Players:
Summary: Proudstar convinces the unathletic to play catch.
Date: May 14, 2010
Log Title Tossing The Pig Skin
Rating: PG
Xavier Mansion - Quad
There is a square side walk of pavement with a nice grassy area in the middle with a few stone benches and trees along the corners. The pavement leads to the paths to the grounds of the school, the Dining Hall in Xavier's and the Ramsey Dormitories. It's not particularly large but it's a nice place for students and teachers to relax and enjoy the outdoors.
Having finished his classes about a half hour ago, Dunstin is now sprawled out in the grass enjoying the warm weather. He's dressed in a pair of jeans and blue and white button down shirt, manging to look on the nicer side of casual when it's actually fully casual to him. He's got his laptop in front of him sitting on a grew plastic board and it looks like he's playing some online video game. At least he's outside right?
Sprawled in the grass just feet away is Jonothon. Sleeping. Yeah, he's setting such a great example isn't he? Headphones on, cleaned up and wearing the jacket he reacquired earlier, the Brit settled here to rest a bit, and then near immediately passed out. Of course he looks dead. Doesn't breath, doesn't move, laying there as he soaks up the sun. Black is great for that. Not that this is likely to last if any of the other kids notices him..
Coming out of the building, Proudstar has a football in hand. His immediate concern is seeing who's around. Then he notices at least one likely candidate if not two. One appears awake (alive), and James bounds over towards him. "Dunstin?! All this great spring weather, a lawn, some time on your hands and you're playing a video game … I mean, you don't even have to leave your room for this you know?" Looking down, the large Apache is grinning, juggling the football in one hand as if to make a point that there are other things they could be doing …
"I'm enjoyin gthe spring weather and the lawm, I just happen to be doing what I like to do out here." Dunstin says as he is a bit of a video game junkie, especially those darn soul sucking MMO's. He does move his character to a safe spot and logs out though. He turns to look up at James. "Sir, if you're expecting me to play football….I'm not really a football person." He says kind of nervously as he is that geeky rich kid.
The headphones had turned off a while ago, leaving Jonothon to blink open his eyes at Dunstin! Disoriented, he blinks up at the sky in bafflement. How did that get there? Oh, right. Grass. Like any good zombie movie the corpse on the lawn suddenly sits up and sleepily rubs at an eye. «…» What now? Being the other skinny rich kid in the area, Jono blearily peers at Proudstar. «Christ. Do you ever slow down?» Asked with a smile in the tone, for last he saw the man, James was working out. Now he wants to go chasing over fields?
A chuckle, first to the man in black, Proudstar offers, "Slow down … what for? Most of my life has been running around with purpose … now I can do run around without purpose. I figure, enjoy it while I can before something else happens." As if there's always that something else out there. Back towards the other one on the MMO who at least logged out, "Doesn't have to be football, but we should be running around. Look at this sky, its ready for us to just play under … not laze about and sleep. At least a little catch, I mean, I have an unfair advantage in a real game."
Proudstar pages, "I don't mind either :)" to you, Jonothon, and Robin.
Dunstin's laptop is still on, showing that he does have a few chat windows open as well, but he's leaving them temporarily ignored as he looks up at James from his sitting position. "It's the weekend, I dunno…that seems like work." Running around too much, noone ever said Dunstin was athletic. "So you want me to play catch with you?" Dunstin doesn't think anyone has ever really asked him that, including his father. He then looks over at Jono at the comment about not slowing down. "You try having squad practive with him /and/ Dr. Parker-Mayfair."
Jonothon simply grins at Dunstin. «We could always add Summers to the mix.» The Brit merely pulls up his legs and loosely wraps his arms around his knees. «I'll have to pass, mate. You'd probably knock me over with one toss.» Sure looks it too. It'd take two of him to even come close to Proudstar's mass. And yes, Jono's kind of jealous. Stupid powers that lock him in one shape. Why couldn't he be taller and have some muscle?
Still grinning, Proudstar shakes his head, "I'm not in the mood to knock anyone over, really, its just one ball and I'd rather play fair." Then back towards Dunstin more, "Well, yeah, that's the idea Dunstin. To play catch, it requires at least two people. I mean, I'm not going to run out into the woods and try to throw it through tires or something weird. Just toss the ball around, you up for that? Or would you rather we devise more weight training regiments for the squad?"
Coming down around the left path at a light jog is Robin. She doesn't seem to have much intention behind the jogging, and has probably just decided it's the most energy and time efficient way to get where she's going. Behind her, the blue puppet of about the same size and build as her follows, except that instead of jogging it is floating lazily in the air. As Robin approaches the others in the quad, though, her pace slows down and then becomes a halt when she arrives. She takes a few breaths before saying, "Heya."
Pushing himself up, with a bit of a grumble, Dunstin resigns himself to his fate of catch over weight training regiments. He doesn't always realize he acts like a spoiled rich kid and this is one of those grumbly moments where he does. "Fine, I guess since you're not really giving me a choice." He says picking up the laptop and laptop board and going to move them to a safe locale. "Hey Robin." Dunstin says to his squad mate. "Mr. Proudstar here is making me play catch with him." He kind of said unenthusastically. "And I don't think we need a third squad leader Mr. Starsmore."
Jonothon eyes the form gloating after Robin, for he's not seen that before. Lifts a hand in greeting to the girl even as he replies to Dunstin. «It can always be worse, mate.» The Brit is sitting on the grass of the Quad, being quite the lazy butt. Or so it appears anyway. «Go easy on him.» That to Proudstar. And yet the man is grinning. Loving the fact he doesn't have to join in? Oh hell yes. It lets him eye Robin some more. «Have we met?» No, not that kind of eyeing. Jono can't remember meeting her. «I'm Jonothon, if we haven't. You can call me Jono if you like. Everyone does.»
"James is just fine," grins Proudstar as the young man finaly caves on playing some catch. "And you do have a choice. I wouldn't implement more weight training for anyone. Though, tell you what, we play catch now, or later," his eye turns towards the laptop, "And I'll try one of your games if you like - fair trade, right?" Moving up and out of any trees as he says this, he grins to Jonothon, "Its just catch, honest." Then of course towards Robin, "You can join if you like - or you know, you can send in your reserve if you want to chat it up with Jono there." Eyes going to floating follower at the mention of sending in the reserve. He gives a light underhand toss of the ball towards Dunstin when there's about 5 meters between them, though he continues to back up.
Robin adjusts her glasses slightly and says to Dunstin, "I'm not really good at catch, myself. I've got no depth perception." She pauses for a moment and glances towards the puppet and nods, "But Blank does, so yeah, I don't mind sending her in to play." Before taking control of the puppet, though, she does say to Jonothon, "My name is Robin. I don't remember if we've met, but I've seen you around before." And then upon saying that, she raises her hands in the air and her expression becomes blank as she takes control of the puppet. She notes for Jonothon's benefit, though her voice is as dull as her expression, "I can still see and hear you, well, hear you in my head I guess."
As the ball is throw at Dunstin, he makes a sloppy catch, his fingers kind fumbling the ball a bit before it falls out of his hands and onto the ground. There's a bit of frustration on his face but he doesn't say anything. "So back to you or to Blank?" Having known the puppets name from practice with Robin. "Yeah..you really think the big guy is gonna go easy on me?" Dunstin jokes around as he doesn't wait for an answer as to who to throw the ball too and throws it to Blank. It's a horrible, wobbly, off center throw, no spiral to the ball, and it's heading about five feet to the right of where Blank is.
«You'll have to excuse me, I think I've had my share of sun.» Jonothon says with a grin as he climbs to his feet. «I better get inside before I melt.» Dusting himself off, the Brit then lifts a hand in farewell. «Cheers.» Not one much for good-byes, he meanders off, inside. Maybe he's going to go lay down again.
No need to answer as to who the ball should go to when the younger man makes up his own mind. Instead Proudstar grins, "See, this is relaxing, isn't it. Open skies, a ball to toss, grass under our feet. Beats training any day if you ask me." Then he moves a little and prepares for Blank. Waving a hand to the departing Jonothon, he shakes his head at the concept of melting - as if he thought one could never get too much sun.
Blank's abilities, despite having better physical strength and speed, are based off of Robin's, so the puppet runs to try and catch the ball, but fumbles it onto the ground. She picks up the ball, though, and tosses it at Proudstar. It's a strong throw, if only because Blank is much stronger than Robin is. Robin, standing on the walkway, says, "Sorry" when the ball is originally dropped, but not much else.
Dunstin can't help but chuckle as Robin fumbles the ball, mainly because the two of them did it. James somehow managed to snag the two unathletic folk from the team. The only sports Dunstin is somewhat good at are fencing, horseback riding and golfing. "I don't know about relaxing, but if it's good for you, I guess it is." Dunstin admits as he'd rather be back on his laptop. "Though it does beat weight training."
Catching the ball and pulling it into his chest, James grins, "Don't be sorry, its a game, its fun … no one's keeping score even." He tosses it up higher for Dunstin, a lob slightly above his own height to let it loft in for the younger man. "Its something that requires little thinking, catch that is. I mean - we could have a baseball or a frisbee and its all the same." As the ball arcs for Dunstin, he throws out there, "Good through Blank."
"Thanks," says Robin, responding for Blank. Though since she controls Blank, she's kind of responsible for anything good the puppet does. Blank prepares for a few moments to try and catch the next one. Robin used to try playing catch with her dad, but was never much good at it, which carries over to the puppet.
Dunstin has to run back a bit but this time he's more successful with the catch. It's still sloppy but he manages to hang onto the ball, hugging it to his chest to make sure he doesn't drop the football. "How about we go to a driving range? I can do that." He even has his own set of clubs. He gets the football in his hand and throws it towards Blank. Still a wobbly throw but this time it's more on target, if about a foot or two short of where blank is though. Then that's when his phone rings, taking out his Blackberry he notices it's his father calling. "Sorry Mr..uh..Proudstar..sir, I have to run. It's my father on the phone. I'll see you two later. Good luck Robin." Dunstin says in regards to her having to play catch with James as he goes of to answer his phone.
Waving with a nod, "Thanks for the effort Dunstin, I'll go to the driving range with you then - we'll make a trip of it." Grinning more then, he looks over towards Blank then, giving himself a little more distance as it does have more strenght perhaps indeed. "Why not see how hard you can throw it," he instigates, all pleasant of course. He bounds between his feet even, wondering what that sort of throw might entail.
