"Good, this is the clearest instructions I've gotten, one kid had pizza sauce on his and one girl told me to just put a spot light on her and keep it there. I asked her what she wanted done to the rest of the stage but she'd walked off, her partner said he liked purple lights, to make his costume look more royal." Griffin and Jubilee recognized the latter two as Prunella and Porter. After that students broke up into groups to eat the lunches they'd brought, so Jubilee and Griffin went back to their room and he surprised her by pulling an insolated picnic basket from a bag he'd carried in.
#Sean and I went to KFC last night; I hid some chicken in the back of the walk in fridge.# He explained as he dished up the chicken, macaroni salad, biscuits, salad and even set aside a container of chocolate pudding.
"There is so much." She said looking at all the food spread out on the vanity.
#I eat a lot remember, besides we have plenty of time to eat and digest it some before we go up last.# Jubilee smiled as she grabbed up a piece of chicken,
"Good point lets dig in." Griffin joined her and even pulled out a can of 'jolt' cola for her and one of 'Brio' for himself. "Eeew, you still drink that stuff, I didn't know it came in can form." She said.
#Dad found it on his last trip to Canada with X-Factor, so he brought me back a case.# Jubilee was surprised,
"Sabretooth brought you back a present from a trip he took?"
#Ya, brought the twins chicken wing flavored chips, and mom found Talica some magnetic jewelry that sticks to her.# It was odd to think of Creed doing something thoughtful for some one else, but she didn't say so to Griffin. "That was nice of them to bring you all something."
#Well dad had made Forge stopped in a convince store for s few cases of beer at the time. I miss Montreal sometimes, I mean I went to school on the island, dance class, visit friends, malls and saw movies. One food I really miss is a good poutine.#
"What is poo-teen?" Jubilee said the odd word slowly.
"Pure French Canadian cooking, you take French fries toss on some fresh curd cheese and drown it all in brown gravy. Some times you can get it with chicken or instead of gravy they put meat sauce on it, and call it an 'Italian' poutine.# Jubilee smiled at Griffin's enthusiasm but thought,
'Curd cheese? Ug.' After lunch last minute set problems were ironed out, arguments between dancers ensued over who's make-up had been taken by whom. In their oasis of calm Griffin and Jubilee relaxed.
#Would you like the last grape?#
"No, you can have it-" Prunella's screech vaguely reached their ears,
"Where is my tutu!? Who took it?"
"… I'm full." Jubilee finished as if she hadn't been interrupted. By the time parents, guest and the rest of the audience started to arrive, Griffin stood up.
#I'd better go out front and tell them not to wait for me, I don't want them to stand outside wondering where I am all night.#
"Good idea, tell Wolvie I said hi." Jubilee asked as she turned to take down her costume, "I'll start getting dressed now, so lock the door behind you okay?"
#Sure.# Griffin hurried out and almost ran over Porter, who surprised by his sudden appearance form the dark, fell over. #Sorry, you okay? Here let me give you a hand.# Griffin held out his hand and Porter looked at it a moment then smiled.
"Oh thanks, I'm fine; I was just… well taking a break from Prunella." Porter told Griffin who saw that Porter was wearing gray tights, a lavender coat trimmed in silver, and lavender dancing slippers. The whole thing was rather dull in color but not too bad. "Pru doesn't like my costume. My mother made it for me." Porter confided.
#I can't see why, she wouldn't. Um… Porter you can let go of my hand now.# Porter let go then waved before he hurried off. Griffin's eyes went wide, the back of Porter's tights were baggy and they looked like he'd had an 'accident' in them. 'I have got to remember to tell J-Lee about that.' Reaching the door to the lobby Griffin ducked out and scanned the room for his friends. Victor Creed standing six and a half feet tall and looked very out of place was easy to spot in the crowd of people. #Hay dad! What are you doing here, I thought the show was sold out?# Griffin was surprised, 'Never say never Jubilee.' He thought to himself.
"It is, but those two other kids, the green and pink ones, and Frost weren't feelin' so good after you left and decided they should stay in tonight." Victor explained to his son glumly, "Raven, Forge and me got to come after all."
#Oh, oh well that's um… good.# Just then Griffin caught sight of Emma, #Wait you said Frost stayed at the school.# By then Emma had reached them and heard Griffin.
"She did," The ice blue eyes became yellow for a moment and she winked at him, "I'm standing in for her." His shape-shifting mother told him in her own voice. A moment later Griffin, did feel a little happier because he'd just seen Emmy Johnson and her daughter entering the theater to take seats 3 and 5, in the 13th row center, he knew this because he'd sent them the tickets in a card that had only one word in it 'Surprise'.
#Well I just came to tell everyone that one of the workers didn't show, so I'll be backstage all night, but you guys go on in.# Griffin explained before he returned back stage to get ready for his part in the show. In the little room Jubilee was still dressing, so he waited outside the door for her to let him in when she was done. The door soon opened and Griffin starred at his teammate, Jubilee was a vision. #Wow you look like a living doll.# He gushed before he could stop himself. Jubilee saw the genuine awe on his face and beamed at him.
"Okay so I'll leave and you can get ready now- What?" Jubilee saw the distressed look on his face. "Don't tell me you're having cold feet now!"
#No its just, J-lee I can't get dressed.#
"Why not… *gasp* you forgot your costume!"
#No, its here its just that with my claws I can't get it on without ripping it to shreds… I tried last night and had to sneak to the Shi'ar molecule maker for a new one this morning.#
"Why didn't you program it to make you something claw proof?"
#Tried that, it spit out a costume that looked like an armadillo. The thing is if I had help to put it on I'd be fine.# Jubilee paused and looked at him a moment.
"Are you saying you want me to help dress you?" He nodded. "Okay, come on." She hauled him bodily back into the small room, "We better hurry we still have make-up to do." As Griffin stripped to his underwear, plain black, Jubilee pulled his brown and gold bodysuit out of the bag and shook it till red/gold fur that covered the collar; cuffs and the calves lay nicely. She turned holding it ready for Griffin to slide one of his legs into it. Her eyes nearly popped from her head when she saw him standing there in just his black 'modified' underwear… he was blushing and his eyes burnt a hole into the floor because he refused to look at her. "Maybe you should dance in that, the girls would drool." That made Griffin's eyes snapped to her's and he smiled.
#Drool hu? I wouldn't want just any girl drooling over me J-Lee.# His was sincere but Jubilee shook herself, concentrating again on the task at hand. Griffin's costume was skintight and it took a bit of pulling on her part to get it on him, but the effect was worth it, his shoulders were wider because of the fur collar and once he cast the 'beast' mask over his face he'd still have everyone's attention.
"So," Jubilee grunted adjusting the laces on his boot-like dance shoes, "this is the reason you always wear baggy clothes, even in training, your claws get in the way?"
#Ya, I'm getting better about everything else and I'm not worried about touching people anymore but when I'm dressing if I'm in a rush I can ruin things… I don't think now would be a good time to do that.# Jubilee smiled as she started her make-up. #Would this be a bad time to mention I have to go to the bathroom?# At her incredulous look he smiled, #Kidding... boy your face just got really red.# Griffin watched her a moment then decided to put some make-up on too, so the other student's wouldn't comment about his lack of it, and the less illusions he had to hold in place the more he could concentrate fully on the dance. Jubilee saw him reaching for the eyebrow pen.
"Just don't put so much on you look like a transvestite." Once he was done he looked himself over in the mirror, the fur ruff gave him a lion like look, and the furred cuffs made his fingerless gloves and clawed fingers into paws. "Happy you had the Shi'ar sim you up real looking fur instead of that yarn… they were cool though." She added when she saw an odd look of affront cross her friend's face at the mention of the yarn 'fur' he'd some how been able to create for his first costume. Griffin took the time as Jubilee finished up her make-up to view her costume too. The skirt didn't resemble the flat, stiff, pancake of the tutu Prunella was flouncing around in, it was wispy white like smoke and it slowly became yellow to blend into the bright yellow corset like top with its little white cap sleeves.
#Hey J you put on anymore of that eyeliner and Bambi is going to mistake you for his mom.# She laughed and put down the stick and turned to look at his make-up job. She gawked at him, there he sat in make-up and he still managed to look masculine in it somehow. Looking at himself again in the mirror Griffin smiled. #Wow J-Lee I look… I can't believe I'm saying this, I look good. Heck I'd date me.# Jubilee was about to reply about pride going before the fall, when they heard Madame Jeanmaire introducing Julian L'Art to the audience and his musical selection start.
"You want to go watch him?" Jubilee asked, Griffin looked around and shrugged.
#Sure, anyway we don't need to poke ourselves with a fork to know we're done here, all we can do now is wait then stretch-out before our turn.# They joined the other students who watched, hidden in the wings. On stage stood a man, thin, silent, oozing arrogance in some of the tightest leotards Griffin had ever seen, #How can he breath in those.# He asked in an aside to Jubilee.
"Breath? How will he ever be able to father children after wearing them?" She returned. Prunella poked her in the side. "Hey quit poking me lady."
"I'm not." Jubilee looked down.
"Well your skirt is, you could put someone's eyes out with that umbrella you tied around your waist." Griffin looked over and noticed Porter Epson standing there, the boy had so much eye liner on it look like he had two black eyes.
#I think Porter already found that out.# The lights were up and the man on stage, finished posing, began to dance, oh he had a style, a kind of fluid movement, but underneath it all there was a lack of something, that you just couldn't place your finger on. Griffin knew what it was, there was no power, no deep feeling, the man before him didn't find dancing fun anymore… to him it was only a job now.
**
Sean sat there, tenth row center, with a video camera glued to his right eye, half heartedly following the man dancing on stage. Off to his right he heard Bobby whispering to Remy,
"I bet you he has a pair of socks stuff down his front."
"Na, dat a towel for sure cher." Remy joked back.
"Kleenex." Page whispered.
"Na dat Kleenex for de girls, dat is a towel." Page huffed,
"No, I need a Kleenex." She said blushing.
"Oh here you go Page." Jean popped open her huge handbag and pulled out a little plastic package full of neatly folded squares.
"Thank you." Page chirped, as Sean finally having enough hissed,
"Shush, ye be ruinin' the video." There was silence then till Scott gave a little cough, then as if it had been a cue others started to cough, Emmy Johnson sneezed and Logan burped and Vic sniggered. "Quiet." Sean glared; his right eye had a red ring around it from the viewer of the camera. Sabretooth protested,
"Hey, I'll have you know the other thing I did was silent." The twins looked over at him and their noses wrinkled.
"Oh Pop you-"
"Cut the cheese!" They whispered, but the Xer's around heard them. Smiling Vic looked at his sons and only then remembered that unlike Griffin these two had inherited his heightened sense of smell.
"Um… sorry guys." He whispered for theirs ears alone as he ruffled their hair. The sound of applause around them and the lights coming up on the stage let Vic know he'd survived the first act, on stage Julian bowed as an uppity blond haired girl, wearing a pancake, strolled out of the wings and gave him flowers. "Oh please, who gives a guy flowers… really." Bobby looked at Remy stricken.
"Der are dose who know dat flowers add a little color to a room, dey freshen up de place an' its nice to be surprised wit' dem." Remy looked down at the red rose that had arrived at the snow valley school for him, now pinned to his black suite coat, and over at the contrasting white rose Bobby had shown up wearing, he smiled then added, "Sour grapes cause no one ever give you flowers homme." After L'Art's performance the audience saw Cinderella dance at the ball with her prince, little red riding hood met the wolf in the woods, King Author dance with the lady of the lake, and The nutcracker dance with Clara. The intermission was called and nearly everyone stood to stretch their legs and go get a refreshment. As Bobby waited for his turn in line he felt someone's eyes on him, it made a spot itch between his shoulder blades, turning to look his eyes met those of Julian L'Art. Still dressed in his dance costume, Julian stood off to one side signing autographs, he smiled at Bobby. Bobby quickly looked away and found he was next to be served, so he selected a chocolate bar and dug into his pocket for some change, a coin fell to the floor and he bent to retrieve it. Only to drop the rest of the coins he held a moment later as he let out a startled yelp, because someone had pinch his bottom. Bobby spun around his ice blur eyes snapped up to the smiling face of Julian L'Art.
"Good evening, did you enjoy my dancing golden one." Bobby sputtered,
"You pinched me."
"Yes I did, but it was you how offered so lovely a target to me… I could not resist." Julian smiled his 'king of the world' smile, "Join me for coffee, when this torture is over." The dancer's command grated on Bobby, who was saved from replying as Remy rushed in, sunglasses over his red on black eyes.
"Bobby what's wrong? Remy heard you cry out from de men's room." Remy took in the coins on the floor Bobby's pink face and the possessive look on the dancers face. Julian interrupted anything Bobby might have said,
"Oh you're with someone already," He took in Remy's reddish hair, beautiful face and he sneered at the sunglasses, Julian hated red hair so even if the face was wonderful he said, "You can tell him to get lost, then we can enjoy ourselves." Remy frowned at the man now undressing 'his' lover with faded blue eyes and shot him a sizzling glair, making sure the dancer could see that his eyes glowed red behind the glasses. L'Art gasped in shock as Remy pulled out a large bill from his wallet, turned to the table and bought an assortment of candy for Bobby... because that had obviously been what Bobby had been trying to do before that towel toting dancer had interrupted him. Placing the hoard of candy into Bobby's hands Remy placed an arm around his waist and they started to head back to their seats.
"Ha, the young ones always go for money over talent… at first. I bet the fake French accent helps too." Remy spun back, looked L'Art right in the eye ready to- Storm was suddenly there, she stopped him by saying,
"Remy let it go, you know Bobby wouldn't like a scene over this." Bobby came over and said,
"Right about now I would Storm, I really would. That guy is vile." Bobby corrected her. Remy smiled and turned back to L'Art.
"Homme, why would Bobby go wit' you, once you loose dat towel an' you standin' still an' not out there dancing clumsy you got notin' to offer… and de accent is Cajun." To prove his point that Julian looked clumsy Remy executed a fluid series of movements that with his natural agility became a mesmerizing little dance even Griffin would have been hard pressed to try and recreate. Julian flushed as one of his fists flew at the Cajun X-Man. A local newspaper reporter (The TV crew that had just arrived was over interviewing madam Jeanmaire at the time) saw the two men arguing over the tall, majestic, woman with white hair and café au lait skin, and rushed over as she recognized L'Art.
'My goodness that's Marten Ricky the new hottie pop rocker.' She thought looking at the other man in the argument, She took notes, L'art through a punch at Ricky, which he dodged very easily and every other blow the dancer tried to rain down on the singer. Finally a blond man, who'd been stuff chocolates into various pockets, had pulled L'Art away from Ricky to hiss something into the dancer's ear. Remy ignored the woman watching ad writing notes as he saw a light coating of ice form along the hair on the dancer's arm. L'Art goggled at Bobby a second and then rushed off. Remy turned and asked his lover,
"What you say to him?"
"I just said if he laid a finger on you I'd freeze him so bad he'd need two pairs of socks down his tights from now on, and I backed it up with a little taste of 'Chilly'." Remy laughed then kissed him as they walked off back to their seats, leaving Storm shaking her head over the incident. Remy reached over and pulled a bag of 'milk duds' from Bobby's pocket, happy to see it hadn't melted, Bobby had seen to it that none of the candy melted form his body heat… maybe later that would change. The reporter, watching the two men go, nearly passes out, here she had the scoop of the decade fall into her lap, by tomorrow she'd have her own column in a major paper. Too bad she'd learn in the morning that Marten Ricky had been photographed with Lindsey Pike leaving a motel 6 in Milwaukee.
**
Once the intermission was over and everyone backing their seats Madame Jeanmaire happily announced that next piece 'Sleeping Beauty' would be performed by two of her most promising students. The television news's camera crew had set up off to the side of the audience, waiting to start rolling to get some footage on 'local talent' for the morning news hour. The lights dimmed to a strange purplish glow as a boy strained to wheel out a table draped in a long white cloth, with what looked like a dead body in it, bathed in a bright spotlight.
#J-Lee look her skirt looks like a shark fin sticking out of the water.# Griffin was right, Prunella's stiff tutu was sticking straight up as she lay 'sleeping' on the table. Once Porter had reached center stage the music started and the words, 'I'm to sexy for my love…' started to blare from the speakers, the crowd laughed as Prunella sat bolt up right and screeched,
"That's the wrong side! No, no, no!" She shook her fist, hopped off the table and ran off the stage, with the spotlight followed her every step, and the music cut abruptly and a few moments later she ran back and climbed back into place, tutu sticking straight up to the ceiling, on the table. Jubilee was nearly on the floor laughing,
"Oh God, oh God, that was too funny." Griffin thought it was the right time to point out Porter's little problem to her and she nearly choked on her gum. "I can't believe he hasn't noticed that, Griffin quick turn around." Griffin stood up and craned his head over his shoulder to look at her,
#Are my seams straight dear.# He asked in falsetto voice. Jubilee looked away from his form fitting tights and could only nod.
"Oh ya, if I had a quarter I could bounce it off you." Griffin blushed.
#Okay enough looking back there.# Back on stage the music started again, the right side this time and some vapid, tired, music filled the theater, the bright white spotlight was again stuck on Prunella as the purple lights around her turned Porter into a purple dancing raison. The two on stage started their scene with a kiss to wake Beauty, unfortunately Porter had chosen to stand with his back to the audience and thus displayed his costume's short coming to everyone, scattered laughs and twitters followed. Prunella mimed waking up and stretched out her arms, smacking Porter, who hadn't straightened up full yet, in the head. The music got faster and Prunella through herself into Porter's arms, and nearly blinded by her spotlight he almost missed catching her, the rest that followed wasn't too bad, that is until during one of their leaps together Prunella's dance shoe came off and flew out to land somewhere in the audience. For the rest of the dance she was lopsided, bobbing up and down with every in even step, there were times you could catch her looking into the crowd, as if searching for her shoe was more important then trying to keep up with Porter, who was all over the stage. Finally it was over and the two stepped forward, hands clasped to take a bow, only because of the brightness of the spotlight, Prunella miscalculated where the stage edge was and she fell over the side, dragging Porter with her down into the orchestra pit. In the audience Porter's mother, a rather large, stocky, German woman, with a deep voice jumped up and yelled,
"Oh, My BABY!" As she charged into the pit, flinging aside chairs and Prunella, to pick up her son and carry him away as Porter protested,
"Mommy I'm fine, I'm not hurt, Prunella's tutu broke my fall." Prunella, in a decidedly crushed tutu, crawled from the pit, hair in her face and she stood up to yell at everyone,
"STOP LAUGHING AT ME!" Before she hurried to the edge and tried to hoist herself back onto the stage to finish her bowing, but she couldn't get her leg up high enough, so she ran to a side door to get backstage.
"Okay I take it back this ballet stuff is ain't so bad." Victor roared louder then the others.
"Oh that poor girl, she'll be emotionally scared for life over this." Jean sympathized.
"Jean that's Prunella Prellpit, you know 'Prunepit'," Bobby pointed out, "The one I told you makes trouble for Jubes in class." Stormed leaned over,
"That's her? Well I'd say she is just getting back some karmic justice she's been collecting… this was fait." The weather goddess pointed out and Bobby nodded thinking,
'And here I never even got to ice up that girl's shoes, like I'd wanted to.' Bobby remembered the time Jubilee had told him that Prunepit had pulled open her shower curtain to make the other girls laugh at her, since then Jubes only showered back in her room at school. In his mind Prunella Prellpit could use a little mental scaring of her own. The TV people were ready to give up and go home when one of the assistants rushed over to them,
"We have to stay, I just saw the most amazing kids, they weren't even dancing and they looked fantastic." Reluctantly the cameraman settled back down and the reporter went to look at this 'find'. Backstage Griffin and Jubilee had watched the whole thing unfolding like a car crash in slow motion, and everyone backstage had to muffle their laughter so they wouldn't be heard out front. Jubilee thought Prunella's fit over the wrong song playing couldn't have peen topped but the way one thing had followed another, the bad lights, Porter's baggy tights, Prunella's shoe landing in some woman's lap all had been topped with their fall off the stage and it had her and all the other students rolling in the ground in hysterics, they'd all been at one time or another the target of Prunella's sharp tongue. Griffin was holding up Jubilee as tears of laughter threatened her make-up.
#We'll have to go do some touchups after this.# He told her pointing to his face, Jubilee unable to speak nodded. By that time Porter's mother had carried him backstage, and she was pulling off his coat and tights to look for any cuts or bruising on him. Prunella stomped in thunder faced, looking for someone to yell at. Wisely Griffin and Jubilee snuck away before she saw either of them, some of the others had also hidden behind things and the next pair were on stage doing 'The Little mermaid' as Prunella ran into the dressing room and slammed the door behind her so hard a piece of set fell to reveal two hiding girls. Sitting at the vanity table Jubilee dabbed at her eyes with a Kleenex. Her make-up was still in good shape so she didn't fuss with it.
"We'd better go get stretched out for our turn." Jubilee pointed out, so she and Griffin went to the warm-up aria and helped each other prepare. The Reporter and the assistant saw them there, working to heat up their muscles, they saw Griffin do a kicking leap into the air to land cat-like beside the china doll of a girl, then they watched as he picked her up and they did a few steps together. Smiling like thieves they hurried back to their seats to placate the cameraman. Soon the mermaid was beached and the audience was treated to Pinocchio dancing with the blue fairy, happy to be a real boy. Griffin and Jubilee separated to each take their position at either end of the stage in the shadows.
**