xp_logs | Garrison, Scott and Sharon during the pool party (backdated to June 24) (Reply)

During the pool party Garrison, Scott and Sharon end up talking.

The air was filled was the scent and sound of meat, veggies and fish sizzling away on the large BBQ, along with music playing from a large speaker and splashing of people jumping in the pool.

"Here we are..." Sharon held out two frosty bottles of beer towards Garrison and Scott. "They look chilly enough. The BBQ chef said the burgers were gonna take longer though." She resumed her own seat, a frosty bottle of Corona in her own hand. "Time enough to join them in the pool if you want, he said."

"That's guy speech for 'please get into a bikini so I can ogle your wet ass'." Kane said as he accepted the beer and pushed the lime in the mouth down into the neck. "We're just so fucking wily after all..."

"It's a wonder how we actually manage to get anything done," Scott agreed, tipping his beer at the other two before taking a long sip. "You know, if he's so desperate for people to get into the water..."

"He can go jump in himself." Sharon took a long draught from the bottle. "That tastes good. So anything interesting you've been up to? Any interesting programs in that 'special room' of yours?"

Scott shook his head, looking over at Garrison, "She's too nice for this place," he commented shooting a grin at Sharon. "We haven't been up to all that much recently, just passing time. Well I mean we do the same thing we do every night, try to take over the world.," he intoned solemnly.

"Speak for yourself. I've been trapped in the office for weeks. Extremely hot summers are a crime bonanza. We just helped the DEA wrap a case where guys were shipping drugs over the border in the stomachs of livestock. People are nuts." Kane drained his beer in a long pull and reached for another.

"Live animals?" Sharon commented, her eyebrows rising. "I agree, people are nuts. It's not just the criminals. We're noticing it on the ambulance too. Something about heat, sun and bathing suits makes them do stupid things."

Scott held up a hand, three fingers outstretched, then two, then one, clenching his fist as a smile tugged up his lips and the splash of a student diving into the water could be heard from the pool. "It even happens here," he noted, "hot weather has that effect on people...or you know they're just trying to show off. I tend to go with the latter."

"Teenagers. Of course they're trying to show off. Within an hour, one of them will sneak a couple of beers and a few hours later, some bathing suits with mysteriously acquired grass and dirt stains will end up in the wash. It is the great cycle of life." Kane flipped his sunglasses down. "Thank god I'm no longer that young."

Sharon grinned. "Sounds like you've some stories of your own to tell. How about you, Summers? Any summer tales?"

Scott arched an eyebrow, a smile playing across his lips as he swung his beer between two fingers. "Haven't you heard Sharon, I'm a boy scout. I'd never do anything like a quick trip to the stables or behind the hay bales," he noted with a dry tone the barest hints of a smirk touching his lips as he took a sip of the beer."Yourself?"

"I used to run a bit wild with a group of my friends when I was teen for a while. We were always outside and got into some stuff, pranks and stuff..." Sharon related with a smile, which dampened when she added. "Changed quickly when turned sixteen or so, but we had some good adventures."

"Come on, Friedlander. He wasn't asking about your years of childhood cow tipping." Kane pointed out. "He wants the dirt on those times that you made it home trying to figure out an excuse for no longer having panties."

"Didn't your father ever teach not to kiss and tell?" Sharon shot back with a grin. "First fumbles under the bleachers were first fumbles behind a rock or in a shack, but pretty normal otherwise."

Scott shook his head, "Sharon, I'm dating a woman who can turn intangible at will, we have people here who can stretch and fly and shapeshift or read your mind...what exactly do you think normal is?" he teased gently.

Sharon raised an eyebrow at Scott: "Normal as in no mutant things involved, Summers. I didn't go to Mutant High."

“You know it wasn't always mutant high," Scott pointed out with a smile, "there didn't used to be enough of us, normal school was a thing, and still is...but no-one is ever as normal as they make out they are if you really get down to it."

"There's not normal in the normal way and not normal in the 'ex-teacher is now one off the worlds most wanted terrorists' way." Kane gamely pointed out.

"Talking about not-normal things and terrorists... I got a question." Sharon switched subjects rather abruptly. "I was reading through some case studies for the Claremont and I found debate about the idea of a mutant who can blow himself up, but then also pull himself together again. Was wondering how your team would deal with that."

"That's quite a tangent there," Scott pointed out, "Not exactly the kind of case study I'd expect the medical team to be looking into. Something else on your mind?" The man let the question hang in the air for a moment before continuing. "If he can blow himself and put himself together it depends on your environment. If I had the space and no civilian casualties engage him from a distance, slow him and neutralise him from range. If he wants to blow up then he can't hurt anyone, and if it happens too much then he'll run out of energy.

"Easier to throw the psions at him. A little TK, a little telepathy, and suddenly he's sitting quietly on the ground asking you to tell him about the rabbits again."

"TK? I can see how the telepathy would work, but not the TK?" Sharon asked Garrison intently before glancing over to Scott. "And Summers... it's a hospital specialized in treating mutants... who can come with security risks and there is prep for that."

"Sure. If he's trying to blow himself up, you could contain him inside of a telekinetic shield. Keeps bystanders safe, always you to isolate him following the explosion instead of looking for the bits."

"That doesn't keep him from blowing up though." Sharon countered. "Depending on how strong the explosion is, not any tk's could contain it. I mean... like Jean... how much could she contain?"

Scott's lips pressed together for a moment, "More than you think," he finally allowed. "But if he's a patient at the hospital then you have drugs or power suppressors that you can offer him if you're worried about him losing control of his powers."

"Sure... in the hospital... They've their own issues though." Sharon noted. "Guess you can't take the soldier out of the nurse though."

"The obvious solution is providing heroin to every patients as soon as they come through the door."

"Sure Kane..." Sharon rolled her eyes just a little. "From what I've seen opiods and mutant powers aren't the best combi either... But thanks for playing along... another beer?" She finished her Corona and rose, raising her eyebrow questioningly.

"I'm just saying... have you ever seen a heroin junkie blow up and put themselves back together?" Kane said, happily accepting another beer. "Damn right."

Scott accepted his beer, swirling it between in fingers before he inclined his head in Kane's direction. "You know as much as it surprises me to say he's not exactly wrong. Maybe not heroin, but you could have something at hand for those kind of cases, it all depends on how far you're willing to go for them. If they really need it we can always help them control their powers here."

She retook her seat with a new Corona of her own. "So far it's not been needed, but I think Jean and I've kept that idea in mind." After adding a slice of lime to her beer, she added drolly: "Them training here I mean. Not doping them all up."

"I don't think publicly announcing ourselves as a mutant research center is the best idea. Especially to random mutants, so long as we're operating illegal strike forces and spy agencies."

Scott inclined his head to the side for a moment before he shook his head, "We've never hidden that from people who need to know, random mutant or not if they need help. It's probably not the smartest things we've ever done, but I don't think Charles could turn away a mutant in need if he wanted to."

"Can't see him doing that..." Sharon agreed. "Don't know if it'll happen. I mean, we're not the only place for them to go. I bet the Underground gets some and some of the serious ones go to Scotland..."

"There is a big difference between supporting individuals and handing out flyers to every mutant patient that comes through the door as their fall back."

Scott fell silent for a moment in thought, raising her beer to his lips as he used the opportunity to buy himself a moment of thought. The man ran his fingers around the cool glass, feeling the condensation collection beneath his fingers. "You're not wrong, we aren't set up to be a fallback for every mutant but we can probably do more for them. Maybe provide greater assistance to the Underground. I know that Moira might not be happy with the idea either, but Muir can't act as a catch-all either. We can't help everyone, and it's not without risk but we can do something more."

"From what I heard, so far we managed to help most folks at the Claremont." Sharon added. "But maybe you might wanna get a few more people in a room to brainstorm together?"

Scott shook his head, a sad light touching his eyes. "In the end I can't risk it," he admitted glancing at the pool. "Those kids come here for a chance to be normal, to actually live their lives. To turn the mansion into the Claremont would be a step too far, we were never meant to do that. Charles maybe a mutant leader, but the mansion can't stand in the light." He inclined his head at Garrison, "not as long as we're running secret strike forces from the basement."

"Scott's right. We can't be everything to everyone."

"We can't be everything." Sharon agreed, twirling the beer bottle in her finger thoughtfully. "Look... next to you two, I'm wet behind the ears in this. Still, might be something you can do that I can't see. Don't rule anything out." She threw in a small glare she normally used on difficult patients.

"Oh. Healthcare Stare. I'm Canadian, lady. I'm from the land of magical unicorn healthcare. Doctors and nurses are just giving life-saving surgeries away on the street corner. Also, my sister is, like, two years away from being a practicing neurosurgeon. Cleavage is much more effective." Kane took a sip. "I can't speak for Scott though. Dude has weird tastes."

Scott let the corners of his mouth curl up as a laugh escaped him, "For some strange peculiar reason the stare doesn't seem to have the same effect on me that it used to. Kinda like water on a duck's back." The X-man shook his head, rotating his now empty bottle of beer between his fingers as he looked up at Sharon. "The truth is, we have been doing this for a long time, long enough to know that you can't save every and you can't be all things to all people." A lesson learnt through pain and blood more often than not.

"Trust me, Summers. That's one lesson I don't need learning." Sharon responded, a bitter undertone in her voice. "If there is one lesson you learn in the ER, it's that."

"Jesus Friedlander. Lighten up. This is a barbecue, not a planning session in the situation room with one of Scott's horrible Power Point presentations. Also, Scott, seriously, no more swipe transitions to the next slide. It makes a combat briefing look like an 'America's Funniest Home Videos' marathon." Kane drained his newest beer. "This is a serious topic and it isn't going to be solved poolside or in a jaw sessions at Harry's. More importantly, trying to do that is what leads to burnout, and burnt out people make dumb mistakes. Relax. Get a sausage. I'm sure Worthington would be happy to offer his if you're looking for a different kind of stress relief."

He paused, squinting as he looked up into the sun through his sunglasses. "Days like this get pretty few and far between in this place. Enjoy it, because tomorrow, it could be coming up Brotherhood and Magistrates."

"Blame Summers." Sharon lazily gestured at the man with her beer bottle. "He's the one who took the next level in morose. But you got a point... time for fun. Don't know about you, but the pool is calling me..." Putting the bottle away, she rose to go find a swim suit.