12294/I got a spark in me (Hands up if you can see)

I got a spark in me (Hands up if you can see)
Date of Scene:	05 October 2020
Location:	Rec Room - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Jeremy, Tabitha and Shannon talk popstars, Renn Faires and black sparkly pants.
Cast of Characters:	SpyderByte, Nightingale, Siphon

---

SpyderByte has posed:
With lunch hour having hit, Jeremy has skulked his way into the rec room to nibble on a steaming Hot Pocket and to throw back a couple of energy drinks. Alone for a change, he is tapping away at his laptop here and there as he watches the TV. Having MTV on and with most of the reality shows finally over from the morning, he's watching the top 10 videos as he chews on a Hot Pocket. There is a certain mutant popstarlet and Xavier alumni on who has debuted her new single: "Spark." It's an uplifting pop song with a rock band in the background as they play on a beach filled with torches. An end of the summer song.

"I got a spark in me!
Hands up if you can see!
And you're apart of me.
Hands up if you're with me!
Now till' eternity!
Hands up if you believe!
Been so long and now we're finally /free/!"

As he eats his Hot Pocket, his cheeks are flushed as he taps his foot along with the timing of the music, fingers slowly typing along the keyboard. With a swallow of pepperoni and cheese, he nudges his plate off to the side and reaches up to wipe his mouth with the back of his hand. Seems that the Goth has an itch for bubbly upbeat music just as much as he does Industrial and dark and moody blends.

Nightingale has posed:
     With lunch time nearly there, Shannon's elected to forego the barely controlled chaos of the dining hall, in favor of simpler fare and a somewhat quieter venue. Come on--what's not to love about grilled cheese and root beer? The beat of the music is infectious, eliciting an impromptu twirly dance step from the winged mutant. Somehow, she manages to not drop her plate full of grilled cheese sandwiches in the process. She's wearing black leggings, a fringed tunic top with a bold geometric print in fiery red and orange, and simple black flats.

     "Oh... hey there, Jer!" she calls out, a bit more chipper this morning. A smile lights up her face and she ambles on over in that general direction.

Siphon has posed:
    It took over two days until Tabitha's skin started to show some pale through the bright liquid copper sheen it picked up during Friday's excitement. The last of it was drained off this morning during a training session where she and her instructor made more progress on learning just what her exact brand of weird was. And when the session was over, she made another discovery... she was famished! Seems gettin charged up plays merry havoc with her natural drives, but now she's planning to tear through the large bowl of sausage and veggie stir fry and whipped up.

    Entering the rec room with her bounty she starts to pop along with the song playing. She doesn't sing or hum along. It's rude to do those things with your mouth full. She does give Jeremy and Shannon a quick two finger salute as she finds a seat in their vicinity. She is careful to not touch the piping hot bowl directly. She's still working on that NOT draining what she touches part.

SpyderByte has posed:
As he leans forward a bit, Jeremy's eyes widen at the television, followed by a flicker of a smile upon his face. Blowing some bright red tipped bangs away from his face (he changed them from purple), he gives a small giggle under his breath. Even while dressed in black wearing chains and dog collars, he finds himself hooked on the chorus and presentation. Everyone looks so happy and normal out there on the beach, having a real party. One thing is for certain, her production team is top notch. At the sound of Shannon's voice, he jerks himself upwards, fumbling for the remote to turn it down.

"H-H-Hello Sssh.. Ss..Shaaan-n-non." His voice is a painful stutter when he is not using his device to communicate. "I g-g-got Hot Puh-p-p-pockets." He holds it up with a smile on his face before taking another bite.

His eyes behind his thin glasses track Tabitha's entrance and he gives her a smile as well, waving his food in her direction to come join them.

Nightingale has posed:
     "Those actually sound really good," Shannon replies, grinning as she plops down on the couch next to Jeremy. "Got some extra grilled cheese, too, if you like?" Glancing over at the screen, she lets out a wistful sigh, and smiles. "Wish I was even half that good. Maybe someday... like, the next Tuesday after never."

     As Jeremy waves Tabitha on over, she waves as well, smiling. "Hey there! Looks like we're having a feast over here, why not come join the party?"

Siphon has posed:
    Tabitha situates herself near Jeremy and Shannon, but keeps her towel wrapped bowl tucked in her arm so the food-to-mouth distance is minimal. She glances at the video briefly, but hers is the face of the starving. In the moments between almost literal shoveling of food she raises an eyebrow at Shannon. "You already are good, Shans. None of that 'never' talk allowed!"

    After she's made some more inroads into the food and her stomach is no longer growling for More! Right! Now! she relaxes into her chair. "So how were your classes this morning? Is the powers training always so exhausting, or is that just because I'm still a baby mutie?"

SpyderByte has posed:
Digging his phone out of his pocket, Jeremy turns the volume down on the television as it moves on to the next batch of songs to finish out the top ten. He gives a single blink as his phone lights up.

<< Training gets easier. It's like anything else. Have to practice. I learned a lot since coming here. Before Xavier's, I was one of the top blackhat hackers on the dark web. Now I'm probably in the top three, even if my powers enable me to cheat. I get tested with systems and languages I've never heard before. You have to push yourself sometimes through your own discomfort and understand that you can be so much bigger and better if you can let yourself go. The hardest part is mental. After that door is opened, you realize how amazing you are. >>

Leaning into bump his shoulder against Shannon's, he gives her an amused look. << Her talent is singing, you're a life saver. Don't compare yourself. But I can be your backup dancer if you want. I can put on tight silver pants and a belly shirt. >>

The young Goth giggles as he reaches up to give a tug of his dog collar about his throat.

Nightingale has posed:
     "Pushing ourselves can be deadly, to some," Shannon replies, sobering a little bit. "I've been lucky so far with my gift. You saw what happened on Friday, Tabitha. Some gifts are more difficult to train than others." Her expression lightens as she witnesses the creation of a vulture, and sees just how fast that stir-fry is sent on its way to Tabitha's stomach. "You get hit with the appetite, too? Heh, that's me for about two or three days after a healing. Protein and veggies help. You've got the right idea."

     Leaning in to return the shoulder bump, she can't help but giggle, looking Jeremy up and down as she tries to picture him in the silver pants and a belly shirt. "Ummmmm... let's just work on the whole kilt thing first for the Renn faire in town."

     Ice blue eyes go as wide as dinner plates, with Tabitha and Jeremy both upbraiding her for her self-assessment. "Okay, okay! Yeesh! What is this, both of you ganging up on me?" A light giggle escapes her, and she chomps down on a grilled cheese sandwich.

Siphon has posed:
    "Tight silver pants and belly shirts are a crime against existence." Tabitha listens to her fellow students' remarks about the training and nods. "So it's like music. Getting better just means moving on to tougher training?" She considers this while eating more of her lunch. "I can live with that." She nods to Shannon's remark, "Yeah. Apparently getting charged up means I stop feeling the need to eat, sleep, and stuff like that. I've been told that will be something Doctor McCoy will keep tabs on."

    Jeremy's remark causes her to sit up and make a stabbing gesture at him with her fork. "What you describe is not clothing. It's a crime against nature no matter who wears it. And I will always gang up on you if you pull that noise, Shans."
    Mentions of kilts gets a raised eyebrow. "What's a Renn faire?"

Nightingale has posed:
     "Dr. McCoy's the one to listen to with things like that. He knows his business." The winged teen nods firmly, smiling and chowing down on her sandwich. Oh, the simple joys of bread and cheese fried up in unholy amounts of butter! "Yeah, training can mean taking on tougher and tougher challenges. Once... only once... I actually wound up training right alongside some of the teachers--and held my own." Her wings ruffle up behind her, spreading open as if she were a proud peacock displaying their plumage.

     She can't help a giggle-snort, peals of laughter erupting from her at Tabitha's reaction to Jeremy's idea of a backup dancer's outfit. "I second that! Let's not bring up such travesties again!"

     The query regarding Renn faires has Shannon dropping her jaw. "Oh... wow. You've never been to a Renaissance faire? That's where everyone goes all medieval with their costumes, games, rides and such and just have a good time at it. Jer and I were talking about going... him in a kilt, and me as a tavern girl."

SpyderByte has posed:
<< I look better in black. I can even wear black sparkly pants. >>

Jeremy takes another bite of his Hot Pocket once his hands are free to roam to his food again.

<< But don't push yourself too hard to the point you hurt yourself either. My powers have backfired on me a few times. But, it's part of the learning process. You don't know until you know. >>

Bobbing his head a few times to the next song, which is a Rap track, he watches the video for a few moments before he hums along with it under his breath.

Siphon has posed:
    Tabitha shakes her head about Renn faires. "Bar Harbor never had anything like that. Just some local historical festivals that I never went to. Out of sight, out of mind sort of deal." She shrugs this off although she deflates a bit at the memory. "This faire thing sounds... I don't know. Chaotic?"

    The advice about training gets a nod as she finishes off her food. "Right now my focus is being able to have my aura active but not suck the juice out of everything I touch." She pats the towel that's wrapped around her bowl. "Especially since being around cold things is painful now. And black sparkly pants are... better? Maybe?"

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon just eyes Jeremy for a moment, then looks down at her own leggings, and back at the mansion's resident technopath. Anybody who had known her for any length of time could see the creative wheels turning in her head, as evidenced by a positively evil little grin. "You know... we could wear matching black sparkly pants...."

     Oh, my.

SpyderByte has posed:
<< Ren Faire is re-enactments of the old days with sword fights, dragons, singing, bagpipes, flirting. I just sent you some videos to your phone. >>

Her phone pings. Ping! He's not even touching his. He's just a walking Google.

<< Shannon wants me to wear a kilt. Supposedly they do not wear underwear under them. I hope it's a warm day. >>

Siphon has posed:
    Tabitha looks from Shannon to Jeremy and back a couple times. "Um... should I be afraid of her expression? It seems like I might want to be." Then Jeremy is talking about sending things to her phone and, "What phone?" just slips out. Also, "No underwear? Seems... unwise to me." Her now empty bowl is now set aside and she sits back with the look of the sated. "I think I want a nap now. I haven't slept since Thursday night. Powers are weird."

Nightingale has posed:
     "That's just the /traditional/ way to wear a kilt, Jer. I'd go with something underneath, personally." Shannon's phone pings, and sure enough, there are a few links to various videos and websites regarding Renn faires. She starts up one of the videos and turns her phone towards Tabitha. "Something like that. They can be small little things like the one in Salem Center, or they can get huge and elaborate, like King Richard's Faire in Massachusetts, or some of the ones on the west coast."

     She giggles softly, and grins at Tabitha. "Be afraid. Be very afraid. But seriously, if your body's telling you to sleep, especially after using your gifts, then I'd listen and take a nap."

SpyderByte has posed:
<< I think it would be wise to wear something under it, yes. Knowing my luck, I'd trip over my feet and everyone would laugh. >>

Jeremy gives another giggle as he brushes his bangs back to tuck them behind his ears. After finishing the last few bites of his Hot Pocket, he gives a lick of his lips.

<< We can get you a phone. All students should be assigned one I believe. They're really encrypted also. Hard to track. I broke through the software within the first few hours and I gave some great advice to the IT team here on how to make it better. >>

Siphon has posed:
    After looking at the stuff on Shannon's phone a few minutes, Tabitha shrugs one shoulder. "Looks like it could be fun. Not sure I could lift one of the turkey legs unless my skin was copper, though." Jeremy's information about phones gets a slow nod. "I'll ask Mr Summers about it. Never had one so I didn't think of it. Apparently neither did the staff. Maybe they thought I already had one since I'm a teenage girl in 2028."

    Her words are punctuated with yawns and nods to Shannon. "Good idea." Then she starts to prove just how tiny she truly is by changing position to one of the big puffy easy chairs then not even taking up half of the seat once she's curled up into a ball. "Think they'll let me swap my bed for one of these? Too much real estate."

Nightingale has posed:
     "They've probably heard stranger requests from students. Can't hurt to ask. What's the worst they'll say?" Uncurling herself from the sofa, Shannon gets to her feet, setting her plate aside. She grabs a fluffy white angora throw blanket from the back of one of the sofas and drapes it over Tabitha, remembering all too well how vulnerable to the cold she is. "Sleep well," she murmurs, stepping back as quietly as she could, to rejoin Jeremy on the couch.

     "So... about those black sparkly pants...."