Logs:The important thing / is knowing: not the answers / but when to pretend

The important thing / is knowing: not the answers / but when to pretend
Dramatis Personae Ford, Quentin, Natsumi	2024-05-18 "For now, I think we're going to keep our minds sharp and our tongues sharper."
Location <XAV> Back Patio - Xs Grounds
This patio is expertly laid out for relaxing singly or in groups. The section nearest the back door is a more or less conventional veranda, the mansion's eaves--supported by elegant white wooden columns joined with matching railings--extending out to shelter the long porch swings, rocking chairs, and a chess table from the elements. Down the stairs or the ramp from this is a fan-shaped expanse of slate flagstones populated by clusters of deck chairs and picnic tables, always changing in number and arrangement, and stone planter boxes bursting with seasonal flowers and ornamentals. The centerpiece is an elegant pavilion with a hot tub open for use year-round, even if the transition in and out may prove chilly in snowy weather. The otherwise serene sounds of nature that are normally audible from the back patio have been overridden by the far less calming sound of teenage voices. Next to the chess table, which lends a certain air of symbolism to the practice taking place, Ford stands and speaks confidently towards an imaginary audience. "... the state does not and cannot hold the information required to judge which talents may cause harm to society; whether these talents are derived from genetic quirks, environmental circumstances or even training and experience. No more should an athlete need to register their exceptional physical abilities than one who derives such abilities through mutation." He peers out meaningfully through the lenses of his gold framed sunglasses, probably not something that he would be wearing if he were actually debating, though the blocky eyewear does lend a certain drama and importance to his expression. He wears a short-sleeved denim shirt, with patterns of flowers and waves in a frosted white over black, denim carpenter pants, and low top sneakers with multicoloured crystal shooting stars. He raises his eyebrows slightly and looks back over across the chess board, and his mind goes over some minor flaws in his own posture and tone, "I could probably punch it up." Where he sits across the chess table, Quentin is looking extremely critical about his assessment. He's in jeans, too, a tee shirt reading 'fear of psionics is all in your head', black hightop Chucks with an ombre rainbow lightning bolt design emblazoned across their outsides. Even before he speaks, he's going over minor flaws in Ford's posture and tone -- reflected back into his roommate's mind and layered over a mental image of a slightly sharper, slightly more effective Ford (objectively, these differences might not be all that enormous, but the psionic weight adds its own heft of judgment.) "I think if you lean into current events a little more you can drive the point home. Only so long you can milk something like Prometheus to highlight the dangers of state excesses, shouldn't shy away from pulling that punch while it's still got whumph left. Sure could hold the information but look where it leads." Natsumi can be felt before she arrives, a slightly anxious flutter thoughts; she's comparing her current outfit to her roommates' current outfit with an uncertain attempt to assess if she's Trying To Hard or Not Trying Hard Enough. It comes with a bit of affront that swirls around Nahida's hijab << what's even the POINT of looking that good >> attached to an unconscious certainty that Nahida probably just has to marry some Old Guy Her Parents Chose anyway and this, it is eminently unfair of her to be competing to Win High School. The back door swings open a moment later -- Natsumi does look as carefully put-together as ever, subtle makeup and hair in a neatly ornamented bun, multihued colorfully-patched jean jacket over a pink sundress, eclectic and cheerful accessories. Her thoughts shift almost immediately upon seeing the boys on the porch, carefully slotting them into her mental chart of high school in columns labeled money and good grades; Ford gets important family and going places, Quentin powerful??, leader; the jury is out on cute for either but she's making a note to assess more closely, as she trots nearer the chessboard. "Woah, what are you practicing for?" comes despite definitely already having "debate team" carefully stored in her list of High School Informations for them both, together with a slightly wide-eyed follow-up: "It sounded important." Ford considers the slight adjustments that would narrow the perceived gulf between himself and hypothetical Awesome Ford. "You're right, events like that don't come often, it'd be a good idea to use it to our advantage whenever and while possible," he agrees, a thoughtful nod. His gaze drifts over towards Natsumi as she appears in the space and he smiles, ego certainly uplifted by the idea that he is doing something important. "We're staying sharp for the debate team. It's just like anything in that practice makes perfect!" He makes some extra adjustments to his posture and voice here, to channel Awesome Ford just a little more. "Have you been thinking about any clubs or extra curriculars?" Quentin nods, slightly approving, not so much at Ford's words but at his subtle adjustments to his carriage. The mental blanket if his criticism lifts, mostly, but his voice still carries a touch of judgment in it. "-- Good. We'll have to practice that if --" Something dire, no doubt, but his attention is shifting with a small displeased wince a moment before Natsumi enters. The tension in his shoulders slips back away when the girl actually comes over, though, and he nods importantly in confirmation of Ford's words. "These days especially it's pretty crucial to know how to defend yourself. Logically." Natsumi's eyes stay wide, and she is nodding along intently as the boys speak. << defend yourself? against what? >> << can you out logic company X guards >> << do you need to practice if you can just nepotism your way into the Senate? >> "-- Oh woah, yeah, there's so much just, totally bogus information out there!" she's agreeing, earnest as she leans up against the back of a seat. Her head tips slightly to one side -- she's already carefully marked out a list of things she wants to do next term but appears to give this some consideration before answering kiiind of uncertainly: "Well, I've been thinking about newspaper? I'm not really sure but after the last editor left -- I just think it's so important someone's still covering the things that matter, you know? Like there wasn't even an issue published right after Freaktown and I heard you guys pretty much saved a bunch of people." Her weight rolls up onto her toes, then back down, one small bounce. "But I'm still kind of trying to learn the ropes here, you know? Do you have any suggestions?" Ford nods gravely, "The amount of fake news out there is really troubling." He glances off in the general direction of the city, "Nessie did a good job covering the stories here, but it's a good idea for someone to look after it now that she's dropped out." Mental images of the chaos of that night flash through his recollection, the Weight of the events to the people who surrounded him, as he nods. "We helped some people survive that night. And Quentin here showed a lot more initiative than any of the staff were taking. Real shame, all that. Real shame. You were there, weren't you?" Quentin is chuckling, quiet behind a curled fist. At what, he doesn't mention, but he's looking a little more warmly to Natsumi. "What would democracy even be without the Fourth Estate? Newspaper's solid, if you take it seriously." He turns in his seat, hitching one leg up under him. "Were you? I'm sorry about your home. And about the fence-sitters playing at being superheroes over here. Honestly," thought his skinny chest isn't actually puffing he manages to give the impression of it all the same, as he gestures between himself and Ford, "if we didn't light a fire under Summers'n the Prof and all, I don't think they'd have done anything." He gives a small snap of his fingers, a small point to Natsumi: "And you know, the newspaper played a small part in all that. You'd be following a strong legacy." "I can try," Natsumi replies with a small shrug, a small smile. "I mean, I figure around this kind of place there's always gotta be something to report on, right?" She rests her weight a little more heavily on the back of the chair, and her mind has shifted -- for a moment -- to a stressed and uncomfortable mix of feelings revolving heavily around bitterness at the Prometheus Rescue that came for the X-Kids and not for her, at the police gunning down some of the people who'd actually bothered to show her kindness, no-strings-attached. "Oh yeah -- yeah, I mean, it was pretty cool there," sounds casual, none of the bitterness in her thoughts crossing over to her light, "-- I guess it couldn't last but it was pretty neat while it did. And pretty neat you all came to help." She's turning a few follow-ups over in her mind: << 'I could really use some help learning' -- no that's way too try-hard >> << 'so, the year's almost over, and summer' -- no no no casual is better >> and after a moment more of contemplation she offers, with a quick and crooked smile: "But it does kinda make me wonder how you're going to follow up. I mean, you guys've set expectations pret-ty high for next year." The mention of 'playing at being superheroes' and then how they're going to follow-up briefly gives Ford images of various superhero costumes that he could wear, though these just slide past his active thoughts with very little acknowledgement. "For now, I think we're going to keep our minds sharp and our tongues sharper." He grins and tilts his head aside, "Though there's no shortage of good to be done. The architect who was staying here was talking about some home building project?" The manual labour does not feature heavy in his imagination of what this would be like, but the photo opps for socials? Now that has a certain kind of temptation. His hand sweeps towards his roommate, still grinning towards Natsumi, "And this guy's getting plenty of experience agitating. "I'm sure whatever comes next, we could use some help." Quentin's amusement is fading, though his fist stays loosely curled against his face. "Pens sharp, too," he's adding with a nod towards the Soon-To-Be-Burgeoning Reporter. "And please, you," despite the criticism he'd been leveling at Ford not long ago, there's a weight -- in his words, in the brief and absent press of his mind, that suggests a great importance Ford has all his own, "-- can do better than whatever sad charity that weird teep had going. We turned so much around here in one weekend -- by next year..." He lets this trail off as if they should all already be filling in the Grand Accomplishments next year will bring. "Shouldn't get too far ahead of ourselves, though. We got two more weeks, finals, and a whole summer to get through first. You sticking around, or --?" He's looking to both the others with this question. Natsumi is brightening, quick in her smile and a little more relieved in the (at once anxious and carefully calculating) thoughts spinning in her mind. It's a bit more relaxed now that she is feeling Slightly Surer that the boys are at least somewhat positively disposed toward her. "Yeah! Well, that's settled, whatever waves you make next year the Oracle will still be there to cover." She's biting her lip absently like she needs to consider her summer plans, and, "My parents are super busy, like, summer's a huge time for their line of work," isn't a lie, really, little though she has any plans to talk to them, "so probably I might stay here. Be good to get some extra classes in anyway, you know, I do not want to fall behind just because of the labs." Also Not A Lie, her grades definitely important, though behind it is mostly the thought that these boys seem like firm Respecters of Academic Commitment rather than a strong feeling of urgency in catching up when she's always done well in school. "Still gotta make it to summer though, right? Finals and prom." She's finally, tentatively, slotting both these boys into Cute Enough before she looks a little more shyly between them. "One of the bad parts about getting dropped in here so late in the year, I'm sure you guys already have your plans settled." "Right, right, Aoki Hotels, right?" Quentin says, as if he did not research this intensely the moment the New Student Announcement hit his email. "I mean, between debate and tutoring and all the volunteer work I think Ford hasn't had much time to think about Prom. You guys should go together. Would suck to leave a new girl stranded." There's an air of magnanimity to this voluntelling that simultaneously manages to imply Ford would be doing a very generous favor to take the new (hot) (rich) girl to prom and that Quentin has done them both a favor by offering up this solution. "I'm going with your roommate anyway so. Convenient." There's just a beat before he is making the very important clarification: "Nahida." There is a mental calculation that passes through Ford's head about the comment about Natsumi's parents and her having been staying in Freaktown, but it is aborted by the overriding hotness factor. There is a sense of appreciation sent Quentin's way for this excellent wingman service. He rubs his chin lightly, and offers one of his most charming smiles, "It'd be my pleasure to take you, if you'd have me. While I've been busy, I'm not too busy to help you get situated. And if you ever need help with your extra classes--" He nods in Quentin's direction to acknowledge the comment about tutoring, "I'd be happy to help." At this information that Quentin is going with Nahida, though, Ford's eyes widen a bit, and he nods approval, "She's a killer cook, you know." << of course she is, >> somehow, in Natsumi's mind, is jealously huffy about Nahida's Feminine Appeal while at one and the same time feeling somewhat condescending about how her roommate plays into stereotypes of Asian Femininity. She is, however, relieved that Quentin doesn't mean Naomi -- the very brief thought put a pang of anxiety in her mind that she'd made a grave miscalculation about these boys' social status. Her eyes are fluttering just a little wider with what she hopes is an appealing but not too overt pleased surprise, and she bounces on her toes, expression brightening in time with the slight flush in her cheeks. "Oh wow, thank you. That would be -- I'm so glad I" << scoped out your hobbies and regular haunts >> "-- ran into you you're totally making this crazy term so much better." She curls her fingers in a quick wave. "-- I'll let you get back to your practice I would not want to be distracting. I'll let you know my dress color once I've picked it out, alright?" Her last thought as she's flitting eagerly back to the mansion is thinking over very expensive gown possibilities for Nahida to cop, mingled with a bitterness at her roommate's powers. << Some people have all the luck. >>