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Summary: Sam asks Connor a few questions for the new training season.
Date: August 30, 2010
Log Title: What Can The New Mutants Do For You?
Rating: "G
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.
The school year is about to start and unlike the academic teachers, Sam just has to prepare for his new squad this year. Most of the faces have changed and he has a few familar ones but he would like to meet with everyone before the school year begins. Connor is one of the first on the list and he would have been sent a request from Sam to meet him around noon in the Quad. Currently Cannonball sits on one of the benches in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt as he waits for the student.
Noon to the flick over of the digital watch it would seem, Connor is walking up the Quad, not from the dorms, but from the mansion with a gym bag in one hand, and his hair still looking a little damp from a shower. Stopping close by to the instructor, he sets his bag down and then says with a slightly neutral look, "You wanted to see me, Sir?" His tone soft, polite… formal even.
Sam pats his hand on the bench so Connor can sit next to him. "Howdy Connor, ya can call me Sam, Ah don't need tah be called Sir." But he does understand the formality, he's the same with with most of the other faculty here. "Ah just wanted tah get tahgether with ya tah about the New Mutants since your on mah team this year. And Ah don't think we've been formally introduced yet so Ah'm Sam, Sam Gurthrie, pleasure." He says holding out a hand.
Connor doesn't sit at first because the change from 'sit down' to 'handshake' occurs. Taking the older X-man's hand, he replies, "Hello Mister Guthrie…" Still maintaining the respectful air. His grip is firm, but with a slight nervous twitch to it before he releases and then moves to sit down in the proffered spot, "Okay, so what did you want to know?" His stance and demeanor still somewhat respectfully formal, back straight, facing Sam and meeting his eyes, all the things one might expect from a more military-minded individual.
"Relax, ya ain't in trouble or nothing." Sam says noticing Connor's demenor. "Ah just had a few questions tah know which direction tah go in with the New Mutants, to build a team tah fit everyone's learning needs. Ah ain't like the Professor and Ah can't read minds so Ah gotta ask." Sam explains as he'd like to do right by these kids. "So, Ah have read your file but Ah file ain't tellin' me squat about you Connor. So, why not, in your words, explain your power tah me."
Connor takes a breath and sits back a moment, clasping his hands in his lap as he nods once and then looks down, "I'm a living access door to a singularity, Mister Guthrie. I'm permanently connected to another place that seems to access other dimensions, and gives me the ability to manipulate gravity. To some extreme measures at times. I know security hates that I teleport often, so I try and keep it down, and I think Mister Magnus can feel it when I use my abilities as well."
Ah good ol' Magneto, Sam really has mixed feelings on the man. "Well get back to the Magneto feelin' yer powers later, right now Ah wanna know what kinda control you have and what kinda control yer hopin' to achieve. Like any areas ya need help focusin' on to better control yer powers. Ah wanna work on areas where it's needed and Ah don't wanna end up doin' things with ya that Hank already handled."
Nodding once more, "Well, first off Sir, I cannot affect my own 'field'. Doing so starts ripping me apart. It's why I had a cast on until this week. I tore my hand up bad hitting Ahab with a punch accelerated to four times normal gravity. So I can't float or fly, I can't stick to walls or walk along them. I also still can't do fine manipulation like a true telekinetic, but I've gotten close… here…" Connor then puts his hand out towards a recycle bin, several cans and bottles come out, and after several moments of concentration he has a glass bottle as a central point, with cans in an orbit around it in one direction, and plastic bottles in orbit around the cans in the opposite direction.
Sam nods but doesn't give any postive, or negitive thoughts on Connor's powers, just mental notes. "Ah also know ya can teleport, can ya give me a bit of information about that? Like what's the farthest ya've been able tah teleport and how accurate you are? See teleportation is always great with a team. Ah don't know how many times Illana was helpful with that."
Connor floats all of the items back into the recycle bin, one group at a time until they're all inside the receptacle, "That's where I'm a bit different, Si-… Mister Guthrie. I can do an instant line of sight teleport up to five miles away, and usually with around two to three other people with me. Otherwise I can open a wormhole from one point to another anyplace here on Earth. Those I can usually hold open for about two… maybe three minutes, but the exit point is obvious." He pauses, and then shrugs, "I haven't tried yet to teleport someone else without my being there, though."
After a few more moments, he adds, "For the short and the long range ones, if I cannot see my target point, I can image it in my head. It's not as accurate, but it still works well. I keep a lot of pictures on my phone as reference points… especially for ones I haven't memorized, or am not personally familiar with."
Sam nods and is getting some ideas to incorporate into some Danger Room sessions. He is going to be having a conversation like this with all the New Mutants. "Okay, sounds like ya got the potential tah be a stronger teleporter than Nightcrawler, distance wide that is." After all Nightcrawler's range isn't anywhere on earth, it's not even anywhere in New York. "So what kinda thinks are ya hopin' tah learn with your powers, ya have any goals Connor?"
Connor looks down again, and takes a moment to rub the back of his neck before looking upwards once more to the sky, "I'm… not really sure. Ever since the Ahab thing, I've gotten a weird new thing where I can sort of see when others teleport or shift… and see things that don't belong here… I think. I still don't understand it, and it doesn't work all the time." Shaking his head once, "I'm really new to all this… I didn't know I could do any of this until Christmas this last year… and I only just came here in April, Mister Guthrie. It's hard to frame all of this into Goals."
Sam nods to Connor and offers an understanding smile. "We were all new at this at one point Connor. Some of us had different hurdles than others. Mine was turnin', Ah couldn't turn while blastin' tah save mah life." And it's not really over exageration. "It seems like ya gotta lotta power in ya and we gotta focus on things one at a time and till yer ready for the next step. Ya don't wanna focus on everythin' at once or else you'll overwhelm yerself. Also gettin' use tah one part of yer powers might make usin' the next thing easlier."
Connor looks back and away from Sam as he replies softly, "Most of what I want to control is the things I should have been handling in the first place. Thanks to Doctor McCoy, and also Doctor Reyes… and Mister Mayfair-Parker… I've gotten a better handled on my compulsive disorder, and my good days are outnumbering my bad ones. I just wish I could sleep without accessing the wormhole and seeing other selves. I don't dream anymore, I live other lives."
Sam really doesn't have the skill to help Connor with something like that. "What Ah can recommend for that is maybe takin' some side trainin' with Emma, learnin' tah shield yer mind from the lives of others. Ah ain't one tah teach 'bout mental shielding but the headmistress….well she's one of the best telepath's 'round and she might help ya be able tah find sleep again."
Connor nods once, and then finally looks back at the older man, tilting his head a bit before saying, "I keep feeling like there's a question you want to ask me, Mister Guthrie, but you keep skirting around it. I don't offend easily, so you don't have to worry about that kind of thing."
"Ah ain't really skirtin' round anything. Ah just wanna know what you want outta trainin' with the New Mutants and Ah wanna know what Ah need to work on with ya so you git the train' ya need." Sam explains. "Ah wanna make sure that Ah'm gonna train ya with yer powers tah be where ya need to be in a year or two if you decide tah stay here and work futher with your powers or if yah wanna leave and get along in the world. Ah know life ain't easy for mutants, 'specially when yer a teenager and Ah just wanna make sure I give ya and the rest of the New Mutants the attention' y'all deserve."
There's another subdued nod, "Allright… and thanks. I've already been told I don't read people well, so if you'll forgive me asking that…" Then a small smile comes to Connor's face, "I'm surprised you haven't heard what happened the first month I was here. I was sleep-porting. I've woken up in the graveyard, the rec room, the girl's bathroom, and even back home once… it was a bit embarrassing."
"Ah don't pay much attention' tah the files. Ah'd rather git tah know you guys than what's on a piece of paper." Sure Sam skims them but he doesn't pay a ton of attention to the details. Once you do that, your'e relying to much on what others think about a person than what you think about them. "Well how'd ya end up gettin' yer sleep-portin' under control?"
Connor gives another soft chuckle, "Caffiene. A can of Dr. Pepper before bed. It doesn't affect me like it does other people… it actually helps me focus my thoughts instead, helps calm down the anxieties. I could drink a twelve pack in a couple hours when studying, and still be able to drop off like it was nothing."
"Ya still wanna be careful with that, ya ain't immune to the other side effects it can have on ya." Sam says to Connor though if it's working for now that's okay. He just has to work to find a way to get him off his Dr. Pepper crutch before it becomes too much. "And even when ya have all this caffiene before bed, yer still livin' the lives of others instead of sleepin'?"
Connor shakes his head once more, and then taps the side of his head, "I -am- sleeping, but instead of dreaming, I'm in those other lives. I keep a journal of what images I can remember, and the places… usually just a couple paragraphs, but I've been getting some patterns and things. Sometimes how I'm feeling seems to direct where I go, and the people I see are usually people who are around. Because I room with Robyn, a lot of them have him in them as well."
"Ah think talkin' tah Emma and seein' about those mental sheidl might be a good idea. It could help ya get a decent night's rest while learnin' how tah shield yerself from it at night." Sam says as he doesn't need to repeat that he's not a mentalist. "Ah'll talk tah Emma 'bout settin' up once a week sessions."
Connor rocks a moment on the bench, and then nods once more, "Allright Si-… Mister Guthrie. If you think it will help, I'll go with it. Can't hurt. It's either that or have one of those neutralizer things in the dorm room, and I don't think my roommate would deal well with it."
"Neutralizer won't help ya in the long run, it's the easy way out Connor." Sam responds and he doesn't want to take the easy way, he wants Connor to learn how to block this out. "If The Professor were around, I'd be askin' ya tah have sessions with him but since he's not, Ah can't ask that of ya. So, anything ya wanna ask me about the upcomin' trainin' year?"
Connor reaches for his bag, and drags a bottle of water out, taking a sip before sealing it and putting it away, "Not really, Mister Guthrie… I try and take it as it comes, to be honest."
"Well Ah am yer teacher here so if ya need anything from me, mah door is always open. Ah will apologize in advance if somethin' does come up and Ah need tah go with the X-Men. Ah do take the New Mutants very seriously after all, you're carryin' on our legacy in a fashion." Sam says as he takes much pride in the name 'New Mutants'.
Connor rubs at his neck once more, and then stands up and snags his bag off the ground, "You don't have to apologize Mister Guthrie… life happens, all the time. People just forget to consider that there are forces outside their control that change things from day to day. It's why I don't try to expect anything… because then I don't get disappointed, and I get a lot of interesting surprises. Anyways… I was going to head down to the Mall for lunch, if that would be allright?" Still maintaining the politeness even after all this time.
"Ah don't have a problem with it." Sam says to Connor about heading down to the mall. He stands up and offers Connor his hand agan. "Thanks Connor and welcome to tah New Mutants, Ah look forward tah workin' with ya."
Connor takes the hand and gives another, and single grip and shake before replying, "I hope so Mister Guthrie, I really do. You have your work cut out for you… I know most of my team-mates already, and we're going to be a handful for a bit. I'll help you where I can, I promise… but there are some things even I can't manage." Chuckling a bit he turns to walk off, but then stops, and gives a wave, "Thank you for seeing me, Sir. Have a nice afternoon."
