Players:
Summary: A bunch of students all decide on exercise time at the same time, it turns more into social time.
Date: July 3, 2009
Log Title Gathering in the Gym
Rating: PG
Xavier Mansion - Gymnasium
This big room with wooden floors is build with powered students in mind; the entire room is power proof. Blast the walls all you like, they are not breaking. The gym can either be one large room and it also has dividers to make it two smaller gyms. This large Gym has basketball nets, equipment to set up equipment badminton, volleyball, hockey, soccer, gymnastics, fencing, and everyone's favorite, dodge ball.
It is afternoon, and now that school is out for the summer some students at the Xavier Institute have more time to work out than they did when they had to go to class and spend time every afternoon with a math tutor. One such mutant is Jared Stone. At the moment he has a set of uneven bars set up in the school gym, and his iPod connected to a pair of speakers in the cornor. While the classic song 'Schools Out' by Alice Cooper plays the tall teen works his way through a rather complex routine timed to the music while dressed in a modafied version of his Alpha Squad uniform.
Dressed in his modified New Mutants uniform, Eddie Paker-Mayfair is down in the gym with Jared. He's not on the bars though. No, Mr. 'Trips and falls down at the drop of a hat' lacks the skill for that. He's a small distance away on the mats working on a set of crunches. There's an idle humming alomg to the speakers as he does the exercise.
July is done and done with school and has to get ready for college, but right now she just wants to walk around the school again, and she finds herself wandering into the gymnasium, lured in by the music, and she figures she'll find at least one person in there, and so she walks in smiling, wearing her usual clothes, not her squad uniform. She notices Eddie and Jared in there working out, and she giggles softly. "Boys…" she mutters to herself, before waving at them and speaking out loud, "Hey, guys."
Heading down to the gym in the hopes of getting some running in is Daisuke. He has to start training better. He's dressed in a pair of workout pants and sleevless shirt, no uniform for him right now, and enters in the gym and looks around. "Hey Eddie, Hey Jared, ya know it's going to make it difficult for me to work out with you flipping around like that." He looks at July and raises an eyebrow, since he followed in right behind her. "What's wrong with Boys?"
One of those with more time to train is the new kid, Shelly. Though it isn't as though someone who never needs to sleep really needs more time in her day. But it did mean that she's even more of a fixture in the various training areas. She's coming from the weight room, having spent the late morning and early afternoon in there for anybody who had been there, and is now looking to get some of her cardio work in. She's dressed in a green workout tank and a black pair of workout pants. "Hey July, Daisuke," Shelly says, waving to the girl. She doesn't know all the guys yet, so they just get casual glances.
Jared notices when July shows up, but does not say anything wanting to at least gt through his routine without too much in the way of distraction. Of course as more people come in he decides he may only get this one last work out in on the bars. As the song comes to a close Jared starts a spin on the higher of the two bars and ends with a flip off the bars onto the mats with a bow that is obviously part of the routine. After a second he turns to look at all the people and grins giving them a wave as he wanders over to where he has a bottle of water and a towel to wipe off some sweat. "Hey Dai, ladies. Sorry, I may have to give up the Olympic dreams but I still want to perfect that routine…" As 'Scools Out' fades the iPod moves to the next son in the play list, "We Don't Need No Education.'
Eddie continues his set even after noticing July. After a few more crunches, he falls back onto the mat and lays there for a few moments. Once his breath is caught, Eddie gets up and smiles. Seeing Jared land, the power-booster claps as he jogs over to get his own towel and water. "Hi," he greets them all. "What's up?"
July giggles softly at Jared's presentation and claps excited, "Whoa, that was impressive, JAred!" she says, smiling, before looking at Shelly while still clapping, offering the girl a smile and a nod, before looking back at Jared, and Eddie. "Hey, you all. Training always?" She asks, and at Daisuke's question, she just giggles. "You're not a girl, won't understand."
Daisuke can't help but shake his head at July and sigh before smiling as Jared finishes up. "Hey, anytime you want an audience you know I'll watch you." He says before smiling at Shelly. "Hey Shelly, how you settling in here. I'm not sure you've met everyone but this is Eddie, and this is Jared." He says introducing her as he walks over to Jared and Eddie. "So you two working out also?" Another point for Captain Obvious!
"No, haven't met everyone quite yet," Shelly admits, taking a few steps closer towards the group. The tall girl offers Eddie and Jared a hand each in turn. "I'm Shelly, and I'm settling in alright. Came in right when school got out, so I susupect it'll be a good chance to get used to everything that goes on here, aside from the classes of course". And who needs homework, right?
Jared shrugs at July, "When you are in a run for the Olympics it gets so your whole life is nothing but school and training. Its a hard habit to break, and a good one to keep up health wise." Jared wipes his face and brow with his towel and offers a slightly chalky hand in a small pair of gloves to Shelly. "Nice to meet you Shelly. I have only been here a couple of months myself and spend half my free time either here in the gym or at our Dad's house." AS he says our Dad's Jared gestures to Eddie to make it clear they share thier two Dads. Jared grins and winks at Daisuke, "Never really cared about audiances…at least not till I can get through a routine perfect. That run through was maybe a 6.7 or a 7.2 at most if I have leniant judges."
Eddie shrugs at July as well. "This is just my normal training," he says. The booster shakes Shelly's hand after Jared does and nods. "Nice to meet ya," he says. He nods when Jared mentions the Dads and then stretches. "I've been here for…umm…actually I don't know. I think it's a year but it could be more…or less. I lost track of the time," he admits, blushing faintly. The blush gets worse as Eddie glances over in time to see Jared wink at Dai.
July blinks as apparently her clapping and compliments didn't faze the two at all, and so she shrugs softly, clasping her hands together behind her back as she looks around the place, this being one of the very few times July came here, and she never got a good look at the place, while Shelly, Jared and Eddie talk.
Some people say that you can never return home. For Jubilee, that is true in some ways: after having headed back to California to finish off high school, she was forced away again after a very explosive fight between the closest thing she has to a father and her eccentric aunt. In other ways, of course, it is very untrue, as here she is, back at Xavier's. And while she herself never went to school here, she's spent more than her fair share in these walls, knowing the building very well. Of course, now things are different; she'll likely be called Ms. Lee, a prospect that terrifies and confuses her. She'll be splitting her time with college too, a prospect she hasn't come to a firm opinion on. Still, as she explores the grounds top to bottom, she finds few things have really changed, mainly just her perspective. She heads down to the gym, where she spent several hours pouring over her gymnastics routines, only to find a slew of students hanging around. Blinking a few times, she blushes and considers
"I've been here two years but I graduated a year ago." Daisuke says as he's explained to before. He's a tutor and teachers aide for the moment but with no school it means no work. "Eddie and Jared take their training seriously." Dai says with a chuckle as he grins at Jared and winks back at him. "I'm not sure either Eddie but it feels like we've known eachother longer how ever long it's been."
"I hear you on that. I was looking to go play tennis before I came here," Shelly tells Jared. "That idea didn't end up panning out though". Mutants playing sports just tends to not work very well when you bring them out among non-powered people. "Good to meet you both". That's when she notices Jubilee come in. "So, who is that?" she asks. "I don't think I've see her around before either," she says to the gathered group of students.
Jared is a competative gymnast, or at least was before his mutant nature manafested, so a little applause is not something that is gonna faze him in the least, especially when he was not to impressed with his own preformance. Jared con only grin a little at Daisuke's words, "Yeah, well Like I said its just habit for me, not like Eddie who has his sights locked in on being a real live superhero…not that he is not one already any way." Jared nods and sighs as Shelly mentions having wanted to play pro tennis, given that he has read Jean-Paul Babier's book he knows just how nonpowered people can get about mutant sports figures. "Not sure, haven't met her either…" He says about Jubilee.
Eddie grins to Daisuke. "Yeah. Feels like we've know eachother for a long time. I still remember our first meet in the Park though," he says, looking up thoughtfully. "Man…we freaked eachother out," he says. He then blushes furiously when Jared mentions his dream of superheroics. Looking over at Jubilee when she's pointed out, Eddie blinks a few times and lets out a thoughtful noise.
July looks back to the group, smiling, "I'm done with school. But I don't exactly know what to go for in college." she says, rubbing the back of her head as she enters the conversation again. But when Jubilee is brought to attention she turns her head to look at her, and she blinks again, "I'm not sure…" she says softly, her face slightly familiar from the many pictures spread out through the mansion, but July waves to Jubilee, inviting the girl over to join them.
Oops, she's been spotted. Better say something. Pushing off of the wall, Jubilee flashes her winning grin and raises one hand in a still-motion wave. "Hey folks," she offers, her voice sing-songy and playful. "Didn't mean to bother you, was just getting recalibrated to the digs. Seems like they kept everything the way I left it, though," she jokes, slowly taking in everyone in the group. "Call me Jubilee, or Ms. Lee if you absolutely have to have at title. I'm an alum…sort of…and I'm going to be attending Empire State, and thought I'd split my team helping out you guys when I can." She takes each one in the room slowly, making small mental notes. "So I'm going to need some names. I think so far I've got…Jared, and Eddie," she offers slowly, pointing to each of the boys as they are named. "Now who are the rest of your mooks?" Her tone is playful rather than insulting as she grins again, swaying her weight to one side and resting her hands on her hips.
There's something that Jared said that makes Daisuke bite his lip and nod. "I'm sure he'll be a hero some day." He says softly. At Shelly's words, Daisuke looks and shrugs. "I'm not sure, I think she's new here." He says to the new girl. He looks at Eddie as he makes a noise. "What's up Eddie?" He says then Jubilee introduces her self. "Nice to meet you Jubilee, I'm Daisuke, Daisuke Sakuragi. So you're an alumi here?" He asks sounding a bit surprised.
"Shelly Walker, good to meet you Jubilee," Shelly says, introducing herself. "Alumni, huh? Darn, and here I was hoping I'd get to shed the newbie title early," the teenager jokes. She then looks to July. "I don't look forward to figuring out any sort of college majors myself. I won't mind waiting another three years before figuring that stuff out," the now former-freshman says. "What're you studing at Empire State?"
Jared nods and grins at Jubilee. "Well then Miss Lee, it is good to meet you." Yes, Jared is just enough of a smart aleck to use the title because Jubilee so obviously loves it. Seeing Dai bite his lip gets a curious look form Jared, wondering jsut what he said to cause that reaction. "I guesse since your a former student you might know our Dads, Jericho and Christopher Parker-Mayfair?" At the mention of collage majors and things Jared shrugs, "Three more years till I have to decide…but probably gonna go Pre-Med if I can get my math scores up."
Eddie makes a little face. "I think I've seen her before I just can't remember where…" he answers Dai. Then Jubilee introduces herself. Eddie's eyes go wide and he squeaks. "Jubilee? Like…" he takes a deep breath and starts listing thiings about Jubilee such as her powers, time with different X-teams, and commenting on a couple costumes. Fanboy who got to look into school files. "It's very nice to meet you, Ma'am!" he adds after catching his breath. THere's a pause and Eddie looks down while biting his lip. "I…dunno what I'll do. I never thought about college before."
July smiles and waves, "Hey, hi, Ms. Lee." she says, giggling lightly, "Nice to meet you. I'm July and I—" She is cut off by Eddie as he begins to list all about Jubilee and July blinks, turning her head to look at the walking X-encyclopedia. When he's finally done, she just giggles softly, "That's Eddie for you." she grins a bit.
Jubilee nods her head to Daisuke. "Yep…well sort of. There was a little…side project I guess you could call it, basically the same thing as the Institute, called the Massachutes Academy. Different campus, but same idea." She pauses for a second, wincing slightly. "That…feels longer ago than it should…is this what it feels like to get old?" She shakes that off and smirks towards Shelly. "Trust me, you'll always be 'kid' to someone. There are still people around here who think of me as the 'new girl.' One scruffy Canadian comes to mind, for instance." A raised eyebrow is offered to Jared as she purses her lips, eventually shaking her head. "Don't…think we've met. But I'm sure we will, I have to attend faculty meetings." A lock of mock-panic crosses her face at a sudden realization. "Oh crap, I have to attend faculty meetings," she says, sounding like she's about to cry, though her grin quickly returns. She glances towards Eddie, looking a bit overwhelmed. "Wow…" she finally says. "Never had a fan before. And yeah, you got most everything…" She honestly doesn't look like she knows how to respond to the info-dump-bomb he just dropped. She finally shakes it off and narrows her eyes as she concentrates. "Okay, lets see if I can do this…Eddie, Jared, Daisuke, Shelly and…crap, you went last, uhhhhhh…July?" she says, sounding and looking uncertain on the last one, pointing to each student as they are named.
July nods to Jubilee, smiling, "Yeah, that's me. Or Elastica." she giggles, but then her watch beeps, "Oh, gods, gotta call back home while my parents are still home!" she says, before moving away from the group. "I'm sorry about this, nice talking to ya all, but I gotta dash away!" she waves, andthen runs away.
Shelly looks about to say something, but then she notices the clock on the wall when July mentions having to go. "Speaking of things that need doing, I've got a couple things to go take care of. It was good meeting you," the teenager says before she dashes off herself.
Daisuke watches both July and Shelly leave and waves goodbye before chuckling at Jublee and Eddie. "Eddie's the biggest superhero fanboy I've ever met, he knows too much." He says and he's not saying it like it's a bad thing. "I'm sure faculty meetings won't be so bad, after all you have people liek Mr…Bobby there to make things interesting I bet."
Jared grins and nods at Jubilee, "Yeah, thats everyone, and don't worry about faculty meetings. They can't be half as bad as the Hospital Board meetings I had to sit in on sometimes when Mom couldn't find a baby sitter." The tall mutant reaches over and ruffles Eddie's hair, "Ok, either you have to stop peeking at the school files or tell me where I can get a look too bro. Hmm, hadn't thought about the idea of a faculty meeting with Mister Drake there…heard enough stories that I bet those could get interesting."
Eddie blushes a bit. "Sorry. I'm just like that…" he trails off with a shrug. The blush gets worse as Dai speaks up and a squeak is brought out by Jared. "I just asked Dad and Mr. Summers and they let me see 'em. A long while ago," he replies. A wave is offered as Shelly and July leave and Eddie turns back to the others. "Mister Dr - Bobby is great," he concludes.
Daisuke waves good bye to Jubliee and flops down on the mat with Eddie. "And I didn't even get a chance to work out today, oh well. Oh hey Jared, I should let you in on the thing that I told Eddie the otehr day." Daisuke says figuring that his best friend and his boy friend are the only people he'll tell.
Jared shrugs, "WEll you can always work out now. I still have plenty of energy for more…of course only person that could ever relaly keep up with me was Leo." Jared moves over by his brothr and boyfriend before dropping to sit next to them. "Ohh? What thing are you going to let me in on?"
"Me too," Eddie chimes after Jared. He flops back down as well and shrugs. "I dunno. Dai might be able to keep up if I boosted him but I sure wouldn't," he says with a smile. He goes quiet when Dai mentions letting Jared in on things and watches quietly.
"Well the short verison is I found out I'm not exactly human, I'm a mutant but not…a human." Daisuke begins guessing that's the best way to put it. "A long time ago this alien race landed on earth and they adapted to the people here, looking like them esentially becoming them but they're from another planet and it turns out…I'm linked to them. My families been part of the Alien race for…as long as they have been."
Jared stops and just blinks at Daisuke. Ok, he has read about aliens, even felt what a future version of a hybrid between two alien races will feel like through his powers but has never expected to hear an announcment like that from Daisuke. Without thinking he drops the near constant supression of his sensory ability that he keeps going to feel Dai. "I…wow…I…" Jared has no idea what to think other than to wonder just what Dai is going through.
Eddie gives Daisuke a concerned look as he reveals things and then turns to Jared. The booster can't help but smile at Jared's blinkingm remembering his reaction. He remains quiet though, letting his best friend and brother talk.
Daisuke can't help but laugh and shrug. "I'm still me, nothing's really changed it's like…finding our your adopted but really weird." Daisuke says as he knows it's an odd revalation and he can't really describe it but he knows it's not a bad thing. "It's a sound base race which would explain why my mutantion's sonics but they're pretty much human now just not." Almost everythign is the same though his life force signature might read slightly like a song.
Jared just blinks and shakes his head a little. "No, I know your still you and all that…its just that you have always felt human, not like an alien. I…well I can uderstand the whole finding out about strange parts of the family thing. Till this year I did not even know Dad was alive, let alone have two Dads. Although your wrong about nothing changing…you do feel a little different…Its really hard to explain but it is more like a…more like listening to a song than just feeling a living person."
Eddie shrugs slightly. "Like I said before, weird is par for the course for us," he chimes. "A song? What kinda song?" he asks curiously, looking from Dai to Jared and back again.
"Well…everyone has a live song, I can hear yours, both of you. It's weird to explain." Daisuke beings knowing it's hard to tell them everything he's learned since he learned in an odd manor. "Just, you don't have to treat me any different cause I'm not, I'm still me."
Jared nods and leans over and gives Daisuke a light kiss. "I know that, your you and that will never change. Its just…beyond words like feeling your energy has a beat and a rhythm." Jared moves back from his kiss to look at Eddie, "Not sure I can explain, I am not that great with music beyond knowing some that have good rhythm for competitions. Hmm, its…kind of like one of those deep kinda dark songs that are still inspiring cause they are so full of passion…"
Eddie listens closely and then nods. He looks at Dai for a few moments then grins. "That does sound like Dai kinda," he agrees. "Umm," he blushes a little. "Sorry if this is an annoying question but umm…what do our songs feel like?" he asks, gesturing at himself and Jared.
Daisuke blushes a bit and shrugs. "I dunno, I guess you kind of sound like those songs you sing Eddie, up beat and just like a kind of inspiring song and Jared, yours kind of reminds me of a rock ballad, has it's calm moments but then goes into a harsh bridge." That's the best way that Daisuke can describe it to them. It's hard for him to explain.
Jared nods and grins a little, "Yeah that sounds about like Eddie. A m" Jared leaves off that he can see the boy too easy as a mix of bubble gum pop and superhero cartoon themes. Jared can also understand how he might be represented in music like that, given that his life is a string a calm moments punctuated by moments of anger.
"Wow," Eddie says, smiling again. "That just sounds cool," he admits, a faint blush in place. Stretching, he falls back onto the mat and chuckles. "We must sound good," he muses, referring to all three.
Daisuke chuckles and shrugs. "I don't know there are other things I'll, or should, be able to do but it'll come to me. Sound based stuff." Daisuke says with a nod as he lays back on the mat. "Ya know, I'm just really happy. We're back home, I have my boyfriend and my best friend, things just look…good."
Jared nods and puts an arm around Dai. "Very good thing to be home, and with my loved ones. What kinda sound based stuff? Like figuring out the right pitch to make things shatter, or making weapoins out of pure sound?"
Eddie just smiles wider as he listens. "Sonic constructs like Songbird and Klaw make would be cool. And sonic suggestion like Siren and Jay do would be a neat trick as well," he adds. "Hm. I wonder if you'll like…be able to turn into like a sonic energy form," he muses, thinking about Ricky's current ionic form.
Daisuke nods to Eddie. "That's one of them, turning into Solid energy the rest isn't so fancy. That other stuff, I'll just have to learn how to do. Remeber that I just learned to fly. And then you can copy my powers and learn how to do them yourself Eddie." Dai says with a chuckle.
Jared says, "That sounds like fun, the whole turning into energy thing. The whole world would probably look so different that way too. Its awsome to know something about where your powers are going."
Eddie blinks and looks over. "I wonder how it'd feel to copy you actually. I copied Hulkling when I was back in time with Julian and it felt…different but that could've just been the super strength thing," he muses. "We all have weird powers, don't we?"
"Sorry not energy, sound, but sound is an energy so…anyway. I don't have werid powers, I have Banshee's powers." Daisuke says with a nod and chuckle. "Weird powers would be like mushroom control or smell generation."
Jared laughs a little, "Or the ability to control squirls. THat would be a seriously odd power. I don't think my powers are that odd, I mean there are a few people that have healing factors like me."
Eddie blinks a few times. "Squirrel Girl controls squirrels. And I think there is someone that can control fungi," he says. He then makes a little face. "I meant the sensing light thing and oh nevermind," he says with a laugh.
Daisuke chuckles and hugs both his boyfriend and best friend. "I'm so lucky to have the two of you in my life, I really am." He says not moving his arm from being around either of them. "How about I treat the two of you out to dinner tonight, to that little Japanese place in Salem Center?"
Jared grins and laughs a little. "Yeah, that is exactly who I was thinking abour Eddie. I know what you mean, about my ability to sense life and all." Jared hugs Dai back and nods at him. "You know that sounds awsome. I could go with some Inari and a California roll."
Eddie blinks a few times then returns the hug with a big grin. "Yeah! That sounds like a great plan. I've been wanting to try that place's food too!"
