11559/Field Duty

Field Duty
Date of Scene:	11 June 2022
Location:	Back Yard
Synopsis:	Noriko and Rogue catch up down by the lake while Rogue partakes in her summer pastime of tossing kids into the lake.
Cast of Characters:	Noriko Ashida, Rogue

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Noriko Ashida has posed:
It's a lovely afternoon.  The school has been quiet...er.  A different energy flows through the halls and over the grounds when summer rolls around.  There are still students about.  Those without good circumstances to return to over the holidays, the ones that call this place home without choice.  And oddly, for a moment between lazily hitting dents into the backstop, she pauses to consider that she isn't one of them anymore.  At least so far, no one has convinced the speedster she ought to keep attending.

Instead, Nori took great pride in quitting her job, the first one she hasn't been fired from, to take what she considers a huge step up.  First of all, working at Xavier's has certain health benefits that spraying bowling shoes just can't provide, like boatloads of food.

Nearby, there's a drawstring sack full of softballs and...bananas. Occasionally, like right now, Noriko hits a ball into one of the posts and it richlochets off dangerously, shooting across the field.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue was out at the lake today, and was just mostly goofing around. There were some students in boats out on the water, and she was terrorizing them as they were just lounging and looking at their damn phones. Now and then the Southern Belle would bombdive them, and hit someone with a water balloon! This would lead a volley of shouts to come from the lake surface as the flying southerner just swooped back up in to the trees!

In the now, coming down near to where Nori is, Rogue lands next to a group of the students who look to be around age 13 or so. She is chatting with them for a moment while Nori hits her ball, which gets Rogue to wave toward her upon hearing it clatter.

Back to the younger kids then though, Rogue picks one of them up and carries them up over the lake before tossing them toward the water to a chorus of cheers! The boy flails and falls twenty or so feet before splashing in to the water, while Rogue sweeps back around and lands on the shoreline again!

When the boy surfaces again, Rogue shouts. "That's what ya get, Tommy!" And Tommy just shouts back. "Again! Do it again!"

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko runs after the stray ball before it kills a mole or strikes someone down.  She catches it barehanded, seemingly right next to someone's ear, but if anyone were watching the angles, this is obviously a trick to scare the everliving crap out of one of the teens snickering with his friends.  Noriko throws in a little bit of an electric crack to make it sound like it hit harder than...well, not hitting at all.

"We should set up some floaty pins and go bowling," Noriko suggests to Rogue on the shoreline as she flips the ball up and somehow catches it perfectly with those bulky gloves.  Like most things, it's a trick of the eye, just screwing up faster than most can notice.

"I can't believe I just suggested that."  Clearly her old job has not yet released its iron monotonous grip.  The boys' fear of Noriko or Rogue is outweighed by other interests at 13.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue just stands with her hands on her hips, wearing denim shorts and a light grey tanktop. She looks over to Nori when she hears that electric snap of her catching the ball, then sees her just arrive beside her, causing her hair to flow out behind her bare shoulders with a bit of the wake of wind coming off the speedy one.

Rogue smirks at what she says, then looks back out over the water. "Yeah, I have been thinkin' of ways to make the lake a bit more unique this year, but I've been drawin' a blank." She notes as she looks back to Nori. "We need like speedboats or somethin'." She says with a big grin before one of the other young teens approaches Rogue, and asks to be thrown out in to the lake where Tommy is swimming back to shore.

"Can you swim?" Rogue asks the kid who emphatically nods his head. "Hold your arms up then." Rogue tells him, and he promptly obliges.

The Belle takes off and grabs the kid but his arm pits, flying him up a good twenty feet before she launches him out toward the water! The kid tucks up in to a cannon ball, shouting loudly as he descends and splashes in to the lake with a huge burst of water!

Rogue glides around and skims over the lake, pushing down at the top of Tommy's head to dunk him again as he's getting closer to shore, then she sweeps in to land beside Nori again, releasing a heavy exhale.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"At least one.  Maybe some of those jet-jet," it sounds like a stutter with how fast Noriko spits it out, trying to think of the word and second guessing 'ski.'

"Those things people say they zip around on.  I would not call it zipping.  I need to figure out something that lets me skate the water...without killing things.  Wouldn't want to accidentally bump off a crop of kids or a school of fish."  Zap-zappity-zap, Noriko lets the electricity lick off her glove around the softball she holds, singing little nicks where it contacts.

"Maybe I could figure something out that would let me tow kids behind me," she muses to herself as Rogue tests the kid's answer.  She seems to take Belle's round as if it were her just fulfilling some unspoken duty.

"I'm not used to throwing kids.  Can you spot me?"  Noriko asks casually when Rogue lands right back next to her.  "I mean, if I can make one of them agree to let me do it."  Of course.

"We should build an obstacle course or something, maybe where the kids can use their powers together.  We should make them help make it."  Noriko, not above child labor.  "Even if it will take them forever."  In her mind at least.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue laughs softly at the Jet Ski comment. "I've tried to ask for those. Jean, and the Professah, say that they're too prone to being misused, and just end up hurtin' people. Which, I guess. I mean, if someone is that dumb, though, they probably ain't gonna make it through life, no matter how much ya put'em in padding." She adds that last part with a little grin sent over to Nori.

With her eyes on that electrical show, the Belle chimes in again. "Are you able t'run on water?" She inquires. "You don't like... sink down a little with every step until you're stuck out there?"

Her eyes go back to the lake to make sure Tommy, and Glasses McGee swim back to the shore easily enough where they're met by their friends, one of them whispering something conspiratorial. Tommy plotting revenge? Uh oh!

"We'd need someone like Kitty t'design a course t'make them run through. Cause I'd just get stuff t'make water slides, like a giant hamster tunnel village." She says with a grin as she sways with her hands on her hips.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"If someone is that dumb, they aren't going to make it through their first week here," Noriko snaps out without remorse, shooting a smirk back Rogue's way.  "Well if we can harness my speed, it won't matter what they say no to," she says with a shrug.  "Just need to enlist one of the super smart kids to figure it out so we don't have to."

Noriko tries to spin the softball in her hand but it just flies off quickly.  She catches it before it hits the ground or anyone else without taking a step.  Rinse repeat, this little activity becomes her fidgeting focus for three rounds until Rogue's question hits her.  Nori catches the ball and shrugs.  "I haven't tried.  I mean what if I kill all the fish or there's some kind of feedback loop...and honestly I haven't even gone..."  full speed.  "What if my face melts off or something?"  Apparently sinking into the water is the last of Noriko's long list of possibly irrational (possibly not) worries.

"What's wrong with a giant hamster tunnel village?  The younger kids need a break," Noriko says with a smile and a little flicker of electricity in her eyes.  "You know I have a ton of free time on my hands now.  We could probably do some crazy stuff.  We should dig ourselves some secret tunnels.  If all roads lead to the kitchens I'm down."  She of course, is half-jesting about the last part.

"Well whatever Kitty would come up with, I'm sure we can inject some hamster fun back into it.  I'll poke her about it, but seriously, be on the look out for a brainy kid I can enlist on a summer project."  It almost sounds like Noriko is going to take the initiative.  She must be bored to death.  "I'm serious about that.  I need to use these kids while they still accept favors as payment before they get too expensive....use?  well, you know, enlist for their services."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue just laughs softly, her head shakes side to side then as she stands there with her ungloved hands on her hips. She does glance over to Noriko. "I don't know if friction works like that. I mean if ya start goin' so fast that your face melts off, well... nice knowin' ya." She says with a slight smirk before looking down to a bucket of rocks one of the kids left on the shoreline. She crouches down over it and holds her hair back as she peers around inside it. "Geology nerds..." She mutters.

"I think some'a the kids would be happy t'help ya design some kinda water slide, or somethin'. It could be a cool summer project. Maybe have it done by the 4th'a July." The Belle says as she stands back up with the bucket held by its metal handle. She shows a smile to Nori again then. "Where's your gal pal? Is she sleepin' till sunset?" She asks of the Speedy One.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"Rocks are ugly.  Rocks are pretty.  The end.  I don't get it," the interest, that is.  Noriko doesn't fill in the blanks she forgets to say, like her lips moving so slow they can't capture all of the racing thoughts.  She just lets the thoughts go.  "Well people get windburn and stuff and dust can erode rock.  There's no reason me speeding up how much dust and stuff hits me can erode me away too."  These are the tendrils of thought that haunt the girl now that she's engineered her life to not endanger others.  It's left room for her to finally think of her own safety, especially as she's explored her powers at the school.  Realizing suddenly that she's letting her insecurities invade their conversation, Noriko frowns.

"I'll see what they want to build then.  Maybe we can incorporate their powers to help them launch each other or make it more safe or something.  To each their own," Noriko remarks, making it clear she doesn't lean toward the latter group, or at least that's how she sees herself..or maybe she just wants Rogue to see her that way.

At the question of where Jubes is, Noriko's hip pops out and she presses her lips together.  "Yep.  Then it's her never ending duty to the petty turf wars and blood shortages.  I think I might take her on a vacation to go teach my dad a lesson and bust out my brother.  If he isn't brainwashed by now."  The casualness is obviously some kind of defense.  "I think she might like that...Do you have your curriculum all ironed out and approved already?  Or is that something you do over the summer and then Jean regrets giving you the job?" she teases with an easy smile.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue stands there now with the bucket held in both her hands up against her knees. She just listens to Nori and shakes her head slightly while laughing just a little. "Goggles, and a hockey mask. Make that your new look." She tells the other with a given grin.

"I agree that Jubes needs to get her head in a different world for a little while. I think she's sinkin' in to the 'dark world' a little too much, if ya know what I mean." The Belle offers then. "So if you can do somethin' like that, then by all means, make it happen, Cap'n."

She walks over to one of the benches where she sets the bucket down so its not in the way of the shoreline, and looks back to Nori then. "I'm still tryin' t'convince Jean t'let me teach Flat Earth Theory." She jokes a little before folding her arms over her stomach. "But yeah, she's been walkin' me through some of the ins and outs of how t'set all that up. Looks like I'm gonna be goin' for French class, and maybe substitute on-call for other subjects when need arises... I'll have it all figured out by August, probably. If not? Hey, lots of movie days can be scheduled, right?"

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"I'll give it a try, see what Jubes says."  Naturally Noriko is thinking of all the wonderful stories she could spawn as the school's new caretaker.  "I'll pick up some gear on my next run."  Yep, she's serious.  It's been decided.  She's seen the potential.

Rogue's comment about Jubes steals Nori's attention though, as if the speedster had let her thoughts race along all the scenarios for scaring the ever living daylights out of children for a moment or two.  "I think it's rotting her brain.  Making her more frustrated," and it's clear dealing with frustration in this new state is not going to be effectively dealt with by dusting glitter on posters.  "But who wouldn't be.  She has to deal with morons she knows are an eternal problem."  In a post she can't just quit.

"Okay."  Noriko resigns to do it aloud.  She takes a deep breath and nods, her mind picking over her own fears as suddenly her decision makes it all real again.  "Just pitch a class on conspiracy theories and defense of science.  Seems like kids would need that these days to keep their heads on straight.  Then make the kids debate all the crazy shit that pops up during the year.  Flat Earth seems like it'd be on a permanent rotation."  The glint in her eye is the only tell of her mischief.

"Yeah.  It's not your fault if Jean doesn't approve of what you want to teach by that point," Nori says with a little snicker.  "Every one of these kids needs to have a proper movie education no doubt they have missed out on.  Just as important as algebra!  Call it cultural catch-up class and have it count as a fine art.  The fine art of watching movies."

There's a slight, quick pause.  "I know things will work out, but if they don't, because weird stuff happens around here or whatever, you know if you ever wanted your old job back, you wouldn't be taking it from me.  I could find something else," she offers.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue just grins then as she drops her hands down to her sides and shakes her head. "Oh no.... That job is yours now. You gotta take all these fat little whiners to their dentist appointments, and restock all the food cabinets endlessly. It's aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall on you!" She thrusts her right pointer finger at Nori with a big grin. "Least you'll get the ice cream inside faster than me too."

Rogue grins as she walks past Nori now.

"I'm gonna head inside and see what's cookin' for dinner t'night. If I do Conspiracy Theories as a class, I'll recruit you'n Jubes t'play the part of the FBI Agents come t'shut me down. Sound fair?" She asks.

"Don't try'n run on water without supervision either! And let me know if you need anythin'..." The Belle waves and starts to walk down the pathways back toward the Mansion now.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"Yeah, but now I feel the direct pain of my own appetite," Noriko whines, but only because of the irony.  "It's the dentist appointments I'm loathing.  I think I have the first one next Tuesday."  She sighs.  She foresees so much /waiting/ in her life.

"I think I'm going to stick out here and get a few more hits in."  For what purpose?  Who knows.  Nori hasn't played on a team in years, but it seems to be her thing.  "Totally fair."  She snap-points, but makes the noise with a pop of electricity to fill in for the missing friction.

"Yeah I'm not that dumb," she is.  Jubes found her stuck in the Danger Room once and forbade her from ever messing around in there again, but Rogue doesn't need to know that.  Nope.  Nori flashes an electrified peace sign in parting and zips back to the backstop, starting to hit balls into the other side of it now to dent it back in the other direction.

CRACK-PING!  CRACK-PING!  CRACK-PING!