7854/A Moment/Not A Moment

A Moment/Not A Moment
Date of Scene:	16 September 2021
Location:	Xavier's School Front Yard
Synopsis:	The end of a hard workout leads into a discussion of religion over tea.
Cast of Characters:	Rahne Sinclair, Kurt Wagner, Laxmi Mallick

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Rahne Sinclair has posed:
"Dying," Rahne whines, wiping her head with her towel. "Evil demon," she accuses Kurt, who's just finished putting her through her paces. The recurring comments lead her to believe that she needs more weight training. Jump higher, try to reach further.

She'd been used to relying on her hybrid form's musculature. This 'human' thing is annoying and frustrating.

"Why do ye look so...perfect," she grumbles. Kurt had done it too, to show how it was done. As usual, he looks 'amazing'.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Kurt Wagner has come clad in his costume, which served as an acrobat's outfit in another time and place. It is familiar to him. For others, they may choose their own costume, or a generic uniform, or simply whatever they'd chosen to wear at the time.

"There was a time that would have hurt me to hear you say, Rahne," he tells her while dangling from a tree branch he'd leapt up to, his tail currently wrapped around said branch as he crosses his arms from this upside-down position. "But right now I believe it is simply you realizing this is not as easy as you might have expected."

The grin he gives her is wide, even as he hangs in place. "Because I /am/ perfect, Liebchen! Do not tell the others that. They might develop unrealistic expectations of me. But, these are all things I have done for years, back to mein days in the circus. I was in your place at one time, naturlich. As they say, practice, practice, practice."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Rahne walks over and puts a kiss on Kurt's cheek, upside-down or not. She looks like she's pretty much crapped out, but while Kurt has worked her into the ground, she still has her heart. "Love ye forever," she insists, but then she slumps down the tree to let herself slowly die.

"Ye make et look so easy, though. Ah hurt in places ah didnae know ah had." She massages her wrists, which are not strong enough yet. Clearly.

Laxmi Mallick has posed:
    "You looked like you could use some refreshments," comes a friendly voice - as Laxmi strides across the lawn. She carries a tray with three cups of iced tea - brewed hot and sweet, and then cooled down in the fridge overnight. "I'm afraid I didn't bring anything for muscle pain though - that was left in the house." She offers one of the drinks to Rahne first - before offering one to Kurt, though she's uncertain how the man will drink anything from his current unorthodoxed position.
    "Hopefully that perks you up a bit, Miss Sinclair," she remarks with sympathy.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Kurt Wagner beams at the peck on the cheek, and as much a rogue as he is, he does nothing whatsoever in the sense of taking advantage of the moment to cause the kiss to end up anywhere but where she means it to be. Too much of a gentleman for that, especially without knowing more about how she feels about him. "You flatter me," he tells her, and he sets to swaying back and forth with a subtle motion of the hips. First a few inches this way and that, building to a couple feet.

"You will hurt in other places sooner or later. It is the nature of a good workout, but the fortunate thing is with enough of them you will hurt less und find yourself feeling better more rapidly. Only push yourself as far as you can go, und then a little past that," he tells her, his head turning in the direction of the approaching Laxmi.

To solve the conundrum she is dealing with, he loosens his tail and drops down into a crouch before accepting the drink with a hand. "Ah, danke. I am told a good massage helps as well. Und how are you?"

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
The wolfgirl perks up as drinks are offered. She would, she's sweated four times her own body weight in the last hour. Reaching with both hands, she bestows her bestest smile on Laxmi, then presses the cup to her own forehead. "Aaah. That be th' stuff." She rolls it left and right, utterly failing to use the drink for the proper purpose.

She didn't stand up. Oog, muscles suck. "Ah'll ask m' girlfriend for a neckrub," she says randomly, then sips at the citrusy drink. "Thank ye, miss Laxmi. Do ye train?" She's honestly curious.

Laxmi Mallick has posed:
    Laxmi smiles at the ease and grace with which Kurt drops to the floor before accepting the drink. She'd found his appearance unorthodox the first time she'd seen the man - almost like a creature straight from Indian folklore - but she was used to accepting people with unusual appearances in the mutant community. "I'm quite well, of course. Nothing to complain of," she replies, before taking a sip of her own drink - smiling with amusement as she sees Rahne attempting to use the drink to cool herself.
    "It will cool you from the inside as well, you realize. And rehydrate you as well." But the girl can do as she will.
    "I do - but not in the same way. I train my body through dance. I'm a performer, after all."

Kurt Wagner has posed:
"Mein entire life, I have known as a performer," Kurt remarks while sipping at the iced tea, considering what he thinks of the taste. "It is in mein blood, und I am something of an attention hound. I live for the applause, the ooohs und aaahs." What spectators thought of what they saw when he did his thing, perhaps it was not as important as whether or not he could coax the reactions he wanted out of them.

He looks from one to the other, taking advantage of some shade the tree provides as he leans against the trunk near Rahne, his tail curling slightly toward the side. "Ahh," he adds after she's mentioned who she might get 'treatment' from, leading to him glancing ahead for the moment. "As she said, best to drink it. There is ice inside if it is needed."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Rahne listens, letting them both talk. She prefers it that way, when others are expressing themselves. But with both hands on her drink, she chooses to show off a little and lifts both of her feet, to clap them together awkwardly in a poor mimic of applause.

She nods to Laxmi, taking her advice by quaffing half of her glass at once. Then she eyes Kurt. "Ye didnae know?" she asks, her voice slightly amused. "Well..have tae admit, et was a surprise tae me too."

Laxmi Mallick has posed:
    "I'll admit, I'm a bit addicted to the art of performing as well - though for me it with instruments, singing, and dancing. Your form of expression seems far more physical than I could manage - it's impressive," Laxmi says sincerely. She decides to settle into a cross-legged position on the grass not far from the pair, setting down the now empty tray so she can sip at her own drink.
    "A surprise - that you found yourself with a girlfriend?" Laxmi answers. "I imagine the important thing is that you make each other happy, and support one another." Her parents were much more old-fashioned and traditional, though. They'd be appalled at the idea.
    Good thing she didn't listen to them about everything.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Kurt Wagner explains, "It is a good way to stay in shape, und when I can do certain things others cannot, it is an advantage for me in some situations." Knowing what they all do around here, he trusts them to be able to fill in any blanks and arrive at their own conclusions as to what he means. This leaves him with more time to drink tea.

"I was unaware," is his honest answer to Rahne before he nods Laxmi's way. "Ja, what she said. You deserve to be happy, no matter where it comes from."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Rahne closes her eyes, the tree at her back having supported her workout as it now supports her in other ways. She curls up cutely, her drink half gone, and smiles into the warmth her teachers offer her. "Well.." she starts to say, then seems to lose track of her thoughts as she goes quiet.

A moment later, she says, "Might be takin' ballet, soon," she says, her eyes opening. It was not what she was about to have said, but it will do. "Seems ah pick all th' hard choices. Es no bad thing."

Laxmi Mallick has posed:
    "Ballet is a challenging dance form - but it can be rewarding. I only know the basics of it myself, I focused far more on other forms of dance." Laxmi seems willing to let the conversation of a 'girlfriend' drop. Perhaps Rahne was a private individual? She doesnt know her well enough to be certain.
    "I don't imagine you've tried ballet yourself, Mr. Wagner? I could imagine you being quite graceful at the leaps."

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Kurt Wagner makes a side gesture toward Laxmi as if to suggest not pushing anything on the relationship side of the chat. If Rahne doesn't want to go into detail...

"I have learned some dance, but nothing too in depth. Some of what I do may draw from parts of ballet, but it is not so much a practice of mine itself." Which is not to say he couldn't nail ballet if he were inclined to. He probably could.

The elf says, "Dance, acrobatics, tumbling, walking the wire..it all draws from the same base of strength und body coordination."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Opening her eyes, Rahne looks straight ahead. She has something on her mind, something that has her staring off into space. And it's not likely to be dance. "Ah wonder," she says, her voice soft and hard to hear. She's cooling off, that's clear. "Laxmi, does yer religion...do they hate...ah mean."

Apparently it's hard to get out, so she sits up. Then says, "Ah always hated th' gays. Then ...y'know. Ah do like boys. Jus' kinda realized et wasnae about what a person is, more about who they are. Ah could love anyone."

She looks at Kurt, and smiles. "Ah do love ye, Kurt. Even as a horrible imp who hurts me en class."

Laxmi Mallick has posed:
    "I wonder if I could walk the wire," Laxmi muses in a thoughtful voice - before Rahne's more serious question earns her attention.
    "That's complicated," she answers quietly. "As are many things. My parents would disapprove of me being in a relationship with another woman - because they would want me to be in a procreative relationship," she explains. "But there's nothing in the texts which condemns such relationships - and we are explicitly taught to recognize the divinity of everyone we encounter, so I would argue we're taught acceptance. But really, it depends on how you're raised, and what you're taught growing up. Certainly there are some communities within the Hindu faith that feel otherwise. I would see that as a misinterpretation of the Vedas which are meant to guide us."

Kurt Wagner has posed:
If Kurt has opinions on this...he is seemingly distracted by something, perhaps his own thoughts as he leaves the tea near his mouth for a spell. He says nothing at first, his mind somewhere else.

When he does speak, it is to say, "I believe that each person is special in their own way, und there are many different interpretations of what the Bible und Christ says. Some people, they use passages to defend their own hatred und fears of others not like them, und that is not what the Bible is all about to me. It is not for me to judge who someone else is happy with."

Rahne and Laxmi both get a smile from him, if one that is slightly less 'Kurt' than usual. It is a topic that has weighed on him before. "Look at me. I am a 'demon' who believes in God und Christ. How ironic is that? The people that hate me, that call me the things they do 'because the Bible says,' I probably know more about what it says than they do. I choose to follow the teachings about being good to others, treating them with kindness und caring. Rahne, I love you for who you are, no matter who or what that is. Laxmi, I feel we share some things in common about our beliefs, even if they come from different origins."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Rahne listens to them both. Both are important, and both have things worth listening to. In the end, she's silent. Because they're both right. Your way of interpreting things is personal. What you believe...personal.

"En my heart, th' bible's most important passage tells us that we are all family."

Then she raises her head, looking to God. "If they be family...help them. Wot else needed tae be said?"

Laxmi Mallick has posed:
    "I think you're right," Laxmi agrees with Kurt with a smile. "We can't improve ourselves, spiritually, through hatred and fear and aggression. It demeans us. It denies others their humanity, and their divinity - and there are many paths to moksha. We have simply chosen different routes."
    She smiles at Rahne and Kurt as she adds, "I don't know as much about your Bible as maybe I should - but those are the sorts of passages I would put the most weight in, myself."

Kurt Wagner has posed:
"Ja, I think you both have the right of it. But that can be a talk for another time. I am not here to preach or push my beliefs on others," Kurt explains, holding the empty cup of tea in his hands.

Then, he nods in the direction of the main building. "What do you say to a few snacks? I can get a few things together, or even go off to pick something up." He has his ways, which he demonstrates after the others have chimed in:

*BAMF!*

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
For a religious person, Rahne doesn't push her faith on others often. She tries to let others talk instead, giving them room to grow. So when Laxmi says..these things..she smiles, and drinks the rest of her drink.

Then, a bamf takes away her trainer, and he winks at Laxmi. "He'll be right back. But ah need tae shower, so bad an can taste et. Ye should hide so when he comes, he's all confused imp face."

Then she gets up, shaking herself off. To be fair, she did just work out, really hard.

Laxmi Mallick has posed:
    "You have a naughty sense of humor, Rahne," Laxmi answers with a laugh. She gathers up the empty glasses before remarking, "I have to bring these in, anyways. I'll just meet him there," she offers.
    "Try taking some motrin," she recommends. "But enjoy the shower, and the massage. Those should help as well. Take care, Miss Sinclair," she remarks in a warm voice, before starting back towards the main building, herself.