Players:
Summary: Connor meets up with Travis and gives him a bit of a friendly warning.
Date: February 14, 2011
Log Title: Friendly Warning
Rating: PG
NYC- Thompson Square Park
Thompson Square Park is a small park in the middle of Mutant Town. The benches might need a fresh coat of paint, the fence might be rusted in places and the pavement is raised and has cracks but it's all part of the mutant haven and fairly relaxing. Trees and grassy areas are in between the many paths, there are a few structures and benches along the path as well as a special area of the park that is marked 'the dog walk'.
There aren't many places in the city that Travis will venture out to but Mutant Town is the one place he's not nervous to go to alone. He just needed some fresh air after being holed up in Barnes for over a week. Wearing a jacket that hides four out of his six arms, he sits on a park bench in Thompson Square Park with a container of dumplings from a local Chinese resturant in Mutant Town. The park is still being under some construction but it's mostly back to normal.
Coming back over and sitting down next to Travis is Connor, with a box of something that looks like it might be General Tso's Chicken mixed with noodled, but given the place in question has no english menus, but it does have pictures, the actual content is anyone's guess. The package still steams in the cold New York air as the young man is covered up with a Russian military long-coat, a beanie cap, and some leather gloves, looking more like a longshoreman than a student. Turning his head to look at Travis, the first comment he makes is, "Would you hold it against me if I attempt really hard not to give you the 'Dating my sister' legbreaker speech?" Offering a smile afterwards, complete with slurp of a stray noodle.
Travis smiles at Connor and chuckles at his words. "Well if you want to give me the speech feel free. It can't be more awkward then meeting her ex-boyfriend." He says as he picks up a dumpling with a fork to dip it some sauce before eating it. "And really, thanks for everything back in Africa. I know you didn't know me and mainly were doing it for her but still, thanks."
Connor mumbles out between bites, "You didn't hear this from me… but I swear to god Lucas is in the closet… he and I have had some rather.. eh… uncomfortable moments." More noodle, and namelessly hot meat-in-something are chomped down before he sits back with a sigh, "Let's all agree not to talk about Nigeria… ever. Still kinda pissed I turned over copies of all that stuff I stole from Nero's summer home of doom, and not even word one of thanks from the people at SHIELD. If anything… the agents I talked to seemed… angry at me. But anyways…" And waving it off, he smirks a bit more at Travis, "She has this habit… without meaning to… she makes you want to be better than you are. Makes you ashamed and proud at the same time. Even money says she gets it from her mother."
Travis shrugs. "Hey, not my place to judge. I don't really know the guy." He says and then at the mention of never talking about Nigeria again, there's a nod. "Deal. And the Agents I've met aren't that bad. I like Agent Index, he's a weird guy but it's the non-chalant mystery around him that makes him cool." He then pauses for a bit at Connor's words. "Well, it's not just that, yeah but, she's real. She's not trying to be someone she's not. Everything about Rashmi is genuine and she's passionate about something once her mind is on it. And she gets it from both her Mami and Papi I think. I met them at Christmas, they're really nice."
Poking at his food with his chopsticks for a few moments, Connor then sighs, and shakes his head, "The blessing and curse of being real is… you also have to be honest with yourself. Not an easy trick, especially for headcases like me." Putting the box to the side, he leans his head back to look up into the cloudy sky, "I graduate in four months… and I don't even know what I'm going to do then. Part of me wants to go home and pretend to be normal… face in the crowd. Ground myself again. A bigger part wants to go out and see the world… get in trouble. Get lost until I find myself. Hell, if I was eligible for it, I'd join the military. With the scores I get in math and science, I could land something pretty posh in the Air Force."
"I don't really have much of a choice in where I go to be honest. Like Rashmi told you things are a bit…complicated. I didn't plan to go to Barnes, I got my powers less than a year ago." Travis explains. "Maybe that get lost until you find yourself isn't a bad idea, but I don't really know you so, who knows what my opinion counts for. And not eligible for the military? Is it because you're a mutant?"
Connor shakes his head and taps the side of it, "I was born with a compulsive disorder. Caffiene and some meds keep it managed, but I start having issues with certain situations. I become too intensely focused on things I shouldn't. Like for example… I have my laundry folded by day in my dresser at school. So when I open it, I know what I am wearing. One time I let my roomie do my laundry, it was so screwed up, I had to clean and fix up the entire room before it would stop. I literally plan my life out in my comfort zones so that I don't start getting nagging feelings on loss of control. And when it does happen, rational thinking shuts down in favor of obsession. I was just lucky in that I got obsessed with rescuing you all." The last part said with a whisper, then a deliberate stuffing of the mouth happens, covering the awkwardness.
"Wow." Travis says not really sure what to say on Connor's compulsive disorder. "That's something I can't relate to at all. My life is screwed up in other ways that I can't really expect constants." He says spearing another dumpling with his fork. "I pretty much lost every comfort I had, twice, so I'm kinda learning how to go with things. Just accept them as they come I guess. And I think that's part of why I like Rashmi, she was willing to invite me and my Mom over for Christmas just because we didn't have anything but eachother. She's just…got an amazing heart."
Another few bites are taken before he says as he swallows, "I think that's part of it… these weird abilities and physical gifts we get just magnify our personal and social problems." Licking some sauce from his chin, and then retrieving a napkin to get the rest, before passing one to Travis and saying, "You've got some sauce on your cheek." Connor then shrugs and chuckles a bit, "She doesn't need to relate. She just accepts your differences from her's, then moves on to common ground. But god you should listen to yourself. If we're not too careful you're going to walk into school with a Team Rashmi shirt aka Twilight or something."
Travis wipes the sauce off his cheek with the back of his hand. "Thanks, and I don't think the powers really ahve much to do with my personal issues." He says with a chuckle. "Mine mostly stem from losing my father and having to deal with the aftermath. Rashmi told you, I'm in the witness protection program, it's hard leaving your life behind and living a new one and it's even harder doing it a second time. You can't have any connections to your old life, all your friends, I just vanished to them. It's really hard adjusting again. The only person I have that's constant is my Mom and sometimes it's rough. Real rough." He explains before asking. "Twilight? Like that shitty Vampire movie?"
"It was a shitty book series, before it was a shitty movie series… and to be honest, most of the haters are waiting to see how they'll pull off Book Four. When Bella has a monsterbaby that breaks her back with a baby kick, and then has to be turned in order to save her life.", Grinning once more at the end of the statment, Connor's empty box and chopsticks suddenly compact to the size of a marble, and he tosses it into a trashbin with an almost unerring ease, "My sisters are both fans, and firmly in the Team Jacob camp… But that's because one of them thinks Taylor Lautner and his abs are a divine gift, and the other just thinks wolves are cooler than guys with poor teeth and a bad skin condition."
Travis blinks at Connor for a bit and seems at a loss for words. After a few seconds he finally speaks up. "You totally lost me. I'm not really into the whole Vampire thing honestly. Some of them like that old Dracula movie from the ninties was kinda cool." He then starts to chuckle a bit. "Man, sometimes I feel like a fish out of water to be honest. Back in St. Louis, I was all about sports. Now I have a roommate who'd rather be baking then watch a football game and I'm dating a girl who referrs to it as Sports Ball. Not that it's a bad thing just different. In a good way."
After a moment of rubbing the back of his neck with one gloved hand, Connor presses them together and says, "Until I came out here, I had precisely one friend… a friend who practically lives off the internet. Every little rumor, bug, snark, and otherwise he digs at and likes to talk with me. But I was also antisocial, hated school, and spent most of my time hanging out with my uncle instead of doing after school stuff." After that, he turns his head to look at Travis, up and down, and then says, "So, since you're Travis… why don't you figure out what Travis likes? Seriously… if you're supposed to not be connected with your old life… what else did you love that you couldn't do there? I mean besides Rashmi…" Wince as he says it, "Okay, that came out totally wrong…"
"That was it though, I did everything I liked back home. I used to ski, it's hard to do that now since people don't look to kindly on someone with six arms. I used to be big into airsoft and paintball with friends. I had a scholarship for Baseball that I had to pass up but the main thing I can still do is carpentry. And it's easier now." Travis says with a grin. "Honestly, I want to be myself Connor. I don't want to put on the mask and pretend. I really don't. Even going by Travis feels like that mask but I know things are different and I know it can suck but I can't let it drag me down either. I've gotta live for my Dad's memory. And you're lucky I'm not punching you in the arm for that comment. Cause it came out /really/ wrong." He says with a laugh.
"Life is what make of it, not what you want it to be. But still… you break her heart, I break your insert limb here, allright?" Winking at Travis before standing up and pushing off the bench, looking around for a moment and then back to the six-armed man, "She's one of two people outside of my family back home that I'd do what I did for her… and it's because she deserves it. If you're the right guy for her… she deserves it too. Still doesn't stop me from wanting to make sure she gets treated right." The grin spreads a bit more before adding, "And if you want to get her interested in Sports Ball, just -ask-. If you offer to sit down and watch Viggo of the Rings with her, she'd probably assent to the Superbowl. If nothing else, it always has the coolest commercials."
Travis holds up both his hands. "Hey, I have no intention of hurting her. I like her, a lot." He admits as he pushes himself to standing as well. He holds out a hand to Connor. "Thanks, for being a cool guy." He lets out a laugh and shrugs. "Well we had a bit of a Lord of the Rings night the other night just to relax a bit. It was nice." He says as he stretches the best he can since his other four arms are getting a bit cramped under his coat. "And I guess if I screw up by you, you have your choice of limbs to break."
