Logs:Weird Trifecta

Weird Trifecta
Dramatis Personae Astrid, Avi, Spencer
In Absentia	2021-01-19 "Blowing up is kind of a showstopper move in any situation"
Location <XAV> Rec Room - Xs Second Floor
School this may be, but life for Xavier's students certainly isn't all studying. Outside classes, this is a popular spot to find students in their downtime. An enormous tribute to slacking off, this room is a wealth of fun and relaxation. Comfortable armchairs, couches, and beanbags offer plentiful seating scattered throughout the room, and the cushioned windowseats by the high windows offer a cozy nook to curl up and look out on the grounds. The room is often filled with the noises of gaming -- whether it comes from the big-screen television (tall racks of DVDs beside it, if nothing can be found on the multitude of cable channels), tricked out with consoles from retro to the latest releases, or the less electronic clatter and thump of the pool table, air hockey, or foosball. For those a little more subdued in their gaming, the cabinets hold stacks and stacks of board and card games, ranging as classic as chess and go to as esoteric as Dixit, Catan, and Gloom. More days than not, there's some variety of snacks to be found on a table beside the gaming cabinet -- quite often in the form of fresh-baked desserts. Day one of this semester’s second week is done, and somehow the recreation room is empty. This seems even stranger given the cruddy weather outside. Classes over for the day and cold rain almost always equals a packed gaming room. Astrid, with headphones covering both ears and a maroon backpack slung over her shoulders, hesitates as she walks by, briefly contemplating if she did in fact make it back to the correct world last December. A quick shrug of the shoulders brushes this thought away as she heads directly towards one of several well cushioned arm chairs. The backpack is quickly dropped to the floor as the gangly teen practically leaps into the chair, landing with her right leg hanging over the arm. She’s dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans, knees faded with early signs of rips beginning to show. A black and grey flannel shirt is worn with both sleeves rolled up and a red t-shirt underneath. Her thick black glasses sit slightly crooked while her wavy, dirty blond hair is held in check by the large headphones. Newly scuffed Chuck Taylor’s round out here clothing. A cord hangs in the air, running from the headphones to a phone held in her left hand. Avi is arriving somewhat after Astrid, recently showered and casual now in jeans and an oversized Waffle House hoodie, his own backpack squarely on both shoulders. He stops to grab a pair of lemon bars off the table, bobbing his head to Astrid as he slips just past her armchair and clambers up into a windowseat, dropping his backpack to the ground with a THUD and peering out with a frown at the rain. He lifts a hand, idly tracing googly-eyed smiley faces in the condensation on the windowpane. "There some kinda assembly or something we're missing?" The rec room is getting less empty by the second. Spencer appears abruptly where no Spencer had been before, as if someone had just spliced him into the film of reality. He has no backpack with him, wearing a black hoodie with rainbow stitching and lining, unzipped over a lavender t-shirt with a twist of rainbow DNA splashed across the front, bracketed by the words 'B'tzelem Elohim' in Hebrew, gray cargo pants, and blue sneakers. On his head is a black Bucharian kippah embroidered with stylized stars and planets in many colors, not quite covering the hair that was shaved off and just starting to grow back. "Hey!" he chirps, cheerful enough. He doesn't look as sick today as he often has lately. "Huh. Where is everyone?" Instead of walking the few short steps he blips his way into the chair across from Astrid's. "I guess we're the 'everyone' for now." “Sure feels that way, doesn’t it?” Astrid clamors back, not fully aware of the volume of her voice as she tries to talk over the low volume music only she can hear. The music is stopped as the headphones are pulled down to rest around her neck. There’s a quick twisting of hips so she can shove her phone into her jeans pocket. “Hey, you are a new arrival this semester, right?” She asks with more appropriate volume. The sudden appearance of Spence grabs her attention, this time not startling her. “Hey Spence.” She adds while casually scanning the room again like there were people there and just didn’t notice. “Honestly… no idea?” Avi scrunches up one eye at the volume of Astrid's voice, his head ducking. "Woah hey maybe we can turn the volume down like, two notches?" His smile is a little crooked; he lifts a hand, making a small gesture like turning a dial with this request, and sinks back comfortably against the window when Astrid pulls her headphones down, his smile easing. "Yeah! Just got here. I'm Avi. What'cha listening -- wooah hey!" His eyes widen big, chin jerking upward when Spence appears. "It's a little surreal isn't it? Get outta basketball practice and like woomp! Whole floor's gone quiet-quiet. I don't mind being the everyone for a bit. Kinda a neat vibe in here when it's not all loud. Whole rec room's our oyster." "So surreal, yeah!" Spencer cranes his neck to peer past Avi out the window as if expecting to see their schoolmates out enjoying the cold, dismal rain. "Maybe...between the weather and the long weekend and the new units everyone's just like. Moving slow. Waiting for tomorrow. Or something." He glances thoughtfully at the television, inert for the moment, and makes no move to turn it on. But he perks up again soon enough. "Whoa you're on the basketball team are you good? Uh -- sorry if that's rude, it's just -- Xavier's athletics is like. Kinda bad." Astrid winces, slightly embarrassed as she gets called out for her loud volume. “Ew, yeah, sorry about that.” And gestures towards the headphones. “Awesome. This is my second semester and I’m Astrid.” Her grin is toothy as she pulls her leg down off the arm of the chair and shifts to sit cross-legged. “Oh, just listening to some Melvins. Goes well with the rain I suppose. You ever listen to them?” “Oh, that is really cool. Like, I knew we had a basketball team, but I kinda forgot we had a basketball team.” Her comment further supports Spence’s statement as she looks between the two, her wide smile holding strong. "It's so bad!" Avi throws his hands up in some incredulity. "How is it so bad? You'd think mutant school would have good teams right? But we can't play for shit. I mean, I'm aiite but this is a step down from my last school for sure. Still fun, though." His head shakes, though his smile is still bright. Next to his smiley face, now, he's sketching a basketball in the fog on the window. "Melvins?" His head cocks to one side. He tugs his own phone out of his pocket, shaking his head slow even as he's starting to google. "Nah, never heard of them, they good? What makes good rainy day music for you?" Spencer looks relieved that the others agree with his evaluation of their school's athletic programs. "I think it's probably like just -- cuz we're a tiny school? But I mean we're not allowed to use powers in the intermural sports anyway." He shrugs. "I'm great at basketball when I can teleport..." He looks suddenly crestfallen. Tries and fails to hide it, moving on hastily. "I've never heard of them. I feel like maybe good rainy day music is -- cozy and upbeat?" His eyes widen. "Oh like Shelter! I've been listening to that so much while stuck inside so maybe it's just me." “You would think, right? Guess it depends on what everyone can do on the team…” Astrid pauses, chewing on her bottom lip as she thinks. “Yeah, I wouldn't think the other schools would be too cool with our teams using powers,right?” She looks at Spence still smiling. “I bet you could do some awesome dunks.” Her excitement clearly grows as she pivots back to music, back straightening as she pushes herself upright. “Oh, I think they are incredible.” She pauses while her head tilts slightly down as if there is something there to provide an answer. The upbeat comment causes a laugh to slip through her lips. “Oh, they are very sludgy. Metal. Not at all upbeat. Guess since I’m used to rain, most music is perfect for rain for me?” "My powers would not help my game at all." Avi's head has rolled to the side but pulls back up soon enough; there are coily impressions left smudged across his window doodles. "Ain't you just teleport in here?" Though he's almost immediately moving past this, more animated: "Oh! Shelter is so good! My cousin, she's Ryan Black's bodyguard. I only finally got to see him live when I moved here he's so good. I ain't listened to a lot of metal but I'll give these Melvins a try. I like SZA on a rainy day. Jhené Aiko. Where you from that's always rainy?" "Oh yeah, that's -- what I mean, like it wouldn't be fair?" Spencer nods. "I can teleport fine but it's no fun for anyone to play against me if I do? I had a friend who could teleport, he loved basketball and he was good at it even without the teleporting." He cocks his head to one side. "What's sludgy music though? Like slow? I guess I can look them up and find out!" His eyes go suddenly wider again and his leg starts bouncing rapidly. "I know isn't he amazing aaaaah! Who's your cousin maybe I've met her." “Mine would be a disaster on the court… and other team… and our team, actually.” Astrid moves forward, elbows resting squarely across each knee. The excitement of the other two quickly catches up to her. “Oh, that’s why I knew the name of that album.” She hesitates before admitting. “Still haven’t listened to it all the way through.” She twists her neck to face Avi. “Oh, haven’t heard of either them. I’ll have to check ‘em out tonight.” Eyes fall to the doodles in the fog before she turns to face Spence. “Yeah, totally slow and heavy.” Her grin returns. “I’m from Portland. What about you?” "Oh, I'm from kinda everywhere. Never Portland, though. Heard Oregon's gorgeous though. How much of a disaster exactly? I froze half the court in practice the other day but that was more, like, hilarious. Invent a new crossover sport with hockey." Avi pulls his legs up criss-cross in the windowseat. His hand drums restlessly against his knee as if Spence's excitement is contagious. "Alma Harari? She's like a badass. And yeah I mean I thought he was great before but some of these songs hit different since the whole mutant thing, uh, started?" He taps at his phone again -- Spotify is now open on the screen -- and then glances back to Astrid. "What you think the best of these Melvins is?" Spence winces sympathetically at the idea of Astrid's power on the basketball court. "Oof yeah I mean -- it's kind of rough on you, too, isn't it?" His bouncing grows more excited, then transfers to the rest of his body. "Oh for sure it's not everyone's thing but I think it's his best yet. And it is cozy and upbeat but also has a sense of humor?" He smiles wide-wide. "Oh I know Alma she's so great we go to shul together!" He looks kind of blank for a moment. "Since it started --?" But he answers his own question almost at once. "Ohhh like since he came out! No that makes sense I just -- I've known he was a mutant since I was like..." He scrunches his brows thoughtfully. "...five?" “That is cool. Haven’t been much outside of the northwest besides here.” Astrid’s head bobs a couple times. “Would that be hocketball?” She quips, trying her hardest to hold back any laughter. “Because that would be a sport I’d play.” She stops, eyes diverting away from the others as she suddenly seems sheepish. She glances over to Spencer, offering a nod. “Like a bomb going off where I stood disaster.” She listens to the two go back and forth on Ryan Black and Avi’s cousin. Her smile has returned, as both of their excitement is far too infectious for it not to. “Ohhh…” she leans in as the tapping draws her eyes to the screen. “I’d start with Stoner Witch. That is definitely my favorite.” "Bomb? Woah cool! I mean -- yikes? Kinda both." Avi laughs, bright and easy, hand slapping at his knee. "Hocketball. We should go with that. Do it again and put the skates on next time." His eyes have lit up at this thought and the excitement does not fade with: "You know Alma? Isn't she great? She told me about this place when I -- oh! No I meant like when I got my -- thing. Mutant thing. Powers. That was just last month! I listened to the album with whole new ears then you know?" He's tapping at the phone again now, brow furrowing in thought as "Skweetis" begins to play. His head starts to bob slowly along, fingers tapping along with the first raw notes. "Sludgy," he echoes pensively. "I'm not sure I would be any good at hocketball but I would watch it!" Spencer's eyes twinkle. "How awesome would it be to just like, have a sport where we're allowed to use our powers? I mean I guess it would be hard to do that safely with yours," he add apologetically to Astrid. "Ohhh!" he says, again, blushing this time. "Sorry, also wow you're new-new! To the whole mutant thing, I mean. I've also known that since I was five so, hard to imagine! But cool! Heh, pretty literally for you and sorry if you're sick of hearing that." He finally stops talking to listen to the song, eyes wide and curious. "Whoa I haven't heard music like this before but I see it being good rainy music though like. Ominous stormy rain maybe?" “I’m not sure you really have a choice Spence.” Astrid teases. “I mean, hocketball is going to be the official Xavier’s sport. How could you pass that up?” She laughs, mimicking Avi’s knee slap with one of her own. Once her laughter starts dying down, she twists around to pull her phone free from her pocket and sets it in her lap. “Last month? Shit, you are new to this then. Granted, it has been barely six months for me. So you’ll be an old-timer in… well, no time!” Her smile widens as the Melvins song comes on. “Oh, wait till you get to Revolve and At the Stake.” Her left hand loves deftly to push her glasses back up on the bridge of her nose. “Very gloomy. If you like it, I got much gloomier suggestions. And seriously, no worries if it isn’t your thing.” "People use their powers when we just playing around like who's gonna stop you? Makes pick-up games wild here, I'm learning." Avi's voice is a little quieter now that the song is playing, his hand still tapping slowly. "New-new, yeah. I can't imagine knowing since you was five. Last month my cuz was the only mutant I know and now there's this whole school and everything? Feels like I stepped into another whole universe I'm still learning about." His lips have pursed as one song transitions into the next. "Definitely not the kinda thing I woulda found on my own," he decides. "S'interesting, though. Stormy. Yeah." "It's not very common," Spence offers with a shrug. "I can only see it from my side, but I think...maybe it's better, finding out when you're old enough to at least try and control it. Which --" He adds hastily, "-- doesn't make it easy! But all the years of randomly jumping all over the world might give me an edge in hocketball!" He grins. "I guess...I've kind of taken it for granted, having mutant family and community growing up. Most kids here never had that before Xavier's, most mutant kids never get it, at all." He quiets again, listening to the low, growly vocals in the song. "Maybe...kind of appropriate right now, whether or not it's raining." “It is wild at times, that’s for sure.” Astrid nods, shifting back around in her chair until her legs are criss-crossed. “As Spence said, at least you knew someone, right? It wasn’t completely foreign.” She nods along to the music, head bobbing in a slow groove. “The only edge I’d have in hocketball would be the threat of using my power.” She shrugs. “Otherwise I’m shit on ice.” She grins while messing with her glasses again, this time they remain crooked. “Hey, interesting works, right?” Both hands are pulled up, fingers touching to form a misshapen pyramid. “Now I’ll need to start thinking of weirder music to send both your ways.” She clears her throat. “Something to listen to for hocketball practice.” "Blowing up is kind of a showstopper move in any situation buuut I guess there are plenty of times you don't want the show stopped all that hard." Avi leans down, unzipping his backpack to tug a pencil and a Chinese workbook out of it. "Weirder. Aight, aight. Gonna be starting a whole hocketball playlist for when we get our team together. Sure they won't mind if we freeze the gym every once in a while, right? What teachers around here actually like fun?" "Even an edge that you don't wanna have to use can still be a like...psychological strategy? This sport is getting complicated." Spencer rubs his chin thoughtfully. "I'm sure someone will mind, but like, they froze the Great Hall for the Winter Ball, so I don't see why not. Mister Tessier is really lax about stuff, very silly, and also good at managing powers. I bet he could spin it as like...power control practice." He's settling down a little now -- or maybe just too tired to keep up full-bodied excitement -- just one leg bouncing again. "Weird music for a weird sport for a weird school. Why not?" “Plus I imagine there’d be a bit of a fallout from the other students for ruining the game until the court could be repaired.” Astrid laughs, giving her knee one more slap. “I feel like any sport coming out of this school has to be complicated.” An errant hand scratches at the back of her head. “Yeah, I agree. Mr. Tessier would be the best bet.” She yawns, hand shooting up to quickly cover her mouth. “Yeeeah… a weird trifecta sounds about perfect.”