1965-01-19 - Called Company in His Own Home
Summary: Paige comes to visit Jebediah and Jay with the sole purpose of worrying loudly over Jay performing in public. Kaleb is glad to have someone who agrees that Jay needs protecting too. Jeb loudly supports his brother's music career and Kaleb is probably tired of people being loud in his home. Jay pitches the idea that Jebediah should try going to the Institute, brotherly cuteness ensues.
Related: If there are no related logs, put 'None', — please don't leave blank!
Theme Song: None
paige jebediah kaleb 


The apartment complex that the two younger Guthrie boys now stay in is in a rather fancy part of town, far more elegant than Paige will have ever expected of her brothers. The people who live here have money. Neither Jay nor Jebediah have much money. No one baring the name 'Guthrie' does, and most of the money that either of them does have goes back to their mother, so it's a wonder that either of them exist in such a place. When she's spotted and is indentified as a lady, their doorman… yeah, that's right, Jay and Jebediah live in a place with a /doorman/… he rushes over to hold the door open for her.

"Good morning, ma'am." He greets her, kindly.. a little too kindly. Paige is mighty pretty after all. "Can I help you with anything? Who are you visisting? I don't believe I've seen you around here before. I don't think I'd forget a face quite so beautiful."


A doorman? Swanky! Paige is dressed in a cashmire sweater with a pair of bluejeans, but the leather jacket with wool fringe - a bomber style - belies her Southern roots. "Ah, it's a surprise." she offers warmly to the doorman, big blue eyes glancing up to the doorman beneath blonde locks. "The Guthries. I was told they live heah? I'm their older sister, visitin' from home, and wanted to drop in on them and say hi."

She holds up a small box of baked goods. "A little gift from home, their momma's homemade cookies."


At the name Guthrie, his nose scrunches in something like disgust. The mutant, with the wings. She was related to him? Probably a mutant herself. That stops any of his advances right on a dime. He instead just gestures forward. "Apartment 6C. You'll want the elevator to your left. Up to the sixth floor." He explains and that's the extent of his interest in anything else she has to say. She's cute, but she's significantly less cute when she has a relation to a mutant.


Kaleb sat at his drafting table, as always, today with Herbie Hancock playing soulful soft piano Jazz. As the only name on teh apartment was Miller there may be some confusion, though the accent would illuminate the doorman, Otis, of whom she may be referring. There was a gent assigned to teh elevator whose sole job was to push people's buttons. Kaleb didn't look up but noted bouncing sound to where Jeb was, "Jeb. Door." using as few words as per usual. Max had a key, Jay usually used the balcony and the rest of the world wasn't even remotly on his list of concerns. Onward he drew trying this sketch for the third time hoping he would not be moved to burning it, or tearing it into a thousand tiny pieces like the last two attempts. With mylar? That was a challenge.


She knows that wrinkle of the nose, that slight upturn. She's seen it a million times before back home - because of her last name. The girl smiles brilliantly, teeth white and straight as she takes out a cookie wrapped in foil and hands it to the doorman. "Don't worry, my momma's power is to make good cookies." she says, and then sashays off, a swing of her hips in defiance of the doorman's obvious bigotry as she moves to step on the elevator and head up to the 6th floor to knock on the door.


There's always something incredibly soothing about whatever music Kaleb is playing while he's working. Jebediah wondered if that was entirely intentional or if Kaleb really did just enjoy soothing jazz. A surprise when he was wired so tight most of the time. Jeb is about to bother him to ask him about it when Kaleb bounces his voice to tell him to get the door a beat before a knock reaches their door. "Crazy that you knew that. Could probably convince people you're psychic, you know?" He says, knowing Kaleb can hear him as he moves to answer the door.

He doesn't know who he expects, he stiffens thinking it might be Sam and that's not a fight he wants to have today at all, but instead he's met with his sister.


Kaleb always did, at least to Jeb's recent memeory, favour smooth jaxx of Herbie Hancock, or Miles Davis, and sometimes Sam COoke though it was more R&B when he worked. Something about soothing music for hostile souls? Either way Cantaloupe Island was easy going and a little on the upbeat side (https://youtu.be/8B1oIXGX0Io). Offhandedly he engaged in a dialogue on tat with a half grin. It was faint but it was there. "Did that actually, while interrogating this guy once. Funny story about it too." But he let Jeb get the door while the sonic's head bounced sightly with the trumpet.


When the door opens, it's not the lanky tall blonde brother, it's the shorter, cuter older sister. "Jeb!" she announces cheerfully and Paige launches herself into a hug of the smallest brother, squeezing him tightly before letting go and steps back, hands on his upper arms, she dropped the basket after all as she takes in the younger Guthrie.

"Are you eating enough? You look pale and did you lose weight??" That's concern before she's grabbing the basket and handing it to Jeb. "Eat!" she all but orders before she makes her way in. "Is Jay here? I need to talk to him. He and Doug have this fool idea of putting him up on stage like a prized pig, what does Douglas even know about running a nightclub at ninteen, anyway?" she asks worriedly, looking around the place. "….who else lives here?" Because this place is not decorated it 'Guthrie-chic'.


"You know, I believe it, I believe it so much. I wanna hear that story one day." Jeb calls back to Kaleb, forgetting momentarily, as he always does, that he doesn't have to raise his voice when he's talking to Kaleb in another room, he can hear him. Then, he's thoroughly distracted by his sister launching herself into his arms, bony arms coming up to clasp around her back. "Paige! What are you- No Ah don't think Ah lost any weight. Ah'm just pale 'cause Ah got a job and Ah ain't goin' out a lot. Ah'm fine. Ah'm fine. You ask too many questions." He insists patting her back and trying to disengage from her hugs and her mother henning. Now he knows why Kaleb hates it when Jeb tries to take care of him. "Ah think he might be but don't you go yellin' at Jay, Paige. He's doin' what he loves in front of a crowd for the first time in his life ain't no one throwin' shit at him or callin' him a demon. So you cain't come in this apartment if yer gonna say somethin' nasty about mutants bein' mutants out in the open. It ain't right." He doesn't make it to her next question. Too heated over the idea of Paige talking badly to Jay about performing. "He ain't up there like a prized pig, Paige, he's up there like a singer, which he is. He's up there like Jay."


|ROLL| Kaleb +rolls 1d20 for: 14


|ROLL| Kaleb +rolls 1d20 for: 7


|ROLL| Paige +rolls 1d20 for: 3


Kaleb sighed and at best put a cap on the wave lengths so they couldn't spike above a certain volume. Dressed neat like he was running a board meating: slate grey vest and matching slacks wiht precice creases down shirt sleeve and trouser leg. Sleeves rolled up to save them from graphite and a sharp slate silk tie, indoors of all things, to match. Kaleb came out coffee cup in hand looking to refill it, was about to address them but the sound stopped before it started and he just watched them with a passive curiosity for a moment before blinking slowly and continuing on to the caraffe of coffee.


"It's not that he's a mutant! Ya know Ah don't care 'bout that! It's New York. People hate everything here!" Paige is protesting - not realizing that Kaleb's put on a cap on the noise, as she folds her arms over her chest. "Doug ain't the one puttin' 'imself out there, it's Jay! And he's a good singer but what if somethin' happens? Does he have security, will he be safe, or ya thinking that mutants just like mutants, ya know better than that!" she chides, picking at her skin, scratching angrilly and in nervous fear and worry - and it starts to show - her skin starts to fleck away, beneath it is a dull grey color, obviously metallic - as she's starting to shed her normal skin for the material beneath it. "Aw dammit! Where's the bathroom?!" Already, she's shedding her jacket and trying to get off her boots, because she doesn't want to lose another outfit.

And that's when Kaleb comes out into the open, and the blonde pauses for a moment, an eyebrow arching for a moment, before her cheeks flare in a blush, oh what a way to make a first impression - stripping her clothes off in front of a random stranger. "Jeeeeebbbbbbb!" she complains loudly. "You didn't say ya had company!" She's trying to flee, really.


Jay was, in fact, home. Or, at least when he did come into the apartment, it was from his bedroom. The door cracking open quietly, the red-headed sibling fiddling with a cassette between his fingers thoughtfully when he stops dead in his tracks. A perplexed look overtaking him while he watches his sister, flaking skin and all, rush for the bathroom, shedding clothes in a hurry. Still looking confused, Jay pointed mutely toward the bathroom he and Kaleb shared. "Over there?" The upwards inflection lingering on for the sake of 'what's going on now?'


Jebediah holds up a hand to Kaleb like some kind of plea for him to not explode his sister's head with sound, if he could do that. Panicking a little when sound stops before it starts again. That was tame enough, maybe Kaleb wasn't upset. Or maybe, he was getting exceptionally great at hiding it. "No and it wouldn't matter if Doug was on the stage because Doug passes which ain't never gonna be a luxury that Jay has. Why should he have to hide his damn wings like they're these ugly things attached to him? They ain't spikes! He doesn't have a second twin sproutin' out his back. They're wings, Paige! Ah know other mutants might not like mutants, but he can't spend his whole gol'damn life with his wings tucked to his damn back like he's atoning for the sins of all our Guthrie ancestors. He's a singer, he should get to perform. Ain't no one gonna hurt him. Ah ain't gonna let em, Doug ain't gonna let em. Sam ain't gonna let em. Ah'll set the whole lot of em on fire if they try but they ain't gonna because they ain't out there to throw stones. They are there to listen to 'im sing and…" Jeb /follows her/ when she runs away because he's not through lecturing her as he sets himself just around the corner of the bathroom door. "There's like, a lot of guys who live here. I forgot to mention that when you were bein' ignant."


Kaleb was stunned by a swathe of emotions, not the least of which was being referred to as 'company' in his home! He went from pleasant tsurprise to giving Jay That Look(tm) like This is your mess, fix it. There was concern there when she started flaking and… wait what?! Aaaw he shaves in that bathroom. Calmly, too terribly calmly he looked to the Guthrie brothers and inquired softly, "Who is that lovely creature that jsut called me 'company' in my own home like I'm some sort of fucking god damned rent boy?" Oh yeh, that got to him. He followed with those startling blue eyes and furrowed brow asking, "She alright? We need to call like Vic, Vitaly… someone wihth a V in their name to fix it?" Rampage on hold for now, the primary concern was mutant aid at least. While he was at it he made a gesture to Jeb like he was dialing down his volume, which was true and muttered, "You're screaming like a shrike, Jeb. We're indoors."


Rushing into the bathroom, the door slams hard, thankfully Kaleb has the noised tempered. There's rustling as clothes are quickly shred in a frantic rush, before there comes a terrible ripping sound from within the bathroom even as Paige is yelling back at her brother through the door. "Would you stop making it about his wings?! He could have damned chicken legs and a beak fer all I care!" she calls out. "It's about makin' sure he's safe! And heah he is in the middle of a place where he could find himself in a terrible mess!" she protests.

Finally, after several moments, Paige peeks out the door. Her whole body is covered in a layer of pure lead. "Can you get me a broom and dustpan please?" she asks, "I.. have a mess to clean up." Like her whole discarded skin, before she looks apologetically at Kaleb. "Nice place.." She'd blush, but lead doesn't show color very well. Instead, she lifts her arm and tugs on a lead lock of hair. At least she pulled her sweater back on for decency. Just give her a moment to finish getting dressed as the door's closed again.


Jay's in shock, honestly. His expression blown open and lax as he blinks a couple of times, numbly turning his head in Kaleb's direction, blinking a couple times. It takes him seconds to realize that he's getting The Look. Feathers flutter and fluff up and shake out, loosing some of his pent up aggitation. The cassette goes into his pocket as Jay strides across the floor quickly to bridge the gap between himself and Kaleb, a hand going out to the center of the sonic's chest. "Kale, Ah'm so sorry. That's…" Jay winces awhen the door slams. "That's mah older sister, Paige." He explains quietly while Jeb and Paige yell back and forth through the door.

Glancing down at her flecked off skin, he swallows and smiles helplessly back to Kaleb. "She's just a little stressed out. Y'know how Ah said all mah siblin's past puberty are mutants? Well, Paige's…skin falls off…" Jay winces, trying to explain. Quickly following up with, "She's got more under it! She just—" Jay cuts off as Paige opens the door sheepishly and peers out, her whole body that hard to determine dark metallic sheen. "Yeah, of course, Paigie. Jeb? Y'wanna get that for her please? Or, um, let the robot in there?" There's a robot now?

Jay's feathers shiver and he gives Kaleb a plaintiff look. "Her body changes to a different, uh, compounds. When she's stressed it can kinda do it on its own. It's fine." Looking over to his sister while she peeks out. "Paige, this is Kaleb Miller. He's mah best friend. This is his and his brother's apartment. Ah just live here, an' Jeb too, fer now." Their mailbox definitely dominated by 'Miller, Miller, Delano, Guthrie'


Jeb watches Kaleb feign turning a dial down and nods apologetically and tries to turn his voice down a notch. He's far more reasonable than he used to be. Most of the time when he has an opinion he just yells it, it's amazing he'll take any suggestions from anyone that isn't Jay or Sam, but he has just sort of adopted Kaleb as honorary older brother. "Listen, Paige," He begins, much quieter when she opens the door, he just gestures her out with a wave of his hand, not shocked by the new components her skin takes on. "There's a robot that'll clean it up, you're fine. Listen, we're never gonna be safe anywhere because we're mutants. Especially you and Jay because you can't really hide it. That don't mean Jay has to stop doin' what makes him happy. He's my brother and Ah want him to do whatever makes him happy. Bein' on a stage makes him happy." He's clearly not through with this argument, allowing Jay to explain about Paige's powers, allowing Jay to tell her that Kaleb owns this apartment. "Don't tell Jay to get off the stage. The stage is where Jay is supposed to be."


Kaleb blinked at Paige and then tohers slightly confused, and flinching at the sharpness in tone pulling that down too. "Dust…bin?" Kaleb took a slow, deep breath processessing all of that. Fingers lifted to wiggle a hullo to Paige at the apology. Sanctuary somewhat defended. His take away from that? A small disapproving tone that was not loud but carried all where it needed to, "Jay, my tiny robot is not for cannibalizing decomposing Evolved Persons." Or maybe it was. He paused, listened and went to Vic and Kellan's bathroom for a moment where it stopped up on hte bathroom rug and carried it over.

Looking at the door and Jeb he said quietly, weirdly like he was standing in the bathroom with Paige from her point of view, knocked and said , "Paige? Hi. There's a bathrobe in there if you need to use it." Aww that was sweet of him. In the same tone he said, "Also I agree with Paige entirely. This is a fantastic way to get on all teh wrong radar and paint a target on one's self. However, as much as I agree it's a terrible plan… you both wnat to stop yelling through the door, let Paige get herself together a moment and maybe, I don't know, stop talking about Jay like he's not here and isn't an adult capable of making choices for himself? I mean you want to talk stripping away Mutant rights? By all means start making plans mandating what we can and can't do. I'll wait, but we have to accept Jay steers Jay's future guys." Anyone? Aaaany takers. He set the tiny robot down. "When your'e done we'll let the tiny robot run around in there a while. It'll be okay."


"I ain't telling him to git off the stage." Paige protests, though her eyes, made of the same material of the metal covering her smiles gratefully as she pulls the robe on. "Just.. let me clean up a bit - I don't want no mechanical configulation lookin' at my naughty bits." She doesn't know if their robot has cameras - and really, if she was alone with it, the girl would probably take it apart to try to improve it.

Finally enscosed in the robe, she comes out, and taps one hand against the other in a soft clang. "Lead." she manages. "Just.. give me a few, and I'll be able to shed it again." she manages quietly and apologetcially as she waits for the broom and dustpan so she can get rid of her former skin. "What I am saying.." she looks at Jay and Jeb. "Is what do ya have to prove to me that this is gonna work? That Doug can run a club. That you'll be successful.. that you won't get hurt.." Motherly concern is sisterly after all. Kaleb gets a little finger wave in return. "I.. ah.. didn't mean to wake ya up." she manages finally.


He's only ust come out of his room, but Jay's already exhausted by what's going on. He gives Kaleb an apologetic look when he volunteers the robot to do some menial clean up. "Sorry. Ah forgot that he was yer gift." And that, well, Kaleb's overly generous with his STUFF anyway, so Jay may forget at times and have to readjust when Kaleb has a possessive moment.

The middle Guthrie in the room stands off to one side, arms folded loosely over his chest and listening while Jeb continues to bicker with Paige. His brows dip together. "Y'all are fightin' about me?" His tone guilty and soft. And then to Kaleb. "You…think it's a bad idea?" Disheartened. Somehow Kaleb had integrated himself enough that his opinion strikes hard in a way that Paige has probably only seen family do.


Jebediah looks properly abashed when Kaleb accuses him of trying to decide Jay's future for him and of also talking about him like he wasn't in the room. In all honesty, he hadn't even realized that Jay was. "Ah.. just.. Ah didn't want her comin' in here and makin' Jay feel bad about doin' somethin that he likes to do. Ah'm tired of Jay… Ah mean," He sighs and looks at his brother. "Ah'm tired of people making /you/ feel bad about what you love to do. Ah just want you to always be happy and no one to mess that up for you."

Jeb looks down, cheeks reddening in embarassment at Kaleb's pretty gentle tongue lashing. Jeb knows he can do worse. He said a lot of swears about Sam but it doesn't stop his cheeks from getting warm. "Sorry. Sorry for yelling, Kaleb. And M'sorry Ah yelled at you, Paige. And Ah'm sorry that Ah defended you and acted like you wasn't here, Jay." He heaves a big sigh, shoulders sagging a little.


Kaleb set the robot down and turned to Jay, "I think… it's a good idea, I'm worried about … a lot Jay." he wasn't going to lie to him. While the siblings bickered and got dressed and borrowed his bathrobe if he needed the overdressed sonic paced a bit. "On one hand? It's purely selfish for me. But You hear what was in the news yesterday? THey killed Sam Cooke in Claifornia. THere's a bunch of things they're 'saying' but none of it adds up. Fact is? They just assassinated a fucking gift to the world for the crime of being black, successful, and really good at what he did. You htink they're not gonna leap to doing the same to one of us?" Okay apparently stealthed, Kaleb was a Mutant too. While the guy was of a sharp disposition, the words were frank with a tone of actual care to them. "I don't… want to look in the paper and see that be you. None of us do." Okay so he was agreeing with Paige but…

Echo's hand gave Jeb's shoulder a squeeze and offered to Jay in support, "Jeb's right. You have a talent. I mean… I can do anyhting I want with sound. I can sing Frank SInatra, and I can replay that September song we heard if I really tried but I'm… totally unable to do what you do. You create. I replicate but you invent and create and the world needs that and honestly I think you need that too. Maybe what we exactly need to see is more Mutants unafraid so we can bring our people up. You give em hope, man. Make em proud to say hey that guy's like me. Visibility makes us targets, but it makes others fearless. In the end? The choice is yours and IF," he looked at the other siblings and back to Jay with a sigh, "If it's something you want to do we jsut wnat to make sure you're safe."


Why was Paige here again? As everyone rallies around Jay and speaks to him in the way she wanted to, Paige frowns a little. "Right.." she murmurs, the girl clearly feeling out of place in the whole situation before she gives Jeb's shoulder a light punch. She knows to be careful - the metal increases her strength after all.

"I should.. ah, ah should just go calm down in the bathroom and get outta this skin and back to normal." she manages quietly.


Jay stays quiet, looking between his siblings and his friend. Listening is something he excels at, so may as well put that to good use as his eyes flick from Jeb to Paige to Kaleb, then back to Paige again. A flutter of his wings behind him, feathers fluffing up and slicking back down. "You…feel that way too, Paige? Ah know that we talked at the club th' other night, but things got busy." Finally getting back to the core of why she's been after him for a talk. "You want some water or somethin'?" His host instinct kicking in. "Take a sit down in the livin' room instead of hoverin'." Ready to actually sit down and talk about what he's been too excited to make happen to actually discuss it with anyone.

TUrning his attention back to Kaleb, there's a wince. "Ah read about Cooke, yeah. Ah played a bunch of his songs the other night. Dedicated mah set to him. It's fishier than th' pond b'hind the house."


Kaleb is /touching/ Jeb. He only does that with his own brother, Jay and Max. This is a first. Jeb is shocked by it. His own hand coming up to pat Kaleb's hand and for the moment it alleviates his embarassment at being so damn annoying and loud. He pulls his back off the wall and away from the bathroom door, wincing a little when Paige punches him but she probably should have hit him harder than that with all his yelling. "Well, Ah worry about you too, Jay but livin' in fear isn't how we beat them. It's how we survive, Ah guess, but it's not how we should /live/, if that makes sense." He huffs at himself more than anything, waving his hand like he can erase the words that left his lips. "Ah can't say it poetically or real smart, but we aren't really livin' if we're hidin', just going through the motions and it keeps us around longer, makes our life expectancy extend, sure, but… ah.. ah don't know. Ah want Jay to live. Ah want Jay to really live. Ah want you to really live, Cabbage. Ah want Paige and Sam and Doug, Ah want them all to really live. Not just live longer but.. sadder. But Ah know why you worry. It makes sense to worry.. ah just.. ah don't have the book learnin' to say what ah wanna."

He turns to Paige. "Just come on out when you're ready, Ah won't do no more yellin'."


Kaleb wasn't looking, giving Paige her privacy and said to Jeb, "Well your sister's not wrong. How matters. She's asking for credentials? I'm inclined to say she's right. Jay, you have an agent to make sure you don't get 'COoked'?" Musicians get screwed a lot. Still, wasn't his fight and while he really understood Jay's inclination to stuff a buddy in a box and sit on it? Well.. Jay was stronger than him and tear a hole in a perfectly good box. Also Kaleb would lose. He wandered over and said "simply, "Paige you eat Greek food? I'm thinking of having our concierge go grab us Sagnaki's." The restaurant not just the flamy cheese.

The tiny robot revved up on its own and bumped the door.


"Jaybird, ya know I love ya." Paige starts diplomatically as she retreats into the bathroom. She just needs to breath. Relax. And shed the metallic skin off of her. Lead. Because she was protecting herself. "Ah'm gonna worry. I want to make sure this is on the up and up. Doug never mentioned this when he was visitin' and it's all so sudden and out of the blue - ah got a right to be suspicious." she offers, before she hears the boop on the door and when she opens it, she's back in her normal human skin with her clothes pulled on. This is why she never wears makeup. Of course it helps that she's a bit of a natural country beauty.

"Greek?" she asks, looking to her brothers to make sure she heard that right. "Ah.. uh. They eat lambs and stuff, right?" She's never tried it before.


"It's pretty good," Jay murmurs to Paige with a nod. "Sagnaki's a place mah friend owns. Ah was kinda doubtful before Ah had it. Lamb 'n' rice an this cheese stuff. They got this thing where it's leaves an' rice an—yaknow, it sounds better than Ah make it." Jay stops trying to explain dolmas and nods to Kaleb. "You want me t'make the call?"

"You know Ah don't got an agent, Kale. An' the club just sorta…happened quick, Paige. There was a dive that got shut down somehow called Three Eyed Jack's," JEBEDIAH! "An' the owner sold the buildin'. Doug went an' talked to 'Berto t'help furnish it. Jeb an' Sam an' Ah helped him gut it and make it all up ourselves. He wasn't exactly plannin' fer it to happen." Jay ruffles a hand through his hair, wings doing the same with tiny fwips. A broken secondary feather drops behind him, snapped about the mid-point.


"Ah got plasma in my eyes. Ah watch out for him too, you know, but he needs more protection." Jeb adds a little, wanting them to know that he does watch out for his bird brother when he's on stage. "Greek is real good. It's real strange, but it's good."

Jeb moves away from the door and towards the center of the room but when Jay starts to talk about the dive that the bar was /before/ Jebediah started a fight in it and ran the owners out. It wasn't ALL his fault, alright, Doug even said that they this wasn't the first mutant fight they'd had in the dive. Just one of those wouldn't chase them out, but the fight that Jebediah started was the end of their ropes. His cheeks color a little at the mention. "Um.. well, it got shutdown because um, there was a big fight in there… there was a fireball.. and Ah.. Ah want you to know that it wasn't the first fight.. it was just the final straw… and ah.. ah.. ah maybe… ah maybe started it, the first night Ah was here." He says, kicking his foot back and forth, before Jay's feather falls and he, glad for the distraction, moves around to pick it up before the cleaning robot he affectionately named Sparky shreds it. He looks up to Jay and then over to Paige. "Don't tell Mama." He pleads.


Kaleb watched them and shrugged to Jay with that expression of 'business. Cover your ass man.'. The words he used were, "Nah, I'll take care of it. Your sister's here, man." WHich was grounds for… what? Kaleb Miller almost doing a chore? Well it still involved telling someone else to order a thing and go et a thing. This may not be grounds for calling a Church for an exorcism jus yet. He passed by Jay and tapped hte back of his knuckles to Jay's arm, "Hey remember taht time I tried to help those people out?" He left that question hang open. In short: welcome to my world of hard choices. NOW you know where I was standing. Looking past the wings he admitted to him, "Your sister's groovy." A rare endorsement.


It's not like Paige isn't right there to hear the endorsement. Being called 'groovy' makes Paige's cheeks redden and she pushes her hair a little more back over her ears. Hey, Kaleb's cute - might as well primp and promp just a little for his sake. "Well, whatever you guys like best.." she offers quietly, not sure what else to say as she draws in a breath. "Just tell me yer gonna be okay, Jay." That's a trap.


Bright eyes squint a little bit at Kaleb when the reason to get him to do a thing is 'your sister's here'. Jay is a little confused, but nods and slowly gets out of the way, though his voice hums with uncertainty, "Oh. Kay." Eyeing the sonic. Debating if he does need to call a preacher up. The brush is given a glance back to Kaleb, Jay presses his lips together and popping his brows up in resigned understanding. A tiny smile when he endorses Paige, Jay glances back to his blushing sister, and back to his best friend. "Remember when we first met an' Ah told you Ah had a sister that you remind me of?" He cants his head in Paige's direction.

Stepping back out toward the livingroom space, there's a stare at Jebediah as he admits to being in the fight to shut Jack's down. "What? You were there?" Then thinks on it, Jay sets a hand on his hip, squaring with the fire-brand youngest Guthrie in the room. "Is /that/ what happened the night you showed up on the doorstep drunk? Yer LUCKY Ah didn't know all that, Jebediah. At least somethin' good came out of it."

Turning his full attention back around on Paige while Jay settles in the livingroom, carefully folding a leg up under himself, wings cocking to either side on the couch. "You know Ah'm gonna try to go about this stuff as smart as Ah can, Paige. An'…maybe you got some good reason t'be worried." Though he's sort of reluctant to admit it. "Ah'm tryin' to hear what y'all are sayin'. Ah cain't really claim Ah know what Ah'm doin'. Ah'm just a musician, not a business guy or anythin' like that."


Kaleb paused dialing the phone up to downstairs looking like some jr. Vegas high roller making the world move at his behest. He boggled back to Jay as if it wasn't a quesiton. "Siblings come first man." From teh man that never liked anyone, but still, he'd drop teh world for Kellan and seemed to find making sure Jay and Guthries could do the same was actually ON his list of interests. "Otto?…" he went about placing the order and his lips moved but there was mo sound from him on the phone in subtle effort to not talk over the family discussion. Finally he came back, hands in slacks pockets and looked back, "Yeah?" He looked over to Paige and considered her rightous fury and furrowed his brow at her and actually…agreed? "Yeah, that actually makes total sense now." He had to ask Paige, "So you get away with just pointing out useless self-destructive things o your siblings so they stop doing it too?" Has…to ask. Apparently these were several ++++s in Paige's favour.


With a small sigh, Paige moves behind Jay. Not to scold him, but her hands give his hair an affectionate tossle before setting a kiss on the crown of his head and starts to lightly play with his feathers, finding the broken and ruffled ones for a gentle preening. "I remember when you first got these. You'd try so hard to fly around the farm and spent all that time outside that you got mites." she comments gently as she works on the wings. "It took a week to get them all out." Lifting her gaze up to Kaleb, she laughs, and shakes her head, another slight reddening of her ears. "No, I'm not the most pratical one - that's Sam. I'm just defacto mom when mom's not around, and with all my brothers running off to New York.." she glances down affectionately at her brother. "Someone has to make sure they stay outta trouble."


Jay's pale cheeks fill with blood while Paige runs her fingers through his feathers, bracing himself there's a light flutter of surprise before he settles back in with a sigh. Embarrassed over the mite story, he shoots a look over toward Kaleb. 'Don't you ever repeat that'. "They don't really make books fer how t'care for wings on a person. There was a learnin' curve." Still, he's embarrassed about it never the less. Turning his attention back to Kaleb, there's a crooked smile since 'defacto mom' pretty much is partially exactly as Kaleb says. Just wrapped in a different wrapper. 'Knock that off, kids'.

"You both gonna gang up now and tell me Ah'm bein' dumb?" He arches an eyebrow at Kaleb. "You've been suspiciously quiet about it up till now."


|ROLL| Kaleb +rolls 1d20 for: 11


Kaleb pressed his jaw tight and sipped his coffee looking to Jay evenly. An eyebrow arced sloooowly. "Well, I can recal a few things I didn't have an instruction manual on." Oh he was trying SO hard not to snicker, and was somehow succeeding. "Part of why I want to keep working on pushing this Capstone thing. Get information out there. Youknow when I was learning boating, I thought I'd take it out all by myself. I got out and pulled it up on land riiiight through poison ivy. Right before my cousin's wedding too. You're not allowed to itch where I come from. Kellan had to go as me so I could hide in an oatmeal bath. We've all been there." He had to laugh grinning to Paige (hey he learned how to pull the stick out of his ass sometimes) "Man your brother Sam has a mouth on him. Talk about a learning curve."


"Oh gosh, an oatmeal bath sounds so delightful…" so says the girl that can rip her skin off and expose a new layer beneath. Paige rubs the back of her head. "I ain't sure what to do with the lead I shed earlier, I mean.. if ya want to recycle it, ya can get a few bucks for it - I kinda left it in as neat a pile as I could.." she blushes and glances down. "It happens.. at the worst times, ah swear. Anyway! Did we order food?"


Kaleb gets a pleading look from Jay when he tightens his jaw. Trying not to laugh. Oh god, Kaleb, come on, buddy. Exhaling a relieved breath when he goes on to tell his own embarrasing story to take the edge off of Jay's embarrasment. He turns to Paige to explain. "Kale's got a twin brother, Kellan. So if ya see him at the school but he doesn't know ya, it's probably not Kale." Or Kaleb's just being a rude little shit in a mood, but he doesn't mention his haughty friend's proclivities. "It's okay, Jeb an' Ah will take it down to the recyclin' center later on, it's no big deal." No reason in trying to make his sister feel bad about her mutation while he's dropping feathers and vacuuming every week because dust feathers.

Jay Reaches into his pocket, thoughts coming back to the reason Paige came over and they all started talking about him to begin with. Retrieving the cassette tape with a thoughtful tap of his thumb on the plastic casing. "Y'all think Ah'm really makin' a mistake?"


Kaleb shrugged and assured Paige, "I took care of it. It'll be here shortly. All the sauces are on teh side so… you can add what you like as you go tryin new things out." He went easy on them. Is this a mistake, "Was it a mistake when I went over seas? It was what I had to do. Maybe this is what you have to do, or try. Jsut… like you told me. Be smart about it. We don't want to see you make the mistake I did or worse, get taken advantage of so you don't even own teh royalties to your own music." he conferred with Paige on that.


"He's right, sweetheart." Paige frowns a little and stops picking on the wings to come around and take a seat next to Jay. "Ah never said this was a mistake. Just that I'm worried. And I want to make sure you're safe - not only physically, but emotionally as well. Doug? Are ya his only act? Does he have anyone else? Comedian? Magician? Another musician? Or is he making or breaking this on ya? I love the boy like family, but he wears that heart on his sleeve and I worry that he's putting all his eggs in you, and if it don't work out, ya both gonna be heartbroke." she sighs and then takes Jay's hands and squeezes them. "That said, I ain't gonna stop this. I ain't gonna discourage it. I always knew ya were a talent. I can't carry a tune in a bucket - there's a reason why maw always gave me the tamborine." she winks at that. "But this is your dream - and I'm gonna be there to cheer ya when ya make it." And catch you when you fall is left unsaid - unneeded really.


There's a wince over the mention of Kaleb's European trip, giving him a plea of a look and shiver of motion through his feathers, fwipping at Paige's fingers. "Lord, Ah hope this is /nothin'/ like that. But, you know, Kale, since all of that happened—" He frowns and cuts off, not wanting to get into all the shifts of perspective that mess caused the both of them. Instead, there's a shake of his head and delve into all those questions. "You know Ah don't got the first shakes of know-how when it comes to business, Kale. That's never been mah expertise. But yer right, Ah do gotta start thinking in that direction if it's what Ah wanna be doin'."

Shifting to Paige, utterly comfortable beside her, his hands squeezing lightly in return. "You can be worried, Paige, but you could at least ask or check it out before you assume we're just runnin' around like headless chickens. Like yer doin' now. I git where yer comin' from." Inhaling a deep breath, Jay shakes his head. "Doug ain't puttin' /everythin'/ on me. Ah'm just the usual entertainment when nobody else comes up. He's offerin' the stage to anyone, that's the point. He wants it to be a place where mutants can get on stage an' perform, safely. Ah ain't the only one with talent. Yeah…startin' out Ah'm the only one up there, but we got a little bit of a house band comin' together so it's not just me. Some of the fellahs Ah was teachin' music to down at the community center have started playin' bass or second guitar. Ah'm hopin' that Marcus comes by fer keyboards." Jay gets lost in the middle of his own story. Nerves.

Nerves because, well. He holds out the cassette tape to Kaleb and offers. "…that's mah first show at the club. 'Berto got a recordin' set up an' Doug didn't tell me, but he recorded the first one."


Kaleb chortled and said "Yeah I don't /either/, which is why you likely should be talkin to someone like Dazzler or something. Someone who is a mutant in the business to find out what you do need to be aware of." The sonic paused and looked down at the tape. It was a moment before he took it and looked to Jay shaking his head, "I wanted to be there." And he couldn't and Jay knows why. He looked at the tape and shook his head, "You know, all my stupid selfish reasons aside for saying stay at home so we can pul you in a blanket and sit on you? It's… pretty cool that you're gettin to do something with it. Like the new Bob Dylan." He held his hand, tape in it, in gesture to Paige like listen oto teh woman. That. All of that. "Paige, if you knew the half of it." He said no more of it but fell silent. "If you're gonna do it, do it right and play it save. Again, stop listening to Sam. He doesn't think before he do. Be our Jay, question things and … do what works for you. Even… if… you become fameous, move out, travel, and don't need us anymore. Just… be save and make sure hte risk is worth it." And there might be a hint of Kaleb's other issue with it.


There's a thoughtful pause, before Paige looks between the two. "Why does it just have to be mutants?" she asks quietly. "After all, that only percipitates the perception that we're only going to support our own kind. There are other struggling artists that are out there trying to make it." The Mary Janes come to mind immediately. But the young woman nods to Kaleb's suggestion whole heartedly before she smiles to Kaleb in approval and her attention returns to her baby birb. "I want to hear it!" she offers cheerfully.

"Go for your dreams. It's all momma ever wanted all of us to do. You have your music - I want to get into NASA someday." Not that she has a chance in hell of it happening, but the girl can dream big too. "I just want you - what Kaleb said - make sure you do so with caution. And that if something even feels right, question it anyway. That said, no sweetie, you're never going to get me to stop worrying about you. Just take solace in the fact that Jeb gets it worse - at least you know what you want to do."


Jebediah had run away from those fiery eyes quickly, making sure to avoid the room entirely when Jay turns that look on him, puts that hand on his hip. Talks about how Jeb is /lucky/ that Jay didn't know what he had been up to before he'd wound up at the apartment. Yep, that's a perfectly good reason for Jeb to run right away and go clean up the Paige-skin mess in the bathroom. Give Jay plenty of distraction with a worried sister and a worried Kaleb and all of that before he returns, sheepishly entering the room, a bag of lead in one hand, a clean bathroom behind him so that Max's robot doesn't tear itself apart on it. "Bathroom is clean. Ah'll find some place to recycle this later." He says, quietly, almost like he doesn't want to be heard. Much like a child in trouble does. If he doens't call attention to himself then maybe he's not still in trouble.


"Dazzler ain't an /out/ mutant, Kaleb," Jay murmurs, trying to politely skim out the disappointment in his voice, though he is judging the /hell/ out of her after watching her run out of the last open mic. "There ain't any famous out mutant musicians. But Ah don't wanna hide." Anxiously, he looks over to Paige, looking worriedly at his sister. "A lot happened this summer, but long story short, Paige, Ah don't want to hide any more. Ah haven't been hidin', an' Ah know that it makes you nervous. It's okay t'be nervous. Everyone else gets the whole city, it ain't like Doug's gonna turn folks away from playin', but it ain't like Ah had people linin' up around the block when" Jay stumbles a moment with his words, going mute for an instant, he picks up after a hitch. "when Ah was lookin' fer bands to get in with."

Shifting his attention back in Kaleb's direction. "An' Ah'm always goin' to need y'all. Yer mah best friend, Kale. You tell me when Ah'm bein' dumb an' how t'not dress like Ah'm homeless." There's far more to it than that, but he's not going to get all sentimental and weird about it in front of his baby brother and sister. Save that for later.

"Thanks fer cleanin' that up, Sprout," Jay pipes up to Jeb. "Kale ordered food and, uh, we sorta figured some stuff out. No more yellin'." He nods to the tape in Kaleb's hands. "Did you know Doug recorded openin' night?"


Kaleb stood still listening. Kaleb Miller was ahard read and might even be mistaken by some as an Analytics Elemental. He was… calculating instead of emotional. IN the end the assurance seemd to mollify any concerns. "Well," He offered with all objectivity, "You were technically homeless for a hiccup-" He paused and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Hell… I'm starting to talk like you. I'm drawing the like at y'all. You all are welcome to keep your y'alls." To Paige is said, "I'll get the thing. Yes we can listen to it but it if sounds fuzzy or squeaky because magnets? I'm fixing it." He didn't say how, but the word 'autotune' wasn't a thing yet. Still at least there was the promise of crystal clarity when he played these things. "Iwill go to Scarlett's and see about borrowin a player." Because they didn't have one yet. Huh. That's what you get for living with a vinyl purist folks.


|ROLL| Paige +rolls 1d20 for: 10


"Why would it be staticky? Is there someone using magnets?" The question is asked, before Paige looks to her two brothers. And then back to Kaleb. She bites her lip for a moment, and then the young woman speaks up. "….well, if you don't mind a few more y'all's…" she starts to say, but then Kaleb heads off, leaving Paige to reconsider her words in front of her brothers. "Apparently I already caused the pair of ya enough trouble. I should get back to the school, cause it's late, and I ain't got a place to stay like the pair of ya. Except the school."


Jeb smiles, relieved when Jay calls him 'sprout' instead of by his full name, which means he's not in trouble for now. "You ain't caused any more trouble than ya usually do, Paige. It's a Guthrie thing, Ah'm pretty sure, causin' trouble, we bring it wherever we go. Or that might just be me." Jeb reassures her and inches closer to his sister, offering his arms out for a peace treaty hug. "And Kale likes you plenty now, comin' in here with 'Keep Jay Safe' plans. You'll be welcome anytime, Ah'm sure."


Jay's soft forest-green eyes widen at Kaleb with a quick 'shut the hell up' when Kaleb mentions homelessness. Seriously, bro? But then he's complaining about tapes and magnets and Jay is preparing for the inevitable lecture about why acetate will ALWAYS be the king of recording. A whisper of a smile restrained upon his lips, fondly, Jay turns to Paige. "Kaleb's a bigger music dork than Ah am. And he's got sonic manipulation powers, so he can pick out all the errors in audio, and they drive him up the wall. Cassette recordin's are made with magnets an' plastic tape with a magnetic coatin'. You lose quality compared to a record, and therefore, they are a sin in the eyes of Kaleb Marshall Miller." But earns him the warmest regard from Jay, knowing all of his friend's little ticks.

Getting up to his feet as well when Jeb offers Paige a treaty hug, he whispers a mutable chuckle. "Yeah, looks like you earned a friend fer life with Kale. Ah kept tellin' him Ah had a big sister just like him. Of course yer welcome any time, Paige." He looks over at Jeb as well. "Actually, we still gotta get Jeb cleared at the institute too. The dang red tape in their screening process is a little excessive, not like all of us don't know what's goin' on there." Jay sighs and his wings shiver again, smiling at Jeb, then Paige. "Since yer here now, feel like helpin' make sure that happens? So Jeb don't have to keep sharin' a bed with me, gettin' a face full of feathers in the middle of the night."


"What do you mean red tape?" Paige asks, then frowns. "I'll find the Professor and have a chat with 'im. We'll get this straight in no time." Paige offers with a flat look for a moment before she rises to her feet and gives first Jay, and then Jeb a hug. "Josh, you be good. Jeb, no gettin' into fights." she looks between the pair and sighs. "I love ya both." she offers, before she's heading off, apparently going to miss out on the food because it's late.


"Love ya too, Paige. And Ah ain't makin' no promises about not fightin'. It's too fun!" Jebediah teases after his sister releases him. As Paige leaves, Jeb pushes Jay's arm lightly. "Why'd you tell her that, Ah'll bet she could get the professor to let me in! And then what? Ah'd have to actually go to more school! Ah don't wanna go to more school." He huffs and then wonders if maybe Jay just wants his own damn space back more than anything. That makes sense, really. Of course Jay would want his own space back after having to share a house with like a bajillion siblings. He ponders that notion. He's got a job now. He could probably find a little apartment somewhere and it wouldn't invovle schooling.


Jay squeezes Paige back as well on her way out, wobbling slightly when he's pushed. He pushes Jeb back lightly. "Yer gonna be allowed in just fine no matter what. It's just a pain in the ass t'get the Professor to screen someone sometimes since he's the only one who can do it. An' you don't /have/ to go do more schoolin'," Jay points out. "But you should go because the /other/ thing they do there is give you more trainin' on how to control and use your powers. An' that is /definitely/ somethin' you ought to do, Jeb. Ah didn't go back fer schoolin', but Ah still go back for trainin', an' my powers ain't at all useful." Jay rolls his eyes up thoughtfully as he sits back down on the couch. "Think of it like super powered P.E. class. You like P.E."


"You ain't said it like you…" He cuts himself off before he finishes the sentence, accusing Jay of wanting him out of his hair /and/ his feathers. He wanted Jeb to go to school at first because maybe he could live there instead of here. He doesn't want to say it though, swallows that down and tries to file it as irrational. "Ah trained myself just fine didn't Ah? Ah designed those birds on your guitar and ah only burned myself a little." A lot, but Jay didn't have to know that. "And ah practiced so Ah wouldn't hurt that Cabbot boy much. So ah taught myself. Ah don't gotta go to school for that but… but if you … if'n you want me to."


Jeb's tone hedges around what he really wants to say in that predictable pattern with family where you want to say a thing, but you don't say a thing, but you want to, so you just dance around it. "Jeb, what aren't you sayin'?" Jay, taking a page out of Kaleb's book and trying direct. "You trained yerself, and you did good with it. You worked hard t'get things worked out, and you know mah guitar is damned amazin', Jeb. Ah /love/ mah guitar. That's a one-of-a-kind instrument, now. That's why Ah use it for the club." He sighs and tilts his head slightly to Jeb, peering at him.


Jeb shrugs and moves over to join Jay on the couch. "Ah'm not /not/ sayin' anythin'." He lies, knowing Jay is going to see right through it and call him out on it so he sighs. "That weren't true. Okay. Do you want me to go to the school so Ah'm not here anymore? Ah mean, that's okay, Ah'm not hurt or anythin' about it. Ah get it, that you might want your own space back, Ah am kinda overstayin' my welcome. Ah could just find my own place though, if you want me to do that."


"Part of it might be that Ah don't want Kale an' Kell to feel like we're takin' over their apartment," Jay admits in part. "You saw how he got spun up a little bit when Paige thought this was our place. They're bein' extremely generous, an' while they haven't said nothin' about it yet, Ah just don't want them to ever feel like we're movin' in on them. An' Ah worry about Kaleb when he's sick, which is sort of a lot." When every single sound in a mile radius hurts him. Jay holds up a hand. "/But/, like Kale said, family comes first. An' Ah expect you to be here all the time, an' sleepin' over, too. Especially on long nights at the club."

Jay thinks about it a moment longer, watching his younger brother. "You honestly don't think you could learn nothin' from bein' there? It'd just be a waste of time."


Jeb smiles a little pained, looking down at his hands as Jay talks. "You do want me to get out." He confirms, more to himself than anything. "You're right though. He only really invited you to stay here. Ah kinda just showed up unannounced and Ah'm always loud and annoyin'. Ah'll leave. Ah don't want to make anything hard on Kaleb and Ah don't want to make anything hard on you either." He agrees easily, still looking down at his hands. "Ah'm sure ah could learn something at the school, Ah just don't want to do more school. It weren't fun the first time and Ah'll bet the bullies in a mutant school are worse than the ones at a normal school. Ah just got bad memories with school and you know Ah ain't smart. School is for smart mutants. Ah got a job, Ah'll save up. Ah can just find a place and if Ah have my own place, Ah don't need to be over here."


Jay cringes and shakes his head. "That isn't what Ah'm sayin', Sprout." Jay sighs and rubs a hand through his hair, ruffling it until it scatters around his face. "Christ…" The red head mutters and waves his hand. "Ferget Ah said anything, Jeb, okay?" Jay, ill equipt to deal with passive aggressive little brothers and guilt trips, flicks a smile at jeb. "Yer fine where you are. If you don't want to go check out the institute, then you don't have to. Ah ain't the boss of you."


"Ah'll look into the institute but Ah ain't gonna promise you that Ah'm gonna go there. School weren't never my strong suit. In the meantime, in case the school thing doesn't work, Ah'll look for somewhere else to stay. Gotta be cheap apartments somewhere close to the bar. Ah think ah heard of some in Mutant Town anyhow. Ah could even ask Doug, he might know. Could ask around at the bar while Ah'm cleanin' too. It'll be fine. I'll figure something out."


"It ain't just a school, either. Ah mean, Paige and Sam stay there. Half the people who stay there ain't goin' to classes. Hell, the only reason Ah /ain't/ there is because Kaleb asked me to stay." Jay mentions, but shakes his head. "Shut up, Jeb, okay? It was dumb fer me to mention it. Ah don't want you livin' somewhere all by yerself, either, are you kiddin' me?" The thought utterly appalling by the expression on Jay's face. The thought of Jeb living somewhere. Alone. As if living by yourself was a fate worse than death. "Yer stayin' where yer at, okay? Ah don't mind you in mah room or sharin' a bed with me. We've been doin' it since day one anyway."


Jeb laughs a little. "Which is probably why you want it back. Ah kick, snore and drool a lot in my sleep. Ah know that because every single one of y'all told me when you had to share a bed with me." He teases, kind of amused by the expression of horror on Jay's face at the idea of living alone. "Y'never know, Ah might like it. Wouldn't be no one to tell me what Ah can and can't do. Could get in a fight everyday. Wouldn't be no one to tell me to knock it off neither. Could eat cake for every meal. No one to stop me. Sounds better an' better the more Ah talk about it."

The smile is easier now, no longer pained. "So the school is sorta like a haven for mutants, sounds like. Gotta have teachers and stuff that live there too. Might not be so bad. Ah'll check it out."


Jay laughs softly over Jeb's snoring and drooling. "You know, it's like one of those couples who've been t'gether for 30 years. Ah can't get to sleep any more without feelin' yer elbow wedged in my back." He smiles, sitting sideways on the couch, laying his head against the back of it.

"Yeah, it's a haven. S'why Momma sent us all that way at first, but a lot of kids get turned out when they're /real/ young. There's a girl there Ah know, Ah used to let her help me preen mah wings because she's got a real light touch. She's ten. Been there since she was seven. So, they have teachers there for normal school, fer college courses, but also for fightin'. Ah go down there fer combat trainin' every Tuesday and Thursday with Mister Summers an' some other guys. They also help folks who want to learn how to do more with their powers. Ah was gonna go down there an' learn how to do more with mah voice, and frequencies, but then Ah met Kaleb."


"Ah'll just get some more pallets and craft you yer very own little brother elbow and you can just wedge it in your back before you go to bed. Ah'm gettin' pretty good at that wood craftin' thing. Ah might even open my own shop, just a little cart and then ah'll make it big, have a whole store. Then you won't have to worry 'bout me at all. All I'll sell is 'Little brother elbows'. They'll be a real hit."

"Really? Is that where you go those days? That doesn't sound so bad, combat trainin'. Ah didn't think you'd want to me to know how to fight better, but Ah'm glad to have your support." Jeb teases. Jay's saying all the right words to warm Jebediah up to the idea of the school. Though, he worries a little about taking a bed away from someone who needs it more than him.


Jay whispers a chuckle at Jeb's business proposal, reaching over to shove him a little bit, leaning over the couch to press on his shoulder, then the other one, rough housing him a little bit. "Why would Ah need a wooden lil' brother elbow when Ah got a real one over here, huh? Huh?!" Kneeling over Jeb, pushing and nudging, ruffling his hair every which way. "Ah jus' go to trainin' so Ah can keep up with you."


"For when Ah'm gone, dummy. You really need to stop relyin' on me so much, you big needy jerk." Jeb teases, with a laugh when Jay leans down on him and starts to rough house him, Jeb trying to block his hands. "Well, that makes sense, you were always a terrible wrassler. Ah always won. Maybe you should start going every day of the week." Jeb defends, trying to get a hand up to mess up Jay's long hair. His other hand trying to poke at Jay's ribs.


Jay grunts and rolls off the couch as he blocks his ribs with one arm, taking Jebediah down with him. "Terrible, huh? Let's just see about that!" Dragging the younger man down to the floor, they toussel back and forth, Jay's fingers digging into Jeb's ribs in return. Grabbing one of his brother's hands to try to make him hit himself. So on.


Jebediah huffs when Jay pulls him off the couch, Jay making him hit himself making Jeb laugh despite himself as he tightens up his arm and tries to resist his brother's pull, while the other moves up to try and thoroughly ruffles Jay's hair, making it all messed up. He tries to get a leg tangled around Jay's to trap him and trip him up. "The worst. Look at you using the oldest trick in the book. They ain't teachin' ya much."


"Ah'm tryin' to give you a chance," Jay claims, his hair all in his face after Jeb's ruffled it everywhere. Blindly batting at his younger brother now, the leg move takes him by surprise, laughing. "Goin' easy on you!" Jay's wings are pinned flat to his back, devolving into rolling around, grapple wrestling with one another.


"Is that what you're callin' it to make yourself feel better? You know this is the best you can do." Jeb says as he tries to roll his bigger, much denser brother over onto his back. "Got somethin' on your face, Jay, lemme get it for you." He licks his free hand on the palm and feigns wiping it against Jay's face.


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