9710/Music in the rec room.

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Music in the rec room.
Date of Scene: 22 October 2019
Location: Rec Room - Xavier's School
Synopsis: An informal gathering of friends turns into an impromptu musical performance. Good food, good company, and good music. A good time was had by all!
Cast of Characters: Rage, Pixie, Samuel Morgan, Triage, Nightingale




Rage has posed:
Music can be heard coming from the Rec Room as Andrea is settled on one of the comfy couches with her guitar over her lap. She is strumming along the instrument and singing to a small group of younger children, a song from her first album which is called: I'm Still Here. It's a song of redemption. To pick one self up from the ground. The young kids of all shapes and colors clap along with the beat as she taps her foot.

"Brave enough to be broken!
Can't see but keep going!
Brave enough to be broken!
There's no more fear inside --

I threw my heart in the fire.
I've never fallen from higher..

But I'm still here, I'm still here!

Lost and defeated but still I stand
My heart in pieces will beat again --
There is a story written in the stars -
That makes it worth it to bare these scars!

Left foot forward, then my right
It's not over, I still got fight!
You get that feeling when you cross that line!
Like it was worth it just to take what's mine!"

As she sings through the chorus again, she is bouncing gently on the cushion of the couch as the gaggle of children sing along with her. Wings are buzzing, lights are sparkling. They are eating up this moment and she is loving every second.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn steps into the recroom, yawning and stretching after a particularly gruelling exercise in the danger room. Happily she has a free period, and she is only too eager to relax, maybe practice some music and karaoke while she is here. Of course Megan is pleasantly surprised to hear Andrea strumming and singing and she naturally sways to the beat as she heads in the general direction of the piano. "Heeey, need some musical back up?" she offers.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    Actions have consequences. It's the ultimate paradox of freedom: everyone has to freedom to do what they want, but are never free of the consequences of those actions. Some say this means that freedom doesn't actually exist. Others, like Bean, think it simply means that you shouldn't sow wind if you're not happy to reap a whirlwind. And so for most of the day he has been kept busy with chores. Dishes, laundry, sweeping, mopping, more dishes... all except cleaning the stables, which is somehow a privilege and not a chore. Odd.

    Now as the day is coming to a close, there's time to relax. And Bean has never been known for his great skill at simply unwinding. It probably doesn't help that there's now two people watching his every move, especially when he's in the mansion by himself or interacting with the students. But he was also given a challenge by his counselor, and Sam-Bean never declines a challenge.

    So he walks into the rec room, dressed as un-bean-like as has ever been seen. Loose lounge pants, a long sleeved shirt, an oversized knit sweater, and thick fuzzy socks rather than his usual combat boots. He's actually looking like a kid his age trying to relax. That must have taken some effort...

    The music even gets a smile as he walks in, settling himself in a bean bag chair and opening his book at the bookmark to continue reading. Reading with company rather than by himself in his room? Unprecedented.

Triage has posed:
With the Wellness Office quiet for once, and even inventory complete, Chris strolls to the rec room, carrying a bowl full of still hot mac and cheese. He looks to Andrea and grins. "You seem to have found a good way to relax, and some new fans." He waves to the kids, and Bean. "Heya Bean! It's time to unwind. What are you reading?" Finally, he catches sight of Megan heading for the piano. "Hey Megan! I didn't know that you played. You're full of surprises."

Rage has posed:
With the song coming to an end, Andrea is all grins as she spies her three friends coming in. "Hop on it, Megan!" She says as she motions to the piano. I'll sing Youngblood next." She gives a broad grin to Bean at the sigth of his new attire, brows lifting upwards. "You're looking hot, Sam. Love the sweater."

"Hey Chris. Park it and enjoy a free acoustic concert." The group of kids cheer again as they bounce up and down in their semi circle around the popstarlet.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn bites her lip and nods slowly. "Yeah..Though I'm not that good. So try not to laugh or anything, 'k??" with a nervous laugh, she slides onto the piano bench, stretching her fingers a bit and warming up with a few scales. She hasn't actually tried her hand at this particular piano before (apparently the old upright they had before eventually packed up and they recently replaced it).

Her fingers move a bit slowly, almost awkwardly over the keys at first, as she improvises with a song she's learned more by ear than any formal training. However, the more she gets into it, the more confident her piano playing:

Let me lie on grasses green
On my mother earth I lean

Let me lie on grasses green
On my mother earth I lean

Under burning sun
Through my veins she runs

Let me breathe the forest air
It's the life force that we all share
Feel my burning tears

Heal me through as I lie
Here with you
Heal me through
Let me sleep and keep me close

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon shuffles on in to the rec room with a cup of chicory coffee and a little paper baggie that smells of fried, sugary goodness. The bag bears the markings of the Grind Stone Cafe in Salem Center. She's in her favorite grey tank top, red tartan sweat pants, and sheepdog slippers PJ's. By the smell of the bag, she was definitely going to need to add a mile on to her morning run! Meandering on over to a bean bag chair, she flops down into it with a soft -whump-, settling in to enjoy her treats.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    Two paragraphs. That's how far Bean gets before the first interruption. But he bears it with a smile, it seems, holding up the book to Chris. It's not a hard-back tome of classic literature this time, but a paperback with the spine decorated in naval signal flags. The title can be made out as 'A ship of the line', by C.S. Forester, which the well read of the adventure genre would know as one of the books in the well known 'Hornblower' series. Written in the late 1930's, it might be an adventure novel, but it's not an easy read. "Just a bit of light reading."

    Andrea gets a friendly nod. "Thank you. Proving a point to my counselor, I think." He doesn't know the songs being sung, so he goes back to his book. But it provides a good accompaniment to a tale of seamanship in the Western Mediterranean.

    A mock stern eyebrow is raised at Shannon when she drops into a bean bag nearby, as if she's disturbing the sacred sanctity of a library.

Triage has posed:
Chris watches the excited kids and continues to grin. He cups the large bowl in hand and heads fro another beanbag while the kids applaud. Then Megan begins to run through the scales to limber her fingers or the keys. He waves his empty fork to Shannon. "I got the last of the mac 'n' cheese and left the pan to soak. I'll tend to it later." He leans forward to look at Bean's book. "Hornblower! Any of those is a pocket-full of escape if I ever read one." Then Megan begins to play the soft tune. He lowers the bowl and fork to listen to the haunting melody.

Rage has posed:
"Oh yeah? What kinda point are you trying to prove? That you can shop at The Gap like the rest of us?" Andrea says with a grin to him. "By the way, I can hook you up with some skinny jeans that will look amazing with that sweater, and maybe a flannel scarf."

When Megan starts to play the piano, she quiets down to listen, her grin broadening along her face. She revels in the lyric and the meaning behind them. When the song comes to an end, she gives a gentle applause towards her. "That was beautiful, Megan. I really liked that." The gaggle of children clap as well, excited to have not one, but two performers.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon applauds Megan's song, smiling. "You've got a really nice voice. More than a match for Andrea, I'd say." To Chris she smiles, though she shrugs. "If there was mac 'n cheese there, it wasn't made by me this time, I just got back from Salem Center with Gwendolyn a little while ago. Bean gets a mock stern glance, though she sticks her tongue out at him with a little giggle.

Now, how come she'd never really taken note of the piano in the rec room. Canting her head slightly, she considers for a moment, looking down at her hands. "May I try?"

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn blushes and giggles a bit, happy to have an audience and to show off, but happier still to not have messed up a song she is not that familiar with. "Thanks! My momma used to play that for me back home when I was younger..I always thought it was a pretty song and I practiced really hard so I could learn to sing and play piano too..She was a great musician and teacher."

As Shannon approaches, she grins and shrugs, "Sure, want me to sing along?" she slides off the bench but hovers around the instrument, always having had a fascination for the piano in particular.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "That I'm not just being a soldier because I'm afraid of being a kid." Bean responds to Andrea, with a bit less levity. He's taking this seriously, after all. It's taken him a long time to get to this point.

    He has no opinion on the music being played, it seems, having missed most of it while reading and not recognising the tune. Undoubtedly it had been performed well, but he just doesn't know how to measure that against other performances. There isn't enough basis for comparison.

    "It's pretty well written." Bean agrees with Chris's assessment of Hornblower, although he's starting to realise that he's not going to get much reading done tonight. "Bit incomprehensible if you don't understand nautical terms. Forester never explains the way O'Brian does through the vehicle of Dr. Maturin. He expects people to do their own research." A sentiment with which he evidently agrees.

Triage has posed:
Chris stirs the gooey treasure and shrugs. "Someone else knows how to bake it decently," he comments to Shannon. "I don't think that you should worry about competition in that department yet." Then he nods to Bean. "I read them as eBooks, so I had the advantage of researching terms while I read, which was fun in itself, an opportunity to learn." Then he sets his bowl down and claps for Megan. "Well done!" he says. "I'm not familiar with that one but it's haunting in a good way."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon laughs. "Sure, you can, if you know the words. Sci-fi buffs might know it best. You might know this one, actually, Andrea." She grins a little bit sheepishly, adding, "Let's just hope I don't flub this one -too- badly!"

As she slides onto the piano bench, she cracks her knuckles with a light little popping sound, wriggling her fingers to limber them up. What comes out next is a heart-pounding melody well-suited for a battle, or perhaps a danger room training session. And to anyone familiar with one of science fiction's greatest franchises, it's definitely very recognizable--'Duel of the Fates'.

Rage has posed:
"Oh. I see." Andrea says to Sam with a raise of her brows upwards. She shifts her jaw in thought, then says, "So, would that mean you're down to go shopping with me? I was serious about the jeans and the scarf. I need a scarf also and a few sweaters and maybe some snow boots. So, maybe we can all hit up Times Square and go shopping." That was thrown out to her fellow classmates as well.

She pulls Megan over to sit next to her, throwing an arm about her shoulders with a smile as she turns her attention over to Shannon at the piano now. She listens for a bit, her face scrunched up as if trying to place it, then when it hits that sweet spot of recognition, her face lights up. Oh! "Cool. Star Wars. I know that." She says as she gives a few wiggles of her fingers in the air to mimic the keys.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn arches a curious brow at Bean's book, "Woow, sounds like heavy reading. And you do this for fun?" she makes a face, peering next at what Chris is stirring, "Ooh, whatcha making? Smells yummy!" she beams at the compliment, "Thanks, I've been practicing hard. One day maybe I'll get to form a band too. Totally looking forward to this glee club.." she nods and smiles at Andrea, "When's the next meetup? Oh yeah, I need to audition for that play too..." as shannon starts to play, she smiles and nods, tapping her foot in rhythm, "Hey, nice beat, lovee the movies!"

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "Haven't seen Times Square in years, so yes, yes I would." Bean smiles, putting down his book as the music starts playing. His eyes light up, almost literally, and the smile only gets wider. Without prompting, he starts to roar out the words.

    Kor-ah, Mah-tah, Kor-ah, Rah-tah-mah.
Kor-ah, Rah-tah-mah. Yood-hah, Kor-ah.
Kor-ah, Syahd-ho. Rah-tah-mah, Daan-yah.
Kor-ah, Kee-lah, Daan-yah.

    His voice isn't quite deep enough, but it sends a flood of raw emotion out with it.

Nightingale has posed:
     It's a crazy few minutes, with Shannon's fingers /flying/ over the keys. Bean's singing only seems to egg her on, till the last notes ring out with chilling finality. She lowers her hands from the keys, letting out a "Whew!", grinning. "Here's a trivia question for ya, Bean, in two parts. One, what language is that? Two, what were the lyrics based on?" She actually has to shake her hands out a little bit, massaging them.

Triage has posed:
"It's mac 'n' cheese," Chris tells Megan. Standing, he drops the fork into it and walks across the room to her and offers the bowl. "I hadn't started to eat it. Have it if you're hungry. I'm sure that we'll have more soon." He glances between Andrea and Bean. "Times Square is wonderful now. My folks say that it was a dump at one time until the city decided to do something about the crime and other ... problems." He frowns for a moment, but continues. "I guess htat moany people here would welcome some chance to escape from the place, even though this is home for them."

Rage has posed:
"I'm good to have another session any time you guys want. Seems like every day I stick a paper on the wall, I get five people who tell me that day doesn't work. So, you guys collectively tell me what day you want Glee Club and I'll post it." Andrea says as she bumps her shoulder to Megan's.

She gives a startled jump as Bean starts to roar out Klingon or something to the group, eyes widening. She couldn't tell a Wars from a Trek, but she thinks Han Solo is hot. ".. Wow. Okay, so.. mall trip tomorrow then after classes? I'll have James bring the SUV so we can all fit. It has tinted windows so we don't have to worry about peekers. Chris, you wanna be our 'adult' supervisor or should I track someone else down?"

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "Trick question." Bean grins. "Based on 'Battle of the Trees', or Cad Goddeu in Welsh, but John Williams re-arranged it when he was writing the score. So you want me to say it's sung in Sanskrit, but that's only what it was based on." Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I give you Bean, the encyclopedia. It's a cheat, of course, when you can beam the internet directly to your brain. "I've never heard it played on the piano before."

    As for going to New York... "I'd say I'd want to talk to James first and see if he has planned the route, give the car a good look and decide then... but let's stick with the theme of the day, so sure, I'm in."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon claps and grins at Bean. "Holy hell's bells. First time -anyone- I know has ever got that one right! Bean's using his bean!" She narrows her eyes in a mock glare. "Wait, did you techno that one, or did you already know it?" Trick question, indeed! There's still a tone of laughter in her voice, anything /but/ upset.

Turning to Chris, she smiles somewhat. "Did you want another one, or should I clear the bench for someone else to try?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon claps and grins at Bean. "Holy hell's bells. First time -anyone- I know has ever got that one right! Bean's using his bean!" She narrows her eyes in a mock glare. "Wait, did you techno that one, or did you already know it?" Trick question, indeed! There's still a tone of laughter in her voice, anything /but/ upset.

She looks over at Andrea, considering. "Sure, lemme check what I've got to shop with. Maybe I could do with a new shirt or jeans or something. What time will we be setting sail?"

Turning to Chris, she smiles somewhat. "Did you want another one, or should I clear the bench for someone else to try?"

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn's eyes light up energetically, continuing to tap her feet to the beat, and she even gets up and dances a little to the music: "Nyohah Keelah Korah Rahtahmah

Syadho Keelah Korah Rahtahmah
Korah Daanyah Korah Rahtahmah
Korah Daanyah Korah Rahtahmah!!" she chimes in, her voice blending seamlessly with Samuel's. At the end, she bursts into excited applause. "Woooooow, Shannon, that was awesome! I didn't know you were such a badass piano player! We gotta duet one of these days!"

Peering back at Chris's tasty bowl of mac n' cheese makes her mouth water hungrily. She had been so busy with school work that she'd skipped lunch altogether. Besides which, she's always running on a mega energy high. "Ooh, are you sure? I mean, it smells sooo good but I wouldn't want you to starve.." although her nose twitches hungrily ,and she can never say no to food. Happily she takes the bowl and hungrily starts digging into it, too busy to talk for a while here.

Rage has posed:
"Sure, if you want to." Andrea says to Sam, though her lips tug upwards into a smile. She looks like she has something lingering on the tip of her tongue, but instead of having it tumble off, she smooths down her shirt and goes back to strumming her guitar. "I can't wait to go shopping with you guys. It will be so fun. I haven't had a chance to go out with friends and do this in awhile."

"What about you, Megan? You itching for new clothes too? I was thinking some wide flare jeans for you, like old school bell bottoms and tank tops. They'd be super cute on you and light weight so it won't drag your flying down."

Triage has posed:
Chris nods to Megan. "I'm sure. The kitchen is always open. Even when staff aren't here those of us who are old enough cook for ourselves unless we tend to burn water." He chuckles. "Enjoy it." Then he looks to Shannon and urges, "Play a piece that you enjoy and that means something to you." Finally, he looks to Bean and Andrea. "We might need a van at this rate, and a trailer to haul back the loot."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    Oh. Ah. Yes. Money. That thing that Bean has literally never needed in his life, has now been earning with chores around the Mansion, and technically doesn't need as long as he's shopping in a place that takes credit cards and allows him to get within twenty meters of the pay terminal. But it's probably not going to fly when people are watching. For one, he'd actually need a card to at least pretend to be paying. But he'll figure something out, he usually does.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn is happily, busily eating away at her meal so that she barely pays attention to those around her. But the mention of 'shopping' does catch her attention and she beams and nods to Andrea. "Yayy!!! Let's go shopping! I need new shoes and a new dress and toooootally need to find a costume for halloween! Cuz that'd be fuuuun! Maybe I'll dress up as a fairy, or is that too obvious?!" she makes a face. Then goes back to munching hungrily on her macaroni, practically licking the bowl clean.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon purses her lips, thinking for a moment. Her wings droop momentarily, wrapping around herself as she considers what song to play. Finally, her voice, when she speaks, is a bit softer, tinged with remembered sadness. "I learned to play this one just after my mutations manifested. It was a pretty dark time, and I really -was- holding out for a hero."

With that, her fingers raise to the keys again, and the familiar intro begins, a driving beat in a minor key, a soul crying out into the darkness for help they don't know if it will ever come or not.

"Where have all the good men gone
And where are all the gods?
Where's the streetwise Hercules
To fight the rising odds?
Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
Late at night, I toss and I turn
And I dream of what I need..."

Each word, each stanza, grows stronger and stronger, till her voice fairly fills the room, with surprising power beind it to spare.

"I need a hero!
I'm holding out for a hero till the end of the night!
He's gotta be strong
And he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight!
I need a hero! I'm holding out for a hero till the morning light!
He's gotta be sure
He's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life
Larger than life..."

Rage has posed:
As she listens to Shannon sing, Andrea's fingers pluck along the strings as she knows this particular song well. She plays along with her voice with a smile on her face, singing the second chorus with her so that their voices can join together in harmony. Once it comes to an end, she gives a grin to Megan and half squeezes her about the shoulders. Pushing herself up to her feet, she checks her cell phone as it dings a few times. "I gotta take this call." She says as she steps out. "You rocked one of my favorite songs, Shan."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    Another song that Bean doesn't know. And somehow, he feels like he should have, because it's... well, it's on point. Where are all the heroes these days? Superman is dead, Batman is missing, Captain America is overworked. His words to Vi from yesterday come back with exceptional clarity. To protect those who cannot protect themselves. An idea starts to form, but he can't speak his mind yet. Not with the kids around, who he has mentally already classified as those that need protecting.

    "That was beautiful."

Triage has posed:
Settling into a beanbag and without the bowl to incumber or distract him, Chris begins to tap his hand to the song's rhythm. He asked for a song that meant something to Shannon, and from her playing, he can see that he got it. Her fingers flutter over the keys in a frenzy. Her shoulders flex and her head bobs. When she raises the volume to crescendo, she tilts her head upward, almost as if she is crying her desperation to the sky and moon. When she brings the song to its conclusion, he claps. Rising from the beanbag, he goes to the piano. "That was ... amazing!" he says, clearly stunned but smiling. "You sang that with /soul/. I'm sure that Ms. Franklin would have been proud to hear that."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn oooohs and dances along some more to the rythm of Shannon's next song, singing along in places. She's got even more energy, now that she's eaten although she's starting to wonder if she needs to buy Chris a lunch now too' "Ooh, I just looove this song, it's soo Lush!" she smiles and nods to Andrea.

"See you later! At the Glee club maybe'" darnit, always so busy. She turns back to Shannon, grabbing the guitar that often hangs out in the recroom, and strums a few notes. "Heey, wanna play along to this song' It's pretty simple, just follow along, maybe you already know it although it's fairly new..It reminds me of when my powers first manifested back home, and I didn't seem to fit in anywhere.."

Megan's skill with the guitar is a lot more awkward than her skill with the piano, but she can manage some basic chords at least, to go with the simple enough lyrics, most of which are sung like rap:

"I'm so tired of pretending
Where's my happy ending'

I followed all the rules
I drew inside the lines
I never asked for anything that wasn't mine
I waited patiently for my time
But when it finally came
He called her name
And now I feel this overwhelming pain
I mean, it's in my veins
I mean, it's in my brain
My thoughts are running in a circle like a toy train
I'm kinda like a perfect picture with a broken frame
I know exactly who to blame.."

Nightingale has posed:
     There are tears now streaming freely down Shannon's face as the last note dies away, having been so lost in the music that she forgot others were listening. It takes her a moment to register that someone is nearby, and she just looks up, silent for a long while. "Thank you..." She is quiet to listen to Megan's song, not knowing it well enough to sing along.

     As the night wears on, songs and good food are shared, and a good time had by all. Perhaps not such a bad way to end the day after all!