Last Chance for Chow

[~ N.P.C. ~]

"Almost there, kid."

Over two-thousand miles, three dozen double cheese burgers, eleven milkshakes, six wrong turns, and one impromptu pee break that included the two of them fleeing the woods from what Sheldon was sure was a rabid raccoon, they were finally in the home stretch. To be honest, the trip had been far smoother than Sheldon had anticipated. He half expected his parents to send someone after them, but the truth was they were far more clever than he liked. They knew perfectly well that now that Max was loose, they'd be hard pressed to corral him again.

Sheldon looked down at the fuel gage and rolled his eyes. His parents had been incredibly detailed in their exploitation of Max's power. They'd gotten the kid to draw the Saturn's gas tank on 'full' and even after four days hard driving, they had yet to stop to refuel. It was yet another way that they had benefited from his little brother. Sheldon's knuckles turned bone-white on the steering wheel. If their other brother hadn't called him... God, their parents might have kept Max in that room forever. He cast a scrutinizing look at Max and sighed.

Four days and Sheldon had only gotten a few mumbled words out of his brother. He had only been gone from home for three years. How, in that time, did his smart, shy little brother turn into such a hard, cold stranger? "Max..." he wanted to apologize for leaving him but really, it wouldn't do any good at this point. "You hungry?" he asked lamely. "We might as well stop and get some real food before I drop you off at the school. Might be your last chance to eat something edible. You know how school food is."

Sheldon flinched. No, Max really didn't know. He pulled the Sky into the first restaurant parking lot he saw and killed the ignition. For a moment the brothers just sat in the car, not a word between them. Finally, Sheldon pulled off his Ray-Bans and dropped them into Max's lap. "Put them on. The last thing we need is someone spotting that eye of yours."

[Sketch]

Max looked down at the sunglasses in his lap and scowled. Of course, Sheldon was right, but still... he slid the Bans up his nose and held up his hands for his brother's approval. The last four days had been tense. It wasn't anything that Sheldon had done, but Max couldn't seem to let himself relax. He kept his sharpie clutched tightly in his hand, ready to draw himself a hasty escape if he had to.

He should have realized that his brother was really just looking out for him. Sheldon had been attentive and understanding, not pushing for answers even while keeping up a fairly steady stream of chatter the whole drive. Max hadn't said much, for the very good reason that that he didn't have much to say.

"Yeah, food. Sure." For a minute he didn't move, he just fingered the rim of his sunglasses and tried not to look at Sheldon. With a grunt of acquiescence, Max finally hopped out of the Sky. The Rings Family Restaurant. It looked low key and Max paused a moment before letting himself inside. It had been a long time since he'd been in real, non-ink company and he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. He sank into the booth closest to the door and hunched over. If what Sheldon said was true, they were on their way to that mutant school, the one the voice had told him about.

A small smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. A new start in a new place, with a new name. If he could get some onion rings, he would be able to pretend his life was perfect.

[~ N.P.C. ~]

Sheldon joined his brother at the booth, sliding into the seat across from him. "Try not to look like you're expecting a swat on the nose any minute, Max. Mom and dad aren't here and you aren't going back there." He held his brother's gaze a moment before nodding and leaning back in his seat. The Ray-Bans hid the kid's freaky eye. “Just try to relax.”

Awkwardly, Sheldon played with the table setting, tearing his napkin into little pieces. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say to this perfect stranger that looked like his baby brother. Three years ago, Max had been a cool little kid. A bit sheltered maybe, thanks to their mother, with zero hand/eye coordination, and a shy, calm temperament. The calm air had been replaced by a dark intensity that put Sheldon on edge. Max had turned into some damaged, gruff cliché and Sheldon didn’t think that he knew any words to adequately express his sentiments at the moment.

“Max…” The waitress chose that moment to come over to the table and Sheldon swallowed back whatever lecture about ‘silver linings’ had been on the tip of his tongue. Instead he offered the tired looking teenager a false smile and continued to shred his napkin.

“So, whatcha want?” she asked brusquely, pen poised over her order pad. Sheldon looked around. It was well after lunch and the restaurant was hardly busy. A handful of tables were seated, but the servers were hardly in the weeds. There was no reason for her to be so terse. “Well?”

Sheldon noticed that she seemed to be eyeing Max, a pinched look on her face. Maybe the Ray-Bans weren’t covering that eye as well as he initially thought. “Yeah, double order of onion rings and two pops. Thank you.” Sheldon dug into his pants and pulled out his wallet, slipping a few twenties across the table and looking pointedly at their waitress, a finger over his lips.

The last thing they needed was trouble.

[Sketch]

For a cold, terrible instant, Max was pretty sure that the waitress was about to out him to an entire restaurant of strangers. The indecision was plain on her face but the suspended moment finally came to a close when she simply slid the meager stack of bills off the table. She nodded with a polite smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes and left to see to their order. Max’s breath left his lungs with a relieved whoosh as he double checked that his sharpie was still clipped to the collar of his t-shirt. The cool feel of the gray plastic put him slightly more at ease and he sat back, arms crossed defensively over his chest.

“I don’t think you can afford to keep saving me, Shelly,” Max said quietly. He watched the waitress until she disappeared into the kitchen, ready to make for the door if she headed toward a phone. Behind his shades, Max was alert. His gaze swept the surrounding booths and tables warily. The patronage was mostly families— professional looking fathers, tired mothers, and kids fidgeting in their seats. Max was fidgeting a bit himself, though it was more out of nerves than childish energy. Regardless of what Sheldon said, he half expected his own parents to appear and drag him back to his room.

He was brought back out of his thoughts by the waitress’s return. She put their soda’s in front of them and hurried off again. Max dragged his drink closer and stared across the table at his big brother. “What do you know about the place?” He asked, voice hardly above a whisper. “The school, I mean. And what if… what if mom and dad come take me back?”

[~ N.P.C. ~]

Sheldon flicked a sugar packet across the table and it caught Max in the middle of his forehead. "Do you really think that mom and dad are going to face the X-Men and come out the other side with all their limbs? Come on, Max. I know you've been locked in your room for a few years, but you're going to be fine." A cheerful grin appeared on Sheldon's face, his mind filled with delightful images of his father trying to strong arm Wolverine or his mother shouting at Shadowcat. They'd be a pile of limbs and expensive jewelry at the curb in front of the school on trash day. "Believe me, kid, the safest place for you is that school. Mom and Dad won't be able to touch you, you'll catch up on the education you've missed, and you'll learn more about your power."

He paused to take a long drought of his soda. "And just think about the friends that you're going to get to make. You have an opportunity to meet some powerful people, Max. This is going to be good for you. Just wait and see."

Sheldon had to wonder how much of what he'd just said had actually gotten through to his little brother. Max looked tense, his eyes roving the place as though he expected something to pop up at any moment shouting 'boo'. His hands kept wandering up to the marker hanging off his collar. Sheldon returned his glass to the table with a bit more force than necessary. Once Max was settled at the school, he was going to drive right back home and explain a few things to his parents.

Of course, they had had four days to get used to living without Max's power. That in itself was a punishment. Max had told him about the 100 foot boundary. Everything he had drawn for his parents, the additions to the house, the fancy stuff, the pool, the clothes... gone the second that they had driven the car past that invisible line.

That was a good start, but that didn't begin to cover the debt that they owed Max. "On second thought, I hope that they do show up at the school," he said, brown eyes lit with anger. "I think they deserve a bit of Cyclops and Emma Frost. Just do me a favor, kid. Take pictures."

[Sketch]

"You want me to take pictures?" Max looked blankly at his brother and frowned. "If mom and dad show up I'm running. Not sticking around to take pictures... Oh. That was sarcasm." He caught the look on Sheldon's face and sighed. "Kindly refrain from making me feel like a jackass. I’ve not re-acclimated myself to your wit as of yet." He glanced down at his hands and added, “If you can call that wit,” under his breath.

Two plates of onion rings dropped onto the table and Max looked up, startled. The waitress was making a point not to look at him and for that, Max had to admit, he was thankful. He didn’t really want to be stared at, especially not by someone who clearly found him distasteful. “Thank you,” he muttered, sharpie tapping on the table. “I’d like a refill on my soda, please.”

Grumbling, the server disappeared again and Max examined his onion rings. “What is the likely hood that she didn’t spit in the horseradish sauce?” He pulled a face as he glanced over his food, fairly certain that the odds were not in his favor.

[Hoax]

~Outside the restaurant~

Dor kept hold of all the bags and thanked the Lord that he traveled light. He had no idea what Hope had packed away but he was pretty sure if he opened her bags there would be several dead hippopotamuses and a panzer. Thankfully, the luggage wasn’t interested in conversing with him or he would have looked like a lunatic, yelling at a pile of suitcases to kindly shut the f*ck up as he dragged them up the road. “Alright, Hope. We can eat here and then head back to the bus station aft— hot damn.” The bags all dropped to the ground and Dor circled the sick little roadster in the parking lot, his tongue half hanging out of his mouth. “That is a pretty, little car.”

I am a tight piece of tailpipe, aren’t I? The sleek Saturn cooed. Had she been a real person, Dor reckoned the car would have winked. Bet you know how to treat lady, don’t you? You wouldn’t make me drive across the whole damn country without so much as chance to rest my tires. My axels are killing me.”

Dor chuckled and patted the hood affectionately. “Cross-country, huh? Well, you’re on the east coast, darlin, so you’ll likely get a rest soon.”

Lifeless as she was beneath his fingertips, Dor felt the Sky heave a sigh. That’s what the meat bags-said. As soon as we’re at Xavier’s my breaks get a break.

“Xavier’s?” Dor glanced back at Hope. “Hey, Harpo, Ah think Ah just got us a ride.” He grinned and grabbed up his bags again. “Do me a favor, darlin, and watch my bags. Ah’m gonna go have a chat with your… uh, meat-bags.” He threw his bags into the passenger seat and did the same with Hope’s. He gestured for Hope to follow him inside and held open the door of Rings Family Restaurant. Dor halted Hope before she could enter and whispered, “Ah really hope that Ah don’t have to tell you to keep your hands to yourself.”

[~ N.P.C. ~]

Sheldon looked over their double order of onion rings and rolled his eyes. "Close your eyes and think of England," he said with a smirk. "And eat up, Max. I'm not kidding about school food. It's usually unrecognizable. The options tend to be brown lumps with white gravy or white lumps with brown gravy." Sheldon tucked in and crunched loudly into a fried circle. "Mother*$%^er that's hot!"

Gingerly, Sheldon chewed his food, and considered their situation. Max was looking distinctly gloomy. Not that Sheldon blamed him, or could even empathize with him, but Max was being presented with a pretty awesome opportunity. How many kids got to have the X-Men as teachers and mentors? He had done his research before he had headed home to spring his brother out of his self-made prison. He was going to be training and learning under mutant legends. So long as Max kept his nose clean the kid would be fine. Sheldon chuckled to himself. Max was such a shy kid, Sheldon doubted very much that he would get himself into much trouble.

"I think things'll turn out, Max." He nodded to his brother resolutely. "I really do. And yeah, let's skip the sauce." He slid the ramekin to the side of the table, nose wrinkled.

[Hoax]

After setting Hope with a stern look, Dor nudged her into the restaurant. "Ah'm just goin to have a listen, Bebe Daniels," he said, not really paying her any mind. "There's at least one of us in here and Ah- Lord have mercy." Dor had pulled out his earplugs and was immediately swamped with a chorus of voices. He nearly went cross-eyed from all the shouting, but after a few hissed directions to be silent or suffer, and after a demonstration where he shredded a paper menu into oblivion, most of the inanimates in the settled down.

Dor pushed his glasses up his nose and looked around the restaurant. It was packed. Kids were running around their tables while their father's watched and their mother's chastised. Servers were zipping around with drinks in hand or trays of food precariously balanced on their shoulders. There was a lot banging and shouting in the kitchen, but thankfully that was muffled by the doors.

One voice in particular caught his attention. Nice to be outta that room. We're going to like the mutant school.

Mutant school, came the immediate reply. Dor rolled his eyes. Shoes had a strange habit of repeating each other.

"Stay or go, woman, Ah don't have time to hold your hand!" Without another word to Hope, Dor listened to the two yattering shoes and strode over. Smiling politely, Dor plopped himself down at the first booth by the entrance and nodded slowly at the two older boys sitting there. "Well, Ah hope that y'all don't mind, but your car tol' me that we've got the same destination. Which one of you is the you know what? Or are you both," here he paused and looked around to make sure no one was paying them any mind, "mutants? Ah'm Dorian Jameson, Omnilinguist and amateur animator." He held out his hand to the kid sitting across from him with the sunglasses. Dor tilted his head to the side. "Ah see. It's just you then... Max. Nice to meetcha."

[Sketch]

Max stared. He stared really hard and willed the kid that had just plopped down next to his brother to burst into flame. Logically, he knew he couldn't do that, but still. It was wishful thinking. Max ignored the hand being proffered and grunted, sinking lower in his seat. "No offence kid but get lost." He reached for his soda but his hand froze half way across the table. "Did you just say that the car told you..."

Blinking hard, Max shoved the heels of his hands into his eyes. Four days ago he was locked in his room, no contact with the outside and today he was neck deep in strangers, waitresses that hacked lungs up into his horseradish sauce, and kids that spoke to cars. He said omnilinguist. Linguist is language, omni means all... and an amateur animator? He didn't understand any of it. He didn't want to understand. He just wanted to eat his onion rings in peace and get to a safe place without incident.

That, it would seem, was not an option. "You are, and correct me if I'm saying this wrong, out of your *$^&ing mind?" It came out as a question as he looked at Sheldon for conformation. "I don't care if you are a... if you are mutant, go away. We don't want any confrontations." He looked at Dorian over the top of his glasses, his eye-shine glinting. "Leave."

[Echo]

(Soz, woz on holz)
Making extra sure she didn't make any contact with Dorian, Hope smiled sweetly at the other two guys in the booth. Sitting down with them was slightly awkward, both of them had some terribly vulgar language. Especially since there was no need for it, however she restrained from making a face at him and instead just sat silently. Not moving and making no noise as she observed the people. That she enjoyed, watching people talk to each other, seeing how they reacted to things like that.

Dorian for example didn't like not knowing what was going on around him it seemed, that or he really took an immediate dislike to her because of her power. It wasn't like she was able to warn him or anything, plus ... most people had a better reaction. One of awe or interest, not immediate dislike.

Still, if it meant she wasn't standing alone for hours until her ride got here she would take the company.

Slowly she turned her head, taking in the family atmosphere and letting a smile creep onto her lips. She liked families, all of them had something that made them special, and the kids running around screaming; their parents were lucky their kids had voices. All her life she wanted to tell people things, immediately. It showed her the ignorance of the masses to how little people understood of sign language. That was why she carried a pen and paper in her things most of the time. Sometimes she was caught out however. It had gotten her into some not so nice situations, not being able to speak.

(is it k for me 2 reply here or wht? idk wht 2 do)

[~ N.P.C. ~]

"Take it easy, Max." Sheldon wasn't in as much of a rush to chase off Dorian. "You'll have to excuse my brother. He's been holed up for a while. Not used to moving among the humanoids just yet." He looked around the restaurant nervously, hoping that no one heard his brother speaking about mutants so loudly. Another thing he had come across in his research was that this town had a totally anti-mutant sentiment and where known for some pretty violent behavior towards mutants at times. That was from a couple of years ago so he didn't know if the town had changed since then, still he didn't want to take any chances.

"We need to stay calm guys, I read that this place isn't exactly welcome to mutants, and the last thing any of you need is to advertise right now, I wouldn't say we're exactly safe. Cool?" Sheldon looked at his brother, the boy and the girl that stood nearby awkwardly before nodding his head, satisfied that they'd all be cool. "Alright then, sit down with us for awhile, let's find out more on how the car told you," he said welcoming them both into the booth and scooting over so the girl could sit down as well.

For the rest of the meal, the little group enjoyed each other's company, all getting to know each other as they ate a filling meal. Sheldon didn't know what exactly to think of these other two kids, but in the end they were in the same situation as his brother, and thats all that really mattered to him. After some time though, he decided that it would probably be best for them all to leave. With little convincing, Sheldon had his brother add a backseat to their car for the two newcomers and had him expand the trunk size. Thankfully, mostly everyone in town was having a lazy restful Sunday and no one noticed the odd version of the two seating car. It was that modified car that allowed Sheldon to take the kids to their new home, and sanctuary for most: Xavier Institute for Higher Learning.