11915/Wings and Wheels

Wings and Wheels
Date of Scene:	04 August 2020
Location:	Garage - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Shannon and Jeremy talk about training, life, and their gifts. Plans for a picnic of Hot Pockets and drinks by the lake are made. Jeremy's still awkward around girls--but he's learning!
Cast of Characters:	Nightingale, SpyderByte

Nightingale has posed:
Maybe Shannon wouldn't be riding her Vespa for a few days. That was perfectly fine. The garage was still a fairly quiet place to gather her thoughts, to let her mind wander, and just in general to chill out for a little while. In one corner of the garage, she'd settled down onto the ground, with her back against the rear of her Vespa. She was in a plain dark blue pair of jeans, old black sneakers--her white ones had to be burned about a week or so ago--and a plain white t-shirt. Her phone is out next to her, and she's got her headphones in, nodding her head lightly in time to the music she's listening to.

SpyderByte has posed:
Making his way out to the garage as he follows along Shannon's data trail is Jeremy. He peeks his head out towards her, then lets out a smile as he waves silently. He holds his phone out to her.

<< Doot! >>

He giggles at their inside joke, then lets out an 'oh' once he realizes she has headphones on. He looks to make his way into her line of sight, waving his hand franctically.

Nightingale has posed:
Jeremy's trick works. As he moves into her line of sight, Shannon's got her eyes open at just the right moment, and she smiles. She taps the screen of her phone and slips her earphones out, setting both aside. "Doot!" That one word could serve as many things. But in this case, it was a 'hey, how are you' sort of deal.

It was goofy, it was an inside joke, but really, who cared? She scoots over to make room for Jeremy, smiling. Despite her sling, she seemed to be doing alright. "Good to see you!"

SpyderByte has posed:
"You. Too." Jeremy says as he settles down next to her. He leans in to bump her good shoulder with his, giving a smile. << What are you working on? >> He asks through his phone as he looks over at the Vespa. << Do you need help with anything? I can pull up a tutorial .. ok.. I pulled it up. What are you doing? >>

Nightingale has posed:
Shaking her head, Shannon just smiles. "I was just sitting here listening to some music. Found this bike in the fixer-uppers over there, and I was going to work on it for shop class. But Mr. Summers kind of took it into his hands. I was a little disappointed when I didn't get to put the work in on it, but it was so nice of him to do all that, I really can't say much." She leans in to bump his shoulder right back, then moves aside so Jeremy can see the raised metal wings on the back fender and detailing that had been added all over. "Mr. Rasputin went and added that on for my birthday. It was so nice of him. Wish I was half that good at stuff."

SpyderByte has posed:
<< Oh. That's cool. I don't have a driver's license yet. Just a permit because I passed my testing. I could buy a car I guess. I just don't know where I'd take it and driving in the city is so hard and it would give me anxiety. >>

Jeremy taps along his phone with his thumbs even though the screen is still black. Just nervous habits after all. He blows some hair away from his face.

<< It's cool that we're in a super study group together. I like everyone. They have cool powers. >>

Nightingale has posed:
"Only one of the team I haven't met yet is Adam, but I'm sure that'll happen sooner or later." Shannon smiles somewhat, looking over at Jeremy. Reaching over with her good hand, she gently brushes a bit of hair away from his eyes. "Don't count your powers out of that mix, Jer. You've got a pretty special gift, too."

SpyderByte has posed:
<< They're okay. I feel like they aren't as cool as Ted's or yours, or even Indie's. I don't know if I would want to turn into a bear though. But I would like to fly. I would like to feel strong. >>

Jeremy smiles as his hair is brushed away from his face, giving a small giggle.

<>

Nightingale has posed:
     "Well, maybe sometime if you felt up to it, we could head into Salem Center and get you into a hairdresser's. Because trust me, you do /not/ want me trying to trim hair. You'd wind up looking like a shorn chipmunk!" Shannon giggles outright at the wacky imagery that comes to mind, shaking her head and settling back against her Vespa.

     The talk of feeling strong has her going very quiet for a moment, and she sighs softly. "I don't feel very strong at all, either. I fly, I watch out to make sure my teammates aren't injured, and sometimes if it gets real hairy out there, I might have to dive into the fight more directly. But I don't feel strong. I don't have super strength or speed, just my wings, and a healing gift that's equally as likely to hurt me in the process as it is not. Any strength I have, has been earned through a lot of hard work and training, and experiences out there."

     Peering over at Jeremy with her pale azure eyes gleaming in the ambient light, she smiles. "You're stronger than you give yourself credit for. You do more than you realize. You may not take part in a fight directly, but you still do much, much more than you think."

SpyderByte has posed:
<>

Jeremy gives another squeeze of his phone in his hands before he spins it about in his fingers in his usual manner of playing with his device. It's in one of those super protective cases.

<< My powers are cool in their own way. It just means I have to stay inside a lot on my computer to really make the most of it. I do best when I can focus and let all the signals come to me at once. When I'm out here, or if I'm running for my life, it gets chaotic. There is too many at once, too many voices, they are so loud and it makes my head hurt. I can't focus on one or the other. When I was at the zoo and I was scared, everything was so loud. I thought I would die. I started to bleed again and I almost passed out. >>

His shoulders lift upwards. He gives his bottom lip a chew. << You and Miss Pryde could have been in danger and I ran while you stayed behind. I am a coward. >>

Nightingale has posed:
"Miss Pryde would have gotten us both out of danger if necessary. She's got some mad skills that way." Shannon listens to him describing how it felt, to be in the middle of chaos with his gifts, letting out a soft sigh and a nod of understanding. "Sounds a little bit like that day of the mutant rights protest that went bad. THere was so much happening, it was hard to focus. If it's anything like that, I feel for you." Nibbling her lower lip, she thinks a moment. "If there were a danger room training scenario that could be slowly adjusted over time that was aimed at helping you focus in a scenario like that, do you think it might help? If so, I'd talk to Sam and Mr. McCoy about it."

Smiling softly, she picks up her phone again, and scrolls through a few things. "A little while before Christmas, I wished I could show my family what it was like to fly. So I got a clip-on camera and went for a flight over Central park, just to give them a little taste." As she turns the phone towards him, on the screen is what looks like a first-person aerial view of Central Park in early winter, with some crazy loops, diving maneuvers, and some slow, lazy circles over the park, showing off the landscape at its finest. Whoops and shouts of joy can be heard quite clearly, stolen away by the wind of her passage through the air.

SpyderByte has posed:
<< So you turned yourself into a Drone? >>

There is an amused tone to the phone's voice. He's learning how to tweak the code, little by little. He glances over to her phone, then reaches out to place a finger on the middle of her screen. He gives a quick swipe as he literally throws the video on to his phone. He gives her a smile, then saves it to his album. He's a show off sometimes.

<< When the Sentinels came for us, I was scared. I hid in our basement and there was days I was afraid to breathe too loud. I sabotaged our power so that nothing could draw attention to us. I was in a panic. I couldn't tell my mother why I was so scared. She thought I was just having one of my episodes, because of my autism. >>

Nightingale has posed:
Laughing, the winged teen nods, her lips quirking upwards in amusement. "Never thought of it that way, but yeah, I guess I did." Without even thinking about it, she leans over to rest her head on Jeremy's shoulder, allowing herself a small, contented sigh. It didn't bother her so much when he was showing off, really. It was simply him reveling in his element, taking simple joy in his gifts for a change.

Talk of Sentinels, though, is a bit sobering. She simply listens to him talking about his experiences with them, the terror, the worry, and feeling unable to tell even one's own family about it all. "You did what you had to do to protect yourself and your family. I've faced Sentinels in the field a few times, and each one was... well, in retrospect, it was terrifying. Yet in the moment, I didn't allow myself to feel anything. And that was even more frightening in the end."

SpyderByte has posed:
<< It's okay to not feel anything. When I am plugged into the darkest parts of the web, and when I am seeing things that will make one's stomach churn, I have to turn myself off and focus on the job and the data. No matter what I see, I just tell myself that there is a bigger goal behind what it is I am doing. I know it has upset some teachers, but that is the real world. Not this. Not this huge fancy mansion that protects us weirdos. The real world is what is happening to those of us who can't make it here. It is that world that I look to expose and bring to attention. Otherwise, everyone will just continuing pretending and be blind to what is really going on behind the mirror. >>

When she lays her head on his shoulder, Jeremy stiffens for a moment in surprise. He takes in a deep breath, then curls an arm around her from behind, settling his hand on her hip. That just leaves his other hand free to grip his phone a bit tighter.

<< I don't want to face a Sentinel, but I know what to do if I have to. I would immediately open it's main programming and cut the signal to whoever is giving it commands, then quickly cut the power. I would not bother trying to attack it physically. That gives it time to adapt and reconfigure it's plan of attack. >>

Someone has been snooping in the Danger Room files.

Nightingale has posed:
"And now you know why I want to help so badly," Shannon murmurs. "Because of the real world out there. We're the lucky ones, every one of us." As Jeremy curls his arm around her, she smiles, shifting to nestle a little bit closer. One wing drapes itself across them both like a feathery blanket, allowing for just a few moments of peace for them both. "I'm really glad to know you, Jer."

SpyderByte has posed:
<>

Jeremy uses his free hand to lift to rub at his nose a bit, staring down at his shoes as he gives his feet a bit of a slow shuffle. He taps one foot lightly a few times in thought.

<< Do we have to wear uniforms? I think I would look weird in one. >>

Nightingale has posed:
"I think you might actually look good in one," Shannon counters, tilting her head up and smiling at Jeremy. "Though I hope you like yellow and black. Not very good, tactically speaking, but.. very distinctive. They're not nicknamed 'bumblebees' for nothing."

SpyderByte has posed:
Giving a glance down at himself, Jeremy wrinkles his nose upwards. <>

Giving his phone another squeeze, he shifts his jaw in thought. << Maybe if I had a long coat to go along with it. A black coat made of flexible carbon fiber. It will look cool >>

Nightingale has posed:
"Might look cool and give you a little bit of protection in the process." Shannon nods, agreeing with the idea wholeheartedly. She can't help a smile, thinking of that time in the computer lab where at least their avatars had danced. "It looks good on you in the virtual world, I bet it'd look just as good on you in the real world."

SpyderByte has posed:
<< It's easy to look good in the virtual world. I can be whatever I want. But in the real world I'm skinny and weird looking. >>

Giving her another squeeze, a gentle one, Jeremy is trying to keep the focus of his mind off where his hand is resting. He is touching a /girl/. So far, he's playing it pretty cool, but his mind is searching a thousand websites to seek out advice. All of which lead to almost the same answer.

<< So. What are you doing this weekend? >>

Nightingale has posed:
"Only one who's saying you're skinny and weird looking here is you. I'm certainly not. Think about that for a moment." Shannon's smile widens as Jeremy's hold on her tightens for a moment. It was nice to have a few moments of peace, and a bit of happiness. It just seemed very natural, at least to her. "I hadn't made any plans yet. What about you?"

SpyderByte has posed:
There is a bit of a snort from Jeremy. His eyes roll upwards and to the side for a moment in thought. He taps his foot a few more times, then bumps his shoulder up against hers again. << I have no plans either. I never do. I figure I would just work on my computer. But, I could be lured outside into fresh air if you were to have a better idea. I need to have more team bonding exercises and not being on the computer will help me. >>

Nightingale has posed:
"I'll be out of the sling by then and on light duty," Shannon muses, thinking for a moment. "Could always just go walking around, or hang out by the pool, or if you felt up to walking down by the lake, that's an option, too." She smiles and looks up at him, canting her head slightly to the side. "I could always make up a picnic lunch or something and we could find a spot to go enjoy it?"

SpyderByte has posed:
As usual, his mind starts to race with possibilities. Picnic. Build a checklist. Walk down a lake. Build a checklist.

<< Okay. We can do that. It should be fun. >>

Pick a spot with the greatest area of possible signals in case they need to contact the school for support. Check. Pulling up a GPS now. Locating. Check. All of this while looking back up at her. As his eyes flicker briefly, he finally focuses on her, then finds his cheeks flushing.

Slowly, his hand withdraws from her, tucking back into his lap so that he can squeeze his phone. He pokes the ground with is foot shyly.

Nightingale has posed:
Reluctantly, Shannon does take the hint, shifting to sit a bit more upright rather than leaning on Jeremy. But she does remain close, smiling warmly. "It should be. Weather's supposed to be really nice this weekend. The walk will do us both good. We can take it slowly so you don't tire out."

Looking back down at her phone, Shannon starts flipping through some recipes, pursing her lips slightly. "Is there anything special you enjoy that I could make for the picnic?" she asks.

SpyderByte has posed:
Don't say Hot Pockets. Don't say Hot Pockets. << Hot pockets. >> You're an idiot.

<>

Smooth.

<< What about you? I can bring something. I can't cook but I can buy at least something from the store. >> Don't you buy Hot Pockets, Jermey. << Maybe Soda. Or Energy Drinks. Or .. water? >>

He gives his phone another squeeze, leaning in to brush his shoulder to hers.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon giggles softly, leaning in for a shoulder bump. "Well, I guess I could heat up some Hot Pockets and we could nibble those on the way. But sure, some sandwiches. Maybe some potato salad?" She seems to consider the matter of drinks for a moment, a myriad of possibilities going through her head. "Well, there's always root beer, or Coke, but which one's your favorite?"

Somehow, she had a feeling Hot Pockets and Red Bulls were going to make an appearance on the menu....

11915/Wings and Wheels

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