1771/It's Only A Paper Moon

It's Only A Paper Moon
Date of Scene:	01 August 2017
Location:	Pool, Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Wolfsbane finds Doug swimming. They discuss a matter close to Doug, then he plays a trick on her. It doesn't go over well.
Cast of Characters:	Cypher, Wolfsbane

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Cypher has posed:
It's a quiet night, but it's warm and humid and the full moon is hanging bright and beautiful in the sky and Doug has decided to go for a midnight swim.

Which means, at the moment, he's floating on his back in the middle of the pool, gently treading water, as he looks up at it, and sorts out his thoughts. His phone has been plugged into a speaker on a table nearby, and it's playing music - Wiz Khalifa's "Black and Yellow."

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane slept well. Better than she expected to, in fact. She had a big question answered, and it left little to no doubt of the truth. Now, it's a matter of dealing with that truth. She spent much of the day catching up with others, but just missed Doug one way or another. Scents mixed, some not as fresh as she thought. Getting used to more around the school compared to Muir Island might take a few extra days before everything's 'recalibrated.'

However, a stronger 'Doug scent' led her outside after night had set in. Why would he not be in for the evening? Must see, and find out. It's the pool she's led to, hearing the music before seeing him. "Och, so there ye are."

Cypher has posed:
When Rahne calls out to him, Doug looks up, and then he flips in the water, before he neatly swims to the edge, and hangs onto it. His blond hair is hanging in his face. He's... bigger than he used to be. More muscle. Squarer shoulders. A deep, broad chest. He's actually got a squarer profile than Sam or Bobby, though he's not as tall as either. He puts his forearms on the edge of the pool. "...Hey."

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane's attire has pockets, hidden in the pants where the folds of her top come down to cover her hips. Her hands dip inside so she can stuff them in said pockets, scuffing a heel against the deck around the pool as Doug swims closer. She's looking at him, yet not looking too closely. He's only in swim trunks, after all, as far as she can tell. "Did ye have a good day, I hope?" the wolfen girl wonders.

Cypher has posed:
Doug raises his eyebrows. "I didn't get a lot done. I'm sorry I didn't come down to talk to you and Dani later. I don't know if she told you," He says, "But before you got to the school I went to talk to my parents. My dad... he kind of... kicked me out of their lives. He told me he didn't know if I was some sick joke or some kind of shapeshifter or alien or... 'whatever' but that it was better if I just stay away. They're leaving Salem Center, going out west. He gave me some money, said 'Have a nice life', and that was it." He looks down. "So I was pretty messed up. Then I saw you, and it just... you know how things can just be too much?"

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane begins to wave it off. "I was worn oot an' needed tae sleep," she answers before growing quiet, a frown forming and widening to more obvious proportions by the time Doug's finished telling her about the encounter with his parents. "Tha' sounds so..wrong, Doug," is all she can manage to start out. "I've nae idea how I'd even begin tae handle news like tha'. How can he just..pay ye off like it's supposed tae get ye tae stay away forever?" A pause. Another question. "Do ye think they'll come around a' some point, or are ye just gaunae..let them go?" Her expression suggests sympathy, sorrow.

Cypher has posed:
Doug pushes himself up out of the pool, shedding water. He stands there, and drips -- and he looks up, before he puffs his cheeks out. "I think... I was going there to say goodbye. They're a pair of lawyers from Salem Center, Rahney--even if dad was a lawyer for the school back then, they're not part of this world. And you don't just show up on their front step after--after. And expect things to be okay! So... yeah. I'm just going to let them go."

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane moves a few steps back, giving Doug room whether it's needed or not, a hand leaving its pocket so she can rub the back of her head, then an ear. It's something she's done a lot of in the past when feeling awkward about one thing or another. That, and a sheepish look in her expression, but it remains mixed with concern. "Ye may be right, Douglas, but tha' doesnae make it any easier. I'm sorry it's tha' way. I wish it were different."

Cypher has posed:
Doug looks down. "Yeah. It... hurts. In an icy way. Because I read the subtext of everything he was saying and it was tearing him apart. He wanted to hold me, and he willfully pushed me away. I didn't fight him on it." He sighs. Then he looks up at Rahne, those baby blues settling on her. "You're not telling me something, Wolf Princess."

Wolfsbane has posed:
"Then there's still a chance. Ye have tae believe there is, if ye could tell tha' in him. He wasnae ready tae accept whit he saw, ye see?" Wolfsbane latches on to that small sense of hope, because that's the way she is, the way she tries to be. "/I/ was no' sure I'd be ready tae face ye an' believe it, but everything I know tells me it's really ye. Maybe they just need more time." She squints at the title he gives her, however. The way her brows scrunch up closer suggests a question like 'Why would you say that?' It's confusion.

Cypher has posed:
Doug holds his hands out. "Because my powers have *grown*, Rahne. It's so MUCH. I can understand the meaning of all the birds around me, I can read lips--I even found myself mentally breaking down and listing out the recipe for my oatmeal this morning." He says, "And I can read subtext. When people hold back, when they say something and mean something else, when they bluff, or lie -- not that you're lying -- I know. But... it's like I have the rosetta stone for the whole world. If I ever seem distant... please know that's why. It's because the whole world is speaking to me, and I'm trying to sort it out. But right now... something's on your mind and you're not telling me. It's okay. You don't have to."

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane's mouth works open and closed slowly at this piece of information. "Tha' almost sounds like th' way it is with muh senses, but just..so much larger a scale. I'm no' sure I can even imagine whit tha's like." The thing is, sometimes she too comes off distantly because of very similar reasons. It's strange for her to think about now that she actually has to. "An'..I suppose I was thinking o' muh own parents, but th' situations are really nothing alike." She begins to pace back and forth slowly.

Cypher has posed:
Doug tilts his head, and says, "Oh. I see." Then he says, "It doesn't matter, Rahney. Whatever it is, it doesn't matter. You're beautiful, and I see no flaw, no blame in you. You're my friend... and you're wonderful." He puts his hands on his hips, and says, "I think I'm an authority on that subject." He squares his shoulders. "So no arguing. Kay?"

Wolfsbane has posed:
"Ye're verra silver-tongued, Douglas, ye know tha'?" Wolfsbane remarks, though it's said with a ghost of a smile. "But I appreciate it all th' same. Sometimes..it's nice tae hear a few good words." Regardless of that, her chest heaves slowly up and down with the deeper breath she takes. "I've go' some things on muh mind as well, but they can wait for another day." Might be longer than just another day, knowing how private she can be with deeply personal matters. "But it's good tae see ye oot doing things. Ye remembered tae let yuir food settle before ye went in th' pool, aye?" Assuming he ate earlier.

Cypher has posed:
Doug tilts his head, and then says, "Yes, mother Sinclair. I waited thirty minutes after dinner before I got in the pool." Then he eyes Rahne sidelong, and a bit of that old, impish Wee Dougie look creeps into his eyes. "Hey Rahne. Does that outfit adjust when you change shape?"

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane nods with satisfaction. "Good. Ye were oot here alone an' whit if ye cramped up?" she asks. Could it be that after he'd died and come back, she's worrying about his well-being?" The question leads to a somewhat suspicious look out of her. "Aye. It's Unstable Molecules. Why do ye want tae know?"

Cypher has posed:
"Just what I wanted to hear!" Doug is moving to take hold of Rahne--and he's lifting her up. "Quick-Change, Rahney!" He says, before he's tossing her up into the air, over the deep end of the pool. It's not a forceful or violent toss -- just quick.

And then he's rabbiting the hell out of there. He knows he can't outrun her. That's not the point. His laughter echoes off into the night, as bare feet slap down the path. "Oh, *man*," He breathes to himself, "Is she gonna be MAD."

Wolfsbane has posed:
"Whit?"

What happens next, with Wolfsbane caught off-guard, is a wolf landing in the pool where before there was a wolfgirl in midair. The splash is anything but graceful, and it's only a second or two before the animal is paddling her way back to the surface, a few more moments needed before she's even able to drag herself out of the water and begin to shake herself off. It's all the time he really needs to escape, but before he's too far away he'll hear a shout once she's gone back to a form she can actually speak in.

"Douglas Ramsey! When I get muh hands on ye, ye'll /wish/ ye only had th' cramps!"

Cypher has posed:
Somewhere along the line, the songs switched. Wiz Khalifa is long gone, now, and instead it's switched to Ella Fitzgerald.

'It's a Barnum & Bailey world
Just as phony as it can be
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me...'

And Doug's laughter is receeding into the distance. It invites the Wolf to chase -- but what would she do with him if she caught him, eh? The wicked boy.

Wolfsbane has posed:
She could chase..but no. Not yet, for at his laughter there's suddenly a low-level anger and rage building up, let out in a snarl. Wolfsbane's visage is decidedly more animalistic right now than not, complete with a more wolfen head, fingers and toes thicker, more blunted and paw-like, and the tail remains.

"Rrrrrr.." she growls, eyeing the speaker as if it's done something offensive to her. So, it's knocked to the pool deck before she stalks off, shaking her head. "Stupid, silly boy," she again growls. Oh, the urge to chase was there, but the last thing she wants to do right now is run down the boy she only saw alive again the evening prior. So wolfen is she that the outfit hasn't even reappeared, and it won't for a while.

This is because a wolf is darting into the woods, in need of a run to work off a sudden flood of aggression. Maybe Doug's not the only one who's changed since the last time they'd seen each other, but is this a sudden, freak slip or a harbinger of deeper issues kept repressed?