12925/Meeting the Newbie!

Meeting the Newbie!
Date of Scene:	30 March 2021
Location:	Backyard - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Megan gets spooked by Gray and a baby rat. Jeremy walks in on them talking about him. Awkward.
Cast of Characters:	Pixie, Gray, SpyderByte

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Pixie has posed:
With spring break just about over, it meant back to classes for Megan. Which isn't exactly something she was thrilled about..Oh sure, some of these classes were pretty fun (drama, music), but many of them were pretty boring (math and stuff). But she's determined to get through her first year of college in one piece!

Which is why she's at least trying to enjoy the warm sunny spring air as she sits at the bench in the backyard, mulling over math problems and wondering why she even has to take this course. Grr!

Gray has posed:
It really is safest to explore when no one else can see you. Besides, no one being able to see you means that you can get into places that people don't necessarily want you to go. If Gray is going to seriously consider staying here, he needs to know all of their dirty little secrets, which means that he needs look in places that they don't want him to see. He's still veiled as he slips out into the backyard, easing the backdoor closed behind him as quietly as possible.

He startles a little at the sight of someone else, the sound of a rough exhale seeming to come from nothing for the pink haired girl.

Pixie has posed:
It's pretty quiet out in the yard this afternoon. Birds are chirping, the trees are rustling, and there's a gentle breeze, a bit on the cool side if you're not wearing a decent jacket. Hey, it's not exactly summer yet, and winter is still on and off again as it transitions into spring.

Megan shivers just the slightest, drawing her jacket more tightly around her shoulders, maybe a bit too thin for this iffy weather but at least she had the sense to bring a jacket at least. Fortunately, her wings dont get cold although they seem a bit droopy, folded against her back but clearly visible.

"Uggggh, whyyy is this math sooo hard? I just dont wanna do it.." she pouts as she chews on the end of her rainbow unicorn pencil, having worked on this one problem for nearly an hour now. "What I need are some super smart friends to do my homework for me. But that Jeremy is such a party pooper and wants me to do it myself..Hmm..Who else can I ask?"

Gray has posed:
"Jeremy ain't a bad guy." Gray might not know him very well, but he's still going to defend the guy that's letting him crash in his room while he decides if this place is a good fit, "If you don't do it yourself, you ain't gonna learn it." And then she'll be in the same sort of mess he is, as far as schooling goes. He drops his veil, standing before her with dirty coat pulled tightly around himself, over stuffed backpack on his back, and hands shoved into the pockets of his coat, "What'cha working on, anyway?"

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn hadn't really noticed some kid sneaking up on her, she certainly hadn't noticed anyone walk outside..But then she was pretty focused on her homework. Either way, one moment he's not there, the next moment..Poof!

"GAAAAAH!!!!" she yelps in surprise, scattering her papers to the wind, and literally jumps like, 20 feet up in the air, which isn't so hard when you have wings. But even if she didn't, Megan is apparently easily spooked.

"What the..Who the...Where did you come from!?!" when she *finally* returns to earth, her heart beating some million miles an hour, she just stares at Gray. "Oh..you're..The new kid?" annnnd then the wind is carrying her papers away. "Oh nooooo!!! Come baaaaack!!!" she stars running around the garden, trying to pick 'em up, and - thanks in part to Murphy's Law - they wait just inches from her before they fly off again..

Dammit, Murphy!!

Gray has posed:
"AHHHH!" Gray stumbles back a few steps when he startles the girl, veil coming back up instinctively. Well. That happened.

He doesn't drop it again until she's back on the ground, pointing vaguely toward the mansion with a sort of helpless look on his face, "Um... Inside?" Which is, technically, true. Then she's chasing after scattered papers and... well, it's his fault, sort of, so the polite thing to do would be help, right? Weighed down like he is with his bag, the easiest way to catch papers is by stomping on them, which is probably not the best for important papers like homework. Oops...

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn draws a deep breath, managing to relax a bit as she recovers fleeing papers..Fortunately Gray manages to snag some too, and she smiles, breathing a sigh of relief as she collects them..Although now they're all out of order. "Phew, thanks! I should have paid better attention..Um..."

Oh yeah, that's right. "Woo, uh, I never saw you coming, are you like, a teleporter, or something?" she grins, "Porting is cool, i'm a teleporter too! Oh yeah, what's your name? I'm Megan, nice to meet you! So you've met Jeremy already? He's..Interesting."

Wow, she never runs out of energy, does she.

Gray has posed:
"I, um..." Gray shakes his head, "No. It was my fault." He's the one that forgot he wasn't wanting to be seen right then. He shakes his head at the question, "No. I can't teleport." He's quiet for a moment before shrugging, "I veil." That probably requires a little explanation, "I can go invisible." He can still be heard, obviously, but he can make himself not be seen, "Um... Gray." There's a soft breath of laughter and he nods, "Yeah. He's letting me stay in his room while I decide if I'm going to stick around." Beat, "The showers here are weird, but at least there's plenty of food."

"So you can fly AND teleport?" Woah. He shakes his head again, "It's weird how some folks get lots of... abilities... like that. All I can do is veil."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn busies herself with sorting the papers into order, then folds them back into her binder. "Phew, I think that's enough studying for today." she peers back at Gray, eyeing him curiously, apparently trying to figure out his ability.

"Oooh, you can go invisible? that's sooo cool. And with a name like Gray, you should totally go by Ghost or something. That'd be aweseom! Oh, oh yeah, my name's Megan..Nice to meet you!"

As for her own abilities, Megan just shrugs, "Well, actually the teleportation is a magic spell, the only mutations I have are flight and hallucinogenic dust. And really, I think if you practice with your powers, they might just evolve into other abilities too, right? I mean, honestly, being able to veil is nothing to scoff at, just look at the Invisible Woman and what she does with her powers!"

Gray has posed:
"It's been useful." Gray shrugs indifferently, "Sure helps with getting away from gangbangers." And most other people that might intend harm. He wrinkles his nose at the suggestion of Ghost, "Had some people calling me Gray Man, or something. Ghost might actually be better." There's another shrug, "I guess Gray Man is supposed to be a reference to some book, or something. I dunno." He doesn't do a whole lot of reading.

The introduction gets a little wave, "Nice t' meetcha, Megan." The explanation of her own powers gets a blink and then a speculative look, "Hallucinogenic dust, huh? That'd make you pretty popular out on the streets." He would know! There's another shrug and he runs one hand through his hair, pushing it back out of his face and showing off a pretty spectacular black eye, "I guess. I mean, I know that I can make stuff invisible if I pick it up while I'm already veiled." Which has been extremely useful, up to now.

Guy's gotta eat, right?

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn shrugs, "Gray ghost? Is that taken yet?" she chuckles, "Well either way, that'd be a handy ability to have. It'd be like being a fly on the wall, or like, perfect for spy stuff!" she giggles at the possibilities.

Her smile fades at the whole 'useful on the streets' bit though. "Eh, well, people *have* tried to use my dust to harvest hallucinogenic drugs." she shivers, "It was not pleasant." She blinks, "Ooh, so can you make other people invisible too? That'd be kinda fuuun...."

Gray has posed:
There's a soft chuckle at the suggestion that Gray could be a spy and another shrug, "Yeah, I guess it would."

He grimaces and sighs, suddenly avoiding eye contact and letting his hair fall back into his face, "Sorry..." He sometimes speaks before he really thinks. Now it's his turn to blink, "I... don't know. I ain't ever tried." He frowns thoughtfully, "I guess it'd be a good thing for sneakin' folks into places. I always just used it t' not be seen, myself."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn smiles and shrugs, "Oh, it's okay..It's not like I'm bent over it or anything. It was just some thing and it's over now." she actually chuckles a bit, not all that bothered. "But anyways..How's Jeremy doing? He's been soo...I dunno, mopey, lately? Even more reclusive and evasive than usual. I'm pretty surprised he let you stay with him.."

Gray has posed:
Gray nods, dropping the topic of what her dust could be used for. He shoves his hands deeper into his pockets and shrugs, "He's alright? Lonely, I think." He's quiet for a moment, "Seemed glad I was stayin' with him, anyway..." He hunches in on himself a little, attention focused on the ground somewhere near his feet, "He's pretty cool, anyway. Set up the shower for me and everything."

SpyderByte has posed:
The door opens up to reveal Jeremy as he steps outside. The sound of chains can be heard rattling about his pants and wrapped around his legs in purple straps. He has on a long sleeved black shirt and this time, a bomber jacket instead of his trench coat. His hair is still a shaggy mess of black dye.

As he spies the pair, he slows down his pace some, lifting a hand upwards as his voice, his actual voice, comes through his phone.

<< Hello. How are you both doing? >>

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn hmmms and nods slowly, "Yeaah, I kinda got that feeling, but he didn't wanna go party or anything." she pouts, "I mean, he should totally get out and socialize more, i think. then he wouldn't feel so depressed all the time.."

Oh, and speak of the devil and there he is! She blinks, turning to face Jeremy and laughs nervously, "Oh, hi, Jer! How's it going? Your friend here nearly scared me half to death, popping out of nowhere. I hear he's your new room mate?"

Gray has posed:
Gray shrugs, "I get the feeling he ain't the partying type." He sure isn't! "Some people just aren't wired t' party." The homeless teen prefers his... partying... to be done in private, himself. Safer that way.

When Jeremy finds them, he startles just a little. Hey, he was just talking about the dude behind his back! "Oh, uh... Hey." Nope. Not blushing. He's just been out in the sun a little too long. Yep. That's his excuse and he's sticking to it!

SpyderByte has posed:
There is a slow blink from Jeremy as he glances between the two of them, then gives a motion of his finger upwards to the security camera mounted. He has that passive look upon his face as always. Slowly, he eases himself down on to the steps of the deck, chains jingling as he goes.

<< He is, yes, as long as he wants. >>

He slowly folds his hands in front of him, tucking them between his knees.

<< I do not like to party because it has loud noises, bright lights and too many bodies in one place. I get nervous and then I get panic attacks. Accelerated heart rate, dizzy spells and numbness. >>

He blows some hair away from his face. << I like small gatherings where I can listen to my surroundings and not feeling over stimulated. >>

Gray has posed:
"I, um... Thanks, man." Yes, that's Gray being all nervous and shy all of a sudden. What? It's been a while since anyone did something like that for him without expecting anything in return! He gives the goth guy a sympathetic look and nods, "Yep. Panic attacks are a thing." And a very good reason to avoid large parties! He eyes Jeremy suspiciously for a moment, "So, if you don't like bright lights, what's with the lights in the shower?" He shrugs after a moment, dismissing his own question.

Moving over to the steps, he sits a few feet away from the other boy, removing both hands from his coat pockets, along with a rat pup. The tiny rat squeeks and curls up in his palm as he cradles it against his chest, falling quet, for the moment, as he murmers softly to the little beastie.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn smirks at Gray and shrugs, "Heh, how about you, do you like parties? cuz Club Evo's *the* place to be these days!" she grins. However, Jeremy's response to that causes her smile to fade. "ehh, I guess different people have different buttons. Me? I get all hyped up and energized around lots of people..But I suppose I cant make other people be like me..Sorrry....."

She glances back at Gray thoughtfully, "Sooo, how do you like it here so far? It's pretty cool, no? Lots of rooms, big gardens, nice people. I mean, I dunno where you're coming from but it's probably a lot safer for you here!"

Annnnd that's when he produces a little babyrat!? Her eyes widen and she squeaks, clearly squeamish about rodents. Even cute baby ones. "Gaaah! What's that!? Is it...Tame? Does it bite? Does it have rabies?!" suddenly megan is backing away. Looks like her hot button has been discovered!

SpyderByte has posed:
<< The lights in the shower is not strobe like or pulsing. It's a gentle purple and pink haze. I find the colors relaxing and soothing to me. >>

Jeremy watches Megan run around after the papers, then glances back towards his roommate. He tilts his head over to the small rat that peeks out of the pocket, then goes back to staring at his phone as he slips it into his hands.

<< Did you sleep okay? I saw you ended up on the floor. It worried me. >>

Gray has posed:
"I usually do my... 'partying'... solo." Gray shrugs, "People ain't safe to be around, most of the time." He nods to Jeremy at his explanation, "That makes sense." A lot of sense.

He shrugs at Megan, "It's alright." He smiles a little, "Food's good." The other boy gets a one shoulder shrug and a little bit of a grimace, "The bed was too soft..." A hard surface like the floor is what he's more accustomed to, "I found a nice spot, though." Propped up in the corner was comfortable, okay? The reaction to the poor little abandoned baby that he... rescued... gets a couple of surprised blinks, "Uh... He's just a baby. I found him yesterday." He gives the little guy an affectionate headrub, "He ain't bit me, yet. I think he's the runt of the litter. Mama took the others and left this little guy behind." It's not like he could just leave the poor little thing alone to starve to death or get eaten by something bigger than him!

SpyderByte has posed:
<< You will find that everyone at Xavier's is safe. They would not be here if they weren't. You'll make so many friends here. >>

Jeremy is honest to a T obviously. He continues to twirl the phone around in his hands, not looking concerned about the baby rat. He casts a glance to Megan, scrunching his face up.

<< It's fine. It can be checked up by Doctor McCoy. People keep rats as pets and they don't have a long life span. I am sure it won't be an issue. >>

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn blinks nervously at the little rat baby, and slowly comes closer. "Oh...Uh, okay, if you're sure? Does..Uh, does he have a name? He's kinda..Cute.."

Gray has posed:
"I had a friend that raised rats when I was a kid." The faintest of smiles pulls at the corner of Gray's mouth, "They're cool critters. Can be trained just like a dog." He shrugs, "I mean, he had feeders, mostly, but he had a couple fancy rats, too." He takes a deep breath and lets it back out slowly, looking over at Jeremy with a flat expression, "Ain't nobody completely safe." He's always got to have his guard up. He's always got to be alert and ready to run at a moment's notice.

Megan gets an encouraging smile and he holds the little baby out to her, "You can pet him, if ya want. He's kinda soft, actually." He shakes his head, "Ain't thought of anything, yet. Was gonna call him Micky, but that just seems a little too... on the nose."

SpyderByte has posed:
<< Xavier's /is/ safe. Everyone here treats each other like normal people. You will see and get used to it in time. You just have to trust yourself to let your walls down. >>

Jeremy lets out a loud yawn, working his knuckles at his eyes. Most likely he did not sleep good himself with a new roommate. That and a moving around restlessly roommate.

<< It's a baby, Megan, it probably still has milkteeth and won't hurt much if it does nip you. You should try and pet it. >>

Gray has posed:
Gray just shakes his head, voice quiet and almost emotionless, "Even normal people ain't safe..." It's the voice of someone that's lived a life to actually know these sorts of things. He does take note of the yawning, but doesn't comment on it. He's pretty much lived the life of the perpetually exhausted for the last few years, himself.

He nods encouragingly, "He's pretty much sleepin' all the time right now, anyway. And I figure that he'll be pretty tame by the time he's grown, since I found him so young."

SpyderByte has posed:
<< That is just your street paranoia talking. You're in a huge mansion now filled with state of the art security and superheroes. It's safe here. >>

Jeremy says as she wrinkles his nose up some.

<< This is the safest place in the world if you're a mutant. You need to trust me and not immediately respond with something defensive. Otherwise you won't break through your mental cycle. It's okay to relax a little bit. >>

He knows this from experience.

Gray has posed:
Gray just shrugs, "Yeah, I guess..." That he's speaking from a place of paranoia, "It ain't paranoia if it's true, though." He chuckles a little at that, though there's little amusement in it. He shrugs, tucking the little rat up close to his neck under his coat, "Maybe..." He's giving it a chance, anyway, but that doesn't mean that he's going to completly let his guard down. That's just asking for disaster!

SpyderByte has posed:
<< I think I'm going to head back to my room and lay down. >>

Jeremy says as he rises up to his feet, smoothing his pants down as the chains jingle and jangle.

<< Are you going to stay down here long and hang out? I can leave the door unlocked. I think I'm going to watch some TV. >>

Gray has posed:
"I think I'm about explored out." Gray sounds tired, even. Not really physically, but just mentally exhausted. He pushes himself to his feet moments after Jeremy and waves in Megan's direction, sounding sympathetic and a little guilty, "Sorry about your papers, Megan." If he were a good person, he'd stay and help her finish catching them, but he's tired.