Logs:The C Word

The C Word
Dramatis Personae Gemma, Nanami, Spencer
In Absentia	2020-09-21 "I'll stop boring you with my poor people problems."
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. Gemma took a deep breath, her father just dropped her off at the front gate and handed her a new credit card and sped off. This wasn't her first run at boarding school and it certainly won't be last. After her orientation, she finally made her way to the rec room and sat down at a window seat and peered out of the window. She opened her versace backpack, a gift from Aunt Dona, she started to journal- a tactic she learned in England to keep her sane. The rec room door swings open; Nanami is initially distracted by her phone as she wanders through. She's currently dressed in soft loose-knit acrylic sweater in powder blue, its neck wide enough to show the black tank top underneath, and a black yoked a-line skirt, knee-high baby blue socks trimmed in black lace, and black high-heeled brogues. Her path takes her first by the television to grab its remote; she's settling down into a corner of the couch, but stops aimlessly flicking through the Netflix options almost as soon as she's started. Her eyes flick to Gemma, brows lifting. "-- when'd you get here?" One moment there was no Spencer in the rec room. The next moment there is. He's looking kind of pale and tired tonight, wearing a black hoodie trimmed in red unzipped over a purple t-shirt featuring Glimmer from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, blue jeans just a little too long on his skinny frame, and gray canvas sneakers, a black kippah shot through with rainbow lightning bolts perched on his floppy brown hair. He glowers at the dwindling options on the treat table and finally turns away from it without taking anything. He brightens considerably, though, he spots Gemma. "Oh hey there!" "Just today, proper place." She replied, in an oddly british accent. She put back the notebook inside her backpack. She took off her school's maroon jumper a small remnant of old home. New york's weather wasn't too different from England's, so she ultimately decided that she didn't need it. "Huh?" Nanami sits the remote down on the arm of the couch, swiveling sideways so that she can look more properly at Gemma. "Proper what?" Her brows have scrunched up in some confusion. The frown clears soon enough; she gives Spencer a quick smile, quick nod. "Last week I thought I'd start hoarding the cookies but then I thought maybe everyone would do it and we'd end in some terrible pastry tragedy of the commons demonstration. Now I just try to sneak in here early." Spence waves at Nanami as he drifts over to sit on the opposite arm of the couch from her, twisted around to look at Gemma. "Welcome to Xavier's! Are you from England? Sorry, I'm not great with accents." He nods solemnly at Nanami's explanation. "You're smart, but I also appreciate you not hoarding all the treats. It's like every term we get someone who thinks they're the first person who thought of that." "Oh no. I'm not actually from England. I just went to school there." She said shaking her head. It wasn't something that her circle ever talked about, now that she thought about it. She walked up to the pastry case and grabbed a pain au chocolat. She took a bite and thought, it's not that bad. She has been to France many times and certainly knows what a good pain au chocolat is like. "So.. what do you blokes do here?" She asked both of them, trying to make friends. "Any plans?" "Oh. Where are you from?" Nanami rests her chin on her arm, remote forgotten now as her other hand dangles off the edge of the couch. Her mouth twists to the side at the question, eyes darting briefly back to the screen. "Do I look like a bloke? I'm not. And I'unno. Soccer? Class? Right now my plan's got about as far as watch Schitt's Creek again. Kinda wish they'd hurry up and put the last season up. What d'you do in, uh, England... school." "Oh! I have a friend in Blackawton," Spencer says brightly. Then blushes fierce. "Um, obviously there's a lot of people in England and there's definitely no reason you would know her, sorry!" His hands fidget, one leg bouncing jittery and quick. "I am a bloke -- I guess? I use 'he' pronouns. Anyway we're --" He nods at Nanami, "-- supposed to do school here, but we sometimes we don't do that. And also we do some video games and sports, and all kinds of stuff." Here he suddenly sounds unsure. "Plans...um, I --" He bites his lower lip, then blurts out, "I have cancer." "Umm... I'm from Albany." She answered Nanami. She was confused at their reactions to bloke, don't americans do something similar? "Well I do hope to at least enjoy myself somewhat." She added. "And um..... I'm sorry about that." She said Spencer, unsure if she was being proper or if she should do something else. "Why were you in school in England, then?" Nanami's brow scrunches again, though her attention is already turning away from Gemma, back towards the television as she starts to flip it once more. She sits bolt upright at Spence's abrupt disclosure, though, her eyes wide. "Shit, what? What kind of a crappy plan is can -- wait, are you serious?" "Whoa maybe England has a mutant school, too, and you you went there cuz you didn't know there was one right here on your doorstep basically and then you found out about this one so you transferred?" Spence suggests, sitting up straighter and clearly enamored of his theory. Ducks his head at Nanami's question. "Yeah, it is a pretty crappy plan, but also I am serious. Sorry, I didn't mean to just like." He mimes dropping an armful of items. "It's just been on my mind kind of a lot, is all. I hope you can have fun here, too," he tells Gemma earnestly. "What do you like to do?" “Because I went to school there?” She asked cocking her head. “No, I didn’t think England has a mutant school.” What’s the being confusion about this? International students exist. “Umm.. I like horseback riding. Last summer I got to go Auntie Yolanda’s farm and ride their horses. I also like gymnastics and dance.” She replied to Spencer. She pulled out her scrapbook from her leather backpack to show them, she was on a white horse in a picturesque field. In another picture she was messing around with some goats with Auntie Bella and Auntie Yolanda. “This trip was really fun.” She explained. “My dad was doing business nearby so he let me hangout at their place for a couple weeks.” "What, is it a secret? Or were American schools just not good enough?" This time Nanami's brows raise; the side-eye she gives Gemma is long, her lips pursing and twisting to the side before she reluctantly looks from the Versace backpack down at the photos. "Horseback riding. Of course you do." She props her elbows on her knees, offering Spence a wince, now. "Yeah, I'll bet it is. You can drop that wherever, that's not the kind of --" Now she mimes an armful of items -- just holding them. "-- you should just carry around! Did you just find out? That sucks." "Oh, you can definitely do all of that here, too. My pa sponsors the equestrian club if you wanna join that," Spencer gushes enthusiastically, peering at the photos. "He's a teacher. We don't have any goats, though." The addition of the last bit sounds almost apologetic. "I think this is actually a really good school! Like, academically and stuff." He shrugs, palms upturned. "Yeah, I found out last week. They said if it gets treated early I'll probably be ok!" His skinny shoulders hunch a little. "But I also know someone who's had it like, fifty times, so. Who know?" He blushes, fluttering his hands against the hem of his hoodie. "Anyway, my name's Spencer." She sighed at Nanami's glances and behavior. She simply responded politely, "I didn't make decisions for my early education." She shifted to Spencer and answered "Wow, thats amazing. I can't wait to get started." "And my name is Gemma, it's nice to meet you Spencer." "They don't teach you even one bit of heart at your snob-ass school?" Nanami hits the power button on her remote, her head shaking with disgust. "Someone like, hey, here's something huge and important that's on my mind and what you respond? Here's my fancy horses, fancy farm, let's ignore your stress completely. Wow." She hops up from the couch, smoothing her skirt down into place with a small huff and turning to Spencer with a smaller smile. "My dad he had cancer not so long ago. Was hell, but he kicked it. You want to get out here? Talk some? Garden's pretty." "Oh no!" Spence's eyes go wide. "I'm sorry, but it's great he's better now!" Glancing back at sidelong at the new student, he bites his lower lip. "Well, Gemma, I'll stop boring you with my poor people problems. I hope you have a good time here, though." He slides off the arm of the couch and beams a somewhat tired smile at Nanami, "That sounds great!" Then, a little more quietly, "Thanks." Damm it, she thought to herself. She put away her scrapbook and said to Spencer "Look, I'm sorry it was not appropriate for me to show you the farm pictures. Spencer, I deeply apologize for my actions and I do wish that you feel better soon." She seemed almost automatic but somehow genuine in a way. "Farm pictures..." Spence echoes, blinking. "It's not about the --" He cuts himself off, his jaw setting hard. "If you're wanna ignore everything that isn't about you, go hang with the other rich kids. I don't have the energy to explain why you should care about other people." He brightens a bit as he goes to Nanami's side, his movements still a touch jittery. "Let's go my way, it's faster." So saying, he grabs hold of her hand and both of them vanish abruptly, as if edited out of the film reel of reality.