Vision's Log Part 6 (December 6th to the 25th)

X-Men 2020 Role-Playing Records
The following is the story in Air Raiser's X-Men 2020 RP at http://www.oocities.org/the2020rp/.

This Role Playing thread invovles mostly Vision, and it begins were the Vision Part V left off. It's basically a one character record.

NOTE: Not every single posting was copied into this file. Only the posts that actually added to the plot line where added. Most of the Out Of Character (OOC) comments have been elimintaed to save space. If you have any probelms with with this notify me, Sirah at the2020rp@yahoo.ca

Posted by Genesis on 12/6/2001, 6:02 pm
Genesis stands at the back of in his class, idly fingering a student's project that had shown unexpected promise. He'd somehow lost Vision's signal through the rose a couple of days ago, but since then, he'd been getting something from much closer than where she was last. Had they sent her back? He'd had no idea a the time, but he was starting to wonder. In the middle of one of his night classes yesterday, he'd gotten the strangest feeling that she was in trouble, but he couldn't place it. It had driven him to distraction then, and the more he thought about it now, the more convinced he became that he should go to her house, just to make sure all was well with her family. Besides, if she had been sent back...
He'd decided to go right after class, since he doesn't have any more classes today.
After the instructor dismisses the students, he stays behind a few minitues, concentrating on locating the rose's signal while he checks on the projects one last time before leaving. His frustration shows when he accidentally grows a smaller plant past where it should be at that stage. With a sigh, he turns off the lights and heads out the door in the direction of Vision's house.

Posted by Vision on 12/6/2001, 6:09 pm
Vision’s signature seems to be coming from the general area of Vision’s loft apartment.

Posted by Genesis on 12/6/2001, 6:21 pm
Genesis cocks his head and hurrys along. He's really starting to wonder now, his hope overcomming his caution. He arrives on their doorstep a moment later and knocks anxiously.

Posted by Vision on 12/6/2001, 6:34 pm
Rhiow and Saash look towards the door when Genesis knocks. Aside from Vision the two cats were the only ones home. Saash blinks nervously, she wished Mirage was home. After what happened last night she was almost ready to go speeding into Vision’s room and risk her wrath rather then face what might be on the other side of that door. What if that was the vampire bird ready to get revenge on herself and Rhiow? ~Who is it?~ She asks the other feline, sounding nervous.
Rhiow hops up onto the consol of the computer that controlled the house. She taps a button with her paw to turn on the security camera, then grins at what she sees. It was Vision’s new boyfriend, this could be good. ~ It's plantboy! ~ She answers Saash gleefully.
The fuzzy brown tabby sighs in relief, then blinks at Rhiow's tone. She couldn't believe that Rhiow was ready to create more chaos after what happened last night.
One gets the feeling that the orange tabby would be grinning maliciously if she could. ~We must let him in, Jenn wouldn't want us to leave such an important visitor sitting on the front step......~
~But isn’t Jenn napping?~ Saash pauses halfway through her comment as Rhiow hits the button that opens the door. The orange tabby noses open the door, then disappears into the shadows of the hallway.
This was going to be fun...

Posted by Genesis on 12/6/2001, 6:44 pm
He peers in when the door opens, confused that no one was there. When he looks down, he catches sight of Saash and smiles, ~Hello, Saash... Where's Vision?~

Posted by Saash on 12/6/2001, 6:47 pm
She blinks, she hadn't been fast enough following Rhiow and she'd been caught out. ~ Um...~ She looks towards the hallway, trying to see what Rhiow is up to. Where they going to end up as humans for this one?

Posted by Genesis on 12/6/2001, 6:56 pm
He cocks his head, wondering what the cat was so nervous about. ~She's... here?~ he almost wouldn't dare hope, but it creeps into his voice anyway.

Posted by Saash on 12/6/2001, 6:58 pm
~ Um, yeeess..~ She says, taking a quick look back towards the hallway.

Posted by Genesis on 12/6/2001, 7:11 pm
He follows her glance, smiling brilliantly when she confirms his hopes. He nods his thanks and steps through the hall, following the rose's trail to it's source.

Posted by Rhiow and Vision on 12/6/2001, 7:14 pm
Rhiow hisses at Saash to follow her, but the brown tabby is too slow following and is caught standing in the middle of the living room by Genesis. Rhiow rolls her eyes. Oh well, she could pull this one off by herself. She noses open the door to Vision's room and hops up on the bed. She studies Vision for a moment, then leaps onto the mutants stomach, watching Vision intently from a inches away.
Vision tries to turn over and swat at the annoying cat on her stomach, but Rhiow sees that mauver coming and dodges, then goes back to bugging Vision. Eventually the mutants green eyes open, surprisingly she was still in her natural form. Vision hisses under her breath, rather shocked to find the orange tabby's face inches from her own. "Arrg! Why can't you just leave me in peace?" The still sleepy Vision complains, making another half-hearted swat at Rhiow. She hadn't gone to bed until late, early morning was actually a better description. Now that everyone was out she had thought that she'd finally been left in peace.
Rhiow dodges easily then settles herself near Vision. ~Genesis is here.~ She says truthfully, sounding perfectly innocent.
Vision snorts. "Bah! Yeah right, cat. You've only done this to me four times in the past twenty four hours. Don't you think this is getting a little old?" Her actions don't quite suit her words. Vision sits up, swinging her legs off the bed and getting up. She didn't really believe that Genesis was here, but she felt obligated to check. Then she could go back to bed and sleep in peace. She doesn't bother changing out of her PJ's, Rhiow had done this too many times for her to take it seriously. If Genesis was here, she could change before letting him in
The very tousled and not entirely awake Vision exits from her room, still in her natural form. Her shorts and tank top PJ's expose her oddly jointed legs quite distinctly. Vision walks on her toes, just like any cat. Her hair, which usually looks semi out of control, is all over the place. She's so intent on reaching the door and confirming that Genesis isn't here so she can go back to sleep that she doesn't even notice that he's standing in the middle of the hallway.

Posted by Genesis on 12/7/2001, 12:38 pm
He blinks when he hears footsteps behind the door to Vision's room and grins, figuring that the other cat must've alerted her to his presence. So much for a surprise...
When she appears, he stands still, hands in his pockets, looking incredibly happy. He smiles at her appearance, and not just the fluffy-ness and the somewhat annoyed look on her face. When he sees that she hadn't noticed him yet, he reaches out with a little tendril of energy to her mind through the rose. ~Jennifer...~

Posted by Vision on 12/7/2001, 5:23 pm
She simply stands, blinking sleepliy with her tail twitching absently. It takes a moment for the fact that Genesis was actually in the house to make it's way through her sleep fogged mind. Eventually she does realize that she's not still asleep and that she was indeed standing in front of Genesis, in her PJ's. She didn't even like wandering around the house wearing anything less then sweat pants and a t-shirt. This was not the way she would have choosen to appear. With what sounds suspicously like an embaressed squeak she shifts herself into her human form, clothes and all. Maybe that hadn't been such a great idea, now her embaressment is evident in the blush coloring her cheeks. Realizing this she shifts again, banishing the bluch from her face. Much better. She was going to kill Rhiow later, but for now, the cat would live. "Um, Hi, Alex.." She says, somewhat glad to discover that she's not sounding nearly as surprised and embarassed as she feels.

Posted by Genesis on 12/10/2001, 1:39 pm
He watches the light dawn in her eyes and almost laughs when she shifts, only managing to keep it in by grinning hugely instead. He hadn't really noticed the pj look before, because his eyes were mostly on her face.
His appearance couldn't have been much better, since she'd been captured, he'd kept up the link at the cost of almost too much effort. And when he'd lost contact through the rose at the time of her return, he had all but forgotten to eat and sleep for worry of what might have happened to her.
Just suffice it to say he didn't look his best either.

Posted by Vision on 12/10/2001, 1:50 pm
She takes in Genesis's appearance with a blink. Had something happened that Mirage and Paradox forgot to mention to her? Hmm, well this was awkward. Vision couldn't think of a thing to say. Well, when in doubt, offer food. " Would you like some lunch?" Vision asks, taking a few steps towards the kitchen, and Genesis. It was time for lunch, wasn't it? How long had she been asleep? She absently wishes that she could have caught sight of the clock in her room before comming out.

Posted by Genesis on 12/10/2001, 5:07 pm
His eyes glint with mirth and he nods wordlessly, turning aside to let her pass.

Posted by Vision on 12/10/2001, 5:18 pm
She steps past him and heads into the kitchen, searching around for something that was suitable for lunch.

Posted by Genesis on 12/10/2001, 5:33 pm
He follows quietly, wishing he knew if he were only dreaming again, or if she were really back. In the time that she'd been gone, they hadn't really been separated... all except the last couple of days. He watches her curiously from the door of the kitchen, almost as awkward as she.

Posted by Vision on 12/10/2001, 5:42 pm
She continues to search through the kitchen, wondering if there was anything other then soup that she could offer for a quick meal. Absently she takes a quick peek back at Genesis. He was the one that looked like he'd just been stuck in a lab for the past few days. She finally finds a pan of lasagna, and smiles. Paradox made some pretty good Italian food. She pops open the microwave to heat it up, then takes a seat at the small kitchen table.

Posted by Genesis on 12/10/2001, 7:18 pm
He still stands in the doorway, watching her with a somewhat dreamy smile on his face, like he were somewhere else, or couldn't believe his senses just yet. When she takes a seat, he shakes himself and blinks, then smiles broadly.
Had Vision noticed the rose, it would have been slowly wilting over the past few days, along with Genesis's health. Now however, it is beginning to recover, and even glow with his presence.

Posted by Vision on 12/10/2001, 7:25 pm
She raises an eyebrow at Genesis, wondering if he's just planning to stand there all day or if he's planning to sit down to eat. Vision hadn't looked at the rose recently. It'd been lying forgotten in her coat as Vision tried to recover from the sudden shock of being returned to her home without her memories.

Posted by Genesis on 12/10/2001, 7:32 pm
He blinks and seems to shake himself mentally and smiles at her, taking a seat at the table. He looks puzzled for a moment, then realizes that he had been feeling like Vision wasn't in the room with him at all because she didn't have the rose with her. "Welcome back..." is about the best he can manage at the moment.

Posted by Vision on 12/10/2001, 7:42 pm
"Thanks." She says wryly, somehow amused with the situation. The mircowave bings and Vision stands to serve. A moment later she slides Genesis his plate and sits down with her own. She's a bit spaced out herself. The last time she and Genesis were in a room together they couldn't stop hearing each other's thoughts. Had the holding station done something to her?
Her eyes flicker green for a moment at that thought and she shivers. She didn't want to ponder such things. Then she realizes that the rose was in her coat pocket, which was currently in the living room. Did she want to go get it? She wasn't sure she could handle getting the spill over of some one else's emotions at the moment. She wasn't feeling too stable herself. Although if she did get the rose, she could check on Genesis's condition. He didn't look too good and she wanted to know what happened.

Posted by Genesis on 12/10/2001, 7:50 pm
He smiles, watching her as she gets up and returns with the plate of lunch, and some of the doubt leaves his eyes. He's studying her face when her eyes flicker green, and shadows of worry appear across his eyes.

Posted by Vision on 12/10/2001, 7:56 pm
She just eats her food absently, shoving the darker thoughts from her mind. When she finishes her plate she looks up to see if Genesis was enjoying it.

Posted by Genesis on 12/10/2001, 8:01 pm
He turns his attention to his plate and eats the lasagna in silence. It really was good. He just can't get the thought out of his head that she's not really here, mostly because the only time he's seen her, she's had the rose. Now it was elsewhere, so he didn't feel her presence. Like a dream when she was still in the containment facility. Somewhere else...
He realizes that there's no more food on the plate that he's staring at and looks up and around sheepishly. When he notices her attention, he smiles.

Posted by Vision on 12/10/2001, 8:09 pm
Vision smiles back, faintly relieved that she wasn't the only one that was spaced out. She collects the plates silently, putting them in the sink. As much as she didn't want her own thoughts to come to light, she really wanted to know what happened to Genesis. She could just blurt out an inquiry, or she could go get the rose. She didn't know which would be more embaressing. She makes her decision quickly, she could go change into some real clothes and get the rose at the after. She'd just have to keep a leash on her thoughts. "I'll be right back." She says, disappearing through the door to the living room and then into her room. She changes quickly, then retrieves the rose from her leather jacket, which was hanging on the coat rack and then returns to the kitchen.

Posted by Genesis on 12/10/2001, 8:20 pm
He smiles, nodding, and watches her go before returning to his own thoughts.
The moment Vision touches the rose, she'd feel a jolt of energy, followed by something akin to a trickling stream of vague thoughts and emotions. Genesis blinks suddenly, as if waking from a dream, his eyes widening slightly at her approach.

Posted by Vision on 12/10/2001, 8:22 pm
Vision returns to her seat, wearing almost the exact same clothes she'd shifted into. Most of her thoughts seem to be based on not thinking anything at all. She tilts her head at his widen eyes, looking faintly amused.

Posted by Genesis on 12/10/2001, 8:32 pm
He blinks and looks up at her from his seat at the table, not quite believing his eyes, but trusting his sense. Images flood into his mind, memories of what they'd shared while she was... away... and then, something odd. There were a few scenes of Genesis sitting alone, then Vision was beside him. He spoke with the Vision in his dreams, but it always turned out to be a dream, but he was awake at the time... interesting...
The joy and relief are almost overwhealming, comming in a flood of emotion. If Vision had been able to see beyond the images and emotions, she might have caught a glimpse of how exhausted Genesis truly was.

Posted by Vision on 12/11/2001, 1:37 pm
The only thing Vision remembers of the entire holding station expirence are her conversations with Genesis, and even those are strangely disjointed. She can't remember what she was thinking at the time or what was happening to her, only what she said and Genesis's reply to her comments.
She's faintly worried by the scenes with herself and Genesis. Did he just have an over active imagination, or had he been halucinating? Her worry doesn't last long before she's swept away in the floor of joy and relief. Her suddenly feline ears are flicking all over the place as she tries to stay in her shifted form. Any intense emotion tended to make it hard to stay shifted. One would think that she'd be used to this by now, after all, Mirage used to do this kind of thing all the time.
She does manage to catch a hint of Genesis's exhaustion, and that starts her worrying again. Maybe she should just bite him and enforce a bit of rest.

Posted by Genesis on 12/11/2001, 4:04 pm
He smiles, then stands and hugs her tightly, the bonds strengthening with his contact. Vision would be able to see just what he'd done and thought the whole time she'd been away, and an alarming amount of it is worry. And not only for Vision, though she is the main focus, he'd worried and dwelt on the whole situation, sharing every mutant's concern about their fate.
Now, his mind is too relieved to think about much more than the moment, and the contact intensified what Vision would feel of his emotions.
After a little while, he pulls back, looking slightly embarassed. He wouldn't have minded a longer embrace, but he wasn't sure if she, or indeed anyone else, would appreciate it the same.

Posted by Vision on 12/11/2001, 4:13 pm
Part of Vision isn't doesn't know whether to squirm away or cuddle closer, the other half is thinking, Cue Mirage, Kat and Paradox. This would be the perfect time for them to walk in, if they wanted to embarass her to death later. She's actually faintly surprised when they don't step in. She didn't think fate was that fond of her. She just remains sitting stiffly in her chair after Genesis pulls back, eyes tightly closed with her feline ears flicked back. She was not going to let herself revert to a green furball. The back of her mind is filled with thoughts along the lines of, thank goodness I'm not a telepath...

Posted by Genesis on 12/11/2001, 4:25 pm
He catches glimpses of her thought processes before he pulls away and smiles slightly. He wonders why she's keeping so tight a hold on her feline features, it wasn't like he'd never seen her fur before. Besides, he rather liked the green of her coat...
He blinks hard when he finally realizes that their proximity made it possible to touch eachother's thoughts and trys to clamp down on his own mind, sheepishly aware that she can hear, and has heard, everything that crosses his mind.

Posted by Vision on 12/11/2001, 4:36 pm
She didn't usually like being touched, it only reminded her that she was a green furball. When she finally opens her eyes they're the startling shade of green that goes with her natural form. As hyped as she was now, getting rid of her ears was all she could do. A blush starts to creep up her keeps as she catches Genesis's thoughts, then she banishes it. She wasn't going to blush either. Well, this was great fun... What a time empaths must have.

Posted by Genesis on 12/11/2001, 4:43 pm
He reacts to her thoughts and emotions as instantly as he feels them, reassuring self esteem and unconciously showing her how lovely her true form was in his eyes. He shakes his head and blinks helplessly into those green eyes, with a smile and a thought But empaths don't read thoughts, only emotions. Your sister doesn't seem to have that difficult a time of it... he raises an eyebrow and a quick flash of Mirage flickers through his mind. Where was everyone, anyway? Not like it was a bad thing, being alone together... especially without the empathic presence, but still...

Posted by Vision on 12/11/2001, 4:52 pm
She was not going to blush, she was not going to blush. A bit of her humor returns, Then I feel sorry for the telepaths! She wasn't quite sure how to explain that Mirage didn't really have all that strong of a empathic talent. She was good at blasting people with raw emotion, and picking up intense emotions, but everything else was a bit out of her league. Vision shrugs mentally, figuring that Genesis would just pick it up....
She wasn't sure she wanted to have a link like this with anybody. Mind to mind was a little too close for comfort for her. She liked being able to not say anything at all and let everyone else wonder what she's thinking. A least with speech you could stop yourself from making dumb comments. It was almost impossible to be mysterious when every thought in your head was broadcast.. Having every though in her head overheard, and hearing every though of someone else quite frankly scared her.
She blinks at the last thought. Mirage and Paradox had said they where going out, but they hadn't said where and it'd been a long time since they'd left..

Posted by Genesis on 12/11/2001, 5:06 pm
He can't help but laugh at her humor, and smiles slightly, interpreting and accepting to the idea almost instantly. When he catches the hint of what she thinks next, he looks puzzled, then understanding, then concerned. He didn' want to cause any trouble... it was possible to break the link, but it wasn't what he'd wish to do. There would be no way of ever contacting her if she were captured again, as much as he'd hate to lose contact, he doesn't want to impose anything...
He sighs slightly, the link could be broken, but Vision would have to decide and agree completely for it to work... his brow furrows in thought as he trys to decide himself.
When Vision reveals her knowledge of Mirage and Paradox, he wonders. They wouldn't get into trouble, would they?

Posted by Vision on 12/11/2001, 5:12 pm
Having the link broken doesn't really seem to be her wish. She seems more interested in toning it down a bit, but she would try it this way for awhile. After all, it was only when they came in close proximity that the strength of the link made her uncomfortable. Maybe she'd get used to it...
She can't help laughing at his thought about Mirage and Paradox, out loud and mentally. "Obviously you don't know what those two are like when they're together..." She says out loud. "Who knows what they're up to." She comments with a amused shrug.

Posted by Genesis on 12/11/2001, 5:17 pm
He raises an eyebrown and chuckles "I see your point..." and he did too, through the link. He nods mentally at her decision, somewhat relieved.

Posted by Vision on 12/11/2001, 5:21 pm
There's a loud bang and Vision jumps. Without a word she stands, leaving the kitchen and heading into the hallway, the source of the sound. The best words for her mental reaction being, what in the world?! A gigantic christmas tree appears to be making it's way down the hall, point first. Vision, with her eyebrow raised and a half smirk on her face, is practically radiating amused bewilderment. At the moment she felt she could handle walking pine trees better then she could matters of the heart and mind.

Posted by Genesis on 12/11/2001, 5:37 pm
He blinks when he catches her mental exclamation, and gets up to follow her out of the kitchen. His own reaction is very much the same, but filled with quite a bit more laughter.

Posted by Paradox and Mirage on 12/11/2001, 5:46 pm
~ Mirage! I asked you to catch the door! You've probably woken Vision up!~ The mental version of a loud whisper, floats down to them.
"Well it's not my fault that a gust of wind banged the door into the wall!" Comes Mirage's rather annoyed sounding reply.
~ Oh well.~ Replies Paradox, ~There's nothing we can do about it now. Can you go ahead and make sure all the doors are shut? This thing is getting heavy!~
"Then why don't you put it down?" Asks Mirage, sounding annoyed and amused.
~And crush the needles?!~ If one judged Mirage's comment from Paradox's tone, it would have sounded like Mirage said something scandalous.

Posted by Genesis on 12/11/2001, 5:52 pm
He snickers quietly at their whispers. They didn't know Vision was awake already... He watches the tree, a huge grin still spread across his face, then glances at Vision curiously, wondering just they're going to do when they find Vision awake and him in the house.

Posted by Vision on 12/11/2001, 5:53 pm
Vision laughs quietly, grabbing Genesis's hand and tugging him back towards the kitchen. "Come on, we can watch from this kitchen.." She laughs again, unable to help herself. It was going to be total chaos in the living room soon, if her expirence two years ago was any indication. "This should be good."

Posted by Genesis on 12/11/2001, 5:56 pm
He blinks, still grinning, and allows himself to be led into the kitchen. The link was strengthened with her touch, but his mind is so focused on what will soon happen he doesn't notice overly much.

Posted by Various on 12/11/2001, 6:01 pm
They make it into the kitchen just in time, Mirage comes down the hall a moment later, swinging all the doors shut. She closes Vision's door gently, not even peeking inside to see if Vision's in there.
Vision grins, Rhiow was now shut up in her bedroom. She was having too much fun enjoying the possiblity of chaos to have even thought about the link.
The christmas tree makes it's way down the hall. Mirage is suddenly glad that there was nothing on the walls. If there had been, it'd be long smashed by now. If she didn't know better she'd swear that Paradox was doing his best to scrape the branches along the walls. She eyes the door of Vision's bedroom, with all the noise they were making it'd be a miracle if her sister remained asleep.

Posted by Genesis on 12/11/2001, 6:04 pm
He laughs quietly, and it's covered completely by all the noise the tree is making. He watches closely, wondering absently if there would even be enough room to fit the tree propperly.

Posted by Various on 12/11/2001, 6:09 pm
Paradox finally wrestles the pine tree into the living room. It's no suprise the muscle bound mutant is having probelms with this tree, it's eight and a half feet tall if it's an inch. He finally puts sets it down on it's trunk. Despite the christmas law that ones roof is never as high as one remembers, the tree fits quite nicely. There's enough space for a star with a bit of room left over. It's a good thing that Vision's loft apartment has high ceilings. Paradox's expression is almost comical as he realizes they're missing a stand. ~ Mirage! Where's the stand?!~
Mirage's eyes widen. "In the storage room, probably."
~Well, will you go get it?! I can't hold this thing forever!~

Posted by Genesis on 12/11/2001, 6:19 pm
He is secretly impressed with Paradox's precision in chosing a tree, and laughs again when they realize that the stand is missing. He watches Mirage go, wondering where the storage room is.

Posted by Various on 12/11/2001, 6:21 pm
Mirage squeaks, whether in annoyance or panic is unknown, and runs from the room. Pounding down the hallways she skids into the storage room and starts rooting through boxes. It takes her a moment to realize that one of the boxes is labled 'X-mas stuff'. She grins, glad that her sister's so organized, and hauls it down. Wow, there was a heck of a lot of stuff in this box. She starts digging through it, making an absolute mess of Vision's neat organization.
Vision tries to smother her giggles, glad that she wasn't the one trying to organize the mess in the living room. She'd had enough of that two years ago. Her mind just kind of skips over last Christmas. It'd been extremely depressing, with Mirage in the lab, lonely too.
Mirage skids back in roughly ten minutes later, triumphantly waving a stand at the annoyed Paradox. "I found it!"
~ And took your bloody sweet time doing it, might I add!!~ Is Paradox's peeved reply.

Posted by Genesis on 12/11/2001, 6:28 pm
This was going to be interesting... He catches a glimpse of part of Vision's thought process and grins, wondering what it was like two years ago.

Posted by Various on 12/11/2001, 6:31 pm
They manage to get the tree in the stand. They both step back to admire their handy work.

Posted by Genesis on 12/11/2001, 6:37 pm
He smiles at the now standing tree, and his palms glow slightly as he unconciously feeds it a little energy, keeping it alive untill it finds the water in the base of the stand.

Posted by Kat and Kanga on 12/11/2001, 6:38 pm
Kat and Kanga enter, studying the giant tree with amusement and a bit of awe. Realizing that the door is still open, Kanga twacks it with her tail before hopping further into the living room. It shuts with a resounding thunk. The contact is enough to send the tree swaying, it begins to topple, right towards Kat...

Posted by Genesis on 12/11/2001, 6:39 pm
His eyes widen when the tree starts to fall and he's just about ready to dash out and help...

Posted by Various on 12/11/2001, 6:42 pm
Paradox catches the tree with a grunt while Mirage zips under it to rescue Kat. She blinks when she realizes that Kat isn't under the tree any more, she's standing safely on the other side. Everyone in the room takes a moment to wonder how she manages to do that. Mirage heads back out into the open, asking her younger sister if she's okay. Kat, uncomfortable with all the attention simply nods sheepishly.

Posted by Genesis on 12/11/2001, 6:45 pm
He blinks, curious as well, but relaxes now that the threat of danger has passed. He watches the scene, wondering how Kat managed it, but figuring that it must run in the family... Vision's weather, Mirage's empathy, and Kat... interesting.

Posted by Various on 12/11/2001, 6:46 pm
Vision shakes her head, amazed by her youngest sisters reaction time. It was almost like she started moving before the tree started to fall.
Paradox sets the tree back in the stand, frowning at it as if it's the stands fault. He makes sure it's not going to fall over again, stomping his foot several times. The tree shakes, but it doesn't threaten to fall over again.

Posted by Genesis on 12/11/2001, 6:51 pm
He blinks at that thought, receiving a little of it, but getting enough of the idea. Very interesting... His hand goes to his pocket where a 'special' rests and he strokes it absently, remembering Ciin in that instant. He wonders just what happened to the little thing.

Posted by Various on 12/11/2001, 8:29 pm
Mirage watches the tree for a moment, making sure that it isn't about to fall over again before shrugging. "So now the only question is, do we wake up Vision and see if she wants to help decorate, or do we decorate the tree and surprise Vision with it?"
Kat blinks. "Well someone else gets the suicide job of waking her up! I'm not doing it!"
Paradox looks up from his job of hanging the strings of lights. Even aside from the fact that he was the only one that could reach the top of the tree, it was just easier to let him do it with his telekinesis. ~ I'm hanging lights, I'm not doing it either.~ He says before going back to the lights, sounding almost as paranoid as Kat.
Mirage frowns. "I can't believe you two! It's not like Vision's a species of bear! Sheesh. I'll do it if none of you big babies are up to waking my older sister."
"Mirage is the only one that Vision won't freak out on.." Kat whispers to Kanga. The roo mutant giggles at this comment. It was soo true!
Mirage scowls at Kat. "I heard that! Really Kat, you could try being nicer to her." She turns her green gaze on Paradox. "That goes for you too, Paradox!"
Kat rolls her eyes, suddenly rebellious. "Well she isn't very nice to me either!"
Mirage frowns again. "Well it could be all those pranks you play on her.." She turns her gaze on Paradox. " What's your excuse?"
Paradox just blinks, looking faintly sheepish. He looks away from Mirage's steady glare. When Mirage still doesn't look away, he finally answers. ~Okay, okay. It's just funny getting a rise out of her, okay?~
"You find nearly being fried by lightning fun?" Asks Kanga, eyebrows raised. "I knew you were wierd, but I didn't think you were that wierd!"
Paradox snorts at her. ~ You stay out of this.~
"Alright, Cuz!" Says Kanga, obviously having no intention of actually doing so.
Mirage shakes her head. "You guys have never truly seen Vision freak out."
Paradox raises a hand, like he's a school or something. ~ I have, remember the last time Genesis was over? She freaked out, and then she collapsed?~
Mirage shakes her head. "That's the closest I've seen her to completely freaking out in quite awhile, but that wasn't a complete and utter, entirely lost it, freak out."
The eyebrows of Kat, Kanga and Paradox go up, they could sense a story behind her words. This was something they wanted to hear.

Posted by Various on 12/11/2001, 8:31 pm
Mirage almost laughs, faintly amused by their reactions. "Fine." She says quietly. "It was back when I was in the ninth grade. I had been having just a little too much fun playing around with different forms, and I was walking home from school looking rather too perfect to be real." Kat and Kanga laugh. Paradox's eyebrows rise again. All the females in the room roll their eyes. Guys..
Mirage continues on with her tale. "I was being more then a tad bit idiotic that day, so I decided to take the short cut back to the institute, through the bad end of town. Big mistake." She pauses for a moment, evidently not liking this part of the tale. "Anyway, I'm going through the bad end of town and this guy just kinda slips out of the shadows and starts following me. I speed up, but I don't get very far. He slides up beside me, pinning me to the wall."
Kat and Kanga blink, their fur standing. If one was looking at Paradox at the moment they might notice his reaction is somewhat more violent then the two girls. Aside from his standing fur, his teeth were showing.
Mirage doesn't notice anyone's reaction, evidently lost in the story." He starts talking to me not at all nicely. I'm not quite sure why I didn't shift and scare the crap outa him, too frightened I guess. I'm surprised that he didn't notice that my eyes were suddenly green and that I had fangs, but oh well."
"Vision comes out of the shadows. She'd been following me the entire way home to make sure no one bothered me. I've never seen her that mad, before or since. She was in her natural form, in broad daylight, out in the open. Her eyes were blazing pure white, bright enough to light up her entire face. She was floating a good foot off the ground in her rage. Have you ever seen Storm do it? It's quite a sight. She musta looked like a demon to that guy, coming out of the shadows like that. Heck, she even scared me! This blast of wind comes down the street, pinning the guy to the wall without even ruffling my hair."
"Stay away from her. Vision growled, not sounding like herself at all. I can't even do it right, without hurting my throat. Then a gust of wind picked the guy up and threw him against a wall on the opposite side of the street. He slid down the wall and landed in a dumpster... Then Vision just kinda collapsed. Like a marionette who's strings had been cut. "
The three listening are all silent, waiting for Mirage to finish the story. She does so quickly. "I couldn't get her to wake up, so I shifted myself into a stronger form and tried to carry her home. I didn't get all that far, just barely into the better end of town. Luckily the Professor marked the massive amount of power Vision used, and came to pick us up. Vision was completely out of it for a month, and weak for weeks after she woke up. For awhile there, no one thought she would make it."
Paradox breaks the silence. ~ So that's why she was away for school for most of December that year...~ Mirage nods silently. Paradox still looks thoughtful. ~ So why wasn't she out for a week when she freaked out when Genesis was here? Asks Paradox, more out of wanting to voice the comment then out of any expectation of getting an answer.
Mirage shrugs. "I dunno. I think Genesis had something to do with it." She smiles slightly at this comment, looking thoughtful.
"So are you going to go wake Vision up?" Asks Kanga, breaking the mood.
Mirage snaps out of her somewhat spacy manner and nods. "Yup. But no pranks, okay you two? She deserves a little time off from your teasing!"

Posted by Vision on 12/11/2001, 8:34 pm
Vision had blinked when Mirage asked if they should wake her up. She wondered what would happen when they found that she and Genesis had been watching silently the entire time. She looks faintly puzzled by the reactions of Kat and Paradox. Did they really think she was like that? She flushes, grateful for Mirage's defense, but she's more distracted by the comments of the other two. Did they honestly think that she would blast them simply because they woke her up? She winces as bit as she realizes that she probably wouldn't have reacted very well if either of them would have woken her up. Still, her reaction wouldn't have been that bad. Mostly likely she would have thrown a pillow at them or something.
She goes red when Mirage mentions her completely freaking out, wincing once more. It wasn't a memory she liked reviewing, and it wasn't a story she liked hearing either. People had this tendency to react badly to it. She could have gone without listening to these last few moments of conversation. She's almost afraid to hear what Genesis thinks of this all.
She's still faintly red when Kanga mentions waking her up. She blinks, wondering if she should just shift herself and teleport into her room. Then what would Alex do? She's faintly amused by the thought of what Mirage's reaction would be if she teleported them both into her room. Kat and Paradox weren't the only ones that could play pranks!

Posted by Genesis on 12/12/2001, 6:15 pm
He listens all through the narrative, privately (or not quite so privately) impressed with Vision's role in the story, and just a little jealous of Mirage for having such a sibling. When Mirage mentions that he could have been the reason for her speedy recovery he nods. All that energy hadn't gone to waste after all.
He blinks when Mirage decides to 'wake Vison', and ponders the possabilities, passing each through his mind before settling on the most likely. He could either stay in the kitchen while Vision went back and pretended to wake up, but that could cause a little more suspcion than he cared to think about. No... They could both go into her room and... pretend to be talking? Well, that was a little suspicious too, but not quite as bad as being discovered peeking in on their conversation from the kitchen...

Posted by Vision and Various others on 12/12/2001, 6:31 pm
Vision's somewhat surprised by Genesis's reaction. Being impressed was not the reaction she usually got after a rendition of that story. Fear was usually highly rated amoung listeners, with wise cracks about how their siblings wouldn't react like that being close behind, with a little bit of curiousity about what Vision really had looked like just after comming out of the alley thrown in for goo measure..
She gives a mental shake of her head at her thought of just teleporting them both into her room. It would be too hard to explain why they'd actually been in there. Ah.. She could teleport herself to her room and Genesis just outside the door.. That might actually work.
Mirage studies Paradox and Kat for a moment, waiting for them to agree to leave Vision in peace, at least while they decorated the tree. Both grumble half heartedly before agreeing. They hadn't really been planning anything anyway. They didn't want to get on Vision's bad side. They knew, even if she wouldn't admit it, just how badly having been in the holding station and returning without her memories freaked her out.

Posted by Genesis on 12/12/2001, 6:35 pm
He cactches on to that idea and nods, both mentally and phisically, waiting for her to act on it. When Mirage looks like she's about to leave, he gets a little worried, but trusts Vision's assesment of her abilities.

Posted by Vision and Mirage on 12/12/2001, 6:43 pm
Vision's eyes go brown as she partially shifts to the form of a teleporting mutant she knows. She touches Genesis's shoulder and suddenly they're outside the door. Letting go, she's gone again and has arrived in her room. She opens lets Mirage open the door to her room, and then steps into view before her sister can enter.
Mirage looks faintly sheepish. Evidently all the noise had woken Vision up. " You up already? Did we wake you up?"
Vision shakes her head, answering perfectly truthfully. "No, I was already awake."
Rhiow, who had been napping on Vision's bed, wakes up with a quiet snarl in Vision's general direction. She jumps off the bed and stalks out of the room. Mirage eyes Vision for a moment. "What's with her?"
Vision shrugs, trying not to smile. "Not a clue."

Posted by Genesis on 12/12/2001, 6:45 pm
He watches her disappear, then waits a second before knocking politely on the door.

Posted by Various on 12/12/2001, 6:49 pm
Mirage notices something strange. Vision's human form didn't usually have brown eyes.. Something was up. "Jen, why are your eyes brown?" Vision is saved by bell, or rather by a polite knock. Mirage blinks, she wasn't expecting anyone to show up today.
"I'll get it!" Says Vision quickly, shifting her eyes back to their normal icy blue and half running into the living room to get the door. She grins when she opens it, letting Genesis into the room.

Posted by Genesis on 12/12/2001, 6:52 pm
He smiles back and looks around as if he hadn't been there in days. "Welcome home..." he says with a playful smile.

Posted by Vision on 12/12/2001, 7:00 pm
Vision smiles, resisting the urge to play it up simply because she had a crowd watching. She had this insane urge to walk up to Genesis and fall into his arms. Ack, she really hoped he hadn't caught that one, where had that come from? She didn't think she wanted to get a reaction out of Mirage and Paradox that badly. Though it might be.. She wasn't going to go there. Not to mention the fact that Mirage would really wonder what happened, she was already suspicous. Vision's more then a little amused to note that she wasn't the only one who was a good actor. "Thank-you." She says quietly. Just from watching her it's hard to tell if her mind had really drifted towards her memories, or rather lack-there-of, of the holding station. It's possible she's just trying to get her mind back on track.

Posted by Genesis on 12/12/2001, 7:09 pm
He raises an eyebrow very slightly and smiles a little more at that thought. Could be interesting... He shrugs mentally and, after they'd traded formalities, glances over her shoulder inside at whoever might be in veiw.

Posted by Various on 12/12/2001, 7:13 pm
Mirage looks faintly amused by Genesis's sudden arrival, but she wasn't going to comment. Kat and Paradox both look like they're trying very hard not to comment. After all, they had promised Mirage. Vision snaps back into reality, rolling her eyes at the expressions of Paradox and Kat. "Would you like to help decorate?" She asks Genesis, gesturing towards the tree.

Posted by Genesis on 12/12/2001, 7:19 pm
He nods "Sure, if it's alright..." a smile "Unless you'd rather keep tree decorating in the family..."

Posted by Vision on 12/12/2001, 7:22 pm
Mirage, Paradox and Kat all shrug. Kanga just looks on, eyeing Genesis amusedly. Vision watches the reactions of her sisters and her friend and smiles. It was good to know they didn't mind. "Well, no one else seems to mind.."

Posted by Genesis on 12/12/2001, 7:25 pm
He nods once more and enters the room, eyeing the tree "Impressive... how did you get it in here without damaging it?" he peers at the needles and brushes a cluster with one glowing palm. The tree shifts, as if a faint gust of wind had blown through, and he smiles faintly.

Posted by Paradox on 12/12/2001, 7:28 pm
Paradox looks like he can't decide between complaining and bragging. He settles on a combination of both. ~ I flew it here, then managed to get it through the hall. I'm lucky it didn't damage me!~

Posted by Genesis on 12/12/2001, 7:33 pm
He nods, accepting the answer and smiles at the complaint "Ah, I don't think so..." he glances at Paradox out of the corner of his eye, then blinks as something familiar brushes up against his mind. He searches for it and grins when he locates it's source. Well, he didn't have to worry about Ciin anymore. The sentient plant seems to be doing quite well for itself.
He turns his thoughts to the dressing of the tree and glances around the room "Where're the ornaments?"

Posted by Various on 12/12/2001, 7:35 pm
Vision looks at her older younger sister. "They should be in the storage room, unless Mirage got them out already?" Mirage's eyes widen as she remembers the mess she made of Vision's organization. "Um, I'll go get them!" She heads off towards the storage room again.

Posted by Genesis on 12/12/2001, 7:41 pm
He watches Mirage go, smiling mentally at the mess she'd made.

Posted by Various on 12/12/2001, 9:53 pm
Mirage spends a good ten minutes trying to clean up the storage room and finding the boxes she wants. Paradox is just about to go check on Mirage to make sure she hasn't been crushed by a falling box when the green mutant returns, hauling what looks like half the storage room with her. All that can be seen from behind the boxes are her ears and her lower body.
Paradox immediately goes to help. ~ Why didn't you ask for some help?~ He asks, sounding faintly exasperated.
Mirage shrugs, which translated as a sudden jump of the boxes. "I can handle it.."
Paradox just shakes his head, grabbing some of the boxes from Mirage and floating them over to the tree. They flip open as soon as they reach the floor.
Vision kneels beside the nearest box, and starts hauling out various ornaments. Every time she hauls one out she smiles. It's obvious that there's a lot of memories behind some of them. Mirage starts laughing when Vision pulls out a slightly scorched ornament.
"Do you remember that? I scared Matt so bad that he set the tree on fire? And then Sarah tried too hard to put it out and almost drowned us all?" Mirage falls onto the couch giggling. "And the expression's on everyone's faces?"
Vision just shakes her head, smiling despite herself. "I also remember your expression when Matt dumped the bucket of water over your head.."
Mirage rolls her eyes. "Well that wasn't nice of him!" She pauses a smile spreading across her face. "But I do admit, my expression must have been hilarious. That was the last thing I expected him to do..."
Paradox, Kat, and Kanga all blink. All three wished that Mirage and Vision would start a conversation they could contribute to. There was very little they could say when the two sisters were reliving their memories of their institute days.
Rhiow saunters back into the living room, looking entirely too pleased with herself. So did you and Plantboy enjoy your little chat? The orange and white tabby asks Vision in a conversational tone. I assume it was interesting. I could feel that flare of emotion all the way from your room! Just what were you two up to, I wonder? It was times like this that made just how unusual she was very obvious.
Paradox blinks, looking at Vision. Genesis hadn't been here long enough for any conversation to be considered a chat. What was Rhiow talking about?
Vision blinks, not sure if she should fake innocence or something else.
Mirage notes the spike of confusion from Vision and raises an eyebrow at her older sister.
Kat's eyebrows rise, she eyes Genesis, then Vision.
Kanga doesn't know what was said, she can't understand feline, but she knows something was said. "What??"

Posted by Genesis on 12/13/2001, 1:39 pm
He blinks at the size of the pile of stuff and moves to help just a little slower than Paradox. When he realizes that he's not going to be much help, he waits for the boxes to land before taking a seat near Vision on the floor and peering into one of them. He smiles slightly when Vision has her little trip down memory lane, catching hints of memeory here and there.
The moment he catches sight of Rhiow, he knows something's up. The way that cat looks positively reeks of mischeif. He frowns when she calls him 'Plantboy', and when she mentions their little chat, he blinks and thinks quickly Now Rhiow, how did you know the link was that close? he asks in surprise. His eyes dart to Mirage, the only other person in the room besides Vision and himself who he suspected knew that they could share feelings and thoughts through the link, hoping that she gets his meaning and takes it for the relative silence between he and Vision after he arrived the second time.

Posted by Various on 12/13/2001, 4:53 pm
One gets the feeling that if Rhiow could raise an eyebrow at Genesis she would. I'm a cat. Jeeze, even your regular house hold variety would have figured out that much. She shakes her head. It's faintly disturbing seeing such a human gesture come from a cat. Don't read Garfield, do you, Plantboy? Now that she knows she can get a reaction out of him by using that name she's not going to drop it, no matter how faint the reaction is.
"Well, now we know who your hero is, Rhiow.." Says Kat dryly. Ever since she'd first met the orange tabby she couldn't help wondering who picked up the manerisms from who. Had Rhiow picked up the sarcasm from Vision, or had it been the other way round? Of course now that she thought about it, Rhiow did make a wonderful Garfield. That lead to another somewhat disturbing thought, could Rhiow read?
Mirage doesn't seem to be saying much. She's just waiting to see how this play out. Right now she's pondering both possiblities, had Rhiow meant the silence between the two when Genesis came through the door, or had Genesis been around earlier?

Posted by Genesis on 12/13/2001, 5:00 pm
Perhaps, but you'r regular household variety cat doesn't usually use conversations to stir up mischief. He ignores the namecalling the second time, having dealt with troublemakers before.

Posted by Rhiow and Vision on 12/13/2001, 5:07 pm
One gets the impression that Rhiow would grin maliciously if she could. Yes, but I'm not your regular household kitty, am I?
Vision just rolls her eyes. She should really come up with some way to gag Rhiow. Of course, the fact that she spoke mentally was a rather large problem. Oh well, it was something to ponder.

Posted by Genesis on 12/13/2001, 5:16 pm
He chuckles I guess not, he leaves it at that, with nothing for Rhiow to go on. He hopes she'll go away before something starts, but if things got too awkward he could always call Ciin in... He wonders if the real cat and the plant cat ever made up, but he suspects not.

Posted by Various on 12/13/2001, 5:24 pm
Mirage just rolls her eyes. "I don't suppose anyone is interested in continuing to decorate the tree?" She asks, sounding faintly exasperated. She was tired of Rhiow's shenanigans.
Paradox nods in agreement. ~ Sure, what do you want me to add?~
Mirage searches through one of the boxes, then hands the demonic mutant a small box of Christmas bulbs. "Just float some of these up near the top.."
Vision doesn't reply, she just goes digging through another box.

Posted by Genesis on 12/13/2001, 5:26 pm
His eyes and mind linger on Rhiow a moment longer, then he turns to join in the search for suitable ornaments.

Posted by Rhiow on 12/13/2001, 5:30 pm
Rhiow only twitches her tail. She felt like causing some chaos in the ornament boxes, but she knew Vision would really fry her if she did.

Posted by Various on 12/25/2001, 2:21 pm
Vision was curled up in her bed sleeping peacefully. The house was silent, at least for a little while. Soon, Mirage would come bouncing in demanding that Vision get up so they could open their presents, just like a little kid. The green mutant stretches as she hears Mirage come bounding down the hall, then turns over. She wasn’t getting up without a fight. Her bed was too warm and too comfy to leave any time soon.
The door to Vision’s room is crashed into from the other side. It slams into the wall making Vision wince. In one leap Mirage clears the distance between the door and Vision’s bed, landing neatly beside her sister. The younger mutant is grinning from ear to ear. She gives her older sister a prod. "Jen! Wake up!" She hisses cheerfully.
Vision groans and turns over, pretending to be asleep. Mirage doesn’t give up, she starts bouncing up and down, rocking the whole bed. " Come on, Jen! Wake up! We’ve got presents to open!"
Vision pretends to wake up with a groan, peering at the clock across the room. "Cass! It’s not even seven yet, are you insane?! It’s too early, go back to sleep." She pretends to turn over and try to fall asleep again. Who knew, Mirage might actually let her get away with it for once.
No such luck. Mirage grabs her older sister’s tail, which had been hanging off the edge of the bed, and gives it a tug. "Stop being such a scrooge, Jen! It’s Christmas morning!! Get up and smell the presents! "
Vision chuckles. "I certainly hope none of the presents smell. It doesn’t bode well for what’s inside."
Mirage laughs. "Oh come on Jen! Get up. I’m going to go wake everyone else. If I have to get Jon in here to drag you out there I will!"
The thought of Mirage trying to wake up the demonic looking Paradox and then making him drag her out of bed and into the living room is so amusing Vision almost starts laughing. She didn’t think her sister would have much luck waking Kat either. Their younger sister liked her sleep as much as Vision did. With a sigh Vision sits up. "Fine then, go collect everyone else."
Mirage grins, her sister always gave in, then leaps off her bed to go wake Kat up. Vision can’t help smiling as she hears her sister bouncing down the hall as she rebounds off the walls and does handsprings.

Posted by Various on 12/25/2001, 2:24 pm
Eventually everyone has gathered in the living room. Mirage, Paradox, Kat, Kanga, Saash, Rhiow, all lounge across various pieces of furniture as they search through their stockings. Centauri, who’d they managed to bring up through the equipment lift was also there. With Paradox here and his own family enjoying their own Christmas morning together, it would have been a lonely day for him. Vision wasn’t about to let the half-horse mutant spend Christmas alone, even if getting him up to her loft had been a job and a half.
Vision smiles as she watches everyone search through his or her stocking. Vision had been up late setting up all the stuff from ‘Santa’. In each stocking held a bunch of candy, and a smallish gift. She’d had great fun picking it all up. This was most definitely her favorite time of year. She’d even left a tiny stocking in Twixle’s dollhouse, hung above the mantel. Sneaking into the dollhouse shifted into a tiny Santa had been one of the highlights of the evening.
When everyone had sufficiently ooh’d and aah’d over the contents of both their own stocking and everyone else’s it was time to open gifts. There was a small mountain of presents under the giant tree, and everyone was eager to demolish it.
They sort through the pile until everyone has a small hill of presents in front of them. The eyes of the youngest three in the group (Kat, Kanga and Centauri) are huge. Where had all these presents come from? Vision is smiling quietly to herself. She might have gone a bit overboard on the presents this year, but she had a great time doing it, so who really cared?

Posted by Various on 12/25/2001, 2:25 pm
Paradox starts, opening his present from Vision. The demonic mutant can’t hide his smile as he spots the rare books inside. Vision knew what Paradox would be doing later today, pouring over his new books.
Kat and Kanga open their presents from Vision next, surprised as they feel how heavy they are.
Their presents are very similar, and neither girl is quite sure what the metallic bundles are. Vision smiles, and tells them to bring them out. Blinking in surprise they retrieve the metal masses from the boxes. The jaws of both drop as their presents come to life on the floor. Two mechanical toys shaped like tiny dragons twitch their tiny tails, blinking realistically at the gathering.
"Hiss at it." Vision suggests to Kat with a faintly mischievous smile.
Kat studies the older mutant for a moment. When Vision started to smile like that she started worrying. Still, she could see no real reason why not to do what Vision suggested. Eyeing the toy, she hisses softly in it's general direction.
The little dragon toy suddenly comes alive. It leaps at Kat, fangs bared. The young mutant scampers backwards, she just barely manages to avoid having the thing latch on to her nose. When she is sure that the dragon toy isn't about to attack again, she shoots Vision a dirty look.
The older mutant just can't help laughing, but she looks a little sheepish. She knew that really hadn't been very nice of her. At least she hadn't told Kanga to try it. If she was right, Kat was the only one in the house fast enough to dodge an attack that fast. "Really, there is more point to that gift then getting a bit of revenge." Vision gestures towards the box. " You still haven't got everything."
Kat warily sticks her hand in the box. She was quite obviously expecting something to bite her. She blinks confusedly when she pulls out a silvery cord and raises and eyebrow at her oldest sister.
Vision can't help grinning. She hoped Kat liked it when actually she figured out what it was for. "That little behavior is the only one I've programmed into it. I figured you could have some fun.." And if Vision was lucky programing the dragons would keep Kat distracted enough that she would stay away from the danger room.
A grin spreads across Kat's face as she gets the idea. She eyes the little dragon thoughtfully, her expression faintly glassy. Vision knew that she was already thinking of tricks and behaviors for the dragon. Kanga looks equally intrigued, but not quite as glassy.

Posted by Various on 12/25/2001, 2:26 pm
Vision smiles, turning her gaze on Centauri. The half-horse mutant is studying his present from the LeVali household curiously. The small package is quite heavy for it's size. When everyone else turns to watch Centauri shyly opens the gift. Inside are a dozen arrows to add to his quiver, and a small rectangular device. He smiles at the arrows, then tilts his head at the other part of the gift.
Vision smiles a slightly. "Put it on and hit the button."
Centauri is somewhat wary about dealing with his gift after seeing Kat's, but he takes it out. Seeing that it has a strap, he slings it over a shoulder and hits the button, tensing slightly. At a mental gasp from Paradox makes him start nervously. "What?" He asks, shifting his weight from hoof to hoof.
Paradox can't help smiling. ~ Go look in a mirror.~ He tells his younger cousin.
Somewhat nervously the half-horse teenager clops over to the hallway mirror. His eyes widen as he stares at his reflection. Staring back at him was a very shaggy looking teenager sitting on a golden draft horse. It takes him a moment to realize that the boy sitting on the horse was him, and that the horse was his lower half. The boy had legs and the horse had a head, how could this be? He looks back at Vision, bewildered.
Vision smiles. "It's a projected image. I don't know if you've seen Kat's and Kanga's projected forms, but it's the same idea."
Centauri continues to look in the mirror. The horse head blinks back at him with dark intelligent eyes. "How?" Is the only question he can manage at the moment.
Mirage pipes up. "I put the horse together, and rigged it so that it would react with the same emotions you're feeling. Vision put it all together. We figured it might help when you run into people in the woods. As long as they don't touch the horse or the projected legs you're fine. Just a boy on a horse."
Centauri continues to stare, too stunned for words. "Thank you.." Is all he can manage at the moment.
Vision and Mirage smile, glad that Paradox's younger cousin liked his present.

Posted by Various on 12/25/2001, 2:28 pm
Soon the only gifts left under the tree belong to others. Later Vision would drop by Genesis's apartment and drop off the gift she'd gotten for him. She'd gone through the greenhouse at the Xavier institute and gotten seeds from everything that looked interesting. She was convinced that some of the plants in that building didn't belong to earth and thought that Genesis might like them. Vision thought some of the other plants might be from the rainforest, and she knew Genesis had been there. If luck was with her she'd found something he hadn't seen before. She was a bit nervous, she hoped he liked it.
Mirage and Kat are grinning, making Vision wonder what's up. Both grab one of their older sister's hands and lead her out of the room, telling her to come with them. Vision blinks, looking back at Paradox and Cenatauri, who shrug cheerfully.
Vision's expression soon changes from curiosity to horror as she realizes where they were taking her, the danger room. Oh no, what had Kat done to it now? She didn't want to know.
With a grin Mirage and Kat shove Vision into the danger room while they go up into the control booth. Vision waits nervously, what were they going to do? She's too afraid to look when the program starts up. She didn't want to see how they'd mutilated one of her simulations, so she closes her eyes. Eventually she opens them again.
She gasps as she recognizes the terrain around her. Mirage and Kat had programed the sets from several movies into the danger room. Vision was standing in front of the castle of sleeping beauty.
"Who'd you want to be?" Kat shouts the question.
Vision blinks up at where she knows the control room is. "What do you mean?"
"Do you want to be the dragon or Prince charming?" Asks Kat as Mirage giggles.
"Prince Charming? I think not!" Vision's form becomes almost smoky as she shifts into dragon. It had to be one of her favorite forms. She raises an amused eyeridge at the control booth, having entirely too much fun with the entire experience.
Kat blinks, somehow not surprised that dragon form suited her older sister. The background shifts as the young mutant changes the scene. Vision stands on a cliff, Prince Charming on his white horse rides towards her.
Vision chuckles, sending a wave of flame at the idiot on the horse. They dodge with surprising speed, mildly shocking Vision. The fight continues, eventually Vision tires of playing with the knight and simply sweeps him off the cliff. She roars in triumph, scaring both Kat and Mirage.
" Well, I think that's enough of a test run. Doncha think?" Mirage asks Kat, faintly disturbed by just how good a dragon Vision made.
Her younger sibling nods. "Yup, most definitely." The scene fades as Kat turns it off.
The dragon grins cockily and reforms into the human Vision. "Well that was fun. It plays a bit like a video game though."
" Video games are what I know. " Kat shrugs cheerfully, glad that her older sister actually liked her gift. "We made a whole bunch more. It'll take you awhile to do them all." She tells Vision gleefully.
Vision chuckles. "That's what you think."

Posted by Various on 12/25/2001, 2:34 pm
All three tromp back into the living room. Paradox is bustling around, getting breakfast ready. Spotting the bit of mistletoe on the sil Vision floats it up and hovers it over the kitchen door. She could get Paradox back for embarrassing her earlier with the stuff. "Hey Paradox!" She calls as the demonic mutant pauses in the doorway. "Look up!" He'd called the exact same things to her earlier.
The dark mutant looks up, and laughs at what he sees. ~ So who'd gona rescue me? Or are you going to let breakfast get cold?~ Paradox eyes Vision amusedly.
Vision sits back. "I dunno. Maybe I should just leave you there, I'd serve you right for embarrassing me!"
Mirage has different ideas. She bounces past her older sister. "I will!" She practically tackles the huge mutant, wrapping her arms around his neck she slurps him upside the face before planting a big kiss on his muzzle. Dropping to the floor she does a back flip onto the arm of the couch. She falls off it giggling a moment later as she sees the shocked expressions of everyone in the room. Paradox looks completely flabbergasted. That had been the last thing he'd expected.
Vision can't help laughing at Paradox's expression. "Consider yourself rescued, Jon."
~Err, yeah.~ Is Paradox's shellshocked answer. He heads back into the kitchen without a word.
Vision sits back in the couch, unable to wipe a grin off her face and so happy she felt like purring. Everyone was safe, everyone was happy. This had to be the best thing about Christmas, family.
Christmas continues in the LeVali household.....