Players:
Summary: Another getting to know you moment, this time with students with more than average in common.
Date: January 24, 2010.
Log Title Kindred Spirits
Rating: PG.
Xavier Mansion - Pool
A large Olympic size pool sits outside at the edge of the property over looking Breakstone Lake. The pool, always heated to the right temperature, starts at a depth of 4 feet at the shallowest end, and gradually reaches a depth of 20ft. A diving board sits at the far end of the pool. Off to the side of the shallow end, a hot tub is built into the ground for those wanting to relax. Pool chairs and tables sit along the side of the pool for those just wanting to enjoy the sunshine.
After his chat with Jono Cloud is feeling slightly more cheerful and has decided to take advantage of the warm weather and head out to the pool he saw when he arrived on Friday, hes dressed in a pair of red trunks with his high school logo in yellow on it, hes currently doing lengths.
Dallas comes wandering down the path from the house, wearing a pair of gray Xavier's logoed trunks and a matching t-shirt, as well as low sneakers. A towel is thrown over his shoulders. His expression is thoughtful and a little distracted as he enters the pool area and then he pauses as he sees the person in the pool. Most of his fellow students seem a little afraid of exercise. And he doesn't recognize this one. Dallas sits on one of the lounge chairs for a moment, taking off his shoes and waiting for the new student (or at least new to him) to pause between laps so he can say hello.
As the lack of competition is getting to him, Cloud is attempting to compete with himself, hes trying to beat his time on each lap, but this lap hes concentrating to much on speed and not enough on where hes going, so he bangs he head on the side of the pool, when he surfaces hes cursing loudly, "Fuck!, ive gotta start paying attention to what im doing".
Dallas winces faintly at that whack and then says, in a voice loud enough to carry, "You just got into the zone, man. It happens." He peels off his shirt and leaves it with the shoes beside the chair and wanders over to sit on the edge of the pool, apparently planning to ease into the water. His expression is faintly surprised as he realizes the water is still heated. These people must be made of money. He nods to Cloud and says, "Dallas. Hey."
Cloud laughs at what Dallas says, "Nice to see someone who know what that's like", when Dallas introduces himself he grins, so this is the famous Dallas everyone's telling him to meet, huh, he seems cool so far, "Hey im Cloud, so you're Dallas, everyone i've talked to here has told me i should meet you".
Dallas blinks at that and says, "Wow. Er … why? I've only been here a couple of months. Are you on my squad or something?" He looks a little perplexed as he slides into the water with a faint, happy sigh. Nothing quite like the luxury of swimming in the middle of winter. Even if winter is taking a holiday. "Anyway, welcome to Mutant High." His tone sounds a little ironic and amused on that.
Cloud shrugs, "I was told that if anyone knew if this place had a football team i could try out for its you, what do you mean your squad?", he swims over towards Dallas, "Thanks for the welcome dude".
Dallas sighs and shakes his head. "No football team. I'm trying to get a flag team or two started but not a lot of luck, so far. Most of the guys here are kind of artsy or not interested." He grins at Cloud and says, "Everybody gets assigned to a squad, basically a team that you train with. No real competition between them for now, but you do try to beat the Danger Room, which is basically a Star Trek holodeck that gets programmed by the teachers. Cool stuff. And the only thing close to a real sport on campus."
Cloud sighs, "Damn!, what no competitive sports?, that sucks, what sort of school doesn't have a football team?", he gets a confused look on his face when Dallas starts talking about Star Trek, "Holodeck", Cloud has never watched Star Trek before, let alone enough to know what a holodeck is.
Dallas sighs and nods in agreement with that. "This one. Guess most mutants aren't big on sports. And don't worry, you'll pick up geek if you stay here long enough. Just think of the Danger Room as a video game you can walk through." He kicks off from the wall and slices through the water, letting his muscles and tendons stretch a bit and then, when he reaches the other side, looks back at Cloud. "So, I guess you were into sports back at your old school?"
Cloud shakes his head, "Nah, im ok thanks, no geek for me", when he says to think of the Danger Room as a video game, he shrugs, "I don't play video games", when Dallas asks if hes into sports he nods grinning, "Yep, back home I'm my high schools quarterback".
Dallas blinks and says, "Yea? First string?" He gives Cloud a closer look and then nods to himself. The other student has the height and build for it. "Cool. I was second string myself until this year, before I came here, of course. Our starter popped an ACL and, well, that was it for him, for the year. So I stepped up." He grins and says, "Obviously I specialized in the quarterback sneak." Given his height, yea, he'd pretty much have to be fast to survive.
Cloud grins, "Yep, first string", he looks at Dallas, sure hes a little short but hes seems built for it other wise, "That must've sucked, you get to step up then have to leave, sorry about that man", he grins again, "You're fast huh?, gonna have to put that to the test sometime".
Dallas shrugs and says, "It is what it is, I guess." Which is a stoic way of saying, 'yea, this totally sucked but I had to deal with it'. "Same for you, I'd guess." He grins a little wider and says, "Any time, any place. I can't get anybody here to compete with me. They're just not into it."
Cloud nods grinning, "Sounds good but it might have to wait until i have more control over my powers", Cloud tends to find it hard to run without accidentally going into superspeed.
Dallas gives Cloud a speculative look. They are both in the pool, speaking loudly enough to heard from one side to the other. "Ok, I guess this is where I have to ask the most popular question at Mutant High: what is your deal? What do you do?" The tone is conversational and friendly. It really is the mutant student version of 'how's life?'
Cloud sighs, "Apparently what i do is called Absobtion and Replication of Energy/Matter, but the plain version is i can absorb matter to protect myself and energy to use as a weapon and in some cases a means of travel".
Dallas whistles. "Nice! All I do is call my shadow to armor up and get better physically." He sighs faintly, "Not better /enough/ in some cases." And a shrug at that. "Cool power, though. As long as you're not going to explode or something."
Cloud shrugs, "Sounds better than what i do, at least you don't have the issue that you might accidentally suck the life out of someone", he laughs when Dallas mentions blowing up, "I guess that depends on what i absorb, doesn't it?"
Time trials. Mike is running. They want him to do the President's Fitness Challenge thing, which is of course a laugh, but he has to fill out the forms. It seems very strange to Mike that something so normal-school is being asked of him here, in, yeah, Mutant High. But, inured to every school being stupid, he finishes his one-mile run at the swimming pool… And Oh Hey, there's the meeting he wanted to see… hope the fireworks aren't over. He goes over to the foot-washing station (no sand in the pool!) and rinses off his feet. And Waves, "HI There!"
Dallas blinks and says, "Sucking the life …." He gives Cloud a careful look at that and then his attention is taken up by Mike arriving. The robotic teenager still causes his eyebrows to go up whenever Dallas sees him. As far as mutations go, he considers Mike a reminder that he got off lucky. He nods, "Hey dude. Why the Indy 500?"
No Jono, no "real" voice, but there is always the sampler method and the old standby, writing on a post-it note. In this case, post-it note. Mike takes off his board shorts (wet leather? Not good. And he's no more obscene than a car would be.) He walks into the pool, not floating one bit, to about waist-level. Holding the pad and pen above water, he writes, "You mean why did Dad have an engine in there? Cause the owners contracted him. Hi Cloud!"
Cloud waves at Mike, "Hey there Mike, I met Dallas".
Dallas shakes his head. "I meant the running. But your dad did? Cool." He gives the leather board shorts a shake of the head but he's not the one who has to wear them, so it's none of his businesses. He looks between the two of them and arches an eyebrow, "And why did everybody assume that me meeting Cloud was going to be a big deal?"
Mike blinks. Writes. "Oh, thought Cloud might've told you. Running? President's Challenge thing. Dumb. Have you formed football team yet?"
Cloud nods, "We started talking about it but apparently we're the only people who'd try out", he pulls himself out of the water and shakes his hair out of his eyes.
Dallas sighs and nods at that. "Even with powers. It's dumb. I don't get why people here are afraid of a little sports or doing stuff that doesn't involve the Danger Room." He shrugs in frustration and adds, "I can't even get a two on two basketball game started around here. But hey, now there's at least two of us. Maybe we can convert some of the geeks or something."
Mike moves to where he can show the post-its easily, waiting to get out of the water until after both of the others are.
And the note says, "Sorry, not into team sports, would be glad to if I was. I miss training tho. No point in lifting. Tumbling, fun but solo."
Dallas levers himself up onto the side of the pool in a smooth, practiced motion, leaving his legs in the water and shaking water out of his hair. He looks towards the writing and says, "Tumbling, really?" His expression is amused at that, apparently picturing Mike as something of a cross between an Autobot and a Chinese acrobat. "That I have to see sometime."
Mike plays a sample, some guy saying "Watch this!" in a stoner voice. He looks past Dallas, crouches down to chest-deep, and *SPLAMSPWOSH* leaps up and over the two of them, a column of water erupting behind him and raining down as he does a front-flip and 180 spin, landing behind and facing the pool, about 3 feet behind them, in a slight crouch, one hand on the ground. He absorbed most of the energy coming down, so the concrete doesn't even crack.
Cloud laughs as Mike jumps over them and flips, "Nice one man, that is so cool", if you were paying enough attention you'll notice some of the water falling on him is absorbed straight into his skin, "You gotta show me how to do that".
Dallas blinks and then flinches a little as Mike rockets over them and then sticks the landing. He whistles and then joins in that laugh, looking surprised and delighted. "Ok, so I guess we have to start calling you Ninja, after the motorcycle and the kung fu guys."
Dallas chuckles and nods. "Cool." He stands and goes for his towel. "I hate to do it guys, but I need to run. I'm going to try to get a workout in before I have some um, studying to do tonight. Project stuff." Not exactly for the school but he doesn't need to tell anybody that. "Cool meeting you, Cloud. Look me up when you want to do stuff. You too, Mike."
