1426/Greek Statues and Medal Etiquette

Greek Statues and Medal Etiquette
Date of Scene:	28 April 2020
Location:	Metropolitan Museum of Art
Synopsis:	Bobby and Jean-Paul have a meandering discussion while meandering the Met.
Cast of Characters:	Jean-Paul Beaubier, Bobby Drake

---

Jean-Paul Beaubier has posed:
Monday afternoon isn't exactly a hopping busy time for the Met. School field trips have likely already departed for the day or are just about to do so, and maybe the few dates that would come through likely aren't going to do so until later as many of the 9-to-5ers are still trapped at work, and tourist season has yet to get into swing. So it's the perfect time for people with more flexible schedules to come and appreciate the art on display. Jean-Paul is either here simply to enjoy the art, to kill time, or maybe a little bit of both. He's currently wandering through the chipped pottery and broken statuary of the Greek and Roman exhibit. Dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt he doesn't stand out too much in the crowd, except for that slighty distinctive hair tone of his. He's on a slow meander however, moving slow enough to see the things he's looking at but not really lingering on any one piece.

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby Drake is in the city since he had classes in the morning, but his classes are over, and so now he's wandering. And like his trip to the zoo, the trip to the Met is just a spontaneous thing rather than anything planned. He was out and about and suddenly felt the urge to go wander the art museum. He looks like any other college student that one might see perusing the exhibits, perhaps for an assignment, in his faded jeans and white t-shirt with a loose blue button-down left open over it. He carries no laptop or tablet and doesn't appear to be taking any notes, so he's likely just there to take things in. His steps are slow, wandering, and carry him on a winding path through various exhibits until he too ends up in the statuary section. It's only after a few moments that he notices Jean-Paul, and at first he doesn't think much of it, but then he takes another look and studies the man's hair, trying to figure out where he remembers it from.

Jean-Paul Beaubier has posed:
Honestly, it could be mistaken for any man with a little premature silver in his hair and with no desire to dye it back, or pehaps with an interesting taste in fashion the way it's streaked through almost like highlights. JP does come to a stop in front of one of the statues finally, one of a male with a lion pelt, probably meant to be Hercules. Crossing his arms over his chest as he examines it idly. His eyes quickly pass over the description plate, but return to the statue after a moment. He's not really paying attention to others in the gallery, currently lost in his own little world.

Bobby Drake has posed:
And so it is that Bobby shrugs, letting it go as just one of those things, a tickle of some thought that disappears as swiftly as it arrives. Instead, he simply drifts over and comes to stand near JP, tilting his head a little bit as he studies Hercules as well, then toward JP, and then toward the statue once more. "Deep thoughts about the gods?" he asks finally, hands slipped into his pockets, posture casual, relaxed.

Jean-Paul Beaubier has posed:
"Wondering why the Greeks always made their statues with such small.. well.." JP lifts a hand with just his pinky sticking out. "They sculpt some of them with enough muscles to make Captain America look slightly flabby and thengo and give them that." He gestures at the statue. "It's just mildly confusing." He looks sideways at the stranger he was probably just a tad too honest with, a slight smile crossing his face. "Please, everyone thinks it, I'm just saying it out loud."

Bobby Drake has posed:
"Big dicks were considered animalistic and not the epitome of human beauty. If you look at satyrs and fools and whatnot they've usually got these massive dicks and were considered vulgar," Bobby says as he studies Hercules with his head cocked slightly to one side. "So, by comparison, your strong intelligent epitome of human beauty by comparison has a modest sized member." He grins a little sidelong. A passing museum patron gives him a side-eye in passing because perhaps that conversation could have been had at a slightly more hushed volume. He just grins, "What? We're discussing art." The patron continues on without comment.

Jean-Paul Beaubier has posed:
"Hmm.. so there is a reason." Jean-Paul is grining though, seemingly pleased Bobby is playing along with the game. "Well, at least the Romans had a sense of humor about the thing. Pompeii is littered with graffiti of flying wangs. I guess that settles where I'm going if I ever get a time machine." He laughs and shakes his head. The passing patron just gets a teeth-glinting smile. "My guess was going to be they were hard to sculpt and prone to snap off if made too large."

Bobby Drake has posed:
"Just, you know, try to time the visit with an ample window to account for flight delays," Bobby says with a wince. "Don't get caught when Vesuvius blows, man. I'll take little dick statues over suffocating to death and becoming a people cast in ash." He grins, "Nah. It's a sign of self-control and focus on intellect and strength. Big dicks I guess were a sign of little brains. Too much blood needed to get that sucker up."

Jean-Paul Beaubier has posed:
"Well, forearmed is forewarned. I'll be able to get the hell out of dodge quick enough. Or I'd just get tired of no cell service or modern sanitation after a day or two and come back. Maybe just for a trip to the bath house, maybe take in a chariot race or two and pop back." JP shakes his head with a laugh, then extends his hand out towards Bobby. "Jean-Paul, pleasure."

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby Drake chuckles and says, "True enough. I think I'm too much of a fan of toilet paper to hang out in the past for all that long." He grins and then takes the hand, giving it a single, friendly shake. "Bobby," he introduces himself. "I think the times I'd want to visit would be the ones with modern plumbing, not going to lie."

Jean-Paul Beaubier has posed:
"I believe that narrows it down to from now till... sometime in Queen Victoria's reign I'd guess. Queen Victoria is usually the answer. Or at least it worked well enough to get me through history class in school." Jean-Paul rubs his chin. "Still, that leaves plenty of time worth hanging around in, just a few decades I'd outright avoid."

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby Drake chuckles a little at that and says, "Queen Vicotoria is a pretty applicable answer to a lot of questions." He turns away from the statue then to study Jean-Paul instead, "Time-travel really isn't my balliwick though, so I guess I'll have to make due with present day unless I want to go hang out with some historical reenactors or something." He nods toward the statue and asks, "So, just randomly wandering the museum contemplating the great mysteries of penis sizes? Also.. this is going to sound really weird.. but you look kind of familiar and I can't figure out why.. your voice is familiar, too." That's still nagging at him a little bit.

Jean-Paul Beaubier has posed:
"She really is." Jean-Paul says with another slow shake of his head. He arches a brow in Bobby's direction then nods. "I guess time travel would be more hassle than it's worth, anyway. The whole threat of messing up the timeline.. better just to stay in the present." He shrugs as he turns away from the statue. "No just killing an afternoon exploring a museum I haven't had a chance to poke around in before." Though the 'you seem familiar' question gets a sort of smirk and shrug from Jean-Paul. "Do you watch professional skiing by any chance?"

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby Drake nods his head and says, "Yeah. I got out of class and didn't quite feel like going home yet, so decided to kind of wander around, ended up down here. I like to come every once in a while, see whatever new exhibits might be rotating through, visit the greatest hits." He then thinks about that. "I watch the Olympics most of the time. But no, I don't watch a lot of sports. You're a skiier, then?"

Jean-Paul Beaubier has posed:
"Olympics? Maybe that then." Jean-Paul smiles slightly then nods his head. "It pays the bills." He starts walking along the exhibits again, not seeming to mind the company if Bobby trails along. But it's much as it was before, a slow meander with enough time to look, but not much lingering. "I dunno, not too much of an art buff myself, but I do find museums relaxing. At least when they're calm and fairly empty."

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby Drake nods, seeming to take that at face value, "Cool." He grins just a little bit and says, "Winter is definitely my favorite season. I'm a skater." When JP does begin to wander again, he falls in with him, wandering off to one side nearby and looking at the art in passing as they talk. He's seen all of this exhibit before more than once, so he reads a couple of plaques that he'd skipped previous times, but otherwise seems to enjoy the leisurely stroll. "Yeah, I like it like this. That's why I usually come after class if I'm going to come."

Jean-Paul Beaubier has posed:
"Skating is good, I've had a fair amount of practice with that, too. But skiing is my love, the speed and the jumps, closest you can get to flying without.. you know.. actually flying." Jean-Paul sighs softly. "So this time of year most of my training is indoors, and I just feel the need to get out of the gym once in a while and wander. Keep myself occupied until the winter sports season rolls around again."

Bobby Drake has posed:
"Ever think about taking up any summer sports during the warmer months?" Bobby asks as they stroll along. "I've heard some athletes like to do that. I don't mind skating indoors, though I prefer doing it outdoors. Skiing's fun, too." He grins, "I get it." About the speed, the jumps, though his method of conveyance isn't quite the same as skiing. "I like to swim in the summer, personally. Pretty much anything doing with water." He chuckles.

Jean-Paul Beaubier has posed:
"Well, I swim, do gymnastics, but you have keep the right training going all year round, and indoor ski machines have come a ways.." Jean-Paul snerks and shakes his head as he leans over to look at a pot. "Oo... I see what you mean about the satyrs now. Yikes.." He stands back up with a shudder. "Or I just find other ways to keep myself busy."

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby Drake nods to that and says, "Makes sense." He's certainly no professional athlete, so he has no idea what sort of training they do year round. Jean-Paul knows that better than he. He laughs as he leans over and looks at the pot then nods, "Yep." Still grinning with amusement he says, "There can indeed be too much of a good thing." And then he drifts away from that particular display toward another statue, a bust not far away from where they were standing. "Like wandering art museums."

Jean-Paul Beaubier has posed:
"Too much of a good thing... well.. I guess there can." He himself doesn't sound so sure if he agrees with that. "I'm not sure they can get that big.. proportionally speaking." There a shake of the head at the pot then he's moving on. "Art museums, zoos, Broadway. It's the first summer I've spent in New York so I'm trying to take it all in. Guess I have a little bit of wanderlust in me, too. Come to different cities, check them out.."

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby Drake laughs and says, "I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to try walking around with something that big, proportionally speaking. I think just walking around would become inconvenient." But he moves on from the pot as well as they continue to drift through the museum. "Broadway's a blast. Too expensive for my blood. I can only go if I can get the real super discount cheap tickets." Then he laughs, "And the last time I went to the zoo was uh, kind of a disaster. Some freaks tried to let animals out of the cages, there was an escaped bird.. chaos."

Jean-Paul Beaubier has posed:
"I'm not sure you could walk around with it, not without super strength, and even then.." Jean-Paul shrugs. "Highly inconvenient." He looks at Bobby sideways for a moment, squinting for a moment as if trying to figure something out. "Yes.. I saw that. Though I was warned before coming to New York that the city tended to atract oddity. MAybe some of the reason I decided to spend some time here. Break the humdrum."

Bobby Drake has posed:
"Well, there's definitely no shortage of weird stuff that goes on in the city," Bobby chuckles. "So if you're looking for random strange, this is the place to find it, that's for sure." He wanders from the statue he was looking at over toward another one. "I think they finally fixed the enclosures. I'll probably go back sometime soon before the real crowds start showing up."

Jean-Paul Beaubier has posed:
"So I've come to realize." JP hooks his thumbs in his pockets as he stops by one of the statues, this one missing it's arms. "Wonder what pose she was doing? For all we know it could look like she was hailing a cab." He chuckles softly at his own joke. "I probably will, too. Finish that staring contest with that panther." He mutters under his breath.

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby Drake wanders over to stand next to the statue to assume her pose, then he begins to position is arms in different ways which looks more like he's vogue-ing than posing, which of course draws a few more looks from passers by, which doesn't seem to phase him. Then he pauses and he points at Jean-Paul, which could be taken as a pose, but it's not. "It was /you/ at the zoo. That's where I've seen your hair before. You were the guy at the panther enclosure when I was looking at the bats."

Jean-Paul Beaubier has posed:
"I really should dye it.." Jean-Paul mutters under his breath with a shake of his head. "I was there when those oddities showed up." He shrugs, though he's giving Bobby the side-eye again, much harder to place Bobby's ice look with the college student that was looking at the bats. "I left shortly after though, was a little much for me."

Bobby Drake has posed:
"Why would you do that? I like it. It looks cool," Bobby grins. He tilts his head a little to one side and then he says, "Yeah, I was, too." He lifts one hand and strikes another statue pose, but this time his hand goes translucent, made of ice, a bit of condensation forming in the air around it at the temperature change, and then with a snap of his fingers, it switches back. And with that, he slips his hands back into his pockets and strolls on to the next statue. "Yeah, that kinda thing just happening when you're trying to just chill can kinda throw a wrench in your day."

Jean-Paul Beaubier has posed:
"Which is why I've never done it." He sighs. "Ah." Jean-Paul says as he looks at the hand, then around to make sure no one is paying too much attention. "The translucent boy." The name is said with a bit of a jesting tone, though he's walking along with his hands in his pockets. "Honestly, I was just going to leave, and then the thought of a rare parrot flying into a jet engine brought me around."

Bobby Drake has posed:
"Yep, that's what they call me," Bobby says with a grin. "Yeah, well, I've got a soft spot for animals, what can I say? Didn't want to see any of them get eaten or get loose and get hurt. Pretty sure they managed to catch the one that made it out of the enclosure." He studies his feet more than the art as they walk along through the current exhibit. He's seen these pieces a hundred times.

Jean-Paul Beaubier has posed:
Jean-Paul hmmms softly under his breath as he stops in front of one of the paintings now that they've left the Greek exhibit, coincidentally of a snowy landscape. "Well, at least the got the escapee." He leans forward to get a better look at some of the detail in the painting. "It was a knee-jerk response honestly. Haven't wuite broken the habit of sticking my nose into things."

Bobby Drake has posed:
"Are you trying to?" Bobby asks, glancing at the painting, and then over toward Jean-Paul, studying him. "You said you're not currently affiliated. Guessing that's by choice, then?" He seems curious, but also doesn't seem like he'd be offended if JP said that he didn't want to talk about it.

Jean-Paul Beaubier has posed:
"Yes. No.. Maybe." Jean-Paul shakes his head. "I.. left that life a few years ago, every so often something tugs me in for a bit. As it does." He smirks, shoulders rising and falling in a 'what are you going to do?' motion. No, he doesn't seem bothered talking about it, or at least not offended enough not to discuss it.

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby Drake smiles a little wryly at that and says, "Like it does." He then shrugs his shoulders, "I don't know. I don't think I could just walk away from it, not any time soon, anyway. Once I graduate in the next month or so, I'm going to be teaching others, like me, full time. Kids who need somebody to help them cope with what it is being like us."

Jean-Paul Beaubier has posed:
"Hmm.." It's a non-commital sound from Jean-Paul, could mean anything or nothing. "I'd call it more of a.. parting of ways due to conflicting circumstance. I lost my reason to stay, so I left." He looks sideways at Bobby, unable to conceal some of the skepticism on his face. "Children are bad enough, a school full of children with powers sounds like you're asking for disaster."

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby Drake grins a little over at Jean-Paul and says, "Chaos is definitely part of it. But.. they taught me. I grew up there. It's kind of something I feel like I need to give back to, chaos or not. Somebody's gotta do it. Why not me? Besides.. as much as I love numbers, I just decided I'm never going to be an accountant." He pauses in front of another painting, letting his gaze drift over it. "Sorry to hear about that, the whole, conflicting circumstances, thing."

Jean-Paul Beaubier has posed:
Jean-Paul Beaubier shrugs, "I'm over it." Said in the exact tone of someone who is not over it and doesn't want to talk about it. He glances over to Bobby as he gets something of a life story, then shakes his head. "Must be nice, having that place you know you belong, but not for everyone. Me, I just drift. It's easier that way. Nothing to hold you down, keep you back. Can't blame you for the accounting thing though, that's why I pay someone to do it for me."

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby Drake nods his head when JP says he's over it, not because he believes he's over it, but because he hears that distinct "don't-want-to-talk-about-it" tone when he says it, and that's enough for him not to pry. He just nods as they walk along and then says, "Guess that must be nice, too. You can just sort of do whatever feels right in the moment, go wherever opportunity takes you, not have to worry about anybody but your own business." He smiles a little wryly and says, "It's not bad. In the end, it's just not really what I want to do."

Jean-Paul Beaubier has posed:
"Some would say self-centered." Jean-Paul smirks as he takes a jab at himself. "Maybe if I find the right reason, again." He stops at another painting, shaking his head at something. "I always wonder how accurate these portraits are. Certainly if someone is paying you to paint them, you're going to flatter them a little, sixteenth century photoshop style." He grumbles. "I swear, photoshop airbrushing is the bane of my existence." It's an off hand comment before returning to the topic. "Well, if you want to teach, more power to you. I would probably strangle them all in frustration within a week."

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby Drake shrugs his shoulders, "There's nothing wrong with living for yourself. You have to, at least a bit. Youc an't lose yourself to what everyone else needs or wants all the time. That's not living, either." He tilts his head as he looks at the portrait and says, "I'm pretty sure they were all prettied up a bit for the sake of you know, posterity and all." Then he looks over at Jean-Paul and raises a brow, "Why would they photo-shop you? You already look like you were born in photoshop."

Jean-Paul Beaubier has posed:
"I'm also fairly certain that's why you can never see their teeth in these portraits. No amount of flattery would be believeable there." Jean-Paul laughs, which gets a few ruse glances which he just sort of shrugs off. Bobby's compliment has him smiling slightly though. "Thanks, but they photoshop everyone, even if all they're doing is slapping your face on a box of Wheaties. Never did get that Wheaties box though.." He squints slightly. "Then you do one Sports Illustrated spread and slip into obscurity until you win something again."

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby Drake laughs a little bit at that and winces, "Yeah, you're probably right." He moves on from that portrait to the next one, pausing to study it for a moment or two. "One of the guys I know is doing portraits of some friends and I. I've never sat for a portrait before. I'm guessing it's going to be really boring and all I'm going to want to do is itch my nose for like.. the whole thing." He grins, and then studies Jean-Paul, "Yeah, I guess that's true. But really, why would you want to be on a boring breakfast cereal? If I was on a breakfast cereal I'd want it to be something awful and sugary like lucky charms or cocoa pebbles."

Jean-Paul Beaubier has posed:
"That does sound horribly boring. Can't he paint from.. I dunno..a photograph?" Jean-Paul wrinkles his nose slightly just thinking of sitting still that long. "Because they don't put pictures of athletes on any cereal other than Wheaties? I know it's a disgusting cereal and no one actually eats it, but it's like a... thing. One of the signs you've made it. Your own Wheaties box."

Bobby Drake has posed:
"Sure, he could, but he asked for models so I'm going to see what it's all about," Bobby grins with a slight shrug of his shoulders. Then he laughs and says, "That's how you know you've made it, huh? Not a gold medal or a championship ring? Just a picture on an orange box of bland cereal no one wants to eat?" He can't help but find that funny. "That's kinda sad, man."

Jean-Paul Beaubier has posed:
"I don't make the rules." Jean-Paul spreads his hands apart and shrugs. "It's a tradition as old as time." He moves on down the hall again, just passing a few paintings with barely a glance. "Also, walking around wearing a championship ring? They're just so.. big and gaudy. It has a little of that feeling of the middle-aged lawyer who hasn't made partner yet and still wears his highschool class ring."

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby Drake shakes his head and grins, "Alright, well, I hope you get your Wheaties box someday, then, for the sake of tradition." He doesn't seem to mind the lack of pausing, not really paying attention to the paintings anyway at this point. Eventually he'd pretty much stopped really looking at the art at all. "You don't get one of those in skiing anyway, right? Just a medal. Though I suppose you don't want to wear that around everywhere, either."

Jean-Paul Beaubier has posed:
"Well, you wear it when you get it, for an interview or two and then a couple photoshoots, but after that, no.. Wearing it is just pretentious, you put it on the mantle so people can politely look at it when they visit you, ask a few questions about it, then ignore it." Jean-Paul tilts his head to the side as he thinks. "And only the really impressive ones go out on display like that, the lesser ones you put up in your private study for your personal alone slash gloating time."

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby Drake grins as they walk along and says, "Any gold medal is an impressive gold medal." He then chuckles at the personal stash of medals for alone/gloating time. "Are there that many of them you have a whole stash somewhere?" He raises a brow and looks over at JP. "Damn. I think I might have a three-legged-race trophy from when I was fifteen somewhere," he says with good-natured amusement. "Sometimes, I sit alone in my room, and remember the glory of that victory, and not because I iced over the whole lawn behind us so everyone would slip to their doom." He waggles his brows, clearly making that shit up.

Jean-Paul Beaubier has posed:
Jean-Paul Beaubier laughs, "No.. not really. But it's fun to let people think I sit on a hoard of medals like some.. skiing dragon." There's another brief laugh from him at the recounting of the three-legged race. "And no one noticed? Slick." He frowns. "Pun not intended. But what? No Matholympic trophies to gloat over? That's a thing schools do, right? Bunch of kids sitting at tables doing math problems in their heads."

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby Drake laughs and says, "Now I am not going to be able to get the mental image of a dragon on skis sitting on a giant pile of gold medals out of my head." He shakes his head and then smirks, "Of course no one noticed. I'm just that smooth." He is not. And he is very clearly joking. Then he shakes his head. "I didn't go to a normal school. I went to the school I'm going to teach at. We had a lot of stuff that normal schools didn't, but we didn't have some of the things that normal schools did. Besides, pitting kids against muntant geniuses with vastly superior computational abilities wouldn't make a lot of sense."

Jean-Paul Beaubier has posed:
"No, but the wins would look nice on the school brochure." Jean-Paul looks at Bobby and shrugs. "I spent my high school years in a circus so I wouldn't know." Is that a joke? He doesn't soud like he's joking. "Then again, school full of kids with powers sounds like its own type of circus, so have fun with that." He digs into his pocket and pulls out a business card which he flicks and holds out to Bobby. "If you ever have need of a flying speedster, call and if I'm feeling partiularly bored I might come. Or if you want to get coffees. I need to get back though."

Bobby Drake has posed:
"Hey, I managed to graduate. Pretty sure I can help a few other clowns make it through," Bobby says with a little cocky grin, clearly confident in his own abilities, even if he has no real idea how he's going to cope with an entire classroom of mutant kids full time. He takes the card from Jean-Paul and glances at it before he tucks it away in his wallet, giving him a nod. "Was nice to see you, Jean-Paul. I'll catch you later." He comes to a stop then, and gives the other man a little wave/salute before wandering off down another exhibit hall, and letting him head out.