1/10 Instance: IT

[tears~fall~like~glass]

timeline: current


Johnny: Keeping a firm grip on Hope's hand, Johnny led the way through the colorful tents, stalls, and booths. He was attempting to decide what exactly they should do to kill time before the actual show began, however progress was not being made. Pulling her off to the side to avoid standing in the middle of a walkway, he glanced around and pulled a face as he pointed out, "There's clowns everywhere."

Hope: Hope shuddered at the word, sliding a bit closer to him. "There are too many of them..." She glanced around them, starting to count them all. When she got to 10, she shuddered again. "Johnny.... Ahh!" She let out a shriek as one snuck up on them, smiling and offering them a balloon flower. Hope put Johnny between herself and the clown.

Johnny: Johnny gulped as Hope hid behind him and wished he wasn't terrified himself so he could make fun of her. He repressed a shudder as he took in the painted-on smile and the balloon, a look of horror plastered on his face. Eyes wide, he reached for the balloon with a shaky hand and flailed as the clown went on his way, turning to toss the flower at Hope, "Take it, take it, take it!"

Hope: "I'm not touching it!" She shrieked again, flailing at the thing to keep it away from her. "Not touching it! Not touching it!"

Johnny: "I don't want it though!" Johnny cried, adding, "...And... And you just sacrificed me! The least you could do is take it!"

Hope: "That's what he said! And No!"

Johnny: "This isn't the time for jokes!"

Hope: "You're already touching it!"

Johnny: "That's what she said!"

Bobby: Despite Hope's accusations, Bobby was pretty good at discretion when he wanted to be. Now was not one of those times. He laughed and picked up the flower, looking it over. "I think it's safe, princess..es."

Hope: "I think you are mistaken...." Hope clung to Johnny's arm, eyeing the flower.

Johnny: "They're creeeeepy," Johnny complained, "...And when I thought this was a good idea, I didn't think there'd be so many of them."

Bobby: "They all float down here," he creeped, tossing the flower from one hand to the other. "Want me to kill them all?"

Hope: "Johnny make him stop!" Hope squeezed him more tightly.

Johnny: He considered Bobby for a few moments, "...Would you?"

Bobby: "...No!" Bobby was still laughing. "Awww, the big bad human clowns gonna get the baby X-Men?"

Hope: "They could be giant robot spiders... You don't know, Bobby! You don't KNOW!"

Johnny: "They're unnaturally happy-looking. It's not right." Johnny shook his head, deciding it was safe to move on, "I've never understood why they're supposed to be funny. They're just... scary."

Bobby: "It's makeup," he mock whispered at Johnny. "I don't like clowns either, man, but... nut up."

Johnny: He pulled a face, "But they're clowns."

Hope: "They are so creepy... so, so creepy." Hope shuddered again.

Bobby: "Yeah, exactly." He bopped Johnny with the flower and went on ahead of them to clear the area of the offending clowns.

Johnny: "Sometimes I miss Phil and Stan," he muttered to Hope.

Hope: Hope cringed at the flower being that close, then nodded. "Yeah.... me too."

Johnny: Deciding to voice this opinion, Johnny moved to follow Bobby, "How did you get stuck babysitting tonight anyway?"

Bobby: "Because the vacation is over," he sighed. Bobby gave one of the clowns a crazy grin of his own.

Hope: "Back to the worst job ever, right?" She grinned, teasing Bobby a bit.

Bobby: "I wouldn't say ever. Not always, anyway." Bobby chuckled, twirling the flower. "Besides, human agents come only as a matched set and Phil's got a date tonight."

Hope: "A date?! With whom?!"

Johnny: Johnny blinked, "They have lives?"

Bobby: Bobby just grinned devilishly at Hope. Johnny made him snort. "Last I checked, yes, they do. Lives! Hold the presses!"

Hope: Hope eyed another clown as it passed, then turned her attention back to Bobby. "That grin scares me."

Johnny: "That grin means he knows something we don't."

Bobby: "Oh, I know lots of things," he agreed.

Hope: Hope shuddered again, pressing herself closer to Johnny. Damn he was so creepy!

Johnny: "Since you know... Who is it?"

Bobby: "One of our most charming and available professors." In fact, if he managed to escape Hope sitting for a moment, he was going to check in on Paige and Phil as well. Just to be sure.

Hope: "Charming and available...." Hope tried to think of who it could be. "I don't know anyone who would be into him... he's a bit weird."

Bobby: "How's he weird?" Bobby was interested now.

Johnny: "...Guy or girl?" Johnny asked before starting to ponder which professor.

Hope: "A guy.. he's gay right? And he's just... odd... I don't know."

Bobby: "He's not gay," he laughed.

Johnny: "Well, that narrows it down.... Sort of..."

Hope: "Kincaid?" Hope offered as a suggestion.

Bobby: "Nope." He scanned the crowd.

Johnny: "Damn... That was my first guess," Johnny muttered, debating the options. "Rogue?"

Bobby: Bobby laughed. He was still stuck on the idea of Phil with Cess. Oh, the education that boy would get.

Johnny: Johnny took that as a no. Damn. Who else was really hot? "...Professor Guthrie."

Bobby: "You have potential, young one," he laughed, giving Johnny an approving nod.

Hope: Hope made a face, unsure of how she felt about this. "Phil... and Guthrie?"

Johnny: Johnny gave a grin, "Go Phil."

Bobby: "Yeah... she's thought he was cute for a while. I checked him out for her." And leaned on him slightly. Just a bit.

Hope: "Well... I guess...." Hope made another face. Ick! She liked them separate... but not together.

Bobby: "Jealous?" Bobby gave Hope a shit-eating grin.

Johnny: "Yes."

Bobby: "Ha!" He approved of Johnny more and more.

Hope: Hope gave Johnny a look. Waaaait.... which one of them was the jealous one?

Hope: She sighed and rolled here eyes. "Totally jealous."

Bobby: He smirked at her expression. "Don't feel bad. It's totally understandable... sometimes you just develop feelings for those protecting you."

Hope: "Except he's not that hot."

Bobby: Somewhat disappointed she didn't take the bait, he shrugged. "Paige thinks so."

Johnny: "I don't know why," Johnny added, "Especially not when I'm around."

Hope: "Exactly my point." Hope stole a quick kiss.

Bobby: "So... lemme get this straight," he twirled the flower. "You both encourage the reverse hot for teacher scenario... so you want Paige to go after Johnny?"

Johnny: "...I may not be opposed to that..."

Hope: Hope whacked Johnny's arm for that one.

Bobby: Bobby just cackled.

Johnny: "Ow," Johnny muttered, rubbing his arm as he glanced around, "So, how much longer do we have until the main show begins?"

Hope: "I don't know... but I think the clowns are multiplying."

Johnny: "I hope they aren't," he shuddered.

Bobby: "They can smell your fear," he nodded, checking his phone and the time.

Johnny: Johnny made a face, glancing to Hope, "Why are we still here?"

Hope: Hope shuddered as well, taking Johnny's hand again. She would get out alive. She had two sacrifices. "Because we already bought the tickets?"

Johnny: His shoulders slumped. "Oh, yeah..."

Hope: "What about some cotton candy?" she offered, squeezing his hand.

Bobby: "There are no refunds in the circus, and no tears in baseball, and no laughs in clowning." Bobby scrolled through his messages.

Johnny: "Yeah, let's go get some cotton candy," Johnny nodded, "Cotton candy fixes everything, right?"

Hope: Hope smiled and pulled Johnny toward that stall until he came to a sudden stop. Clown.

Johnny: Johnny cringed, mumbling as he sidestepped, "Just... Go around it..."

Bobby: The clown honked a giant horn at them. "Oh hey, Paige says she's having fun." Well, really she said OMG, but he assumed that meant fun. Or else, she was really moving fast on a first date.

Hope: Hope jumped behind Johnny again, shrieking. "Ack!"

Johnny: "Stop doing that!" he hissed, glancing over his shoulder at Hope. Then, he looked to Bobby, "Well... Lucky her."

Hope: "You want me clinging to Bobby instead?" she hissed back.

Johnny: Johnny glanced between the two, "...Take her."

Bobby: The clown danced behind Johnny to honk his horn at Hope.

Hope: Hope screamed and flailed her arms, backing away quickly.

Johnny: He wasn't going to laugh. He really wasn't going to laugh. While the clown was distracted by Hope, he stepped up to order their cotton candy.

Bobby: Bobby was going to laugh, and he did, returning Paige's text.

Hope: Hope got behind Bobby, wiping her eyes when neither of the guys could see her.

Bobby: The clown went for Hope again and this time Bobby stepped between them, still texting.

Hope: Hope smirked that time. Finally he did his job.

[Slarti]

[steyn]

LOL