ArchivedLogs:Exercise and Therapy

Exercise and Therapy
Dramatis Personae Faelan, Peter, Kris	2013-04-29 '
Location <XS> Gymnasium
For a mutant school, this is a pretty standard gym, even if its sturdy construction to handle mutant powers is less standard. Still, it is designed along normal lines; setup for a basketball court, standard equipment -- punching bags, rubber mats, standard assortment of balls, weight training equipment, the usual fare. It is large, and as well-appointed as the rest of Xavier's tends to be. Today, Peter is finally getting a chance to be active. The crutches are gone; he's now clad in a pair of loose fitting gym shorts - a t-shirt (which has a picture of a pair of oranges dressed up like John Travolta and Samuel Jackson in sharp suits, pointing guns at the viewer) - tabi socks - and, of course, his ridiculous glasses. His backpack is slung on the floor somewhere nearby; he is currently in the process of punching the /crap/ out of a massive punching bag. This would actually look rather funny - considering that Peter's a scrawny nerdboy if there /ever/ was one - except the punches are /very/ loud, and managing to send the bag swaying back just a bit more than you'd think a teenage weakling would be capable of. He's also darting around it - PUNCH-punch-PUNCH - like a blurring little gnat. Finally, there's one more thing of note - Peter's left leg is, from the mid-thigh down, entirely black; it looks almost glossy - with a metallic blue sheen to it. Dressing in black sweat pants that actually fit him along with an over large sweat shirt that didn't, Faelan runs laps around the gymnasium. Lanky and long limbed, he is made for running, at least in body type and in practice. There are benefits to having a natural all encompassing fear as a general part of one's existance, and inspiration to keep up running practice was one of them. Every time he loops nearer to Peter though, his eyes bee line towards the blackened leg. Wondering if this was a new medical wrapping, he reminds himself to go and ask the other boy once the punching completes. Kris is meanwhile JUST entering the gym. Her clothes are about as baggy and shapeless as she can possibly manage. She feels almost armored when what she's wearing hides her figure. What's more, she's got some sort of long, segmented stick balanced on her shoulder which she's swinging with a familiar ease. She's gotten permission to 'practice' with her power, thus why it is out of the box. Even as she approaches a dummy she's chosen for the purpose, she can't help but take a look at Peter's efforts,"You are strong for your size..." Something in that throaty voice certainly sounds impressed anyway. And then she sees that leg,"... are... are you a cyborg? That's pretty awesome." Then she notes Fae jogging, and she even tosses him a little wave as she begins to swing her stick around in a series of pre-arranged moves. Punch-punch-punch-punch. Peter is /clobbering/ that bag. His arms become tiny little lightning bolts as he /pummels/ the thing, brows crumpling together. The bag continues to make *whumpwhump* sounds beneath the assault, bouncing back and away from Peter; it's secured to both the floor /and/ the ceiling by a large length of chain - each blow of Peter's hands seem to dent it. He briefly flicks his eyes to Faelan, tracking his movement; then, suddenly, he seems to notice Kris - immediately /stopping/, almost with a yelp. "Huh-oh-no," Peter says, arms /instantly/ rearing back, stepping away from the bag as if he has been caught doing something wrong. He glances down to his leg - the appendage resembles the skin of a xenomorph, at this point. The only difference is that hint of blue to it. "I, no, I am not a - cyborg. I'm - Dr. McCoy said I had to learn how to pull punches." Immediately, Peter's cheeks are burning a bright red. "...the leg is, um, just my skin." Suddenly, he regrets going with shorts over slacks. Seeing Peter come to a stop, and the wave in his direction, Faelan slows his jogging, finishing the loop nearest to the punching bags and dummies. It's an area he never visits due to his general lack of combativeness, yet he could visit those there easy enough. "Hey, uh, guys." Not sure of the proper word to say to a mixed group, he leaves it there. "Oh, not a medical patching then? I thought with Doctor Saavedro being here on a visit, that there may have been some correlation. Glad you don't have crutches as much now." Smiling, his head nods to Peter, including Kris in the nod as well. Kris seems to be oblivious to Peter's apparent embarassment. As if she's the only one allowed to blush! She holds her hands out to the side, and the long stick in her hand turns into blue energy, splits, and transforms into a pair of sticks, one in each of her hands, and begins wailing on the dummy. Sharp, deep-toned 'thwacks' split the air as a flurry of strikes, both from the sticks, and her feet, strike the thing. Bizarrely, she seems to have no trouble talking as she works, though,"You should wear shorts more. It is a very pleasant shade. *oof* Anyway, I'm sure Dr. McCoy is very smart, so if he said to take it easy, you probably should. Can I get *mmph* you two some water?" As she works through her routine, she notes,"You have... *puff* a good stride out there... Do you run a lot?" "Dr. Saavedro - was here?" Peter does not seem to have been aware of this! "...oh, but yeah, um. It's just. Some weird mutation... thing." Peter gives the bag a half-hearted *WHUMP* with his hand, sending it briefly thumping back, continuing to speak to Faelan. "And yeah, I am really glad to not need crutches now. It doesn't even - sting." Peter's words trail off as he watches Kris' weapon... /glow/, and split into multiple sticks. Just... blinking. Kind of staring, really. He gives no indication of having heard the 'very pleasant shade' bit, except, perhaps, for an increase in blushing. "...wh... huh what just..." Blink. Pointing at sticks. "Did you just...?" "Um, its what I do a lot of. Usually away from things." Faelan provides yet more blushing to the blush fest. "And I don't need water, thank you." Nodding as he watches the random stick fu going on, replying to Peter. "Some weird mutation thing? I guess its not hurting you if you're feeling better. Though, you're probably going to have to hide it in public, at least till you're as comfortable with it as Dr. McCoy is." There is some awe that Dr. McCoy is so comfortable in being what he is. "I think she did do that. Shapeshifting weapons?" Kris smiles at Peter,"You seem concerned, but... really, it is no *huff* weirder than anything else in this place. It is you, being how you must be and are. That is a good thing. Is right." As for Faelan's talent,"I'm sorry... does that mean I was interrupting your exercise? I can come back later when you're done?" And then she's being asked a powers-question. She stops her workout for a moment and holds out her palm. The sticks zip together into a ball of blue light that floats over her palm, constantly and wildly changing shapes,"Something like that. My power expresses as a physical... weapon separate from me. If I've handled a weapon a bit, I can change this into a... somewhat better copy." "Does it have to be a weapon?" is Peter's immediate question, /eyeing/ the object in question as it seems to collapse into a ball of flashing, flickering blue light. "Oh, it's fine, I mean, it might not even - it might just /stop/ pretty soon," he tells Faelan. "I mean it would be weird to have a leg that is kind of like this, but, I guess I wouldn't mind, it's basically just a really weird, creepy birthmark." Peter glances back to the sandbag he had been firmly beating, now. Eyeing it reluctantly. Like he's not sure if he should return to punching it. Shaking his head at her concern, Faelan replies "No, its okay. I practice some every day. If I need to really run away from something, then it isn't running I'd be doing. Jumping or hiding perhaps." With Peter still looking to the punching bag, he looks to it, and with a gesture the thing disapears. "See? Less worry about exercise." Thinking though about the applications of her powers, he says "Well, I guess that's useful if you're going to fight a battle. Though, if you've had to handle it first, it probably protects you from having people ask you to make light sabers. But I guess if you can make grenades you don't need light sabers. Assuming you've handled hand grenades. I don't think they wouldn't really hand stuff like that to students. Well, you could get hollowed out ones from army surplus, but I don't know if that's enough." Kris shrugs at Peter. She's smiling, though. Probably because she's getting attention that isn't for things she hates. "I... don't know. I've only ever been able to make weapons... but Dr. McCoy says there's no actual reason why it should only be weapons. He thinks it's mental. Anyway, I can't make grenades... but I can make an RPG-7 and a number of assault weapons. So..." She shrugs. She brushes fingers through her hair self-consciously and the blue light finally transforms into a lone tonfa. She holds it out to them,"You can give it a try if you want." She looks over at the punching back that Pete was using, and asks,"Are we keeping you from your workout?" "That's the sense I get, a lot of the weirder powers are, like, mental - blocks, and stuff," Peter explains, just as - the punching bag /vanishes/. Peter peers at it again - he's seen Faelan demonstrate his power before, but it's still weird to see in action. He reaches out, delicately tapping at it, feeling it out with his palms... then carefully giving it a light 'bap'. "The non-physical powers, anyway. Stuff like mine, there's not much /to/ block." Bap, bap. Peter glances at the tonfa, blinking, before adding: "I don't... I mean I'm not really - a weapons kind of guy. I mean, maybe I'll try one eventually I dunno I just don't want to, like - I'm trying to learn how /not/ to hurt people with punches," he explains, blushing furiously at this admission. But then: "Naw I mean, it's fine. I'm not really in a rush to... punch things." Bap, bap at the invisible punching bag. "My powers are the same, well, that they say I have blocks. Not the weapon thing." Faelan's face shows his consternation. "Kisha complains that what I do doesn't really make sense with physics, but then most of what we do over all doesn't really fit. Like why can I make stuff invisible and make things go away. They don't even have anything to do with each other aside from the fact my mind wants me to runaway and be safe." Shaking his head, he smiles as Peter baps at the invisible bag. "I don't think science has caught up to us yet. And something in our brains lets us do it. Well, Peter's body in this case. I think? Does your brain do anything to help you do all that?" All that coming with hand gestures at Peter in general. Peter gets a smile from Kris,"You're actually a pretty smart guy, huh? If you ever want to learn how to fight withut injuring people... Professor Logan can tutor you. If you prefer a less robust teacher, I would also be willing to tutor you. Escrima has a number of weapons, as well, that are... less than lethal." She gives a thumbs up to that. "When I handle a weapon, I get a sense of how it's put together. Then I just sort of... will it to exist. Does your body tell you how to move the way you do, Peter?" And then to Faelan,"What of you... is it just invisibility... or do you find you are also more talented at hiding and going unnoticed than before your powers." She seems... a little fascinated,"Is it something you can teach?" "None of this makes sense. I guess it used to bother me a little, at first, but I've gotten used to it. I mean, it's kinda cool /anyway/ you know I can basically catch /knives/," Peter says, and maybe there's a little huff of pride there. "Oh... yeah, my brain - uh, Dr. McCoy says - I think really fast. Like, /bizarro/ fast. I - figure things out really quick. To the point where, half the time, I do things before I even realize I should be doing them. Like... it's hard to explain," Peter surrenders on this point, giving a helpless little shrug. At Kris' mention of training with Logan... "I did, a while back. I dunno, it's like - I just learn things really, really quickly. I just - know. Dr. McCoy said he'd see about getting me into the martial arts club, but, he wants me to get a handle on my strength first, 'cuz, um, you know." Peter makes another bap at the invisible punching bag. Frowning as if trying to consider her question, Faelan shakes his head. "No, I just have better training than I did before. And well, certain teachers, who will remain nameless, encourage us to solve our problems without using powers. Meaning if I can hide without resorting to being invisible, its better than just being invisible. Same with running away instead of teleporting away." By the look on his face, it is fairly obvious he does not quite agree with the sentiment. The look faded quickly as mentioning a teacher brings up another conversation to mind. "Oh, it was recommended that I look into a club or organization. Are you guys in any? Recommend any?" As Peter keeps bapping the invisible thing, Faelan gropes for the thing, and once touching it, it reappears. She nods very slowly,"I think... I think I could help you with that... But it might take some time. Then again, since you think so fast, there is a good chance you will figure it out on your own." Kris taps her chin in thought,"It makes more sense than you think... When I was... with the Moro, often when there was combat... My hands would be doing things to make sure I survived while my mind was elsewhere." Somewhere very far away, if the dark cloud that passes over her face briefly is any indication. "There is a bug club I think Peter is in. I am thinking of forming something for LGTBS youth in the school as well. We could also probably always use a book club if there isn't already one." She smiles emphatically,"Maybe you should join the athletics club, and run track? I think you would be very good." Kris lets her mind wander over that a bit,"Ivan is very nice and he is in the bug club too. As is my friend Kai. They are very nice." "Yeah I'm in the bug club, I think," Peter agrees. "There was also a tabletop gaming club I'm trying to join - and, uh, that's it at the moment, I mean - mostly I just spend my free time in the Danger Room." Slight blush. When the bag-o-sand reappears, Peter tilts his head at it and gives it another /bap/. "...th'heck is the Moro?" Peter asks, rather obliviously. And then: "LGTBS? What's LGTBS? I don't think they'd let /me/ join the track club, I mean probably not competitively anyway." "Well, Professor Summers wanted me to join an organization where I can be with other people. If I'm running, well, its the next best thing to being alone." Faelan nods abit at the suggestions of the other things though. "I don't know if I fit into any of those groups. Maybe I'll ask the others, or see about the gaming thing. Gaming is safe isn't it?" Shaking his head at the mention of the Danger Room, he frowns. "I don't like going there. I can't aim at anything, its not real. And then everyone ends up somewhere else." Sighing, he pulls his phone out of his sweater pocket, he tilts his head. "I have to go meet with my therapist soon. She says I'm making good progress again at least." "Tabletop gaming? You mean like monopoly or like Hackmaster?" Yes. Apparently straight from the jungles and she's still heard of Hackmaster. Will wonders never cease? "The Moro National Liberation front. LGTBS... Lesbian Gay Transgender Bisexual and Straight." She offers a huge shrug, though,"Isn't gaming... not really socializing, too? If you are pretending not to be yourself?" Kris definitely takes interest when a therapist is mentioned,"Oh, is yours any good? I am still just getting to know mine. She's nice." "Mmmf I should /probably/ finish up here, I have to - see Dr. McCoy again - about my leg," and Peter is giving a slight, uncomfortable glance down toward the sleek black appendage. "And yeah, gaming is - it's just dice rolling and stuff and, dungeons and dragons or - shadowrun - or even monopoly, yeah." Peter's cheeks flare up /brightly/ at the explanation of what LGTBS stands for; his response to this is little more than a non-committal 'oh'. "We talk about stuff. And she suggests ways to help get over my fear. They think that its my main block, that once I'm not afraid then I'll be able to do a lot more." Faelan is a little more reassured as Kris talks about her own therapist. "Its... hard. But I don't got to classes invisible anymore at least. And I'm talking to more people. And well, I've only had once accident teleporting someone else recently." There is definitely embarassment there, and he also avoids looking at Peter. "But I don't want to be late for it. Um, have fun practicing and all." Giving the others a little wave, he started jogging back towards the exit.