Players: Cale, Warlock, Nicholas, and Theo
]
Summary: A chance encounter on the front porch.
Date: May 23, 2012
Log Title: Horses on the Steps
Rating: G
Xavier Mansion - Courtyard
Surrounded on three sides by the school, a large courtyard forms the front yard. The courtyard leads right up to the door of the mansion. Yellow square stone slabs cover the ground where the grass would be. The most noticeable thing about the courtyard is the large statue of Jean Gray, aka Phoenix, in the middle as a memorial. Benches surround the outside of the statue so students can sit and hang out in the courtyard. There are two paths leading off the courtyard, one to the left and the other to the right.
Sitting on the steps of the school, Nicholas is starting intently at his laptop with a look of contemplation. Anyone who walks by the area can hear that he's currently listening to music as he browses the internet, instead of his usual country music he's listening to some alternative rock. After a bit of clicking around, Nick scraches his chin muttering to himself. "Will that work for Orion?"
Theo is wandering in through the courtyard, a yellow tennis ball in his left hand is bounced with a soft thwump every time it hits the pavement. His right arm has his laptop connected to it. The computer is already open, and he's glancing at something on the screen. As he approaches the benches surrounding the statue, he puts it down, still standing and bouncing the ball. He seems to be quite focused, and Proto follows, camera intent on the ball. He suddenly lets the ball fly from his grip, a sidearm pitch at the wall of the masnion. Proto, like a faithful dog, takes off to fetch it.
Having just got back from visiting back home in Salem Lock is crossing the left path on his way back to the dorms, he's dressed in jeans, skeakers, a red sweater, he has a bag over one shoulder and his guitar case in the opposite hand. A little distracted Lock doesn't quite notice the other two boys yet.
"Holy crap!" Nicholas exclaims at his laptop with a look of horror on his face. "I am not paying that much for a bridal." He mutters as he looks up and watches Theo with Proto. "Wouldn't it be more fun to get a real dog?" He asks, not being rude but he thinks the affections of a puppy might be better than those of a robot.
The southpaw technopath watches as Proto intercepts the ball after it bounces off the wall, and then launches it back at him. Theo's hand snaps out to catch the ball, and he throws it again. Proto rushes in front of Warlock, catching the ball again, and then firing it back at his master. This time Theo misses it, and the ball goes rolling out into the grass. "Iamexperimentingnotplaying," Theo comments in what is a little similar to Chloe and Heather's fastspeak. He clenches his teeth, and then shakes his head. "Ow, phew, that's crazy." He looks up at Nicholas. "And I had a dog." No other statement on that pet is made, however.
Cale comes out of the mansion - ostensibly on his way to /elsewhere/ but maybe also just to lay around in the sun - they had the AC rather cranked inside and it was making him sorta sleepy. A canvas messenger bag is slung over one shoulder, probably containing his laptop and other odds and ends. He's currently wearing a pair of khaki cargo shorts and a purple My Little Pony shirt with Rainbow Dash on the front. Upon seeing Nick sitting on the steps, however, he plops down next to him, offering a cheerful, "Hi!" The mopeyness from last night seems to be gone, mostly. Maybe a good night's sleep fixes everything.
Warlock steps back quickly as the little robot runs in front of him and looks around to see where it came from, spotting Nick and two other students he's not met he sees the little robot run back over to Theo. He should head back and put his bag away but he's never seen a robot dog before.
"Never had a dog myself, always wanted one." Nicholas says. "My parents always said we had enough to look over with the horses." He says ignoring what he was looking at before on the website and going to toys and treats for horses. "Hey Cale, how's it going today?" He asks as his friend plops next to him.
Theo arches his brow, "You have a horse?" he repeats. He's never really known Nick that well, so the discovery that the teen has a horse is something new. "Why would you bother with a dog if you have a horse?" Proto rushes back to grab the tennis ball, and then returns. Theo seems to focus a second, giving an absent "Hi," to Cale as he greets. The ball is thrown again, and Theo reaches out to snatch the ball and throw it back. Another throw, and another. Theo is focused intently on the ball, which is not ever thrown directly to him, but each side to one side or another.
"Better," smiles Cale, digging around in his bag and pulling out his laptop. Here is good enough! He flicks it on, waiting as the boot screen goes by. "Yesterday was…" he glances down at the ground, "I dunno. BUT! That was yesterday. Today is today!" he nods. "Anyway, what's up?" he peers over at Nick's laptop screen. "Buyin stuff for Orion?" He's relatively distracted, though, by the ball throwing robot dog…
Warlock walks over closer to the the group until he's nearby Theo, "Hi, errm, wha…, where did you get that?, thats so cool?", he looks over at Nick not sure weither to say 'hi' or not, he's not really sure if they're friends or not, Nick is…odd.
"Yeah, I have a horse. Orion." Nicholas says. "I grew up with horses, my Mom and Dad used to run a stable so…yeah. And a dog is different than a horse, a horse can't really curl up on your bed and sleep with you at night, though they do enjoy the occaional fetch game." He says with a bit of a grin. "Well that's how you gotta take it Cale, day by day. Last few days it was almost impossible to get out of bed but after I heard Jill and the other girls got back it made what happened in Mutant Town a bit easier to deal with."
Theo continues to catch the ball at an increased speed, the little yellow orb flinging between him and Proto until Theo's hand reaches out to catch the ball and retract before it reaches him. It bounces across the courtyard striking the wall weakly when it reaches there. He twitches a little, as if he has had too much caffeine, and shakes the feeling out of his system. "Augh, that…will be useful if I can learn to do it," he says, a mixture of satisfaction and frustration in his voice. He glances back at Warlock, a little delayed in his response. "I built him, and thanks. What happened in Mutant Town?" he ponders, not having been up on the news lately.
"Yeah… I'm glad they're back…" Cale nods, trailing off a little but smiling. He sighs a little, "I'm really glad they're okay. I mean, I haven't met Jill or anybody but… I guess you can introduce me or something. Just, it sucks to lose people. So… It's good that didn't happen." He glances back down to his own laptop, sorting through a bunch of unintelligable looking compiler stuff and CLIs.
In a page-pose to Bast and you, Baccus will work with Bast to get some details, then Tara will round up a posse.
"Wow you built it yourself? you must be way smart", Warlocks facination with Proto is cut short by something Nick say, "Jill and the other girls are back!?, are they ok? where were they all this time?", he walks over in Nick and Cale's direction.
Nicholas puts a hand on Cale's shoulder and gives a small smile. "I'll introduce you, don't worry. You'll like her, she's impossible not to like. Anyway I have a danger room session in about ten minutes so I should go get ready for that. And yes." He beings to Warlock. "They're back, they were in Romanian and they're….okay." He says a bit of a hesitation at okay. "Cale can answer about Mutant Town if he wants but not really in the mood to talk about it. Sorry." He says before closing his laptop, getting up and giving a wave before he walks inside.
Theo gives a mock frown, watching Nicholas leave. "Wow, he managed not to whine about anything," he comments after the other teen leaves. "Wonders never cease." Proto runs to grab the ball. "Thanks," he appreciates Warlock's compliment. "It got me a job with Tony Stark, so if my powers aren't super cool, who cares, I can still make more money than everyone else." He gives a proud grin. "Anyway, I gotta head out myself," he adds. "See you guys later, and…" he glances to Cale's computer. "Make sure you have enough tunnels and redirects in place," he says to Cale, "that way nobody can pick up your trail." He closes his own laptop. "Take care guys," he adds before heading off toward the mansion.
