Ok, so the cat thing was turning out to sound pretty cool, and Locke had to confess that as a child, and yes, occasionally now and then, he fantasized about being an animal. Not a fish, because although the swimming thing probably would be fun, Locke found it hard to think they could live lives of any fascination. "Alright, good point. Being an animal might not be too bad for a little while. But I guess it would all depend on what you are. I wouldn't want to be a dog. Too many gross habits, and given how big I am, with my luck I'd be a Bernard or something that drools all the time. Cats are cool though... I like cats."

When he thought of cats, Locke had two catagories. The first was those cats that had more hair then Cher, and those cats that are so mixed up in breeds that they could only be described as "mutts". Are cats mutts or is it something else? It doesn't sound right. "At least those street cats, strays, shorthair cats are alright, as long as they aren't those polished ones you see in calenders or commercials."

A new record! This was probably the longest Locke had talked to a girl since coming to New York, and even more likely the longest he had in the last five years. Mai didn't count. She was still young enough that you had no choice but to talk to them. Answering a five year old is a better way to hold on to your sanity than to ignore them. And it was sort of easy to talk to Kat too. When she told him he could eat his chips he was glad to take her up on that. The dance had given Locke a serious case of the munchies. There wasn't much else to do unless he decided to cause national disaster by dancing, which wasn't going to happen if the DJ kept playing slow songs like this one. "I think I know why people dance so close with the songs like these, if they don't have someone to lean against they're going to fall asleep and smash their nose when face hits floor." Did that mean Locke hated slower tempo songs? No, just the schmaltzy and cliche ones that came after the seventies.

Kealey blushed at some phantom thought, and inched closer to him. Had she sensed that? Him thinking she was gorgeous? Cuz... heh. It was interesting having a girlfriend who just might have read the compliment in his emotions before it had left his lips. Others might have thought it was an unfair advantage. Shin thought... well, he didn't much think about it. Kealey was Kealey.

And dances were fun. With the right person, probably anything would be fun. Dancing, though... and happy clouds? Kealey dropped her eyes, then grinned at him and stole the sort of line he'd usually say. Shin smiled at her, mildly amused, partially smug, but mainly, happy. Any sappier and they'd go good on waffles.

"Mebbe," He grinned, injecting a bit of humor into the moment.

Kealey turned to conversation to others on the dance floor, and Shin glanced their ways, taking a reprieve from the sappy.

"That's Fade in the red hair," He said. "An X-woman. And Shawn (or Streak). An X-man." They moved a step as the song edged towards its conclusion. The music was louder where they'd moved. It was hard to hear his next line clearly. "Don't be fooled by his codename, though. He doesn't. So, you'll probably get to make him a costume." Another step, away from the music. Shin smiled at her expectantly, like a dog who'd just done a trick. "He's actually the one who helped me try out for the X-men. You wouldn't believe what he-- aww, the song's over." Shin stood there for a second, still holding her. He bowed his head... and then, the music changed.

Uh. Was that... Baby Got Back? Shin looked up again, blinking with a mix of shock and horror at the DJ. "Uh..." His cheeks tinged red.

As she continued to dance with Shin, Kealey couldn’t help but think about how easy this was. Shin was comfortable with her powers, she didn’t have to worry about him minding when she preempted things he said or did. This was nice, this was very nice. That tiny bit of smug made her smile, and all the happy…well, they’d already been through that.

The two people Kealey had pointed out were known to Shin and as he gave their names and briefly explained who each was, Kealey did her best to pay attention and commit the names to memory. It wouldn’t do to be introduced later and have no idea. Fade sounded like one of the monikers the x-men used, and Kealey made a point to find out if the woman had a different name.

They moved closer to the music, and Kealey had to lean a little closer to hear what Shin was saying about the other person. His name was apparently Shaun, but he went by “Streak”, and Kealey laughed when Shin made explained that the unclothed activity sometimes associated with that term was not the reason for his name. It also brought another question to mind though, and Kealey asked it as they moved back a little ways from the speakers, ”Shaun and Fade…I think I’ve got it…they’ve got codenames too, though. Do you have one?” it was a fair question, one that Kealey was surprised she’d never thought to ask before. She was curious.

Just then, the music changed. The beat was great…but Shin was…shocked? Horrified? Why would a person have that reaction to a song? Sure, they weren’t like “mortal danger” shocked and horrified…but there was something about the song that apparently wasn’t okay.

”Did you want to keep dancing, or should we get something to drink? It looks like the others are heading towards the punch bowl. Maybe you could introduce me.”

"Shard," Shin replied with a hint of distaste. He bit his lip, then laughed. "Streak gave me that name. Sort of stumbled upon it. I never use it, though. I'm thinking about changing it. Codenames are kind of silly."

Shard was such a basic codename... it was boring, obvious, and gave his mutation away. That was the thing about a codename. It was either a terrible pun, obvious and boring, or completely unrelated. Sometimes, there were good codenames, but from what he'd seen, most were... notoriously bad.

... Speaking of notoriously bad... the music.

"I can't dance to this," Shin replied, embarrassment obvious. "I don't even know why they have this song on the playlist..." He dropped his voice, and sighed. "Might as well play the Thong Song..."

"We should go talk with them," Shin suggested. "Say 'hi' to some other people here. I think I see Katrina over there with somebody. We can talk to her after we introduce you to Fade."

Shin did have a code name. Kealey tilted her head, eyes narrowing in thought as she ran it through her head. He was thinking about changing it, and the blond shrugged her shoulders slightly, ”It’s not bad, I think you could do better though if you tried. I don't think you need one though. Your name is already neat." She thought some more on the subject, wondering what kind of code name she would have?

”What kind of name would I have?” she said, avid concentration still on her face as she worked over the thought. It wasn’t like her power inspired names. She didn’t do anything really.

Shin said he couldn’t dance to the song currently playing and Kealey listened to the words for a moment, eyebrows raising at some of the lyrics. It was a little shocking that this type of song would be playing at a school dance. Shin commented on what else they could be playing and Kealey’s eye widened even further, ”There’s a Thong song?” she said, wondering exactly what that would entail and trying to make a little mental note to google the thing later…carefully google the thing later.

Mingling it was, for at least the time being. Kealey nodded and smiled to Shin’s idea, ”I’m sure there’s going to be loads of other songs that will be better to dance to anyway..”

Sam was still dancing with the girl called Fade, and Shin pointed out that someone named Katrina was mingling with someone else. Kealey followed his eyes and found a familiar figure lounging by the speakers and eating potato chips. ”Oh, that’s Locke.” she said, ”He’s almost painfully shy. I met him in the kitchens one night. I hope your friend is bringing him out of his shell a little.” she commented as they made their way off the floor and towards the punch bowl.

The song was drawing to an end and what better way for Sam to mess with Fade lack of dancing skills but to spin her again? This time though, she was dangerously close to nailing it. When the song ended and those moments of silence followed to give the mutants time to thank their dancing partners or share in a cute little kiss, Sam raised her hand and kissed the back of it. Her cheeks began to rage a bright red and unknowingly, she turned invisible. At times, her body acted on its own based off her subconsious uncertainties, like when she feels like she's being watched, or going to get attacked, or when blushing is just not enough to convey the emotions her body just twisted into. Looking at his now empty hand, she realized what she had done and turned visible again, this time with her hand on her chest in a sort of 'thanks for taking my breath away' motion.

He thanked her for the dance and complimented her dancing. Sure, everyone could dance, but could they dance well? She doubted she was that good. It was, in fact, her first dance, well, her first slow dance. He asked if she wanted any punch, yes, that seemed like a good idea at the moment since her face probably matched the color of the liquid. When the pause between songs ended, however, the next song brought back so many memories. I like big butts... She paused to laugh at the music choice and remembered how she used to dance to it using a little radio in the abandoned warehouse near the New Jersey state line. The laughter brought her a bit back to her senses and eased her cheeks out of blushing, but ever so slowly.

On the walk to the punch bowl, she saw a few kids get out to dance to it and a few of the older mutants weave their way through the crowd to sit this one out. Amongst them was Shin, who was with some girl Fade did not recognize, but since it seemed like they were going for the punch bowl, they would meet, even if it were just a few passing words. The kids around started to contract and the holes to escape the dance floor were thinning. "Yeah, I'd love to, we just have to get out of this mob first," she smiled, taking the lead.

Grabbing Sam's hand, she darted her way through the crowd. Some of the kids recognized the two as one professor and one of the rule regulators and removed themselves from their path. Others were a little tougher to get around and warranted a simple "excuse me," for them to move. When they had finally made it back, she looked back to make sure it was Sam she was grabbing the hand of. After all that wiggling through the crowd, she would not have been surprised if during the escape, the hand she was pulling was switched to that of a random students. Yet she could tell by the cool feeling the entire walk through that it was Sam and she smiled.

Twyla blinked. Once, twice, three times. Van was a piece of work if he was anything. The smile was starting to hurt--Henri had tried asking her questions about camp but she couldn’t focus on them as she stared at her gal pal’s guy. He looked stoned or something--frowny points for sure. Also, he totally threw her off with the ‘Fred’ thing. Who did that? This was not the kind of guy she picture Henrietta Braun with, not even close. Sure, Twyla was with someone that she’d never imagined she’d be with...but that was different, Gawain wasn’t stoned and he had never told her that he didn’t want a relationship after making-out in a movie. They were two totally different scenarios.

And then, before she could drag Henri away to tell her what she was thinking there was an all too familiar voice and a Lupin sister joining their little group. The forced smile became a real one and Twyla turned away from staring at Van to hug Ruby. “Hey sweetie! It’s good to see you but I’m gonna be right back--Henri has to pee and I’m going with her.”

Because that’s what girls did--they hashed things out in private...well, some girls did. Twyla did. After she let go of Ruby she turned to her brunette friend and grabbed her by the wrist. “We’ll be right back.” She said over her shoulder in a too-sweet voice as her face contorted into something that could be described as a grimace. And with the face and words she was off, dragging Henri behind her as she marched pointedly towards the doors and the nearest place to talk in semi-private.

“C’mon, girl talk, now.” Another yank and they were through the bathroom door. Twyla turned around, causing her hair to fly in a circle around her. “That’s Van!? That’s the guy you gave a second chance after he totally told you he’s basically a player!?” The blond couldn’t believe it--he had ‘Imma gonna hurt you!’ written all over his too wide grin--how could Henri not see that???

Gawain blinked, then glanced at Henri and Twyla for answers. Was the guy stoned, drunk, both, or simply just a weirdo? And how the heck did he end up going out with Henri?... One look at Twyla's face told him she was just as baffled as he was, even though she was trying to hide it.

Ruby arrived to save the day. Or salvage parts of it, anyway.

>>“Some of you I haven’t seen in a long time and I am gonna be mad if I don’ get a hug.”

Gawain turned to smile at his newly adopted little sister. She looked adorable as ever.

>>“Hey sweetie! It’s good to see you but I’m gonna be right back--Henri has to pee and I’m going with her.”

... and there went his girlfriend just as the slow dance started, obviously she had something urgent to discuss with Henri. About her boy... friend... thing..., probably. Gawain sighed and glanced at the guy again. He was supposed to keep the conversation going, right?

Right.

"Hey Ruby!" he smiled, hugging the youngest Lupin "Good to see you again. How do you like the party so far?... Did you come alone?"

He was not talking about a date, of course. It was likely he'd have a serious talk with any guy who had the nerve to try to date Ruby at this point (after he pried his remains out of Emerald's jaws, that is). He was all the more curious about the other Lupins; well, Sapphire not so much, but Emmy, most def. After all, she should have a date for the dance...

"Do you wanna drink some punch?"

If the night goes on like this, I might need to rob Sam's stash again.

Van got the distinct impression that he wasn’t wanted. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see that his girlfriend being dragged off by a blond with a scary look on her face meant that there was obviously something wrong with him and by association her that needed sorting out in the mystical land of the ladies room. Not since he was very young had Van been allowed to enter that sacred sanctum of toiletries and secrets and he desperately wished that he could follow those girls and defend himself from whatever it was that was going to be said about him. A frown pulled the skin around his mouth down. Despite the sugar and the booze--Van was worried.

I like Etta, does that not count for anything? His imagination went into over drive, planning out crazy scenarios in which Etta came back and she wasn’t his girlfriend anymore...maybe they weren’t so crazy--stuff like that happened all the time in movies...and in real life...and at high schools...and...this was starting to look worrisome indeed.

And awkward--don’t forget the awkward.

A smaller girl had shown up--someone Gawain knew, and the blonde’s boyfriend had successfully deflected talking to him to favor the new arrival/girl/Ruby(?). That was fine...he supposed. He also supposed that the invitation to punch was NOT directed at him, but he’d follow them anyway if they decided to make a beeline for the bowl. A sneaky and bad a$$ and cliched part of his mind wished he’d brought some of his magic confidence potion to pour in the bowl on the table--at least then the party around him would be less lame...and awkward.

So Awkward.

And then a realization brought on by years of actually reading the books handed out in English class (instead of listening to the teacher, of course) burst forth from his thin lips a little too loudly. “Sorry if my manners were not up to par previously, good sir as I didn’t realize initially that I was in the presence of a knight.” With his sort-of-apology, Van bowed and looked like a giant, black stick breaking in half. “I hope you don’t think ill of me, Sir Knight, as I meant no ill will.”

Weird, yes, but well read--you bet your bottom dollar. ANYTHING was better than actually paying attention in class. ANYTHING.

Henri could feel tensions mounting. She also felt her stomach begin to knot up at the thought of a brawl between her best friend and boyfriend. A small sigh escaped from her lips and she closed her blue eyes for a moment. She was trying to figure out what to say, when a familiar and adorably cute fox-girl walked up. She practically demanded a hug, which the brunette intended on giving her anyway. Henrietta bent over slightly and embraced the younger girl. “Hey Ruby! It’s good to see you. You look very cute, but I’m sure you always do.” Henri wasn’t exaggerating either. Ruby Lupin was one of the cutest things she had ever seen, especially when in her fox form. How did turning into a fox not help make someone look more adorable?

Twyla was mad. Decidedly mad and most likely confused. That was acceptable. Henri was still a little confused about their relationship and wasn’t sure how long her and Van would last, but at least wanted to give it a shot. Those thoughts were confirmed when the blond announced that Henrietta had to pee (which she didn’t), and was dragged away from the scene that had been unfolding before her very eyes. “Uhh, I’ll be back.”

As she was dragged away, the brunette stumbled after her friend. “Did you have to make it sound like I had to pee? I mean, I understand the need for an excuse, but I don’t need to pee!” They were inside the bathroom and Twyla spun to face her. “Yeah, that’s Van.” She looked off to one side. “I-I know that he hurt me, but I don’t think he will again. Besides, he knows there are no more chances. He’s on a short leash. He had run part way here, I’m pretty sure. I told him not to be late and he made sure he wasn’t.” The 17-year-old realized it wasn’t enough to be proof, but wasn’t sure what else to say.”

The girl forced her eyes to meet her friends’. “Twyla, I still like him and he comforted me. He hugged me when I needed a hug the most and he didn’t pull away or freak out or anything. Besides, you have Mirror and I can’t hang out with both of you with a lack of boyfriend. I’d be a third wheel. This way we can still hang out, and maybe force them to have awkward bonding time.” Henrietta smirked for a moment before letting her face go very serious once more. “Can you give him a chance? For me? If he screws up again, I’m all for being mean.” A small, cute smile crept on her face. “Please?”

Young Ruby Lupin deduced that she had walked in on a really tense and difficult situation, one that involved a girl talk for Miss Twyla and Miss Henri. From there, Ruby could only assume that some awkwardness would ensue if she didn't help try to make things a little better. Even with the hugs, that strange feeling of, "I just walked in on a private moment" was there. At this point, Ruby figured that it was a good idea that she walked in when she did, or the uncomfortable levels would be off the charts. Smiling at the mention of the party Ruby's tail swished a little back and forth. "Well, I just got here so I'm not sure if the party is fun yet."

At the mention of coming alone, A sigh escaped Ruby's lips and her ears drooped a little, "Yeah, I did, Emmy is in our room and shes probably going to go to the dinner and drink milkshakes all night. She's really upset about something, I bet it has something to do with that note she threw away last night when she came in late, I hope she didn't get hurt or something." Ruby replied, feeling bad for her sister. That was the thing about the two youngest Lupin sisters, they always wanted to make sure the other was happy and they hated it when they weren't. Not only this but Ruby cared a lot for the people around her, her elder sister especially. "I don't want any punch right now, but thank you for asking." Ruby told Gawain, trying to have that smile of hers return to her face, not wanting feeling sorry for her sister to ruin the night.

Once the boy that Ruby assumed was Henri's boyfriend came back, Ruby decided to make a point to introduce herself. With her ears perked up and her tail swishing, she addressed the boy "Hi, I'm Ruby Lupin! Whats your name?" Ruby asked with that adorable charm and smile

Kealey mirrored Shin's feelings towards the name, and Shin nodded. He could definitely do better. Shard was so... plain, and so obvious. It didn't flash through the mind like a blinding light. It wasn't shiny. It lacked sheen.

"Hmm... Sheen... like a shiny sheen?" He suggested.

What kind of name would Kealey have? "Mmm, good question." Shin tapped his chin. "I suppose 'girlfriend' is too possessive?" A joke of a smile crept onto his face.

It was certainly better than naming her something silly like 'Emote' or 'Fervor'. 'Emote' was too close to 'emo', anyways. They certainly didn't want Kealey being that.

>>"There’s a Thong song?”

Shin nodded disparagingly . "Unfortunately."

There was no leap of logic realizing there'd be other songs, though. There was a glimmer of hope amid the 'ugh, bad music' feelings. Mingling was an excellent idea. If they couldn't dance, they'd do that.

Kealey pointed out who Katrina was with, and gave him a name. So, Kealey knew him? "Ah, cool." Shin smiled. "Though, that should really be Koga over there... wonder where he is... ah well." He mused. If Koga hadn't wanted to dance, there was no forcing him. It wasn't as if he'd lose out to anyone else, while he was gone.

Shin's inner matchmaker flickered to life, then it vanished quick as it had lit up. "Hope Kat's having fun," Shin decided.

As they reached the punch bowl area, he waved at Fade. "Hey, Fade."

Twyla rolled her eyes when Henri chirped at her for lying about peeing. “It was going to be one of us--why not you as this girl talk is directed at you, sweetie.” It didn’t matter in the long run--the boys and Ruby probably already guessed what was going on, the odds of any of them caring that Twyla had lied about Henri’s bladder were slim. Besides, she had bigger, stretchier fish to fry (preferably in hot, hot, hot, hot, HOT oil...and to a burnt crisp). The girl didn’t want to, but she found herself mulling over her friend’s words. Maybe she’d reacted too harshly? It’s not like it was really any of her business or anything...not when this was the first time she’d met him.

Wow, I am getting really good at flying off the handle. A slight blush crept across her face at the realization.

“You're worried about being a third wheel?” Brows crinkled with obvious confusion. Had she and Gawain ever given off that vibe? She hadn’t meant to do that--what did Henri think of them hanging out? This was a bit worrisome, but not nearly so worrisome as the fact that she’d been a wee bit judgemental about the Van child. This could have seriously hurt Henri’s feelings, making Twyla a poop. She didn’t want to be a crappy friend.

A sigh, letting go all of the bad feelings...for now. “I’ll give him a chance--I promise.” A smile and then a serious face of her own. “But if he hurts you--so much as a teeny, tiny, itty-bitty, bit, I am totally punching him in the tights. You have been warned.” And then she let out a giggle and hugged her best friend once again that night. When she pulled away she turned to her reflection in the mirror. Hair and minimal make up were holding up nicely--she was ready to roll whenever her friend was. “Sorry, Henri...I just don’t want to see some asshole walk into your life and mess it up. Shall we?” She held out her arm.

Shortest girl talk ever.

”Hmmm.” Kealey said as Shin suggested a new possible nickname for himself. It wasn’t bad…still not awesome enough for him though. She shrugged her shoulders, ”This code name stuff is serious business, huh? Gotta have something you’re not afraid to have everyone call you.”

They moved on from Shin’s name to hers and Kealey grinned at his suggestion, ”I like that name. Not sure it would give the right impression though.” Kealey thought for another moment, trying to figure out if there was a good codename out there for her. A thought occurred to her and she laughed out loud before speaking, ”And besides” she added, ”I’m surprised that‘s something you‘d want the whole world to call me.”

Apparently, there was a thong song, and Shin didn’t look like he was going to be sharing the details of it with her any time soon. Kealey made a mental note to do some searching of her own. A whole song about a thong had to be interesting if nothing else.

Back towards the punchbowl they went, chatting along the way about the students they saw. It still looked like everyone was having a good time, and that made Kealey smile. Drama-free nights were the best kinf od night as far as she was concerned…and this one was going off with a hitch. There was the random friend full of concern and slight consternation at one thing or another…but nobody was acting out. Perfect.

Kealey glanced in Locke’s direction again as Shin pointed out the fact that someone else should have really been in his place. ”I think that boy is far too shy to put the moves on anyone’s girl…” she said quietly as they came up to the red-haired girl who had been dancing with Sam. Shin said hello, Kealey waited to be introduced or spoken to, giving Fade a friendly smile.

Nodding his head in agreement he knew the mob of hormonal students wouldn’t be much trouble for the two to pass, especially Jenny with her phasing power, he on the other hand would have a bit more difficulty with the running through the mob. Then again, they would recognize him most likely and eventually part to let him pass.

Something that Sam wasn’t expecting was Jenny’s motion in grabbing his hand. He blinked once and then looked to Jenny then smirked slightly before he felt himself get pulled through the crowd of students. Looking from student to student as he passed some grinning as he passed by seeing that someone other than his current girlfriend leading him about, mentally he laughed figuring rumors might start to spread. He shrugged off the thought and spotted the destination with two familiar people heading in the same direction.

When they got closer to the bowl of punch Sam caught up and started to keep pace with Jenny not really letting go of her hand till they fully arrived at the spot. He smiled and squeezed her hand playfully before slowly releasing it, ”Hey you two, I trust your having fun?” Sam said with a warm smile before focusing on one then the other, ”Kealey, lovely dress and Shin think you could give Bond a run for his money.”

He spotted a pair of teens lock lips on the dance floor during Baby Got Back and he called out the student’s name, ”Best take a step back from Miss Evans, less I get her dad involved Troy!” he smirked as the four-horned mutant quickly tensed up and took a step back at the mention of the girl’s father.

He looked back to Kealey and Shin and smiled, ”Kids…” Sam said not really feeling like he was still categorized as a kid. Even if he didn’t think he was a kid others would more than likely think differently when most non-work situations came around. Looking back to Jenny he smirked.