1632/Not Exactly Training

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Not Exactly Training
Date of Scene: 12 May 2020
Location: Recreation Room
Synopsis: Discussions of training and powers and what counts as each.
Cast of Characters: Hope Summers, Julio Richter, Emma Frost, Alex Summers, Samuel Guthrie




Hope Summers has posed:
Teamwork is important at Xavier's. Everyone is a part of the team and everyone is meant to work together. There's also a lot of sharing. These are not exactly Hope's strengths. Similarly, Hope's not exactly great at free time. Give her a job or a purpose and she's all there. Tell her she doesn't have anything to do and...

Having used up as much time as she can in the Danger Room on her own and training in the gym and around the grounds, she's moved on to a new discovery - video games. Sure, it's not the same as actually holding a gun, but at least it's good...tactics practice. Or something.

"You call that cover?" she scoffs at the screen, the rec room filled with an unreasonable amount of noise from gunfire and explosions. "That's not cover! What are you doing? Where are you? Oh for crying out-" *BANG*

Julio Richter has posed:
Julio may have been staying at Xavier's School for a while now, but the mansion and grounds are expansive enough that he's still discovering areas he didn't realize existed. The scruffy-looking teenager, currently in his signature beat-up brown jacket over a standard-issue Xavier's T-shirt and nondescript jeans, was taking the stairs to the kitchen when he heard shooting and decided to investigate. He pokes his head into the rec room with a guarded expression, but almost immediately brightens. A pool table? A bar? A 3D-rendered onscreen massacre? The furnishings may be considerably more plush than he's accustomed to, but the Platonic ideal of the space is immediately familiar.

Well, OK, backtrack: the FPS currently blasting the first floor with its soundtrack, or at least the girl actively screaming at the TV, he's going to need a moment to process. That was not a thing at the kinds of bars where he has been employed. "Ah, hello," he ventures from the entryway. Even he can tell that his anemic greeting has been swallowed by the gunfire, so he tries again, amplified: "Hello! Is everything okay?!"

Hope Summers has posed:
Hope glances over from the screen long enough to make a quick judgment that looks more in place with the battlefield on the screen than the school before she's looking back at the screen, fingers twitching over the controller. "Yeah, sure," she answers easily, tipping her chin toward the TV in demonstration. "I mean, if you call that sort of thing okay. I lean toward death wish myself."

Taking cover around the corner of a building, she frees up one hand long enough to turn down the volume to a somewhat more reasonable level. "Seriously. If you're going to go into a warzone, even if it's a pretend warzone, you ought to have a vague idea how you're operating, right?"

Julio Richter has posed:
"Good policy, if you get to choose when you go into the warzone," Julio points out. The dark implications he's aiming for are, frankly, a little overwrought considering she's clearly talking about a video game. It's not like they turn themselves on and force you to play. He comes up behind the couch, propping his elbows on the back at the far end from Hope, and watches her play for a while. "You're really good at this," he comments. "But kind of intense." He levers himself back up into a standing position and offers, "You want something to drink?"

Hope Summers has posed:
"I'd be better if it wasn't a..." Hope flounders for the word, finally settling on raising the controller and giving it a wave in the air. "I mean, there's a skill to it, sure, but it's not exactly the same skill set as an actual gun. But, you know. The shooting's less the point of this than the staying sharp," she shrugs. "Easy to get soft around here."

Which she promptly ruins by glancing over her shoulder at the offer, checking the soda machine. "Sure, thanks. Root beer? I'm Hope," she adds, looking back to the screen and manuevering around the battlefield. "Don't think I've seen you here yet though."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost wanders into the rec room, unaccompanied for the moment, dressed in casual clothing (but all in white), with her ever-present choker at her throat. She peeks in, as if looking for someone. Because she is. But not finding who she's looking for-- well, this place looks a lot more comfortable to settle down and wait in than the foyer or other places likely to draw aggro.

She recognizes Hope, at least, and she gives the girl a bright smile-- which is probably actually creepy to the younger woman, given things, but you know. "Hey Hope." She nods to Julio politely, figuring him to be another student. She pulls out her phone and shoots a text to Alex to let him know where she is.

Julio Richter has posed:
"Yeah, I'm new," Julio answers over his shoulder as he heads toward the bar. His quizzical expression melts into understanding once he's behind it: he was wondering why a school would have an unattended bar in it, but there's no alcohol to be seen. He finds a shelf of root beers -- some fancy brand, local maybe? and cracks a bottle for each of them. Once he returns to the couch, he finally introduces himself as he passes the drink: "I'm Julio. You're trained with guns? I assumed at a school like this..."

He trails off as Emma enters, giving her a slightly puzzled glance. The all white ensemble seems like an even more hazardous choice for a high school than an open bar. "Hello," he greets her with a nod. "Are you a teacher here?" She seems to know Hope from somewhere...

Hope Summers has posed:
"Trained, but not because of this place." With Emma arriving, Hope hits the pause button on the game, taking herself out of the field, and sets the controller down on the table in front of the couch. "This place usually trains people in other things," she says with a wry smile as she takes the offered bottle. "Thanks. Hey Emma."

She tries to pull off a friendly smile. She really does. She just...can't quite. It's weird seeing a young and not angry or miserable Emma. So weird. That, and friendly smiles aren't really something she does much of anyhow. "Visiting Alex?"

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma shakes her head at Julio, though a hint of wistfulness crosses her expression for a moment. "No, not a teacher. Emma Frost, CEO of Frost International, Board Member of the Hellfire Club." She grins at Hope, "And yes, I'm waiting on him, actually. He's been doing some power training today. Last time he did that he looked like he had run a marathon." She tsks, shaking her head. "I hope he's not so worn out this time, but who knows. I don't really... do.. the whole superpowers thing." You know, except extremely unethical telepathy which she barely regards as abnormal at this point.

Julio Richter has posed:
"Here's hoping," Julio answers Hope, raising his own bottle in a mock-toast. "God knows there are lots of other things I need help with." He falters with the root beer in midair, leaning back and giving Hope's odd smile a sidelong look. Somehow the screamy shooty version of her looked less off-putting. He seeks shelter by turning to Emma. "Drink?" he offers, a little too brightly. "I've never met a CEO before. Is that... common... around here?" He gives Hope a sort of desperate glance out of the corner of his eye. No one told him to watch out for VIPs.

Hope Summers has posed:
Hope quirks a brow slightly at Emma's claim not to do the superpowers thing, but keeps her comments on the matter to herself. It's hard to keep straight what people do and don't know here, and...well. Some things aren't hers to share. Yet.

"This place is full of unexpected people," she answers Julio, taking a sip from her own bottle. "But, you know. It's not like the X-gene checks credit reports and tax returns before it shows up. Everyone's kind of on their own..." She pauses, looking for the right words. "Here, how important you are mostly has to do with how much you help."

Emma Frost has posed:
"Oh. Sure. What--" Emma glances over. Oh yeah. School. Probably NOT alcoholic. Still. "Any sharp root beer back there? Or a ginger beer?" she asks Julio. But to his later question, "Well, there's Warren," she points out. "Maybe some others. I've seen a lot of overlap between here and the club, truth to tell."

Alex Summers has posed:
    There's the sound of footsteps in the hall outside before Alex rounds the corner, carrying a duffel bag, his hair damp from a fresh shower and a fresh t-shirt and jean shorts worn over sneakers.

    He's accessorized this with a fairly impressive shiner.

    He is so trying to decide how to explain this to Emma as he peeks in. "HI sweetie, waiting long?" he says to Emma, then waves to Hope. "Hey Hope, how's things?" He nods to Julio in greeting, not knowing him but showing a friendly smile his way.

Julio Richter has posed:
"X-gene? Oh! You're a mutant, too?" Julio seems taken aback by this revelation. He doesn't do a literal double-take -- he's not a cartoon -- but his head does rock back a bit as he takes this new information in. "But no superpowers... that makes sense. I don't use my powers either. Too dangerous. I can imagine you wouldn't want them going off in a boardroom, or something."

As he busies himself hunting for a decent ginger beer, he points a grimace at Hope. "Well, it's back to the bottom for me, then. I'm not going to be much help to anybody for a while now -- unless anyone needs a building torn down." He returns with a Gosling and passes it to Emma. "Lo siento -- no rum," he tells her, lifting his arms in a 'what can you do?' gesture. "I guess mutants are better connected than I thought. I guess /somebody/ has to be paying for this place."

He's turning to gesture at the luxurious surroundings when Alex enters, and simply returns his nod.

Hope Summers has posed:
"Yeah, I'm a-" Hope reaches up to rub a hand at the back of her neck. "They called it pluripotent echopraxia, but the gist of it's that I can copy the powers of people around me. Used to be able to do a few a time, but I haven't been able to pull it off since I got here. Which is weird, but the really nice part is that there's no one making me undergo tests about it, so that's a plus."

When Alex shows up with a black eye, she leans back against the couch, arching a brow at him. "Damn, Alex, who'd you piss off? Or did you explode something off a wall and it bounced back into your face?"

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma takes the ginger beer with a grin. "Thanks--" but then Alex walks in, and her expression brightens. It's almost terrible, and poor Hope, because I doubt she's even imagines it's possible to see Emma in full 'young woman that is absolutely, terribly, head-over-heels in love' gush mode. Which she is for a moment until she sees the shiner on Alex's face.

"Okay, Shower good. Face bad. Alex, what did you--" she begins to ask, but she's already rooting around in his head to get the answer. I mean, she'll listen to his verbal answer too, it's not like she's dating the Summers that has a problem with actual relationship communication or whatever, but she's Emma, and ripping answers out of people's heads is just her go-to.

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie comes walking in not long after Alex came in. He is rubbing his knuckles like they are hurting. He flexes his hand a bit as he is headed towards the mini bar/fridge area. He looks over to the others and says "Hey."

Alex Summers has posed:
    Alex opens his mouth as questions are shot his way! Happy to see Emma! Less about having to explain himself! And then SAm walks in. And his mouth runs with it before really checking in with his brain.

    "Well, Sam was just giving me my afternoon beating..." he begins. "And I kept blocking with my face, but at least he didn't break out the cricket bat today."

    

Julio Richter has posed:
"Doug says mine is called terrakinesis," Julio says, giving Hope a small smile. Complicated Greek power name fam! "I would not copy it if you can help it," he suggests. "At least not inside the school." His brows inch toward each other as he continues, "When you say you can't do it here, do you mean many at once, or is it just not working at all?"

He waves at Sam as he enters, calling out, "Hi, Sam!" with inordinate pride. He knew if he stuck around the school long enough, eventually someone had to walk into the room that he actually recognized, and today is apparently that day. He's pleased enough that he doesn't even bother asking why he was beating people up, he just takes another sip of his root beer.

Hope Summers has posed:
"It's cool. I usually get pretty...You know what, you're probably right," Hope changes her mind mid-sentence. "I //used// to get pretty good control with the power, but lately I seem to be up and down on it. It's the many that don't work right now," she adds, clarifying. "It's okay though. I didn't have powers for most of my life and I got by in places way worse than this with way less in the way of resources."

When Alex explains, she looks between him and Sam, grin flashing briefly. "Well, I guess if you like brain damage, blocking with your face is an option."

Emma Frost has posed:
Yeaaaaah. Emma's super adorable crushcrushcrush expression goes to worry and then flattens to icy annoyance in a split second. "...so that's why you wouldn't shower with--" she cuts that off quickly. "Why you were so squirrelly this weekend. You can't just..." a glance to the kids present, and a faint flush, "//distract// me to hide trying to kill yourself. FLYING? Are you crazy? You said power training!" She crosses her arms, biting her lower lip. "Are you okay? Do I need to check you for additional brain damage?"

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie 's brow raises looking to those around him, and at Alex's comment, and says "Your a summers, as hard headed as they are pretty sure my hand would be in a cast." He jokes a bit but does get some ice for it. "Was working on the car and wacked the fire out of my knuckles, trying to get a nut loose.

Alex Summers has posed:
    Alex sticks his tongue out at Hope. "You shoulda seen the other wall." he comments. "Hey, make me up a bag of that too, would you please?" Alex says ruefully to Sam as he sees what he's doing, then sighs as Emma gives im the look. "Flying IS power training." he protests. "I've almost got it down too, I just haven't quite got balancing on just my feet for it. Yet." he grumbles. "That and estimating braking times." Though he does have a twinkle to his eyes as Emma sputters. "I wouldn't say it was just to distract you..." he says amusedly.

Julio Richter has posed:
Julio nods over at Hope. "I only had to use mine once -- at least on purpose," he tells her. "I don't think I'll be in a situation that desperate again soon. This seems like a place where they aren't really needed except for practice."

And speaking of not needing superpowers, he bends a bit at the waist so that he can look past Emma at Alex, and then shoot a glance back and forth between the two of them. He might have skipped most of high school, and he's certainly no telepath, but neither of those things is making it any tougher to figure out what's going on here. Finally, he just raises his eyebrows and settles into his lean against the couch back, wearing a 'but that's none of my business' expression.

"You OK, Sam?" he asks instead, taking a sip of his root beer.

Hope Summers has posed:
"So Sam //didn't// punch you and you //do// need more hand to hand practice?" Hope summarizes with an almost hopeful look in Alex's direction. Because what she needs is more opportunities to punch people herself, apparently. She's not going to touch the other part of what's going on between him and Emma with a 10-foot pole.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma does put her ginger beer down and moves to Alex, fingertips lightly touching his face just below the shiner. "That has to hurt," she murmurs somewhat sympathetically. Well, at least she isn't murdering him. Yet. She glances towards Sam and gives him a half nod of acknowledgment, before turning back to Alex and brushing her lips against his lightly. "You are going to kill yourself doing this," she grumbles. "And that is going to annoy me greatly. Do I need to ask Shaw to distract you by shipping you somewhere to... whatever it is you do with rocks? Beat them or test them or whatever."

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie will look over and hands the first ice pack he made over, and says "Your trying to fly by blasting energy out of your feet, and you have not thought maybe there is someone you should come talk to who might have some experience with that?"

Alex Summers has posed:
    "I'm nto going to kill myself. I'm probably going to bruise myself." Alex says, returning the brief kiss. "Besides, at least the...training here has better protection than if I was trying to do it in some old rock quarry somewhere." Which is what he used to be doing to practice his powers before he got the hang of things. "Also, why does my family want to punch me? Am I punchable?" he says amusedly at Hope, nodding to SAm as he takes the ice pack, holding it to his face. "Well...now that you mention it..." Alex says after a moment. "And feet and hands....like that Iron Man guy." He nods to Juli. "I'm Alex by the way, don't think I've run into you before?"

Julio Richter has posed:
Julio turns to look at Hope with a curious tilt to his head. "Do you teach fighting?" he asks her, glancing up at the paused bloodbath on her screen. Alex looks too old to be a fellow student, but if Hope's got moves to impart to him, she can certainly teach Julio a thing or two. "If I'm going to start 'helping,' like you said, maybe I should learn. It's a lot safer than helping with my powers, at least for now."

He turns to Alex and answers, "I'm Julio, a new student. Good to meet you -- I guess you're a teacher?" He nods at Sam's suggestion, continuing for Alex's benefit, "He does seem very good with his powers, from what I've seen."

Finally, Julio says to Sam in what probably ought to be an aside but is instead audible to everyone, "Take it slow -- I think it's safe to say /his/ powers /don't/ make him any harder to hurt." Judging by his face, at least.

Hope Summers has posed:
"It's not personal. I just like punching in general," Hope flashes a grin at Alex, taking a sip of her root beer. When Julio looks to the screen, she leans forward to grab the controller and turn off the game - the battle's definitely going to be different once people are finished here.

"I don't really teach anything," she adds to Julio. "Or take classes. I'm kind of, uh..." What's the phrase she found again? "An exchange student. Yeah. Sort of. But fighting's sort of my thing in general."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma hmphs. "My boyfriend has rocks for brains," she says, pouting a bit, but mostly teasing. She glances to Julio, answering for Alex, "Oh, no. His older brother is, though. He is the grumpy one with the red sunglasses and absolutely no sense of humor." She grins a bit. "I'd guess youd say Alex is a student, but not a school student. He is just learning his powers better, and hopefully isn't going to kill himself in the process." Emma gives Alex a slight smirk. "Though if you did, think of how happy my father would be." She looks to Sam. "Do you think you can keep him in one piece if he is going to insist on this foolhardy thing?" She has a slightly pleading look at that.

Emma glances in a bit of confusion to Hope for a moment, and then ahhs, remembering. "Oh, right. Niece. Ish." This time travel stuff is really outside her pay grade.

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie nods, and says "I think so, might want to wear some protective gear while practicing. I am not sure if we work on it we can get ya there. Might need to see about low constant power output even when your not flying. He looks over to Julio "So things been going ok for ya Julio, and if your going to learn to fight would suggest a few teachers. Hope is a good one to work with ." And back to Emma. "It will be different than my own flying but think we can do it.

Alex Summers has posed:
    Alex nods in agreement with Emma. "Yeah, I'm just a weird case...powers came on all at once a few months back. Here's one of the safe places I can practice without accidentally vaporizing anything." he says ruefully, then wrinkles his nose at Hope. "To be fair, she's very good at punching." he remarks to Julio, then mms. "...yeah, was thinking of maybe boxing pads at least. I didn't wanna wear some thing so bulky I couldn't move around." he admits. "Uh...constant low power output?" He looks a bit unsure about that. ""Well, if you want to give me some pointers I definitely won't say no..." He grumbles at Emma. "I'm not gonna kill myself in the process, that's why I've been trying it out here instead of some random place."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma looks amused suddenly, but doesn't say anything. She picks up her ginger beer and sips it, batting her lashes a bit too innocently. She is likely up to no good, or has a very bad idea.

Julio Richter has posed:
Julio looks from Hope to Alex and back, then at Emma. "His teacher brother must be a lot older," he speculates. "And... from another country?" Hope did just say she was an exchange student. Man, the Summerses need to work on their cover stories.

"Anyway, Hope, if you don't mind coaching me, I think I would like to learn." She has gotten two recommendations just in this one room! He tilts his head over toward Sam. "And if you don't feel like it, I can always see who else Sam has in mind."

He flashes a thumbs up in answer to the taller kid's question. "So far, so good. I think my summer classes start soon, though. Still haven't gotten in any work with my powers, but that can probably wait."

Hope Summers has posed:
"It's complicated." It's not that it's a secret. It's just that Hope knows that most people really don't deal well with the whole alternate timeline idea. It's usually easier to avoid it. "I'm just not from around here. But yeah, sure. I'm always up for a bit of a fight. You don't bruise easy, do you?" she asks with exaggerrated innocence, taking another drink.

Emma Frost has posed:
"Alex obviously does," Emma chirps, patting him on the back.

Unknowingly on another bruise he had been purposefully hiding from her. Well. This is what happens when you hide things from your girlfriend, isn't it?

To Julio, she nods, agreeing with Hope. "Yes. Very complicated. At least my understanding of it. A lot of things around here seem to be complicated, actually."

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie listens to them as he gets his ice pack and a drink. He will move to have a seat, "Alex's trying to learn to fly is another thing you will find here, we try to find ways of using powers in new ways, like I can do a blast punch had not thought of when I was younger.

Alex Summers has posed:
    Alex grunts at the pat, wincing, "Or just plain weird." Alex comments in response to Emma's comment. "Hmm. Maybe I should learn a bit of that too. I mean, I can take a swing at someone but it's purely learned from roughhousing." he admits. He cocks his head at Sam, then pauses Emma's eye bat, his expression turning slightly suspicious, before commenting. "Well...I wanted to be able to do more than vaporize things with mine. And who doesn't wanna fly?"

Julio Richter has posed:
Julio blanches at Hope's question, but he answers, "I've walked away from a couple of collapsing buildings, so I should be OK." He might not be feeling as confident as he was a minute ago, but he does at least seem determined. Nodding to Sam as the taller boy takes a seat near him, Julio continues, "I had better find some new ways! Explosions and earthquakes sound impressive, but they aren't really useful. At all. Maybe I can punch with rocks, Like Emma was saying." He raises an eyebrow at her and gives a sharp laugh. "Complicated -- yeah. I guess we all have that in common." Finally, he peers over at Alex. "I can be in fight club with you, but only if you promise: no vaporizing me."

Hope Summers has posed:
"Rocks don't have to be big either," Hope points out. "Erosion can do some serious damage in small bits. Plus you can make things look like they happened naturally." Because of course she's thinking about that sort of thing. It's just how her mind works. "And flying is cool and all, but if I were you, Alex, I'd focus on small, short, controlled bursts. It shouldnt' be a mode of transportation so much as a means of movement in a fight."

She drinks again, leaning back comfortably. "Anyhow, if people want to do some fight training, I'm definitely game, any time."

Emma Frost has posed:
"Small bursts of not melting things may be a good thing to practice," Emma agrees. Her very limited experience with Alex's powers pretty much involve him nuking things, so...

She glances to Hope. "I am so glad that does not include me," she notes. "Not a fighter. Or a..." she gestures vaguely around at the school. "Freedom fighter or whatever. My superpower is money, and I am happy to keep it that way."

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie looks over and says "It is always good to know a bit about different things. I mean, I can fly through a building, but thats not the best way to open a door.

Alex Summers has posed:
Alex blinks a bit as Hope explains to Julio, then perks a bit. "Wait, you can move rocks? Huh, that can be all sorts of useful though. I do geophysics, being able to identify what's under the ground...so not really moving things, but...yeah, that can be all sorts of helpful, if you can do it without damaging what's underground?." He glances at Emma, raising a brow. "Outthinking people means you don't have to fight them, then again." he comments, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't think I could fly through a building without regretting it...but I'll happily be in fight club without vaporizing anyone, don't worry." he says bemusedly to Julio."

Julio Richter has posed:
Julio gives Emma a wry look when she comments that her superpower is money. "Well, if you ever change your mind, I'll trade you" he offers. It's pretty obvious he doesn't expect to be taken up on it. Hope's suggestions for alternative power usage elicit a thoughtful nod from the new student. "Those are worth trying, and..." Alex gets a curious look, and Julio seems to be mulling over what he says especially long. "Well, I definitely feel things from the earth," he explains. "It mostly just feels like a sort of tension, but it also feels different depending on where I am." He shrugs and elaborates, "Maybe if I focus on it, I'll realize I know more than I think I do." Then he sucks air in through his teeth. "Without damaging -- THAT is something I still need to learn."

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie 's phone beeps and he looks down at it "Sorry guys it is my Ma, need to see what is up." He tells them, standing and excuses himself to answer the phone.

Hope Summers has posed:
"Practice is key," Hope smiles crookedly back at Julio, though something about what Emma's said seems to draw her attention and a long, speculative look. It wouldn't take much for Emma to pick up what she's wondering about - has she even told Alex? What kind of pressure must pretending be?

"Good seeing you, Sam," she calls after him before looking back to Emma once more, nodding in agreement with Alex. "Outthinking's the best weapon out there."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma leans against the younger Summers brother, waving to Sam as he departs. She frowns a bit. "Well, if we are technical," she says, "I can read minds too," there is a bit of a scoff in that, as she replies to Julio, "but it's not like I can blast people into bits or whatever it is everyone else around here does. I'm boring." She may not be open outside of Xaviers but several of those there knew she was a telepath. She glances to Hope, and cocks her head slightly. Huh.

"I wouldn't trade my family's wealth for any of the abilities I've seen here," she notes. "It probably isn't something people around here want to hear, but it's a lot easier just to pass as human. Less stress. Less mess. Less people with pitchforks and a desire to kill you." She absently touches the choker at her throat for a moment.

Alex Summers has posed:
    "Huh. Well. If you want, I can give you some pointers on the sorts of things you find under ground? Water, oil, minerals, artifacts, that sort of thing. Seems like something you should learn something about, if you're going to be moving earth around. I mean, I finished a dissertation on this sort of thing, I'd like to hope I know something about it at this point." Alex says dryly. He nods to Hope, waving to Sam as he heads out then sliding his arm around Emma as she leans against him. "Not everyone can though." Alex says, patting her back. "Though I admit it's totally more dangerous to be out these days iwth powers."

Julio Richter has posed:
"Buenas noches, Sam," Julio says, waving to the other boy as he departs. He nods in agreement with Hope, seeming to miss her look at Emma. "Maybe I'll do that tonight -- try to focus and listen to what I can feel." He glances around the room. "Just... no one burst into my room while I'm doing it. If I'm focusing on that power, it's... not a good idea to startle me." A dark look crosses his face, and he shifts uncomfortably as his thoughts turn to the past.

He's only too happy to be pulled back into the present. "I think that would be interesting," he tells Alex with a slow nod. "I definitely feel a connection to the earth... you're right, it would be good to understand it better." Emma gets a direct, skeptical look. "Who would doubt that?" he asks her, sincerely. "I may not /like/ humans, but of /course/ pretending to be one is safer."

Hope Summers has posed:
"Well, there go my plans for the evening," Hope sighs dramatically at Julio. "No bursting into people's room's. Foiled." She seems to relax a bit when Emma brings up the mind-reading, though there's still curiosity in her look toward the other woman. This whole place is so strange sometimes. "Yeah, telepathy's...yeah. I'm pretty content //not// knowing what most people are thinking. People are jerks. Society works because they mostly keep it inside their heads."

She stands up then, taking another drink. "I should probably go eat something though. Good to meet you, Julio. Hit me up if you want do some fighting practice. Emma, Alex. Try not to get yourself too many more bruises."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma laughs a bit at Hope's comment on telepathy. "That.. is the truth," she says dryly. "People are generally terrible inside their heads, and are blissfully unaware some of us can hear them." Her expression darkens for a moment, but she squeezes against Alex, brightening after a bit. "Enjoy dinner, Hope. We should be leaving too, actually." She grins at Julio. "Nice meeting you."

Julio Richter has posed:
"Yeah, mostly you figure out exactly the shit they're thinking before too long anyway," Julio agrees on the topic of telepathy. As Hope starts to exit, he shifts his weight to fully stand so that he can follow her out. "I should go, too. Do that... focusing thing." He glances at Emma and Alex as he passes, making it pretty clear why he has actually picked that moment to leave. Spanish might not have an exact translation for 'third wheel,' but the concept holds true across cultures. "Good to meet you all."

Alex Summers has posed:
    "Yeah, see you both." Alex rummages in a pocket then pulls out a slightly crumpled business card looking thing. "Here, if you want to grab me for showing you stuff at some point." He nods to the pair. "TAke care for now, I think I'm due for some more ice packs when we get back." he says amusedly, taking Emma's hands as he starst to head off with her. "Take care you two."