6772/Splashy

Splashy
Date of Scene:	05 March 2019
Location:	Xavier's School, Westchester, New York
Synopsis:	Sam Guthrie talks to Erika about some of her issues by the pool.
Cast of Characters:	Souvenir, Cannonball

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Souvenir has posed:
*splash* *splash*

Souvenir is in the swimming pool, wearing a full body swimsuit with a swim cap and gloves, doing laps. Splash. Splash. She turns and starts swimming back toward the entrance side, diving underwater for a stretch and popping back up, staying in her lane, angrily digging into the water over and over.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will walk over and starts to grab her towel, but stops himself. He will squat down at the edge of the pool where she will see him on one of her turns.

Souvenir has posed:
Souvenir pulls to a stop at the edge of the pool and looks up at you. Just sort've tired. "Hey." She swishes at the water tiredly.

"I hadn't, um, done laps in awhile, and like, if I'm going to be locked up here.." She's maybe being a little bit dramatic, but the point stands. "What's going on?"

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks to her, and says "Ah think you owe Scott an apology." He holds his hand up to hold her comment "He is worried about you and everyone else here. It is not just the kidnapping with the sentinels around and them having faced them at the ralley he is worried about when anyone is out and about. Calling him Magneto was a bit harsh. The Prof put limits on as well and more on his class than us. Magneto grounded us for life, in fact Ah may still be grounded and forbidden to use my powers."

Souvenir has posed:
"Uh huh." Souvenir She looks off to the side. "He'll get one when I don't think I'm going to start yelling at him again before I can get through it. Try to be normal! But you can't leave! You're pushing yourself too hard! But you're lazy! You're too serious! And so irresponsible! What the hell do you people WANT?"

She wipes the water out of her face. "All I need now is Jean to show up and read me the riot act for using my powers in, you know, the only way they work, again. Or something."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks to her, and says "Ok, Erika, tell me what your wanting, what would you be doing if you could do anything ya want to do.

Souvenir has posed:
Souvenir takes a deep breath. "I don't know! Everybody expects me to know these things and I don't! I WANT everything to be good and people to not be weirded out by us so I can just go out and be normal, but that isn't happening, is it?"

"So like, I want to protect my friends, except I can't, because I don't fly or bounce bullets off my teeth or anything, so I get to be the fat kid in PE class that gets picked last. Mostly by the teachers. The other kids think I'm okay."

"So maybe I want to be able to help out and do SOMETHING to try to get to the bit where people leave us alone. So that like, I can hang out in the park with my girlfriend and not have a huge federal issue about it. But instead it just feels like it's like 'Here, just sit in a prison and wait while us Cool Kids protect you!' I mean, I can get behind Andrea's dream, but that involves, you know, getting out there."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks to her, and says "Ok, first off, them wanting you not to go out much is not a forever thing. It is till we figure out how many sentinels and such, people are scared of a future like Rachel is from. And sorry if it feels I am bullying you, I thought you wanted to be out as a hero, if your going to want to be out in the field, I am going to be tough on ya. You are still just fifteen though you got to remember we are the teachers, and some things may seem confusing but most of it is for a reason.

Souvenir has posed:
Souvenir sighs. "Okay, so you? Aren't pushing me around. Seriously. you're, like, one of the few people here that I feel kind of gets me? Other than, I dunno, Laura? Kitty, maybe? Rahne seems kind of cool too, but I don't really know her yet."

She looks off to the side and sloshes around a little. "I mean, like, I'm all cool with trying to learn stuff? I love learning stuff. Always have. Like, don't get me near Wikipedia or I might not get out. I'm just SO sick of being treated like I just sit around all day with my finger up my nose, and then told I need to try and just be a normal kid, and then not be able to do any of it. And then I work my ass off and I get told I'm lazy."

She lies back and floats a bit. "Like, I know I don't know everything, but can I get some credit for working on it? like yeah, I know I'm way down here, but I feel pretty damn proud about making it that far, you know?"

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks at her, and says "Ok here is the deal, you working on what half a dozen extra things besides classes? Most people know about one of them maybe but then when you start telling them, it sounds like your not giving yourself time to sleep. How about we work on some of what you got started before starting more. Ah want you to give me a list of your extra ciricular studies, Ah want to work out with you time for study and times for relaxation.

Souvenir has posed:
Souvenir paddles in place a bit. "I dunno. I'm doing extra workouts. I'm doing some combat training. Mostly hammering a heavy bag and volunteering to get thrown around? So that's two. I pick locks to relax nowadays, so like, does that even count? So call that three. I'm not going to feel quite safe until I do some escape artist stuff, but I haven't even started that stuff, so that's gonna be four, but I didn't start it yet. I'm going to need to figure out about all the messed up stuff James threw around because that freaked me out. Find and remove traps, basically. Five. I want to learn how to like, act some, and do sleight of hand stuff so I can hit the pockets thing again. So like.. six? Ish? The plane would be cool, but like, it'll wait, right? I'll get to it some day. Like, after we really needed me to know it."

She boggles a bit and drops underwater for a moment. "I'll be damned. Half a dozen."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie nods his head a bit to her, and says "And alot of them folks don't see to be honest. So, lets not wory aboutt he plane, Ah am looking to learn just in case it is needed, should be no need for any of the New Mutants to worry about it. You also have your minatures, your tatics and add school work, and a girl friend, and any danger room training I throw ya at.

Souvenir has posed:
Souvenir nods. "Totally. And like, half of it? I can't tell Scott. So I have to listen to him bitching because I'm lazy and irresponsible. And it sucks! I'm sick of it. Like, fine, I'm a kid, okay, just I am so sick of spending hours practicing stuff just so I can be the slacker."

She sighs and starts climbing out of the pool, and sits. "And like, my girlfriend? They'll think is totally awesome. She does cool stuff."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks to her, and says "Erika, why do you think people think your a slacker? Ah aint heard one word in that direction, the closest was me, when we were talking about your combat training at first. " He will look at her, and says "Erika your not less cause your power is not a combat power. Your power is usefull where alot of combat powers would be useless. You mentioned Kitty back in the med lab. Would you believe, Rahne, and I and most of the other New Mutants used to resent her?

Souvenir has posed:
Souvenir shrugs and lies down on the floor, propping her head in her hands. "I'd believe it, but I don't know why then." She takes a deep breath. "I think the teachers think I'm lazy and a cheater. I think they're going to think I'm a crook, too. I mean, Andrea is pretty and she can pick up a car, Laura is a hardcore badass, Ellie can make huge explodies, I mean, everybody is pretty much honest straightforward badasses. And then there's me."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie says, "No one thinks your lazy or a cheater. Your putting labels on yourself others are not and judgeing your value compared to others cause of combat abilities. If you judge yourself against others your never going to be happy. Judge yourself by who you were a year ago, do you think your doing better, have you learned stuff?"

Souvenir has posed:
Souvenir shrugs some. "Ask Scott. Ask Jean. I'm not the one who keeps making a huge point that I can't contribute. I never said I wanted to be in the middle of a fight, I said I wanted to contribute. People keep making this big point that I don't do amazing explody things, like I don't know that. I know my job isn't to be fighting next to Andrea."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie says, "Ah don't think either of them think that Erika, you want to be useful, and you are. Ah used to think Ah would never be able to turn, Ah used to think it was unfair Kitty was an x-men and we thought they thought of us as lesser students. You are 15 years old, you do have things that normal 15 year olds don't have to worry about and it can be hard, but your still only 15. You know how long the first class has been doing the hero thing, quite a bit, but being teachers, except for Hank, I don't think any of them thought they would be. They thought the Professor was going to be the teacher for a long time, specialy when they found out he was teaching us. Well now you got a group who was taught one way, trying to teach a similar way. Then you got Rahne, Pixie, Illyana, we were taught by two teachers, and come from a bit more diverse set of back grounds than the original 5 did. You know right there, your doing something Ah still am not comfortable doing out of respect?"

Souvenir has posed:
Souvenir sighs and closes her eyes, wiggling her foot back and forth. "That's the reason I wanted to learn to fly the plane. If I'm flying the plane, I'm helping, and nobody expects me to run out in the middle of everything."

A couple seconds. "I guess, just like, half the time I'm not good enough, and half the time I'm working too hard. And then everybody asks me about what I do, and nobody asks about who I am. You know?"

She sighs. "I don't know, I mean, I guess I can go say I'm sorry to Scott now, but I still think he was being an ass for acting like I was being reckless and useless."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie says, "I don't think he thought you were acting useless, reckless maybe but I think that is more worry about sentinels than James. Ok, I am give ya a big hint when you go apologize. It aint Scott. It is Mr. Summers. Unless they tell you to call them by their first name. You Mr. Miss, Professor They are your teachers. In school did you call your 7th grade teacher by their first name?"

Souvenir has posed:
Souvenir shrugs some. "Well, he's not here right now. I have a friend who's a Summers, it sounds weird. Fine." She sprawls every which way and stares at the ceiling.

"I'm just imagining asking Ms. Grey how to erase a mind. That's not going to go over very well. Maybe Rachel would know."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie 's brow raises a bit and says "What mind you wanting to erase? John?" He will ask. "Hey up untill last couple months Ah still called Logan, Mr. Logan, and just recently asked Magneto what Ah should call him. In private Ah can call him Erik, but in public around Genosha, it has to be your highness. Talk about feeling weird. Jean might work with you to erase some of the stuff you have picked up and stored away, she was concerned with you haveing so many signatures in your mind remember?

Souvenir has posed:
Souvenir shakes her head. "No, a blanket."

She climbs to her feet and faces you. "I don't store stuff away, anyways. But all my stuff has memories in it, right? I was going to ask, but it was when Emma was acting weird, and I got told not to practice anything. I'm wondering if I can figure out how to erase them. Because trying to stuff your clothes with newspaper so you can sleep suuuucks so hard. I didn't get to sleep. Anyway, I figure it's worth a try, but like.. I don't know who to ask."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie says, "I has thought about useing force fields to create you furniture. Clothes I don't know, as odd it sounds, you knwo we thought salt for magic, it is supposed to be a purifier, maybe it would purify cloth and such from the previous owner, toucher, or such?" He shrugs a bit and you can tell it is just a maybe wild hair idea."

Souvenir has posed:
"Yeah, so I was just hoping I could maybe figure out a way to wipe memories out of stuff. Even if I tap them a couple times, they're still mud, maybe I can find a way to clean them up? It wouldn't help the touching stuff thing, but maybe I could get a regular bed, and, you know. Not have Ms. Grey all snarly at me for having as much useless stuff in my head."

Souvenir shrugs. "Because that's super frustrating too. What does she expect me to do, levitate around naked?"

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie says, "No, she doesn't expect you to levitate naked. Have you asked her if she could think of a way to have less running around there besides having a telepath go in and wipe out some of them? Try talking to them, remembering their your teachers, and may not have read every note in your files so may not know everything about you. "He hmmms, and says "Erika, how much background stuff would you say you pick up from people around you daily?"

Souvenir has posed:
Souvenir tilts her head. "Background stuff? Like what?"

She sighs. "Maybe if they talked TO me instead of talking down AT me. I get this snarky lecture and then I don't want to talk to them."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie says, "Well thats part of why a am here. They don't mean to be snarky, and pretty sure they don't see it that way, but the had probably the toughest training of all of us. And they are scared like Ah am, your gonna be hurt, or worse, and it will be our fault, something we did not teach you or you missunderstood. Your young, and I know you don't literly think your immortal or such, but when you come out of missions and situations winner, and maybe even someone gets a little hurt but they get better, you start to think it is always going to be like that. It aint that way, and people die. John, you seen and felt somewhat how he died. You loose someone you will always wonder if there was something you could have done to save them. We all want to make sure your safe, and then there is the normal teacher, who wants you to be able to live as much of a normal life as possible when you have finished here. The goal of the school is not to make more X-men. The goal is to teach you how to live as much of a normal life as possible, and hopefully show you the value of humanity and mutants working together for a better future. And Ah know you and some others have limitations from your powers that will effect that normal life. It sucks, Ah understand that to. Ah got lucky, Ah could go from now on and unless someone did some type of scan on me have no effect from my powers. You don't have that luxury."

Souvenir has posed:
Souvenir sighs and nods. "Yeah, I guess. I just don't want to have to deal with getting talked down to again because of things I can't help. Seriously, it's like, 'Hey, Mr. Guthrie, we're all in favor of you using your powers, but you can't use any blasting. Andrea, you can't turn into a wolf. Kaydin, moving fast isn't going to do you any good, you have to do everything slowly.' Like what the hell."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks to her, and says "You can call me Sam, Ah don't mind, but as frustrating as that is, remember this. You were in unknown danger, and how many people came to save you. Scott Summers, was burnt and stabbed saving you, and he would do it all over again to save you. And cause you were frustrated and pissed off, you told him, he was not like the man who had been like a father to him, but the man who tried to kill him since he was your age. And yes Ah know it aint fair you have been through all this and when it gets to much for you, your having to apologize for letting loose, but looseing it on Scott, while he was still in the hospital bed, bad timing kiddo. You say you think people think your lazy or a cheater. Erika, people here in this place, will literly put their life on the line to protect you. We all care for one another. Brian helped look for clues in the park. Doogie went into combat for you. And I know you would do the same for them.

Souvenir has posed:
Souvenir gets wet in the eyes. "I know! I do all kinds of things to try to be able to help! And I tried really hard to keep myself safe and like the ONE thing that's keeping me from cracking right now and just LOSING it is I did everything I could and then some, and it was as good as anybody could have expected! Because if I was as bad of a screwup as he made me feel like I was, I would just break down crying and never ever stop or leave my room again, okay?"

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie puts a hand on her shoulder, and says "He was worried your putting yourself in danger, you have said you like to go places and find out souvenirs, well it sounds like it has been noticed, and Scott thinks your takeing unnessesary risks. And he did not know fully what you were out there doing. You were out on a date, but he did not know you and Kamala weren't out planning on going super heroing. Erika, can Ah be blunt with you a moment, and you realize it is not an attack, it is me trying to help ya?

Souvenir has posed:
Souvenir shudders, trying not to cry. "Fine." She inhales, lets the breath out.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie says, "You take alot of wha people tell you as an attack when it is not ment as one. Right now your raw, and Ah understand feeling like someone is attacking you and lashing out, especially after you could not lash out at James. And if Ah thought it would do ya any good, would try to find a way to let ya lash out at James, but honestly don't think it will help. when we first met you and I went at it and had to go through a couple arguements about your training before we got here. We aint attacking you, and if someone calls you out on something it aint cause we think your bad, or trying to do bad. We are trying to help you learn. None here are trying to hurt ya. If you think someone is taking a shot at you, do me a favor, count to ten, and think about what they are saying and see if there might be a different way they ment it. " He lookd at her, and wants to offer her a hug but aint sure how to do it safely."

Souvenir has posed:
Souvenir slumps. "Count to ten. Okay. I'll try and do that." She stares at the floor.

After a moment of looking at you out of the corner of her eye, she adds, "Yeah, I know, it bites even more from this side. If you were wearing a swimsuit it would be fine, but like.. I don't think that's why you came in here. I'm not mad at James. I don't want to see him right now, but I'm not mad at him."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie smirks at her and says "Well Ah am, and Rahne read him the riot act from what Ah understand. We considered him a rival, but not an enemy, trusted him, and he let pain drive him to some really bad desisions. Ah hope he finds a way to prove it was a lapse in judgement that won't happen again, but he has work cut out for him, before he is going to be trusted even to where he was, if ever." He rubs her shoulder, and says "You are usefull, and you are cared about. Don't try to be everything. Work on being the best you can at things you enjoy, and don't stress so much. Ah know that is harder did than said.

Souvenir has posed:
Souvenir nods. Looks off to the side. frowns. Deep breath in, deep breath out.

"I have his headband. I want to give it to him, but I'm afraid I'm going to freak out looking at him right now."

She sighs. "I want hugs, and I want my girlfriend, and I can't have either of those right now. So I'm going to go up to my room, and do a little bit of stuff to try to not be creeped out, and get in bed, and maybe cry a little, and hopefully I'll feel a bit better tomorrow."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie says, "Want me or Rahne to come by and get the headband?" He will offer in help of that. "Just remember we care Erika." He wishes he could do more."

Souvenir has posed:
"If you want. Or give me a day or two and come with me and I'll give it to him myself. Tell you what: he can choose. I think John would have wanted him to have it." Souvenir sighs. "Good night."