12871/Rec the Rep Already

Rec the Rep Already
Date of Scene:	21 March 2021
Location:	Rec Room - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	When Rosie McGowan hides from feeling crisises regarding the second time she's launched a Xavier's instructor into a natural feature in a week, she poorly chooses the RecRoom. Shannon and Jeremy try to help, and Sam has to come in to clean up a broken glass and a broken Rosie.
Cast of Characters:	Antigravity, Nightingale, SpyderByte, Cannonball

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Antigravity has posed:
    IT WAS A BAD SUNDAY. First she's skipped out on Church for the first time in her entire life.

    Then she went down to the water to try and at least get some meditation of the existence of her life and the convoluted question of whether or not she was evil by virtue of her DNA.

    And then she sent one of the teachers careening into a rock.

    ... and then left him there, because she *knows* punishment is often violent and without mercy or remorse -- beause she is always deserving of punishment. She is the Rotten Child.

    So Rosemary McGowan was hiding, tucked between the bookshelf and a wall, with her guitar out of its gig bag and tucked against her, and her arms over her head, shaking like an aspen leaf in the wind, protecting her head from any oncoming attack.

Nightingale has posed:
     It wasn't too bad a Sunday, overall. The lingering smell of freshly baked oatmeal cinnamon cookies wafted through the air coming from the kitchen, and the sound of a happy, derpy pooch barking his damn fool head off filled the corridors. Shannon had just come down from leaving a welcome basket for the newest addition to Xavier's, including some of the aforementioned cookies and other items, only to be knocked flat on her backside by a very ugly-cute, one-eyed, long-tailed canine careening about underfoot.

     There was also the sound of a great deal of 'conversational' Cajun, right in the wake of said pooch's trail of chaos.

     A short while later, with the dog settled down, a well-chewed and drool-soaked wallet returned to its owner, and said Cajun's injuries tended to in the Wellness Office, Shannon makes her way into the rec room, chuckling softly. She's got her own guitar case in one hand, and a book full of what looks like blank staff paper in the other. She's barefoot today, and wearing some denim leggings, plus a simple, long white t-shirt. It looks as if the hem and sleeves have been cut into fringe, each piece decorated with a simple, honey-gold wooden bead that clack gently against each other as she moves. Her hair is long and loose, save for the pale blue braid on the left side of her face, with its three silver beads.

     Something stops her in her tracks, though, as she hears the sound of... sniffling? Something was amiss. Sitting down on the sofa, she sets her guitar case down, opening it and taking out her instrument, taking a few moments to tune it. All the while, she glances up, looking around for the source of the sound. "Hello?"

SpyderByte has posed:
Making his way into the Rec Room is Jeremy, who is dressed in his usual black apparel, though this time without his trench coat. It's getting warm out now and there is no need to wear such a heavy piece of leather indoors. Most of his hair is pulled back into a pony tail while the rest is falling forward into his face and dark eyes. The chains on his path jingle with each step he takes.

As he spies Shannon in the room, he slows his step, giving his phone a squeeze with his hands. He looks like he may try to opposum his way out of the situation by playing dead, but it's her words that cause him to curiously pause.

He tilts his head, his phone chirping: << What's going on? Someone else is here? >>

Antigravity has posed:
    There is the sound of something sliding against wood, and then a sharp g-TONG! of a guitar falling in the other corner of the room, and the shuffling of a pair of sneakers against the floor as Rosie tries to make herself smaller, her muscles tightening, and the soft 'tap, tap, tap' of the back of her head hitting the wall behind her in slow rythem. A shudder of a breath.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon glances over at Jeremy and nods slowly. "I think so. And it almost sounds like... crying." The jangling, discordant noise of strings sounding as the hidden singer's guitar fell has her head on a swivel, snapping around in that general direction to follow the sound. The sound of the guitar fades, leaving only the soft thumping and squeaking in its place.

     "Hello? It's okay, you're safe here," she calls out, keeping her voice soft and low, her wings tucked in tightly behind her to minimize their profile. "Nobody's going to hurt you. It's okay."

SpyderByte has posed:
Squinting his eyes, Jeremy pauses for a moment and reaches out with his powers. He filters through the lines of code, then lets out a soft breath.

Lifting up his hand, he gives a slight tug at the air, then jerks it downwards as he sends a command to Rosie's phone.

*PING*

<< It's Rosie. I can sense her phone. It's upset that she hasn't checked her spam folder yet and it is growing quite large. She never should have signed up for alerts from that Reddit thread about cat memes. >>

Antigravity has posed:
    Rosie gives a hiccupping gasp, and when hoarsely replies. "Ah'm sorry! Ah didn't mean ta hurt Mr. LeBeau! It was an accident!" she breathes out. "Ah just... Ah just... Ah can't touch nobody without hurtin' 'em. They're gonna come with switches ain't they? Beat up 'round my shoulders an' back again... ah never shoulda left."

SpyderByte has posed:
<< No, they aren't going to hurt you. He's fine. >>

Jeremy says as he takes a seat on the couch. He sinks down into it.

<< You can come out of hiding. This is a school, not a prison. Accidents happen and most of the X-Men are built to be durable. Do you want to watch some TV? >>

Nightingale has posed:
     White-hot fury silenced Shannon as she listened to Rosie. Yet though she shook with rage, she somehow managed to keep her voice calm, through some minor miracle. "Mr. LeBeau's fine. I saw to him in the Wellness Office. He's tougher than you realize, and he didn't sound mad at all." For a few moments, she is silent, taking a deep breath or three. "Is that what people would do to you? That kind of thing does not and will not happen here."

Antigravity has posed:
    "Ah... don't know. Never had a TV ta watch. It was only on Saturdays when Gramma could watch her stories." Rosie whispers quietly, raising her arms just a fraction, looking to Shannon and Jeremy before she swallows down a lump in her throat, and she rubs the back of her neck in embarrassment.
    "Ah didn't know his eyes were black 'n' red."

    She slowly withdraws, eyeballing Shannon and Jer as if it were a trap, and she looks down to her arms a moment, before she leans over to pick up her guitar. It's beat up and old, but in good enough condition to be played.

    "... mah pastor always told us chillin' should be seen an' not heard. Gram took it to heart. I got detention as a youngin' fer throwin' stuff over the fence at school, an' pretty much the whole congregation got in on it. Ah... figured that hurtin' a teacher woulda been a pretty severe punishment, yeah?"

SpyderByte has posed:
<< Sounds like to me that hurting someone that leads a gang to hurt a child is suitable punishment. Teacher or not. Are they hurting more children right now? >>

Jeremy asks as he gives a motion with his hand as the TV sparks to life. He snaps his fingers as the channels change. Snap. Change. Snap. Change.

<< Because if they are, I would like to know that. >>

He tilts his head over to Shannon, watching her for a moment before he leans back into the couch.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon had heard that sort of tone from Jeremy before. It never ended well--at least, not for those who would willingly harm innocents. She knew the rage that boiled within him, the darkness that would consume the object of his fury until it burned into nothingness. She'd seen the Spyder Byte at work, and she -knew-.

     Shaking her head slightly at Jeremy, turns her gaze back towards Rosie. "That kind of thing doesn't happen here. Heck, you should hear about some of the things that the teachers go through trying to help us learn to use our powers. A bump on the head's actually pretty mild, and it wasn't even a really bad one. Mr. LeBeau's one tough cookie, and more forgiving of accidents than you think."

     She lifts her chin towards Rosie's guitar, and smiles lightly. "Looks like you've gotten around being seen and not heard pretty good there. Maybe we could hear you play one day, if you ever felt up to it."

Antigravity has posed:
    "... so did Mr. LeBeau. Ah was scared that if they learned I was a mutant, they'd hurt my ma." she breathes out, and leans leans against the bookshelf, suddenly looking very, very tired.

    "... they thought one of the girls in the congregation was pregnant with a muti-- a mutant. They starved her, only a tablespoon of milk an' honey a day, prayin' over her. She suffered, but she wasn't pregnant. If she was, she lost it anyway." she frowns. "Ah went to the Library in town an' used the computer to report her parents to the state. They took her. The state, Ah mean. She's safe. If they knew it was me..." she frowns, and then she wraps her arms around her knees and rests her chin on her knees before looking at the other two.

    "Ah dunno if Mr. Sam and Miss Ororo woulda gotten the chance ta rescue me. Probably mighta had to rescue the congregation from me."

SpyderByte has posed:
There is a visible frown upon Jeremy's face as he continues to snap his fingers a few more times, the channels rapidly changing on the TV now as his eyes give a few flickers.

<< So they are still hurting children. >>

There is a flare of his nostrils as the TV shuts off and he slips his phone into his hands, brushing his thumbs along the glass of the screen.

<< Give me the name of this place. >>

Not so much asking as a demand, though with the soft voice of SIRI, it's hard to really tell the tone or inflection.

Either way, shit just got real.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon shakes her head slightly, now glancing between Jeremy and Rosie. This was not good. She knew how brutally effective he could be, when his ire was raised. "Please tell me not -everyone- mistreated you, Rosie?" It was a small sliver of hope, but perhaps the only one they really had. For the Spyder was about to byte....

Antigravity has posed:
    Rosie clams up. She turns her head. She looks at the phone that Jeremy's set up for her, and she breathes out.

    "Ah can't." she whispers. And she sets her phone on the bookshelf, and rests her head in her arms.

    "God already hates me 'nuff to make me a mutant. If Ah turn in mah whole congregation, what kinda family would Ah have left?" she asks, and then she reaches for her guitar and the gig bag, and breathes out.

    "Ah'm gonna go tah bed. First class tomorrow's gonna kick my ass. Ain't never been good at Gym." she states, looping her gigbag over her shoulder, and dragging out her backpack.

    "Dunno if either a' y'all religious types, Miss Shannon. All th' music I know is for the church."

SpyderByte has posed:
<< What kinda God would be okay with you allowing children to be harmed, starved to death and cruelly abused? I think your God would be proud of you for taking steps to protect those who can't protect themselves. >>

Jeremy rises upwards, swiping his phone off the table, turning and heading for the doors.

<< Your family is a pile of dogshit who hit you and made you into this. Just like those who hit me and raped me and beat me until I couldn't stand. Those people are not family, Rosie, they are assholes, brainwashed assholes. >>

He exits out the room, his chains jingly loudly and angrily against his legs as he goes.

Encender un fosforo. Encender un fuego.

Nightingale has posed:
     "God doesn't hate you. If He did, then He hates me, too, and everyone in this school. You know what I think?" Shannon smiles at Rosie now, tilting her head. "I think God is just showing off how creative He really is. And it's pretty darn amazing, that He's not done with His creation--us--just yet."

     Smiling somewhat, she continues, her voice gentle. "You want a prime example of that, then I would suggest talking to Herr Wagner. One of the gentlest souls there is here, and you'd never know it by appearance. And very much a gentleman of faith.

     A deep sigh escapes her as Jeremy leaves, and she rubs her temples slightly. "He's been through hell and back. I... can understand keeping silent, and keeping family out of danger. I was lucky. Mine... I talked them into leaving where I grew up. They're safe now. If there's any way we can help your family... if there are those who did not mistreat you... I'd want to see them helped."

Antigravity has posed:
    There was a lot to process here, going on. Rosie draws herself up. She breathes out, and she registers Shannon. She's trying to listen, she's trying to keep her breath even.

    "D-Don't you talk bad about mah family!" she snarls, tensing. There's an uneven creak of the floor beneath her as gravity begins to get challenged. MAss shifts. Tears spill out over her cheeks. She feels her own senses alter, up and down switching. She was used to it. She felt it all the time.

    But then she takes a step forward, grabbing at one of the nearby tumblers that someone's left out. Its glass groans in complaint as its mast is shifted, its form straining, and she *launches* the breaking, sharding glass at Jeremy's back!

    "You don't get to call mah congregation dogshit! AH didn't sleep in fleashit for sixteen years to let a freak like me talk bad 'bout them!"

SpyderByte has posed:
As the glass shatters against the wall inches from where he was just standing in the hallway, Jeremy turns and looks back to it for a moment. He squeezes his fists up tightly, feeling the knuckles crack. Pressing his lips together, he has a moment of emotion that floods over his face.

He gives no retort, for he understands her trauma. She's lashing out, much like how he did, though his way was online and affected millions in crashed stock markets and governments. He just makes his way down the hall to head back to his room, giving a flicker of his fingers to pull some data into his phone for safe keeping.

Nightingale has posed:
     Some of the glass hits the wall near Jeremy. Some of it, though, whizzes past Shannon and nicks her, as she moves to intersperse herself between Jeremy and Rosie. A few spots of red blossom on the arms of her shirt. Too, a couple feathers flutter to the ground as she flares her wings, a few feathres nicked while acting as a shield. She holds her ground, and there is no judgement or anger in her gaze. There is only the ache of feeling for the young woman she can see hurting. Otherwise, she makes little sound at all.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie hears the crash as he was walking past the hall. He sees Jeremy leaving but the young man aint rushing or dodging, so Sam starts walking over at a steady pace, but not running. He gets close seeing the glass, and will turn the corner coming through the door "Ok, whats going on?" He says in his teacher voice, as he looks about the room.

Antigravity has posed:
    Jeremy is unpeturbed.

    Shannon is hurt.

    And at the far end of the room was Rosie, hiccupping with angry sobs as she tries to control her breath and temper, one hand into a fist, the other still outstretched where she had slung the super-massive-altered glass.

    Which less shattered, and more 'impaled in many places' in the wall, causing a significant dent.

    And then Sam comes in. Rosie looks at Shannon, and sees the red blossoms on her shirt. She sees the feathers fluttering down, and when Rosie looks back up at Sam there is just this look of abject *horror* there, tears running down her face, her flannel shirt forgotton on the ground behind her.

    And Rosie lets her hand fall. And then her arms curl up and over her head as she starts breathing hard, hyperventilating, and the floorboards below her creak in protest again.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon lowers her wings, ignoring the bright flares of pain on her upper arms. She steps a little bit closer to Rosie, a light smile starting to tug the corners of her mouth upwards. "Rosie... it's okay. Nobody's in trouble." She pauses for a moment. "I wish I could give you a hug right now, if you'd let me." She looks back at Sam, shaking her head briefly, not quite sure what to say to him.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie sees Rosie loosing it, and he will try to get the full story in a few, right now it is time to keep the things on calm and level. "Rosie, calm down, Ah don't know whats going on, but Shannon will be ok, heck she has probably stopped bleeding already. No one is trying to hurt you, and Ah don't think your trying to hurt anyone, so how about tell me whats going on? How about coming over, and sitting down on the couch and we can have a glass of tea and talk."

Antigravity has posed:
    "... Ah hurt them, Mr. Sam. I hurt Mr. LeBeau an' Miss Shannon." Rosie breathes out, fresh tears running down h er cheeks. She steps back and a way from Shannon, shaking, floorboards dipping dangerously as she alters their mass through her feet. "Ah ain't no better than anyone else in that church. Ah'm a monster. Ah am a /monster/." she cries out, and the floorboards lift again as she just cries, hiccuping sobs of stress, her arms shaking as she sinks down to her knees. "He's gonna hurt the congregation. He'll hurt 'em and it'll be mah fault, just like if they hurt mah momma 'cause she gave birth to a freak. Ah am so sorry, Miss Shannon. Ah... Ah didn't mean to..."

Nightingale has posed:
     "It's a whole passel of hurt talking there, big bro," Shannon adds, and looks back at Rosie with a little smile. "I'm not bleeding real bad, and he's right, I do heal quick. Just got nicked a little, that's all. Those will probably be healed on me by morning."

     That one worry about her mother is all Shannon needed to hear from Rosie. If not stopped, she closes the distance between her and the other girl. Reaching out, she gently rests her hand on one shoulder, then brings her other hand up, giving her every chance to back away if she chooses. If not, she attempts to draw the girl into a gentle hug, humming a light, wordless tune. "It's a whole lot of hurt talking there, a lot of fear. It's okay. Nobody's mad at you. I'm sure not."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks to her, and says "Your not a monster Rosie, your someone who is hurting and who has to learn when she is upset to control her powers." He will walk over staying about six feet from her or so, and says "Your not the first one here who has accidently hurt someone on accident. Two of my best friends had a tussle where one was ready to kill the other, but they got past it and realized it was not on purpose but an accident. Your not a monster, there are churches out there, who want to think we are monsters cause we are mutants, your church is not the only one. If you think the preacher there is going to hurt the people of the church or your mom and grandma, I need you to calm down and tell me about it, to see if I can help protect them. " He looks to her and says "Close your eyes, take a deep breath and picture yourself where you were the happiest, maybe a field out in the woods, where you could go and be away from everything else?

Antigravity has posed:
    Rosie breathes out. A happy place?

    Rosie holds her head, breathing hard until the panic attack subsides. She slumps, away from Shannon's attempt at a hug, to escape. Anyone who touches her gets hurt.

    She'sbreathing hard still.

    "The girl who they were tryin' to exorcise the demon... they thought she was pregnant with a mutant. Ah contacted the state to git her out. Ah am a mutant. If they knew I was a mutant, they would hurt my momma, 'cause she can't be clean. Ah can't be clean. God hates me an' won't take these powers away." she breathes out, and then brings her hands to her face.

    "Mr. LeBeau offered ta pay a visit to the preacher with Hellfire. Ah slung him inta a rock. Now Mr. Jeremy wants ta take on the whole congregation, an' Ah jus'..." she whispers.

    "... how can Ah be Good, Sam?"

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon nods in silent acknowledgement, taking a step backwards. She'd seen this before. There had been others it had taken time for her to get through to. Each time, it had been worth it. "That's what I was trying to ask earlier," she says softly. "If your momma's in danger, that's the kind of thing you need to let the teachers here know, so they can help get her to a safe place." For the moment, though, she falls silent once more, letting Sam take point on this one.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will move to sit down across from Rosie. "Well, you just have to choose to be good. Man, or Mutant neither of them are born good. It is the choices we make, and the path we walk that decides that. And making a mistake and going down the wrong path for a bit does not mean you can't find the right one. You don't have to worry about people thinking you were a mutant. Ah'll have someone go down to the junk yard and crush a few cars, so does not look like it stops when you left." He offers. "Your preacher is not the first man of god, Ah wanted to punch out, cause they are spreading hate disguised in gods love. We will teach you to use your powers, and how not to use them when your upset as well." He looks to her, and says "With practice you will learn to control your powers, and using them should be a decision you make. If you ask me, how to be good you help people, and you try to show them respect and caring, letting their actions speak for what type of person they are. You seem sorry for what happened to Remy, and Shannon here, well, you can apologize to them, and Ah wager both will accept it, and be honest that they do. We have had students here from situations like yours in the past, we have had students, whose parents tried to harm or even kill them when they found out the kids were mutants. Mutants are not monsters or demons, we are folks just like anyone else. Are there bad mutants, yea, one group even called themselves the brotherhood of evil mutants, but there are good mutants who try to help folks, A few have even been on the Avengers teams. There are some who just want to live their life, and not bother or be bothered by others.

Antigravity has posed:
    Rosie breathes out, and she wipes her eyes with the back of her hand.

    "Mah momma's already on their list of un-likable folks on account of my bein' born outta wedlock." she swallows a moment, and exhales heavily again.

    "Ah'm sorry, Miss Shannon. Ah don't much care for bein' touched. Mah family's not the touchy-feely type." she explains quietly.

    "Ah... think maybe it'd be better if Ah jus' got back to mah room. An' maybe E-mail Jeremy an' ask him tah not hurt the church. Real nicely."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon nods, and smiles warmly. "It's okay. And please, it's just Shannon. I'm just a student, same as you are. Junior year." Her smile widens a little bit, and she tilts her head. "I'll try to remember that about hugs, but I hope you're not against baked goodies? Because I left a welcome basket in your room with some cookies, teas, coffee, and a few other niceties, and a warm quilt I made."

     She pauses for a moment, looking at Sam, then back at Rosie. "Please, if you think your mom might be in danger, it's okay to speak up so the teachers here can help. Nobody should have to live in fear like that."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks over and says "Well, Ah will see if Ah can think of a way to help ya ma, and see about having the aliens show up a few times at the junk yard." He looks over to Shannon and leans in a bit towards Rowan "You'll have to forgive her, she said she let you some tea, but it will be this hot bitter stuff, you want some real Tea, there is a pitcher in the kitchen, and selection three on the fridge is pellet ice." You'll learn the people here are good folks, despite not knowing what tea is."

Antigravity has posed:
    "Oh mah God you are a terrifyin' creature." Rosie murmurs in Shannon's direction, and then looks back to Sam, and then back to Shannon, and lets her shoulders sag.

    "Ah did. An' one offered to visit the PReacher so I hit a rock with him. An' felt bad for his dog. An' then Ah just did again." she points out, now just mildly irritated, mostly with herself.

    "... thank you, Miss Shannon. An' Mr. Sam. Sorry Ah'm such trouble."

Nightingale has posed:
     "Oi! That sweet tea has to have -something- for a base, and that's what I done did give her! Now she can make it to her own liking!" Shannon reaches out with one wing to gently swat Sam upside the head, laughing. "There's one thing Sam's given me a taste for, and that's some honest to goodness sweet tea. So you and me might have words fighting over the last bit of it in the pitcher."

     The last is spoken with a giggle, her eyes twinkling with amusement and pure mischief. "And I'm tellin' ya, you haven't lived until you've tried his fried chicken! Heck, I'll make some mac 'n cheese to go with that, and we'll feast one of these days, if we can talk Sam into it."

     She blinks at something Rosie says, lofting her brows. "Terrifying? How's that? And you're no trouble at all, believe me."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie says, "Ah think she ment the whole hot tea." He tells Shannon, and then to Rosie, he says "A lot of people here have had bad issues with folks, who treat mutants badly, and as Ah said, some have had those people attack them. You saved your friend, going against them how you could. And yea I understand, some of those people who are Anti mutant are some of the people you love. Part of our goal here besides helping you learn to use your powers, is trying to help mankind and mutant kind be able to live in harmony. It is a hard thing and yea it is easier to stand up and protect others than do it for yourself some time, but we are here to try to help ya, and hopefully you will count us as your friends some time. Your not trouble, your someone who needs a little help, and who will be able to be anything she wants to be.""

Antigravity has posed:
    Rosie rubs at the back of her neck.

    "Let's jus' say Ah ain't used to so much /altruism/." she murmurs quietly from her place on the floor, and the blone drags herself up up, re-settling the gigbag on her back, and she looks to the two.

    "Ah... should get some sleep. Classes firs' thing in the mornin'..." she trails off, and she looks down at her wrist a moment.

    "Who schedules a gym class fer seven AM anyway? What teacher's that gonna be?"

Nightingale has posed:
     "Ha. Seven AM? That's sleeping in. I'm usually out and running by no later than five, so I still have time for a shower and breakfast before class." Shannon snickers softly, shaking her head. "A class that early sounds like something Mr. Summers would pull, but I'm not sure if that one's his. He sometimes teaches shop over the summer, though."

     Looking at Rosie's gig bag, she smiles again. "Get some rest there. Maybe sometime we could both play guitar? There's probably plenty you could teach me, it's not one of my stronger instruments."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie nods, and says "Scott or Kurt would be my two main guesses. You can do it though it will be tough but a healthy body helps us help ourselves.