11782/Flying down south to recruit Ted

Flying down south to recruit Ted
Date of Scene:	16 July 2020
Location:	New Kensington, Louisana
Synopsis:	Recruiting Ted to the school.
Cast of Characters:	Cyclops, Cannonball, Nightingale, Ted Gammage

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Cyclops has posed:
With a new school year approaching, the Institute has been on a recruiting spree for new young and impressionable minds to mold. One of those names was down south having received a ping from Cerebro earlier, followed by a contact with the family. A young mutant who's coming into his own and is now scared after a bit of an accident at school. As usual, mutants aren't all that accepted in the rusty bible belt. Thus, Scott has booked a flight on the Blackbird to take a small team out to meet with the family and hopefully come back with a new student.

Having recruited Sam Guthrie, and on the way out, snagged Shannon to provide a 'young face' to give the impression of assurance. She's cute and has wings. It's a lot easier to sell the idea of a mutant private school when you actually show up with a mutant.

Once the jet lands at a small airport that Xavier's has rented for the night, followed by a rental car, the trio are making their way up the driveway to the home of Ted Gammage and his family. Scott Summers is dressed in a button down shirt, tie and a pair of black slacks along with his red Raybans. In his hands he has a folder filled with paperwork, brochures and a few case notes on the potential student.

Knock. Knock.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie is in a purple dress shirt with the schools logo on the pocket. He has a pair of dark pants as well, but is still wearing his boots. The young man looks around the area, a bit more in his element than the others perhaps. He does seem to be relaxed.

Nightingale has posed:
     "You know, I haven't been down to Louisiana since I was nine," Shannon remarks, a fond smile tugging the corners of her lips upwards at the memory of the trip. She's wearing her favorite light blue sundress, daisy toe flip-flops, and has left her hair long and loose but for the thin blue braid on the left side of her face, trio of silver beads on the end and all. "That was to New Orleans. Good times there." She settles her wings in behind her, reaching back for a moment to smooth out the feathers and make them a bit more presentable. Hey, a girl's got her pride, after all!

Ted Gammage has posed:
The residence is actually an old farm house. It's in good condition, but looks like it's been sitting there for at least 50 years and just remodeled and built onto. The crew of mutants are standing on the front porch that creaks a bit with the steps, adding a bit of ambiance to the moment. The driveway they drove in on was dirt, so whatever vehicle they took to actually get here is probably a bit dusty now. From the porch, you can see some of the fields and a big barn, but what you don't see is people. There's a car in the drive, an older model sedan, and an even older truck that's being held together by duct tape and good wishes. After a few moments, the door opens up, an older gentleman, peers out with a bit of a wary expression. "Yeh?" the weatherbeaten man asks. "What can I do for yuh?"

Cyclops has posed:
"Sir. My name is Scott Summers from the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. We spoke earlier on the phone. This is my associate Samuel Guthrie, and one of our brightest students, Shannon Lance." Scott says as he gives a motion of his hand to each of them in turn.

"We've come to speak with you and meet Ted and offer him a fully paid scholarship into our academic curriculum. May we come inside?" The tall X-Men field leader has a very professional persona about him. Straight backed. He extends a hand out to him for a shake with proper etiquette. "We are very excited to meet him and hear his story."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie stands up straight respectful to the new man, and says "A pleasure to meet ya, sir." He looks about and says "Nice place you have here, been in the family a few generations?" Sam's accent places him from the south maybe not this deep but a good southern boy at least, and his comments ring sincere.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon falls silent as the gentleman answers the door, letting Mr. Summers and Sam take point. Her cheeks turn bright pink at being called out as a particularly bright student, and she coughs ever so lightly. "A pleasure to meet you, sir." Her own accent is firmly a softer, gentler New England sort, a light lilt to her voice as she speaks. "I agree with Sam, it's lovely here." Otherwise, for the moment, she keeps to the background of the trio. For the moment.

Ted Gammage has posed:
There's a moment where the older man looks at each in turn, noting the wings on the girl and realizing it's not a backpack or whatever weird clothing kids are wearing these days. "Oh. Right." He leans out to peer down the drive, as if checking to make sure there wasn't a mob following to do some tar and feathering (Defeathering?). Once he's content that his guests won't be mobbed, he steps back, waving a hand in, "Alright. Y'all come in 'fore the skeeters get yeh." As Sam speaks, his brow quirks, if just a little, probably the most emotion shown yet. "Yeh, land was m'grandpa's. Paw built th' house." He also nods to Shannon, replying "Takes a lotta work t'keep it looking nice." He's quiet for only a moment, saying "Boy works real hard around to help out. He's out in th' barn, one sec, I'll call him in." He goes over to an old intercom on the wall, pushes the button, says "Ted, th' folk from the school's here to talk, come on in for a bit." He turns and says "Y'all want somethin' t'drink? Tea? Coffee?"

Cyclops has posed:
"Water for me if you're okay with it." Scott says as he steps inside, taking a quick cursory glance about. Always the tactician. Always be prepared in case red necks run out the back with shotguns. Instead of taking a seat, he chooses to stand as he shuffles the folder in front of him before placing it down on the coffee table and taking out some applications and brochures.

"This is a nice home." He agrees. "I always admired the southern styled homes and floor plans. They look very comfortable and cozy." He gives a glance over to his two friends, then looks curiously about to see which way Ted would come from.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie smiles and says "A glass of tea would be great thank you." He will tell the man. He looks around the place a bit and does not seem to be judging more seeming to be taking the place in looking for signs of the life the family here live.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon smiles warmly, nodding. "It's easy to see the love and hard work that's been put into this place," she replies, tucking a stray wisp of pale gold behind her ear. "Tea would be wonderful, thank you." Though her instinct is to offer to help serve the tea, this time she somehow refrains. This is not her home, her place to step in and help. So she glances about, to see if there are any hints of the family's life. Photos, perhaps. She tilts her head a bit, listening; were there notes of lively zydeco or jazz floating through the air?

Ted Gammage has posed:
There's not much in the way of music on. The room has a TV, but it's off. The furniture is all comfortable, a little worn, giving the room a bit more character. There's the sound of a door being closed as gently as an old, slightly heavy door can be closed. Thunk. A creak of the floor and then Ted is in the doorway, blonde hair ruffled up, all tall and broad and looking every bit like he works on a farm. Wearing an old T-shirt with a short sleeved button up shirt over it, though it doesn't look like it could even be buttoned across his frame. He wears workboots and has an actual cowboy hat in his hand, obviously having just taken it off when he came in. He looks at each one in turn, says "Oh, uh, hay. I'm Ted." He steps in, but doesn't reach to shake hands or anything. Ted's father heads toward the kitchen, "I'll get th' refreshments," he says, obviously giving them a few moments to talk.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will offer his hand to the young man and says "Sam, and this is Shannon, we are from the school your Pa hopefully has talked to you a bit about." He will offer the young man a smile "Ah started at the school around your age, and Shannon here is a current student. Was hoping might be able to answer any questions you have about the school

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon smiles warmly to Ted, offering her hand to him. Her fingers are slender, and the fingertips lightly calloused and somewhat needle-pricked, bespeaking working with her hands, possibly playing an instrument or two. "Really pleased to meet you, Ted. I just finished my sophomore year at the school, my first year there. It's been just about a year since I arrived there, come the twenty-third."

Ted Gammage has posed:
The large teen's arm tenses, as if he's instinctivly going to shake, but the incident where he hurt someone accidentally with his powers is still fresh, and the thought of accidentally crushing either of there hands is distasteful to him. "I... don't like to touch," he explains. "I've not really gotten the hang of....this yet," he says, head ducking a bit and the last bit is almost a discouraged little mumble. He peers to the door to the kitchen a moment, then sighs, "Look, I mean, I'll lay things out for y'all." He watches the pair a moment, "If ah'm honest, ah don't really want to leave, but ever since... I mean." His nose wrinkles slightly as he tries to put the sentence together. "Ever since I hurt that guy, an' folks found out what I could do... It's only a matter of time." He rubs the back of his head with his free hand and shifts his weight, "My Uncle Rick came by yesterday. He's the sheriff. Told m'dad that somethin' had to happen. Th' town is seein' me as a monster or something. M'fraid they'll show up with pitchforks or whatever. I ain't worried 'bout me, I don't fig'r any of them can hurt me, but my parents." He makes a sort of helpless gesture toward the kitchen. "I can't stay here," he says, "And honestly, ain't got a backup plan. So, really, y'all ain't gotta sell me on this. But I do have one question." He shifts his gaze away, "Do they teach how t' control... this thing?"

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie nods his head and says "We will teach you to control your strength yea. You will probably be working closely with Mr. Proudstar on that, as he has enhanced strength as well. Our goal is to teach you both normal school stuff, and how to safely use your powers. Also with being away for a bit it will give time for the worry to die down and you should be able to return down the road. Ah mean back home, most know my family has some mutants from it, but only have problems with the people we would have trouble with even if not really.

Nightingale has posed:
     Nodding once, Shannon lowers her hand to her side. A soft sound of sympathy might be heard from her, a soft whuff of breath escaping her in a sigh. "I worry about my family the same way," she says to the young man. "Where I grew up was not mutant friendly at all, and while I still lived with them, I worried constantly that one day, even though I kept to myself, they would catch heck for me simply being a mutant. I'd never hurt anybody... healed my best friend of the time, but that was enough to stick in people's memory, the way it happened. I was seen as a monster for it. Different. It isolated me for the next two years, till my folks found out about Mr. McCoy, and when we met him, found out about the school."

     She smiles lightly, canting her head. "Yes, they can help you learn to better understand and control your gifts."

Ted Gammage has posed:
There is just a few moments there when Ted almosts asks if Proudstar was a superhero name, but the isn't sure if that's some sort of offensive statement to make and decides to hold his tongue about that. "Ah guess that makes sense," he says to Sam, "Though this town don't forget much. Ah hate it happened now. Been hidin'... it for a while," he notes with a deep sigh. "Think 'm gettin' worse, though. Its easier to, uh, to cause damage." He looks to Shannon, "Ma'am, ah don't think anyone'd think yer a monster, but yeah, Ah get what y'mean." He doesn't quite 'get' the statement about Hank, as he's a bit in the dark about who's-who in Mutant Kind. "But yeah, prolly need to learn. Don't wanna hurt no one again, and at this rate, 'm gonna end up as a recluse somewhere if things don' change." His expression doesn't seem to be too pleased, though, and there's a sense of quiet resignation. "M'sorry, prob'lee comin' off as a little rude. I'm sure the school is nice, but m'gonna miss my home somethin' fierce. I did already pack things, though."

Nightingale has posed:
     "Sadly, people often fear what is different, no matter what the outside packaging looks like," Shannon replies. Glancing between Sam, Scott, and Ted, she tilts her head, considering what to say. Her wings spread ever so slightly, and she combs her fingers through her feathers, preening and smoothing them down as she thinks.

     "My mom and dad were worried about me becoming a recluse, too," she begins. "It's okay to miss home, though. I still miss mine sometimes, but even more, I miss my folks. Sam here, he sort of took me under his wing like a little sister, so I gained more family than you can shake a stick at. Plus I finally talked my folks recently into looking at moving to a safer area. It's... not something I talk about a lot, worrying about them. You're not alone at all."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie nods, and says "And we do a student garden, and shop classes. We will at least keep you into practice for when you decide to come home. There are a couple of us farm kids there, pretty much if ya hear Guthrie there you know they had their hands in the dirt, be it garden, mine or both."He grins a bit and says "And we have had quite a few folks who have had to learn to control an enhanced strength."

Cyclops has posed:
As he listens, Scott seems to have gone quiet, weighing and measuring the new young man's words and how he holds himself. With a clear of his throat, he glances to the paperwork, then back to him. "The best part about being a student at Xavier's, Ted, is that you can be yourself. You don't have to hide who you are here and if anyone gets hurt, we can fix it. We have healers on site and trained professionals and therapists for any time that you just need to talk to someone. Our school is built around making you into the best you possible."

"Xavier's goal is that one day, humans and mutants can work together peacefully in acceptance. We know it won't be over night. It'll take time. But like the old saying.. sometimes the juice is worth the squeeze, right?" He reaches up to tap the side of his ruby glasses. "Some powers can't be controlled, but they can be contained. If I take these off, my eyes shoot off high powered optic beams that can knock a tank over and then some. Only ruby can hold them back. But, even with powers like these, I don't let them control my life. At Xavier's, we find ways to work around your powers if they aren't the most manageable and we find ways for you to live a free, normal life."

"You won't be the first, or the last strongman to walk our halls. Trust me when I say you will succeed within our school. You'll graduate and if you want, even go to college without paying a penny. You'll have the chance to graduate and better your family." He says as he motions a hand towards his father.

Ted Gammage has posed:
"Yeah, 'spose so" Ted replies to Shannon, watching her a few moments as she fidgets with her feathers. His currently stoic demeanor stays in place, despite him wanting to crack wise about anyone taking a winged girl under their wing. "Not wantin' my parents t'move. Really was hopin' to be able t'live here myself." Its somewhat obvious that he's rather rooted to the area, but he sighs, "Ain't gonna put my parents through that trouble though."

Sam gets another brief nod as well. "Well, Garden does sound nice. Guessin' y'probably don't do much ranchin' on prem, but that's ok too. Ah'll make due, I just don't really want to cause problems." He lifts his chin a bit, deciding he'll probably get along well with Sam if he's as salt of the earth as he seems.

Ted then turns his gaze to Scott, listening to the speech. "Sir, I ain't really been myself in years. Prolly have t'find out who I am." He lets out a slow exhale, then rubs the back of his neck and looks off, not too sure if he should be comforted or not by the fact that he's not the only one with his particular affliction/gift. "Yeah, I mean, it sounds good. Anything t'help me not hurt anyone again." He looks over as his dad comes back in with water and two iced teas. "Dad, I probably should go on to this place, y'll gonna be ok without me?" The older man smiles and nods, "You do what y'gotta, boy," he says.

Nightingale has posed:
     "Actually, Ted, there are some horses on the grounds," Shannon adds, smiling. "I enjoy tending to them. Sometimes, animals make more sense than people." For the moment, she settles back, though there is that glint of amusement in her eyes as she peers over at Ted. She wiggles one wing, the corners of her lips tugging upwards in a barely contained grin. Oh yes. The wing jokes are far from lost on her.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie nods, and says "Well a couple horses and a few other animals." He smiles a bit and says "Your welcome to help shovel out the stable any time you miss it." He jokes a bit. There will be times you can come back and help, and also a few places we can help ya with finding part time work if ya want it for spending cash.

Cyclops has posed:
Giving a nod of his head, Scott clears his throat. "I'll walk you through the paperwork." He says to the father as he heads over to him, taking a seat next to him. "Like I said, you won't need to pay a penny. He will get a first class education and come out a man that you will be proud of." He says that with such conviction in his voice.

"Pack up some things, Ted. Sam and Shannon can help you." He says with a ghost of a smile upon his face. "Sam may steal your spurs though if he takes a liking to them." Country boys and their spurs. "I hope you're not afraid of heights. We have a private jet that will be taking us back to New York. Wait until you see where we land it at."

Right beneath the basketball court.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon smiles softly at both father and son, looking to the elder Gammage. "Mr. Summers says that as if you're not already proud of your son," she interjects. "I can imagine you are. The love of family is plain to see."

Ted Gammage has posed:
"Honestly I don't mind muckin' um out every now and again, though I may be a bit heavy for some of th' smaller horses if that's what y'all got." Ted says with a shrug. "But yeh, sounds good, earn a bit of keep." Ted's father speaks up again, "Eh, we got money if y'need a tuition or whatever," he says, a proud man that pays his dues obviously, but he nods to his son again and then looks to the others.

The young man lightly rolls his shoulders again. "I'll grab a couple things. Got a lotta m'stuff packed up anyways. And M'not afraid of flyin'. Don't think so anyway, guess we'll find out... "

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will nod and offers to help Ted gather his things.

Cyclops has posed:
Giving a nod of his head, Scott finishes with the paperwork, then gives his Pa a firm handshake. Once everyone is ready to go, he'll lead the way to the car and load the luggage. From here, it will be a one way trip to the aiport and possibly a quick stop for cheeseburgers.

Welcome to Xavier's, Ted.

Ted Gammage has posed:
It doesn't take long, Ted goes upstairs a bit, then comes down with an oversized duffle bag stuffed full of now-wrinkled clothes, and what looks to be a guitar case over his back. "A'right" Ted says. He takes a moment to say goodbye to his dad, and follows the group to get in the car to take him to his new life.