10971/Back, from Outer Time

Back, from Outer Time
Date of Scene:	03 February 2020
Location:	Boathouse - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Tatum is welcomed to the school, Bean and Bear style.
Cast of Characters:	Deadzone, Samuel Morgan

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Deadzone has posed:
    Tatum has never been the sort of person to just sit and wait. She's a doer, not a waiter. So, sitting in the guest house for Professor Xavier to get a chance to see her and verify her story is a bit of a pain. She has to find out why she was sent to this universe in particular. THere is always a reason. Apocalypse, Sentinels, Magneto. There is always some world ending disaster about to happen that the entity feels the X-Men would do better with her help and so he sends her there.

    And so, Tatum paces in the guesthouse impatiently, wondering exactly what disaster is in the wind this time.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    Reality has a certain sense of humor. Fate, especially, loves to laugh at the lot of mortals. And so it would be that one of the first mutants to come visit Tatum is in fact the one they call 'Bean', a teenager typical for his age and generation except for the neatness of his clothes and the canine companion by his side. If he's a mutant, he must be one of the lucky ones, capable as passing for fully human without effort.

    Both boy and dog, a German Shepherd who by his collar is named Bear, and by his high vis yellow jacket is most certainly a service animal of some kind, ascend the stairs and knock on the door of the boat house's guest residence. "Good morning. May I come in?"

Deadzone has posed:
    Hearing the knock on the door, Tatum is pulled free from her reverie and brought back into the current moment. She walks over to the door and opens it, smiling as she sees what she presumes is a student. And a dog. Unless that is also a student. Gesturing into the main room of the boathouse, Tatum invites the pair in.
    "Of course! Are you here to visit Remy? I can see if he's in." Tatum, considering the state of the clothes she arrived in, is currently wearing some of Remy's loungewear. She gestures to herself. "This isn't what it looks like. My clothes kind of got ruined on my trip here and Remy was kind enough to give me something till I can get some clothes of my own."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    There are times when people might suspect that Bear is a student, or a shapeshifter that's infiltrating the school. Undoubtedly, someone has checked into that possibility already. "Thank you." Bean nods, letting the Shepherd enter before he does. Bear stays between his human and Tatum the entire time, as if marking the limits of his personal space.

    "Actually, I came to see if you had everything you needed? My schedule is a bit more... fluid, than that of other students, so I tend to volunteer for these things." His smile, though friendly, never quite makes it to his eyes.

Deadzone has posed:
    Tatum's own smile does reach her eyes, but there is a hint of sadness there. Being forced to hop realities has taught her that establishing friendships is just going to cause her pain when she is ripped from one world and deposited in another. Again. She gestures to the seating area. "Are you hungry? THirsty? I was just making some lemonade. Really missed that in the last place. No citrus! It was insane!" Her bare feet pad into the kitchen.

    "Talking with Ms. Munroe last night, she indicated a version of me has been in this world already. Is it possible to get some of my clothes? I don't know if Dr. McCoy still has them or not. And am I making lemonade for three?" It seems the politest way of asking if the dog is actually a student.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "Thank you, and for two will be sufficient." Bean does, however, go and sit down and give the Shepherd an affectionate pat between the ears. Those two are friends, that much is certain. Probably not a student though.

    "I'll ask him, discreetly. I'm afraid I don't remember you having been here before, miss. I only joined the school a few months ago." At the same time, it might be noted that the teenager has sat down where he can see the entire room, either directly of indirectly via reflective surfaces. "It must be strange being in a place with no citrus. How do you avoid scurvy?"

Deadzone has posed:
    Nodding as she is told that the lemonade is just for two, Tatum brings over a tray with a pitcher and glasses. She sits down and pours. "I'd ask to pet your dog, but I should first warn you that my power is to take away others powers with a small field around me. I keep the field close when I can, like now, but it's always there. So touching can be problematic."

    "The me that was here was here three years ago. Whether that was me me, or your world's version of me, I don't know." She eyes the teenager as he sits, her own eyes looking to where he can see from. She sits herself in such a way that she doesn't block any of the exits. "Still working on the trust issues?"

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "I'm afraid Bear is working at the moment. No pets or treats unless they come from me, that's how he gets trained." It's not a policy everyone is familiar with, and Bean is glad to get it out of the way early. For his part, Bear sits nearby, at happy attention, tail wagging and tongue lolling. "And thank you for warning me. Myself, I'm a technopath." That may or may not be rarer in some worlds over others.

    As he reaches for the glass, the teenager gives Tatum another look, noting how she chooses to sit. "Old habit. I'm not sure if the term was in use when you left, but I'm one of the school's few... special... students. Thank you for the lemonade."

Deadzone has posed:
    "Of course. My apologies. Maybe I will get to see him when he isn't working sometime." She sips at her glass of lemonade and sighs with contentment. "You never know how much you are going to miss something when it's not there. As to the scurvy, strawberries are a huge source of vitamin C as well. As are kiwis and pineapple."

    A slow nod as she takes in that last bit of information. "I started off as a special student here. It's a good place. Filled with good people. I know how hard it can be. Especially if you have the trust issues. I had them too when I started."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    Another smile, and this time the actual happiness can be detected as his eyes smile along, metaphorically speaking. Bear, sensitive to changes in mood, swings his large head over to his human and gives a supportive doggy grin. He doesn't know /what/ Bean is happy about, but he's happy that he's happy about something. "He goes off the clock when the school day ends, or when I take him out for a walk to relax. And in the kitchen, usually. That's ehmm... that's where I eat, I don't like the dining hall." Likely that might sound familiar.

    "And here's to medicinal strawberry shakes!" a toast proposed by the inclination of a glass of lemonade, and a sip of the liquid for good luck. "Bear is my therapy dog. Literally saved my life several times, he's the best of boyes."

Deadzone has posed:
    Tatum sees the smile and the dog's changed behavior and her own smile grows. "The kitchen?! That's good! My first few months here, I wouldn't even leave my bedroom. Mind you, back then, I had zero control over my powers and didn't know how to pull it back into me. My natural state is about a 10 foot wide bubble. So, I had to stay isolated or I would affect anyone around me."

    She toasts the strawberry shakes and sips at her lemonade with another contented sigh. She starts thinking about the concept of therapy dogs and a smirk plays around her lips. No, that comment shouldn't be said outloud to students. "Therapy animals are a wonderful idea. I am glad someone came up with them."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "I... couldn't believe I was allowed outside of my room without permission, when I first came here. No staff on the landing, no check points, locks on the door you could operate from the inside... And no reveille, no parade, no five mile morning run." It's all said with a half smile, while Bean contemplates his glass. Bear won't have it, and places a paw on his knee, which breaks the logical chain to the flashback before it has a chance to form.

    "Mind you, I decided to revive that last one at least. Five miles, starting at 6 AM, every day. You're welcome to join."

Deadzone has posed:
    Tatum sees the spiral that Samuel is about to go down and is about to say something when the dog does a better job than she ever could. She nods in approval at the canine. "For me, it was the testing. Blood tests, MRIs, sitting in a room with stuff and being asked to perform like a trained monkey. I remember watching the movie Firestarter and getting really upset. Too close to home."

    "I just might," she tells him. "How many others are on the run. Goodness knows this school is full of fitness geeks." She finishes her lemonade and goes to pour herself another. She really has missed the taste of lemons. "I'm sorry for being forgetful. You said your name was? You're new to me, so I actually have to use my noggin and remember someone."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    Argh! He'd been certain he'd followed the whole mental checklist, only to find that he skipped the first step. Ah well... this isn't a simulation he can reset, but it doesn't seem like any harm will come of the oversight. "Sorry. Samuel Able Morgan. Everyone calls me Bean, so they don't get me mixed up with Mister Guthrie." He has a few others names as well that for now are not being shared. Hearing the introduction, Bear sits up a bit straighter and beams a bright grin. "And this is my buddy Bear." On hearing his name, the Shepherd does his best impression of a bow and then looks up at Bean, who nods and gives him a treat from his pocket. "Good boy."

    "At the moment it's just me, Bear and Shannon on the run. Lots of fitness fanatics around, but 6 AM is probably a bit too early or too cold for most of them." The mention of tests, MRI's and being asked to perform drag his smile down a bit, but not by much. "Sounds like we've got a lot in common, miss."

Deadzone has posed:
    It's a pleasure to meet you, Samuel. Or rather, Bean." She then nods her head to the dog. "And a pleasure to meet you too, BHear." She leans back in her seat then, sipping at her drink idly. "Just the three of you? I guess the rest are doing the late night jog with Hank... I mean Dr. McCoy."

    She nods slowly when Samuel's mood drops. "I figured as much when I saw you sit down. Watching all the exits. I was one of the lucky ones. My power didn't show because I need other powers nearby for it to be evident. They thought I was a dud. A failure. Mutant enough for my blood tests to flag with the gene, but no real power worth using. My brothers and sisters weren't so lucky. On my world, the one I was born on, this school... they helped me free my family. Helped me start a program just for them, outside of the city. A rehabilitation house, for those of us with PTSD added to the mix of our powers."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "I was in a secure facility when I accidentally transferred classified information to my own device." Bean begins, taking a deep breath. This prompts a German Shepherd head to appear in his lap that absolutely /demands/ fussing and scritching, which means that tactilely he's still in the present, even if his mind is briefly in the past. "I was never supposed to be a mutant. They pretty much scrapped the project when they found out and reassigned the whole facility. I'm the only survivor. Some of them... some of them I killed myself." Yeah. Best to get that out of the way as well. His file is pretty complete, and it's always best that new people, especially teachers, hear the truth from him directly.

    "It's a long story. And it's not one I come out of smelling like roses. Mind if we skip it for another day?" A single long gulp finishes his glass, making his right eye twitch for just a second. Citrus. Lots of citrus... "Besides, there's people here from worse backgrounds."

Deadzone has posed:
    Tatum listens to the tale and sighs softly. She shakes her head, frowning. "Was it HYDRA? Or another organization that feels like human lives are made to be messed with?" But then the boy asks if they can talk about something ele. "Of course. I'm sorry if I brought up bad memories. And don't worry about not smelling like roses. I'm hardly one to judge. Just remember, roses grow best in manure. Your past may be absolute shit, but your future will be better because of it. You know the worst, so you will aim for the best."

    "So! Change of subject! Who are the teachers? Who are the trouble makers amongst the students? Who are the keeners? And what other things do I need to know?"

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    For a moment, Bean's eyes actually, literally, flash. A burst of brilliant blue that makes them glow like he's an off-brand terminator. Immediately after that, Bear literally jumps on his lap and rears up, putting front paws on his shoulders so he can lick Bean's face. HYDRA. That sure got a reaction.

    Ten seconds of active canine calming later, the teenager is looking like himself again, although this time with a very possessive Bear on his lap that is refusing to budge and demanding pets. The demands are met.

    The subject is, likewise, changed.

    "You've met Ororo, I hear. There's Miss Lee for gymnastics, Mister Rasputin for art, Mister Scott and Miss Grey as the administrators and Heads, Miss Carr for music..." and he goes on, listing the teachers and their subjects, one at a time "...and Mister Logan, who I think only has me as a student. At least, I only go to his class, officially. Students, the one to look out for is Hambone. Means no harm, does no harm, but he's... keen. And he thinks I plan on doing something horrible to him for setting up a website where people could bet on races between Bear and another assistance dog belonging to another student. Then there..." and goes on. He's almost a walking encyclopedia of the school, as if he has observed everything and recorded every detail with perfect clarity.

    Welcome to the school!

Deadzone has posed:
    Okay, no mentioning the H word around Bean. Tatum gets the hint. Her face looks pained. She has been where this boy was. But he is in the right place now. The raven-haired woman listens to the listing off of teachers and students, enjoying the mix of the old with the new. She asks a few more questions about Dr. McCoy, but for the most part, simply listens until Samuel decides it is time to leave and go back to his day.

    Tatum opens the door for him to show him the way out. "Thank you for coming by. If you ever want to talk about... them and what they did, you know where to find me."