2079/Encountering Alexander

Encountering Alexander
Date of Scene:	12 June 2020
Location:	Washington Square Park
Synopsis:	While on a training mission with Jessica Drew, Agent Melinda May drops in on Alexander Aaron at the ESU campus. The three chat and toss a basketball around. Poorly.
Cast of Characters:	Alexander Aaron, Melinda May, Jessica Drew

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Alexander Aaron has posed:
    The Summer semester is another thing entirely than going to college during the regular times. It's relaxed, fairly laid back, with a certain amount of laziness to the courses. There are fewer people that attend the lectures, less activities on campus, and in general things are just taken down a notch.
    This is both good and bad.
    Bad in that it's not quite the college experience that the young man known as Alexander Aaron had been expecting considering on what he'd seen in popular culture. There's less craziness, less partying, and mainly people trying to get junk done at ESU. But Good in that it's less craziness, less partying, and mainly people trying to get junk done. Though there is an upside to it.
    The facilities that are available are still open and there are few lines. The waiting list to use the basketball court during the week? Empty. So it was on a whim that the youth in the grey sweat shorts, sneakers, and white t-shirt is just casually walking around the court taking a few shots now and again, then jogging around to recover the ball and take a new shot from a new angle.
    All in all a lazy Summer day.

Melinda May has posed:
It's been some time, but May has an afternoon not already scheduled, and she opts to use the time to check in on one Mr. Aaron. Yes, she's been keeping track of him. Creepy? Possibly.

Entering the basketball gym as quietly as the doors allow (which isn't very), May watching him chase after the ball for a few moments before announcing herself whether he's noticed her presence or not. "Mr. Aaron."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    The basketball bounces a few times, the rubber twang of it resonating off the walls of the gymnasium half-court. He smiles across the way toward her when he catches her eye and then bobs his head slightly. "Ms. May." His footsteps are quiet as he advances on her and stops ten feet away to tilt his head partially.
    His lip curls up a little, "You have next? Weird I didn't see your name on the ledger." For reserving the court. But as he says this he casually bounces the ball toward her, just a single little thump off of the court at half-speed to pass the basketball to her as they chat.
    "How have you been?" Those curious hazel eyes distance as he looks over her shoulder and beyond, then back to meet her gaze. "I had this vague feeling someone might show up, but didn't think it would be you."

Melinda May has posed:
May never really got the whole basketball thing, but she can at least accept the ball being passed to her and keep it bouncing competently enough. "I've been busy, as usual. My job doesn't exactly have regular work hours."

She passes the ball back before continuing. "How have you been, other than vague feelings?"

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    The ball is accepted and he dribbles it a little as he walks to the side, a leisurely stroll that carries him over to the free throw line where he squares up, brings the ball up, and takes his shot. The orange sphere flies, and clunks off the back board a bit then bounces off toward the wall where he casually jogs after it to reclaim it.
    It's on his walk back that he answers, dribbling it anew. "I've been doing well, taking things as they come, meeting people." He tilts his head to the side, "There's been a lot of tension in Bushwick." Mutant Town, "I live near it so it's a palpable thing when I wander by. Sort of a shot of adrenaline when I sense the people there." What with how he can feel fear and the like.
    But then he meets her eyes, "Other than that training, studying, taking a few classes before next semester."

Melinda May has posed:
May follows along without stepping onto to the basket ball court proper. She watches as he takes a shot and misses, mentally figuring she'd likely not do any better. But she's not about to admit to that.

"Settling in to a new routine isn't a bad thing," she says noncommittally, though his mention of Bushwick and the fact that he lives near that area has her doing a quick mentally assessment of how dangerous that part of town would be to an average teenager. And yes, she is fully aware that Alexander is anything but an average teenager. But others don't know that.

"SHIELD has been monitoring the situation there as well. But without orders to step in and render assistance, agent presence there seems to be be more detrimental than helpful."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "And you, Ms. May?" Alexander asks as he bounces the ball a few more times and then takes a few quick steps to the side, jumping up after a long stride and then taking a shot while in the air. The orange sphere arcs up, and curiously enough swishes through the net with that clean whisper of sound, then twangs with the bounces as it hits the ground only to have the youth walk over and reclaim it.
    With eyebrows raised as if surprised he made that shot, Alex then tucks the ball under his arm and tilts his head curiously at the older Ms. May. "What have you been up to? If you can relate as much."
    He gets a small half-smirk as he settles his weight on the other shoe, hip jutting a bit almost cockily as he murmurs, "I always imagine a life of wild abandon and great adventure, but the people I talk to tell me it's mostly coffee and paperwork."

Melinda May has posed:
Nodding slightly as Alexander makes the jump shot, May shrugs lightly. "I've been doing what I always do for SHIELD. Traveling to where there are messes that need to be cleaned up, and cleaning them up." She's being extremely vague on purpose, mostly because a good portion of her work requires a security clearance to even know about.

"You're not that far off base. There is a LOT of paperwork involved." She holds out a hand to see if he'll pass her the basketball again. "But I don't drink coffee. Can't stand the stuff."

Jessica Drew has posed:
Agent May receives a faint buzz over comms announcing the arrival, late, but we will get to that, of Field Agent Drew who ostensibly is receiving training from her for the day.

"No excuses," she says, entering the gym. Jessica looks expectantly between the two, a little puzzled as to what Alex might be doing here. "I couldn't find it," she adds, with evident embarrassment. "Are you, ah, having a game?"

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    The youth's lip curves up wryly as she makes that gesture for the rock so he casually hefts it in both hands to his chest and then bounce passes it to her again, though slightly faster this time. But that gives him time to step away as he strolls over to where he left his backpack. He'll kneel down beside it and unzip the thing with a whir of metal teeth, then removes a plastic bottle of water from inside before he rises.
    Turning back to May, he tilts his head curiously at her. "Paperwork, ew." He says succinctly, then takes a sip of the water.
    But that is the moment when Jess arrives and Alexander tilts his head back to consider her head lifting slightly. "Oh hey, it's Bad Cop." Since that was her role in his interrogation. She asks her question and he answers, "Yes, May is up 9-8. It's her shot." His head bobs a little as he glances over at May to see if she'll carry the fib.

Melinda May has posed:
Hearing the buzz in her comms, May doesn't visibly react. And she therefore not startled when the younger woman enters the gym. "I'll help you locate it later," she says to Jess, then after a glance at Alexander and the outright lie he just fed to Drew, she bounces the basketball seemingly lazily as she walks toward the free throw line.

"Maybe you can help Mr. Aaron not lose embarrassingly." She stops and looks at the basket, then after a moment of consideration shoots the ball. Her form is, well, on par for a volleyball player. The ball hits the front rim of the basket and careens off in the manner of inanimate objects that seem to take on cantankerous personalities.

Personally? May was expecting to miss worse than that.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Jessica smells a rat but May is a senior agent. The younger agent looks down at her shoes, fairly well broken in lace ups that she can run in and back at May. "Ah, sure?"

The kid knows just the right note to strike with Jessica. She narrows her eyes for one look of daggers at him that segues into a surprisingly genuine smile. "Bad cop, is it? You haven't seen me on a good day yet, then. Let me help you win, Alex!" This is from a British woman who grew up in a scientific laboratory and has never touched a basketball.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    Alexander's wry laughing smile takes up a prominent place on his features even as he tries to hide them by turning away and jogging off after the obstinate basketball. Just a few half-heard strides and then he kneels down to scoop up the sphere and bounce it a few more times before he returns to the circle of conversation that has developed with the presence of Agent Drew.
    "We are both not super great." Which might be one of the reasons Alexander sort of likes playing Basketball. Something that for some reason he just can't get a handle on. But then he strolls up to that free throw line and makes a face at May as if telling her to scooch over.
    But he draws up short as he looks between the two agents. "What, how come she's gotta be on my team?" Flashbacks to the playground perhaps. But he says that with that roguish smile even as he tosses the ball over towards Jess.
    "Alright, BC, you're up. No big deal here."
    He steps back and lets her get ready, then murmurs, "First one to eleven is all."
    He waits until maybe she reaffirms her attempt then adds right before she shoots. "Everyone watching you. No pressure."

Melinda May has posed:
May steps aside readily when Alexander makes a face at her, and then turns to look at Jess when the ball is passed her way, stepping just a bit further aside to give the younger agent room to shoot. She glances toward Alexander, as if silently asking whether or not he has truly forgotten Drew's name, but at least she doesn't voice her question aloud.

"She's on your team because you're losing, Mr. Aaron. And remember, loser buys lunch."

Jessica Drew has posed:
Jessica likely would have probably been a good athlete before the genetic modifications. Spider genes go a long way toward helping to leap, cling, and move quickly. The ball doesn't quite bounce out of her hands despite its odd weight and texture. It clings. A look of surprise makes a comical round of her mouth, which she closes quickly. Through the hoop, she knows that much.

"Aw, Alex. Sweet of you to call me brilliant cop, like that." She hugs the ball close to her chest and thrusts it with both hands in the proximate direction of the hoop. Biting her lip to keep from laughing, she tries not to show her shock at getting that close.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    At the idea he was calling her Brilliant Cop, Alex sort of looks sidelong at Jess as she's getting ready for that shot. But he doesn't look away, instead he sort of watches Jess' form as she makes ready for that shot and doesn't even look to see if she made it. He can /hear/ that she doesn't make it by the thump/thong of the ball impacting and bouncing off. So he takes a deeeep breath, and then lets loose a siiigh before turning back to May.
    "You are cruel, Ms. May." But as he says that he'll stroll on over to recover the basketball, kneeling down and scooping it up then bouncing it a few times as he strolls back.
    "So, is there... any particular reason you guys are here, or are you just trying to scam a free meal out of a starving college student?" He looks between them, those hazel eyes condemning in their judgment of the SHIELD agents and their motivations.

Melinda May has posed:
A casual observer would likely miss the brief and tiny hint of a smirk in May's normally expressionless face at Alexander's claim that she's cruel. She neither confirms nor denies, though. Take that as you will but she'd already planned to buy the kid a late lunch / early dinner for letting her pester him. There's a passably decent Ethiopian place nearby, after all...

"Yes and no. I've set a task for Agent Drew to complete, and I suspect she's stumped, or she'd not be here." She raises an eyebrow at Jess to see if her fellow agent is going to deny this or not.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Drew catches the look from Alex, assuming an expression of such pure innocence that she gives her culpability away. So, the idea is to get the ball into the hoop.

As she looks up from a couple of experimental bounces of the ball, Agent May's question wipes the halo from over her head. A subtle purse of her lips and a nod to the agent confirms her suspicion. "I'm still on mission but I thought you might want lunch, ma'am." A lame an excuse as any but still in the realm of the possible.

A smile sneaks onto one side of her mouth, she mimics Alex's previous posture, holding the ball one handed, balanced against the other, raising it nose high so she can sight over its top. This time the ball makes an arc in the air to circle the hoop and drop over the side. "Awww."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    And off he goes again, jogging off towards the ball to recover it no matter /how bad/ their shots may be. And to his credit he doesn't say anything about it. But. That condemning glare from him is withering. Withering!
    With it being May's turn again, Alexander tosses the ball her way with another /twang/ of it impacting the cours, though he stands beside his 'teammate' now and gives her a crinkle-nosed glance as if chiding her for her missing the shot. Which he is.
    Arms folding over his chest he rocks back on his heels idly while he waits for May to make her go, but looks between the two of them equally. "Oh what task is that?" His eyebrow quirks as he looks between them. "If it doesn't compromise national security to ask about?"

Melinda May has posed:
May intercepts the ball again, though this time it's not as neatly done. But she doesn't let it get past her, and then after bouncing the thing a few times she raises the ball to about chin-height with one hand under it and the other behind it before pulling the ball in her hands close and then launching it in an arc toward the basket.

... which it falls completely short of by a foot or so.

"We shouldn't say, but rest assured that it involves none of the faculty or the students on campus." Because it doesn't. Honestly.

Jessica Drew has posed:
A complete disregard for Alex's irritation masks Jessica's face. She is impervious and enjoying it, too. The ball comes back to her with a thwack of rebound that she catches one handed thanks to spider cling.

"Under your security rating," she says, with too much relish to be quite mature about it.

Having no experience with basketball she can only mime what she sees. Melinda's flip of the wrist thrusting the ball is informative and she tries to copy it. The result: a ball that teeters maddeningly on the edge of the hoop only to drop like a wilted flower to the court. Jessica hasn't used her strength. Yet.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    A dull harumph comes from him as he walks to recover the ball again, but now he /keeps/ it under his arm. He looks back and forth at each of them, shaking his head with such disappointment as he takes a deep breath. "And you people are defending our country." Admonishment!
    But then he smirks and starts to walk over towards the equipment storage closet and pulls the door open with a faint click, tossing the ball in and then closing the door with a dull thump. Rounding back to them he says, "Fine, I submit. I'll pay for the meal."
    He starts to walk back toward them as he fans himself with the collar of his t-shirt, shaking his head. "Though you have to tell me something, some story or whatever so I can live vicariously through you. Ok? Ok." It's settled.

Melinda May has posed:
Once again, May smirks the faintest of smirks as Alex returns the ball to its storage place... kind of. No, she's not going to make him pay for the meal. But it's funny seeing him actually play along.

"Something that Mr. Aaron can live vicariously. What do you think, Drew? Our job isn't all coffee and paperwork, right?" Well, at least hers isn't. She spends more time clocking flight hours than anything else, but again, can't reveal that. Security clearance.

Jessica Drew has posed:
"Paper cuts are the worst, aren't they, ma'am?" Jess replies, straight faced. "Did you say Ethiopian? That'll be fun." Gesturing to Alex, "After you."