11623/Smol Thing In The Stables

Smol Thing In The Stables
Date of Scene:	15 June 2022
Location:	Horse Stables
Synopsis:	Jimmy does all the work in the stables while Rhona and Tabby are all 'blah blah blah!'
Cast of Characters:	Jimmy Hudson, Rhona Lauren, Tabitha Smith

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Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    There's something about stables in the countryside during the Summer. Sometimes it's a fine thing to hear the whinny of the horses or see them when they're taking their exercise and galloping along their run. Other times the horses are just moseying around grazing and keeping an eye on the world in case it might try to sneak up on them.
    But usually, what people most notice about the stables in the Summertime? Is the smell.
    Not that it's a bad thing, for it's a bit earthy to be fair. And to some people it carries some reminders on the wings of that particular scent. Of course most folks don't have to tend to these matters. Except Dani, she's a good sort when Brightwind is here.
    Yet James Hudson? He's always gotten along well with animals. Part of his gift from his father most likely. But when things needed doing about the stables he'd volunteer.
    Which is why he was trudging down that walk to the stables, bucket in one hand and shovel over one shoulder.

Rhona Lauren has posed:
Rhona has only been here for a little bit now. She arrived on the 5th of June, and has been settling in reasonably well. She'd instantly joined up with the Equestrian Group to help take care of the horses as her duty around the school, being that she grew up around them back in the London area.

This is where she is this afternoon, standing in Shadow's stall, offering him brushes to his dark mane of hair. She'd been tending to the horses for a little while now, having even taking one of them out in to the fields earlier for a trot about.

Now the young teenager is just listening to a podcast on her phone which lays on the stall door, her sunglasses are up on top of her head, and she's stepping away from Shadow after having brushed his mane straight. The horse is eating a whole bucket full of oats and horse feed, happily munching.

It takes Rhona just a second to step out of the stall then, and situate Shadows stuff on the shelves outside his stall...

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Looking after an animal is a pretty big responsibility but considering that Jerome Badonk Smith, The X-Donk is looking very healthy for a burro that was rescued from an abusive owner in Cancun last pring. Tabby and Ruth have been doing alright.

So part of the daily routine. Feeding and brushing out the critter and occasionally mucking out his stall. Luckily, bo mucking out, just Tabby bringing a big plastic tub of apples and carrots for the the donkey and the other equines.

So arms flex, the blonde in a bright yellow tee with XAVIER's in faded old neon pink. Knee length cutoffs in an amazingly normal and plain faded blue while clunky workboots cover her feet and keep what could lurk beneath them from her feet. Her own yellow lenbsed cateye glasses letting her see where she's going.

"Well now, new girl settling in? Not every room is out to hurt or maim us here thankfully." she says with a small chuckle.

To Jimmy and his bucket and shovel. There's another grin.

"Jim, you might need a wheelbarrow if you're gonna do that and you should totally make all the girls in the equestrian club do that. Give them the authentic rich girl in a pony club experience!"

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    "Oh I intend ta, Tabby." Jimmy's voice carries as he approaches the stables. "Though right now just gonna wrangle what I can." Considering a good number of the gals are headed off with school being out for now.
    Likely Rhona doesn't hear the first words sent her way by the gym teacher. An inspiring pair of them that are simply, "Hey, kid."
    Yet it won't take long til he's likely in her line of sight, bucket clanking a bit as he sets it down next to some of the gear stowed beside the pen that Shadow's in, right before the other Chestnut horse in the pen next. Then the shovel is set to the side as the tall mutant fella gives her a nod. "Rhona, wasn't it?"
    He's not wearing what he would wear when school was in session. The sweat shorts and Xavier's School t-shirt. Instead he's got a pair of blue jeans on, some work boots, and a plain black shirt that was a little loose on him. "This gonna be your thing?"
    He gestures with a nod toward the horses even as he's walking over to the storage closet across the way, grabbing some cleaning supplies. "Along with the archery?"
    He seems to be getting a fair sized tub out of the storage area and setting it down on the floor with a kathump. The bucket's going to be for the water most likely. And the shovel. Well it's a shovel.

Rhona Lauren has posed:
Rhona looks over at the voice from Tabi as she reaches up to pull her sunglasses off her head. She shows the blonde a faint smile before nodding. "I would say that things are ... progressing well enough." The Briton says in her Lond-accented English. "It's a nice place, all things considered... Though I continue to hear some of the ... stories, about this place. They're a bit unsettling, in some regards."

When Jimmy nears, Rhona averts her brown eyes to looking upon him. She eyes him over, including his bucket, and then shows him a light smile. "Rhona, yes. Mister ... Hudson, yes?" She asks him then as she has one hand on the stall door and the other at her side. Dressed in a black tshirt and jeans, she's not overly fancy looking at the moment, but her dark hair is pinned back to keep it out of her face. She spares a glance toward Shadow's huge head just chilling there, eating his food. She smiles at the horse, then back to the Teacher.

"I've experience with the Horses, from back home. So I figured it was as good a place as any for me. Though I am looking for a job in town to keep me better occupied, and hopefully..." She shakes her head as she searches for the words. "Try and 'fit' in here, I guess." She says as she slaps her thigh gently with her hanging hand.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
"Not every kid in the club's gonna be going home for summer. So gotta make sure they pull their weight right!" Tabby points out and has a sudeen realisation.

She looks to Rhona and grins. "I swear I am not that responsible normnally. I slack off better than anyone. Really!" she says in at attempt to sound less industrious and more like the girl that wants to sleep and drink and party, and blow things up twenty four seven.

reaching into the tub she juggles it with one hand and starts dispensing fruit and vegetables offering apple and carrot and letting each equine choose, even offering some to Rhona to offeer Shadow.

Jerome gets a little more because Tabby is his mom now and she's allowed to spoil him. But no horse gets left behind.

"Unsettling stories huh? That's kind of subjective a response but weird definitely encompasses a lot of things around here. Mutant Hogwarts after all. But unlike those books the Muggles really can be a problem." she states and looks down at herself. That free hand rubbing her other shoulder before she hefts the tub in both arms again.

"Still you got questions we can answer 'em sweetie."

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    "Please, Coach Hudson. I didn't spend six weeks and five hundred dollars at coaching school to be called mister." Though as he says that with a remarkable deadpan tone he can't hide the half-smile that lurks there at the corner of his mouth. Even as he's moving cleaning products around with a grunt and a thump here or there. Though Tabitha probably has enough time around the man to get his sense of humor. Or lack thereof.
    Though as she relates about her intentions in trying to acclimate at Xavier's he gives a nod. "S'good you're approachin' it so directly. Can take some doin'. Took me a while ta get the vibe here m'self."
    He grabs the hose off the wall and twists the nozzle, getting water flowing into the bucket for now and sending some into is tub. A bit of product is added to the bucket then he straightens up while it fills.
    "But yah, Tabby's a decent sort. I can answer some questions. Jean some more."

Rhona Lauren has posed:
The young Briton just stands there as she watches Tabi take those horse treats around. She accepts a carrot, lifts it up to look it over before she just offers it to Shadow, who just non-chalantly grabs it from her fingers with his big lips. She grins at this as he scarfs it down like no big deal!

She smirks at Jimmy as he speaks of his coaching training and qualifications. "Impressive." She quietly says to him and his 500 dollars, that dry British humor ever-present.

Her brown eyes then dart from one of them, to the other. "Is it true that there are Vampire attacks here?" She asks them, sounding like an idiot for even asking it outloud. "And... uh, aliens. Shi'rar, or something?" She further asks as she once more looks from the big Coach fellow, to the Blonde Bombshell.

"I just ask, because I heard some of the younger students talking about it like it was fact, I thought they were just... you know, gaming geeks, or what have you... But then what they were saying was rapidly growing more... real?"

Tabitha Smith has posed:
"I don't even have that qualification. Got a high school diploma. And that's all I need. No official position here beyond X-Man trainee. That'll probably change sooner or later." The blonde woman says with a hopeful sounding tone in her voice.

She'd been behind in a lot of her training over the last few years. Her education even further.

Rhona's query about vampires and aliens get nods. "Vampires are real, yeah. We even have one living here. Jubilee. Some middle management wannabe lord turned her and she ended up flipping tables on him. She's like a duchess now for them. But she's also got a lotta work keeping them in line. Vampires are like the undead equivalent of the one percent and baby boomers. Treat humans like livestock. Mutants like abominations. Entitled false sense of supriority. Act like they own the place but there's way more powerful types out there. The rare good apple in the bunch!" Tabby explains. Clearly not a fan of anyone that exploits or abuses sentients.

"Jubes is fine, cute as hell. Engaged to a very lovely lady named Noriko." she adds and beams a grin.

"And the Shi'ar. Yeah, alien empire. Tried to conquer and take over but what empire hasn't invaded earth and failed yet?" she ponders and looks to Jimmy before smiling to the British lass.

"Now we're on good terms. New Empress and the Professor really hit it off I think. How's that for moving up in the universe. Wonder if that means if they get married, half of us become princesses because we were the Prof's legal wardss and stuff."

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    When the topic of vampirism comes up, Jimmy sort of looks over Tabitha's way and seems inclined to punt on that question, perhaps hoping she'll be able to answer it better than him. But then Rhona covers a few other points of contention and he tilts his head slightly one way then the other as if arguing it with himself.
    Before he finally murmurs in reply, "Yeeeah, sorta bothish."
    Which is when Tabitha takes the lead on that and starts to unravel the tales of the universe before the British student. Which has Jimmy able to get down to work as he opens the door to one of the stalls that had been in use but is now... being cleaned.
    Eventually he adds from a little bit of distance, "Yeah, seems every alien and their brother takes a swing at some point and we send 'em packin'." There's the scrape of the shovel as he's disappeared into the pen, and sometimes a schlop of sound as he gets to the hard part. But nothing unexpected in a stable to be fair.

Rhona Lauren has posed:
"'Jubilee' is a weird name for a Vampire." Rhona fires back in a quiet tone of voice, just idly tossing that observation out there in to the world. She raises her left hand up to stroke some of her dark brown hair back behind her ear as she processes the rest of that. She shows a light smirk at the Princesses comment, though that's not really going to effect her should it come to pass.

Jimmy starting to make noise, has her looking over to 'The Coach' when he's in there doing his stall work for Buttercup's stall.

"What... is this place?" Rhona asks then, to both of them. She quickly jumps in to add on to that though.

"I mean... That roomk, downstairs. The 'Danger Chamber'." Her head shakes again as she fidgets on her black booted feet. "Nothing about that thing is normal. I mean, what would something like that even cost to have, let alone... how the bloody Hell do you make something like that? I understand, there are Mutants here, powerful mutants..."

She drops her hand back down to her hip then.

"I went to a boarding school in London for a spell. They had mutants too. But, they couldn't even afford computers built in the past decade. Let alone... whatever the stuff, you lot have here... It's just, odd, is all."

Tabitha Smith has posed:
"We're not the only game in town for repelling invading aliens. Probably the prettiest. Well second prettiest. Have you seen the Themyscirans?" she asks and giggles. The Wonder Ladies to have a presence. "Woof!" she says and half nibbles her lower lips.

"Least we be like contributing to peaceful galactic relations. But when your foster father looks like the Captain of the Enterprise..." Not the right one but Picard wasn't no slouch.

"You gotta put your best feet forward and everyone deserves a little slice of love. Even Jubilee. Jubilation Lee to use her actual name. Not the weirdest name out there really. She's got a ring on her finger. Love is love! Even when it's not corporate throwing the LGBTQ community a token bone and really just using the month to exploit specifically." she states and clears her through.

"Danger Room. It's not always trying to kill us Rhona. Maim, tops but it's where you're going to eventually be learning to hone your powers. It can be used for all kinds of simulations. Like a holodeck in Star Trek but less pervy. It can also take a hell of a beating. Shi'ar alien space tech. A mutant with the power to invent all kinds of tech on the fly and a lot of other super geniuses." she states and grins.

"And yeah, some of us." Including Tabby herself. "Can be very very powerful. Need the place to be able to take a beating. But even then it's on us to dial our powers down when we can. It's the one thing we all strive for. Much as peace and coexistance. To be able to not hurt people we care about."

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    Straightening up, the shovel just sort of /clanks/ as its tip hits the bottom of the stable. Jimmy's head appears for a moment as he leans out and just sorta looks at Tabitha for a time, then over at Rhona, then back at Tabby. He quirks an eyebrow and says simply, "Girl, you need to edit."
    As he says that he disappears again, "You feed people information a lil bit at a time. Let them digest. Let them wrap their brains around it. Cogitate." There's another scrape of the shovel, and the schlop of proper grime distribution.
    "And ya don't add in a commercial break." There's a sploosh of water as some is added to the stable floor.
    "Xavier's, Rhona. Is how it is, since it's sorta old. And has been on the forefront of dealin' with mutant issues for a dog's age."

Rhona Lauren has posed:
Rhona just shows Tabitha a small smirk at the love talk. She nods softly two times to the other things as she folds her arms across her stomach and leans against the stall door while Shadow continues to just chew away on his food.

"I guess that makes sense." She quietly says of the Danger Room. "And I'm glad miss Lee has found someone to enjoy, or whatever." She quietly adds before Jimmy speaks up.

She looks over at the older man, eyeing him for a moment. "Well. This school certainly is equipped properly to help train the wide variety of mutations, that seem to exist out there... I guess my parents chose wisely, for once." The 17 year old says, chasing her words with a smirk.

"Yours are bombs." She says to Tabi. "Explosives, I mean..." She softly corrects herself as she regards Jimmy again. "And you? 'Coach Hudson'." She states with a faint grin. "Do your fingers turn in to whistles, or some such?" She inquires in a hoity British tone.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
"I didn't add a commectial break. It was a PSA!" Tabitha points out with a giggle and a mock pout. "I'm not a teacher and I stream conciousness as easily as I do plasma. That's my power." she states and puts the tub down on a nearby bench.

There's an oof as she can relax those muscles. The top cropped enough that midriff of hers is well displayed and showing as much tone as the rest of her. arms get stretched out and Jerome greedily chomps on more carrot.

"Explosions are just like how I started off. But as Doctor McCoy. Our resident big blue furry head nerd would decribe it. The ability to psionically..." Tabby rubs one temple and waves the other hand like a Jedi mind trick. "Use my body's own bio-electricity to excite and charge electrons in atoms and molecules enough to separate them and float free around the remaining ions to form superheated plasma. Which I can then further direct or detonate as needed." she explains in as best an impression of Beasts highly educated affectations.

"But if you wanna strim that down to a bite size edit. I have to power to blow things up and steal all your stuff." she says with a grin back to Jimmy before smiling at Rhona.

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    "I have the Uncanny Ability ta make folks run laps," Which is said with a faux threatening tone as Jimmy points at Rhona with a work glove. But then it's back into the pen of the stable leaving the other two to wrangle things out since they've got a good back and forth going. There's the scrape of the shovel heard as he doesn't seem to be too forth-coming about his mutation. At least for now.
    Though he does editorialize a little when Tabitha finishes explaining her own power, "We keep tellin' her the stealin' all yer stuff ain't exactly a mutant power but well..."
    There's a beat as he straightens up, leaning on the grip of the shovel and smirking a bit. "You see how she is."
    Though once he's back to scraping and shoveling he offers at least some small insight into his own world. "As for me, I just have an ornery temper. Fer the most part." Which might explain why he takes it so easy most of the time.

Rhona Lauren has posed:
"Which is why you, and Ellie, were together." Rhona responds to TAbitha then, with a slight nod following her words. "You both have similar abilities, to test the Danger part of that room." A smirk is shown then before Rhona gives another sideways look to Jimmy. "Temper isn't a mutation either, Coach Hudson." She fires back at him before she reaches for her phone to turn the music off and slip the device in to her back pocket of her jeans, cinched with a white belt under her black tee.

"Well. This place is a trip, to say the least. But, in a good way, i mean. I'm happy to be here." She notes as she reaches out to pet Shadow's face softly. "And someone from the Wonder Woman team stopped by the other day to deliver a package to Jean Grey." She notes toward Tabitha. "But it was a young boy, not a ... Amazon warrior, or whatever." She showcases a quick smile before reaching for her black backpack that she leans down to snag up and sweep back over her shoulder.

"I look forward to seeing .. the crazy stuff that seems to happen around here though. It beats the boredom of where I come from."

Tabitha Smith has posed:
"Jimmy. I spend most of my time trying to control that power." Tabby points oit with an index finger raised. "I save it for people that deserve it. Or if it's gonna be really really funny." Tabby adds and chuckles.

"I maaaay possibly know who that is. Was it more a catboy looking kid? Don't mnean he's not a fighter. You don't hang out with a warrior culture and not pick up a few things." she asks and hmms.

The tub of apples and carots is left behind for others to reward the animals or just bribe for affections later on as others come and go. tabby heading in to the stall jerome occupies so she can start grooming and making sure the X-Donk looks fab for the day. Not a single peice of riding equipment to be found for him.

"I wouldn't give this life up for the damn world Rhona. There'll always be crazy but you gotta meet it head on with crazy awesome. It'll be rough, you might get hurt you might see others get hurt or worse. But if you hear the call of the X. Answer it!"

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    "Team Wonder Woman sounds like the official name." Jimmy repeats and for some reason that seems to amuse him as he smiles to himself. All while shoveling. Though the shovel then is put up against the wall and he pushes open the door, wandering on back out and grabbing the hose and looping it over his shoulder a bit as he uncoils it.
    "Temper is so a mutation, you try tellin' the Hulk it ain't." Which he seems inclined to believe settles the argument even as he wanders back into the stall. Then there's the sound of running water as he spritzes the place down and cleans up for a good bit while they chat.
    But he smiles as he listens to Tabitha and Rhona talking, shaking his head a little. Once she's heading on back Jimmy's voice might well be heard again. "She's a good sort. Tabitha." He offers, his own way of commenting. "Got yer back and leaps ta protect her friends."

Rhona Lauren has posed:
Rhona is hooking her arms through the straps of the backpack, and then pulling her dark hair out from beneath it so it drapes back down over the pack itself. She shows a quick smile, reserved, and a nod to Tabitha. "Right. Probably the same." She says of the Wonder Boy who'd stopped by the mansion. A faint grin comes and goes from her lips before she watches Jimmy claim that hose,a nd go back to his work. She nods once to what he says. "I can tell." She says softly then. "In fact I haven't met a 'bad apple' here, yet." She notes before reaching over to pet the black furred horse again before she steps over to the hand sanitizer dispenser.

Squick squick, rubby rubby rubby. The teenager wipes her hands off, and she turns back to glance at Jimmy. "I'm going to walk the grounds a bit before dinner. I like trying to memorize the terrain of new places, and this is a big place.." She notes as she offers him a wave before starting toward the mouth of the stables that lead out to the yards.

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    The voice from in the stable is heard, "Knock yerself out, kid. You wander out too far in the woods you'll likely find a creek. Follow it on back." Though for all he knows she might be something of a forester herself.
    For now he has his own task at hand to deal with.