Fifth Floor Common Room, Monday Evening

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

There was a fruitcake in Wesley's room.

He'd never thought Alex the sort to keep uncovered fruitcakes around, but it wasn't his business, so he didn't touch it and simply moved to the common room with something to read. Just as he sat down and opened his book, he happened to spot, out of the corner of his eye, another fruitcake. Just sitting there. Right next to him.

That was worrisome.

Abandoning the couch for a moment, Wesley moved the cake over to the counter and covered it with plastic wrap, so that anyone who wanted it could feel free to help themselves.

When he sat back down? There it was again.

Oh, blast.

[[Open like a common room, yep!]]

Comments

[walkswithcoyote]

Mercy came in and flopped on the couch. "I got up this morning, showered, dressed, and went to class. Which of course wasn't in session because it's over. How stupid is that?"

She stopped and eyed the fruitcake on the cushion next to her. "And what is that doing here?" She moved it onto the end table.

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

Sorry, Mercy. Give Wesley a minute to process all of that, er, complaining.

"I'm not quite sure, honestly," he said tiredly after a moment, bringing one hand up to touch his forehead. "They seem to be everywhere today."

[walkswithcoyote]

"They're a little freaky, don't you think?" she asked.

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

"They truly a--"

Two fruitcakes appeared on the back of the couch, near his head.

"Are," he finished exhaustedly.

[walkswithcoyote]

Mercy's eyes went wide. "That wasn't happening in my room, thank heavens!"

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

"...does your room have some sort of immunity?"

He'd like some of that, please.

[walkswithcoyote]

"I... don't know?" She looked around the room. "Is this something associated with you?"

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

"Generally, when things start appearing on the island, they have a fairly broad scope," Wesley told Mercy regretfully. "I suspect they'll be targeting you as well."

[walkswithcoyote]

"Lovely," Mercy said with a sigh. "Stalker fruitcake. Just what we all need."

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

"In the island's way," Wesley said, "I'm fairly sure it's meant to be festive."

The island was a lonely, lonely place.

[walkswithcoyote]

Mercy considered that for a moment. "Couldn't it give us something more like... iced Christmas cookies? Those would be festive, not nearly as creepy, and tasty as well."

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

"Oh, well, fruitcake can be quite tasty, actually," Wesley offered, brightening a little. "Though to be fair, eating anything conjured by the island is likely a bad idea."

Because sometimes it had teeth.

[walkswithcoyote]

That got a skeptical glance. "I can't say I've ever had a tasty piece of fruitcake," Mercy said. "But you have a point about not eating any island things, I suppose."

[godofxbox]

"Hey, Wesley," Alex said as he came into the common room and headed straight for the kitchen area. Then something occurred to him and he backtracked to ask, "Did you leave a fruitcake in our room?"

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

"I was hoping it was yours," Wesley admitted. "Though they do seem to be everywhere today."

On cue, five of them appeared on the coffee table. Wesley cast them a withering look.

[godofxbox]

Alex eyed the collection on the coffee table for a moment before looking back to Wesley to explain, "Definitely not mine. I don't really do Christmas in general, so...especially not fruitcake. Isn't it supposed to taste terrible?" He didn't really know.

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

"I don't mind it," Wesley said, "but I generally make it a rule not to, er, eat anything the island conjures up."

It was a very safe rule.

[godofxbox]

"That's probably a pretty good rule," Alex agreed. "I mean, what if it disappears? Then is it like you never ate it?"

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

"Possibly," Wes said thoughtfully. "And then of course there's always the chance of it turning into something else, which is... actually rather disturbing to envision in this context."

Sorry.

[godofxbox]

Alex didn't find it that disturbing to think about, but then, Alex was an Olympian. His brain was probably wired a little different. "Yeah, but, if it was a student or whatever, wouldn't there just be one?"

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

"I hear there's a professor that can multiply himself..."

Wesley was suddenly eyeing the fruitcakes with new suspicion.

[godofxbox]

"Oh, yeah, Jamie Madrox. But he doesn't just randomly pop up places, his powers don't work like that," said the superhero fanboy.

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

"Good," Wesley decided. Because that'd be super creepy. "That's, ah. Quite reassuring."

He paused, set six of the fruitcakes that had appeared on the couch back onto the coffee table, and then asked, "So, ah. What are you doing for the break?"

[godofxbox]

"I don't know," Alex said with a shrug. "I'm supposed to be going back home, but my dad is, uh, currently not home. He's busy." The last time he'd spoken to him, he'd had to shout to be heard over the machine gun fire. "And apparently," he said with a roll of his eyes, "he doesn't want me running around New York alone. Something about having to bail me out of juvie would be embarrassing." It was like he'd met Alex.

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

"...I can see how that'd be a bit awkward, yes." Because Alex was like fourteen. And also would probably creep out the other inmates. "Well, I'm told the island is a fairly pleasant place to be over Christmas," he offered. "What with the, ah. Penguins and fruitcakes and whatnot."