17706/Badgering Cyclops for Goods & Services: The Hot New Teen Craze

Badgering Cyclops for Goods & Services: The Hot New Teen Craze
Date of Scene:	20 April 2024
Location:	Tennis Court
Synopsis:	Ruth gets transportation lined up. Hooray
Cast of Characters:	Ruth Aldine, Scott Summers

---

Ruth Aldine has posed:
Ruth Aldine had sent Scott Summers an email.

It read thus:

> Hello Mr Summers I'd like to talk to you about the personal defense aspect of some aspects of what we did when we went into space which was, incidentally, honestly really great and I'm glad I could come along, and also a couple of logisticial aspects of some other aspects of things I'll be doing
> aspects
> anyway I think it'd be good because I anticipate going into the city a lot more in the near future and it is what it is
> please let me know when would be good if you feel like it
> Thanks!!! --Ruth

And so right now, Ruth is standing - in training clothing, which for her is a gym-class T-shirt that hasn't been worn in a while what with getting old enough to not have regular exercise periods, along with appropriate sweat pants and training sneakers. She has a different blindfold on her face, one made out of houndstooth cloth. She is facing towards Breakstone Lake, although not very exactly.

"Yes, this is the right place," Ruth says. "Am I early? Oh, no, I hope I'm not early. It's Saturday, but maybe he had to go out and something came up. Maybe one of those emergencies. Sorry, sorry--" Her arms are folded loosely.

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott steps onto the tennis court at the arranged time almost down to the second. The general populace of the School weren't kidding when they said he was punctual to an almost ridiculous degree. His reply e-mail had been courteous yet professional, without grammatical shortcuts or textual flubs. Signed 'Kind regards, Scott.'

"No, all good," Scott answers, dropping a heavy-sounding gym bag to to the ground with a dull thud, "I just had to pick up some things. I know the Danger Room is probably a little more exciting, but it's probably best to lay out the fundamentals before you start trying to apply them to real world situations."

Then, as though he almost forgot to not be mechanical for a moment, he adds: "How have you been?"

Ruth Aldine has posed:
There had been no reply.

Ruth turns about sixty degrees to face Scott. She smiles, a little shyly. "Thanks, sorry, thank you for taking the time. I appreciate it a lot. I hadn't expected it to come up, and I suppose it didn't, really. What's in the bag?" She could probably figure it out, but it's not that kind of a training exercise.

"Well I'm doing just great, honestly with you. I got a job. That's part of what I wanted to ask about since I have to get to the train station at about seven in the morning for at least a couple of weeks. Getting back's easy enough with Uber but I checked it out Thursday and it was saying wait time: 18 minutes."

Scott Summers has posed:
"I can drive you, if you need," Scott answers, crouching down to unzip the bag and look through the contents for a moment, "I'm up by then anyway. It wouldn't be an imposition. Or were you thinking about moving off-campus?"

He reaches into the bag, producing what look to be a few polished wooden batons of some sort or another. He lays out a towel and then places them on it, answering the first question last.

"I thought it might be easier to learn to fight with a weapon," he says, tapping the side of his ruby quartz glasses, "I've got mine, but I thought you could use one too since you don't have any built in. At least, not that I know of."

Ruth Aldine has posed:
"Well I'm gonna have this job for eleven or seventeen months," Ruth says, "so I figure I'll take it as it goes. No plan through this quarter. That'd be real kind of you though, if you could; in three weeks or so it'd just be once or twice a week, I think, and I might could ask about the hours."

Ruth tilts her head when she hears wood clonking together. She walks forwards. "I can use my mind, but that's kind of unpredictable, isn't it," Ruth says as she comes nearer. She squats down and reaches forwards to grasp one of the wooden batons. She grasps the wrong end, but the error is quickly made. "Just one? Or two of 'em, like the Ninja Turtles?"

Scott Summers has posed:
"Let's start with one," Scott tells her with a faint quirk at the corner of his mouth that might be a fraction of a smile, "Once you get the hang of that, we can start working with a second one."

He lets her take the baton, standing up with one of his own and turning it about in his hand. Not his chosen form, but nevertheless something he seems capable with all the same. He lets it rest against his forearm when he's gotten the balance of it in mind.

"No problem, just let me know the details and I can drive you out to the station. What kind of job is it, if you don't mind saying?"

Ruth Aldine has posed:
Ruth swings the baton a little in the air. She's still smiling. "Alright," she says. She takes a step back, possibly anticipating that it's the thing to do. Raising it upwards, as if it were a fantasy sword or something, she asks, "So what do I do with it now?"

"Oh, yes," she says, "it's a paralegal one. I knew I could get it if I just applied. I hadn't bothered with many applications before then, 'cept the ones you had us turn in for that one class. But I knew this one would work out, even if it's going to fall apart after it happens. But it's going to work out," Ruth concludes, "so who knows where it goes from there?"

"Miss Walters is real nice," Ruth adds. "She's green; you know her? She said she's done representation for the Avengers."

Scott Summers has posed:
"I saw her at a charity thing once," Scott answers, "Years ago. Don't really know her personally, though. But the fact that you get along with her is probably the best sign."

He takes a step back as well, rolling his neck on his shoulders to ease up whatever tension may be in them.

"Well, let's start with some basic defense. We'll take it slow for now, just get the muscle memory in place."

That said, he starts moving the baton at a much slower pace than might be normal through the air to strike at her shoulder.

Ruth Aldine has posed:
"I'd be glad to introduce you if you want, Mr. Summers," Ruth says. "Is she actually green?"

Yes.

AFter this, the baton is moving and Ruth takes a deep breath and lets it out... before getting bonked on the shoulder. She wiggles afterwards; the blow was enough to maybe be worth a quiet 'ow' but was not in fact that punishing.

"I'm trying not to see it coming," Ruth explains. "Should I be?" She does shift her stance a little, raising the club upwards. While this stance is not really a 'stance' so much as 'I remember something came at me from that general direction' it may at least represent the dawn of potential.

"I thought working in law might be interesting, anyway, and - yes - riding a train's fun."

Scott Summers has posed:
"An important thing about the things we can do," Scott offers, "Is that we shouldn't really be ashamed of them, or avoid using them. Obviously, telepaths shouldn't be reading people's minds without asking and things like that, but your foresight is a tool like any other and you should use it when you can."

He takes another similarly slow 'bonk' swing at her other shoulder, waiting to see the reaction.

"You're thinking of being a lawyer one day? Doctor Grey could probably see about arranging some pre-law classes. We already do pre-med, it wouldn't be a huge stretch."

Ruth Aldine has posed:
"You know," Ruth says, "you're right, aren't you?"

And she brings up the stick to intercept the incoming bonk. Instead of bonk: It is a KLOK of wood against wood. "That sounds nice," she says.

"And, I don't know," Ruth continues. "I guess I'll see how it goes. It does kind of seem like it's a big commitment and I don't know if I could, handle school for it and everything. I heard law school's like Hell except in Hell you at least had fun getting in the door and law school you didn't. And you have to worry about graduation order 'n such."

"Do attorneys really all make huge stacks of cash, though?" Ruth continues. ("And, sorry, should I be swinging back at you?")

Scott Summers has posed:
"Just focus on defense for now," Scott informs, starting up a rhythmic set of swinging the stick at Ruth from different angles and letting her deflect the blow, "We can focus on attack another time."

5bThe question about law school prompts a furrowing of his brown behind the glasses that otherwise obscure much of his expressions.

"I would assume so," he replies, "Though I've heard there's more law graduates than there are jobs for lawyers. Don't look at me, though. I skipped grad school after I got my bachelors."

Ruth Aldine has posed:
Bonk, click, bonk, clack. Ruth seems to get the hang of it. indeed, one might fairly question if the blindfold is doing anything after a few seconds, because she's gotten tuned in. Except that she laughs, and says, "It's like you're just turning into lines! Like when you do the -" She gestures with her other hand at her face.

"Well that's not encouraging, if I can't even get a job," Ruth muses. "Bird in the hand and all of that."

"You decided to do," a pause to swing the club out in the direction and waggle it at the school building -- which gets her a bonk on the bicep. "Oof. Sorry, yes, to do all of, this, with the school? What made you decide to do that?"

Scott Summers has posed:
"I didn't really do any of it," Scott answers, shaking his head, "That was all Doctor Grey and the Professor. It was their ideas, their commitment to a better way for humans and mutants. I'm just ... I don't know, here to help. Like how even the most cutting-edge, advanced labortory in the world needs a custodian, you know?"

He waves a hand, taking a break from the back and forth swinging of the batons to scratch the back of his head and look off thoughtfully towards the lake.

"I think they did a good job, though."

Ruth Aldine has posed:
Ruth stops for a moment.

Enough that she probably takes another bonk unless Scott hesitates.

"That's not true," Ruth says. "I can't exactly tell you how it's so but you are more than just the custodian here, Mr. Summers. There are roots and flows and you are one of them. Maybe if you weren't here it wouldn't fall, but it would be different, and weaker."

She resumes blocking afterwards.

"I like it," she continues, with equanimity. "But I did like going into the city too. Kind of a challenge. It's way noisier, yes, but there's always a hundred thousand people right there with you."

("When's the whackin' part, by the way, do I just block forever or...?")

Scott Summers has posed:
"Well, if you're feeling aggressive, we can try some attacks."

Scott takes up a defensive stance, holding the baton out before him and keeping a sharp eye on Ruth's weapon. As for his contribution to the place, he doesn't say anything more on it. A rare peek to see just how he views the place.

"I like the city. I'm from Nebraska, so it's a definite change. Wouldn't want to live there, though."

Ruth Aldine has posed:
"How come?" Ruth asks.

Then she pauses. She shifts herself for a moment. "I'm gonna attack, don't worry," Ruth says. She takes a deep breath --

And whips the club!

As in, hurls it with sudden force!

Two feet off center.

Which means it goes flying.

"Huh," Ruth says.

"You see where it went?"

Fortunately, Ruth lacks the upper body strength to smash a window.

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott glances back over his shoulder, watching the baton fly away into some of the hedges that are clustered around tennis court. He can't help but smile a little to himself, tossing his own baton back into the bag.

"We can call it a day," he tells her, "Good work, though. You're picking it up. The whole point is to learn to use your abilities in step with the rest of your body. You've got a knack for it."

Ruth Aldine has posed:
"Oh, do I?" says Ruth, with another grin.

This may be key at some future point.