4743/Hangout Time

Hangout Time
Date of Scene:	27 June 2018
Location:	Xavier's School
Synopsis:	The New Mutants get together and go to the mall to help Laura find some new clothes.
Cast of Characters:	Twitch, Rage, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, X-23

---

Twitch has posed:
The Recreation Room at Xavier's isn't too busy right now. It is after school and the student body recently had it's curfew lifted so most of the kids are out and about. That doesn't mean all of them are, however.

Tyler is hanging out on one of the couches. He's got ear buds in and a textbook open in front of him, taking the opportunity to catch up on studying while he can still manage to concentrate. The kid appears to be at his limit for focus, however, rubbing at his eyes and looking away from his book frequently, trying to force himself to pay attention for as long as he can.

As a video game nearby makes a loud noise his head twitches over so that he can see where the sudden sound came from, then shakes his head to clear, closing his book and sliding it across a table in front of himself.

Rage has posed:
Heading into the rec room is the global icon known as Andrea, who has been staying at the mansion for the last couple of weeks. Even with her continued presence, she finds herself with a crowd of students who sneak pictures of her or asks her questions about her music, which she easily indulges with a warm smile on her face and an upbeat disposition. Dressed in a pair of short denim shorts and a summery yellow top with white sleeves, she hums to herself amidst the flashes of phone cameras and calls of her name. She gives a wave here and there as she goes, then flops down next to her friend as she peeks over at his studies.

Negasonic Teenage Warhead has posed:
Negasonic is curled up on a chair, propped up in the corner. While she doesn't have earbuds in, she's obviously distracted, her attention entirely focused on the smartphone in her hand, fingers flicking across the screen with millenial rapidity.

She glances up at Andrea's entrance, rolling her eyes at the throng of sycophants and returns to what she was doing.

X-23 has posed:
Laura is ever-so-slowly trying to integrate. Mostly because Jean says she has to. The mission the other day was more her speed. She's honestly more concerned with something like this. Still, she walks into the rec room, and her head turns to the video game that made the loud noise, with a frown on her face. Cameras? No. With the flashing that's going on near Andrea, she moves AWAY from the girl in front of her at a brisk walk, looking around to try and find a place to sit.

Twitch has posed:
"Hey Andrea," Tyler smiles at his friend as he pulls out his earbuds and sticks them in the pocket with his phone. The book on the table in front of him is a calculus textbook. "How's it going?"

The young man then catches a glimpse of Laura moving through the room and lifts his chin in her direction.

Negasonic, just doing her thing, is noted quietly. As she's not looking up Tyler decides against bothering her.

Rage has posed:
"Not much. Just packing some stuff up to head back to my condo in the city now that it seems the threat is over." Andrea says as she gives him a quick smile. "At least until the next batch of nutjobs rise up and decides to try and execute me. You need help with that?" She says as she motions to his book. Her eyes follow his glance over to Laura and she gives a smile in her direction. The rest of the kids are in the background of her vision for the moment, no one catching her attention, yet.

X-23 has posed:
Laura returns the headlift with one of her own, but beyond that, her expression is...neutral. Not grumpy, just...neutral. She has no idea what to do with this whole "socializing" thing, so right now she's just watching.

Twitch has posed:
"I can't focus on studying any more today. My brain is full," Tyler says with a frown that quickly fades. "You need help packing up your stuff?" he asks curiously before flashing another smile Andrea's way. He leans back on the couch and kicks up his feet on the table. "I'm looking forward to getting up out of here, but I need to keep my grades up so I figured I'd study for a while first. Then it got kind of late and I'm low on gas and pretty broke." He shrugs.

Laura gets another look and Tyler tilts his head towards a nearby open chair, "You want to join us? I know you don't really know anybody here yet, but Andrea and I are pretty friendly."

Rage has posed:
"Oh, I can have James come over and pack up for me. I don't have much as it is." Andrea says as she shrugs her shoulders, then dips her hand into her pocket to pull out a twenty and slips it to him. "Here, for gas money." She says as she lifts a hand to give a friendly wave to Laura. "Hey there! I'm Andrea. Josh and Tyler told me about you. It's cool to meetcha."

X-23 has posed:
Laura looks back, unblinkingly, and then finally, stands. She walks over to the open chair Tyler indicated, and moves to sit in it. Rather awkwardly, she lifts a hand to return Andrea's wave. "You can call me Laura." she says.

Twitch has posed:
"Thanks!" Tyler says as Andrea hands him the money. "You don't have to do that, but I appreciate it. I haven't been able to work since the curfew thing started and I spent a bunch of my money helping out a friend." The young man puts the money in a pocket.

Turning to Laura Tyler asks, "How are you doing, Laura? You meeting people okay?" He grins, "If you need help with stuff let me know. We haven't been going here too long, but Andrea's famous and I've been making friends pretty fast."

Rage has posed:
"I'm only famous outside these walls. Here, I'm just a normal student to the best of my ability." Andrea assures as she gives Tyler a bump of the shoulder. "Hi Laura. That's a pretty name. If you need anything also, you can ask me too."

X-23 has posed:
"There are people. I'm meeting them." As to whether it's okay, that she's not sure about. But, since they made the offer, and she has no idea of what's socially acceptable, she adds "I need clothes." Not one for an excess of words, is she.

Twitch has posed:
"Except for those kids who keep taking your picture, you mean," Tyler comments to Andrea about her fame, winking at her. "I think you do a pretty good job being normal, though."

Looking back to Laura Tyler nods at her, "I'll see if we can take you shopping for some. You have any money?"

Rage has posed:
"They'll get bored of me soon enough as they realize I'm no better or important than they are. It's just new and exciting to have a celebrity around, and a mutant one at that." Andrea lifts her shoulders upwards in a shrug, then gives Tyler a 'look' when he asks about money. "Pff. Please. I'm buying if you wanna go shopping, Laura. I can have James pull the car up and we can all head to the shopping district together."

X-23 has posed:
Laura shakes her head in answer to Tyler's question. "No." Beat. "I need money." It would be funny if she weren't so serious about it. "If shopping gets clothes, then yes." She's never needed to before.

Twitch has posed:
"They're having fun with you for a lot longer than I thought they would, to be honest," Tyler says to Andrea. "I thought they'd get their fill of celebrity by now, but they're almost impressive."

Glancing over to Laura he says, "Yeah, let's let Andrea help get you something to wear. You're not restricted to campus or anything, are you?"

X-23 has posed:
"No. No one keeps me from going where I want to go." She moves to stand, and follow the other two, who are clearly more versed in all of this.

Rage has posed:
"Cool. I'll be happy to snag you some clothes." Andrea says as she brushes some hair back behind her ear, then gives a glance over to some of the other kids for a moment before she looks back to Tyler. "You need anything as well?"

Twitch has posed:
"I'm good on stuff right now," Tyler says to Andrea with a shrug as he leans back, then rocks forward onto his feet. "You two want to make this a girl's night out or should I tag along, too?" he asks.

Tyler then looks to Laura and smiles, "I'll bet. I pity whoever tries to stop you from going where you're going."

Rage has posed:
"You can come along." Andrea says as she gives him a grin. "I'm sure you're itching to get outside." She pulls her phone out and taps along the top of the glass a few times with her thumbs. "I'm letting James know to pick us up. He should be here in about twenty minutes. So, Laura, what kind of clothes do you like?"

X-23 has posed:
Like? The brunette looks...lost, at the question. "They...I..." Pause. "I have never had to choose my own before." She finally answers, uncertainly.

Twitch has posed:
"Alright. I do need to get out of here," Tyler chuckles as he returns to his seat. "It's been a minute since I got a chance to just go shopping and relax." Laura's statement has Tyler frowning. He tells her, "That's okay. I'm sure if you see a bunch of stuff you'll find something that you like."

Rage has posed:
Pinching her brows together, Andrea sways on her feet. "Gotcha. No worries. We'll figure it out. We'll start with the basics. Jeans and t-shirts, then go from there. I think that should be a good foundation for fashion."

X-23 has posed:
Laura nods. "All right. I have never needed to think about fashion before." She pauses, remembering something she heard someone say the other day. "Thank you."

Twitch has posed:
"Jeans and t-shirts are the way to go for the most part," Tyler tells Laura. He rests his arms on the back of the couch, one of them behind Andrea. "There are plenty of places that sell them, too."

Rage has posed:
"No problem. So, I gotta ask, does your clothes tend to get torn up and dirty and shredded like mine due to your powers or do you tend to keep your clothes intact? That determines if we're gonna buy really nice stuff or just normal stuff that won't be missed if they rip up." Andrea asks with a smile as she talks to Laura.

X-23 has posed:
Laura thinks about that a moment, and finally says "Things on my hands and feet are bad. Everything else...only if I get into a fight." Which, admittedly, she does a lot.

Twitch has posed:
"Feet too?" Tyler asks Laura, eyes widening slightly. "Your claws are really cool. I'm thinking I need to get a sword and some knives or something, myself. Took me way too long to go through that Reaver I fought." Glancing at Andrea Tyler suggests, "Maybe some slip on shoes so she can kick them off in a hurry."

Rage has posed:
"Oh. You can grow claws?" Andrea asks curiously as her brows lift upwards a bit. "I don't even know what your powers are."

X-23 has posed:
Laura holds out an arm, bent upwards at the elbow, fist up. Two metal blades extend with the trademark *snikt*, leaving bleeding wounds on her hand where they come out. "I have enhanced senses and a high level regeneration factor. My skeleton is bonded with adamantium. And I have claws at hands and feet I can extend." THIS, she's more comfortable with. She's had to display and discuss her advantages with important people before.

Twitch has posed:
"Damn, that's so cool," Tyler says when he sees the claws pop from the young woman's hand. He notices the blood leaking from her wound and frowns at it, tilting his head to get a better look and saying with concern in his voice, "You shouldn't just show people your claws if you're going to get hurt every time they come out. Save them for when you need them."

"I've got suped up reflexes, myself. And I don't miss when I throw things. Not as cool as adamantium claws, though. Those are awesome, even if you get hurt when they come out."

Rage has posed:
Wincing at the sight, Andrea gives a visible flinch back, covering her mouth with her hand. She ends up leaning against Tyler's stretched out arm as well. Probably his plan the entire time. "Holy shit." She breathes out, her eyes widening. "Okay, that's ... that's pretty scary. Doesn't that hurt you? It looks like it hurts."

X-23 has posed:
Laura retracts the claws, looking at her classmates with curiosity. And drops a statement that's her upbringing in a nutshell. "It's only pain. And not anywhere near as much as the torture. It heals." she says. Sure enough, the wounds on her hand seal almost instantly. She wipes the blood off on her hips distractedly.

Twitch has posed:
"Well hell. I bet it's not as bad as torture," Tyler tells Laura, his head beginning to shake of it's own volition. "Are you okay? Do you need anything besides clothes and money? Is there anything I can do for you?"

Rage has posed:
Blinking her eyes a bit, Andrea looks taken back by the mention of torture. ".. Geez.." She says softly as she rubs the back of her neck. "I'm so sorry to hear that..." She trails off a bit, glancing down at her phone. "James will be here in five he says. So ready when you guys are."

X-23 has posed:
Laura doesn't seem to realize she said anything awry. "No. Clothing is my primary need. And money if I need it to get clothing." She looks over to the other two. "What do you do?"

Twitch has posed:
Getting back to his feet, Tyler says, "Let's go ahead and get out of here, then." He gets to his feet and looks Laura over again. "We'll get you squared away." Tyler then says, "Like I said, I have super reflexes, super agility and I don't miss. I'm also a student of kickboxing and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu."

Rage has posed:
Pushing upwards, Andrea rubs the back of her neck. ".. Um.. I turn into a almost eight foot tall werewolf and I lose all control of my mind to primal instincts and I try and gut whatever it is that just freaked me out until I'm calmed down or knocked out. So .. I try not to use my powers at all if I can help it. I have control, but it's not like real control."

X-23 has posed:
Laura looks interested in both descriptions. "We should try training together sometime. It sounds interesting." With that, she'll start for the doors, since the car is supposed to be here.

Twitch has posed:
Tyler's eyes widen at the prospect of training with Laura. His head nods a couple of times, "I'd like to do that. You're one hell of a fighter and I could use a sparring partner that can keep up with me. As long as we leave the claws put away." He leads the way through the school to the front doors, beyond which hopefully the car is parked.

Rage has posed:
"Oh. You two .. have fun with that. I'm just here to study and to learn how to control myself a bit better. I already .. had to .. you know.. just once was enough for me." Andrea says as she gives a rub of her chest where an obvious scar is hiding behind her shirt as she walks towards the front entrance.

X-23 has posed:
Laura nods once. "Control is good. But not necessary." Lord knows she can go feral enough when she gets in a fight. She walks outside with the other two, watching curiously now that she's committed to this "do something new" path.

Rage has posed:
A trio of pure black BMW's pull up out front after a few minutes with at least one man in a power suit exiting the vehicle and rounding it to open the back seat. He speaks quietly into a radio as he does. "Phoenix is coming on board with two. Clear." James really takes his job seriously.

Twitch has posed:
"I find control helps me when I fight," Tyler comments back to Laura with a little shrug. "For me, fighting has a degree of planning and strategy that goes into it. I'm always looking ahead for the next possibility." At the arrival of three vehicles Tyler glances over at Andrea and asks, "More security? Between me and Laura and these guys I'd almost pity anything that messes with you." When the car door is opened Tyler gestures for the other two to enter first, giving the guy in the suit a friendly nod and saying, "How's it going, man?"

X-23 has posed:
"It has its place. But people can get too caught up with it." Laura answers, before the diminutive girl moves to enter the vehicle. She's working to fight back a little edginess; she doesn't like confined spaces.

Rage has posed:
James gives a nod to Tyler. "Mister Grant." He greets him with an even tone in his voice. Andrea climbs in after to take the middle seat next to Laura. "Yeah. I'm not too afraid in general. Usually the crowds will respect me if I am out with the team. It will get a bit crazy though. You gonna be okay, Laura? No stabbing screaming girls."

Twitch has posed:
"I get twitchy when there's a lot going on around me sometimes," Tyler says to Laura as he takes his seat and buckles in. "It might be easier if we get out somewhere nearby and meet you in the store," he suggests to Andrea. "Depends on what you want to do. I'm good with either." He reaches into one of his pockets and pulls out a prescription bottle of pills, unscrewing the lid, popping one into his mouth and dry swallowing before closing the bottle and putting it away again.

X-23 has posed:
Laura frowns. "Maybe this is a bad idea." Her biggest crowd so far has been 8 people. Putting her in the middle of a group of screaming tweens may not be wise. She's already looking tense, just being in the car.

Rage has posed:
"Don't worry. They only wanna see me. They won't bug you." Andrea assures her with a smile. "We always go in through the back entrance of the mall with security. I'll do some pictures and hugs if it gets crazy and you two can sneak off. We can meet at Altar'd State."

Twitch has posed:
"Yeah, why don't we use the back entrance?" Tyler agrees with Andrea with a nod. "Laura and I can hang back a little bit to make sure you don't get mobbed, then if it's cool we'll all go together to the store." He looks out the window as the car heads down the road, "I'm guessing things will be okay, though."

X-23 has posed:
Laura is quiet during the ride. She doesn't answer. She's not so sanguine as the others about this. It's her first trip to a mall. Hell, it's her first trip to a store. It's a great many new things, and she is not the best with new things.

Rage has posed:
Andrea offers them both a smile as she leans forward to tap a button on a small dash board on the back of the passenger seat. Aerosmith's Dream On begins to play after she scrolls through a playlist. "It will be fine." She assures Laura with a smile, then leans in against Tyler, tucking herself against his arm.

The rest of the ride goes without much fanfare as they pull up behind the mall in a parade of black BMW's. James opens the door to let them out and they are met by mall security who opens the service door to let them in. Sliding on a pair of shades, Andrea grins. "It's showtime. Let's play it by ear."

Twitch has posed:
When it's time to exit the vehicle Tyler unbuckles and slides out easily, waiting for the others to catch up with him before proceeding inside, looking over their surroundings carefully, "Hopefully we find you stuff that you like. I usually just get plain t-shirts and regular jeans at Target or wherever. I'm not very picky."

X-23 has posed:
Laura will bring up the rear, hanging back. "This seems like a lot of work for clothes." They always just brought her new outfits before. She hangs a little close to Tyler, like she's using him as a buffer.

Rage has posed:
Once they enter the mall to be greeted by a cool AC, Andrea gives them a smile and takes the confident lead of heading down the tiled walkways filled with people and the hum of conversation. "I love the store we are going to because they have a lot of cute stuff. It's a Christian owned store so don't mind the buzz in the air but they have the cutest sun dresses and jeans that fit good."

Twitch has posed:
Tyler does not mind being a buffer, happily letting Laura use him as her shield. The young man seems glad to be helpful. "Usually it's not this much work. A lot of people know who Andrea is and admire her and want to get close to her, though, so we've got to try to avoid as many of them as possible." He looks around carefully as they progress through the mall.

X-23 has posed:
"I don't like it." Laura replies. /Too/ many people. Too many smells. For her enhanced senses, this place is a cacophony. Andrea's comment on the nature of the store is lost on her; she's never been exposed to religion. She just stays close to the other two students. Hopefully no one actually bumps into her.

Rage has posed:
"Don't worry, we won't be more than an hour maybe if I can help it." Andrea says to Laura with an assuring smile. That is right before she hears a young girl's voice squeal out. "Oh my God! It's Andrea Jackson!" She must not be any older than thirteen with mousy looks and a long pony tail. Lifting a hand, Andrea waves to her with a smile as she continues to walk. A few more people start to murmur and whisper with a few taking their phones out to take pictures. Being flanked by three guys in suits give most pause or approaching her though she does give the young tween a selfie and a hug.

Twitch has posed:
"If you don't like after we're finished today I'll introduce you to online shopping. You pick out what you want to wear on the computer and it gets shipped to where you live," Tyler offers Laura, turning his head to check her out again and make sure that she's doing alright. At the noise emitted by the young girl Tyler's attention rapidly shifts towards her so he can what exactly is going on. He sighs and tells Laura, "Be glad you weren't there the day I met her. I got swamped by two groups of people like that. I couldn't stop twitching."

X-23 has posed:
"That sounds better." Laura answers Tyler. She looks to Andrea. "Walk faster." Tact is not her friend at the best of times, and this is not the best of times.

Rage has posed:
"You two can go ahead if you aren't comfortable. This is fine so far and James won't let anyone get near you." Andrea says casually through a forced and trained smile on her face. She lifts a hand to wave again to another fan who waves frantically at her. "This is the first time I have been seen in public since the attack at the coffee shop so people are probably gonna be curious. Tyler, the store is downstairs and to the left. Wanna take Laura and I can meet you?"

Twitch has posed:
"Yeah, that's a good idea. We'll start looking at stuff while you let your fans get a look at you," Tyler says to Andrea with a smile. He turns towards Laura and says, "We can go faster now. Follow me and I'll show you to the store." After making sure that Laura is indeed following him, Tyler sets off at a quicker pace towards their destination, trying to speed things along.