Players:
Summary: Mason tries to get Shane to loosen up, but fails.
Date: Thursday, March 17, 2011. 4:49pm. (St. Patrick's Day!)
Log Title: Just To See You Smile
Rating: PG
Xavier Mansion - Japanese Gardens
A large area of the grounds is landscaped with a Japanese Garden. A river filled with coi fish runs through the middle with a wooden bridge. There is even a small waterfall splashing on the rocks. Bamboo can be heard clacking on the rocks. A small statue of a Buddha can be found in various places. The trees hang over the area and when the flowers are in bloom, it brings a variety of color to the peaceful landscape.
St. Patrick's Day! The celebration of a significant historical figure in Ireland. Soberly respected and revered for driving the "snakes" out of the land, that is, druidism. He brought an end to an era of barbarianism, and set the stage for the Irish to save civilization through careful keeping of ancient documents.
In America, it's just an excuse to get drunk. Mason isn't drunk yet, it's only four in the afternoon. So instead, he's sitting in the nice spring air among the flowers. He wears cargo shorts and a t-shirt, nice and casual for a casual relaxation time this afternoon. In his lap is his acoustic guitar, playing a new song that he's been working on.
I know a girl, who's always mad, she's always angry
No one ever asks her what she loves or what she hopes for
She stays alone, she's tired of being her only provider
Won't somebody come and crack the shell that she's created…
Walking down the garden path, laptop out and open in her hand, Shane seems more subdued than usual. Earphones planted securely on her head, eyes mostly on the screen of her computer, she seems rather securely occupied. Her costume, even, is somewhat less outlandish than usual, the outfit worn by Kim Pine of Scott Pilgrim fame.
Mason seems still in his song, but he stops playing for a moment to jot a few notes down on the sheet of music next to him on the bench, before putting the pencil behind his ear. He glances up, spotting Shane as he starts to play again. He follows her movements as he continues to play. He's not sure whether he should call out to her, knowing how she can get at such times.
Her soul slowly suffocates
What once was bright is now moth-eaten
As she recycles thoughts
They once were fresh now crushed and beaten
Clutching pity like a prize her fingers grow so weary
While normally an insinuation like the most recent line would have Shane cratering her area of the hedge maze, the headphones simply make it so that even with the noise-cancelling, dissonant vibrations can be picked up. No soundproofing is perfectly efficient, as evidenced by the moment of confusion on her face, followed by removal of the headphones, and an accompanying blast of less… acoustic music.
How can I feel abandoned, even when the world surrounds me?
How can I bite the hand that feeds the strangers all around me?
How can I know so many, never really knowing anyone?
If I seem superhuman I have been misunderstood!
The popstar nods to Shane, uncertain whether she could hear him or not. "Hey Shane," he says. "How's it going?" He puts the guitar down to the ground, still holding the neck. His other hand reaches down to fold over the sheet music, then fold it again, and stick it in his cargo pocket.
Music paused, Shane lifts a shoulder. "…Eh. Okay." The laptop is closed and tucked under one arm, her eyes moving to the guitar, an eyebrow rising. "…Practicing or writing?"
"Writing," Mason answers. "Got tired of working on all the music I have to do for class. So I'm just chilling out here in the nice warm sun." He nods to the laptop. "So out here enjoying the sun with your games?" he asks, not sure what she might be up to on th elaptop.
A brief flicker of annoyance crosses Shane's face, but is dispelled with a slow, deep breath. "…Video editing, actually. Picked it up when I spent more time in my room than I felt like using to work on projects."
Mason nods, "Cool, what're you editing? I don't hardly see you around. I guess that's what I get for spending half of my time at Julliard." He gives a shrug. "Do I get to see it?" he asks, nodding back at the laptop.
"…When I'm done?" Comes Shane's slightly testy reply. "I have a uTube account, you know. Probably up to twenty submissions or so."
"Oh yeah?" Mason asks, trying to dismiss the testy attitude from Shane. "I will have to check it out. What's your username?" Mason, of course, has plenty of his own submissions, but they are most often posted for him, rather than him posting the videos himself. "I'm not trying to make you mad, you know. Just wanted to see how you're doing." He shifts a bit in his seat.
Shane responds with a wordless grunt that, according to the Law of Teenage Linguistic Conservation, could be applied to nearly any flavor of response. "hategasm45," she offers instead, rather than get into the issue of her annoyance with his questioning. "Before you ask, yeah, I know. But it's my power, so what the hell."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Mason asks. "You have the power of hate?" Not that it truly surprises him. Still, it's a little disappointing. "I don't think I'd want that power," he offers.
Shane rolls her eyes. "No, stupid. I get mad enough, I blow up. Like an orgasm of pissed off. Hategasm."
"Oh," Mason answers, his nose wrinkled in response. "Well, don't hategasm on me. I only like regular orgasms," he adds with a quirk of a smile, trying to lighten the mood.
Shane pauses, blinking in stunned silence. "I… augh…" Shuddering, she backs away from the pop star. "That's it, your speaking privileges are revoked. Augh!"
"What?" Mason asks with a laugh, "I'm just teasing." Well, he is, but it's still a true statement for him. "You really gotta lighten up, Shane. You'll die of ulcers by the time you're thirty."
Shane snorts. "With this power? Twenty-five tops, if I don't have a stroke first." Shaking her head, the girl leans against a hedgerow, staring down at nothing in particular. "…So how was the dance?"
"Pretty good," he says. "Tony Stark was there, so was Magnetman. They managed to keep things civil, so I guess that's good. Did some dancing, had some good food. How come you didn't show up?" Mason asks. "It was pretty classy."
"……Nobody asked? Besides, I hate parties, you know that."
"Yeah, but everybody was there, except like a couple people. Even that big African guy. He seriously can't dance." Mason shrugs. "Besides, went to find some booze afterward. "It's St. Patty's day, too. Wanna go get smashed later?"
Shane wrinkles her nose, shaking her head. "…No way. Stuff's nasty. …Never liked St. Patty's Day anyway," she says, though her tone lacks its usual bitterness, instead somewhat distant. "…Anyway, not looking forward to seeing what kinda drunk I am. Specially not if there's cameras."
"Please, I'm a teenage celebrity. I've managed to drink for the last three years without any cameras catching me. You don't think I can manage it on a night that all the people who would be taking the pictures will be drunk anyway?" He points. "I think a good beer is what you need to loosen up. Take the edge off a little."
"No, Mason," Shane replies, with a little less uncertainty. "I've got plans, okay? And I just said, beer's nasty. Tastes like puke."
"We could get some wine," Mason suggests. "Come on, what plans do you have? Hide out in your room doing some video editing? You can do that anytime. It won't be a party, it can just be the two of us if you want." See that sacrifice? Willing to not spend St. Patrick's Day at a party, Mason Steele, ladies and gents.
Shane blinks again, narrowng her eyes at the boy for a while. "….Getting smashed, just the two of us? …Since I'm pretty sure you're not hitting on me, d'you realize how *creepy* what you just said sounded?"
"Creepy?" Mason echoes. "It's not creepy. Just having a good time. So what's these plans that are so big, anyway?"
"Personal, okay?!" Which probably does in fact mean hiding out in her room fiddling with her computer. "When the hell'd you turn into my nanny, anyway?"
"Not a lot of nanny's that promote underage drinking out there," Mason comments with a grin. "I just miss you smiling, like back in Cali. I'm just trying to find something to get you to smile again." He shrugs, feeling that his attempt has been a rather epic failure today.
Shane opens her mouth for a heated reply, but snaps it shut again, the steadying breath she takes, this time, noticeably shakier. "….Yeah, I know," she says instead, voice low. "So'm I. And so far, none of em involve other people."
