18150/Conflict of Interest

Conflict of Interest
Date of Scene:	02 June 2024
Location:	Recreation Room
Synopsis:	AJ talks to Patty about this guy he met.
Cast of Characters:	Allen-James, Patty Sloan

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Allen-James has posed:
    It's not terribly early in the morning, but AJ is in the rec room, which is unusual. Usually, he's working out at this hour. Today, he's sitting in a lounge chair, and Patty got a text from him asking if she could come chat with him.

    His violin is in his hands, but he's not playing it, just looking at it. It's not the one he's been borrowing from the school, either, but the battered and worn, beat up pawn shop special that he bought himself when he gave up his short career as a burglar.

Patty Sloan has posed:
Patty wasn't really doing much this morning. She happened to be eating cereal and watching cartoons on tv when she got the text. She replied quickly that she would be there as soon as she could. She finished her cereal and got dressed thankfully before heading out.

A few minutes later she is walking into the Recreation room. She looks around and sees AJ there. "Hey AJ. What's up?" She asks as she walks in and takes a seat near him. "So whats on your mind?" She inquires.

Allen-James has posed:
    AJ looks up, and gives Patty a smile. She's really the closest thing he has to a friend here on Campus, given how dedicated he is to training himself. Few of the students, even the college students, are willing to put in hours of daily training time. For AJ it's just going back to the way he was when he was training for fencing and violin, but now he's got a different focus.

    That focus is pretty broken at the moment. He looks... distracted and distant, even his usual relaxed smile is a bit forced. "Hey, Patty. I just.. I wanted to talk to someone outside my own head, and I couldn't figure out who. I figured... I figured we're friends, right? I'm not very good at friends." he admits with a chuckle. "Which is why this is so weird. I met... uh.. A guy. In New York. I mean, I was playing in Central park, and he was just there. God, I'm telling this all messed up. I met another Hero. Like, wearing his mask. And I gave him my number, cause.. well.. he seemed lonely, maybe? I liked him, and thought he could use a friend. And he contacted me again yesterday, and we met up." he says, rambling through his story in the way of someone who is all conflicted about something.

Patty Sloan has posed:
Patty smiles a little smile and gets comfortable in her seat. She crosses her legs and just smiles. She has a black and blue mark or two on her arm from getting shot by paintballs. She doesn't seem to mind though. There are worse things then a few paint balls. Getting shot with a laser for one!

Then AJ starts spilling the beans about the other hero and how he gave his number. She smiles a little. "Sounds like you met a nice guy. Does this hero have a name? Or are you just going to go with nameless hero. You know I recently met someone right? I met a girl and we kinda hit it off!" She blushes bright red.

Allen-James has posed:
    AJ laughs slightly, and gives a bright smile to Patty. "Oh? Anyone I know? Congrats!" he says with a smile, genuinely happy for her.

    "As for a name.. that's the thing. I think he's gonna tell me. Tonight. If I go. If I don't, he's said he won't see me any more, and.. I mean.. He's going to tell me his secret identity. So, I don't want to tell you who he is, like, as a hero, in case I start hanging out with him a lot, and.." He pauses, and takes a deep breath.

    "How do you know if you like someone? I mean, Like like? I mean, romantically." he blathers out. "I mean, I've never... I think.. I think I might like him, and I think he might like me, but I don't know. He certainly... I've never, you know, had anyone I dated before. Do I like him, or is it just exciting that he trusts me that much? Am I just reading too much into all this? I don't even know if I should find go! I mean, if I find out his secret identity..." he lets the weight of that hang in the air for a long moment, as he turns his violin around in his hands, staring at it without seeing it.

Patty Sloan has posed:
"I dunno. Her name is Millennia. She is really sweet. I am going to meet up with her hopefully today or tomorrow." She smiles brightly at the thought of her.

"I was more meaning his super name but I understand. That is a sensitive topic..." She trails off and her eyes go wide. "Oh! That would take a lot of trust. Around here code names get thrown around and used interchangeably with regular names. Unless of course you're Rogue then you're just Rogue." She laughs a little at her little joke. "Still they must have a lot of trust in you if they are willing to share that."

"I may be the worst person to ask that question to. My dating Milly is the first relationship I've ever been in. With us, it just kind of clicked. We both felt sparks and we knew we wanted to spend more time together. I admire her for a number of things I can't even put into words. She admires me for my bravery and such... Thats what she told me anyway." She smiles as she thinks about her. "I guess what you need to do is decide can you see a future with this person. What do you feel when you are around him. When you think about him does it bring a smile to your face. Just being around Milly brings me joy. Can you say the same about your Mystery Man?" She smiles softly about it all.

Allen-James has posed:
    AJ does get a bit of a goofy smile on his face, as his expression grows vaguely wistful, thinking about the awkward, angry, yet strangely sweet young man that he's met. Is it infatuation, or love, or... He doesn't know.

    "I mean... I think I like him." he says with a chuckle. "He hugged me, and I just..." he flushes some and coughs, as he drags his attention back to the moment. "I think he takes his secret identity more seriously than we do. I mean, Jubilee is barely trying with her name, and some of the others don't really hide who they are at all. But, the public doesn't know, but everyone here does, you know? They do a really good job of keeping it from getting out, but they don't seem shy about the school. It's like we're in a different world here." he chuckles.

    "I think I'm going to go. I mean.. I think I have to. If he trusts me enough to make an offer like that, even after... well... he knows a lot about me. Even the stuff I'm not proud of." he says with a wry, regretful grin, as he squeezes the neck of his violin.

Patty Sloan has posed:
Patty smiles brightly. She gently puts a hand on his shoulder. "You've got this. You like him, that much is clear. He obviously likes you too. Thats a good thing. Take a chance on him is what I say. If he is going to trust you with his identity, you can show him that you are worthy of that trust. No one is going to ask you who he really is. That is between you and him. It becomes a secret between two people and unless he pisses off some villain types who come after you but you aren't exactly defenseless now are you?" She winks playfully.

"Thats good. Go! See the man and get to know the man behind the mask. Then you can start building an actual relationship with him. Warts and all." She smiles and gives his shoulder a squeeze before removing her hand.

Allen-James has posed:
    AJ smiles, and reaches to pat Patty's hand as she squeezes his shoulder. "Thanks, Buffalo." he says with a joking grin. "You're a good friend. This helped." he says and moves to tuck his violin back in the very battered case he has for it, then stands, and stretches. "Well, I've got time for a few workouts today. No tests or classes to catch up on. Care to join me?" he asks with a smile, as he hefts the violin case, and prepares to go back to his usual routine, of working out endlessly on Sunday.