship.
