xp_logs | Kurt and Garrison, last Sunday

Kurt decides to be social and goes to Harry's with Garrison. They talk about a lot of things, don't talk about others, then go and play darts.

Kurt had taken Logan's words to heart, as part of his new approach to life... which explained why he had left the image inducer at home on this trip to Harry's, like every other now. He turned to grin at Garrison, gesturing to the bar.
"Who is to buy the first round?"
"In my personal opinion, that guy over there. But since he doesn't know either of us, I doubt he'll agree." Garrison said, reaching for his wallet. "However, since I'm now back on the job, I've got some cash that's burning a whole in my Henry Moore suit pocket. I'll get these."
"Then I will go and claim us a table", Kurt said cheerfully, moving to do just that.
Garrison stood at the bar long enough to collect their usual order, before joining him at the table. He hadn't spoken to Kurt much outside of the standard X-Men related activities, so when the man had dropped by his room to see if he wanted to have a drink and talk on a Sunday afternoon at Harry's, he'd jumped at the chance.
"Here you go. I think the waitress is eying your tail with less than pure intentions running through that pretty, poorly dyed head of hers."
Kurt blinked, glanced over his shoulder, then chuckled as he accepted the beer. "Perhaps." He still wasn't quite used to women actually being interested, and he was still fairly sure most of those who were, only were because he was 'exotic'.
"If she offers to buy you a drink, I'll nip back to the mansion and leave a sock on your doorknob." Kane dropped into his seat and took a sip from his drink. "So what's the occasion?"
"There is none, particularly", Kurt said with a shrug. "Just that we have not really talked, and you have been with us for... what is it, four months now?"
"About that, yeah. It's been a bit of a chore, between constant crisis and working another job on top of it. I think I need to charge overtime or something." Kane said, nodding. He'd met everyone, obviously, but it had been difficult to fit a lot of socializing in on top of everything. "You're related to one of those girls that work with Pete, right?"
"Amanda, yes", he confirmed. "My younger sister, by adoption." It was a longer and more complicated story than that, of course, but there was no need to explain the whole thing unless Garrison actually asked.
"I was about to say that she must take after her dad." Kane said wryly.
"She does look like him, in fact", was the answer, with a faint smile. He hadn't missed what Garrison was really saying, of course, but... that was another of those complicated subjects.

"Skinny, blonde, and almost stereotypically British?" Kane jested, drinking down more of his pint. "I swear, they clone them for holiday tours. In Spain, you'd see nine of them all enter the bar at the same time, lockstep, like some creepy 'Children of the Damned' remake. The only way to tell that they weren't part of some alien plot was the fact that they'd all get up to dance to the Spice Girls. No alien overlord is going to think Earth is worth putting up with that."

"German, actually", Kurt told him mildly, choosing to ignore any implied insult to his sister. "By nationality. Roma by race. It is just that she grew up in England, mostly. It is a long story."
"Yeah, I can imagine." Garrison said, turning his glass in his hands.

Kurt glanced down at his own, and took a drink. He'd never felt comfortable telling that story when so much of it was Amanda's, especially not to someone who wasn't (yet) a close friend.

"So, what's on the schedule for March? Other than the unexpected that we should be expecting to expect, isn't there some kind of school function in the works?" Most of Garrison's time with the school part had been limited, taking over the odd class when a staff member was busy. His last couple of weeks doing the self-defense classes had been the closest he'd come to a regular involvement. Between the X-Men and the FBI, he had to let some things fall under the radar, and that meant school activities and field trips.

"Not that I know of", Kurt said after a moment's thought. "Though perhaps there should be, before Spring Break begins. I think everyone needs a little stress relief."

"Stressful? This place? Nooo." Garrison said dryly, considering his own very recent enforced leave from the Bureau. "Between having the X-Men and a whole mob of teenagers under the same roof, I half expect to see a student blown out of the chimney every seven minutes, like an angst geyser or something."

Garrison made short upward motions with his hand, while he pitched his voice higher. "I regret nothing! Goth music rocks! The novels of JK Rowling are genius!"

Kurt couldn't help laughing. "At least we have been very low on the real property damage this year. In the mansion, at least."

"The Professor should do ads for State Farm or something." Garrison agreed, finishing off his beer. "You're right though. There should be some kind of destressing activity before the break. I mean, other than the one half of them are already doing and the rest use the internet for. Something that isn't as formal as a field trip, but gets them out of the school."

Kurt nodded and finished his own beer, then asked, "Do you have anything in mind?"

"Not the slightest clue." Kane shrugged. "If this was Toronto, it would be different, but down here? I mean, what's fun in New York that also isn't educational. They don't even allow transfat and dancing in bars down here."

"Transfat?" Kurt asked curiously before getting back on topic. "I have to say, I do not know the city that well myself, except for some of the restaurants and so on."

"I found dim sum. That's about it for my knowledge. It's so much easier back home." Garrison's teenaged years had mostly been taken up between studying and working in the then brand new Beta Flight program. It hadn't left a lot of free time, but he'd also been living with the rest of his family, on a quiet street in West Toronto, and not the pressure cooker that he'd come to know the mansion as. "Something that they can forget about all of the crap going on, like a ball game or an amusement park. Something that doesn't involve any more organization or supervision than a couple of empty vans, and some people willing to drive."

"Both of which we have", Kurt said thoughtfully. "And America has no shortage of amusement parks... we have arranged trips to them before, in fact."

"Not arranged though. Just 'hey, we're going to Six Flags tomorrow, who wants to come?' kind of thing." Kane said. "With all the security precautions and amenities of the mansion, it's not hard for them to lose touch of what life is supposed to be like. I know they're special because of their powers and appearence, but it's pretty important that they don't end up thinking that they're different too."

"...yes", Kurt said with a slight smile. "Even in the name of protecting them, it may not be the best idea to shelter them too much. Even with the best of intentions. Yvette has been leaving the mansion, lately, which can only be a good thing."

"The little Serbian one? Yeah." Kane waved for another round. "It's something that worries me about this place a lot. It's so insular. I mean, these people save the world, jet around at whim, encounter disasters, get shot at... and it's all just another day. Some one like Summers? Doesn't have the slightest clue what normal is for most people. He grew up in the school, married a girl from the school, works for the school, has all his friends at the school. The ones who have gotten married? All people from the school. The relationships? Most of them with other people at the school."

Kane leaned back as the waitress came with the new drinks, giving Kurt a longer smile before she left. "I understand the pressures and circumstances having a lot to do with that, but still. From a sociological sense, the school is well on the end of statistical abnormality."

"I have to say", Kurt said wryly, "I suspect Scott has a better idea of what normal is for most people than, say... I do. I was raised in a gypsy camp, and my... family decided when I was a child I should be kept away from outsiders. For my safety, you understand. Strangers are unpredictable."

"I do, which is a damn shame." Garrison scratched the back of his neck. "And I'm not saying the school's abnormality makes it a bad place. It's just very easy to turn insular up there. To forget that most people don't live in a mansion, fly a stealth jet and have a holographic room in the basement. Especially the teens, and especially around someone like Xavier. The man's got more charisma than any politician that I've ever met. Talk to him for ten minutes, and you're ready to throw on the black leathers and fight the good fight, whether he's intending it or not. If I had come here, say, at eighteen? I'd likely be doing my best to take Scott's job or something."

"He does seem to have that effect, yes. And not just on the students." He smiled crookedly. "It seems to be very difficult for anyone to leave and stay gone."

"Let's be honest. How would you tell Doctor King that you took a job in someone else's office? Or John F Kennedy?" Kane shook his head. "Ground zero of the mutant revolution, after all."

"On this side of it, at least", was the rueful answer. "Unfortunately for us all, he is not the only very charismatic leader of mutantkind."

"At least he doesn't wear purple all the time. I mean, seriously, how lame is that costume. Magneto looks like a cast off from a production of Starlight Express. I keep waiting for him to break into song or something."

"I think", Kurt said very dryly, "bearing in mind that I have never spoken to him, that he thinks it adds dignity."

"I'm sure Liberace would agree. All he needs now are some spangles and pink cowboy boots." Kane took a sip and stood up. "And in fine tradition, no more shop. Do you play darts? Because talking about Magneto makes me want to throw spiky things at something."

"I started learning to throw knives when I was seven", Kurt informed him with a grin, standing in turn. "Yes, I can play darts, though I do not often."

"Excellent! We'll put money on it then!" Garrison waved Harry for the darts and yet another round for the evening.