Logs:Spin Outs

Spin Outs
Dramatis Personae Bryce, Marc	2024-03-25 "I make them so people don't forget we can stand up to those bugs."
Location <XAV> Playground - Xs Grounds
Set on the still-expansive grounds around the side of the school, this area is to the outdoors rather what the rec room is to the indoors. There's a large basketball court out here; a fenced-off tennis court adjacent. Further distant there are setups for other sports -- a large track, a soccer field. Closer in to the school, though, in its own large enclosure adjacent to the basketball and tennis courts, is the playground, a huge expanse of equipment set up on alternating plots of slightly squishy flooring and mulch. Centrally there is a large sprinkler-fountain, not always on but it can be turned on with a push of a button; spreading out around this is the actual playground equipment, sturdy and varied. A huge dome constructed in honeycombed interlocked poles and rope netting rises hiiiigh for climbing; a large swingset holds four pairs of swings. A large roundabout in bright colours stands in one corner near a long see-saw. The huge bridge-and-tunnel castle structure at one end has many routes of entry, from poles to climb up (or slide down) to a small climbing wall. Monkeybars. Four different slides of varying lengths and spiraling. For the adventurous, between things to climb on and jump between and bounce across it is probably possible to skirt one end of the playground and back without touching the ground, though it might take a particularly adept feat of balance and agility. Or possibly wings. It's after dinner but not quite late enough for sleep. Though it was mild and warm during the day, now that the sun has gone down it's gotten chilly again. Probably Bryce (one of vanishingly few visible mutants, he stands out even at Freak School) is less chilly than most -- today the boy sports thick warm fur in tricolored brown-black-white all down his arms, visible past the short sleeves of his grey Xavier's School tee shirt. The fur continues partially up his neck but then gives way to a hard shiny black chitin that covers much of his face; his eyes are huge and multifaceted insectoid things today. At the top of his head where the chitin ends there's bright red and purple feathers instead of hair. The lights at the basketball court are on and he is, at the moment, out here by himself, practicing spin outs. At the corner of the basketball court is Marc, his slightly messy black dreadlocks swaying as he pats himself down to make sure he didn't forget anything. If Bryce looks closer they'll notice Marc is dressed in a black hoodie wlith matching cargo pants and a face-mask covering his mouth and nose. On his shoulder is a bag of posters and graffiti tools that lightly jostle in the cold wind. As he reaches into his hoodie pocket for his custom spray blend of wheatpaste to start putting up one of his posters. A swift breeze of air blows it out of his hand and near Bryce's feet when he's about to set up for another shot. Marc sighs as he moves over to pick it up and waves over to Bryce. "Aw man, I'm sorry. Normally I have a better grip on these things when throwing them up." The ball is just spinning out of Bryce's hands when the paper blows his way. Reflexively he's moving to catch his "pass", but doesn't take the shot this time. Instead he's twirling in place, scurrying after the blowing paper to snatch the poster off the ground where it's lain and offer it towards Marc as he arrives. "Oh um! I think you dropped --" He's pausing as he peers down curiously at the poster. "This? Did you make it, it's good? What are you doing are they for a fundraiser or something? Can I help? -- Are we allowed to put up posters here?" Marc scratches his head in embarrasment. "No, it's something I do in my free time. I make them so people don't forget we can stand up to those bugs." He looks over to the wall behind him. "I could possibly use some help posting them but I don't wanna get you in trouble. I didn't see any rules saying we could post here but there isn't rules that say we can't either." Bryce shifts in place, and while his armored bug-eyed face might be hard to read currently in expressiveness, the fidget of his posture looks distinctly uncomfortable at Marc's explanation. "Um -- yeah, I guess --" He's taking a small step back, rubbing lightly at the back of his neck. "I don't -- think we're supposed to glue things to the walls." He doesn't sound exceptionally sure one way or another, but a little brighter, a little more confident with his suggestion: "You could ask!" "I doubt Dr. X wants to be rung up this late. Dinner was okay but I think he and everyone else is either fighting the *itis* or just lounging right now.* Though being honest I was going to get some ice cream from Sugar Hill in Harlem after throwing this poster up." "Why would you ring..." Bryce doesn't puzzle over this question for very long because he's moving on to a very confused: "Harlem? The trains aren't even running still are they?" "No but uh...I mean umm...I don't know what's the procedure here." Marc lightly groans in confusion. "I don't wanna impose but uh...do we talk about...our powers or it that kept secret?" "And I mean no offense, it's just...uh...the posters are part of it...um...my power thing." Bryce's huge insectoid eyes do not blink, but in his stretch of silence there's a decided air of bewilderment. The bewilderment is accentuated when he flails a hand in bemused gesture at -- his chitinous face, his fur, his feathers. His arms wrap around the basketball, hugging it to his chest. "I don't, um," this sounds a little cautious and a lot awkward, "keep it secret." "I didn't wanna assume anything. Some stuff ain't all tied to the outside." He looks to the wall. "Do you like ice cream? I was going to shadow tag this poster so I can inkhop over to the Ice Cream Parlor." Bryce's head tilts to the side. His shoulders have gone a little tighter, and he rocks slowly from his heels to the balls of his toe and back. This small delay does not evidently help him make any sense of what Marc is saying. "You were going to... what?" Marc pauses for a moment and then suddenly realises what he said. "Oh yeah. I can put an ink I make with my power into things. Afterwards I can see through them and teleport or through them among other things." He looks at his poster on the floor. "I have another graffiti tag in the alley near the Ice Cream Shop. We can use the poster to get there and back without people noticing." "Sorry, shadow tag and inkhop is what I called them before meeting other people with powers." "What's -- the shadow part? Do you do a shadow thing? My brother does a shadow thing." Bryce sounds a little brighter on this information, though he's nowhere near back to the cheer with which he had first approached Marc. His head is still tilted in a small confusion, but he's giving a little laugh as he says: "it sounds like shadow tag and inkhop is still what you call them! Like, just now." He's taking a very small step back as if the poster might simply teleport him away By Surprise. "Sorry, I don't think I -- I mean, I don't know how old you are," he's graciously allowing the possibility that this other student is a Respecter of Rules, "but it's already curfew for me I can't leave the school." Marc chuckles a bit after seeing Bryce jump from the poster "It won't teleport you unless I activate it." Marc scratches his chin. "Was there a curfew rule? I'm only 13 sure but Mom used to let me go by myself on errands before shows. It's just a 5 minute run tops." "Oh," Bryce's brow furrows a little bit upon hearing Marc's age, like he was really holding out hope for Marc being a Rule Obeyer and is now vaguely disappointed. He perks back up again with his next hopeful suggestion: "I bet there's ice cream inside, though. You could get ice cream from the kitchen and not break curfew at all." "It's mostly just Vanilla & Chocolate and most of it already claimed I think. I saw a few labels with people's names on it so I didn't want to snack on them." Marc hesitates for a bit as he sees a small inky black demon cartoon caricature of Bryce wagging it's finger in disapproval at him "Oh, uh...Sorry if I offendeded you in some way. This school stuff is much different than how it was in Awlins." "Oh I'm not offended!" Bryce's answer comes very (very) quick and determinedly brighter than before. "I just --" He shrugs, absently starting to dribble the basketball again at his side. Then catching it up quickly and hugging it back to his chest. "Yeah," this is a little softer, "things are pretty different from home. -- Anyway, if you do go, I hope you enjoy your ice cream. I'm going to get back inside I have a little bit of homework still before bed. I'll -- see you 'round." "Do you have a favorite Ice Cream flavor though? There's nothing saying I can't bring something back for someome too." Marc scratches his arm hesitantly as he thinks over a few things. "Well, I mean, since you can't actually -- leave to begin with --" Bryce ventures, but then changes his mind about this particular approach and just shakes his head. "I mean no thanks! I'm good. I'm just going to -- homework, you know? Stay safe." And then he's jogging off back towards the mansion.