11/5 Instance: You Can't Cheat Death

[Ferguson]

Current Timeline

<@Mayday> Mayday backed away from the chalkboard, placing the chalk against her lips and tapping it on them as she read over the calculations again. She idly picked up her cup from the desk with a free hand and sipped the tea, coughing it back into the cup. Not only was it cold, but it was badly made.

<@Mayday> The thought of a 'good' cup of tea made the redhead think of Sue again. Frustrated with her situation, she sighed, turning around and clicking her laptop off standby. She looked between it and the chalkboard, re-hashing the equations on the screen.

<@Mayday> "Alright...", Mayday whispered to herself, starting the simulation again. "...please work this time..."

<Cecilia> Cecilia walked into her mathematics class, hoping to catch Xavier early and ask him for some extra help before he fell asleep but instead found the room empty except for Mayday. "Huh, so are you teaching the class today, May?" Said Cecilia, teasingly. Indicating to the board. "What's all this? Steven Hawking's latest theory?"

<@Mayday> "Don't touch anything.", Mayday said, pointing at Cecilia, but not looking away from the screen. There was an error chime from the laptop, followed by Mayday slamming the desk in frustration, "Goddamnit!", she spat, slumping back into the chair at the front of the classroom.

<Cecilia> "Oookay," said Cecilia a bit confused as May slammed things around. "Uh, May, is there something wrong?" What a stupid question, of course there's something wrong ...

<@Mayday> She didn't look up, instead spinning in her chair and looking back up at the equations, "I-I'm trying to...trying to find some way of re-constituting Bobby. His power is theoretically like cellular transmutation, so...", she rubbed her eyes, looking over her shoulder at Cecilia, "...I'm sorry. I'm really sorry for snapping."

<Cecilia> Oh no... An expression of pain came over Cecilia's features. "It's fine, I-" she swallowed hard. "Oh May..." She placed her hand on May's shoulder.

<@Mayday> Mayday placed her hand on Cecilia's and stood up, "I'm fine.", she assured her friend, with a smile that could only be false, "Sue was....she's so devastated, I just...", she looked over the calculations again, "It has to work, I....I can't see where I keep going wrong!"

<Cecilia> Cecilia took May's arm and directed her to one of the chairs, pulling up one for herself so she could sit face to face with her. "May, you're not doing anything wrong...It's just..."

<Cecilia> She tried to think of a way to tell May what she needed to tell her, but it was hard. There was no real easy way to say it. Nobody, no matter what age, was prepared to hear or accept that someone they loved would never, ever come back. And that they'd never, ever see them again.

<Cecilia> "May the trouble is you're trying to fix something that is inherently...unfixable..." She sighed. "Bobby is dead, May. He was killed by Rachel Grey and nothing will ever change that. We will never, ever see him again... And no amount of science will ever change that..."

<@Mayday> Mayday had stopped at those words, half sitting down when the sentence had been said. She stood straight back up, eyes fixed on Cecilia, "He might not be dead. T-they said it themselves: he can re-constitute possibly!", she strolled right back over to the chalkboard.

<@Mayday> "I just have to figure out how to capture any residue from his form.", Mayday said, grabbing an eraser and rubbing out a few lines of chalk, "If exposed to enough moisture, even with the temperature, he should be able to re-constitute...", she slowed down the erasing, "...it'll work...", she whispered to herself, her hand sliding down the board, "...it has to."

<Cecilia> Cecilia walked over the board. "Then why hasn't he, May? If he could've re-constituted why hasn't he done it already?" She said quietly. She sighed, "May...I know how hard this is to accept. Believe me. I do. I spent the better part of seven years raging at reality, trying to find some reason for my loss. But no amount of denial, or science, or determination can bring back the dead...It's not something you can fix..."

<@Mayday> "I-I don't know, it could be anything! Temperature variances, lack of moisture....", Mayday tapped the board with her chalk, "It has to work, it has to!", the chalk snapped as she leaned on the board, her head banging against it a little. She tightened her eyes closed, "There just has to be a way!"

<Cecilia> Cecilia shook her head. "There isn't..." she said, hoarsely. "There is no way to bring back the dead...we're not Gods, May. No matter how much we might seem to be at times...we are human and as humans...we have no way of helping those that have passed. Bobby is dead, May. He's gone."

<Cecilia> "We can't help him...not anymore...I don't know if there was a time we might've been able to...but if there was it's long past. Please...put the chalk down, May. The only thing this is achieving is prolonging the pain..." said Cecilia, swiping at her eyes.

<Cecilia> ((achieving))

<@Mayday> A few tears dropped down Mayday's cheeks as she lowered the chalk-bearing hand. "Lorna Drake gave me everything I have now: a life, friends, Sue....I just...I just wish I could so something...",

<Cecilia> "You can do something, May. You can be there for Sue, you can help Lorna out, you can go to Bobby's funeral, you can remember him, you can be a good tia to their kid once she's born. Those are things you can do. Things that are in your control. But you can't bring him back...that's not in your control. That's not in anyone's control..."

<@Mayday> "I was so sure there was a way.", Mayday just let the tears flow, sinking to her knees and covering her face with her hands, "I was so sure, Cee...I just want things to be alright again and I just needed to believe!", all she could think about was how hurt Sue was when she came in after that mission, "I failed before I even started!"

<Cecilia> Cecilia knelt down. "I know..." she said, tears running down her face. Again. Goddamnit, what was with this place? Why did this entire school seem hell bent on making her cry? "Believe I know..."

<Cecilia> "You didn't fail, May. And believe me, I know what I hypocrite I am when I say that. People told me the same thing when my father died, when I failed on missions but I didn't believe them. But I'm telling you this because there's a chance you might believe it. And you do need to believe it. I was not your fault. You did not kill him. I didn't kill him. And there was no way we could've saved him..."

<Cecilia> "It was not your fault, May. I want to hear you say it," she said.

<@Mayday> Mayday just sobbed for a few moments, eventually wiping her eyes again and looking down at her hands, the chalk stick split in two cradled between them. She took a deep breath, choking a little on her tears.

<@Mayday> "I-it's not my fault....", she whispered.

<Cecilia> "It's not," said Cecilia. "And I am not stupid enough to think you'll believe me right away. But if you keep saying that...eventually you might..." Cecilia had kept trying at any rate. Perhaps one day she would believe it too.

<Cecilia> She stood up and offered May a hand. "Do you wanna do something for Lorna right now? Something that will help?"

<@Mayday> Taking the offered hand and standing, Mayday nodded, still sniffing and wiping her eyes with her wrist.

<Cecilia> "I have some flowers...They were a gift...but I'd be willing to part with a few...why don't we get some of them and leave them on Lorna's doorstep? We'll make a card and get some ribbon. I think I have some leftover..."

<@Mayday> Without a word, Mayday simply nodded, placing the broken chalk stick on the desk and closing her laptop.

<Cecilia> ((Time Passes))

<Cecilia> Cecilia padded alongside May, her feet making the new fallen snow crunch. "Here," she said, handing the flowers to May. "You leave them on the steps."

<@Mayday> "Y-yeah...", Mayday took the flowers, kneeling down and resting them gently on the steps and adjusting the card attached to them so that it would be seen. She stood, pulling her blue Pac-Man ghost hat down and looking back at Cecilia, "...I just wish there was more we could do."

<Cecilia> Cecilia sighed. "I know...Well, I suppose once things settle down a bit we can ask Lorna how we can help. It's just...I think she'll need some time to absorb this..."

<Cecilia> Cecilia turned to May. "And there is more you can do. Go to Sue, just be with her, you might not think it's helping but it is. It's truly rare to have someone who's always there for you. Even if you don't say anything...it'll be appreciated. Trust me."

<@Mayday> Mayday nodded, "...thank you, Cee. I....thanks.", she nodded again, unsure of what else to say.

<Cecilia> Cecilia shrugged. "You're welcome, what're friends for anyways?"

<@Mayday> With a weak smile, Mayday laughed a little dryly, "...I guess.", she looked around, "...should we just go home? I...I want to go home."

<Cecilia> Cecilia nodded. Slinging an arm around her friend. "Yeah, let's go home."

[Slarti]

Awwww.... you guys... making me feel all guilty...