A wake up call (Gambit)

[Kyle Engstrom]

It had taken him a few days to figure it out, but Kyle eventually found that the lake was the best place to get away from everyone. Of course, that was mainly because it was a rather large lake, so there was plenty of shoreline to lie out and read a book on. This is what it would look like he was doing, but really he was just staring at the book while trying to figure out how he was going to convince his parents that he wasn’t a mutant. The argument of nothing had happened was going to work with them since his brother had been one of the witnesses to the initial incident, so maybe he did have powers but sort of like from some sort of accident.

”Yeah, maybe it was some sort of chemical or radioactive thing that caused all of this. All I need is for a doctor to look me over and tell them that it was just a temporary thing,” he muttered as he rolled over and looked up at the sky. Kyle wasn’t sure exactly where he could have been exposed to something that could cause it, but it seemed like a better situation than being called a mutant. After all, he had seen what mutants had done recently, and the last thing that he wanted was to be one of them. ”Which I’m not. I’m not a mutant. I just have some sort of weird condition like that guy that always pops up on the news or maybe I’m an alien.”

Placing the book over his face, Kyle decided to take a quick snooze in the warm sun, and when he woke he could call his parents to see if they would except his ideas as possible reasons for what happened to him.

[Remy LeBeau]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true]

[atrb=background, imageshack.us/a/img46/4488/gambitbody.jpg] Today was a great day to be Remy LeBeau. A day full of rest and relaxation. A day where he wasn't teaching a bunch of new mutants how to use their powers, grading papers, or dealing with an angry, hairy Canadian. A day where he could just kick back and lounge around in the sun for the day. Gambit smiled as he felt the cool breeze blow his long brown hair back. Even the most restless of people, like himself, needed a day like this. Dressed in tan cargo shorts, a blue t-shirt and a opened white dress shirt, Remy strolled through the grass surrounding the lake, his right hand fingering the deck of cards in his pocket. It wasn't like Remy to go anywhere without a deck on his person. In his experience, one could never be so sure of himself out there. Even if he was on school grounds, you never knew when the next big threat was going to pop out of the bushes and catch you off guard. The first order of business for the Cajun was to find a good place to settle down and relax for a bit. As crimson eyes scanned the area for a spot to lie down, he soon realized that he wasn't alone. There, taking a nap on the shoreline, was one of the newer students. Remy couldn't remember his name for the life of him, but that was ok. He could learn it in conversation and act like he knew it all along. Not wanting to awake the young man so abruptly, Remy sat down a good couple of inches away from him. He picked up a small pebble lying next to him and decided "What the hell?" Using his powers, the pebble turned a light shade of purple, the flame charging around it. He then chucked it as hard as he could out into the water. Once it was underwater, the pebble exploded, causing the water to splash up. It was too far away to hit any of them, but it was certainly loud enough to wake the unexpected napper. “Gotta work on my aim a bit more.” Remy chuckled as he lay down on the shore line, arms crossed behind his head, awaiting to see if the kid wanted any company. WORDS: TAG:Kyle WEARING:tan cargo shorts, blue tshirt, white dress shirt NOTES:Maybe ol' Remy can help you with your problem mon ami.

[Kyle Engstrom]

It hadn't taken him long to drift off to sleep, and then Kyle's mind was filled in by his subconscious which wasn't a good thing. His dreams were filled with images of his family being persecuted, his home being ransacked and a large group of people demanding that the abomination be destroyed. It was his worst fear since someone told him that he was a mutant, which is probably why he was fighting it so hard. Ironically, the more he states he isn't a mutant caused his mutation to act up, and it usually happened when someone else was around and he wasn't aware of it.

Of course, his powers only activated at the present moment because some person had decided to set off some sort of firework near him, which woke him from his slumber. It was just his or her own fault that it happened to startle him to the point that his body erupted in spikes that acted like a defensive barrier, which also made him look like a porcupine or the inverse of a pincushion. Regardless of what he looked like, Kyle was spiked up and sitting up with his arms in front of him to block an attack, but then he saw that it was some sort of practical joke that could have gotten someone killed.

"Are you insane? You could really hurt someone by playing with fireworks," said Kyle in an angry tone. Then he noticed what he looked like, and his facial expression matched the tone of his voice. Closing his eyes, the young man relaxed his mind and body while trying to focus on the spikes disappearing, and then the bone protrusions gradually receded back into his body. Looking extremely exhausted, Kyle moved closer to the water and splashed himself in the face to compose himself. "I really wish this would stop happening to me."

[Remy LeBeau]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true]

[atrb=background, imageshack.us/a/img46/4488/gambitbody.jpg] "Are you insane? You could really hurt someone by playing with fireworks," The previously sleeping boy spat as an array of spikes emerged from his body, giving him the appearance of a human porcupine. Remy raised an eyebrow at the mutant's powers. They were extremely reminiscent of Marrow, a former member of the Morlocks who Gambit saved at a very young age during the Morlock Massacre back when he was working for Mister Sinister. If Gambit had made an even bigger mess, there was no doubt that the boy would have sent one of those spikes straight through him, it was only when the boy recognized who he was that he sheathed the spikes. Remy flashed another smile and held his hands up in a peaceful gesture. “Sorry mon ami, Gambit only wanted ta have a little fun y'know?” He said as he took a better look at the boy. After further analyzation, Remy recognized the boy from the Cerebro files of the new students: Kyle Engstrom, also known as Bones. That explained the marrow like powers. Remy watched as the boy got up to splash some water on his face, trying to keep his emotions under control. "I really wish this would stop happening to me." A small frown found its way across the Cajun's features as he moved in closer to Kyle, noticing his tired and seemingly somber expressions. It must be hard for him, to discover his powers at such a young age and get sent off to a school full of mutants. He couldn't have had his powers for more than two weeks at the latest? Remy couldn't actually relate to him, considering the thieves guild had accepted him because of his powers when they manifested. Kyle on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. “What seems to be bothering you mon ami? Let ol' Remy hear what you gotta say.” Gambit said as he sat down next to Bones, sincerity showing in his black and red orbs. WORDS: TAG:Bones WEARING:Same NOTES:Relax mon ami

[Kyle Engstrom]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true]

[atrb=background, imageshack.us/a/img194/8500/1wgb.jpg] Now Kyle remembered who this guy was. Gambit was the card slinger who made things blow up, and somehow he had stumbled upon the exact spot where Kyle had been taking a nap. To make matters worse, Kyle realized in the guy's response that he admitted to be a little off his rocker if he thought that random blowing stuff up was fun. Now he was regretting pulling the bones back into his body. They might have acted as some sort of defense against whatever else the guy might blow up for fun, but then again there was still the risk of shooting them out like arrows. He'd rather get blown up then hurt someone. “If you want to have fun, I'd suggest picking up a normal hobby like fishing,” he commented. As soon as he said it, Kyle instantly imagined Gambit trying to go fishing by dropping explosive rocks in the water until fish started floating to the surface, but he figured that the guy wouldn't ruin such a pass time like that. Instead, it seemed that his new 'friend' had decided to play amateur therapist by asking Kyle about his problems, which should have been obvious to anyone. Well, maybe he was putting too much faith in the guy's observation abilities, so he supposed he could explain it to the guy. Naturally, he had to decide whether to say the whole list of troubles that he had or just the primary one that explained it all, and then he remembered that he really didn't feel like talking so it would be best if he did keep the conversation going for very long. “The whole bones coming out of my body wasn't a big enough clue for you?” He supposed he could have given a more detailed answer, but his response seemed more than adequate for the question that had been asked. After all, it wasn't like there weren't a bunch of people at this school who wished taht there powers would just disappear. WORDS: 335 TAG: Remy Lebeau // Gambit WEARING: Regular Clothes NOTES:

[Remy LeBeau]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true]

[atrb=background, imageshack.us/a/img46/4488/gambitbody.jpg] “If you want to have fun, I'd suggest picking up a normal hobby like fishing." Remy let out a chuckle at that comment. Sure it was full of sarcasm, but it didn't change the fact that it was funny. Growing up in New Orleans, Remy was actually quite the fisherman when he wasn't stealing or training with his guild mates. He couldn't remember the last time he came home to Jean-Luc's with a gigantic catfish he had caught on the bayou. “A fine hobby at dat mon ami. Except there ain't many catfish or gators in dis little lake we got ourselves here.” He joked, reaching into his pocket to pull out his deck of cards. On the battlefield, this little gesture usually meant that Remy was about to deal some serious damage with a simple flick of the wrist. Instead of turning the deck into 52 grenades, he held the deck in his right palm, bent it back, and let the cards fly into his other hand, executing a spring flourish. He would do this little trick often to keep his hands busy as he was talking to people. As he continued his trick, he proceeded to ask the boy what was the matter. Kyle responded in a seemingly annoyed and tired fashion. “The whole bones coming out of my body wasn't a big enough clue for you?” Ah, so it was his mutation that was bothering him. Remy sighed as he pocketed the deck and looked back at the sleepy student. “Hey mon ami, believe me when I say dat there are mutants out there whose powers are far worst then what you got. Some can't even hide their mutations.” Remy said, thinking about how difficult it was for someone like Nightcrawler, Toad, and Beast to walk around in public knowing that they couldn't change their appearances. Even Remy himself had some problems concealing his abnormal eyes. “I may not be da best person to be tellin' you dis Kyle, but trust me. I know its hard at first, but eventually you come to accept it. Look at Headmaster Logan. Da man has his entire skeleton laced with adamantium. He lives with it though and time and time again its proven to be quite useful. I guess what I'm sayin' is dat being a mutant has its advantages” The Cajun paused, looking over at the young boy to see how well his psychiatric tactics were working. WORDS: TAG:Bones WEARING:Same NOTES:Sorry if dis sucked mon ami. Just lemme know

[Kyle Engstrom]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true]

[atrb=background, imageshack.us/a/img194/8500/1wgb.jpg] Of course, this guy would have to respond to his hobby suggestion by saying there was nothing to fish in this lake, which made him wonder why did they have a lake if there wasn't anything living in it. Seemed like a waste of a resource to Kyle, but he figured that if he asked that he would get a really long explanation that would just annoy him in the end. Why put up with that when he could put up with the fact that Gambit had just pulled out his signature deck of cards that he blew up? “Let's remember our talk about not blowing things up around me, okay?" It was after his reminder that the guy tried to go psychiatrist on Kyle, and it wasn't at enjoyable as the guy didn't quite understand what was going on with Bones as he had been dubbed by some people. Kyle understood that being a mutant could be helpful in keeping him alive or doing some fun thing like blowing stuff up at random, but he was mostly focusing on the part where he had to leave his home and his family was completely terrified of him. The image of how afraid his brother looked the first time that it happened haunted his dreams. “So what you are saying is that I will come to accept the fact that my family can't stand to look at me or talk to me? Thanks, but I think I'd rather lose the mutation so I can go home." Kyle laid back down and stared up at the sky, while he waited to see how the guy responded to that statement. He figured that Remy would have some comeback to his remark, but that was because he assumed that the card slinger had been doing this for some time. WORDS: 305 TAG: Remy Lebeau // Gambit WEARING: Regular Clothes NOTES: I just wanted you to know...I don't like Solitaire.

[Remy LeBeau]

"Let's remember our talk about not blowing things up around me, okay?"

With another chuckle, Remy stopped the flourish and smoothly pocketed the deck, before turning to give the newer student another grin. Of course, the kid could always learn how to take a joke, but Remy did consider the fact that Kyle had yet to get to know him. Either way, he decided it was better not to make too much of an issue out of it.

"Sure thing mon ami."

When it came to the psychiatric session, Remy knew better than anyone else that he was the worst person for this job, probably a worst choice then Wolverine himself. Someone like Hank, Kitty, or hell even Bobby to handle the kids' problems would have been so much better. But alas, here he was, trying not to look like a gigantic idiot while he tries qualm the new student's fear of his powers.

Gambit had to admit, it must have been very tough to have that particular type of powers. Unlike Remy himself, Kyle didn't know what he was doing. Without the proper training, there was no telling what his gifts could do.

“So what you are saying is that I will come to accept the fact that my family can't stand to look at me or talk to me? Thanks, but I think I'd rather lose the mutation so I can go home."

Gambit sighed heavily as he listened to him. So first tactic didn't really work out. Ok, time for a different approach.

"Dat's not what I meant Kyle. You think you're da only person dat felt dis way? Believe me when I say dat everyone here has felt da way you do about there powers. But we can help you learn how to control your powers and use them for da greater good."

Remy stopped to mull over what he was going to say next. He was hoping he didn't come off as too rude to the kid.

"You know, I knew someone with a similar condition as you." He said, thinking about Sarah.

[Kyle Engstrom]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true]

[atrb=background, imageshack.us/a/img194/8500/1wgb.jpg] The man’s gesture of holstering his throwing rectangles showed Kyle that at least he wouldn’t have to worry about things exploding around him for the moment, which meant that all that he really needed to do now was to figure out how to keep himself from turning into a projectile porcupine for five minutes. It occurred to him that mind over body might be the way to go, but the young man wasn’t sure if thinking that his body wasn’t going to fire bone shards in every direction was actually going ot force his body to prove that it didn’t happen. Alas, it was the only thing that he had to work with at the moment. It seemed that there had been some misunderstanding on his part about what the card slinger had said, but Kyle didn’t have time to dwell on what it was as Gambit began talking about training him to control and then apply his powers. “I like the thoughts on controlling these powers that I don’t want, but exactly how am I going to use shooting out pointy bones for the greater good?” Images popped into his head of him walking around town and firing off some small bone shards to hold up posters or making dangerous fencing material in front of people’s houses, but his mind naturally drifted toward the more violent applications of his powers. “So what happen to this person that you knew? Did he or she ever obtain a normal life with these powers,” inquired the young man. If so, then maybe Kyle could get the school to contact this person so that he could learn things first hand from them instead of through those that had powers that could be applied in a similar way, but Gambit had said ‘knew’ instead of ‘know’ which made Kyle think that maybe this friend didn’t have a very happy ending. Then again, it might just mean that they had lost touch over the years like normal people did, so there was no reason for him to jump to the most negative conclusion. WORDS: 348 TAG: Remy Lebeau // Gambit WEARING: Regular Clothes NOTES: Is Remy going to tell Kyle that Sarah started to grow bone armor?