ArchivedLogs:Where to Go From Here

Where to Go From Here
Dramatis Personae Jack, Rictor
In Absentia	2015-08-01 '
Location <XS> Back Porch
The back patio is a restful place to sit and relax, in most weather. Ample seating comes in the form of umbrella'd deck chairs and a cushioned porch swing, and the neighboring gardens attract butterflies and hummingbirds to make the viewing pleasant. The hot tub is usually open for use, though in snowy weather the transition in and out is a shivery one! Today was what they call a scorcher, one for the books. A hell of a lot of sun and sweat and cooling off in the lake. Sure, the school has A/C and plenty of people rack up the electric bill with it, but Rictor is not one of those. As is becoming clear to staff and students alike, the newest among the faculty prefers the outdoors on days he doesn't have to teach. As the sun now begins its decent, Rictor finds himself settled comfortably on one of the deck chairs. His darkened skin is laced with a visible sheen and he wears shorts and a t-shirt, both made of a light and breathable fabric (bamboo, maybe?). With him is his laptop, on which he appears to be looking over some programming projects for his class. Jack tends to split his time between outdoors and indoors when it comes to avoiding the heat and right now he's coming back from some time down at the lake. Worn sneakers, a floating swimsuit, a damp school t-shirt, and a floating towel signal the invisible teen's approach. He's mostly dried off but he's also lost in thought. At least until he steps onto the back porch and notices he's not the only one there. Unseen eyes blink a few times before Jack speaks up. "Isn't it a bit too warm to work outside?" Rictor glances up from his work and over to the assortment of floating clothes. He smiles, shifts his weight some, and sets his computer on a short table next to him, where a glass of lemonade also rests. "Not for me, I suppose. In fact right now it's pretty nice." Rictor motions to the deck chair next to him and adds, "Have a seat, if you're not in a rush. How've you been?" Jack considers a moment before walking over. He spreads his towel over the chair so he doesn't get it wet and sits down. "I've been better," he remarks after a few moments of thinking. A shrug later and he gives a faint laugh. "Been a lot worse too, obviously." Rictor smirks, but still looks over at the young man quizzically. "Oh?" he asks, turning his body more toward Jack. He reaches out for his lemonade, grabs the glass and pulls it close to his face. A quick sip is taken before the glass is lowered again. The ice inside rattles, settles, and beads of cool sweat form across the exterior. "What's up?" Jack stays silent at first, just listening to the rattling ice and debating what he wants to say. "Remember how I said I was looking into what was causing the whole...caffeine issue?" he asks eventually. "Well...I found out a lot," he murmurs. "Turns out I was mostly wasting my time though..." Rictor set his glass back down. His hand is wet with condensation, so he gives it a little shake and pats it against the side of his shorts. "Of course I remember. I considered looking for you earlier to chat about it, actually. What did you learn?" The man's brows raise in curiosity, but other than that he looks as relaxed as ever. "I met the kid who's the cause of it all. Mutant, can't really control his power," Jack sighs. "His sister too," he adds. The invisible teen is quiet for a few moments and then makes a frustrated noise and looks to the sky. "But by the time I go to tell Dusk and the others I think I might know what's going on...oops, they already found them both and have them staying with them at their place and are making plans to fix everything," he mutters. Rictor makes a noise as well, one of understanding, and it's followed by a pause as the lecturer chooses his words carefully. "So you feel like your efforts were for nothing. I can sympathize with that." He says the last bit more softly than the first and, for a moment, looks almost too serious in the way he sets his jaw. A smile eventually forms, though. "Still, you did find the boy, and that's what you set out to do. That's something to be proud of." "Oh it gets worse," Jack sighs. "No, I found the kid I suspected had a connection," the invisible teen replies. "I only found out later he was the one that's causing it after someone else already proved it," he adds, shoulders slumping. "Then get this..." he leans back, sleeve moving as he throws an invisible arm over his eyes to shield against the sun. "Went out with them to show them some places in the city...we ran into some real shady guys. Pretty sure they were dangerous...gave me that...criminal vibe if that makes any sense," he replies. "Turns out they work for their mother...the girl, Autumn...she wants to go with them. I tried to talk her out of it but not going to happen...and I'm really sure I couldn't take them both in a fight when they had a gun, one was a mutant, and I had to keep the boy, DD, safe. So she goes off with them. I got pictures of their car and plates...go to tell the others," he lets out a breath. "and she's back safe and sound and they already know she went off with them. So...struck out again." This time, Rictor is silent for a good while. During this silence he turns his gears and takes time to revisit his lemonade, downing the rest of the glass before turning to Jack once more. "These are the kinds of situations I'm supposed to encourage you not to be a part of, Jack. The ones involving guns and danger and all that. I'm not going to lecture you on it, but I'm curious. What are you looking to get out of this situation exactly?" Jack gives a faint laugh. "I really didn't go looking for that kind of situation. I went to a bakery I liked with a friend and his brother and suddenly bad guys showed up," he says. He's silent too until eventually shrugging. "I wanted to help...to do something...not just...run around and be useless," he murmurs. “Oh, I don’t think you were looking for a fight,” Rictor says thoughtfully. “Still, being in the position I am and being someone who encouraged you to look into things…” He trails off as really the rest can be left unsaid. “I feel the same way you do, to be honest. It’s probably nothing I should be telling you, but some of my own efforts lately have been falling short of my expectations. It happens, though, and so we need to ask ourselves where we want to go from here. What’s your next move? Besides passing classes, of course.” "It's not your fault. Not like you can see the future," Jack replies with an unseen smile. He glances over as surprised as empty clothes can be at that information though. "You've been looking into this too?" he ask, curious. There's another faint shrug before he speaks up again. "Going to talk to Autumn...try to find out what happened when she went with those guys to make sure everything's okay..." Rictor shakes his head. “No, not into this situation as much. I did a while back, but wasn’t clued in beyond that. I’m talking about other efforts with similar results.” He lets out a soft sigh and shrugs. “That’s good of you to check up on the girl, but I’m talking even beyond that. You’re set to graduate soon, right? What’s happening beyond that?” "Other efforts? Anything you can talk about?" Jack's still curious. And then comes the question about the future. There's a slight thump as Jack lets his head hit the chair. "Got a year before that," he murmurs. "And I have no idea at all." Rictor shakes his head again. “Not exactly. No offense, but it’s related to work and all that.” He sits up and reaches over to shut his laptop. “It seems like you really want these guys – Dusk and the others you talk about – to accept you into whatever they have going on. If it’s slow to happen, if you feel like you’re coming to the same conclusions at the wrong time, just know that things do change. I don’t see you striking out in the story you told me. I just see you figuring out how you want to do things and actually working at it. Keep it up.” "I understand," Jack replies, leaning back again. "I hope you're right about things changing," he says. "Because I'm getting tired of trying to help and finding out someone else already did it all..." he trails off. "Not going to give up yet though." “Good. Don’t give up.” Rictor turns his body and sits sidelong on the deck chair, looking about ready to leave. “I’m considering a trip with the hiking club I sponsor. If you’re interested, I’ll fill you in on the details. Might be a good way to clear your head for a short time.” He stands and gathers his laptop. “I should go finish up grading these. Don’t want to spoil my weekend with work.” Jack takes a breath and rolls to his feet as well. "I'll think about it," he replies. "It was good talking," he admits. "I should go hit the showers," he says with an unseen nod, picking his towel up.