10054/Jet Farts and Musical Interludes

Jet Farts and Musical Interludes
Date of Scene:	15 November 2019
Location:	Men's Dormitory (West Halls), Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Brad and Jay chat about mutation and music.
Cast of Characters:	Haunt, Icarus

---

Haunt has posed:
Two nights ago (or was it morning?), Brad was settled into one of the empty rooms down the hallway in the men's side of the dorms. By counting the doors down the line, he's able to navigate to the one that he suspects is Jay's. He pauses in front of the door, tempted to extend his senses inside, but instead knocks, resisting, for the moment, the urge to 'cheat'. He then breaks his own decision, and lightly sends out his telekinetic senses to see if any human-shaped things are beyond the door in the room.

Brad is dressed: dark blue hoodie zipped up, thick sweatpants and sneakers. His hood isn't up, so there's a very headless-torso style of look at the moment, but he's trying very hard to not be self-conscious about it!

Icarus has posed:
There is a human inside the room. The shape of the human has extra appendages in the form of wings on their back. At the sound of the knock on the door, Jay tilts his head as she glances toward his phone. Usually his friends would text him before just coming over so he's not sure what to think. Could be anyone. Maybe even a teacher.

"Just a sec." He sets the notepad aside on the bed, then lays the acoustic guitar on top before getting up. Then he pads across the room in bare feet and opens the door. He's dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a tank top, allowing his wings ease of movement that way.

Upon seeing floating clothing, he gives a smile. "Hey! Still with us, huh? Good. C'mon in. Take a load off." He walks back over to his bed, sitting on the edge and letting Brad choose where he might want to sit.

Haunt has posed:
A minor tremor goes through the room. Perhaps enough to even strum one of the instruments a tiny bit: brush of telekinetic fingers, but entirely harmless. Something that sensitive feathers can pick up, since it's like a soft little breeze.

"Hi," Brad says, friendly, voice even. He sounds far, far more calm than the last time Jay encountered him, certainly. Smells a lot better, too, in the clean clothing that didn't have a dumpster unearth itself all over him.

"Yeah, eating all the food, exploring. I also got my /cavity/ fixed!" Brad says, enthusiastic. "That was hurting for months." Brad comes in, accepting the offer and shutting the door behind him. The empty chair from the desk made logical sense, so Brad takes that, finding it and sitting in it backwards. There are no clues to the blindness, at least not so far. But it is comical, in a fashion, to see the empty clothes arrange themselves that way! "Is that a guitar?"

Icarus has posed:
"Do what? They fixed your tooth?" Jay looks really confused by that as he tilts his head to the side like a dog that heard a funny noise. "Not used to them doing that for non students. Did you decide to stay here or something?"

At the other question, he glances over and picks up the guitar off the bed. "Yeah, you play by chance? They're real too." He hooks a thumb over his shoulder at the two hanging on the wall above the bed. "Just easier to store them up there than in the room. I didn't want to take up space over there in case I gtet a roommate." A vague wave to the other side of the room. It is very odd to see floating clothing behaving as though a person is there. Yet not seeing a person. At least Jay isn't one to stare.

Haunt has posed:
"Well I was looking around, and a student told me about the Wellness Office. So I went there and asked about it. And they fixed my tooth," Brad explains. That is the extent of his knowledge about any of it. "With mutant healing powers. I also have pills. Not fun ones, vitamins. Go me." Brad pats his hands on the back of the chair, which just looks like jittering sleeves, though the sound is there, of the rap, rap-Rap-rap of palms. "Nobody has invited me to stay. I mean. It's amazing here, I'd be crazy to leave." A pause. "I mean, magical dental."

"I used to play guitar a little bit; I gave it up for drums, though," Brad explains. "I could try guitar, but it would probably be pretty sad. I was like ten. Are you any good?"

Icarus has posed:
"My guess was Chris or Shannon then. Probably Chris. He is a healer here at the school. Shannon is a student, has healing powers that are more empathic in nature. She takes whatever she is healing onto herself. So she'd have the sore tooth now, if it was her."

He offers the guitar if Brad would like to at least try it. "If it's been a while, may be hard. But for me, it is mostly by feel now. Less looking." He shrugs a little. "I play pretty good. Used to have a band back home in Kentucky. Miss playing with them though there are a lot of musically inclined folks here." He thinks about the other part though. "Well, I dunno what it would take to get you invited here. I mean, you're here. Not like it would be hard to set you up for classes. They could contact your parents and I'm sure they would approve as this is a prestigious private school. Just, folks don't know that we're all mutants."

Haunt has posed:
"Yeah, I'm not sure I can do this blind," Brad says, but accepts the guitar. There's care to it: he won't harm it. He turns around in the chair to sit in it properly, bringing the guitar in to rest it on his thigh. He carefully smoothes his fingers along the neck and strings, orienting his hand on it. He presses on several chords, and strums experimentally. Adjusts his hand position, repeats.

"My parents definitely know what I am," Brad says, his tone quiet. He plays a few careful notes, but is clearly having to do it cautiously. Still fun to see a guitar play itself, the strings pressing and moving under invisible hands, maybe. "Yep, I'd have to practice a lot," Brad says, smile in his voice.

"I guess the plan is to camp out until somebody tells me to leave. ....gotta find me first."

Icarus has posed:
"Oh never doubt they could find you," Jay says with a little laugh. "Quite a few of the teachers are telepaths. They don't have to see you to find out. It's one reason that I recommend people not being stupid. They can find out. Now, don't get me wrong, they are very respectful about it and don't intrude. But if needed? Yeah, they can do some crazy stuff."

He doesn't make it sound threatening, more matter of fact. No one is going to be poking in their brains but they won't be able to avoid being found. Even invisible. "Seriously, if you want to come to school here, you should mention it. We can see if Ms. Munroe is available or one of the other teachers. Could even talk to Sam. That's my brother. The one that runs the club we were at," he adds.

Haunt has posed:
"I was seriously very much joking. There's creepy stuff here," Brad agrees, directly. "Your girlfriend tried to scare me, suddenly shapeshifting without warning. It wasn't okay. I stick up for myself: it isn't /okay/ to mess with me because I can't see. If it happens again I'll push back: I'm not helpless either." Brad's embarrassment entered his voice, edged out by some anger, before he picks at the guitar a little more. It's slightly better, but not by much. He's way out of practice, and when he did it, he could see. This is just really difficult.

"I liked Ms. Munroe. How can I make an appointment?" Brad asks. The boy is certainly driven: find out about the wellness office, go get fixed. Figure out a way to stay? Full speed ahead.

Icarus has posed:
"Well, she's not my girlfriend. Maybe. I dunno. It's complicated. I'll have to explain it sometime. She's my best friend here so far though and I do like her," Jay admits as he shrugs again. "But that doesn't sound like her either. To just shift for no reason. Honestly, I've only seen her do it once. Maybe twice."

He frowns a bit as he tries to think why Andrea would want to intimidate a new guy. Or was it being misinterpreted? "Ms. Munroe has an office. Just leave her a note that you'd like to see her and I'm sure she'll let you know when. But...what was going on when Andrea shifted? I'm sorry you felt she was trying to intimidate you but it just seems off for her to have done. She's never gone public with what her mutation is yet so to just show someone new here that isn't officially a student? Not a good idea."

Haunt has posed:
"Can you help me write a note for her? I'll do that," Brad requests. Then he nods invisibly. "If you don't believe me, Gwendolyn, with the dragonfly wings, was there," Brad identifies. He offers the guitar back carefully. "Sorry, I felt maybe you were together." Brad shrugs: it does show in the shoulders of the sweatshirt. He leans back in the chair a little, one leg coming up to cross at the knee, fingers picking at the bottom hem of the sweatpants at his shoe ankle.

"So I was sitting in the rec room listening to the Seahawks-forty-niners game, and Andrea and Gwen came in," Brad says, calming a little as he recalls. "They sat on either side of me. Andrea told Gwen that I was a telekinetic and invisible, so Gwen was asking me things, and let me touch her visor-thing. I asked Andrea what she could do - seemed fair - but she just said she was terrifying, so I took the hint." Brad shifts his weight. "Anyway Gwen was telling me about her power. Andrea said something about that true terror is having it's breath on your neck but not being able to see it, and then she did something or changed into something? I guess shapeshifting, I mean, I can't see what she /did/, but she got bigger and had a tail, and I think there were a lot of teeth near my head? I asked her to stop. Then she just LEFT without a word."

Icarus has posed:
"So weird," Jay murmurs to himself, still frowning. It just doesn't sound like Andrea at all. He's going to have to ask her about it. "If she knew you were uncomfortable, I'm sure she would apologize if she knew. She's a very nice person really."

He shakes his head and continues. "She can turn into basically a giant werewolf like thing. That's why you sensed all that. It can b very intimidating when you can see so I'd think it would be moreso if you could only sense stuff." He turns to that now. "How do you do that anyway? You can't see but you knew she had shifted and had a tail. You knew we were holding a box the other night. You knew I had wings. It's like you can see but you don't see. When you came in, there was a tiny brush of air on my feathers. Did you do that?"

Haunt has posed:
"Gwen said that too. She said she was teasing," Brad says, releasing a breath. "I don't want to start rumors or anything. You mentioned creepy powers, and it made me think of it. I just don't want to be bullied. Particularly if it's funny to do because I'm blind. I think that's MORE than fair. Don't do things to me you wouldn't do to somebody that could see, for one thing. Like turning into a monster after telling me you're terrifying, particularly to blind things." Brad coughs. He lifts a hand and rubs his face, and hair. "Gwen was very nice about it. You are too. I get it. There's hazing for a new person. Just ... not because I can't see. Please." Brad's voice turned tight, like the injury was thick in his throat. It wasn't about being teased: it was about it being done because he's /blind/.

"Yeah. Um. Sure." Brad swallows, switching gears. "Like, here. There's a cup," Brad says. The cup from the desk floats over, to float nearby in the air. It turns around slowly, not spilling.

"I can move it with my mind. It's cup-shaped. I can't tell you what's in it, or if it says 'best grandma' on it, but I can tell it's a cup. I can get your general shape when I start to move you. But I don't move you. Does that make sense?"

Icarus has posed:
"I don't think it was meant to haze or intimidate. She knows you can see, in a way. Probably why she just shifted and didn't actually do anything. So she could show you what she meant. I mean I wasn't there. I can only theorize," Jay adds. "She isn't one to bully anyone, blind or not. I think it may have all been a misunderstanding. Talk to her before judging her too harshly. Anyway."

He opts to change subject since really, he's just tossing out what he knows. But he does need to talk to Andrea. Her showing powers to a non student, even a blind one. Was she wanting to get her powers publicized? "I'm guessing you're probably a junior since you're a year younger than me and I'm a senior. If you get transferred here, there are college classes available after high school levels. So could be here a while, in a place that won't care if you are invisible or blind or blue skinned or red winged."

Haunt has posed:
"Well. She could have said, 'Hey, I am turning into a wolf-thing, that will definitely not just creepily stand over you breathing heavily,'" Brad teases back. "For next time. Anyhow, she's your best friend. Sorry, Jay. Maybe she turned accidentally. I'm well aware of what that crap is like. Okay? Okay."

"I've been home-schooling but I might be a little behind. So I'm a Sophmore or a Junior," Brad agrees. "Junior if I do well on placement tests. I haven't been tested since all this happened to me."

"Are you going to do college here?" Brad asks.

Icarus has posed:
"Haven't decided yet," Jay admits as he shifts on the bed, wings rustling a bit as he gets settled up against the headboard so he can lean against it comfortably. "I didn't to come here at all. Sam had gone to school here when he was younger. Now he's an advisor for the New Mutants. They're like a special group amongst the student body." He just leaves the explanation at that. "My Ma sort of made me come here. Lots of drama, lots of story. I sort of gave you a vague idea in the alley." That he'd tried to hurt himself before. "So she felt it best to ship me off to boarding school, basically. I'm not telling her but she may have been right. I'm starting to open up more, enjoy things again. Despite my personal guilt trips. So we'll see when the year ends if I want to stick around."

Haunt has posed:
"Wait. Sam Guthrie. That's Cannonball, right? That is probably one of the cooler nicknames I've ever heard," Brad says, curious. "The Wellness office person Chris told me about him, after Shannon mentioned him. Does he do something cool into the pool? Like a diver? Or does he shoot metal balls?"

"Are New Mutants people that just realized they're mutants? Special needs sort of people that are setting rooms on fire?" Brad's got a lot of questions, his curiosity is running high! Until the tone adjusts, and Brad shuts up quickly from his questions. "Sure. One thing at a time," Brad says, more softly, apologetic.

Icarus has posed:
Jay gives a little bit of a chuckle. "Well, can't say that Sam didn't break a few things with his powers when he was a New Mutant but that isn't quite what it is. They're sort of training to be heroes, if that makes sense. To try to help people, mutants, whatever, in the world. Some are more interested in mutant causes. Basically there was a class at the school originally. When they got older, a younger group came in and they were nicknamed the New Mutants, since they were new at the school. Now we kind of help new people and yeah, some folks are aspiring to be heroes one day. I am not aspiring to be anything but a musician but I am glad to help folks who need it."

"Yeah, Sam Guthrie is Cannonball. Nothing with pools or throwing metal. He can fly. Like me. But think more jet propulsion. And when he flies, he generates a field around him so he can't get hurt. At all. So he would just....crash into things. Like a cannonball."

Haunt has posed:
Brad adjusts his weight in the chair, and finally moves the cup that's been hovering back over to the desk. Nothing spills. It just goes back to where it was, simple as that.

"Oh. That's different," Brad says, considering that interesting power. "That's got to be a cool one. And easy to hide, unless he has jet farts?" Brad asks, sort of hoping for jet-farts. Teenage boy humor, after all. "I would totally trade blindness for jet farts."

Icarus has posed:
Jay bursts out laughing even though he's shaking his head negatively. Not that Brad can see it but maybe he can sense it. "While can warn that his farts can be deadly, shared a room for many years, no, he doesn't have jet farts. That would be hilarious though."

He tries to think how to describe it. "Think waist down is gone and he's just fire. Like a rocket blasting. So not out the back end that way, focused toward where his feet would've been. And don't knock invisible. Just, if you do come here? Don't let the guys convince you to take a camera into the girls' rooms. Remember telepaths."

Haunt has posed:
Brad laughs too, the sound of his being the only trace of it. He's pleased to get his new friend to laugh. It's been a long time: feels good.

"LIke having a skirt of fire? Sounds interesting. I wonder what I'd sense from that. Probably not much, if he's super fast," Brad wonders.

"Hey, if you want to be invisible, I can arrange it," Brad teases back. "And okay, very important." Brad pauses, to show how important the next statement is. "Just because I am invisible does not mean I sneak into locker rooms or movies or back vaults. I have done none of those things. Cool?"

Icarus has posed:
"Didn't say you had," Jay says easily enough. "I'm saying don't let some of the guys around here talk you into doing something stupid. There's a few of them around that are dicks and they just might." He said the d-word. Harsh language for the young Guthrie brother. "Not a lot. Most folks at this school are great but there seems to always be at least one or two in a bunch, no matter what."

Thankfully, he hasn't met any personally but he's heard rumors about a few of the students who spend a lot of time in teacher's offices getting spoken to about bad behavior. "I'd be willing to try the invisible thing though. But only if you either go flying with me or sing with me. Something to get you to experience my powers too. Oh wait, you already fly. So guess that leaves singing!"

Haunt has posed:
"You won't like the invisibility thing," Brad chuckles, but the chuckle drowns quickly. "Comes with the rest of it. So." Cough. Brad examines the room with a brief brush of telekinetic senses, and leaves the chair to move over to sit down on the end of Jay's bed: in order to pluck a few strings of the guitar sitting on the bed with his fingers. Just playing with it a little, not picking it up.

"I'd like to fly, actually. I could use you as a frame of reference, to not get lost up there. I'd like to go high, or fast, but I just can't by myself. I lose track of how high or far I am. We should definitely go flying. Also, my singing sucks."

Icarus has posed:
"We can do that sometime. Flying is one of the few good things with my powers. The healing...Not a fan of it. Maybe it'll change in the future." Jay doesn't explain further. Eventually Brad will hear the sob story but he isn't sharing it tonight. Too private really at this early point in their relationship. Once they are more friends, then he can be brought into the circle of people who know the truth.

"My singing is...a problem too. I sing well. Have a good voice. But my mutant powers give me an advantage that likely will ruin any chance of me being taken seriously as a musician and singer. I'll end up stuff as a gimmick somewhere and written off, I figure. So...wait? Invisibility comes with the rest of it? How do you mean?"

Haunt has posed:
"I will trade you powers right now," Brad offers immediately with a laugh, reaching across with a hand held out. Not that it shows. It's just an empty sleeve extended as if pointing at Jay's chest. If examined by touch, it is a hand held out to shake, though!

"Really, if there were a way to just get rid of my stuff, that would be fine, too. No powers, no problems," Brad suggests. There's a sigh in his voice.

"I wanted to do sports or music. Maybe music is still possible. I don't know. The masked drummer," Brad chuckles wryly. "It's a dream. And I meant if you're invisible you can't see. I'll show you if you want, doesn't hurt, but it's not a good time."

Icarus has posed:
"Sure, why not trade for a while. If we could." Jay reaches out to take the offered hand. It takes a second for him to get the right grip. He can tell where the hand is but not the angle or position. Palm to palm then curling the figures when he gets the right feel for the handshake.

"Nothing wrong with a masked drummer. I mean, KISS used make up for years and there was some tv show with masked singers back in the day so why not? We'll start a band. If you stick around. I would like to see what it feels like to be invisible though. Any idea why you can't see though? How it's linked to the invisibility?"

Haunt has posed:
"It doesn't feel like anything. I didn't know I was invisible until somebody told me. I just thought I was going blind," Brad says. He moves some, to put his back to the wall down by the foot of the bed where he is, stretching his legs out straight. "Scariest thing in the world: losing everything. All my sports dreams. Poof. Gone." Brad moves a hand and picks a few notes on the guitar again, and then lets it go.

"I mean, I have theories. My parents and I read up on how light works with your eyes. So I think like, my eyes aren't getting any light. My skin isn't either. No light, no seeing. No suntans."

Icarus has posed:
"That makes sense. No light getting to the rods and cones or whatever is in there that makes them work. Yeah, didn't like science classes much," Jay says with a chuckle, unnecessarily since his lack of knowledge makes it apparant how he felt about the information.

"Just got to get new dreams. I had one." Jay's voice shifts and he glances down at the guitar as the strings are plucked absently. "It was all taken away from me too. Now I just try to get by day to day until I figure out a new dream. I mean, even if I can't sing, maybe the guitar will get me where I want to be musically speaking. Everyone needs a band, right?"

Haunt has posed:
"Great. Our band is 'Second Chances', or maybe 'New Dream'?" Brad chuckles, and moves a little, carefully picking up the guitar with his hands, and offering it down towards his new friend, with a coaxing little lift-lift motion.

"I just know it's linked, the invisible and not seeing. What difference does it make how it works, when it just is that way. Maybe someone here can make special goggles like Gwen's got. But I'm not going to hope about that. I do hope about my music too. It's safe enough. Nobody's judging how I look, just how I sound."

Icarus has posed:
"Got to admit, I like 'Second Chances'," Jay says as he accepts the guitar. He shifts a bit so he can get it laid across his lap comfortably, left hand on the neck then strumming the strings with his right. "Never really learned percussion, I have to admit. More stringed. Though I can play piano. Mainly guitars and fiddles though. My brother wants me to teach someone he knows how to fiddle. Which is weird since she plays violin." He just follows his thoughts to their conclusion, prattling on.

His fingers find a chord and he strums again. Then he starts to pluck out a little tune even as they continue to talk. Needless to say, he's been playing a guitar for many years and is good at it. No superstar probably but he can hold his own out there.

Haunt has posed:
"Well, now you have me, I'll handle the beat," Brad chuckles. "If I stay, of course. I can find a rhythm on anything. My drums are at my parents', so. I just make do when I'm not there, on whatever I have." The music topic is a fun one, a relaxing one, and Brad's glad to talk over some favorite songs, to tap out some sequences on the back of one of the other guitars with gentle hands, and to enjoy the next few hours of just chatting about whatever, and letting the topic continue to address the idea of Second Chances.