Players:
Summary: Two teachers at Xaviers have a conversation while getting in a work out before the students get up.
Date: August 26, 2009
Early Morning Working Out
Rating: R
Xavier Mansion Weight Room and Locker Room
A nice, early morning down in the Xavier Mansion. And while some people may just be waking up, some have been awake for awhile. One of with is Robert Weyrin, teacher at the Institute. Down in the weight room, what seems to be a floating pair of shorts and a t-shirt molded into person shape wearing sneakers is down there. And while there doesn't seem to be too much movement, the punching bag is moving like it's getting punched. Sounds like it too.
Erik comes in dressed for some work, in an underarmor shirt and sweatpants (and sneakers). He raises an eyebrow as he sees the shorts and t-shirt. "Morning." Erik greets as he moves toward the weight racks. Work at the mansion, you get inured to this kind of stuff.
Rob glances up and over. "Morning," the teacher greets with an unseen nod. "DIdn't think anyone else'd be up this early. Well…awake and out here."
Erik chuckles. "I don't actually sleep every night." Erik says with a shrug. "So it's easy to be up and about bright and early. I don't think we've actually formally met. I'm Leif Anderson, Government and Politics professor." He holds out his hand in the direction of the shirt.
There's a small delay before an invisible hand takes Erik's and gives it a firm shake. "Robert Weyrin. I'll be teaching mathematics and history when classes start back up," he says simply. There's another pause. "You one of the X-men too or just a teacher like me?" he asks, tone a little quieter.
"Right now I'm just a professor. I need to see about getting back on the team. I had a power reset not to long ago now, and I'm just now getting back to full strength." He explains.
"Power Reset?" Rob asks, unseen eyebrow arching. "That must have been troublesome," he says. "Good luck with that though. Can't say I'll be joining you in the spandex. Power's not exactly the most combat minded and I try not to be a hero."
Erik nods. "It was very troubling, really rather pissed me off." Erik admits as he moves to sit on the weightbench, flexing a little bit as if getting the juices flowing. "Not everyone is made for it, there's nothing wrong with that."
Rob stays quiet as he watches Erik, nodding and moving to a weight bench of his own. As he sits, ROb lets a few bandage lash out and grab up a free weight. They pull the weight over quickly and then vanish. "I just have a bad habit of getting into way more trouble than I tend to put a stop to is all."
Erik chuckles and sets up his weights. He starts out with about three hundred pounds, an impressive look to it. "Well, that would be a good reason not to look in to the hero business then, yes."
Rob nods, starting to work on some bicep curls. Sure, it looks like the weight is just floating in mid air but that is relatively normal in this school. "Yeah. If the students are in danger, I'll defend them but I'm not going out after like…the Brotherhood or whatever they are these days."
Erik laughs a little bit as he begins to bench press the weight. He breathes slowly and steadily, moving the weight up and down with controlled movements. "I don't know how…active they are anyway." He says with a chuckle as he completes one full movement.
Rob gives a single-shoulder shrug. "I don't know. Never followed much in the way of super-news. Been too busy with life," he explains. "I just couldn't think of anyone else right there."
Erik chuckles a little bit. "I have a passing interest in the news, from time to time, so I will be happy to help if you ever need to know." He says, as he nods and keeps going with the weights. "How long have you been less than opaque, then?"
"Too long," Rob mutters, grip tightening on the weight for a moment.
"Couple years. MGH dealers," he says, taking a moment to rests after finishing his set. "It's a pain in the ass but I've been running into a surprising amount of people that can see me these days…"
Erik raises an eyebrow. "Ah, they decided you'd be a good source?"
Erik asks, shaking his head darkly as he finishes a rep of 10, putting the bar back and rubbing his hands.
Rob switches to the other arm. "Naw, back then I was just a random nab. Said my power sucked so I was just an experiment. They were trying to make new strains…that's how I ended up invisible," he says.
Erik blinks at that. "What was your power before hand?" He asks, having apparently assumed it was always invisibility.
Rob lets out a little laugh. "THe bandages. They've always been my power. This…not being seen thing came about thanks to those bastards," he says.
Erik nods a little bit. "Interesting. Well, I am sorry that it happened, but it is good to see that you have adapted well to it, frustrating as it must be."
Rob gives another unseen nod. "Yeah…I've learned to put up with it. Clothes don't vanish…except for that weird uniform they gave me. Vanishes the second I put it on," he says with a little laugh. "But it is a massive pain…being one of the only people able to see myself…"
Erik nods. "Yeah, the uniforms are a little bit strange sometimes, its why I never really got in to them. Spandex right up against the crotch, and you want people to take you seriously…yeah."
Rob gives another laugh, shaking his head. "They needed me invisible for that little mission and the alternative was running around naked," he says. "And while I normally don't mind it, when he bullets fly, some protection's good."
Erik raises an eyebrow and laughs. "Yeah, I can see why being rediculously tight down there, in that instance, would be better than swinging free." He adds more weight, and settles back down.
Rob gets up, moving towards the leg lift machine. "They're not that tight with the proper underwear," he remarks. "Though, there are times when a tight uniform is helpful."
Erik shakes his head and chuckles. "I dunno, I just never got used to being that close to other guys in spandex that tight. Now the /girls/ were a totally different story."
Rob shakes his head as well, setting his weight and start to work. "What? Worried you won't measure up to the other guys?" he jokes. "Or are ya worried ya might see a guy's ass in spandex and think it's as nice as one of the girls'?" he's curious.
Erik ponders. "I dunno, Scott does have a fantastic ass, he just clenches it too tightly sometimes." He says with a chuckle. "As for measuring up, hell…so many of the suits come with holograms, how the hell would you know?"
Rob laughs. "I severely doubt the suits come equipped with crotch-blocker holograms. Facial distortion or those nifty watches for the kids that stand out too much, sure though," he says. There's a moment of pause. "May have to check out Scott's ass next time I see him walking then," he remarks idly.
Erik grins. "Yeah, but if you can make a blue person look like a normal human, tell me they aren't going to have one of the technopaths hack it to increase…packet size." He says, pulling out a humorous technical term. "Man works out. Just saying. Straight as a laser level, however."
Rob shakes his head. "Sounds more like something one of the students would do and then get in trouble for," he says. "Besides, I'm willing to be that most of the guys that would do that would get a bit too…greedy. Make it look ridiculous," he says, finishing his set and resting. "Oh, I know," he says in regards to Scott. "Doesn't mean one can't look."
Erik laughs. "Yes, well…that is just too terrifying to think about what 14 year olds would think is attractive in that regard, so let's not spend any more time on it."
Rob just offers an unseen smirk leans back. "Yeah, agreed," he says. "Been nice and quiet lately. Gonna end real quick when classes start up though, won't it?"
Erik nods. "Yeah, though I've been doing my summer class. The most hated or loved class I teach, depending on who you ask." He says as he begins another rep. Oh yeah, weights…
Rob switches the machine's mode before starting up his reps again. "What class is that?" he asks, having not been paying too much attention to summer classes.
"Ethics of Power." Erik offers. "Looking at the legal basis, or lack thereof depending on your view, behind mutant vigilanteism the kind we do, as well as the ethical implications of mutant powers."
Rob blinks a few times. "Oh…so button issue stuff," he says. "If it's the same class I heard those kids in the kitchen talking about the other afternoon, you got someone pretty riled up."
Erik chuckles. "Well…there is a lot of high feelings about it. What the X-Men do is not legal, what we do is not legal, for the most part. You can make an argument about Good Samaritan laws, but we're vigilantes. We may be needed, even required, but we lack a legal background. SO the question is, in these instances then, is it ethical?"
Rob chuckles. "Leif…got one question for ya there…when you see people in danger of getting crushed by one of those giant robots just for being a mutant, are you going to be asking yourself 'is it ethical for me to save them?' or 'Can I stop that in time to save them?'."
"I'm a lawyer, I'm off with the crushed people behind the robot asking if they'd like to sue." Erik says, waggling his eyebrows as he finishes his rep, and sits up. "And in a one time instance, you're generally covered by Good Samaritan laws for damage caused. We, however, are a Paramilitary organization."
Rob wags an invisible finger. "And one could argue those people chomping at the bit to sue are just as bad if not worse than the robot," he says. "Training and uniforms do not a paramilitary organization make. Purpose, action, and people are required. But I can say…" he takes a deep breath. "From personal experience. I couldn't give a damn about the legality. The X-men saved my ass big time when I was younger. Busted right in and kept me from getting shipped off to a human chop shop."
Erik chuckles. "And we have a purpose, and we have action and we have people." Erik responds. "We send people, funded privately, all over the world to fight." Erik says, before he nods. "I wouldn't be who I am without the influence of great men like Charles Xavier. I support the X-Men. But I also think the most important thing someone with power can do is constantly evaluate his motivations, because it is a very slippery slope from protection to darker realms."
Rob nods. "Yeah…but question it too much and you can fall down the other side of the slope," he remarks as he finishes up his reps.
Erik nods. "Which is why I encourage the class before hand, rather than having it at the side of the road when there is a fight going on. You know, it is the class that makes it clear it isn't ethical to use your powers to spy on girls, or get better grades. We deal with the big things, to help look at the smaller things as well."
Rob offers an unseen smile. "Isn't that the whole point of the school itself?" he asks. "I dunno. Other than the one pair of…not so pleasant students I met before getting hired here…the kids seem good. I don't think we have to worry about that sort of thing from them."
Erik shakes his head. "No, not in general, but you don't make the class about ethical power use to save the 99 kids who won't do it, but to make the 1 who will re-consider. Besides, it is good to think about; we're very rarely challenged to consider /why/ we do things any more, as a society/"
Rob shrugs, leaning back once more. "Yeah, but if you ask why too much you tend to get smacked," he says, remembering the old joke. "That's how the school was explained to me though…a place for mutants to live safely and learn how to control their powers and use them ethically to maintain peace with the rest of the world."
Erik nods. "Well, I'm the 'ethically to maintain peace', or at least 'to ethically consider whether we should be responsible for'…yeah, ok, shorter to say it that way."
Rob remains silent for a few moments, just thinking. "Think I'll hit the showers," he eventually says.
Erik chuckles. "Like I said, I support what we do. But I think we should think about it, and train the people who are going to be leading it when we're done to think about the X-men, the school, and the mutant movement for themselves."
Rob stands and stretches. "Yeah, keep 'em thinking," he says. "Just don't push these kids too hard or like I said…right down the other side of the slope."
"Well, I hope to be a better teacher than that, but from time to time I too need to re-examine what I'm doing." Erik concedes.
"We all do," Rob remarks. The invisible man looks around thoughtfully. "Shall we continue this discussion another time or take it somewhere wetter?" he asks, sounding slightly amused.
Erik raises an eyebrow. "And now we go from the discussion of Cyclops' ass to the showers." Erik says amusedly as he grabs his bag, and the towel contained within.
Rob snags his towel off another weight rack and laughs. "Don't worry, I'm not trying to get into your pants. Just sweaty and need a washdown before I head back upstairs," he says, shaking his head and heading for the door. "Besides, discussion beats me trying to sing in the shower."
Erik chuckles and takes his towel to move, presumably, after the invisible man.
Rob pulls off his shirt as he approaches a locker he's chosen earlier to hold things for him. "So, what can ya tell me about this school? Students I should watch out for? Teachers' pets?" he asks opening the lock and digging around inside his locker for some shower items.
Erik chuckles a little bit. "Students you should look out for.
Well…Eddie is a good kid but he is a super hero geek, so if you mention anything about super heroes prepare to be corrected. He is the adopted son of the Parker-Mayfairs." He explains. "Most of the students are actually really good. Robin self-identifies as she, even though biologically is a he." He explains, still thinking.
Rob quirks an eyebrow. "Parker-Mayfair as in the Doctor and Home-Ec teacher?" he asks, stripping off the rest of his clothes. Now it's just floating soap and shampoo. "Yeah…I know about Robin and Blank. Poor kid," he mutters.
Erik nods. "Yes, adopted by them. We are a bastion of tolerance." He says with a chuckle. "There is Lily, who really drew the short end of the stick and turned in to…basically a fish. July, who has the natural consistency of warm salt-water taffy…"
Rob nods thoughtfully, making his way into the shower area. "Huh. Didn't expect that…well…any of it really but more any teachers havin kids of their own here," he remarks. "Yeah…Lily I've been looking into," he adds. "July…oh yeah, strechty girl who wanted to cheat her way through the hedge maze."
Erik nods. "Hence the ethics of power…it isn't a maze if I just fly over it." Erik says dryly, nodding as he moves along to follow, undressed. He, too, is posessed of a righteous derriere. It's genetic.
Rob does give Erik a quick once over, nodding his approval as he selects a place to wash up. "Well, honestly…who but the very young or very bored doesn't resort to some kind of cheating to get through a hedge maze?"
"I did make sure I could go through it once before I flew over it, but then again I like flying a lot." Erik grins. "Most of them are good kids, just…young."
"We were all young at some point," Rob remarks. "Hell, some of us still are," he laughs, starting to shower. Not that it definitely a weird sight…water impacting and cascading down a man that's not there. "Not too keen on flight myself. I'll keep my feet on the ground."
Erik grins. "Yeah." He says, before he blinks at the cascading water, chuckling. "I love it, I missed it so much when I couldn't. Now, the first time I flew I broke a whole mess of bones, but…"
Rob glances over when he feels eyes watching him and shrugs. There's an internal sigh but Rob keeps it from becoming an external one. "I don't mind if ya wanna look. People are always asking thinga about the invisibility," he remarks casually. "Sudden, uncontrolled flight led to a crash?" he guesses.
"Sorry." He says with a shake of his head. "I don't want to be rude, but it is relatively uncommon. And yeah…I felt it would be good to get away from a flight by jumping out a window, flying four blocks, and crashing in a park."
Rob shrugs, lathering up…another interesting sight, floating soap bubbles. "Like I said, I don't mind. You wouldn't believe how many people poke me to make sure I'm there and stuff like that," he laughs. "Man…well, any landing you can walk away from and all that?"
Erik nods. "I was in the hospital wing for a while, but…it turned out alright." He grins. "Pretty girl came by, lots of sympathy." He says, chuckling, but looking somewhat mournful, and rubs his face with water.
Rob shakes his head. "Playing the sympathy card…always a good one," he remarks, missing the mournful look as he rinses his head off. "Oh yeah…couldn't get a straight answer outta the kids but..this place end up gettingn atacked often?"
"Yeeeah." Erik says with a chuckle. "But we're also incredibly well defended, so it normally isn't too bad. We've got a lot of defenses, we've got a lot of powerful mutants to keep things safe."
"Wonderful," Rob murmurs. "Well, atleast it won't be boring," he says, gesturing idly. "I just hope I don't spend too much time yanking back students who think its a good idea to rush the danger head on."
"Well, you might, but the good news is they'll never see you coming?"
Erik offers dryly. Which is odd, being in the shower. "We haven't been hit in months, and we don't really get hit that often, but…we have very powerful mutants, and we have a lot of enemies."
Rob rolls his eyes at the dry remark. "Well, don't forget that unless I'm wearing that uniform or nothing at all…clothing is still visible," he says. "What do you do by the way?" he ask, looking over at Erik. "Some kind of energy power, yeah but what kind?"
Erik chuckles. "I have magnetokinesis. Yes, the same as him." Erik comments, heading off the next question before it comes.
Rob blinks. "Oh…Magneto," he says after a delay for thought. The big man eventually shrugs again. "Interesting power."
Erik chuckles and nods. "It is different. Very broad. I used to shoot the safes and televisions from my foster families in to the next zip code on accident."
Rob cringes. "That would be a problem. Worst I had to worry about was trailing bandages," he shrugs. He avoids the topic of foster care, returning to scrubbing off post-work out sweat. "You lead one of those student squads?"
Erik grins, and then shakes his head. "I don't, because I just got most of my powers back. I am going to see about leading one of them, as we get more students."
Rob nods. "They've got me leading the Alpha Squadron," he adds. "Dunno what I'm gonna have 'em do though," he laughs as he rises off and switches off his showerhead.
Erik nods. "Who is in Alpha?"
Rob snnags his towel and starts to dry off. "Robyn Larkin, Antonio Cosetta, Jordan Ward, Jared Stone, and Jay Guthrie," he says, remembering the list. "Haven't met 'em all yet since they haven't all come back from vacation."
Erik nods. "Sounds like a decent group." He says with a grin. "Well, I'm sure you're fine."
Rob looks over, blinking. "You know them?" he asks. "I've met Robyn and Jared but the others I haven't seen," he says.
"By reputation, and the Guthrie family is fairly well known in our circles." Erik ammends with a chuckle. "Besides, it's the polite thing to say."
Rob nods. "Sam's younger brother and Sam seemed nice," he says idly. "I haven't spent much time in the circle. Sorta fell in, ran for it, and came back when I needed a place to live and work."
Erik nods. "It is decently frequent for that to happen; it is one of the great things about the school, it is always here."
Rob chuckles. "Glad it is. Had no idea where I was gonna go until I found the old card I got back then…" he shakes his head. "How'd you come to the school? Former student?"
Erik smiles wanly. "It is kind of complicated, but similar. I wandered for a long time, and it felt like a totally different place when I came back." He says with a laugh.
Rob notices the wanly smile but doesn't comment on it. "Complicattion's are just part of life," he muses, tying the towel around his waist. Floating towel. "Atleast ya found your way back."
Erik nods. "Yeah. I miss the old days sometimes though. I miss them a lot." He says with a sigh, as he stands and soaks himself again for a moment.
Rob takes a step closer, hushing his tone a little. "We all miss the old days sometime but we can't go back. Only thing we can do it work with what we have in the present and move towards the future," he says.
Erik nods. "Yeah. Unless somehow we manage to gain supernatural cosmic powers that can rewrite history and change things to the way we want it to be, but that can't possibly end well."
Rob lets out a little laugh. "Every movie, book, and comic that's ever featured that would agree," he says.
Erik nods. "Yeah, seems to me it would be bad." He smiles. "I wouldn't mind just seeing a couple of people though."
"Yeah," Rob begins. "I know the feeling…people I'd like to see again too," he finishes quietly.
Erik smiles. "Alright, well too much more of this and I'm going to want to drink until I can't feel feelings any more."
Rob rolls his eyes. "Trust me. Bad move," he says, tone serious. "There are other much easier and less toxic ways to cheer up," he says. "And I'd say if there were any more of this you'd wanna become a fishman," he says, gesturing at the water as he forgets his gesture can't be seen at all.
Erik chuckles and shakes his head. "Yeah, why don't we go dry off."
Rob laughs. "Yeah, let's get going," he agrees, stepping aside to let Erik lead the way.
