14112/Trust Me: Tryout, washout

Trust Me: Tryout, washout
Date of Scene:	06 February 2022
Location:	Rec Room - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	When future plans come crumbling down, friends are there to help pick up the pieces. And who needs spines anyway?
Cast of Characters:	Jax Miller, Kit Killovarras

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Jax Miller has posed:
    It has been one of those periods, those oddly long periods, where Jax has been absent from the school for 'reasons'. They happen. In fact, they oddly seem to happen at regular intervals and usually boil down to his family going on a holiday, his family celebrating some kind of special occasion, or some form of important activity that all future professional athletes need to occasionally indulge in. Scoutings, tryouts, trial matches, medicals, meetings with managers, visiting universities for scholarships... there's a time of year when all of those tend to collide, and the early months of the year tends to be that time.

    Fast forward then to the present. The Jeep is back in the usual parking spot, the neighborhood cats have started to reassemble around the school grounds, and there is a marked increase of Jax. An increase, in fact, of one hundred percent, which should make all investors tracking Jax Futures very happy.

    And yet oddly, aside from these fringe indicators of a Jax-shaped presence on the grounds, no students have laid eyes on the fabulous feline. Until right now.

    The student formerly, currently, and subsequently known as Jax is laid out on a couch in the rec room, seemingly half asleep and sort-of but not quite watching some old cartoon with barely a smidgen of his attention span. The rest seems to be dozing somewhere, and possibly with good reason. Given the taped up left ankle, the knee brace on the left knee, the left arm immobilised across his chest with a sling, and the rather impressive black left eye, it could be surmised that there is not enough intact Jax left to give anything his full attention. And even in just his loose football jersey and loose shorts, it's not hard to see a certain padding along the torso, hinting at further damage to the left side of the cat mutant's usually very durable frame.

Kit Killovarras has posed:
Good eyes, better nose and a very good set of toe beans make for a creature that could rival an apex predator. Then again, when your meals are tiny and spooked by vibrations, they're a requirement. So, quiet as always, Kit makes his way in, having caught Jax's scent and walks up near the couch.

He actually looks like he's about to pounce, but then he catches the padded part of the felines body and stops himself, instead choosing to lean down and snuffle around near the bandages lightly. "What happened?" The words don't as much come out sounding worried as curious.

Jax Miller has posed:
    "Heeeeeeeeey!" it's not the usual exuberant exclamation, but more of a tired yet happy groan. Combine that with a casual reach up so Jax can pull that snuffling head closer and scratch it behind the ears, and it could be surmised that despite any cosmetic damage that may have occurred, Jax is still quintessentially Jax. A relief to all, no doubt. With perhaps a hint of concussion.

    "Tryouts season, y'know? Gotta look good for the scouts, try to snag a sweet contract deal or a spot on a university team. Give it the best an' look awesome, that sorta jazz. Sometimes just gets a bit rougher than usual. 's okay, feels worse than it looks." Ehm...

Kit Killovarras has posed:
There's a little chuckle from the yeen as he lens down and nuzzles at the felines cheek gently, then he very, very delicately touches his claws to the bandages, "And you worry about me hunting." he says as he starts to trace designs over the feline in that violet energy of his.

The energy seems to seep into everything it touches, dulling the ache a little, but not enough. The strange sensation of damaged cells suddenly reassembling under the glow would be noticeable, and unpleasant as it might be to some, at least it's not painful. Someones apparently been practicing. "So, how do you think it went?" he asks with another little tilt of his head.

Jax Miller has posed:
    It would be an odd sensation to most people to have their ribs starting to knit back together faster, or feel the surrounding tissue loosening up after a long period of painful stiffness, but when you live in a school with mutant healers... Still, Jax closes his eyes for a moment, toe claws splaying out at the strange sensation, before he seems to get a grip on himself again. "Dunno, but... not that great, I think."

    Wait what? This is the cat who can literally float a battleship on his own self confidence. "I mean, that's what I think. There were a couple subtle hints, y'know? Like my manager saying he was going to try his best but that all the scouts had left halfway through, or that he heard one of them saying they'd rather have an elephant in a jersey throwing a pass than me... little things like that, y'know? Subtle hints... At least that linebacker that yeeted me straight into the dugout didn't get anything out of either."

Kit Killovarras has posed:
Kit gives a little sigh and nuzzles Jax's cheek again gently as he finishes up his bit of healing, managing to make fairly quick work out of most of the damage. "So long as you give it your all, that's all that matters." Maybe not the best ego-stroking, but at least he's being honest.

The idea of an Elephant in a jersey though does get a hint of a chuckle from the aardwolf, "Well I mean, an elephant in a jersey would probably make a hell of a defensive lineman, but throwing a pass?" Well, Kit might not be into sports himself - or know fuck all about them for that matter - but he's learning at least, little by little.

Jax Miller has posed:
    "Thanks, pup." Jax smiles and tilts his head into the nuzzle. What for? Well, take your pick really. "But I was playing my best. As in, my very best. Fifteen passes more than sixty yards, all of 'em on target. I mean, yeah, I give 'em a bit more spin than maybe I should, but the wide receiver didn't drop a single one." With half a groan, the sound of someone expecting pain but suddenly finding none, the cat mutant sits up. That is to say, he inclines himself a bit more against the pillow behind his back so he's not entirely horizontal anymore. The closest approximation for that position would be 'slouch'.

    "Every play went as good as I've ever seen 'em, nobody fumbled, communication was good, we were just advancing and advancing, I mean..." another deep sigh. "... as good as it gets, y'know? Until that gorilla in a football uniform punts me across the side line after the ball was well away and sent me flying. You try playing after that."

    A tentative flex of his shoulder, and another wince. "Good thing he didn't get my throwing arm. And at least if all the teams drop me after this, I can get some studying done."

Kit Killovarras has posed:
Kit nods slightly and offers the feline a warm smile and a simple, "Any time, Kitten." then stands up and stretches a bit before heading over to grab a drink, giving a glance over his shoulder as he muses, "It would give you a chance to study up a bit and be able to actually understand that paperwork of yours." with a little chuckle. "Or study up on other hobbies maybe."

He'll grab himself his usual coke and give a glance back to the feline again as he adds asks, "Want a drink?" He's apparently not going to comment on the person who punted the poor feline.

Jax Miller has posed:
    "Ah man, don't get me started on that trust thing, just thinking about it gives me a headache, an' I've already got a pretty good one." Poor Jax. But he does seem to have enough mental energy to figuratively pounce on the offer of a drink being brought to him, obviating all that unnecessary getting up and actually moving. "Please. Anything from the unhealthy energy drink tub." There is in fact such a tub. It's helpfully labeled 'Jax, drink at own peril'.

    "But you're right, if I'm not gonna be a professional player, I hafta make work of the company. I really feel bad for Uncle Alan though, he's been working so hard to get me on a team."

Kit Killovarras has posed:
Kit grabs a drink from the tub and chuckles quietly, "Got it," he says with a little grin and heads back, offering the feline his drink as he tilts his head, "I wouldn't say give up on it just yet, but take the time to explore other things too." There's a little smile as he adds, "By the way, one of these days I should take you over to the dojo, see how well you do there."

Eventually, the yeen will take a seat himself, though more on the floor and leaning up against the couch that Jax is on. "As for the trust, I can probably try to help you with it at some point. Arcane theory isn't much different from typical mathematics half the time, so theoretically.." he just sort of lets that hang in the air for a moment, as if it didn't sound weird.

Jax Miller has posed:
    There is a knack to opening a bottle of something using the same hand you're using to hold it. It takes skill, dexterity, and possibly years of training. So, naturally, Jax does just that, unscrewing the cap with two fingers while holding the bottle with the remaining three. If all else fails, he might yet make a good pickpocket. "I wouldn't mind being a grasshopper for a while, but I draw the line at waxing cars. Y'know, if they'll have me, some people might consider me a disruptive element in a serious class." Such as every teacher who has ever taught him, ever.

    Casually, while leaning against the pillow, the cat mutant sets the bottle down on top of Kit's head... still holding it, but clearly using the head for support out of sheer laziness or possibly a shared sense of body comedy. "Thanks man. I can't make heads or tails of it, so maybe if we add another head and a tail, it might start making sense? But I think I'm going to hafta show it to someone who runs a business and is used to reading the liber arcanum financicus or whatever."

Kit Killovarras has posed:
There's a little chuckle at the mention of being a disruptive element and the Aardwolf just gives Jax a glance and a grin. "You'll be with me, for one, so I can try and help keep you on track. Second, I don't think you could be much more disruptive than I can be at times."

The glass on his head does get a wiggle of ears and a little laugh, as well as Kit looking over at Jax with what can only be deemed, 'puppy dog eyes' to ask, "Do I make a good table?" There's a flash of teeth for a moment when he gives a near ear-to-ear grin and adds, "Plus, it'll be interesting to see how you fare."

Oh no, what could that mean?

Jax Miller has posed:
    Honestly, Jax should have seen that coming. Sure, he'd been talking about going 'hunting' with Kit. Absolutely, he's been talking about doing something other than being a pretty face... a very, very pretty face, for the cause of mutant kind. But until now, the whole hero thing has been an abstract, something to aspire to, something to keep an eye on in case the football career didn't take off. And, with said career seemingly stuck on the tarmac with the hand brake on, he may actually have to expend some energy at it. Same with the company... some actual effort is soon going to be required.

    Is this the end of the carefree life? Or the beginning of the end? Or the end of the beginning of the start of being a hero? How many more tenses can he mentally mangle before running into the limits of the english language?

    "Y'know... you're on. But give me a while to get caught up. Like, half a lesson or so." Aaaaah! There's that good old confidence again.

Kit Killovarras has posed:
The aardwolf tilts his head a little and nods with a little chuckle, "I mean, I'm only about two weeks in, so there's not a lot of catching up to do." he says before taking a sip of his drink. Then he pauses for a moment and gets this strangely thoughtful look. "That reminds me, have I introduced you to Mercy yet?"

Well, he can be derpy on occasions, but that might have been an interesting encounter down the road for the poor feline had it been without warning.

Jax Miller has posed:
    "If you're talking about a person, nope." Jax smiles and finally removes the bottle from Kit's head so he can take another drink. The bottle is not replaced, but a substitute arrives in the form of Jax's arm. Leaning on a friend. Literally. "If you're talking about the concept, I think I have an idea what it might be. And speaking of..."

    There's a momentary shudder, as if the cat mutant has just now remembered something...

    "I hope someone will have mercy on my soul when grandpa finds out the football thing didn't work."

Kit Killovarras has posed:
When the bottle is removed, Kit wiggles his ears and explains, "I meant a person," and then the arm ends up on his head and he snerks quietly before tipping his head back, nuzzling at the arm as he continues, "Just to warn you, she smells a /LOT/ like a coyote.." with the warning that he's invited the feline into a canines lair.

Then Grandpa is mentioned and Kit sort of twitches a little before he just starts laughing a little. "Yeah, that's going to be an interesting moment." he manages to say after a moment to collect himself, then gives a glance back to Jax with a smile. "If you want, I'll be there to help with that though. Or try, at least."

Once again, at least he's honest?

Jax Miller has posed:
    "I mean... if I don't get into a university, no more trust fund." And that, truly, is a horrifying thought. Where would Jax be without the money and toys? "And if I'm not getting a sports scholarship... man, I'm gonna hafta actually study my way in." Horrifying. Thoughts.

    As to the offer of being there when it happens as backup, Jax simply leans a bit more on Kit and idly scratches his friend behind the ears. "Thanks man."

Kit Killovarras has posed:
There is a moment that Kit just looks at Jax, then he gives a playful grin and muses, "So, relying on talents other than tackling people?" with a playful tone. Then he nudges the felines arm again and chuckles quietly. "Find something you're interested in and you'll do fine."

Then he leans his head back and to one side, putting himself at a weird angle with his back mostly strait and his head further back than it should ever go as he looks up at Jax. "You're more than just a pretty face, you know that, right?" Well that went oddly serious. "There's a lot more to you than just a sports career, Kitten."

Jax Miller has posed:
    Spines are optional. This is a truism for quite a few species on the planet, and well known to anyone who has ever had the joy of having furred pets of any kind. Jax leans his head to the side and down, until he's forehead to forehead with Kit, regardless of whatever position the rest of him may be in. Even with half his limbs injured, the cat mutant is still, quintessentially, cat.

    "I know, Pup. But that's the only side of me I've ever relied on. Until now, anyway. Until recently. Until..." Pause.

    Significant.

    Pause.

    "... thanks. For everything."