11861/Xavier Boys hanging at the pool

Xavier Boys hanging at the pool
Date of Scene:	29 July 2020
Location:	Swimming Pool - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Jeremy pets a bear. Ted and Adam size each other up. A team is forming.
Cast of Characters:	Grizzly, SpyderByte, Ted Gammage

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Grizzly has posed:
Adam hadn't gone swimming much in his lifetime, but, he did at least know how thanks to school lessons. This was another major perk of living at this place. Admittindly, sometimes he felt really guilty about getting to live here when the only thing he'd done to deserve it was to be born with some genetic quirk of dna. For the moment, he pondered this while looking up at the fading sun as it was evening yet still hot as it was in the middle of summer. The lights were coming on around the pool area adding a really beautiful illumination to the scenery.

He was in the water, having already done some laps, he now floated gently half in the depths with his arms folded over the edge of the pool, looking out, a bit lost in thought.

SpyderByte has posed:
The back doors open up to reveal Jeremy as he shuffles along the patio. He's dressed in his usual oversized black hoodie and all black pants. His hood is pulled up over his head with a tuft of black and brown streaked hair peeking out of it. By now, the dye in his hair is almost all but faded and his brown roots are showing.

It's rare that he comes outside and into the 'sun', but perhaps he was kicked out of the house for a bit of fresh air. Other people need the comptuer lab too. As he shuffles along glumly, he spies Adam in the pool.

He pauses, kicking at the ground lightly with a foot, then eases himself into a plastic lawn chair, not so much to watch him, but quietly just sit there.

Grizzly has posed:
Adam glanced over at the sound of shuffling and the scrape of the plastic chair as Jeremy sank into it. As angry as he'd been that first day they'd met, he was over it by now. That was often his MO, to explode and then, unless there was something to hold a grudge against, it could be over as fast as it had started. Adam must have decided that it wasn't worth the grudge as he waved a hand toward Jeremy. "Hey man, what's up?" Now he didn't have his phone with him, as he was in the water. Without waiting on the answer, he let go of the edge, sliding under the water's surface and resurfacing by the edge closer to the seat where the other boy had sat down. "You uh, don't look ready for a swim."

SpyderByte has posed:
Digging his hand into his pocket, Jeremy takes out his phone and taps the volume all the way up. His phone rings out in a voice which sounds a lot more like Jeremy's. He's been working on fine tuning the digital assistant to sound more like him.

<< I don't swim or take my clothes off often. It's not very pretty. >>

He rubs the back of his neck, glancing off to the side for a moment. << How are you doing? Are you fitting in well now? >>

Grizzly has posed:
Adam folded his arms over the edge again as he found it a comfortable way to hang out. He shrugged slightly as he did so. "You don't like swimming, even when no one's around?" he asked out of further curiosity. He wondered if the lack of desire was more about the activity itself, or the 'pretty' part. "I never did either, at school. Which was like, the only time I've ever done it, and yeah, part of that for me was 'cause bruises aren't pretty. But uh, guess I decided I don't want to be like that here."

Along his back and shoulders were a number of scars, although any bruises had all but healed in the time he's been at the school for far. One scar on his shoulder had a tribal looking tattoo covering it up, mostly, but the faded welt marks on his back were from ages ago, discolored by time. "I mean, yeah, pretty much. Everyone here's been pretty cool," he said, running a hand through his hair because it was dripping into his face.

SpyderByte has posed:
Hunkering down a bit more, Jeremy's voice comes through on the phone again, though this time the volume is quieter.

<< They cut me up really bad. Wrote their names on my back and cut a bad word across my shoulders. It's embarrassing. >> Who is 'they'?

<< I don't want people to see it. They will laugh, or pity me. Probably pity me more. I just want to feel normal and my body is not normal. >>

He stares at his shoes, digging them into the concrete a bit in a slight shifting scuff. << I don't mind living vicariously through others having fun. >>

Grizzly has posed:
Adam pulled himself out of the pool. "Wanna see something funny?" he asked, glancing around quickly as a sly grin crossed his features. Adam too wanted to be normal, and talking about body scars was hardly that. Of course, neither was what he was thinking of doing, although, it could be considered a 'new normal'.

He stepped back a few paces, ran forward and leaped into the pool in a full cannonball. As he began to fall through the air, he let himself begin to shift so that somewhere beneath the surface, the water bobbed with the weight of disbursement as his size swelled. His now large bear head jutted out of the water, sending it spraying.

SpyderByte has posed:
Watching him power bomb into the pool as a bear, Jeremy cracks up laughing as he inches back away from the water as it pools over the side. He makes sure his phone is out of the way so not to get wet either.

<< That is so cool. You are so going to get in trouble if your fur clogs up the drains. It happens quite more often than one would think. >>

He pulls his hood back to reveal his face, pushing his hair away from his face. He needs a cut. It's large and shaggy. << You are going to be so popular here. >>

Grizzly has posed:
He scrabbled to put his paws on the edge, so he could sit there the same way that he had as a human. It, sort of worked. He was a little more floaty, as his body was not the same shape nor buoyancy, but, his claws kept him anchored to the edge of the pool well enough. He pushed his maw closer to Jeremy before swiping a paw towards his chair, attempting to pull it closer to the pool. Not in the pool...yet. Just, closer.

SpyderByte has posed:
As the chair jerks forward, there is panic in Jeremy's eyes as he goes scrambling off the side, then bolts farther away. For a skinny kid wearing a ton of black clothes, he can move quick. His phone clatters to the ground and slides off to the side. At least it's in one of those super cases that protects it.

<< Don't do that! I had a really bad experience with bears at the zoo. >> The phone squawks out as he leans over to clutch his knees.

Grizzly has posed:
But Adam was not a zoo bear. He was a good bear! Mostly. Maybe. Still, at the chiding, he slid back and into the water once more. Under the blue, he realized that he was keeping his eyes closed, a rather human trait. So he opened them. The chlorine stung a little but a few blinks and he could get used to it. He saw things differently as a bear and that was no different under the water. His vision wasn't as fractured, probably to help with hunting fish.

He pushed himself toward the steps, the large brown mass seen swimming away to the other side of the pool.

SpyderByte has posed:
Letting out a heavy breath, Jeremy makes his way over to his phone and picks it up. He checks the case and the glass surface, then hugs it a bit tighter to him.

<< Were you going to drag me into the water? >>

If only a device would deliver vocal inflection. It's just words coming out of it like a TTS.

<< Are you mad at me? >>

Grizzly has posed:
The bear climbed out of the pool, easier on the steps than trying to haul himself out or use the ladder at the deeper end. Then he plodded over to Jeremy and sat down in front of him, dripping water from every clump of deep brown fur. He canted his head in a dog-like fashion at the question. Then he put his paws over his eyes, peeking out by lifting one and sticking his tongue out. This was not a clear answer to whether or not he was going to pull the other boy into the pool, but it was the only one he got. As for being mad, he then held up one, rather large, paw in front of him. He didn't move it, but seemed to be waiting and let out a soft whine.

SpyderByte has posed:
Cowering back a bit from the large bear, Jeremy tightens his hands around his phone. He gives a quick glance about the pool, then back towards him. He looks at the large paw, then back towards him.

<< Am I supposed to high five you? I don't know what to do. Did your clothes tear off when you shifted? >>

The logical question as to why maybe Adam is not shifting back to have a conversation with him. << I don't think the staff would approve if you walked back through the mansion as a wet bear, or naked. Mister Logan did that once and Miss Grey was very upset. She made me delete all the video off the Internet from it. >>

Grizzly has posed:
Adam looked to the pool and then back to Jeremy. He shook his head. Using his other paw, he pointed toward Jeremy's hand and then to his own, open paw. And then made the motion again. Jeremy's fear of him wafted off of the kid like an odor and not wanting his fear to persist, he continued to encourage the touch. It was a first step. Yes, he was a bear, but he was still Adam.

SpyderByte has posed:
Inching forward slightly, Jeremy whips his hand out quickly to do a fast 'high five', then inches back just as nimbly. There. He did it. He highfived a bear. << Okay. I did it. >>

He isn't sure what to do next. He just stands there, slightly nervous as he grips his phone in his other hand in a death grip.

<< Do your clothes shift with you? >>

Grizzly has posed:
He lowered his paw and chuffed, a sort of indignant snort that let out a puff of air through his nose. Again, he nodded to the question. Ok...so he was big. Big was scary. He lay down on the ground now, rolling onto his side, rather like some oversized puppy. Nevermind the 4 inch long claws. Looking up at Jer, he waved him closer, even patting the ground next to him.

SpyderByte has posed:
Inching in a bit closer, Jeremy slowly sinks down next to the large bear. He looks uncomfortable as he fiddles with his phone in his hands. He practically reeks of nervous energy. This is definitely a first for him. Sitting next to a bear, even if that bear is a classmate. He lets out a slow breath, then clears his throat.

<< So. Dot Dot Dot >> The phone actually said dot dot dot.

<< Are we just sitting here? >>

Grizzly has posed:
Of course not. Just sitting there was silly. The bear lifted his head and pushed his nose at Jeremy's hands which clutched the phone. Nudge. Excuse me, but, when one sits next to an animal, there is a particular expectation that comes with it. He grumbled softly, doing his best to free one hand from the death grip on the device and get his well deserved pets, thank you very much.

SpyderByte has posed:
Reaching out with his hand slowly, Jeremy hesitantly lays it on the top of the bear's head, then gives a couple of small, short 'pats'. Not too hard to give him a smack. It's painfully obvious he's never owned a pet in his entire life. His other hand continues to clutch at his phone.

<< This is weird, Adam. You like being pet like an animal? You're really wet. >>

Grizzly has posed:
He stopped nudging once Jeremy moved his hand into patting. There was probably no scenario where Jeremy could physically hit him hard enough to hurt him away. His fur was thick and more course than a dog or cat's. At the headpats, he leaned into it, and then, he just plopped his head down onto Jeremy's lap. Even wet, he was rather warm because of all that fur.

It was weirder for Jeremy than for Adam, probably. While he retained his intelligence and memories, he was a bear as much as a person. It wasn't a hard line one way or the others, so that in fact, he did like pets as a human, it was just rather more awkward to ask, but stroking his head, cuddles and roughhouse playing were all perfectly acceptable. Jack was just the only one he ever did those kind of close contact things with.

SpyderByte has posed:
As he pats the large bear awkwardly on the head a few more times, Jeremy is exhibiting a new level of 'butt clench'. << I'm sorry if I'm not good at this. I guess this is fine. You're fluffy. >>

The poor technopath most likely never thought he would have 'pet a bear' on his bucketlist, but, here we are. We're petting a bear.

<< Did you want to talk or just do this? >>

Ted Gammage has posed:
And in walks Ted. He's humming to himself, towel over a shoulder. He thought he might try to swim. Its harder to break things swiming, afterall. Usually, at least. On most days, seeing a bear at the pool might give him a start, but he did walk in on a conversation about a student that could turn into a bear, and on a list of 'Things you don't forget when you hear them', that's probably one of the top twenty at the very least. He still does kind of stop several feet away from the duo. "Erh, hay?" he offers.

Grizzly has posed:
Adam could literally do this all day. Lay here and get attention and affection or do human small talk? Hmmm. Hard choice. He turned his head, putting a little more weight onto poor Jeremy's lap as he opened his maw, facing away, and let out a yawn. He could swim again, but that would require movement and effort.

As the new person entered, the grizzly bear lifted his head (Jeremy can have his proper blood flow back again) and looked to him. He was laying on his side and lifted a paw to actually wave at Ted.

SpyderByte has posed:
"Oof." Jeremy whuffs out as Adam rolls over to flop his head across his lap. His eyes widen like large saucers as he stares down at him, then over towards Ted. Hey, it's the strong guy.

<< Hello, Ted. This is Adam. Code name Grizzly. Adam, this is Ted. He is super strong and near invincible in durability. Based upon current staff files, the three of us are slated to work together in a few training sessions. This is a good time for us to get to know each other. >>

From his phone, Brother Bear's On My Way starts to play triumphantly through the speakers. He has a sense of humor sometimes.

Ted Gammage has posed:
To be honest, Ted's not quite sure about why the other kid's voice is coming from the phone. He rubs the back of his head a moment, then just shrugs as he decides its just the way things are sometimes.

"Codename's ah bit on th' nose, I think." He grins toothily a moment, saying after "Good to meet you. I'd shake hands, but, I suspect askin' a bear t'shake might be rude?" As he learns he's suppose to have training sessions with the other two, he says "Huh, ah wasn't aware. Cool, though. Yeah, ah guess like he said ah'm strong and tough."

Grizzly has posed:
Strong guy huh? Well, they would have to see about that now wouldn't they? Bears can't really smile, but there was an impish glint in his eyes which were blue, a strikingly unusual color for a bear. He rolled up onto his haunches and gave Ted a few curious sniffs before pausing. I'm sorry, did you say 'shake'? They had about 2 seconds if they wanted to avoid it before the bear shook out it's fur, sending beads of water in literally every direction. Bears can't really laugh either, yet that would be the impression the others would get from the serious or roarish sounds.

SpyderByte has posed:
<< My name is Jeremy. Code named Spider Bite. The I's are replaced with Y's. I am a technopath, as in I speak to networked based technologies. I see the world in binary all around me like little trails of signals and they speak to me like a normal person would. I use my phone to communicate because I have audible issues involving my throat. It's nice to meet you, Ted. You should come up with a cool code name too. Maybe call you Brick, or Invincible, or WAUGH! >>

That's the sound of Jeremy's voice coming through the phone as he finds himself sprayed with water from a wet bear. He was unprepared for this. As water drips from him, he stares in horror at himself for a few moments, then hunkers a bit as he tugs at his hoodie.

<< I'm wet. >> Obviously.

Ted Gammage has posed:
The southern kid isn't particularly agile or swift, just strong. Thus, when the big bear shakes out, he gets a bit of the torrential rainstorm on him as well. He brushes some damp hair out of his eyes after a moment and just makes a low grunt sound. "Deffo not Waugh," he says trying to deadpan it. "Ah dunno if ah'm the codename type," Ted admits. "Is it like a nickname, where someone else has t'give it to ya or it sorta sounds dumb. Had ah friend who's dad gave himself th' nickname 'Killer'."

Grizzly has posed:
Happy with himself, Adam took a step back toward the pool. Once in front of it, he reared up and stood on two legs. He was looking down at Ted now and licked his maw. There were no raised hackles, or growls or other signs of aggression, he was just blocking the way to the pool though. In as human like a gesture as he could manage, he sort of 'put up his dukes' and let out a low rumbling roar. This was a challenge. King of the pool.

SpyderByte has posed:
As he inches away from the pair of absolultely stronger Alpha males, Jeremy is seen peeling off his hoodie. As he does, the back of his shirt lifts upwards, revealing a large number of scars that have been dug into his back, as well as a couple of letters. There is something else just a bit higher up, but he tugs his shirt down quickly. Hugging his hoodie up against his chest, he gives the two of them a large berth.

Ted Gammage has posed:
Oh, now this is a moral quandry. Ted's a bit standoffish when it comes to getting into arm range, as an accidental bump to most people could dislocate someone's arm. He's not quite sure about a bear though. They're tougher, he thinks, but still made of meat and bone. He holds his hands up after a moment, "Ahhh, damn, can't believe ah'm gonna say this, but I don't know if I want t' take the risk of hurtin' ya." He tilts his head, "Oof, that came off way more boastful than ah meant it," he adds a few moments after.

Grizzly has posed:
The bear canted it's head curiously and then looked at himself and then Ted. Then he held up his paws in a matched gesture and fell back onto all fours. If the other kid didn't want to play, he wasn't going to force the issue, instead, he turned back to the water and slunk forward, half falling over into the pool once again.

He spent the evening in the water and then laying out until he was relatively dry, remaining as a bear for most of it and trying to elicit more pets and scritches from the others from time to time