9390/Let's get physical .. (physical!)

Let's get physical .. (physical!)
Date of Scene:	01 October 2019
Location:	Gym - X-Men Base
Synopsis:	Samuel and Andrea work out before Shannon stops by. The talk finally happened.
Cast of Characters:	Rage, Samuel Morgan, Nightingale

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Rage has posed:
It's seven in the morning and Andrea had lobbed a message over to Samuel to come meet her downstairs so that they can hit the gym. She already ran two miles this morning, snagged a bowl of oatmeal and juice, and is now ready to work on her core. As the doors swish open to reveal the massive state of the art gym, she lobs her gym bag down along with a towel, then peels out of her t-shirt to reveal a black and pink outlined sports bra to go along with her matching swishy shorts.

Over the popstar's chest and easily visible is a large scar that looks terrifying, as well as a matching scar in the same place upon her back. It's as if she may have been ran through by something. In one way and out the other. After tightening her shoes, she goes into her routine of stretches. "Here we are, tiger. Probably one of the best gyms in the world for all types of people and mutants. Whatcha wanna work on first?"

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    It's a given that any day before breakfast, Sam will have already run three to five miles, depending on mood and just how much he feels he needs to burn off. Considering the cakes and cookies that he's been fed and recently even made himself, it was a five mile run today, meaning he arrived back at the Mansion, puffing staffer in tow, a short while after Andrea did, and just as the message hits his phone. A quick breakfast later, and he's down in the gym, grinning when he sees the facilities.

    "Y'know, I was complaining about not having a good gym in the school just the other day. This will do..." Bean himself has ditched his hoodie, but refuses to take off his shirt for now. The assortment of scars along his arms may be an indication as to why. Rolling his shoulders and neck, he walks over towards the heavy bag, smiling... and then gives it an underhand punch that not just dents the bag, but sends it hard up against the chain anchoring it in place. "After the last few weeks, I just need to punch something."

Rage has posed:
"If you want to spar, let me know. I'm not afraid of being hit. Just don't break my nose. The face is the moneymaker." Andrea says as she bends herself in half to grab one of her ankles, bobbing a few times before moving to the next. Once she straightens up, she gives a few stretches of her arms over her head, twisting herself side to side. "Though I'm sure Foley will fix it right back up if you do. He did put me back together once when I was shot in the head and had a good chunk of my skull blown out. That was a day to remember." Watching the bag fly, she asks, "Do you have augmented strength as well?"

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "No, I'm just really angry." Bean replies, taking a more formal stance and begins practicing combinations on the bag. Rapid blows, strong swings, sudden elbows, knees, even a series of low and roundhouse kicks. If that bag had been an opponent, they'd be in a world of hurt.

    "Shot in the head?" Okay, that gets his attention, and he steadies the bag with one hand while looking over. "That's not something you normally walk away from."

Rage has posed:
As she watches him, Andrea keeps a bit of distance so not to distract him at the bag. "Yeah? Why are you angry for?" She asks honestly as she rocks on her feet to keep her ankles loose. At his qusetion, she nods and pulls her hair up and to the side to reveal a scar along the back of her neck and below her ear. "The scar over my chest was when Donald Pierce took his sword and stabbed me in the middle of a Starbucks. It's how Foley found out he could heal. He actually was a bad guy for a minute. He was with this anti mutant group that was targetting young mutants. He had a change of heart when he saw me go down. His powers kicked in right there and then and he saved my life."

As far as the head goes? Andrea shifts her jaw to the side. "Mason, my ex boyfriend and I got into an argument down by the lake and he was holding a rock in his hand. He's a geo kinetic and can control the earth. He threw the rock in frustration and it curved in the air like a bullet and hit me in the head. I don't remember much after that, but I was told that the wolf in me lost control and that the Professor had to go into my head and fix me." She drops her hair back down to her shoulder. "It was an accident."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "Sometimes our salvation comes from the unexpected. Sometimes the people who you were taught to hate end up saving your life." And it seems that's about as far Sam is going to be drawn on the subject, at least for now. But then the scars are shown, and he looks at them with almost detached interest.

    "You were lucky there was a healer around." Straight from the desk of the bleeding obvious in the office of no shit sherlock. There is a moment of hesitation, a bit of a sigh and then Bean slowly pulls his shirt up and off. It reveals a roadmap of scars, some fresher than others, indicating every occasion where he's been slashed, stabbed or shot, with two distinct bullet wounds close to his heart that look to be the most recent ones.

    "This is why I'm so angry all of the time."

Rage has posed:
"I can see why that could be emotionally challenging, when all your instincts scream to not trust someone and then your world gets tipped upside down." Andrea says as she watches him at the bag. "I can't really relate to any of that, outside of being a child star in Hollywood. I grew up around people telling me how to smile, how to stand, how to walk, what to eat, what to wear. Lights, camera, action. It's hard to know who really has your best interests at heart. I've been taking advantage of before, both myself and my family from people in my circle I thought I could trust. It gets really lonely sometimes when you have to cut people out. Until I came here, I never really felt normal, with friends and people that honestly like me." She gives a lick of her lips in thought. "This place is kinda like church. You know ... without the worshipping of the Lord and all that. It's a place of healing, both mind and soul. Where you can be yourself without feeling judged. Where you can just breathe, like really breathe. I hope that in time you can feel good about your place here and find some peace."

When he peels out of his shirt to reveal the artwork of scars and muscle, her dark eyes widen a bit, brows lifting. She doesn't look at him with any pity, but more wonder that he can even survive all of that. "Wow." She breathes out. "I'm sorry, Sam. That looks .. like you've really had a difficult life." She rubs the back of her neck.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    When he goes back to punching the bag, Bean leaves the shirt off. It's clearly something he tries to hide, but right now he either does not care, or is trying to get over that mental block. His knuckles are already raw from the violence of those strikes, and he seems to hit all the harder for the realisation that he has lost the calluses that he spent so much time developing.

    "It was a lot the same for me. Separated from other children, in an environment where everything was controlled. How to speak, how to lie, how to present the right emotion. And that was before things started going wrong." The last punch sends the bag rattling against the chain again, having scratched open the knuckles on his right hand until they bleed.

    "I've never been to church. I understand the principle, because I had to know it as a motivator for targets of influence, but I've never been. Don't particularly want to either. This school it's... A few weeks ago I would have said it's a better kind of prison. Now... I don't know. It's better is what it is, and that's what matters."

Nightingale has posed:
     After the night before, Shannon was -still- pissed. Punching out a covered hay bale in the barn had not been enough to vent her fury at Wade's little stunt with his image inducer. Though she was ashamed at having lost control so completely, and having disappointed someone she respected and liked so much, she was still incredibly angry. How DARE Wade have assumed the appearance of the Trickster in disguise? And how DARE he make light of what happened? She stalked into the gym, looking ready to fight. Wings snapped outwards, black scowl on her face, the works. For once, the healer was ready to deal out some hurt for a change.

Rage has posed:
"At the end of the day, we're just a school, Sam. Not a prison. You can just look at it as a place to learn math and history and write some essays, graduate and maybe go to college. Xavier's is whatever you want it to be, for your personal growth." Andrea steps forward and reaches out to him, sliding her hands over his as she pulls it towards her to inspect his knuckles. "I am using my time here to be a good role model for young mutants who can't do what I can do.. which is appear normal in public and sign record deals. I want kids to know that there is someone out there fighting for them, with every breath they take, because their lives matter as much as anyone else's. We aren't freaks. We're humans. Just different." Her thumb brushes over his broken knuckles gently. "You wanna do Yoga with me?" When Shannon heads inside, she glances over towards the girl curiously.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    Physical contact is still a problem for Bean. One he's working on, but one that's just not that high on the long list of self-improvement. As carefully but as firmly as he can, he pulls his hands out of Andrea's grip, and takes a step backwards to re-establish personal space. "I'm don't particularly need to learn any more maths, or history, or any of the sciences. That's all been covered." Because despite it not often being one of the things people know about Bean, he's intelligent. Fiercely so.

    The question of yoga remains unanswered when he spots Shannon coming in, still in her black mood, and he motions the seraphim over to the punching bag he's been using so far. "Over here. Work of some of that steam, you'll feel better."

Nightingale has posed:
     While it looks at first as if she just might punch that bag, Shannon's instinct to heal kicks in, her frown shifting to one more of concern than pure anger. She reaches towards Samuel's hands, murring softly in the back of her throat. "What happened?"

     To Andrea, she nods, even if there is no smile. Yet somehow, the rage does not seem directed at her, or at Samuel. No, there's something else. But she says nothing, instead waiting for Samuel's reply.

Rage has posed:
Letting go of his hands as he pulls away, Andrea nods her head to him slightly as she looks thoughtful for a moment. When he speaks to Shannon, she leans down to re-tighten another sneaker with a few twists and turns of the laces. Pulling her hair back up and behind her to tie off into a high pony tail with a rubber band she had over her wrist, she says, "Well, I'll get to my routine." She says softly as she starts for the weight benches.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    Again, Bean pulls his hands away, looking at Shannon. "When you punch something hard enough, that's going to happen. My hands will be fine, they'll be stronger for it. It's the price you pay for learning how to fight properly." Again he indicates the bag, and steps around to the other side to hold it steady. "Just imagine this bag is either Loki or Deadpool. That's what it's for."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon sighs softly. "Weirdly enough, it's not Loki I want to punch. He might have tricked me but at least you know going into it that's gonna happen. Deadpool... Wade... gaah, as much as I like him I just want to kick him in the 'nards for what he did." She growls dangerously low and lets fly with a vicious--if undirected and somewhat wild--punch at the bag. Her aim is not very good, but there is enough force behind the blow to make Samuel feel it on the other side.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
Samuel nods with a smile. "See, that's good. Do that again." Right now he's not too worried about form, just to let Shannon work out the anger. Then, when she can think clearly again, he can talk about teaching her a few things. "Wade is Wade. He's more dangerous than you might think though, I was warned about him years ago."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon keeps her hands up as if the bag were something or someone who could punch back. Her stance needs some work, but when the punches connect to the surface of the bag, the chain rattles. Infinitely more satisfying than a hay bale. "That... son.. of.. a... BITCH!!! He's got some nerve, coming in here and impersonating that... that... AAAARGH... doesn't he have any idea what it was like???"

Rage has posed:
Glancing over at times as she works out, Andrea currently has her legs hooked around a bar so that she can do sit-ups. She is hanging upside down, using her core to pull herself up with her arms crossed over her chest. Being that the world is upside down when she looks over, it takes her a bit to focus before she pops back up. Working her legs off the bar, she backward flips over and lands on her feet with a thud on the mat. "I've only met him once. I wasn't really impressed. He just seems like an idiot who is bored. Don't let him get under your skin."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon sighs, stopping what she's doing for a second. "Usually he doesn't. Heck, he was even actually -nice- when we met. Well, once he settled down and actually had someone just talking normally to him. But he crossed a line there, yesterday. Thing is... I'm not sure how much I'm supposed to say or not say about what happened. It's... got a lot of pretty sensitive stuff. Bad enough that I had to go see Jean and Scott about it." She scowls, gingerly rubbing her knuckles. Bean hadn't been kidding, that was going to leave a mark if she kept this up. "It's bad enough being tricked once by someone else... without having someone else run around wearing their face making fun of what happened. And that trick... was almost deadly."

Rage has posed:
Nodding her head, Andrea brushes her hand along the scar behind her ear and neck, working at it with her fingernails. "I'm sorry to hear that you're having a rough time of things. It will pass though. Just try not to let it ruin your day. It's all noise and distractions." As she steps in front of the weights, she plucks a few rings and carries them over to the dead lift and starts to add them. "Don't let it derail you."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon sighs lightly, some of her anger beginning to fade. Each blow dealt to the bag lets her vent more and more. "And you know what really stings? Someone I was hoping I could count on, was just... gone. For weeks. Just... gone. If that healing would've killed me, would he have cared?" She sighs, running her fingers through her hair, wincing at the sting of pulling those pale gold strands over her sore knuckles.

Rage has posed:
"If you're talking about Mason, I'd like a hard pass on that conversation." Andrea says as she pauses in front of the weight bench. "Because my entire life has revolved around him, whether it was bad, more bad, terrible, or good. I know about you and him and I've been cool about it despite the fact I'm an emotional train wreck and my every instinct is to leap out of my skin and tear myself apart. I just don't want to wear it on my face while I'm on campus, or in the spotlight. I don't need another media lightning storm with the paparazzi. I'm just keeping my mouth shut and focusing on myself."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon winces and nods. "Sounds like you've been through the wringer, too. But enough about that." Yeah. Hard pass on that conversation. That alone should tell Shannon just where things could go. She watches the core sit-ups Andrea is doing, and wonders if maybe it's something she would be able to do. "Didn't really get to talk to you much when you got here. About all I know is that you play guitar like I wish I could, and you've got a voice that could rival the angels."

Rage has posed:
"Yeah, you can say." Andrea says as her voice hitches emotionally for a moment, then chokes it back. Furrowing her brows, she slides under the table and places her hands on the bar, then hikes it upwards with a loud grunt. She holds the weights above her for a few seconds, then drops it down to her chest, before she pushes it back upwards. "Well, I have a really long wikipedia about me." She says as she clanks the bar back into place after a rep of ten, then sits upwards to rub at her arms. "I started out on Disney when I was thirteen. Mason and I both got casted for these leading roles and from there, you know how the Mickey Mouse machine works. They spit us both out into singing careers. Modeling. Dancing. Commercials. Fast forward a few years, I have a platinum album and three top ten singles of generic pop music." As she rises to her feet, she works her arms out a few times as she sways them. "When Dazzler got outed as a mutant and her record label dropped her, I decided to come out as a mutant. I knew my label had my back. They have no choice but to have my back. I have like a billion followers on social media. I'm American's fucking sweetheart and girl next door." She clenches her fists up tightly. "And I started seeing what the world was doing to us. Little girls needed someone to step up and say it's okay to be pink, or have wings." She motions to her. "Or to have fifty eyes. That we're humans just like anyone else. So, I took one for the team. I came out of my closet on national television."

Shaking her head, she tugs down the front of her sports bra to reveal the nasty twisted scar. "And then I took a sword to the chest for it in a Starbucks. I saved Mason's life that day. All my friends. I saved them. I took the bullets. I took the blade. I did it because I made the choice to put myself out there, and I can't let my friends get hurt because of my decision. I joined Xavier's after. I created the New Mutants with Miss Frost and Mister Summers. I wanted to create a social club of student ambassadors to represent young mutants and to train together in case shit goes down hill again. We need to know how to protect ourselves, but we need to know how to be good people first."

"Anyone can fire laser beams or learn karate, but I wanted us to show new and young students that just because the world is scary, doesn't mean someone doesn't love them, or care about them. I started a charity called Starlight, named after an eighties cartoon. It's a mutant crisis hotline where mutants can call for help either counseling, money, or shelter." Stubbing her foot against the ground, she pokes at the weight bench with her finger. "I can sing, I can dance, I can smile for the cameras and toss my hair and be the face of the franchise, but I don't want to just be a commercial. I want to fulfill Professor Xavier's dream of unity. I believe in this school. I just want to do my part."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, and feels her heart go out to Andrea. "This may sound weird and crazy, but I didn't know about the Disney stuff, or any of the coming out of the mutant closet, or any of that about you. You came in here, all I saw was just a new person I didn't know, and maybe wanted to. All that fame and glitz and stuff... there's a great old song my mom loved. "That Don't Impress Me Much". I see someone who took the time to share a little bit of music with someone who was in a bad way. Starlight... hell, wish I'd have known about that when my change happened. Sure would've made things a lot easier on my family if they'd known it existed. Maybe they knew, I don't know. Maybe that's how they managed to track down Mr. McCoy, they never told me. Just... one day, we hear about a school bus full of students being saved on a news broadcast, and he was involved. My folks were up all night trying to find out who that was and where to find him. Connecticut... well, parts of it aren't very mutant-friendly. It was only a matter of time before things got ugly for them. Only hero I really had to look up to was Captain Rogers. But I told him about that part already." She leans against a wall, and utters a deep sigh. "I didn't know you helped make the New Mutants. Sam had me join up a few weeks ago. He's the one that's always been there. He's the one that's been kind to me from the beginning. A leader, a friend... and now, very much like a brother. It's going to take some adjusting, having you there. He's been there. I only just met you a few days ago. Sounds like we've both been through our fair share. So... now where do we go from here?"

Rage has posed:
"Sam is a good guy. I like him a lot. I was trained by Miss Frost and Mister Summers in combat, tactics and beaucracy. Sam though brings a bit more of a human element to the New Mutants which our team really needed. We always kinda been The Breakfast Club here at campus." Andrea's lips twitch upwards a bit in amusement. "I've gone on missions before. When Erika was kidnapped by Warpath, they used me to track her." She taps her nose a few times. "Do you know what I can do by the way?" She asks curiously. "I don't really advertise my powers outside of The New Mutants, but if we're going to be teammates, you should know what I can do and what my limits are, because as our healer and support member, I will rely on you to keep me alive. I always played the role of tank and front line."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon chuckles a little bit. "Hey now. I don't plan on always being just support. Just because my powers aren't combat-oriented, doesn't mean I can't learn to kick ass, take names, and chew gum all at the same time. And I'm out of gum. If folks like Mr. Stark can manage it with some serious brainpower instead of gifts like ours... so can I." She tilts her head, and shrugs. "No idea what you can do. Guess I kind of see people first, powers second. But Sam was right when he told me when it comes to teammates, it's got to be both."

Rage has posed:
"I played at Mister Stark's birthday party. I put the whole set together. I did a tribute to AC/DC and sang him happy birthday. I had VIP clearance and everything. Mason was supposed to go with me but.." Andrea trails off, then shakes her head with a roll of her eyes upwards. "Anyways, yes, people first, powers second. You can have the best power in the world but if aren't trained in how to use them, they'll be a liability." She cracks her neck to the side, then hums as she gives a glance at her clothing. "You aren't weird around naked people are you?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon chuckles lightly and shakes her head. "Doesn't do much good for a healer to be shy. I'll probably see it all sooner or later anyways." She steps back, giving Andrea plenty of space to do what she has to do. "So what -is- your gift? You already know mine... I'm basically a sponge for injuries. And flight."

Rage has posed:
"Just don't pee yourself when you see it. I don't show this off for a reason because I don't want people to be afraid of me." Andrea peels the sports bra up and over her head, then steps out of her sneakers and workout shorts and undies. She wasn't kidding when she was talking about nudity. She also doesn't so much as blink at the experience. It's one of those things you need to come to terms with.

Her change comes with the sound of loud cracking and snapping of bones. Her body jolts this way and that as she starts to shoot upwards in height. Thick black fur sprouts out along her body, and her face breaks and then pushes out forward into the form of a muzzle with perky ears standing upright. This has to be the most painful part of the whole thing. At eight feet tall, Andrea's war form is terrifying, with long claws, jagged teeth and gleaming gold eyes. She's a werewolf. Not a cute one from Twilight. She is a true monster of horror. Built like a truck thick corded muscles under her black pelt. Her tail is cute though. Puffy and curvy.

Nightingale has posed:
     Oh, a few tears trickle down Shannon's face when she witnesses the change, alright. But she betrays no signs of fear whatsoever. No, instead, she takes a couple steps closer, reaching out as if she could take the pain away. "That... has got to hurt. I'm so sorry I even asked about it..." Was this girl even normal and sane?

Rage has posed:
There is something feral about Andrea now as she rumbles low in her throat. Her ears slick backwards as she is touched. There is no pain to take away, but she is quite soft and furry. From here, she has no female curves. She is a creature and it would be hard to tell what gender she represents. ~It does not hurt.~ The wolf says in her natural language. Not English. No one can understand her. Except maybe Rahne. She waves her paw in the air as if to signal it's okay. Dropping down to her knees, she changes again, this time taking the quicker path to a large black wolf. After flopping upon her haunches, she lifts a hind leg to scratch at her ear roughly with her claws.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon crouches down near Andrea-wolf, not certain how much of her is feral and wild, and how much remains civilized. She keeps her wings outspread, ready to take to the wing if necessary, and keeps her empty hands in plain sight. "I can't understand you... can you still understand me?" She just looks really confused, witnessing the change, unafraid of it, but perhaps not fully understanding what it's like for Andrea.

Rage has posed:
After a few more scratches of her hind leg, Rage gives a few sniffs of the air, then settles her gold eyes straight at the winged girl. Lunch? You smell like lunch. Her lips pull back a bit to reveal her sharp teeth, the better to eat you with my dear. After a few moments of teasing, she gives her head a few nods in affirmation that she can understand. With that, she goes back to shifting once more, cracking bones, body twisting and contorting until she is a human girl again. "So, that's it. I can pick up small cars. I have claws that can cut through most substances side heavy metals. I am allergic to both fire and silver and my regeneration can't heal through that very easily. I'm not affected by the moon at all, and holy water does nothing for me." She plucks some fur off the ground and twirls it about in her fingers as she sits on the floor.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods slowly, reaching for Andrea's clothes and holding them back out to her. "Okay, so if I see something on you that's not healing well, look for those first as possible causes." She smiles some, tucking her wings behind her back. "With me, it's flight, and healing. Flight, so far my top speed is about 65 mph sustained, but that was a couple months ago. Healing... I could show you but you'd need to be hurt, and that's kind of pointless."

Rage has posed:
"I read your file and spoke with Mister Guthrie about you and the others to get a good feel for what you're capable of. Your power is awesome, but you need to be careful with it too." Andrea takes the clothes from her, then starts to re-dress. "For you to heal during combat, it should be a life or death situation, because otherwise we run the risk of being down two teamates. Personally, if I were you, I'd focus on your upperbody strength. Birds aren't designed to carry heavy loads due to their hollow bones." She says as she motions to the wings on her back. "I can see you utilized being a flanker to cause a distraction, then zip in and carry a teammate out to heal. Well, probably not me, I weigh about a thousand pounds or something, but maybe if Sam gets hurt, or Ellie because she enjoys in your face combat. We really need to use her as a ranged combatant but she prefers to hit people with her fists. You'll be patching her up a /lot/." She says with a teasing grin. "Though, you could use some talons for an offensive skillset. Like a hawk." She curls her fingers out towards her. "How would you feel about wearing gauntlets, or maybe finger blades?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods slowly. "Yeah, Sam mentioned working on strength training pretty early on. Logan's mentioned that too. And yeah, I know healing life or death stuff runs the risk of two teammates down. Heck, I'm not even sure how much more I can handle than what I did, healing... 'Jeremy'." The way she says the name suggests that isn't the person's real name, but she doesn't say too much more. "Those wounds were the kind that should've killed a god but didn't. And I'm still here. Though Triage is a lot to thank for that, as well as my own healing factor. He just finished the job and got me out of the medbay a bit sooner." She tilts her head, thinking of how best to describe her healing. "Say, if I get shot? Gunshot wound would heal on me in about a day-ish. Broken bones and sprains take a few days. Basically, if it's something that'd take weeks to heal, my body handles it in days, if that. If it'd take days, we're talking a matter of hours. So... more along the lines of Mr. McCoy's healing, not quite as fast as Logan. Although even that's been improving."

Rage has posed:
"I can only heal in my warform, but I don't really feel the pain all that much either. It's like I'm always running on adrenaline when I'm shifted. I also start to lose myself to the wolf the longer I stay, so it's why I don't go running around outside. The more feral I get, the less human I become and I'm afraid one day I may not shift back out, that I'll be stuck in that form, eating deer in the woods, or chasing a cat." Andrea reties her shoes tightly, then straightens up. "Just be careful though. I have a big heart myself, but even I know I can't save everyone. There may come a day you may have to make a decision, and it will be the hardest decision you can ever make, because your power may determine if someone lives or if you die. Just pace yourself with it, okay? Don't try and put someone's arm back on if yours falls off in the process." She gives a tilt to the weights. "If you want to work out, I can spot you and help you out. Popstars live in the gym. I work out seven days a week, so I know my way around here."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon grimaces and nods, her look more than a little grim. "Trust me, I already know that day may come. It nearly did. That's what pissed me off so badly when Wade was pulling his bullshit." She smiles some and actually blushes a little bit now, getting up and brushing herself off. "Samuel and I have been making morning runs a regular thing, and it's been a lot of fun to work with him. But any help is great."

Rage has posed:
"By the way, wolves have heightened senses. I notice 'everything', and I smell 'everything'." Andrea notes as she taps the side of her nose. "What's up with you and Sam?" She asks as she heads back to the weights. "Because I totally get it. He's hot. Has that brooding mysterious and dangerous backstory. Looks amazing with his shirt off, scars and all, and he seems like a cross between the bad boy in a tween romance and the potential hero by the end of that story."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon turns just a little more red, and chuckles a bit. "He's... got his tales to tell. I don't know how much he'd want me sharing, or how much you might already have read in his files. The things he's told me, I take that as a confidence, so you'll have to get it from him. Suffice it to say, he's been through hell and back." She shrugs, and cracks a bit of a smile. "Okay. He's cute. He's tough as nails, but under that, he's got a bigger heart than I think even he realizes. And right from the get-go, we've clicked well as teammates." She sighs softly. "Without getting too far into the forbidden topic... he keeps it real. He-who-shall-not-be-named... was gone for weeks. No calls, nothing. And when he finally -did- get back the other day, it's like he was only half here. Still a smoothie... but sort of distant. So far, in his short time here, Samuel's been here through thick and thin. So... yeah, not an easy spot to be in. He's never hinted at anything outright, but some of the things he's pulled kind of make me wonder."

Rage has posed:
"Yeah, I know that song all too well." Andrea says as she stubs her foot against the ground. "And it's a song I had on repeat the last five years. Hell, most of my last album is about him and all the shit he makes me feel. Mason is.. complicated... but he's.. " She shifts her jaw to the side, weighing. ".. I don't want to go around spilling tea on him. I love him. I *love* him. It's the most painful and hardest love I've ever had to feel. But it's not a good love either. It's toxic. It's not his fault though. It's mine. I made him this way." Sliding down on to the bench, she wrestles her hands together, then gives a loud sniff as she wipes the back of her hand against her eyes. "It's my fault."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon moves over to sit down next to Andrea, reaching an arm around the older girl's shoulders if she's allowed to, and drawing her in for a gentle hug. She also wraps one wing around her. "I'm not all that experienced in this whole love business. But I know you don't forget, when you love someone so much. Sometimes it shifts into a different sort of thing, if you're fortunate." She smiles some, thinking back. "Would you believe I had a massive crush on Sam? Yeah. Cannonball. That Sam. It was eating me alive keeping it to myself, so one day I finally up and told him. Felt like I could've just about died when he told me he looked at me more like a little sister, and it couldn't work because of that and the fact that I'm so much younger than him. It hurt but I have a huge amount of respect for him for being honest, and... it's shifted so we're like siblings now. Instead of a boyfriend, I got something even better. I gained family." Her smile's wry, as she continues. "But I never forget how it felt, even though it's changed to something different now. I don't know if it's going to work with Mason or not. He'll always have a special place in my heart, for as kind as he was when I first got here. My first date, ever. And so far my only one. My first kiss. I know I won't forget those, even if it doesn't work. Which I'm starting to have serious doubts it will. But that's beside the point. Whatever happened, it's not your fault. There might have been things in play you still don't know about. You might never find out. Just don't forget how special someone is, even when you move on."

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"You /really/ need to learn how to use Google. You'd know it was my fault." Andrea says as she stiffens at the touch to her shoulders. "His mother is a powerful telepath and she manipulated me into thinking that he was cheating on me. I came over to his house and I saw him in bed with another girl, just going at it, then he started to laugh at me." She wipes at the corner of her eyes. "I got so mad.. I.. I wrote the most terrible song in the world about him. I called it Backstabber. Shot me into super stardom, that stupid song. I hit platinum in less than twenty-four hours, was number one in like ten countries. A week later?" She gives another sniff. "He jumped out of a window in an attempt to kill himself. Was like three or four stories. It's how his powers manifested. He tried to kill himself because of /me/. When I saw it on the news, I freaked out. I was just .. I was mad, but I wasn't /that/ mad. I begged him to talk to me, I pleaded. He just.. he wouldn't talk to me." She chokes up. "And then he became /this/. This bad boy who is hooking up with all these girls, doing drugs, going to parties, blowing through his money. He changed from being this boy I /loved/ to this guy who literally your parents warn you to stay away from. When we met up again years later, and then I was attacked by the Reavers, I saw him use his powers and I begged him to come to Xavier's. He was so scared to come here. He doesn't want the world to know. He still hated me, but .. he finally told me the truth about his mother. Everything happened because his mother thought he was focusing more on me than his career. Then, I just.. things got better between us."

"He told me he loved me. We were together again, but I could tell he was just going through the motions. He was only dating me to make me happy and as a wolf, I could smell it. I could taste it. I knew he was just.. I could tell he wasn't in love with me and I just kept playing stupid thinking maybe he'd change again, go back to being the Mason I loved, before the drugs and the sex and the parties." She wipes at her eyes again. "He was my first everything. /Everything/. I gave him everything. My body, my heart, my soul, and then he breaks up with me before we go on tour. Just wasn't working, he said. I come home and I find out he's snuggling up to you and I wasn't sure if I should warn you or let it roll because I'm not that girl." She lets out a sigh. "I told Mister Guthrie I wished you were a bitch, then at least I could beat the shit out of you and rub it in your face that he was mine first or something. But you're so nice, and selfless. It wouldn't be fair for me to posture up on you, or lord my popularity or just.. be a dramatic bitch. I figure I'd just focus on .. everything else /but/ Mason."

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     "Good. I've heard enough about high school cliques to make me really glad I was homeschooled before coming here. I didn't even know you were his ex till you said something. You want me to be pretty bluntly honest about the one thing that does bother me a bit?" She tilts her head. "Sam's been there right from the first day I've arrived. I've always known him as the leader, as my brother. He's taken the time to earn that respect and loyalty, and then someone I don't know from Adam comes swooping in. It's... hard to know how to deal with it. Guess I've just got to take the same time to know you, too. See how things shake out." Shannon cracks a bit of a smile. "Popularity doesn't count for much to me. Even if I'd have known who you were, I'd still be saying the same thing. Look. We're both of us here and now. We're just two girls with a touch of a common past, a shared present, and who knows about the future? Maybe we could start with working out... and seriously, we should get together with Pixie, and just -jam-, you know?"

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"I've been homeschooled my entire life until I came to Xavier's. I don't really do the high school drama stuff. There's no point. I'm worth millions of dollars and I have a career. Getting involved in childish school fights are beneath me. I know how that sounds outloud, but it's true. I grew up /really/ quickly and my mother is a Marine, my father is a surgeon. I was grounded from the start and was raised to /focus/ on the long run. When you go through the Disney machine, you learn real quickly how to grow up, because they control every aspect of your life. What you wear and what you say and how you smile and what you eat. I've had a career since I was about eleven. I suck at being a teenager." Andrea laughs softly under her breath. "Sam 'is' the team leader of the New Mutants. He is the staffer assigned to us, much like how Miss Frost was assigned to us, and Mister Summers was assigned to us. I come off strong because I'm an Alpha wolf. It's in my DNA. I'm a natural pack leader and Mister Summers taught me how to assess situations, utilize strengths and weaknesses in my teammates. It's just in my nature to lead. It doesn't mean I won't fall back either if necessary. Sam is going to make us all take turns leading and it's a growing point for myself to learn how to take orders and to trust another voice." She flashes her teeth at her in a grin. "So, no pressure, just don't screw up." She teases, bumping her shoulder against hers.

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Shannon rolls her eyes and lets out a short laugh. "Yeeeeah, he told me about that little exercise coming up, and I pretty much told him to fuck off, I'm no leader. That didn't go over well." She chuckles and shakes her head. "Pretty much got the 'you're going to do it anyways little sis' talk. Then surprised the hell out of myself thinking about the other teammates, their strengths and weaknesses. Maybe there's more there than I thought. Who knows. No pressure, right?" She shoulder-bumps Andrea right back. "We're all going to screw up at some point in that exercise. But better it's in here, than out there."

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"I've been out there before on missions." Andrea says with a jerk of her head towards the walls. "I've killed before, Shannon. It's not something I'm proud of, but it's something I had to do to keep my friends safe. There was a day once where Laura, Mason and I was trying to get away from the Reavers and we got blocked in an alley." She taps her fingers together. "And you know Laura, right? She's Logan's daughter. Claws and all. She's my best friend. Mason was so scared and my driver was pinned under gun fire. I remember Laura and I taking one look at each other and in that moment, we knew what had to happen if we were to get out alive." She takes in a deep breath, then lets it out. "I let the wolf out to play. I let her all the way out and I hid in the back of my mind. It was like I was in the passenger seat. Afterwards, when it was all said and done, I went home and threw up for a few hours. To Laura, this is like another Monday, for me? I thought I gave my soul up. I was inconsolable." She sighs softly. "Yes, we will all screw up one way or another, but I promise to you, as long as I'm on the battlefield with you, it will be me that gets taken out before you. I will be your shield."

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Shannon furrows her brows slightly. "I've heard the name, but don't think I've really met her yet. Her dad's not too bad, though. Gruff son of a bitch sometimes, but under that he's actually pretty nice. Very no-nonsense, doesn't seem to do things by halves. Managed to get into his class. Interesting times there." She stops for several long minutes to listen to Andrea's story, looking down at her own hands. "That day could come for any of us. We could be called on to kill. You've done it. Others of us have done it. Someday I may have to do it. And even with healing, there will come the day when I lose a patient or a teammate. Or even a total stranger." She sighs softly. "That day's already happened for me. It was when Sentinels attacked a protest down in Mutant Town. Kid named Daniel stood up to them and got shot in the back. I heard Bobby telling me to get to the wounded, and he was the only wounded there. So I went to do what had to be done. Got there, and the kid had his back shot out, clear to the rib cage. Could see everything. Bones, tissue, organs. Everything. It was too fast, there was too much damage. The only thing I could do was close his eyes for him. And the shocker?" She smiles a little bit. "Of all people, the first one to show him any sort of honor in passing, was Magneto."

She chuckles a little, and nudges Andrea lightly in the ribs. "You may be a shield, but don't get dinged up too badly for me to repair you. Got it? Every wound you take out there, I'll wind up taking in here later when we get back. We've got Triage now... but I haven't seen Josh around for a while. Sucks, he was teaching me, too."

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"Fucking tin cans." Andrea grunts out with a heavy breath. "I don't know why the world hates us so much, just because we're different. It's like this world just /needs/ to find something to be scared of every few decades. It sucks. I can't believe giant robots are attacking us and the government doesn't seem to care. We're citizens. Tax payers." Rubbing at the bridge of her nose, she furrows her brows. "Foley saved my life twice." She touches her chest. "When Donald Pierce stabbed me." She touchse the side of her head. "When Mason shot me in the head with a rock during an argument. That one should have killed me. Josh is a good guy. I had a small crush on him for a brief moment, but he had a few years on me."

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Shannon chuckles a little, and grins. "Yeah, I could see where you'd have a crush on him. He's real nice. He already had a girlfriend when I met him, though, plus the whole age thing." She looks down at her hands, and flexes her fingers. "You know... gauntlets might not be a bad idea. And that's something else I'm concerned about too. Sure, I can learn to fight. My bones aren't hollow or anything, but I need to work on my strength. Think of it like... well, like those old D&D games, a healer -and- a fighter. It can be done. And I will do it. But my concern?" She laughs some, and shakes her head. "It's not the -look- of the 'bumblebees', as Doug calls them. But what kind of protection do they offer out there? If I get out there in the field wearing them, I know it's not like armor or anything, but just what -are- they capable of? And can something be found that's light but still will protect me better? I can't help any of you out there if I get shot down."

Rage has posed:
"You could wear lightweight bodyarmor, or we can talk to Sam and see about modifying our uniforms to be more durable, but still flexible enough for movement. Doesn't help me much as a werewolf, unless I want to strap manhole covers to my back and chest and wear it like armor. You should be light weight though. You could wear gauntlets, maybe equip them with tasers so you can knock out bad guys." Andrea chuckles as she slips her phone out of her pocket and taps the glass. Opening it up, she starts to do a search online of costumes and known superhero weapons used for fliers.

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Shannon shakes her head. "I'm not so sure I want something powered like tasers. But maybe claws, or I could learn to use a sword. Or both. Nothing says I can't be a healer -and- a badass if I want or need to be. Even if I don't like killing... it may have to happen someday. And if you think about it... a healer could be the worst killer. We have to learn how and why the body works. Not too hard to turn that around."

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"Tasers are non-lethal though and can eliminate a threat without killing them." Andrea points out. "Claws and a sword has more long lasting injuries. Cops carry tasers." She clicks her tongue against her teeth. "Do you think you can do that? Use your powers to harm someone? Maybe give them cancer, or cause a wound to be worse than it is? That sounds kinda scary in itself. I guess if we were to interrogate someone, you could give them a life threatening tumor and refuse to remove it until they cough up info. But, that's more black ops than New Mutants."

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Shannon blinks, thinking about that. "I don't know if I can -cause- injuries, or just absorb them. That's something I never thought about. No, I was just talking more about having to learn about the inner workings of the body. That's powerful knowledge. You can use it to heal, or something worse." She purses her lips for a moment, considering wepaonry. "Okay... maybe tasers could be one option, but one day they may not be enough. Claws could be another option in addition to that. Those wouldn't need to be heavy, and if done right could still leave my hands free for healing. Plus, in a pinch, they could also serve other purposes."

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Scrolling through the image search, Andrea finds a pair of gloves with sharp metal claws molded into the fingers. She passes the phone to her. "Check those out. Could get sharpened titanium or diamond tipped claws attached. That way you can hopefully cut through the exterior of a Sentinel." It's about that time a news alert pops up on her phone with a link to the latest sentinel execution. Her brows lift up a bit as she plays the video for them. "Woah."

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Shannon goes pale as she watches the broadcast, claws forgotten for the moment. "Shit. We've got to show this to Sam. -Both- Sam's. And I'd even suggest bringing this one up the food chain to Jean and Scott, if Cannonball agrees. This might explain what Samuel sensed during the last Sentinel attack." She's up on her feet, brushing herself off. "We can always work out and get claws later. What do you think... this takes priority?"

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"It's on all the major news networks. I bet the big dogs already seen it." Andrea says as she shifts her jaw to the side. "But it wouldn't hurt to bring it up to the staff and ask for their opinion on it. If someone is going out of their way to take those robots apart, that's pretty cool, but it also smells weird." She says as she frowns. "In show business, if it's too good to be true, it means something will be wrong about it."

Nightingale has posed:
     "News flash... that's not just show business. And I definitely think we need to talk to both Sam's about this one. It would sure explain a lot." She frowns some. "Especially the part about that guy telling all the rest of us to back off like that. That's not happening in any lifetime."

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"News flash, that /is/ show business." Andrea says as she rewinds the video. "Take a look at it carefully. This guy takes out fourteen sentinels with ease, leaving behind no video evidence, but then gets an off camera interview in which he claims he's the next Jesus Christ of sentinel killing badasses. What year is this? No one takes out fourteen sentinels and doesn't whip their phone out or camera and starts recording if there is that many witnesses, right?. I can't even /walk/ down the street without teenagers freaking out and snapping pics of me. This looks incredibly scripted to me." She frowns visibly. "Now, it very well may be legit, but as someone who works in staging of events, this doesn't smell real to me. It feels fake and set up. To tell the world for the heroes to back off is something an inside man would say when he's trying to manipulate people and find a way to weaken potential retaliation or defenses." God, she /does/ sound like Scott. "But, I think /maybe/ we should talk to staff Sam first before student Sam. He's kinda wound up and may not react well. Know what I mean?"

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Shannon chuckles. "The whole 'news flash' bit was agreeing, the whole thing looks fake. 'If something looks too good to be true, it usually is'. That axiom isn't just for show business. My bad, I should've been more clear." SHe nods as she listens, and looks at the footage. "You're right. It looks pretty fishy. But I disagree about talking to one Sam before the other. See... when we fought the Sentinels on our last field trip, Sam mentioned he sensed something else controlling them, and had a theory it could potentially be a technopath even more powerful than he is. Could it be this guy on camera? Or is that fake?"

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"Oh. My bad." Andrea laughs softly. "I'm just thinking five miles down the road sometimes." Giving a glance about, she pushes up to her feet. "Let's go track someone down then. I need to shower off anyways since I did go for a run before I got here. So if you want to do the honors of passing the news along, it's cool. I just think talking to staff Sam first, and tell them your concerns that student Sam has second is more optimal. Let the staff approach Sam and talk to him. Don't wind him up /first/. He seems to be the kinda guy that may leap out a window and go full Punisher you know what I mean? Let him be a kid for a few minutes." She says as she starts walking to the door. "But, I'll leave that to you. I think you're just trying to make excuses to talk to him more." She teases.

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Shannon laughs, and turns bright red. "Like I need excuses. Ask him about trying to bake me a cake one time when I was down. It turned into cookies. So... I give him cooking lessons, he'll teach me a few things about machine repair. Plus we go on runs most every morning. I like pushing him a bit, see how fast I can fly versus his running, before he starts lagging behind." She purses her lips and nods. "I'll corner down my adopted big brother first, let him know what's going on. He and I could both then talk to Techno. That's student Sam."

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Giving a grin over her shoulder, Andrea says, "Ask him about the time he and I fought together in the Danger Room using Reavers Protocol fifteen Alpha blue. I got to watch him in action and it was pretty awesome." She taps the door to swish it open, then heads out with a yawn and a stretch. "Later snow angel."