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Ravenous might be a way to describe the way Kwabena is eating. It's late, past lights out for the students, just after 9:00 pm in fact. However, there are four dishes sitting in front of the Ghanaian, filled with sandwiches, fruits, leftover meatloaf, three glasses of water, and an entire block of cheese. At least half of the spread has already been devoured, and the man looks at the rest as if he's about to tackle it with vigor.
The cafeteria door opens and one, two, three, wait four… BUT WAIT! There is more, a fifth mirror image walks in. The only difference between them tonight is two have purple night shirts on with their white cotton PJ bottoms. One has a soft pink, one a neon-yellow and one is wearing a deep forest green top. Esme, the one wearing Neon-Yellow, says, "I hope we can get some of those chocolate chip cookies." The one pink says, "Keep it down Esme. We're out past curfew." The one in green stops just as the last enters the cafeteria and glances around. She spies the the late night gorger and his food. Esme doesn't even stop where Sophie stops, instead she curves around her and heads straight for the back part of the kitchen. "C is for cookie…" She sings annoyingly off-key.
Is it generally polite to show up places without invitation, or late at night when it is, technically, a school? All these and more are questions that might should have been asked before Theresa decided that no matter what, she was going to visit once again before heading home after a quick shift at work. Perhaps a few delicate questions here and there were asked before she found her way to the cafeteria in search of Kwabena.
A large piece of meatloaf remains half chewed in Kwabena's mouth when the mirror images walk in. Two would have been a surprise alone, but five? He stares for a long moment, wondering just how many strange and unexpected things he's going to witness behind these walls. Finally, he resumes his chewing, opting very much to keep to himself. He's only here at the behest of the nurse downstairs, as it were, and even though nobody is forcing him to stay, he does so. Out of respect as much as a sense of self preservation.
His face is back down at his plates when Theresa walks in, but he looks back up at the familiar sound of her shoes, and sits bolt upright. "Theresa!" he calls out. "Hey. Ah, hello." Reaching for a cloth napkin, he wipes his mouth and sets it down, trying very hard to pretend that the feast is not for him alone.
Esme pops out of the kitchen with a plate of pilfered cookies and a tray of glasses of milk. Sophie, the one in green, glances at the Kwabena and then to Theresa. Almost in a creepy sort of way all the girls look at first Kwabena and then Theresa before they shrug in unison. Esme sets the tray down on a table and then the girls take their seat. "Phoebe…" The one in pink says to one of the ones in purple. "What?" "You sure you don't want any cookies?" The girl nods. "Just not in the mood." Mindee, the other in purplse pipes up. "I'll have hers.." To which the one in green says flatly, "No." Mindee quickly withdraws her hand from the plate. "Geeze.. You cranky…" Sophie's eyes flares brightly for a second and all the girls just stop what they're doing and lower their heads, in perfect unison. "Lay off you cranky cow!" Esme says after a minute.
"There you are, luv." Theresa calls back to Kwabena, moving towards him and where he is sitting, a smile spreading across her lips before she settles in a seat. Without asking if it is alright, she reaches out to take one of the sandwiches, "I'm starving…I forgot to eat tod….ay." She finishes, her attention shifting towards the five blondes, her head tilting just a little before she lifts the sandwich to her mouth, taking a careful bite.
For a moment, Kwabena seems a bit too embarrassed to pay heed to the other voices that bicker with each other. "Oh, uh, help yahself," says the Ghanaian, his accent thick, his English sub par. "Is fine. Do you want some of dis watah?"
He catches himself staring at Theresa for a moment, before turning to follow her gaze. He stares at the quintet for a moment, silence lingering between all three. "What on de Earth," he starts to say, which is exactly when Esme spats back with her last piece. He blinks and sits upright, before turning back to Theresa, confused.
It might have multiple sources, but the voice is nigh-identical only someone with high perceptive could catch a minor change in cadence when the speaker changes. However, Celeste, ye old pink wearing image, hasn't gone without noticing the other pair. Celeste smiles, "Would either of you care for a cookie?" Esme frowns a bit at that. "We'll share." Celeste assures while glancing at Esme and Sophie preparing the polite social defenses in case the collected moodiness of five teenage girls expresses itself through either one of them.
"I'm not entirely certainly." Theresa admits to Kwa, shaking her head just a bit before she sets the sandwich right back down where she got it, missing a few bites. She reaches for one of the napkins, carefully wiping her hands off before she shakes her head, "No, but thank you for the offer."
One. Magic. Word.
Cookie.
Kwabena seems unsure for a moment, but he eventually turns around in his seat, looking to the one who spoke, Celeste. "If you ah sure, I will have one." He glances back to the food at his table, sounding a bit concerned. "I am actually still some bit hungry."
As Celeste's eyes flicker to a vibrant glow, a napkin lifts from the pile on the tray, as does a cookie. The Cookie is gently tucked into the napkin and it floats over to the table, where it is set down gently, "By all means." She says as she blinks and her eyes return to normal. Esme's eyes flicker quickly and the other four look at her and their eyes flash in unison. "That wasn't nice Esme." Mindee says as she takes a sip of her milk. Sophie sits back in her chair, her attention turning to the pair as she just watches. Resting b*tch face engage. Celeste doesn't even bother to look at Sophie as she says, "Pay no attention to her. She's just generally unhappy." The other three giggle and Sophie turns to regard Celeste. "Well don't look like that then." Celeste says, "No. No I won't. Really you know the Professor says it is rude." Celeste continues. "Oh for goodness sake. You would think you're the Queen of the castle." Esme nearly chokes at that. "And don't you get me started with you." Celeste turns to Esme. It's clear who the mothering one of the group is.
That note of concern gets her all concerned, and the oddness of the girls is sort of forgotten for a moment as she looks down at the food on offer. She then glances at Kwabena, then down at the food before she reaches a hand up to press her fingers against his cheek a moment. A doctor she is not. However, concern is there as she looks back at the girls, "I'm Theresa…this is Kwabena."
"I think you wah right," Kwabena murmurs to Theresa. "I've been practicing all day, and I'm… famished. It's like -" He then turns to watch as Celeste floats the cookie over, and his lips draw into a thin line. "… like I've nevah eaten." He reaches for the cookie then, studying it carefully as if it might have been poisoned. It seems Kwabena may be developing a bit of paranoia of telepaths and telekinetics, and… his gut is starting to tell him that these girls are both.
"Hello," he says, turning back to face the quintets. "And, ah, thank you." He says that to Celeste specifically.
There is nothing dubious about Celeste's friendliness. She offers a smile, however, the group as a whole, quickly mirroring the smile, except for the resting b*tch faced one. That's where it might be borderline creepy. However, Celeste speaks up quickly. "I'm Celeste. These are my sisters." Well DUH!, "Esme, Mindee, Phoebe and… that…" She takes a pause to sigh, "Is Sophie." Yes.. there was a hestitation. "Nice to me you. We like friends." She flashes her eyes a moment and the smile drops from everyone's face but hers. "There are more cookies if you would like them." Phoebe sighs and pushes her chair out and goes toward the kitchen in the back. "Yes, you do Phoebe." Celeste says. Esme sticks her tongue out at Phoebe who flashes her eyes a moment and then Celeste diverts her attention to her. "Really… I'm telling." She says in that annoying sisterly-way that all sisters have when they get on the high horse.
Julie is just swinging on into the cafeteria, feet seemingly on autopilot for the coffeepot, as she unties her hair from a piece of cloth, and glances at the backs of her hands, before giving a general little wave. Then a bit of a higher one as she spots Kwabena and Theresa here. "Hey, you made it, how bout that," she winks. Sophie gets a little salute as she pours herself a cup of coffee and peers over what's left for dinner fare. A busy day in the garage, apparently.
"Like you've never eaten?" Theresa wonders, that concerned look reappearing before she glances over the food still on the table, and evidence of what was formerly there, "How long have you been eatin' tonight?"
She glances at the girls, trying her very best to put names to faces, but she fails greatly at doing so considering how identical they all are. "Very nice to meet you all." Then there is Julie, and she lifts a hand to wave back towards her.
"Hello," Kwabena says again to Celeste, then moves on to the next one with a nod. "Hello." He is about to do the same with the third, when it dawns on him just how ridiculous that is. As such, he just offers an awkward smile to the group of them, before turning back to Theresa with an odd cock of his eyebrow. How peculiar.
"Oh, I think, twenty minutes," he answers her truthfully. "And. I have a, what is it, thought? No." He snaps his fingers twice. "No, is, theory, as to why." However, before he can really delve into that, he perks up at seeing Julie. "Hey, Diz," he tells her.
Apparently she hasn't yet heard of what happened in the underground lair.
Celeste waves to Julie as she enters, meanwhile Phoebe appears with another plate of cookies. She quietly walks it over to Kwabena's table and sets it down before quickly darting back to the table with her sisters. Celeste smiles at Phoebe. "You did good." Sophie, on the other hand just huffs. To which Celeste says, "Really.." Esme pipes up, "And you think I'm the rude one, huh Celeste?" Mindee giggles at that before Celeste's eyes flash brightly and she stops dead. "I'm so telling mom." You can see it in her face she's adding just one more thing to the 'I'm telling mom' list that she's keeping mentally. Celeste takes a cookie and takes a nibble off it and then a sip of Milk. The sisters fall to utter silence, but eyes are moving to look at each other in a rather obvious sequence that says something is being discussed on another level. They take turns taking sips from their cups. Anyone paying close enough attention can quickly pick up on a rotation of milk sipping that is apparently strictly maintained.
Julie appropriates some leftovers on a little plate and comes on over with that and a coffee in hand. Eyes do dart a bit between the quints, and grabs a seat by the rest. "Hey, girls. And, you two, how you doing? I had a chance to catch a big race in Michigan cause my Uncle needed me, and, well, also I worked it to take delivery on a little something for field trips to get back in, so I missed your, ah, whatever you call it when you come to school. What'dya know?"
"Well, neidah of us ah going to school," Kwabena clarifies. "I mean, I still have job driving taxi, and Theresa just got job tending bar." Just a couple of true, blue, working class mutants here. "Dis sort of thing isn't…" He gestures around at the cafeteria, but really, he's indicating the mansion at whole. "… isn't my speed."
No, they're both likely to be here for the, ah, extracurricular activities.
It's the sipping of milk cups in a strange but predictable methodology that has Kwabena turning his attention to the sisters again. He nods briefly to Theresa as she excuses herself, but looks back to the quints for a moment. "Diz, have you… have you met de sistahs?" he asks. He's trying not to be rude by speaking of them in the third person, so he gestures toward the five in a manner of introduction, while the curiosity meant for Julie is apparent on his face and in his tone.
Ring-around-a-rosie… The girls take turns sipping and nibbling and setting cups on the table. It's kind of like a weird improvised music until Celeste speaks up and the cycle is broken. "We met briefly." She offers a smile toward Julie with a little wave. Phoebe, also provides a wave toward Julie. The Other girls just continue in their own round-robin sipping and nibbling. Celeste looks toward Kwabena and smiles. She effortlessly falls into the rotation of sipping, it's oddly OCD in their own actions. Their eyes glance at each other in a random order. A conversation happening; this is confirmed when Mindee offers a stifled giggle.
Julie nods to Kwabena, there. She's of course, thoroughly blue-collar, herself, but she seems to be trying to reassure about certain ivory-tower-ness about being in, say, a prep school made out of a big mansion. "Yeah, it's kinda funny, Teach McCoy kinda took me on to teach the kids some shop and stuff, then all's a sudden it's a chance to go to kind of go to college, too." Cause, girls in Dizzy's sort of field aren't exactly in high employment demand, perhaps. "I mean, there's the other stuff folks like us end up mixed up in, too, but what canya do. They could come off like a bunch of squares, but people are all right, here." She winks to Pheobe, there, who she can kind of tell apart already by who-seems-discontented. But trying to be reassuring in her usual cheerful way. "Anyway, yeah, we just met a while ago. Could take a while before I could tell everyone apart."
"I have not had de time needed to be familiah with everyone here," Kwabena admits. "Dere was… an incident. Yestahdah. But it is…" Well, now he's about to tell a lie. "It is…" He looks helplessly to Julie for a moment, because frankly? He doesn't want to get into all of it. "It is being handled."
In a manner of speaking, that is not necessarily untrue.
He reaches for another cookie, studying it momentarily. "Should we invite dem ovah?" he asks Julie. "I mean, it seems dey are… communicating with each oddah. We might be intruding if we do."
"I think we're being rude…" Celeste says to the group. Sophie's resting b*tch face is uninterrupted, though Phoebe gives the slightest flush at Julie's wink. She's shy you know. Mindee glances at Phoebe and laughs softly. "Oh boy." She can't help but laugh, which seems to affect everyone but.. well you know who. Celeste smiles again before she looks at Kwabena, "We can if you would like?"
Julie hoists her coffee cup. "Well, sure, come on over, I guess, maybe it ought to be the other way around, really, but I guess there's been an incident." Perhaps she heard Kwabena ended up in the Medbay, or some such.
"Sure," Kwabena answers. "Two is company, as dey say, but seven is Thanksgiving Dinnah." Oh God, it's so terrible when he tries to use American slang. He's always getting it wrong.
When Julie mentions the incident, he looks over toward her with a baleful expression. "It is okay. We should not really discuss it, I think."
All but Sophie get up and walk over and sit down appropriate places. "Sophie isn't really in the socializing mood." Celeste says, looking at all the food. "I can see someone was hungry." She says raising an eyebrow at the Thanksgiving statement. The other girls just sort of stifle a giggle.
Julie winks, there. "Small family, but we'll do for now." She raises her impromptu sandwich, and says more quietly, to Celeste, "She OK, you think? New school and all, I guess." No, she doesn't quite have the 'hive mind' concept down as yet.