Cain & Crystal, Tuesday afternoon

[x-juggernaut.livejournal.com]

On a nice calm afternoon, Cain and Crystal encounter each other and speak of marriage, airplanes, and... golf?




Not too far from the mansion itself, Crystal sat in a chair under a tree, studying from one of her notebooks. It had been three weeks since the attack and kidnapping, two weeks since the students had returned, and one week since Jennie allowed her to stay in her room again. It was one week until the last week of school and two weeks before graduation. She could live with that. Several more assignments, some papers, a few tests, and high school would be over.

An odd pinging noise seemed to be growing closer, in counterpoint with deep bass footfalls. After a minute or so of the odd sounds, their source was revealed as Cain strolled down one of the well-trodden paths near where Crystal sat, carrying a bucket in one hand and a golf club in the other, bouncing a golf ball on the head of the club as he walked.

Noticing Crystal, he reached out to catch the bouncing white ball in the bucket and gave the young girl a nod. "Howdy," he said with a smile. "Good day to enjoy the weather, huh?"

Crystal looked up at the strange noise, frowning slightly as she attempted to figure out what it was. At Cain's appearance and his words, she nodded back and returned the smile. "Yes, it is a very nice day. I enjoy spending time outdoors."

"Better than being cooped up inside, especially with your leg still all banged up," Cain nodded at the cast on Crystal's leg and set down his bucket, withdrawing a white ball and setting it down in the grass. "That's the trouble with a lot of kids these days. Take any excuse, and they'll sit down in front of the television instead of getting some fresh air and good old-fashioned exercise."

Setting his feet, Cain lined up his shoulders and took a few short practice swings with the club before whacking the small sphere out over the lake. He shaded his eyes, frowning slightly as it blooped into the water. "Ngh. Sliced it."

"I do not watch very much television. Were you attempting to get the ball to fall in a certain place?" Crystal inquired, uncertain as to what Cain's intention had been in sending the ball flying over the lake.

"What, a kid these days who doesn't spend half their time in front of the TV and the other half in front of the mirror? Don't mind me, just makin' fun." Cain gestured with the club at the small island sticking up in the middle of the lake. "I don't know if you got golf in Attilan, but it's all about precision. Whether you're weak as a kitten or you can bend steel, you gotta be precise when you tee up..."

He set another ball on the grass, lined up, and swung the club with a satisfying thwack. This time, the ball arced high in the air, bouncing once on the small gravel-and-sand shore of the tiny island. Cain smiled and nodded towards the lake. "Don't matter how strong you are. Sort of like the great equalizer, you know?"

Crystal nodded. "Everything must be taken into account, though, yes? Strength or lack of strength, the setting, distance, wind speed and direction as well."

Cain nodded, taking out another golf ball and bouncing it on the head of the club repeatedly. "One of those games you never get perfect at. You play?"

Crystal shook her head. "No, I have never played golf before. I have observed other people playing it a few times, but it is not something I learned how to play. I could give it a try, though."

"Something tells me my clubs might be a bit large for you," Cain said with a chuckle, noting that the driver he held would have come all the way up to Crystal's shoulder. "I think there's a set around here that'd work, though. If you want to learn once your leg's better, let me know." He bounced the ball high, catching it on the way down and looking over to where Crystal sat. "Of course, way I hear it, you're not likely to be sticking around after the graduation, yeah?"

"I am going to return home after graduation," Crystal replied. "I know that many people end up staying here for a variety of reasons, but there is no reason for me to stay here after I graduate. I came here to learn and to graduate from the school and that is what I have done and will do."

Thinking about that, Cain shrugged. "Makes sense to me. Not that I really got anything against folks finding a place here, but part of the point of a school's that it's a stage you go through, not somewhere you wind up. You know, I was actually thinking about visiting Attilan while I was on my vacation. Up until they darn near crashed the plane on my nice quiet beach. Who knows, might drop by sometime."

"Did you receive your invitation to attend Medusa's engagement party?" Crystal asked Cain. "No uniforms or secret planes are needed and no explosions or subsequent avoiding of explosions are expected."

"Aww, no explosions? What kinda party is that?" Cain joked, then smiled widely. "Yeah, I got the invitation. Trying to figure out travel and whatnot. As you might guess, even first class is a bit cramped for someone like me."

"Transportation is being provided," Crystal explained. "The X-Men are not the only people who have access to private jets. I am sure that we can accommodate you on one of the royal jets. Teleportation is another option if it is one that is acceptable to you. I know some people are not fond of teleporting, though."

Tapping the club on the ground, Cain pondered that for a moment. "Last time I did anything like that, it was kind of literally to Hell and back, so I think I'll take you up on the royal jet idea. Your sister's gettin' married to that fella who was here a few months back, yeah? Tall, dark hair, don't say much?"

To hell and back? Interesting. "Blackagar does not say anything at all," Crystal told Cain. "His power is not the kind that can be controlled. If he were to make any type of sound, someone or something would be harmed."

Cain raised both eyebrows. "Rough deal. Ah well, kid seems to be dealing just fine." With that proclamation, he dropped another golf ball onto the ground, smacking it out over the lake. It appeared to be headed past the island, then seemed to slow in midair until it dropped right onto the shore. Cain smirked, then looked over at Crystal. "And sometimes you just get a lucky breeze."