16004/Shirts vs. Skins or Skins vs Fur

Shirts vs. Skins or Skins vs Fur
Date of Scene:	03 October 2023
Location:	Basketball Court
Synopsis:	Joshua tries to teach Sharon how to play basketball. It doesn't go well.
Cast of Characters:	Sharon Smith, Joshua Foley

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Sharon Smith has posed:
If Joshua was wondering where his basketball shorts were, he'd find they were apparently usurped by a particular feline mutant for her own basketball themed entertainment. She also wore a current basketball jersey which, judging from it's absurd size, was probably not hers. It was either usurped in a similar fashion, or she had an inherent inability to guess what sizes to buy despite the little "L, M, S" labels printed on shirt collars.

Sharon sat in the middle of the court playing something that didn't look like basketball at all. She at least had a basketball, but was keeping herself occupied by pushing it down the court to watch it crash against the chain link fence before slowly rolling back to her. Perhaps the rattling sound of a chain fence clinking was more satisfying than the sound of 'swoosh' from making a basket. It was also far easier.

Joshua Foley has posed:
It's a warm and sunny day at the school, even if the temperatures are starting to cool as Autumn closes in to put it's lukewarm embrace around New York. It's between classes, and out on the basketball court, Joshua is dribbling about.

Dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, the young man hefts up a shot, which clangs off the rim and falls to the side. He winces at the missed shot as it goes careening off. "Heads up!" he yells out as he starts off in pursuit of the ball as it heads straight towards Sharon!

Sharon Smith has posed:
Sharon Smith 's cat like reflexes kicked in. She didn't catch the ball, but instead swatted it with a hand to send it in a reverse trajectory away from her. It seemed far better than catching it on the top of her head, but was more of a volleyball move than a basketball one. "Hey" she complained. "You're trying to make me lose?" she asked, as if one could lose a game with a chain-linked fence.

Joshua Foley has posed:
With Sharon swatting the ball away, Joshua snags it out of the air after adjusting his direction and skids to a halt as he blinks owlishly a few times, his golden skin flickering in the sunlight.

"I apologize, didn't realize you were playing a game. I kind of careened my shot off the rim and the ball..." Well, she knows! But now he's all curious, tucking the ball underneath his arm. "What game are you playing?"

Sharon Smith has posed:
Sharon Smith looked down at the ball. "Basketball" she decided. It sounded fancier than admitting she was just pushing a ball and watching it roll back. "Are you trying to join my all-star team... or are you trying to defeat me in a defiant challenge?" she asked, narrowing her eyes almost accusingly as she leered at him.

Joshua Foley has posed:
She's playing basketball. Okay. Joshua considers the fact that Sharon is asking him. "I was just practicing, I played back in high school." he explains, "Before the whole... this." a wave of his arm. "Did you want to play with me?" he asks her, giving her the option if it's a challenge, but gets a little wide-eyed at her leer.

Sharon Smith has posed:
Sharon Smith clutched the ball she was previously rolling and popped up to her feet. Her feet were the only not basketball themed thing about her, as she wasn't wearing basketball shoes, or any shoes for that matter. It was probably for the best, considering her poor choice in clothing sizes. "Okay" she decided, bouncing the ball to him. "Shirts vs skins?" she asked. It was a bit silly to make the distinction with a 1v1 game, since there was little to no chance of not knowing who was on your team, but it was a common theme brought up in movies, so she felt obligated to parrot it. "Fur vs skins? Skins vs..." She paused to stare over Joshua, trying to decipher what strange elements his frame could shift to, but she only knew of his healing. "More skins" Her eyes lifted, knowing it was ridiculous, but she couldn't come up with any other clever parodies.

Joshua Foley has posed:
"Shirts versus skins?" Joshua asks, raising his eyebrows. "I mean, we know we're playing against each other, so why...?" He sighs a little, but relents. She wanted shirts versus skins, so he reaches down, untucking his shirt before pulling it off and setting in on the bench. The skin of his back and chest is as gold as the face and arms. Though with him turned to her, she can see a small blob of black flesh that is on his right shoulder blade.

With her holding her basketball, he rolls his off to the side as well before he returns to where she is at the center of the court. "How many points do you want to play to?" he asks. And he doesn't ask about a wager. This is supposed to just be fun, right?

Sharon Smith has posed:
Sharon Smith pursed her lips, looking briefly lost. "Because that's what they say." She explained, having simply parroted the phrase because it seemed the most basketball-like thing to do. She didn't actually know what the distinction meant. She'd heard the phrase in film and TV, but she didn't spend a great deal of investment to actually watch the shoes. They tended to simply be things playing in the background. "I did say skins vs moreskins." she joked. She followed him to the middle of the court and set the ball down between them. It started to quickly seem as though Sharon might not know the rules to the game... other than it involved a big orange ball being tossed around.

Joshua Foley has posed:
Picking up the ball, Joshua isn't dribbling it just yet, because like the light of a new day that reflects off his skin, realization if sinking in. "Which movies are you talking about?" he asks her. "Air Bud? Hoosiers? Space Jam?" It's what he can come up with off the top of his head, but is gaining an understanding of Sharon's level of comprehension of basketball. "Watch March Madness? The NBA?"

Then he pauses, and dribbles the ball, once and then twice to come up with an appropriate question that would not upset Sharon. And finally decides on, as he catches the ball and hugs it against his abs, "Have you actually played basketball with someone else?"

Sharon Smith has posed:
Sharon Smith lifted the hem of her shirt as though she'd actually planned on following through with the gag of playing 'skins and moreskins.' Luckily the numbered jersey didn't actually come over her head. Instead, she simply played with the hem, hiking it near to her arm-pits as she waved the excessively long fabric about. "All of the above!" she decided. She'd never taken the time to actually figure out the titles of the shows people were watching.

She wrinkled and shook her head in answer. "No... I haven't, but I've watched it. Sometimes people yell horse, and other times there's a lot of running around and bouncing a ball." she gave her assessment of what basketball was.

Joshua Foley has posed:
As Sharon starts to undress, Joshua is caught unaware and quickly turns aside, feeling heat rising in his cheeks. "No no, skins and shirts is fine!" he protests, a hard swallow to regain his composure. At least the length of the shirt kept her modest, which was a plus.

Turning his attention back to her, he nods. "So those are two different games." he explains. "HORSE is where you take different positions on the court and try a shot. If you make it, the other person has to make it as well, or they get a letter in the word HORSE. The first person to spell HORSE loses." he explains.

"The other is the classic version. You move with the ball and dribble it. You only stop dribbling to take a shot. You make the shot in front of this line..." he gestures to a half-circle on the ground beneath the net. "You score two points. Beyond this line, it's three points." He looks to her and offers a smile. "Which one would you enjoy more?"

Sharon Smith has posed:
Sharon Smith smirked at the sudden turn. She seemed amused to take advantage of his loss of composure, tossing the shirt briefly over his shoulder, as though she'd planned to carry on with the proposal. She sort of did, at least for a moment, but fortunately he looked the other way. "Okay" she chirped.

The shirt was back over her head by the time he turned back. "I like classic things" she decided in general, quietly assuming this theory ought to also translate to basketball.

Joshua Foley has posed:
When her shirt grazes his shoulder, Joshua feels even more heat in his cheeks and nearly stammers, but manages to bring it under control. "C-Classic it is." he agrees, turning to face her again.

With that decided, he starts to dribble the ball. "Ready?" he asks her. And the moment she agrees, he's on his way towards the basket, dribbling the ball to try to get in range to take a shot at the basket!

Sharon Smith has posed:
Sharon Smith followed him for a few feet before suddenly pouncing! Her arms shot around him in a hug as she tried to drag him down onto the asphault. Maybe she was used to street rules, but all-out tackling the other player was more akin to complete bedlam than street rules shooting hoops. It wasn't always bad to be hugged by Catseye, but being drug to the floor mid basketball game was just unsportsman like.

Joshua Foley has posed:
The ball goes flying and Joshua manages an "AWUK!" of surprise as Sharon tackles him to the ground. He grazes across the asphault of the court, gaining plenty of scratches and gnashes on his skin as he feels the weight of Sharon over him.

He struggles to turn around to face the woman above him, even as she watches, there's faint glows as the scratches and bumps immediately heal themselves. "What was /that/??" he asks in confusion and a hint of frustration. "Tackling is for football!" he manages, his arms dropping to his sides on the concrete in confusion. "Maybe this is a bad idea and we should just stick to shooting hoops." At least he's not giving up?

Sharon Smith has posed:
Sharon Smith wrinkled her nose as she sat back up. "Fine" she huffed. "No tackling." she conceeded as she rose back to her feet. "Does it mean you get a penalty shot?" she asked, wrinkling her nose in distaste. At least she understood the concept of penalties... not that they were likely to stop her from cheating.

Joshua Foley has posed:
Moving to sit up, Joshua lifts his hand to Sharon. "One moment, I need to finish healing." he explains, closing his eyes as he checks over himself as he feels the wounds closing up. Once that's complete, he offers his hand to Sharon to help him back up.

"No, no penalty shot this time. You're still learning, I can't hold it against you." he allows. "Wouldn't be fair to punish you for not understanding the rules."

Sharon Smith has posed:
Sharon Smith smiled brightly "Okay!" she beamed at the idea of not losing points so early on. Sharon had a competitive streak. Even if she didn't fully understand the rules to the game, she still wanted to be declared winner and champion, they were lofty, worthy titles to earn.

Joshua Foley has posed:
So, to try something different, Joshua dribbles the ball a couple of times and then tosses it to Sharon, moving in her way to block her from getting to the hoop directly. She tackles on defense, what will she do on offense as he steps side to side, staying in front of Sharon. And then he remembers to add.

"No powers!"

Sharon Smith has posed:
Sharon Smith swatted down the basketball as it was tossed at her. She gave it a few more swats to keep it bouncing before picking it up to make a long shot to the basket. Even untrained in the art of basketball, Sharon was surprisingly dextrous. The far off shot managed to bounce and roll against the rim before falling harmlessly back onto the court without going in. "Drat" she complained.

Joshua Foley has posed:
When she takes the shot, Joshua turns to watch the arc of the ball, and when it rolls off the rim, he claps a few times for Sharon. "That was really close!" he encourages her as he turns to start to trail off to find the ball. "If you keep practicing, I think you could get really good at it!"

Sharon Smith has posed:
Sharon Smith nods. "Of coarse I can" she agreed with complete confidence. She trotted off towards the ball, wrinkling her nose as Joshua got to the thing first. She crouched, extending her hands. "Ok... I won't tackle you this time." she agreed to the one, singular rule she'd been taught. This still couldn't go well..."

Joshua Foley has posed:
Joshua considers Sharon again, and draws in a breath. Sure. Okay, he'll trust her. He starts to dribble the ball, and then he jukes, a step to the left before twisting right to try to get around the feline mutant to start to make his way towards the basket.

Sharon Smith has posed:
Sharon Smith made a few poorly timed swats for the ball. She stood upright as he dashed around her. "Wait..." she quickly called out. "My shirt is backwards" she claimed, reaching down to pull the fabric up again, folding the big white numbers of '20' in half as she did. She really liked taking that basketball jersey off it seemed. It was starting to become a habit!

Joshua Foley has posed:
Joshua doesn't fall for it this time. Instead, he moves to the basket, jumping up in the air and making a simple layup for two points. When he lands, he catches the ball. "Tell me when you have it straight!" he calls out, his back to Sharon to give her time to adjust her outerware.

Sharon Smith has posed:
Sharon Smith snorted as her tactic didn't work. Still, it didn't seem worth giving up on it right away. "It will be a minute. I have to make a basket first" she explained, draping the jersey over his shoulder so she could trade it for the ball. "I think I will win if I play as skins. She decreed very proudly as she lobbed the ball at the basket.

Joshua Foley has posed:
"If you make it, I'll declare you the winner of the game." Joshua decides, as he rubs his hand over his face and starts to make his way towards the bench to pick up his own shirt and slip it back on to tug back into place. Once he does that, he turns to sort of face her. "Is there a reason that you keep trying to take off your shirt in front of me?" he asks her. It's curiosity more than accusatory. A lot of people generally do not want to do that in front of him.

Sharon Smith has posed:
Sharon Smith easily made the shot, being not a foot or two from the basket. "Haha, I win" she agreed with a grin. "Because you make a funny face and turn away." Catseye tapped her nose with her index finger. "I am an expert tactician." she explained... or warned... or was just bragging. At least throwing clothes wasn't as violent as full-contact tackle basketball.

Joshua Foley has posed:
"Ah. Okay." Joshua chuckles. "Yes, you won." At least there was not conditions for her victory if she won. "I think most guys would be a little flustered by you doing that, though." Clearly he is not in the minority on that.

Sharon Smith has posed:
Sharon Smith strolled back over to the sidelines. "Did it work. Are you flustered?" she asked. She proudly thumbed at her chest. "As I say... I am an expert tactician. She proudly explained with a lifted nose as she flustered her way to victory.

Joshua Foley has posed:
"Yes, Sharon, I'm flustered. I'm not sure it's a very good technique though." Joshua admits as he turns his attention back to her wholly. "I'm not sure that works out in the field as well as it works on me." he admits to her as he reaches for a bottle of water to take a sip.

Sharon Smith has posed:
Sharon Smith listened to him. Her head even tilted in consideration before she wrinkled her nose at his claim "Who won?" That was her exhibit A, and for her, enough evidence to close the case on whether her decisions made good tactical decisions.

Joshua Foley has posed:
"Yes, you won." Joshua takes a long swig of water, and then picks up his gym bag so that he can collect the basketball he borrowed from the gym closet. "I'm sure you'll have plenty of other games and chances to take to see if your strategy is a sound one."

Sharon Smith has posed:
Sharon Smith nods sagely. "You can always try to defeat me, but I will find a way" she tapped her nose again and smiled. By the time he'd turned after collecting his ball, Sharon was gone. The basketball outfit was laying on the asphault as a small black cat contently trotted away from it in the opposite direction.

Joshua Foley has posed:
Joshua turns, and seeing the cat trotting off, he smiles and gives a wave. "See you later, Sharon." he offers to her, picking up her clothes to drop off with someone that can find her room and the other basketball to return.