Logs:Punching our Feelings

Punching our Feelings
Dramatis Personae Kitty, Amo
In Absentia	2024-08-09 '
Location <XAV> Athletic Center - Xs Grounds
Though fairly new and fully modern on the inside, the exterior of this building has a stately stone exterior that does not jar too much with the Victorian elegance of the mansion proper. Situated near the athletic fields on the grounds, the athletic center host a vast range of indoor sports and fitness endeavors. The most iconic facilities here include an Olympic size swimming pool, a basketball court, and a fully outfitted gymnasium. In addition to these and the boys' and girls' locker rooms, there are an array of smaller facilities upstairs: two studios for dance, martial arts, yoga, or fencing, a multipurpose space that can be configured for various team sports, and a fitness center with free weights and various exercise machines whose upper limits can bet set beyond what would be safe or useful to baseline humans with staff permission. It’s a damp Friday in Westchester; the rain outside adding to stifling 90% humidity and sending much of the summer Xavier’s population in search of dry, air-conditioned environs throughout the overcrowded mansion. In this studio of the athletic centre, aggressive Japanese-English lyrics are blaring through the sound system for the one current occupant. Kitty is in a black sports bra and capri length leggings, hair tied up in a pony tail, barefoot and kicking, in time with the fast beat of the music, the shit out of one of the heavy punching bags. One-two one-two one-two — through the sweat beading on her face Kitty remains focused on the tattered remains of the printout she had taped to the bag at the beginning of the workout. Her bag is close at hand, just out of range of her assault, with her X-jacket tossed casually on top of it. Amo has made her way into the studio, shoving her side into the door to open it, phone in hand and backpack slung over her shoulder. Her hair is pulled up into a pony tail, a stretchy black tank top and a pair of loose fitting workout shorts that go down to about mid-thigh. She wears midcalf socks--both inside out based on the logo-- and a pair of sneakers with bright green details. She looks up from her phone when she hears music, then, and the door to shuts closed behind her. Both her eyebrows tick upwards as she watches Kitty for a beat, and scans around the room. She nods to herself, and quietly wanders further into the room to take a look at the studio, not wanting to disrupt Kitty's rhythm. She waits for maybe a break in Kitty's routine, before whistling impressed, "Shit, that punching bag wishin' it was never born I bet." She jerks her head up in greeting, "Kitty, yeah?" WHUMP. Kitty's shin thuds into the side of the bag on the last beat, sending a crumpled-beyond recognition torn corner of paper floating to the floor. "WHAT?" Immediately her face is turning a different shade of pink and she scrambles for the stereo remote and clicks off the blaring music. "Sorry, did you have the room booked or..." Kitty trails off at the other woman's recognition, wipes some sweat away from her eyes. "Oh! Yes, hi. Ammo? It's been a little while, hasn't it?" She reaches for her waterbottle and takes a swig. "What are you doing up here? I think we still have gyms downtown. At least one. Probably." Amo shoves her hands into her pockets, “Amo, yeah. Got hired, actually." She gestures around the room with a hand, "Was just checking out what they got, figure I might get a workout in while I'm getting my shit for classes all prepped.” She tilts, angling her head to get a better look at the unrecognizable sheet of paper on the ground. She shrugs one shoulder, “Don’t stop cause of me, though. Ain't no way I'm getting between you and your paper grudge. What it ever do to you? It give you a paper cut or somethin'?" "Oh! Welcome to Xavier's, then. Hope you survive the experience." Kitty says this lightly, but not quite light enough for the casual listener to be sure if she's joking or not. "Don't get too used to quiet time in here, this building is usually pretty busy with, uh, students." At Amo's comment Kitty's eyes widen, ducking to grab the slip off the ground and crumple it up. "Oh, this is just -- working out some feelings, haha. What are you going to be teaching?" “Chur bro. I’ll do my best to survive, usually do.” Amo lets her backpack slide down her arm and drop to the floor with a solid Thunk. She starts stretching her arms as she chats, “Guess thats a good thing. Would be bad if this place stayed quiet all year, aye?” She brings her arm over her head and tilts at the waist. From her tilted position, an eyebrow ticks up when Kitty crumples the paper, and her lips press together in a sort of amusement, “‘Suppose there’s worse ways to work through feelings, just glad I’m not whoever that is.” She guesses with a jerk of her chin in the direction of the paper, “Not sure I’d survive that one.” Is she joking? It’s hard to tell. She rises from her tilted position, arms out flat, and very slowly tilts the other way, “Few of the science ones. Chem. Cancer bio. Self defense PE class, which is why I’m scoping out all the space in here.” She gestures around with her hand, “D’you teach here?” She asks, scrunching her eyebrows as she attempts to remember. Kitty is giving Amo a careful once over before venturing, "I don't know, you seem a little sturdier than printer paper." She squats down and wipes her facve with her towel. "Oooh! I didn't know you science'd, that's lovely. I loved the science classes when I was here." She looks up at the taller woman and shakes her head. "No, all my students are in college, usually. I just, uh --" Now Kitty looks at her X-jacket, then back up at Amo. "-- hang out, as an alumni. Did you get briefed on, uh, the basketball court, yet?" Amo lets out a short laugh, "Yeah I science a bit. Been finishing up my degree. I didn't know you science-d too." She rolls out her wrists, and follows her gaze to the X-jacket, "I don't blame you, with facilities like this I think I'd be coming back here too." She looks towards the door, as if she can see the basketball court from here, and turns back slowly, "Didn't know that was somethin' I had to be briefed on. Is there something special about the basketball court?" She asks, and sounds more excited than wary, but also still just a little bit wary. "Oh, congratulations! Or, congradulations." Kitty looks at once embarrassed and pleased at the pun when she reaches for her water bottle. "I do a bit -- I just got my doctorate in astrophysics." This sounds more embarrassed, somehow, than the pun -- maybe even a bit sad? "I got started in it here, actually, if you’re living on campus you got to go stargazing on the roof some clear night." She takes a swig of water now — maybe to put off answering this question. "Um… I mean, probably someone will tell you eventually, but… we kinda, um, keep the vigilante team jet under there, so, like, if you’re into basketball, just keep an eye on. That." Amo scans Kitty's face, then nods, "Thanks. You too, Astrophysics sounds cool as. I'll check it out up there, I wanna hear 'bout all the space facts too if you'll join me sometime." She's moved on to rolling her shoulders, but stops when Kitty explains the vigilante team jet. Amo's eyes squint, quickly, and she leans her head forwards, "Sorry. Might not have heard you all right there. Did you say vigilante team jet?" Kitty blushes harder as she straightens up. "Um, yep! The Blackbird. It’s, um, a military grade, jet, plane. It can get kind of loud during takeoff? And it lives, um, under the basketball court." She wipes her palms on her shorts, and adds, hesitantly — "I normally don’t do this part. On account of, I don’t live here. I just, um, come for the. Jet." Amo stares at Kitty as she talks, mouth skewing a bit to the side. "You just come for the jet." She echoes, "The vigilante team jet. Cause. You're part of the vigilante team." Whether it's a question or a statement, it's hard to tell. She seems to take another moment to internally process this. Then, her lips press together and she nods, "Right. Well." She claps and rubs her hands together in a decisive manner, "I'm gonna have to see this thing now, cause I'mma be real -- can't tell if this is some sorta weird hazing thing for new hires." She jerks her head at Kitty, "You said you were a student here, this is a real school right? I'm not gonna be training kids for some- future vigilante team am I? Cause that's gonna be a no go for me." "I promise I’m not hazing you!" Kitty protests as she puts her gold Magen David necklace back on. Reaches for another piece of jewelry and seems surprised-sad to find that pocket of her bag empty. "This is a real school. The only school for mutants in the world, as far as I know. Most alumni don’t do, um, these kind of extracurriculars. And really, we’re here to keep the students safe, and mutants generally. It’s —" Kitty shakes her head, hiking her bag onto her shoulders and slipping into her (still-laced) shoes. "— Look, probably any of the teachers on the team give a better spiel. I’m unpracticed." "No no this is enlightening, really. Better than the previous spiels I've gotten about this. Definitely not cause I haven't been given it yet." Amo grabs her backpack and swings it back on as well. She rubs at her eye, and sighs, "Alright- well- That's good to hear, at least. This still sounds insane to be clear- But maybe I shouldn't be surprised? Feels in character for the mega rich guy that runs this place." Her eyes have started scanning the floor of the studio as she talks, searching for something, and she looks back up, "Did you lose something? Looked like you lost something a second ago." "Oh—" and now Kitty is rubbing at the empty space around her wrist, "— no, I know where it is. So it’s just... misplaced, is all. Don't worry about it." The smile that Kitty turns back at Amo is a little forced, now, at the corners of her eyes, but her tone is cheerful when she continues. "Oh, this place is crazy well before you see the basement. You ever taught teens who can read your mind or teleport? That's the real Xavier's experience." She's walking away now, through the closed door -- then peeking back through, just her head sticking out of the wood when she looks back at Amo. "You wanted to see the jet, right? Are you coming?" Amo chews on the inside of her cheek, causing her mouth to skew to the side again, “Gotcha.” Is all she says, even though it looks like she might want to say more. Instead she shrugs a shoulder, “Never taught’em chemistry at least, that’s for sure. I think that class alone is gonna require a book’s length of safety procedures.” Her eyes suddenly widen, both at Kitty’s sudden incorporeality, and the offer. “Oh shit-” She’s re-hiking her backpack and striding quickly towards the door, “Sure am.” Her brain short circuits real time and she almost walks into the door, but last second she’s pulling the door open, “On the way I wanna hear more about this whole vigilante team- you guys get special vigilante team outfits? You all wear matching yellow spandex or somethin’?” Kitty waggles her jacket -- black armoured leather with yellow piping -- and grins. "Not spandex."