2010-04-08: What Does Northstar Like?

Players:

Connor_icon.jpg JeanPaul_icon.jpg Kenta_icon.jpg Lucas_icon.jpg

Summary: Connor meets two to the teachers here, Jean-Paul and Kenta.

Date: April 8, 2010

Log Title What Does Northstar Like?

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.


It's warm out today, feels like it should be summer instead of an April day. Thus why Kenta is enjoying his off time in the garden, and also it's his smoke time. So he's out here, sitting with his back against a small tree, with his guitar in his lap just strumming some random tune. It's not really something that's relaxing sounding as he strums on the strings pretty heavy and seems to be concentrating as he looks down at his fingers, cigarette dangling from his mouth. One thing about Kenta is, he's good at what he does. He's been playing guitar for over twenty years and it definately shows.

Lucas was out early today, taking a walk. He meanders along the path, a cinnamon Pop Tart in his white gloved hand, mostly eaten. He hears Kenta before he sees the man, and he slows a bit, watching the guy play. He takes a bite of his pastry, just watching, lingering in a way that says he's trying to not be seen but isn't hiding.

At this time of the day, Jean-Paul finds himself taking the equivalent of a 'smoke break', though he doesn't smoke. It's been an uneventful morning, made more intolerable by the fine weather; it's made everyone antsy and eager to get out in the weather, and the teachers are no exception. Unlike Lucas, however, he is not averse to simply walking up and watching, appraising, but fortunately for everyone involved, listening and not saying anything about it. Yet.

When Kenta's around the school he doesn't bother with the long sleeve shirts and sunglasses to hid his dark force markings like he does when he's out in public. He doesn't notice his audience, or if he does, Kenta doesn't seem to acknowledge them, yet. He just finishes what he's playing, letting the song take him to the end, before looking up and taking a drag off of cigarette. Jean-Paul gets a casual nod. "Hey there."

Lucas folds his arms over his chest, taking the final bite of Pop Tart as he moves just a little closer. He leans against a tree, still a small bit away, watching as he chews.
"Morning," Jean-Paul answers Kenta, before glancing over to Lucas, as if just acknowledging him for the first time. Then again, he might as well be anyway. "A little hot already," he comments.

"I can't really feel it, but it's definately seems nice out." Kenta says with a smile as his body always runs a bit on the cooler side. He's met Jean-Paul once but he really doesn't know much about the Canadian. Out of the corner of his eye he notices Lucas, and Kenta, not always one to be quiet, waves a hand up. "Hey! Why don't you come over here and join the party. We've got…I don't know what we got but what ever it is I like to think it's awesome."

Lucas actually looks over his shoulder, as if someone else might be there for Kenta to be addressing. There's not, so he sighs, and shuffles his feet over to the other two men, his arms still folded in a closed posture. He shakes his head, "It ain't all that," he says about the awesome. "Ya'll are okay with the guitar, though…" he almost mumbles.

Jean-Paul keeps his distance from the tree and Kenta, although it's nothing against the younger man. He's just naturally standoffish most of the time. At the very least, he seems to be in cheerier spirits than usual, which is surely a blessing for everyone around him.

Kenta just shrugs a shoulder as Lucas makes his comment and goes on his way before looking up at Jean-Paul. "Have you seen Ben recently? I've just been so busy I haven't gotten a chance to see how he's doing. Teaching here and having a kid eats up your life, I tell ya." Kenta says but he doesn't regret either, not one bit.

"Not for a few days." Jean-Paul is curt, as usual, not giving any real clarification to this point. He's always rather private with his business, even if there is a mutual friend who happens to be involved. "Have you?"

Kenta shakes his head as he sits against the tree with his guitar in his lap and cigarette in hand. He can't help but smirk. "I just said I haven't been able to, I've been busy. Just been trying to spend a lot of time with my son when I can. When I'm not working here. He's six now so I wanna make sure that I'm actually there for him in his life since he doesn't have his mother anymore."

Jean-Paul shrugs his shoulders and turns slightly away. Perhaps a gentle communication that he doesn't find anything worth talking about in the topic, or perhaps that he doesn't find it particularly comfortable. "Is that all? If I see him, I'll let him know you were asking about him."

"Nah, don't worry about it, I'll get off my ass and go for a visit." Kenta says with a wave of his hand as he looks down to his guitar and starts to play again. After all it doesn't seem like Jean-Paul has any interest in chatting so Kenta just goes back to doing what he came out here to do, smoke and play.

It might be the sound of the guitar as a draw… or perhaps the peaceful nature of the location… or it might be because the face is new… the person in question is simply lost. But from the path back to the main quad between here and the dorms, Connor steps into view. Tilting his head back and forth, moving almost like a cat wandering into unfamiliar turf, the newcomer to the school takes in the grounds with a sense of familiar awe. As if he has seen this kind of thing before, but has not seen it here. Dressed down into a hooded top, and jogging pants, a bit of sweat beads his brow from a morning run… one which he seems to have begun cooling off from.

Jean-Paul remains silent, although he is comfortable in his silence, even if Kenta may not be. At least there wasn't any conflict from it, but then Kenta probably is used to the French-Canadian's somewhat snippy personality. His eyes happen to be resting on exactly where Connor jogs up from, and an eyebrow raises as he looks over the young man who seems so out-of-place. "You're new, aren't you?"

Kenta stops playing just as abruptly as he started once he notices Connor walking into view. "Hey there." He says as he doesn't recognize the student either. "You look tired, come sit down for a bit. We're just relaxing out here, not too much going on." Kenta says as he puts his cigarette out on the ground before exhaling a stream of smoke.

Connor can't help but smile a bit before he says, "You know… between the two of you… I think I like his hello better." Motioning with his head towards Kenta, before pulling off a pair of cotton fingerless gloves to keep his hands warm in the still-warming spring weather, "But to answer… yes… Doctor McCoy brought me here yesterday. Name's Connor. Nice to meet you." Unzipping the front, instead of any Xavier Institute logoed clothes, he has on a 'Miskatonic University Department of Necromancy' Tshirt… complete with a Chthonic-style school seal. The grin still plastered on his face, he settles in a spot, and begins to work on stretching his arms as he continues to cool down.

Jean-Paul regards the shirt with some mild amusement, which in his understated way means that surely he must find it hilarious, he just refuses to express it like others do. The story of Jean-Paul's life. "I hope that your secret isn't that you turn into Nyarlathotep," he quips.

Kenta holds out a hand to Connor. "I'm Kenta, I'm the music teacher here. I don't do any of that Mister crap so it's just Kenta." He says not even bothering giving his last name in fear of being called Mr. Gilpatrick. If Connor takes his hand, it'd feel unusually cool. "Narlatho…who?" He doesn't get Connor's shirt or what Jean-Paul's joke is referencing. Kenta just never got into those kind of books.

Connor does take the hand, and then when the Lovecraftian reference is made, he can't help but laugh a bit… giving Kenta's grip a firm shake, he turns his head enough to reply to the more stoic individual, "No… and I don't summon Shoggoth or anything else along those lines…" Plucking at the shirt, "But nice to see someone else who gets the joke. And who might you be..?"

"I might be any number of things," Jean-Paul answers, extending his hand with a sparkle in his eye. "But most people call me Jean-Paul Beaubier." The name might be known to Connor, since Jean-Paul is a world-class athlete and — sometimes to his chagrin — heartthrob to plenty of teenagers.

"Grouchy Canadian might be another one of those things he might be too." Kenta teases Jean-Paul, at a statement like that, he can't resist but make a joke. "Okay you two have completely lost me with the Show Goths and such. So when did you get here Connor?" Kenta asks as he reaches in his pocket and pulls out tin in which he keeps his cigarettes in. Yes he just had one but he wants another.

Connor shakes his head and then replies, "Sorry… name doesn't ring a bell. I don't know models or fashion all that well." Shrugging to the Canadian before he takes the hand and gives a firm shake once more. Back to Kenta he replies, "Yesterday… literally. Doctor McCoy drove me up from New York… talk about a fascinating drive. I couldn't keep up." Exhaling as he slips away and moves to a spot where he can start stretching out one of his legs, "To be honest… I'm waiting for whatever goes on for hazing around here… I keep getting this whole weird Harry Potter vibe since I showed up."

Jean-Paul narrows his eyes as he shakes Connor's hand, hearing Kenta's teasing and shooting him a particularly nasty glare. He is good with those. They come so naturally for him that it takes almost no effort anymore. Once Connor retreats to make himself comfortable, the pointy-eared wonder folds his arms over his chest. "Hazing is not allowed."

Kenta just grins at Jean-Paul in return for the nasty look though it's hard to tell when exactly Kenta is looking at you with those eyes of his. "There's really not much hazing here. And yeah, the Harry Potter vibe is kind of accurate. You've got the weird, semi-evil teacher like Snape, Jean-Paul over here, and then you've got the short teacher like Professor Flitwick, me." Yes Kenta knows the names, his son is six and just getting into the early movies. "For the most part the people here are pretty cool. Got some good eggs here."

Connor flicks an eyebrow up, "I meant the whole surreal made real sensation… and as for the hazing… well… we're all still young, and this is a school. Cliques and territories happen. I've already met one of my new teammates on the Excelsiors… and I think I was a little over his head. Not that that means much… I get the feeling my own mutant ability means I'm going to be taking physics classes until after college to make sense of it." A small shrug given as he takes the hooded top off and ties it around his waist, "So you're both teachers here? Cool… wonder if I'll get into any of your classes."

All of this talk is not sitting well with Jean-Paul. His brow flattens and his jaw sets. "And then there's you," he quips back to Kenta's last comment, before turning his attention to Connor. "Sooner or later, I'd imagine you will encounter me as an instructor. In any case, despite what *some* may say, I'm always available for your assistance. And if you find yourself the victim of hazing, inform me and the culprits will be *disciplined*."

"I'm the only music teacher here so if you're taking any music classes, you're stuck with me." Kenta says with a grin as he lights up and looks up at Jean-Paul. "Yup, and then there's me." He says with an odd tone of amused finality. "So what are your powers then Connor? And you're going to hear that question a half a dozen times before everyone here has met you. It's kind of the mutant greating package. Name, powers, squad."

Connor looks back and forth, and then gives a bit of an exhale, as if seeming to have to muster himself, "Okay… I'm only parroting what I was told… so bear with me… it took a bit for the last person I talked to as well." Moving to a spot where he can sit, he looks down for a moment, tilting his head in consideration, "There's this field of energy that exists between dimensions… or some of them at least… that I tap into. Right now I can use it to displace things. I can teleport… I can make things pass through me, and for some reason, when I bring my hands together, the space between them goes boom. Doctor McCoy is supposed to be studying it to get some better answers… which is why I'm on his team of students."

Jean-Paul shows the faintest element of surprise as he raises his eyebrows at the explanation of those abilities. "Thank goodness you didn't applaud for Kenta," he comments, a bit wry in his tone.

Kenta nods and it actually does make a bit of sense to him. "Okay, so you can teleport and kind of access this field between dimensions. Is it all dimensions or just one particular one?" Kenta asks as he's a bit curious. He holds up an arm and points to one of the black spots. "These are all caused by another dimension, the dark force dimension. It's how I get my powers." He says shruging. "Anyway, Dr. McCoy is a great guy and from what I've heard the kids say, a fun instructor."

Connor shakes his head as he holds up his hands, "It's not all the time… only when I access this… they called it Phase energy." Wriggling his fingers, and they start to tingle with a blue-green subtle aura for a moment, "I really don't know. It started with blackouts about a year ago. I'd wake up in different but familiar places. School, places I'd hang out… not very far, but almost always someplace I knew well." Another deep exhale as he then brings his hands back down and looks at them, "So I'm not sure where or what… I'm hoping to be a writer someday, and one of the things I learned from the books I've read is… you study. You study until you understand enough to write about the thing you're studying… and by doing so you can come to understand it."

"Yes, well, that's all well and good," Jean-Paul comments casually, "but part of it is also doing. Reading, finding out theories and hypotheses…it's all fine, but when it comes to real learning, so often the best teacher is experience. *Do* these things."

"It's whatever you find is the easiest way to learn something Connor. For some it's reading, for others it's just doing it." Kenta says as for him, he's definately the type to learn by doing. "But with your powers, it's deinfately about practice. In regards to reading, sometimes it's tough. There's no manuel out there describing how to use dark force and what it is. I just had to learn by danger room practice."

Connor looks back and forth, before rolling his eyes, "Study doesn't always mean sticking your nose in a book. I did a project last year where I was going to do a report on local politics and the community. So I got permission and I talked with people in the mayor's office back home, got to sit in at some of the public forum meetings… I watched to see how it works. A naturalist doesn't learn about an undiscovered bird or lizard from a book… he goes out and finds it." Chuckling a bit before he stands up and rolls out another stretch, "I want to practice… but I'm also nervous about it. And I was told no using my abilities on campus or the like… so… there you are. At least there's a gym to work out in… so that's something."

"Yes, well, I may not agree with all of the policies here, but part of that is likely to prevent unfortunate accidents. As you *use* your abilities more and learn more about them, you will find it comes more easily." Jean-Paul lets his hands fall to his sides. "In this case, it's true…there is only so much you can learn from study. Since your powers are your own, you can't expect to observe someone else using them."

Kenta gives Connor a look and smiles. "Wow, you're quite ambitious aren't you? I have no doubt you'll be a good writer. If you aren't already." Since there's nothing saying a teenager can't be good at something. "But Dr. McCoy will probably really help you a lot. There's a lot ot learn here in general. And being nervous is perfectly normal. Especially you're first danger room session, that's always nervewracking."

Connor nods once, rubbing the back of the neck, "What -IS- this Danger Room thing… it wasn't in any of the literature we got to read about the Institute when it was presented to my parents. But I've been hearing it all over the campus… like some kinda big thing… I spoke with Jonothan about it, and he said something about it, and another student mentioned holograms or something… it's all a bit over my head."

"It's a training room," Jean-Paul replies, by way of explanation. "Don't get any drastic ideas about it. You'll only be disappointed." Turning slightly from the others, he seems to notice a plant in bloom and crosses to it, leaning forward to inhale some of the aroma.

"Eh, you weren't excited and you didn't find it neat your first time in there?" Kenta asks Jean-Paul before looking at Connor. "I don't think many people fully understand it, but it simulations combative situations, different enviroments, anything you want it to. If you want to relax on a beach, it can simulate that and you'll feel like you're on the beach. It's kind of like holograms but more real. If you get punched in the danger room, it hurts, but you aren't really hurt. It's a lot of this Alien Technology that is well beyond what most of us know. It's probably one of the best places to learn your powers."

Connor's eyes flick to watch Jean-Paul move off and enjoy some of the scenery. In an almost lazy roll he comes back to look at Kenta once more, one of his hands flexing and then drumming his finger and thumb back and forth on his thigh, "Mister Beaubier… is there anything here that you like?" His voice not carrying any irony or scorn… curiousity, "I mean… I've been watching you this whole time, and it's like you hold the world at arm's length. Did something happen? Or is it just… how you feel because of being here, or whatever your abilties are?"

Jean-Paul straightens and raises his arms above his head, stretching and then turning in place to face the others again. "You and everyone else seem to forget the extensive training facilities of Alpha Flight, not to mention our experience. But no…I wasn't excited. I didn't find it 'neat'. It's full of alien technology I don't trust. I prefer to rely on things I can trust." Jean-Paul Beaubier, wet blanket at large. Then, so abruptly, Connor's innocent enquiry takes him somewhat by surprise. He opens his mouth and says nothing, then closes it again, before at last finding words. "I…can respect the underlying intent," he manages. "Only a fool would deny that such a place is needed. As for the rest, you can…how does it go?" Flicking his tongue thoughtfully along his lips, he nibbles his lower lip thoughtfully, and then remembrance dawns on his face. "Ah yes. 'Do the research.'" Raising his hand to the other two, he begins to amble along out of the gardens again. "I have things to do. We'll meet again." And there seems to be little doubt in his mind that they will.

"Take care Jean-Paul." Kenta calls out before looking at Connor. "Well he does have his book out, you can always read that to decide if he likes anything or not." Kenta says with a shrug. "Some people just tend to get jaded over time, I've hit that point a few times but I figure when working around kids and helping them the way we do, well, there's nothing to be jade at over that."

Connor watches the Canadian wander off, and then shrugs as he leans back, tilting his head, "He's an author… cool… I hope it's in the school library." With that he stands up once more hopping in place, not seeming content to stay still, "Now if they could just learn how to make a decent cup of coffee, or I can find a place in town that imports some decent beans… I might start to feel at home."

"Oh depending on whose making the coffee it can be pretty good." After all there are at least two Culinary experts at the school. Kenta then nods. "But there is place called the Grind House the kids like to hang out with. They have decent drinks there. So where are you from Connor?"

Connor smirks back at Kenta, and then says, "Seattle… born and raised. The land of Espresso, Teriyaki, and video game companies."

"I think the land of Teriyaki is really Japan, but I really don't give a shit." Says Kenta as he has no memories of living in Japan before he was adopted, and he's teasing anyway. "I'm from New York City so we think everything is from their orginally. But anyway, I gotta jet too. I have another class to teach. Hopefully I'll see ya in one of music classes. If you need anything or someone to talk to, let me know. Ya know the whole teacher sphell." But Kenta does mean it. He stands up, puts out his last cigarette and goes to make his way back to the school, guitar in toe.

Connor chuckles once more as he looks back towards the quad, "I gotta get changed and showered… amazed that Mister Beaubier didn't complain about the smell… he managed to comment on almost everything else." Winking once before he turns and heads back towards the student areas.

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