12456/Riff Off at Xavier's

Riff Off at Xavier's
Date of Scene:	15 November 2020
Location:	Main Foyer - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Andrea visits Xavier's and has a riff off with Shannon and Jax. They talk about careers in music.
Cast of Characters:	Rage, Jax Miller, Nightingale, Warpath

---

Rage has posed:
The bright white Tesla X is parked outside, followed by the exit of Andrea Jackson as she makes her way up to the front door. Today she's wearing a baggy NYU sweater that hangs off one shoulder, a pair of black yoga pants and brown fuzzy boots. The popstarlet is 'coming home' to visit a few friends and to catch up for dinner.

Nudging the door open, she steps inside and reaches up to ruffle her hair back into place from a quick sweep of cool wind that struck her in the face. "Hello!"

Lifting a hand, she waves to a few familiar faces of the current Senior class that she recognizes from when she attended courses.

Jax Miller has posed:
    It being Sunday, there was no reason for Jax to be up early for class, so it's no surprise to catch him sauntering down the stairs only now. Dressed full on New York Cool, with round necked shirt, open designer hoodie, black multi-pocketed slacks and his own pair of custom made Nike sneakers, the effect is very much what you would expect if the Cats musical on Broadway had access to a far higher budget and decided to update a bit for modern times. He doesn't strut, because that's something reserved for special occasions, but the saunter is very much a proto-strut, as much the result of his unique leg structure as his tendency to wear the world like a jacket, with supreme confidence that it fits around him rather than having to fit around the world.

    That is, until he spots Andrea.

    For a few moments, he freezes, ears perked up fully and then suddenly laying flat. In an instant, he turns tail (literally) and runs back up the stairs, thumping every step on the way and running like the blazes back to his room!

Rage has posed:
As she mingles with a few of her old friends, Andrea catches up on some gossip with the girls as she takes out her phone, showing off a few photos of her recent tour with Dazzler. She gushes about how talented their music teacher is. She also shows off a few pictures of her and Jay on vacation in Kentucky a few weeks back.

As the cat-boy comes down the stairs, he easily catches her attention. He definitely stands out amongst the crowd. She offers him up a smile, lifting a hand to wave in his direction, that is until he bolts right back up.

"Huh." She pauses, then glances back over to Rebecca. "So, anyways, yeah, I'm back home. You all should come visit my new place in the city. We can have a movie night. Also, I'm sure Jay would love to see you guys too."

Jax Miller has posed:
    It's been ten seconds, surely no more... and then the thumping comes back. Louder, faster...

    Jax takes the corner sideways, sees people on the stairs, decides he's already too fast to stop, and bypasses them by vaulting for the railing and /running/ down the narrow surface. A leap, an effortless landing, and then the cat kid literally sliiiiiides in front of Andrea, with both a large grin and a hopeful expression. A very typical kitten expression, even.

    Held in his hands are the sleeve of 'Neon Dreams' and a sharpie, accompanied by an expression that can only be described as 'hopeful' with a healthy dose of 'pretty please?'.

Rage has posed:
Tucking some hair back behind her ear, Andrea continues to flip through a few photos as she shows her friends. "So, this is where Jay grew up. This place is so tiny, but also kinda cute. I haven't seen that many trees my entire life. Also, fresh air is /amazing/. Fuck this city air. I'm about to buy a place out there just so I can hang out in the backyard and breathe."

When Jax comes sliding in front of her, her brows lift upwards some. "Hey." She says, reaching out to take the album as her fingers brush along it. She gives a few knowing looks to her friends, who by now have grown used to this. That, and they had their 'fan' moments when they first all met up too. It never loses the appeal though.

"So, do you want the traditional To and From, or do you want me to write something on there to impress your friends?"

Uncapping the marker, she gives it a twirl about in her fingers. "And the cute boy's name is....?"

Jax Miller has posed:
    "Oh, ehm, sorry..." With some visible effort, Jax appears to pull himself together, takes a deep breath... and relaxes into his usual self. Right. No big deal...

    "I'm Jax, Jax Miller. Sorry for the..." and he does the whole theatrical 'squee' thing, complete with cheek clasping and hopping on the spot. "... It's just that I'm still not used to how many celebrities come through here. I mean, I was hoping to catch you in Aspen last year, but I guess you're not in the whole skiing and snowboarding thing?"

Rage has posed:
"I'm a California girl all the way. I'm only living in New York because I graduated from Xavier's and got accepted into NYU's art department. I haven't been skiing. You look familiar by the way." Andrea says as she takes scribbles along the album cover: "To Jax Miller. Thank you for being a fan! I wish nothing but success and love in your life. <3 Andrea Jackson."

She gives her trademarked swish of her autograph at the end, giving a smile before she caps the marker again and hands it back. "I think I've seen your Insta before. You're the son of that footballer, right? I kinda got my eye on all the celebrity mutants out there. I knew you looked familiar."

Jax Miller has posed:
    "Gotta love the sun. My grandma has a farm near Fresno." Jax agrees almost immediately, but continues to half-grin as well. "But hey, when you've got this much fur, snow isn't that much of an issue."

    And man, he really hopes that Andrea isn't referring to that picture of him coming down the slopes in surfing shorts that got taken a few years ago. That made it around the net so fast it was still going, but is by now on its third generation of meme captions. So he takes the sharpie back with a half sigh of generic relief and looks at the autograph, eyes practically sparkling. "Yeah! I mean, everyone always remembers my dad first, but that's okay. Mom doesn't mind, she says it's only going to annoy him later when I'm just as famous."

    He was halfway famous. Mostly. Quite famous, to New York based football fans, less so in other demographic segments, but it had never occurred to him that the mutant demographic was a section all on its own. This at least explains why he's suddenly seemed to have dropped off social media. "Thank you so much for the autograph, hope I didn't bother you."

Rage has posed:
"Fresno is nice. I grew up in the bay area before moving to Los Angeles. I'd rather live in the bay, personally. People are nicer. Like, way nicer."

Andrea rocks back and forth on her feet a bit to keep herself limber. "Welcome to Xavier's. You're going to love it here. Mister McCoy hides the Twinkies in the library by the way. If you go to the history section, the last shelf against the wall, pull out books that reference Einstein and you will find his stash of sweets."

"You aren't bothering me at all. I love talking to people and signing autographs. Especially to mutants. I'll never pass on a chance to hook a mutant fan up. They take precedence in my life." Giving a glance around, she makes her way over to one of the couches and sinks down into it with a flop, motioning him to join her.

"You want some selfies for your socials?"

Jax Miller has posed:
    "Helps when you're incredibly cute, I find."

    It doesn't take much convincing to get him to the couch, although he does perch on the arm rest rather than flop onto the cushions, and gets out his latest model StarkPhone for the by now almost inevitable selfie session. "I was hoping you'd ask. And thanks for the twinkie tip, I'd tracked the smell all the way to the library, but the books overpower the scent about two shelves in."

    Leaning in, he gets his fuzzy face next to Andrea's and adopts a surprised expression, pointing at her with his left and while holding the camera out with his right, in the typical 'Look who I ran into today!' pose.

Rage has posed:
Taking his phone, Andrea is a pro at every model of these Starkphones by now. She leans in and wraps an arm about him, taking a couple of shots. "And the one to make your homies jealous." She presses her lips to his cheek for a kiss as she snaps another.

She takes her own phone out and snaps a picture of the pair of them, then goes about tapping on the screen with her thumbs. "You okay if I upload it to my Insta and tag you on it? Your notifiations will blow up. I know some people with obvious mutations like yours are kinda camera shy when it comes to social media, but you seem the type that's already used to the spotlight."

She adds a filter to the picture to bring the focus in on them and to fuzz out the background, then taps the location tag off the photo.

Jax Miller has posed:
    The expression changes to wide-eyed surprise when he feels lips against his cheek, which Jax feels is absolutely required for a fan photo session. He's nothing if not fully aware of the required theatrics for this kind of thing. With the picture taking complete, he finally slides off the armrest and watches the photo being filtered and scrubbed. Oooh, he hadn't thought of that... something to make a mental note of.

    "Eh, it's never bothered me. I mean, I don't wear Xavier brand when I'm out in the city, but I don't want to hide either, y'know? If I'm gonna be the first mutant pro-football player, I hafta be used to getting some attention, right?"

Rage has posed:
"Right. But also know, there's the wrong kind of attention also. Not all of us can afford top of the line security and armor proof vehicles to drive us around either. I've had some rough situations dealing with crazy mutant hating nut jobs. I've been stabbed through the chest, shot in the head, shot in the shoulder and had my guts ripped out. I was a celebrity before I was a mutant and the world doesn't know what my mutant power is, so I have a bit of luxury in dealing with Hollywood mystique."

Andrea lifts the front of her shirt up, revealing a number of deep scars as if she was torn apart by claws, then pulls down the front of her shirt to reveal her sports bra, and another nasty scar over her heart. "Got this little gift from a jackass named Donald Pierce. He's apart of the Friend's of Humanity. He and a bunch of cyborg augmented humans decided to upgrade themselves and go hunting for mutants. They found me in a Starbucks. Bye-Bye swimsuit modeling dreams."

"Xavier's is the safest place, and the most normal life I've ever had. I miss it sometimes. I hope one day the world will get to a place where it will let someone like you play football with people screaming your name on the field. I'll be the first to buy your jersey and begging you for an autograph if that day ever comes."

Jax Miller has posed:
    There's a faraway look, ears drooping a bit. Jax nods, remembering the days when the Sentinels still stalked the lands looking for mutants, and groups of mutant haters were openly hunting. "I heard about it at the time, it was just... there was a mob out at the gate of our place in the Hamptons, 'cause they thought we were hiding in there. Bills security was awesome though, they had us moved to the yacht the moment they thought there was gonna be trouble, so... when all that was going on, we were in the Med. Just off Santorini, I think. Caught it all on satellite TV."

    He gives an almost apologetic shrug, as if he's a bit ashamed of having had it easy in the hard days. "I mean, I'm only here 'cause some nutjob finally got through and managed to leave letters everywhere. He... sent them to my friends too, so it got a bit too dangerous. Turns out that one of the team's awesome admin people went to school here, she found out what was going on, and... bam, here I am."

Rage has posed:
"It sucks, huh? But it gets better. What you get out of Xavier's prepares you for the real world, and you get networked with some of the most powerful and influential mutants in the world, plus, you know .. making best friends and having great memories to cherish. I also own Starlight Charity, which is a mutant resource tool. We just opened a free health clinic in mutant town." Andrea says with a bit of pride in her voice. "So, if you ever need anything from me, let me know, but Xavier's has pretty much everything covered and then some."

Tapping away at her phone, she uploads the photo and tags him on it with a grin, watching the 'likes' immediately start to climb. "And, there we go! Now you're world famous." She says teasingly to him, bumping her shoulder to his.

"It's cool your parents are accepting of you. It sure makes things easier when they are. Some kids here aren't that lucky. Those are the ones you wanna give the love to. Let them know that they got someone in their corner. Know what I mean?"

Nightingale has posed:
     "No, some kids aren't that lucky," comes a familiar voice. One teen in particular from the crowd seems to have peeled off from the rest, caught up in the general chaos that always seemed to herald a visit from Andrea. She's in her two-piece pink satin pajamas, floofy Old English Sheepdog slippers, and has her pale blonde hair long and loose--with the exception of the pale blue braid she's adopted as part of her own style since an outing the previous holiday season. Her wings are, however, unmoving behind her back, wrapped in bandages and splints. "Then, some are," Shannon continues, smiling lightly. "Good to see you about, Andrea. How've you been?"

Jax Miller has posed:
    "Yeah, but y'know... sucks in a shanty town or sucks in a huge mansion with 24 hour catering are two different things. This is the kinda sucks that I can live with." Jax grins, instantly perking up and playfully nudging back. He's got the build of a quarterback under all that fur, so it's a bit of a Nudge which merits the capital letter, but all done clearly in jest.

    His ears perk up more when the Starlight Charity is mentioned, and he just /has/ to tell Andrea... "Oooh, hey, we went to Austin yesterday to go get a mutant in trouble. Said she got through to us because of Starlight, so that's amazing! Man, you should have seen her, she was living in a tent. A tent! And the stories I'm hearing, all these poor kids with no parents, or parents that hate them and things like that... it's awful."

    For a moment there's a bit of fire in his eyes (metaphorically speaking, he's quite combustible) "And when I'm famous, I'm gonna set up sports camps for mutant kids. Maybe even start a full on mutant team to play in the leagues."

    He points to Shannon, grinning. "Case in point, can you imagine her with a GoPro or a professional headcam taking literal bird's eye view pictures of a football game? Those are shots you couldn't get any other way."

Rage has posed:
Giving a nod of her head, Andrea smiles. "Yes. Jade. I know about her. I make sure that my team passes along information of mutants in the tough situations, so that if I need to, I can get personally involved. I reached out to Miss Grey earlier in the week and I'm glad to hear she's moved in and doing great."

"There's a few people here now that we found through Starlight and it makes me really proud that something I helped created is saving lives. Our people's lives. I'm very fortunate to be in this position of celebrity and I don't want to squander it. If you need any help getting your camp off the ground, let me know. I'll send my people your way to help you out when you're ready. My team is aggressive in getting projects off the ground and we have the financial backing through X-Corp and Worthington Enterprises."

Tilting her head over to Shannon, she gives a smile to her friend. "Hey .. what the heck happened to you?" She asks as she looks over to the bandages.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon wrinkles her nose a bit, though if not stopped, she draws Andrea into a fierce hug. "Believe it or not, visit to a haunted house with Megan and Alice a couple nights ago went south in a big way," she replies. "I've still got to track down Mr. Summers and Miss Grey about it. That's the level of mindfuckery that was going on." There are shadows lingering in her eyes, hinting at perhaps the level of what happened, but she says nothing more on the matter for the time being.

     Allowing herself a light smile, she nods over at Jax. "I see you've run into Jax. He's been here a couple weeks now and lemme tell you, this kid can /sing/. Should've heard him last night in the rec room!"

Jax Miller has posed:
    Almost immediately, Jax shakes his hands urgently at Shannon. "Nononono, that was just me having a bit of silly fun for the new people." Are his ears going red? His ears are going red... so that's how a cat blushes!

Warpath has posed:
     Reading something, walking almost as much on familiarity of the buidling more than anything, Jimmy walks into the main foyer. People present makes his look up from what he is doing. He nods towards Andrea and then to Jax. His gaze pauses when he sees Shannon and he sighs softly, shaking his head with mild amusement inspite of himself,"We are going to have to lock you into a padded room I think."

Rage has posed:
Returning the hug, Andrea's brows lift upwards curiously. "A haunted house did this to you? Was this a legit one or .. one of those Scooby Doo haunted houses you found on the Internet and poked around in?"

Slowly, she tilts her head over to Jax, giving him a grin. "You can sing?" She asks, folding her arms over her chest. "I wanna hear it." She gives a motion for him to stand in front of them. "Let's hear it!"

Lifting a hand upwards, she gives a smile towards James. "Hello Mister Proudstar. It's nice to see you again."

Nightingale has posed:
     "It was one Megan found. We were just going to check it out. Maybe spook ourselves out a little bit. Worst case, it would turn out to be a scam, and best case we'd all have a good time." Shannon shakes her head, lifting her shoulders briefly. "There was a telepathic meta involved, and when furniture started getting flung around the room, I got knocked back hard against a wall. It was a big fat mess, and the whole meta thing has me wanting to talk to Mr. Summers and Miss Grey. If Pixie won't, I will."

     Glancing over to Warpath, she cracks a wry half-smile, and shakes her head. "Wouldn't do any good, shik'isn, and you know it. I don't go looking for trouble but it finds me anyways." There seems to be more that needs to be said, but it remains held in check for now.

     Her smile widens a bit as Andrea calls Jax out now, and she chuckles. "I could always hop on the piano in the rec room again if that would help."

Jax Miller has posed:
    For a second, Jax looks over to Shannon with a 'look what you got me into now' glance, and then stands up. Right. That's Andrea Jackson here, and she's asked him to sing. That means his A game. Hobby or not, this is very much like trying out with a scout watching.

    Ears drooped, head low for a moment, he takes a few steps, tail swishing behind him. Then his chin lifts, ears swivel sideways and his tail folds in a complicated S, tail tip twitching out a rhythm. Then he half turns his head, adopting a posture reminiscent of Freddy Mercury and starts...

    'Adventure seeker, on an emptyyyy street'

    The pitch is perfect, the voice so eerily like Freddy that it might be a recording, utterly unlike his speaking voice. It's confident, crisp, on key and in tune.

    'Just an alley creeper, light on his feet
    A young fighter /screaming'!
    With no tiiiime for doubt
    With the pain and angggger
    Can't see a way out'

    He pads across the foyer, between the students as he sings, a Freddy walk if ever there was one, parting the crowd.

    'It ain't much I'm asking, I heard him say.
    Gotta find me a fuuuture,
    Move outta my waaahaaay!'

    A leap up to the first step of the stairs, right leg two steps up, leaning forwards, one arm thrust upwards, the other holding an imaginary microphone.

    'I want it all,
    I want it all,
    I want it all,
    And I want it /now/!'

Warpath has posed:
     Eyeing Shannon skeptically, James mutter,"Uh huh." He knows she doesn't go looking, it just finds her,"Maybe ghost busting isn't your calling shik'isn?" he replies.

     Looking towards Andrea, he nods and tells her,"It is good to see you as well. I think James or Jimmy is acceptable between us at this point. You're a graduate." A glance to the new music number causes him to raise a brow slowly, but settles down for the show.

Rage has posed:
Rising upwards to her feet, Andrea is all grins as she listens to him sing. Her foot taps on the ground to create the beat for the familiar iconic rock song. She pumps one fist a bit next to her, swaying a bit back and forth at the hips. She loves the show that he puts on, that confident swagger that Freddie was known for.

"Listen all you people!
Come gather 'round!
I gotta get me a game plan!
Gotta shake you to the ground!

Just give me, what I know is mine!
People do you hear me? Just give me the sign!
It ain't much I'm asking, if you want the truth --
Here's to the future! For the dreams of the youth!"

That pure voice which has made her famous rips out of her lungs as she joins him in song, stomping her feet upon the hardwood floors. She gives a swing of her fist upwards, joining the other as if she was banging an air-drum.

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!
THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!

"Buddy you're a young man, hard man!
Shouting in the street -
Gonna take on the world some day!
You got blood on your face, you big disgrace -
Waving your banner all over the place!"

She points at him next to continue on this mash-up of Queen's greatest hits.

Jax Miller has posed:
    Taking two steps down, sideways, Jax is back among the students to sing the second verse, actually motioning for them to gather around and join him, as if assembling an impromptu revolutionary council. As the song continues, he's putting a hand on shoulders as he moves along the assembled mutant students, riling them up to the crescendo.

    A dramatic pose, fist clenched, as if making a demand of the future, of the world, before turning in a gesture to take in all the kids around him. The dreams of youth!

    By the time the song is switched to that other iconic song, Jax is feeling not just confident, but on top of the world. So he runs sideways up the stairs, holding court over the foyer from halfway up, leading the chant.

    'We will, we will,
    ROCK YOU!'

    'Sing it!'

    'We will, we will,
    ROCK YOU!'

Nightingale has posed:
     It seems about half the student body has turned out for this impromptu Andrea Jackson concert. What was even better is that not only was audience participation encouraged, it was all but /required/! Even Shannon's getting into the spirit of things, swaying back and forth, stomping and clapping to the familiar beat.

"We will, we will
ROCK YOU!"

     Is that a giggle coming from the bedraggled healer in training? No, surely it was a trick played upon one's hearing! Yet indeed, she was smiling. And Jax wasn't the only one in tune and on point with the rhythm of the song, not by any means!

Warpath has posed:
     Not really a musical expert or really a huge fan of modern music, Jimmy does pause and smirk a little. The songs are familiar to him though, even the most uninitiated and non artistic sorts know who Queen is.

Rage has posed:
As she sings along with the group, Andrea is content in being a background singer for Jax's rock-star performance. She roars through the chrorus along with the rest of the student body, pumping her fist upwards in time of the stomping feet.

As the students sing through the chorus, she once more mash-ups the song as her body rocks side to side, giving a quick rattling of her fists, another familiar rock sonnet from the 80's.

"My body is burning, it starts to shout!
Desire is coming, it breaks out loud!
Lust is in cages till' the storm breaks loose -
Just have to make it with someone I choose!
The night is calling, I have to go -
The /wolf/ is hungry, she wants to show!
She's licking her lips, she's ready to win -
On the hunt tonight for love at first sting!"

"Here I am!
Rock you like a hurricane!
Here I am!
Rock you like a hurricane!"

By now, Andrea is moving freely through the crowd, arms upwards as she gives a spin of her body, sweeping her feet in practiced motions. The pair of Jax and Andrea is turning the Foyer into a clubfloor. A couple of students are holding their phones up with their flash-lights on. The stomping of feet is bringing more and more students out of the woodwork, peeking in from various hallways and recording with their phones.

Jax Miller has posed:
    Ah, Jax sees how it is. Switching from rock anthem to rock anthem, he has to shift key and drop through the registers. A speed check hey? Not like a scout hasn't done that to him before, going from distance sprint to a three pylon agility test at the blast of a whistle at the most unexpected moment. But his voice holds, his swagger is still on point, and as the chorus rings out again, he slides down the railing, slides on his knees through the crowd and springs up, both fists in the air, switching up the song again.

    "I can see a new horizon,
    Underneath the blazing sky,
    I'll be where the eagle's flying'

    'HIGHER AND HIGHER!'

    'I could be your man in motion,
    All I need's a pair of wheels,
    Take me where my future's lyin'

    'SAINT ELMO'S FIRE!'

    'Woohoohooo, yeah!'

    A grin is given to Andrea. Ball in her court again.

Nightingale has posed:
Oh, was that how it was going to be? Grinning now at both Jax, Andrea, and Warpath, it's Shannon's turn to fire off her own salvo in the battle of the rock anthems. Turning to a 1980's classic, she does a twirling little step, swaying and clapping--although she's careful not to move her wings as she belts out the tune in a clear, silky alto voice that is right on key.

"Well you're a real tough cookie with a long history
Of breaking little hearts like the one in me
That's okay, let's see how you do it
Put up you dukes, let's get down to it!

Hit me with your best shot
Why don't you hit me with your best shot
Hit me with your best shot
Fire awaaaaaaay!"

Rage has posed:
"OOoh you're a real tough cookie with a long history!
Of breaking little hearts, like the one in me!
That's okay, let's see how you do it -
Put up your dukes, let's get down to it!"

Andrea grins back as she slaps the ball back towards his court, throwing a fist upwards, then swings it downwards to point at him.

"Hit me with your best shot!
Why don't you hit me with your best shot!
Hit me with your best shot!
Fire awaaaaay!"

"You come on with a come on, you don't fight fair!
But that's okay, see if I care -
Knock me down, it's all in vain!
I'll get right back up on my feet again!"

She makes a 'come here' motion with her hands, curling both of her index fingers at him, as if she has him on a hook and line and she's reeling him in. Her grin is wide and wolfish as she continues to sway back and forth.

Jax Miller has posed:
    No choice, no hope, Jax is pulled in. Visibly. He's moving fowards while his legs are clearly pedaling backwards. It's a reverse moonwalk, people, sliding along the floor until he's close to Andrea. Then his arms come down, as if breaking invisible lines that have hooked him, and his pace... reverses.

    A full-on moonwalk!

    'They told you don't you ever come 'round here,
    Don't wanna see your face you better disappear!
    The fire's in their eyes and their words are really clear,
    so'

    'Beat it!
    Just beat it!'

    Jax dips his head as if holding onto an imaginary hat
    'Ooh!'

Warpath has posed:
     Leaning against the wall, crossing his arms, James watches and listens. Nope, he won't be joining the singing. He causes bleeding ears other ways, not willing to cause it that way too. Still, he smirks and tries to keep up with them following the songs and maybe recognizing the main lines in some of them.

Nightingale has posed:
     Oh, it was definitely on now! Jax wouldn't recognize this song, but Andrea might. Going for her phone, Shannon swipes through a few songs, picking one from her playlist that actually has her smiling somewhat. "Believe it or not, I actually got to sing this one for the Man of Steel," she offers. "At least he was kind about it." The song begins with a lightly rhythmic muted guitar and a kick drum. A melodic bass line joins in, more drums, and then some light electric piano as she sings.

"Maybe my story's not like some
Livin' my life under the gun
But it's mine
And that's just fine


I've seen sorrow, I've seen pain
I'm learning to dance in the rain
Look at me
Now I'm free..."

     Her voice picks up strength for the chorus, her eyes actually closing for a moment as she seems to be singing from somewhere deep in her soul.

"I'm going to touch the sky
Don't know how, don't know why
But now I'm gonna fly
Amd you can't stop me
No, you can't stop me

I'm going to reach the sun
Hold my hand up, touch the stars
The sky is mine
And I'm just fine


I'm going to touch the sky...."

Rage has posed:
Whatever song that Andrea was going to crank out next gets put on hold as Shannon starts to sing her original song. She sinks back down on the couch with a thump, giving a rub of her throat with her fingers to ease a bit of the sting out. She was cranking out the hits without any warming up.

She gives a smile at the lyrics, leaning back into the cushions as she folds one leg over the other, then settles her hand upon one knee. She gives a slight bob of her head at the rhythm.

Jax Miller has posed:
    Whew. With an original song in play, that means essentially that the game is paused and Jax can take a breather. They've got the crowd going, they got the party started, he doesn't necessarily have to participate in it. So he's the second to make it back to the couch, flopping onto the cushions with a barely audible 'mrowl' of contentment.

    A fist is held out to Andrea. That was some first class improvisational cooperation.

    Notably, he doesn't seem to be suffering much from the sudden vocal requirements, but then he has a larynx capable of purring... who knows what kind of vocal range it's capable of?

Warpath has posed:
     When Shannon starts to sing the original song, well original as far as he can tell, Jimmy turns his full attention on her and listens. He studies the way she carries herself through the song and takes note of the lyrics. Since the other two pause from the performance he seems a little more secure in the idea it is an original piece.

Nightingale has posed:
     The driving drumbeat continues, with some strings added in to fill out the instruments, their sweet, swooping notes adding to the images painted by each word of the first verse and chorus. Plaintive notes weave in and out of the main melody, some soft, some a little stronger, but all forged into one harmonious whole.

"I've taken chances some won't take
Bending 'till my back would break
Crying, please
Oh, God, help me please

Prayers whispered in the night
Answered, now my heart takes flight
Never alone again
No, never alone again..."

     The music swells, Shannon singing the refrain once more with renewed strength. It didn't matter who was listening. She was home, with friends and family listening. At least here, she wouldn't be judged if she flubbed a note--which she didn't.

     There's an interlude where the drums drop off to just the bass drums, the bass guitar, and the rhythmic guitar strumming, which has been maintained through out the piece. Once more, bit by bit, the instruments are added back in, building to an intense crescendo, with Shannon breaking into the refrain a final time, the song ending with one last chord from the electric piano, the notes fading into silence at last.

Rage has posed:
Reaching over, Andrea bops her fist against Jax's with a grin. "I was about to hit you with Like A Prayer by Madonna, but the end chorus and not the slower build up. Nice moonwalk by the way. I still can't get the ankles to do that properly. I swear Michael was double jointed in his feet."

Her foot continues to tap away as she listens to Shannon's song, giving a grin at how she uses her voice and weaves through the melodies. "Xavier's just breeds talented mutant singers. It's crazy." She says to Jax with a chuckle.

Jax Miller has posed:
    After the fist bop, Jax lifts his left leg and taps his ankle. It's higher up than you'd expect it, and it suddenly becomes apparent that his shoes only cover his toes, the rest of the material a flexible sleeve around the rest of his digitigrade feet. "Either that or he was secretly a cat. Bit of an advantage, I'm afraid."

    When the last notes of Shannon's song fade away, there is the sudden sound of applause. Jax is on his feet again and giving her a standing ovation. This has been one hell of an unexpected rock concert. "Whooo, way to go!"

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon turns bright red at all the applause, although she does take a bow. Grinning sheepishly at Andrea and Jax, she shrugs. "Thanks. I've got a lot of song ideas, but it's really hard for me to get them out into something that'll work. That one just... well, it just sort of came together. There's one I'm working on, but it's so far from finished. And it's nowhere near as good as anything Andrea can come up with!"

Rage has posed:
Shrugging her shoulders, Andrea says, "I also got a team around me that helps me complete my songs too. I write them, they tweak them, make them sound like they're radio worthy. Believe me, I've pitched some trash songs at them that got thrown off the playlists on a few of my albums. Your song is really good though, Shannon. It's way better than anything I wrote on my first album. But I was like .. fourteen when I made that one."

She watches Jax lift his leg upwards and looks almost jealous. "I wish I was as limber as you. Definitely would make things go easier with my choreographer." She says with a snicker. "The other day he made me do drop down into the splits for thirty minutes straight. My crotch still hurts."

Jax Miller has posed:
    "Well, I got a bit of an unfair advantage there, y'know. Does come in handy kicking a field goal or having your legs point left while you're actually dodging right. Surprises the hell out of the defensive line." Jax grins, sitting back down. As the energy in the room starts to dissipate, his ears lose that permanent perk and settle back down into the pose best described as 'comfortable droop'. Even his tail has given up on maintaining a proper form, draping itself over the armrest and hanging down, lazily swaying from side to side.

    "If you ever want VIP tickets to a Bills game, let me know. I mean, you could probably get them yourself easily enough, but... y'know."

Warpath has posed:
Since the songs seem to wind down for a while, Jimmy does tell Shannon gently,"You have a talent as well. You use the talents and you don't compare them to another person's talent. Hers is refined differently from yours." SO yes, it is true. He really never does stop being a teacher for anything. He consideres the other two and nods,"You are all very talented."

Nightingale has posed:
     "Make that a Bills versus Patriots game, and you've got it," Shannon retorts to Jax, chuckling at the good-natured ribbing. Turning to Andrea, she listens for a moment, chewing on her lower lip. "Well... I suppose sometime I could run it by either you or maybe even Miss Blaire, see what direction it could go. That's kind of a team, yeah?" To Warpath, she just cracks a small smile, and shrugs, dipping her head. "I guess so. Guess it's just something to keep working on. Like blade training."

Rage has posed:
"Sure, and if you ever want VIP's to one of my concernts, just ping Miss Grey. I always send a batch to the school for the student body. I don't even sell them online because I want the VIP's to be packed with mutants and not spoiled rich kids who just take selfies the entire time. Sides, I'm not really singing to 'them' so to speak." Andrea says as she tucks her arms back behind her head, giving an arch of her body to pop a few joints.

"Seeing how you got a bonafide Queen of pop for a music instructor, I say run it by Dazz first. I know she's really eager to get back into the swing of things. I can have my people look at it if you wanted, but the industry is ruthless. They'd probably try and buy it off you and make me sing it." She says with a scoffed chuckle. "Which I wouldn't let them do of course. But it's a good song. I guess it depends on what you want to do with it. I've always seen you as a story teller and not a popstar. You'd be the person writing the hits for people like me and then charging people like me an arm and a leg with royalties."

"Song writers make /bank/ by the way. Britney's writing team are millionaires a few dozen times over because of it, and all she does is wiggle her hips and flip her hair and lipsynchs along with it."

Jax Miller has posed:
    "There's a reason I'm singing Queen and Jackson, y'know?" Jax grins, deliberately showing less teeth than his natural inclination advises. Turns out that makes people nervous, so he's taking care not to frighten anyone. That was an important lesson when he was young... "You gotta be original to write, singing is... well, kind of easier. Words are hard."

    For a moment he stretches out. For another, longer moment, he stretches out further, before collapsing back in on himself to regular height and posture. Spines? What are they for then? "Anyway, I gotta go run into town, see if the new consoles are in stock yet. Was a blast meeting you Andrea."

Warpath has posed:
     Crossing his arms once more and leaning against the wall, Jimmy lets the performers have their conversation and swap advice. He nods when Andrea suggest the writing and suggests learning from the in house instructor as well,"I haven't talked to Allison in a long time. She is very good."

Nightingale has posed:
     "Well hell, if I was going to have anyone sing it other than me, I'd rather it was you or Dazzler. Especially given the theme of the song. Not sure who else I'd trust to do it right." Shannon just smiles, reaching out to rest her hand briefly on Andrea's shoulder. "We'll see how it goes. What will be, will be. By the way... I was thinking of making some lasagna this week, if you wanted me to bring some by your place when I do?"

     Smiling at Warpath, she nods. "Yeah, she is. Could do worse than to ask her. You know, I actually had no idea who she or Andrea even were before coming here?"

     Grinning at Jax, she bobs her head, waving. "Let me know how those consoles are. I'd rather trust your review on it than some of those doofuses on YouTube, ya know?"

Rage has posed:
"It was awesome meeting you, Jax. I should get moving myself and touch base with Dazz as it is. We have a date tonight to go over some tour stuff." Andrea says with a grin to him. "I'll catch you later I'm sure."

To Shannon, she nods her head as well. "You're always welcome to have dinner at our place. Jay and Nevada spend most of their nights at the club working so it's just me watching Netflix until they come back. So, we can make it a girl night, or just wait until they have a day off and we can have a family thingy and drag Sam and Lex out too."

She hops up to her feet and gives a long stretch of her body. "I'll catch you guys later. See you later, James." SHe waves to Warpath.