[hr][hr][center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/SR52k84p/54b4e63d635603b22d80f72a4ba2be54.png[/img][hr][img]https://decider.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Agatha-All-Along-105-02.gif?w=640[/img][hr][@Achronum][@Blizz][@Forsythe][@Kirah][@PatientBean][@Trainerblue192][hr][h3][color=AC3EFF][b]8:30 PM - Sun. December 12th, 2038 - New Orleans, Louisiana[/b][/color][/h3][/center][hr]
Max made his way up the stairs, passing by Victoria as she made her leave towards what he could assume would be the kitchen. All pretenses of a smile dropped as what should be the last child passing by. He opened up the door to see Casper and James still within, Danni in their grasps. [Color=aba400]”Is everyone alright? I just saw Ms. Van Dynne exiting the room, though she is a…peculiar, case. But how's Danni? Casper?”[/color] Max looked over the pair of them, though not like it mattered. He couldn't see the damage a telepath does, not with the naked eye at least. But still, he wanted to gage his child's reaction. If he didn’t feel in danger or hurt, then that would both be outstanding news as well as give credit to what he was about to say and ask of the others in this household.

[color=E948FC]“Pa! You're back!”[/color] Danni cheered as James chuckled at his husband, pressing a kiss to his forehead and soothing away any remaining pain. [color=E948FC]“Papa's got a bit o’ a ‘eadache, Pops ‘as been doin’ t'e ‘ealin’ bit, and I'm just ‘ere in t'e event of [i]drama[/i].”[/color] Danni explained with the help of jazz hands. [color=E948FC]“Told Beanie and Vicky I'd be t'e cutest distraction in case anyone-Pops, specifically-went all stab ‘appy!”[/color]

James gave his son an affronted look that melted into something more sheepish. [color=mediumspringgreen] “Fair enough, kiddo. Fair enough. You would be an excellent distraction. Good thinkin’”[/color] Danni squawked as James ruffled his hair, kicking at his Pops as he tried to scramble away. 

Casper frowned slightly, incredibly confused. Why would James want to stab one of Danni’s friends? Did they have beef he didn’t know about? He had no idea what had happened, but as far as he knew, a kid had fainted, Danni had fainted in sympathy, the robot had shut down, and then Casper had passed out for… well, if it wasn’t for all the healing his husband routinely gave him, he would have assumed it was the drug use catching up to him. [color=DBA1DE]“Did I miss something? Ben? Fuck Ben’s not dead and not here to tell me what happened. So rude of him, how am I supposed to function? I’m too gay”![/color] Casper whined. [color=DBA1DE]“Danni, my darling baby boy - why are we stabbing people?”[/color] His eyes then widened. Was James having a Wanda episode? Was that what was happening? He reeeeeally hoped that wasn’t it, his babe had enough trauma for one lifetime. It wasn’t pretty. 

[Color=aba400]”We aren't stabbing anyone Casper.”[/color] Max chimed in as he pinched the bridge of his nose. [Color=aba400]”Thank you Danni for your wonderful help in disarming any want to stab. Now, please join your friends downstairs, there's a bit we adults need to discuss.”[/color]]

[color=E948FC]“Woooooow. I'm just ‘ere ta be t'e damsel in distress and t'en ya pa-”[/color] Danni eyed his parents thoughtfully and then slapped his legs, shooting to his feet. [color=E948FC] “Actuaaaaaally, Pa gets ta break t'at news. I don't wanna be in t'e ‘ouse while y'all are figurin’ t'is out.”[/color] Danni all but fled from the room, only pausing a moment to blow the group a kiss before he disappeared through the door. 

Max waited a few beats, making sure he heard Danni's feet reach the bottom of the stairs before he decided to speak. [Color=aba400]”None of us are strangers to the idea that sometimes we do what we believe is right to help a situation, only to have it go sideways. I am guilty of this more often than not, especially in our youths. But you were able to look past that and see the good in what it was that I was attempting to do. You understood even then that I was young, foolish, and worst of all — inexperienced. What happened just now is no different than those times with me before. Ms. Bassard saw Casper in a state of panic, his powers threatening to go haywire. She tried to use her powers in an attempt to soothe him, to coax his emotions in a natural sense but, in her inexperience, had a psychic backlash that we all witnessed moments ago. She wishes to apologize for her actions, and is willing to do what she must to regain that trust she knows was inevitably broken; especially when certain parties watched too closely or kept too far of a distance away. So, what can we do to give you two the peace of mind needed to keep Ms. Bassard within this household and not keep her away from her friends.[/color] As Max concluded he began to sit down, a chair appearing beneath him as he crossed his legs and gestured that floor was open for them to speak.

Casper almost immediately zoned out as Max began to talk. He was so stuffy these days, trying so hard to be like Doctor Strange. It wasn’t until he heard his own name that Casper tuned back in, certain that he hadn’t missed anything important… despite being the one begging for people to tell him what was going on. Only now… He didn’t really follow what Max had meant. Had she manipulated his emotions? The thought made him physically squirm. The only thing permitted to do that was James and cocaine (not these days, though). [color=DBA1DE]“Max… I LOVE how much you commit to the bit of being the wise old mentor these days but some of us are dumb. What the fuck are you talking about? What did she do to me??”[/color]

James kept his smile up for as long as it took the door to shut behind their son. [color=mediumspringgreen]“A young, inexperienced telepath decided to prove me right. The girl did something, supposedly tried to help when you panicked, and in doing so, knocked you unconscious and temporarily rendered herself and two others unconscious. And since she was caught, she's decided to beg for forgiveness.”[/color] James explained flatly. He took a seat across from Max, hand finding its way to Casper's hair and scratching gently. [color=mediumspringgreen] “Our circumstances were different, Max. Comparing this to the Underground is insane. We were hunted. We couldn't enter a store without worrying about if they had a fucking x-gene alarm. We saw children slaughtered and we made some fucked up decisions to stop that from happening ever again. She decided to exert her own will over a situation rather than trust the support system that already existed, a decision that she clearly knew was a poor one if she felt I was keeping an eye on her. I was firmly against her coming here, let me reiterate that, and yet here she is. She didn't break my trust; she never had it.”[/color] James all but spat back at Max, but took a breath. He wasn't responsible for this and he was being a reasonable adult here. 

[color=mediumspringgreen]“I don't want her here, but you're clearly invested in her and so are the kids so…”[/color] James had to force a begrudgingly acceptance through gritted teeth. [color=mediumspringgreen] “I will tolerate her as long as her powers are suppressed in this house [i]and[/i] Danni gets something to protect himself from her. Casper, I let you and Danni talk me out of it, but I am not budging this time.”[/color]

Casper blinked once, twice, three times. A… telepath. A telepath had been inside of his head. A telepath had been inside of his head and he hadn’t known. [i]A telepath had been inside of his head and he hadn’t known.[/i] His chest suddenly felt tight and his hands clammy, as his heart rate gradually began to accelerate. It was only the physical anchor of James’ hand in his hair that was keeping him mostly grounded, mostly sane. [color=DBA1DE]”Wh…what?”[/color] Casper squeaked out. Why was the telepath even here in the first place, again? He wished he could remember more of when James and Max and Ben were talking about logistics to him - but all he remembered was the Snikt’s he had been watching on his phone. [color=DBA1DE]”A telepath was inside my head?? What did she do?? Am I acting different?? Would I know if she did anything?? Would you even know Max?? What if she edited my core memories and I’m now a completely different person and have different morals and interests and [i]kinks[/i] - James????”[/color]

[Color=aba400]”From the sounds of it, her situation isn't much different than ours James. It isn't simply that she understood our family was wary of telepaths so much as everyone in her life leading up to Margaret Carter has been wary of her and blaming her for things she hadn't even committed. The X-gene alarms and hunts may have lessened but people's ires and hatred have only been moved from subject to another. Including her parents. That aside her teacher, mentor, and coach just passed away and with so many eyes on her her emotions were…unstable. But no, Casper, nothing within you has changed. Nothing has been done to alter your memory or emotions. I doubt that a telepath of her caliber even could. However, James does have a point. If Ms. Bassard can't control her powers just yet then it's probably wise we tamper them while she stays within our home. Especially with so many young minds around that are still developing. I can work on a charm for Danni if you wish, though it's up to him if he chooses to wear it.”[/color]

[color=mediumspringgreen]“He can [i]choose[/i] not to wear and then he'll [i]choose[/i]not to go to that school.”[/color] James snapped. [color=mediumspringgreen]“You said she wanted to apologize. Stop making excuses for her and let her make them for herself. If she's old enough to decide she can fuck with someone's head, she's old enough to face the consequences. I'm fully aware this isn't fair, Max, but I'm not dragging her out, demanding she be killed, or even stopping her from interacting with my family and I think that's more than fucking reasonable right now. Let's get this over with. I'll be on my best fucking behavior.”[/color]

[color=DBA1DE]”Maybe this year just has bad vibes?”[/color] Casper didn’t know how to be helpful. When the arguments had come up about the boys attending boarding school, he had been a swing vote among the parents. He usually took his cue for opinions from James and Max - and when there was a disagreement, he preferred to just stick his head in the sand. That or he would just side with James. It depended on how uncomfortable he wanted to feel when asking for a new pair of designer heels from Max. And how much he thought James would be upset with him. It was an intricate calculus. [color=DBA1DE]”But yeah, let’s get Danni some of the shibari, aaaaand I think I would like to recreate what we did in Milan a few years back to take my mind off of things.”[/color]

Max (and James) both stared at Casper for a long, judgemental, and horrific moment. Max hadn't had a headache before this, but Casper was almost always capable of giving him one. Sometimes he wondered if that was Casper's secondary mutation. [Color=aba400]”A ring or earring more likely. Or even a necklace.”[/color] Max managed to get out with a tired sigh. [Color=aba400]”Right. I'll go fetch her in just a moment.”[/color]
[hr]	April's eyes widened for a brief second, and an honest smile broke out across her face. Leah had remembered what sort of gummies she liked in her milkshakes? Then icy cold pinpricks of regret filled her. Leah had remembered what sort of gummies she liked in her milkshakes. Leah had been a good girlfriend and a good friend - and April didn't know if she could consider herself to have been either of those things. Her heart beat a little faster. [color=42A9FF]"Awww, thanks!!!"[/color] April gushed. [color=42A9FF]"What flavor did you get?"[/color] she then asked. And then only more shame came bubbling back up to the surface. She didn't know Leah's favorite flavor. 

	She didn't know what to do, though - if she should go offer Leah a hug or just awkwardly stare. Sabine was back now - thankfully alive and in one piece - and April knew her ex couldn't stand her presence. So she settled on beaming at Leah, perhaps a bit psychotically. [color=42A9FF]"I feel like you'd really like,"[/color] she blurted, not knowing how to finish that sentence, before lamely coming up with, [i][color=42A9FF]"rocky road!"[/color][/i]

	The tentacle retracted itself, as Dorian moved towards the others. And instead, Ben finished making up the rest of the milkshakes, following the requests as had been given to him. He then distributed them to the kids - espressos for Andy and Percy, dark chocolate peanut butter for Sabine, blue cotton candy with sharks for April, birthday cake for Danni, and mint chip for Dorian. [color=silver]"Thanks for the help, kids,"[/color] he said appreciatively, glancing at Leah and Percy in particular. [color=silver]"I'll go find the cards, no destroying the kitchen in the two seconds I'll be gone, okay?"[/color] he then added, a tentacle ruffling both Danni's and Dorian's hair affectionately, as he moved to the living room - out of eyesight of the kids, but not earshot. 

	At least the telepath was back in one piece. That boded well. 

	Percy let Dorian wrap an arm around his waist, somewhat relieved to see that the answer had been yes, physical contact was good. It was mildly embarrassing when Dorian's dad had scooped the blender away from him and poured out the rest of the milkshake, but it could have easily been worse. He left his own untouched for a moment, frowning slightly as he took in the scene. Sabine seemed alright. After everything he'd heard about Dorian's family and telepaths, he had expected something... well, something a bit more dramatic. 

	 [color=ed1c24]"What happened?"[/color] Percy asked plainly. He then paused for a moment. [color=ed1c24]"We should probably discuss about Nemo as well, but I'd like to hear from you first, Sabine."[/color] He wouldn't outwardly tell her that he was glad she was alright, but he was. Telepathy was tricky - it was akin to performing brain surgery with just vibes and no real sense of direction. He'd allowed Sabine to edit his mind before, when they were training for the contest, and he trusted her, but even the best surgeons had bad days. Telepaths had [i]nightmarish[/i] days. 

	[color=42A9FF]"Did the ghost stuff scare you?"[/color] April asked, before immediately regretting it. [color=42A9FF]"I know that, like, horror stuff can be a lot sometimes and the sleepover vibe is really cute but also very [i]oh someone is going to come and stab us now[/i] and then this was more than just a movie, right, it was real ghosts - or it would have been - well technically it started to be, but it wasn't Nemo and oh god... if Nemo isn't dead then what happened to him?? Why did the school tell us he died?? Are they lying to us or... did he fake his death? B-but yeah, first, Beanie - uh - Sabine, I mean, are you... are you okay?"[/color]