Chapter III: A Little Fight
Aidan plopped down next to Feryal and John on the patio. "Have they started yet? I brought the popcorn."
"Double butter?" Feryal asked.
"You betcha."
"Goodie." Feryal stuffed her hand into the bowl.
"Y'sheilas are ridiculous," John said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Y'know, Aidan, this is all your fault."
"Oh, chill out, John," Aidan said, rolling her eyes. "I brought you some Twizzlers."
John's face lit up. "Good on ya!" He snatched the bag from Aidan's hand and stuffed a twist in his mouth. "That's me sheila."
Piotr and Jennie stood on the patio steps and watched as Remy and Sheridan circled each other in the backyard.
"Y'can jus' fahrget about winnin' this wee scuffle. Y'know it'll turn out jus' like it did last time."
"Non, Gambit been practicin'."
"Faith! I hope y'don't think that'll save ya!"
Gambit tossed an arsenal of cards toward Sheridan, who quickly dodged them, seeming to know which way Gambit would throw them.
Aidan leaned toward St. John on the patio. "So what's this guy's power anyway? I mean, assuming he's even a mutant."
"Oh, 'e's a mutant all right. O'Reilly there is one bugger of a mutant."
"Is he clairvoyant or is Remy just that predictable?" Feryal asked as Sheridan dodged another onslaught of energized cards.
"Remy's just that predictable," Jennie said over her shoulder.
"Oh." Feryal stuffed more popcorn in her mouth.
"Aye, right," Sheridan said, sarcastically. "I can tell y've been practicin'. Yer almost gettin' close t'hittin' me…"
Gambit whipped out he staff and swept Sheridan's feet from under him. "C'est la vie, mon ami."
Gambit snickered and leaned on his staff while Sheridan recuperated from having the wind knocked out of him.
Suddenly, in the middle of Gambit's snicker, he dropped the staff and clutched his face.
"Damn you, O'Reilly!" he yelled as Aidan and Feryal's mouths dropped open on the patio. "Give Gambit back his eyesight. Dat ain't fair!"
Sheridan stood and picked up the staff. "Since when is a thief in'trested in fair play?"
He swung the staff at Gambit's head, but Gambit jumped out of the way.
"Gambit may be a T'ief, but Gambit got honor; he don't swing at a blind man…"
"Aye, that may be true, but yer still a rascal." Sheridan swung again and Gambit dodged.
Over at the Institute, Kitty was showing her new roommate around.
"And this is our room," she said, opening the door to reveal a fairly large dorm room with three beds. It was easy to tell which bed belonged to Kitty; the fluffy pink comforter and stuffed animals gave it away. But the other bed…
"So, like, what do you think?"
"Well, eh, tis a bit t'be gettin' used to," Carlin O'Reilly replied.
"I know what you mean," Kitty said, flopping onto her bed. "When I, like, first came to the Institute, it was really overwhelming. I, like, didn't know anybody or even—"
"Sorry t'interrupt ye, but may I ask who else is roomin' with us?"
"Huh? Oh, that's Rogue's bed, but don't worry, she's not that hard to get along with anymore. She used to be, like, all quiet and secretive and stuff, but she's totally cool now… Well, not totally cool. She gets moody sometimes, but I say it's just, like, her powers acting up, you know?"
"I can'na imagine…" Carlin said. Apparently Kitty didn't recognize her or forgot completely about what happened before. Although she was leaning towards the 'forgot completely' bit, Carlin figured it was a recognition issue. When Carlin had been in Bayville before, she had brown hair, she was a lot heavier and less muscular, and was going by Kenzie, her middle name.
"So, like, what exactly are your powers?" Kitty asked. "The Professor tried to explain them to me, but I, like, didn't really get it."
"Is that your TV?" Carlin asked.
"Uh, yeah…" Kitty answered, not sure how the T.V. pertained to Carlin's powers.
"Watch…" Carlin said. Suddenly, the TV popped on and started changing channels.
"Cool!" Kitty exclaimed. "You're, like, a human remote!"
"Uh, yeah," Carlin said, "but not jus' a remote. I can manipulate all kinds a'machinery."
"Really? Whoa! That is, like, so totally awesome."
"T'wasn't that awesome when it fahrst stared," Carlin muttered, plopping onto her plain white bed. "Every time I'd pass somethin' electric, it would just explode t'smitherines."
"Whoa, that musta sucked…"
"Aye, yer tellin' me! We need a new toaster every three days."
Kitty giggled and Carlin's ears rang. She was trying so hard to have a civil conversation, but Kitty's voice was excruciating.
"Well, eh, I better be goin' now." Carlin stood up. "I wanna wander 'round the mansion fer a wee bit."
"You want me to, like, give you a tour?" Kitty asked excitedly.
"Nay, that's all right," Carlin said hastily, holding up her hands and backing towards the door. "I wanna check it out fer meself."
"All right, then. The Prof usually has dinner set for, like, seven, so you got about a half hour till you gotta meet everybody."
"Got it." Carlin closed the door behind her.
"Why are you guys even fighting!" Jennie yelled form the patio. "It's been two years. Drop it already."
Gambit was in a ball on the ground and Sheridan stood over him with the bo-staff. Sheridan raised the staff and swung downward. Gambit rolled out of the way.
"I'm gonna stop this," Aidan said. "This is ridiculous. They've been at it for thirty minutes and Remy hasn't gotten one lick in yet. We're a team, right?"
"I, em, I wouldn't do that, sheila," St. John said as Aidan stood up.
Aidan walked over to the patio railing, her eyes glowing red on black. A small line of fire began to circle Sheridan. It grew until it became a wall, and then a dome, completely covering him.
"That should hold him until he cools off," Aidan said.
Suddenly, Sheridan emerged from the ring of fire.
"What the—!" Aidan was astonished. "He just walked through fire, man!"
Sheridan walked closer to Aidan and she sprayed fire at him from her palms. As Sheridan got closer, Aidan's palms got hotter and hotter and a redness flushed her cheeks. She felt as if she was standing next to a blazing bonfire. With Sheridan only four feet away, the heat became too much and Aidan stopped, running behind John.
"Put me out!" she yelled. "I'm on fire! Put me out!"
"Sheila, calm down," John said, soothingly.
"Whaddaya mean 'calm down'? I'm on fire!" she yelled back, flapping her arms around frantically.
"Yer not on fire," John reassured her.
"I'm burning up! I have to be on fire!"
"You're pyrokinetic," Feryal piped up, "turn it off."
"I can't or I would've done it by now! John, dammit, put me out!" Aidan fell to the ground. "Stop, drop, and roll!"
"Dammit, O'Reilly!" John yelled, "leave the sheila alone!''
Sheridan smirked, but was suddenly knocked to the ground by a rampaging Gambit.
"Ya can't control more dan one at a time," Gambit sneered. "Ya forgot about Gambit's eyes, mon ami."
"Aye, so I did," Sheridan said from the ground.
"Just what the hell is this guy's power anyway!" Aidan yelped, sticking her head above the table.
Colossus, fully metaled, stepped between Gambit and Sheridan, and Jennie helped Sheridan stand.
"His name's Sensation," Jennie answered. "He can control the five senses."
"But not more than one sense at a time," Colossus interjected.
"Aye," Sheridan confirmed. "Somethin' I'll have t'be workin' on in the future…"
"If ya got a future," Gambit growled.
"And what's that s'posed t'mean, there, Rem?" Sheridan asked, peeking through Colossus's elbow and side. "I believe that tussle was in my favor befahr that lit'le distraction."
"What do you mean 'little distraction'?" Aidan yelled, insulted.
"Only cuz ya took away Gambit's eyesight! If Gambit had a chance he woulda—"
"Crimeny! Would you two shut up!" Jennie yelled. "You're acting like two year olds."
"But, chère, what about—"
"About what, Remy? I thought you were over her," Jennie barked.
"Over who?" Feryal whispered to Aidan, who shrugged.
"I am, chère, but—"
"No buts, Remy. If you are over her, why this big fiasco? Huh?" Jennie asked, her hands held up in a shrug.
Remy didn't answer.
Jennie's hands dropped to her side. "I thought so…" She turned and went into the house.
"Come back, chère," Remy said, chasing Jennie up the patio steps.
Sheridan looked at St. John and Piotr, who had de-metaled. "I believe, we've got a wee bit 'a trouble in paradise…"
"You're telling me," Piotr responded.
John looked at Aidan and Feryal and then to Sheridan and Piotr. He held up the bag of licorice. "Twizzler?"