2529/Putting down roots

Putting down roots
Date of Scene:	20 July 2020
Location:	Student Gardens
Synopsis:	Julio and Ororo meet on the grounds, and discuss the connections between people, powers, and places
Cast of Characters:	Ororo Munroe, Julio Richter

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Ororo Munroe has posed:
It's where she can be found, really. Night, day, it's outside, and it is grounding. This evening is a nice one; clear, the stars are out but for a couple of clouds, but the heat is rising,, thanks to the summer months. Instead of tending the vines, however, the weather goddess sits upon one of the benches and plays with wisps of wind, playing with the different scents of the evening.

Julio Richter has posed:
A little distance away, a mild green glow can be seen washing silently over the neat rows of plants. At a school like this, nothing too alarming: but it might catch the eye. As the light draws nearer, it can be seen to emanate from and silhouette a male figure who approaching along the pathways that wind between the cultivated columns.

Julio Richter's face is visible, ringed as it is with a simplified leaf-like pattern sketched in that glow, and the field he emanates is quite distinctly patterned after the stylized spots of a Mesoamerican jaguar. Where the spots draw nearer to the growing plants, they seem to shed specks of their glow, like little rain clouds. The glow is bold and distinct; the faint crackle of mystic energy is, by comparison, feeble.

He doesn't spot Ororo at first, and when he does, the glow abruptly vanishes, dispersing widely into fading points of dull light. "Eh -- lo siento," he blurts out. "I didn't know anyone else was out here." His accented voice carries a hint of embarrassment.

Ororo Munroe has posed:
The light breezes cease, though the air stills, it's not uncomfortable, as Ororo sees the green glow. It's lovely, really, and as Julio approaches, a smile begins to crease her face.

"It's fine," she says finally, her voice soft on the light breeze; it carries easily. "There's no interruption. Join me?" A light shrug graces her shoulder, but it's not dismissive by any stretch, "Company is always welcome out here."

Julio Richter has posed:
Julio brushes a hand back through his just-shy-of-shaggy hair and flashes an awkward smile. For a second, he looks like he's considering bolting, but then he takes a couple of breaths and seems to let go of a bit of anxiety. "OK, sure," he says instead, moving to join Ororo on the bench.

His second smile is more genuine, if still a bit tentative. "I'm Julio -- I haven't been at the school for very long," he offers as an introduction. Gesturing with one hand at the path he was just on, he continues, "That's, ah, something new I'm trying. I kind of feel stupid doing it, so I guess I was surprised someone saw me."

He's not habitually so direct, which might be obvious from the way he starts these statements with a nervous hitch in his shoulders, then seems to calm down as he gets through what he wants to say.

Ororo Munroe has posed:
Ororo watches the younger man, her expression still close to what one could describe as serene. Her head cants, and she meets that awkward smile with an encouraging one, shifting her position so there's room.

"Well, welcome to the school, Julio. I'm Ororo outside the classroom, Miss Munroe when you're seated in my class." Even that is stated softly, and kindly. "Well met, and it appears that the path you are taking is a good one." There's a hint of a teasing smile with her play on words. "But, any chance you get to learn about your abilities is a time well spent. You learn what you can do,, and you learn more about yourself."

There is a moment of silence, companionable, before, "How are you finding the school so far? Making friends?"

Julio Richter has posed:
Julio's nerves are gone in a rush as he laughs warmly at that last question. "Oh, yeah. The people here are great. There's been a lot of terrible stuff to deal with since I got here -- still is -- but in a way, that brings people closer, you know? We have to rely on each other."

He looks back at the plants he was... glowing at, and continues, "Si -- what's weird is how much more I have to learn about my abilities than I thought. That was, uh..." He turns back to her and twists his face into an exaggerated cringe, then holds up a pair of quote fingers and finishes, "That was magic. I can do magic now, I guess."

Now that she can see him a little closer, he's notably a bit older than you'd expect from someone taking classes here. Nonetheless, he asks: "Nice to meet you, Ororo. What do you teach?"

Ororo Munroe has posed:
Ororo nods her acknowledgment, pleased in the manner that he finds to relax. "Good," her voice is low, "and yes, things are not ideal, but every day, we wake up and have a new opportunity to be a force for good." As she speaks, there's a roll of distant thunder as if it echoes the thought of 'less than ideal', but it doesn't linger. No hint of rain, nothing that would explain that soft roll.

"We are all connected, yes, so we do rely upon each other." Ororo hints at a smile before she continues, "And at times, you may be surprised at who aids you."

Still, she's interested in the younger man's story, the reasoning behind his appearance at the school. Obviously he's not here for the 'regular' school curriculae, and her head cants as she listens. "Magic," she repeats slowly, "What sort? Creation? Destruction? Transmutation?" Curiousity, though she's moreso interested to hear what he thinks of it all. Accepting? Afraid? Exhilerated?

There's a soft breath, a light exhale as Ororo considers the question. At the face of it, it shouldn't be that difficult to answer. But? "I teach self control."

Julio Richter has posed:
Julio hangs on a breath for a moment before answering, "Earth magic, I guess? My mutant power is all about the Earth, so I guess it makes sense. But I didn't know about it until I was in New York and I felt something pulling me through my powers, like..."

He pauses, then drops his chin to his chest and laughs. "Lo siento -- this is a lot all at once." Ororo's calm interest is easy to open up to. "I have mutant earthquake powers. There's power in the ground that I can pull into myself and use in different ways. I thought that was just the tension between the plates, but I guess there was magic in there, too."

He colors and shrugs, and in that gesture she'll have her answer: his magic makes him kind of embarrassed. "It's strange" -- he reconsiders the word -- "/weird/, but Illyana can do all these unbelievable things with magic. I can move the Earth and blow up buildings with my mutant powers. With magic, so far, I can... make plants grow a little faster." He lets off a quiet snort of laughter.

"Self control, eh?" His eyes flick toward the source of the faraway thunder, and he smiles. "Sounds more useful for a lot of kids here than math."

Ororo Munroe has posed:
"So, you speak to the earth." It's a statement, and one that warms her soul. "And she listens, moving as you ask her to." Ororo turns her body, shifting it completely so she's sitting sideways, one leg coming up, folding before her.

"Not strange at all, actually," Ororo begins again, and her head shakes, "not weird either." She cants her head, blue eyes keen, "Give me your hand," and she holds her own delicate hand out, palm up.

"And yes, self control, though I'm not sure it's more useful than math. We all still have to learn how to budget."

Julio Richter has posed:
Another quick, breathy laugh, as Julio willingly extends his hand to her. "I think I have to be making money before I get to worry about a budget," he says with easy self-deprecation. "Then again, the math teacher's pretty cute, so I'm not complaining too loud." Again, even more obviously due to the hand contact, there's a bit of tension before he admits this, which eases once he's voiced his feelings. The math teacher, she's almost certainly aware, is Mr. Drake.

"As for the Earth, honestly, it's more like I listen to her," he says with a smile. The gendered pronoun drops easily into place, reminding him of his native language. "She's already got things to say, I'm just suggesting where to give them voice."

Ororo Munroe has posed:
"Your hand," Ororo begins to ask a question, "Is it weird?" She holds it as she asks, and she looks into his eyes. "I don't think it's weird at all. It is simply part of you."

She'll allow him to retrieve his hand as she sets hers into her lap. "If you listen to her, it's better." There's a softly rueful smile that creeps onto her face, easily expressed in her eyes, "I was not always so open to her words."

It is sounding as if perhaps Julio is beginning to understand where it is she's attempting to take him, and she drops that leg she'd pulled up before moving to stand upon her feet. "Never compare yourself to another. Your magic is different than Illy's, just as I am different from you. We all express ourselves in beautifully unique ways. That way, when we work together, it's a wonderous sight."