4606/Where is this going

Where is this going
Date of Scene:	07 June 2018
Location:	Over the phone
Synopsis:	Andrea and Mason talk some more about their past. Andrea keeps hurting herself.
Cast of Characters:	Rage, Mason Steele

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Rage has posed:
It's roughly eleven in the morning and Andrea is at home in her sky rise condo, sitting on a small bench on the balcony that overlooks New York City She is sipping on a fruit smoothie with some toast in front of her, dressed in a pair of sleep shorts and a simple matching top. Scrolling through her current iPad like device, she reads the news, avoiding the gossip rags, just catching up on the current events. Her phone is near by as well, charging from a long cable plugged into the wall. She has some paperwork nearby as well for Xavier's school, applications and transfer requests for credits.

Mason Steele has posed:
    Meanwhile, Mason is just waking up. Why? Well, he was up late partying. Sprawled across his bed, he glares at the clock. He rolls out of bed, walking to the bathroom in his boxers, and grabbing a couple of ibubrofen. Taking a cup, he fills it with water and pops the pills. What all happened last night? It's a little bit of a haze. He stumbles back to his bed, grabbing his shorts off the floor and fishing his phone out.
    5% battery remaining. He reaches behind the bed, pulling out the charging cable, and plugs it in, then brings up his twitter. Hmm, he didn't post anything there. He checks his tag. Looks like it was a pretty good time. Too bad he doesn't remember it. Scrolling through the feed, someone shared a link with a shot of Andrea and Tyler. Huh. He texts. -Have a good time? He's a pretty cool guy, told ya.-

Rage has posed:
Giving a glance down at the iPad that lights up from the text message, Andrea picks it up and lets out a sigh. Her thumbs tap along the glass in response. -We hung out and had dinner. Don't think too much about it. Yes, he is a cool guy. He also needs a job. Can you hook him up?- She plucks her smoothie back up and takes another sip from it as she launches her own Twitter to scroll through the news. -And it looks like you took a trip to Ho-Island. Shocked. You could have hung out with me last night and chilled.-

Mason Steele has posed:
    Mason glance back at the feed, scrolling through the pictures. Did he? He's not sure. Well, there are a couple there that would have been prospects. -Dunno, must've been a good party though, I can't wait to find out all the stuff we did. Mad hangover.- He rolls over, flopping onto his back again. -I might. He probably can dance. Maybe he could be one of the dance guys for you.- Mason naturally doesn't have dance guys on stage. -I can check around. He should do some MMA probably. Didn't know he was lookin.-

Rage has posed:
There is a visible roll of the eyes from Andrea and she hits the call button on the phone to ring him instead of text. She waits for him to answer, then says, "Why are you always trying so hard to push him on me? He's /your/ friend, Mason. I guess by default he is my friend too, but you always do this. Do you not want him as a friend? Are you just trying to get rid of me as well? A lso, he can't do MMA. He's a mutant. They test for drugs in your blood. If it came out he was a mutant it'd be terrible."

Mason Steele has posed:
    Mason lets it ring several times, deciding whether he is going to answer before finally hitting the green. "I'm not, I just don't know what I would get him a job doin'," he answers. "I'm not greedy on friends. I don't know anything about MMA, I didn't know they test if you're a mutant." He closes his eyes, "I'm not like a job finder or anything. I can help him meet somebody. He didn't ask me for help. Guys don't like other guys giving them handouts, y'know?"

Rage has posed:
"Oh please, drop the macho act. He is nearly homeless and barely getting by. He wants a job. The only thing I can probably get him is filing paperwork or something. You don't got anything at all your team may use him for?" Andrea says with a sigh in her throat. "He's accepted to transfer to Xavier's with me by the way. So he's going to have some good support for the mutant side. But he stil needs money for like.. every day life stuff." She takes another sip of her smoothie. "You don't need a bodyguard or anything? He kicks major ass. I already have a full security team and he's underage, but, you don't roll like I do, so maybe he can protect you.. be a gopher or something. Set up schedules and promos? It would be a good experience for him, and you probably."

Mason Steele has posed:
    "I guess," Mason considers. "I hadn't thought about that. Never had a bodyguard." He laughs, "Probably need a babysitter from the looks of last night." He sits back up, and gets back out of the bed, wandering into the kitchen, opening the fridge. "I don't know what Xavier's is. Is that your mutant school thing? How will he pay for it if he's homeless?"

Rage has posed:
"Yes, it's Xavier's Institute for higher learning. They have a great staff, and it's like a public school for mutants. I don't think it costs him anything. They accept donations though which are welcomed." Andrea says, seemingly to hint at it in her tone. "I wish you could come with me, it's going to be way better than normal school with packets and staying at home. This place is fun. They got a /huge/ pool there, a awesome gym, huge classes, big music room to record. All the teachers are awesome and pros in their field." She sighs softly to herself. "Would be nice to spend time with you and just act normal instead of having to be on guard all the time."

Mason Steele has posed:
    Mason spots the pizza from three days ago, and pulls it out, dropping it on the counter while he holds the phone in his other hand. Three pieces, that works. He grabs one, putting it in his mouth. "Wube nishe," he says around the food. "shep I'm nah a mutan."

Rage has posed:
"You sure about that? I got an app on my phone and I scanned you with it the other day and it said you were." Andrea says with a serious tone to her voice, though her lips are giving an amused twitch. "Also, please don't tell anyone about the school. It's supposed to be a big secret. Not really common knowledge it's for mutants, so.. if you can do me one favor and keep it, just don't talk about it okay. Please?"

Mason Steele has posed:
    Mason swallows, "Yeah, I heard they had an app for that," he answers. "You're the one that brought it up," he said. "I was about to say the same thing. Probably already a risk to them just having somebody high profile attending it." He grabs another slice, and wanders into the living room, plopping onto the couch. "I won't say nothin' don't worry."

Rage has posed:
"But if you were a mutant, you would tell me, right? So I wouldn't have to go through this alone?" Andrea asks in that voice he has come to know and used to love. "Because I am scared, Mason. I know I put on this brave face and I talk a big game about equal rights and all that shit, but I'm still scared. I feel like I'm doing this all on my own here." She picks up her smoothie and heads to the balcony, staring out across the expanse of the city. "I guess it would make for a good story." She sighs softly to herself.

Mason Steele has posed:
    Mason is silent for several seconds. "Why do you keep asking that?" he says. "You realize that the chances of being born with the X-gene are like 1 in 10,000, right?" He stares at the pizza in his hand as if it were his enemy, a tear coming to his eye as he hears what she says. "I'm sorry you are scared. I would be too. I would never want anyone to know. I'm not as strong as you. One day they'll make a movie about you, you just wait and see." His voice doesn't sound like he believes it, but he says it anyway.

Rage has posed:
"You're making that number up for one." Andrea says with a sigh as she listens to him, then shrugs her shoulders as she leans in against the balcony, staring down over the edge of it. "I'm on my balcony and sometimes I wonder about that day, when you took that jump. When I made you ..." She pauses for a near full minute, her breathing heavily. "I bet I can give them a real good story.."

Mason Steele has posed:
    "Andrea?" Mason says, concern creeping into his voice. "What do you mean?" He doesn't like the direction that her conversation is going. "It wasn't good. It was the scariest thing that's ever happened to me." He drops the pizza on the couch, rushing back to his room, grabbing the first pair of shorts he finds on the floor. "You didn't make me do it," he says. "I made that choice. Nobody made that choice but me. It was a really bad choice. It was selfish and thoughtless, and I didn't just hurt me that day."

Rage has posed:
"Yeah, but you survived it, when you physically shouldn't have. So maybe it's a sign, Mason. That you were made to do great things in life, that God gave you a second chance." Andrea says with a long sigh as she rocks on her feet back and forth, hearing the creaking of the boards beneath her. "And I did make you do it. I was the catalyst to your pain. My stupid song. My anger. My selfish, jealous emotions. My smug attitude with the media to vilify you. I fucked you up, Mason, and God punished me by turning me into a monster. One that I can't control." She says softly, then sighs. "Don't worry, I'm not going to jump, I"m just being dramatic." She grunts out. "I should let you go though. I'm being a downer."

Mason Steele has posed:
    Mason stops when she says she isn't going to jump, and the sigh of relief can be heard. "I dunno, maybe," he says, not arguing the point. He's always been nervous when Andrea brings up God. "Don't know if God's punishing you, Andrea. I don't know anything about that stuff. It's over now. Can't undo the past. Unless you find out you have time travel powers, too. If so, I got a list of my own stuff you could help me with."

Rage has posed:
"It's not a maybe, Mason. You shouldn't have survived. Believe me, I obsessed over it. You know I'm good in school, and you /know/ my father is a surgeon, and he told me you shouldn't have survived. Not the rate of your fall, the speed, impact. You should be dead. He went in great detail with me about it." Andrea says into the phone. . "And for the last two years all I could do is think about it. So it had to be God, or something else." She sighs again. "I love you, Mason." She says weakly into the phone. "If I had time travel powers I'd do a lot of things differently to protect you."

Mason Steele has posed:
    "Andrea, I landed in that pile of sand," he explains. "I still broke three ribs and my right arm." "If they hadn't been working on the lines there, I would be dead. I just missed the hard dirt is all. Dunno if that makes it a miracle or not. It's not your job to protect me. I gotta stand on my own feet. You shouldn't love me. We already went over that, I'm just gonna screw you up."

Rage has posed:
"Your /mother/ already screwed us both up, Mason!" Andrea lets out quickly, her voice choking back a sob. "For two fucking years I lived with this guilt. And to know that we were lied to, it's fucked up. The only thing you can do to screw me up now is to keep pushing me away. The other night .. " She says with a wet sniff. "Didn't it mean anything? Or was it just another night like you have with your drunk skanks?"

Mason Steele has posed:
    "Andy..." Mason says, he walks back to the living room, and back to the kitchen, pacing nervously as he holds the phone. "That was a mistake. I tried to leave, remember?"

Rage has posed:
"It was a mistake?" Andrea asks, her voice hanging on the phone with emotion built. "You really feel that way?"

Mason Steele has posed:
    Mason pulls the phone away from his ear, and walks to the back yard, out onto the porch. He glances at the rock garden filled with small limestone rocks, and stares at them for several seconds. "Maybe not completely," he says, holding the mic end of the phone up to his mouth. "I dunno. Andy, I dunno what to say about that." He sits down crosslegged in front oof the limestones, and takes one in his hand, rolling it back and forth in his fingers.

Rage has posed:
There is a heavy sigh from Andrea, followed by another sniff. "I'm going to go. I guess. I don't know. Come over if you want. I don't have anything planned."

Mason Steele has posed:
    "Sure," Mason says. "See ya." He hangs up the phone, stares at it for a moment, and then chucks it out into the grass in a sudden violent spasm, then places his hand over his face. He looks down at the small rock in his other hand, and squeezes it in his hand, the crunching sound resonating from his fist until he opens it to look at the glittering pieces of rock. He tilts his head back, pouring the crumbs of stone into his mouth, and he lays back on the concrete, and just stares up at the sky.