xp_logs | Match & Kurt: Juggling Practice

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A quiet afternoon means that Match is able to show how far his juggling lessons with Kurt have gotten. The resident blue mutant is able to gently suggest maybe some more classes be added to his curriculum.

Practice was key, someone had said once. And while Match had definitely improved since beginning lessons with Kurt, it was obvious that he struggled to multi-task, eyes darting to Kurt up to the hacky sacks in motion, before his stuttering attempts to talk started. "So, I, uh, I think, uh, that I'm better but, uh, I mean, I don't, er, I don't think I should, uh, move on to like knives."

"...yes, perhaps not just yet", Kurt agreed, studying his technique. "But you have not dropped anything, so that is definite progress."

"Oh! Yeah!" A grin appeared briefly, the heat around the younger mutant feeling pleasantly warm, before he cleared his throat. "I practice at work, er, I mean, I try to practice at work, if ya know, we're not really busy."

"How does Jessica feel about that?" Kurt asked with gentle amusement.

With already one hacky sack in hand, Match froze, allowing the other two to hit the ground. "Oh, uh, no, not when Jessica's around, or, like, when we're busy. I would never do that to her." He finished firmly.

"No, no", Kurt said hastily. "I am sure you would not neglect your work, but I thought she might have seen you when there was nothing to do."

A flash of realization as Match nodded. “Oh, yeah, that makes sense. I didn’t think she’d seen me, but she’s a very good private investigator, so I probably didn’t even notice. She hasn’t commented, but I have to imagine it’s because she doesn’t want to embarrass me when I slip up.”

Kurt grinned. "Perhaps. If so, she must like you better than she does some others here."

Scooping up the hacky sacks, Match paused, watching Kurt before letting his curiosity win. “Does Jessica not like people here? I mean, that Warren guy just sounds like he sucks, but-“ but what’s the gos? “But like does she not like other people?”

"Understand, I have not met her in person, this is only what I have seen on the journals, and of course there may be good reasons for it. But, it does seem to me she is not overly fond of very many people."

In response, Match blinked at the older man slowly, cocking his head slightly to the side before nodding. "I think Jessica's just like that, she's nice, but she's a New Yorker," he reasoned, "and I mean I'm from Chicago, don't get me wrong, but Jess is very much a New Yorker, so I think. . . I think it can be hard for some people, ya know?"

“You may well be right”, he agreed easily. “Oddly enough, I do not think we have many native New Yorkers in the mansion.”

"Cats," Match supplied easily, beginning the process of juggling again, though he attempted to continue talking, "she was born'n'raised here too, but, I mean, she's a cat."

"Yes. and always has been. How have you found New York, since you arrived?"

“Exactly,” and though Match paused to focus on juggling, he began again, not taking his eyes off the moving objects. "It's, I mean, it's a city, feels crowded, has stuff. I dunno. Do you like New York? Are you, uh, are you from here? I don't think I ever asked that."

"No." He shook his head. "I mean, I am not from here, though I have lived here a long time. I like New York well enough, but I was born in Germany."

The teen hummed as he took in what Kurt had said. “Would you rather be somewhere else?”

"As of this moment?" He shook his head. "No. When I am old, I will go home to my family, perhaps, although I also have family here."

“Right, you, uh, sister arrived late last year, yeah? And you got other family here,” with Match almost every sentence sounded it like it might have been a question but he was pretty sure of what he was saying. “Oh, sorry, your sister was only here for a short time. Did you guys have r a good visit?”

Kurt grinned. "Marie is still here, and still saying just two weeks. I had a feeling it might happen. This place draws people in."

“I guess it does.” Match agreed after a beat, turning the statement around in his head. Catching the hacky sacks, he looked at Kurt for a moment, weighing everything he’d kept in his head about him before nodding slight. “I, uh, I don’t think I thanked you. It’s. . .it’s really hard for me to learn things, but, uh, thank you, ya know, for working with me. I didn’t think I could juggle. I mean, I can’t, I’m still learning but that’s something I didn’t think I’d be able to do before.”

"Teaching a willing student is one of my favourite things", he said with a smile. "So perhaps I should be thanking you as well."

“Juggling’s cool,” Match responded immediately, before his embarrassment raised the heat around him. “I mean, it’s better than like calculus or history.”

Kurt laughed. "Well, I am glad to hear you say so. History can be cool, though certainly parts of it can be quite dull, but most things are better than calculus."

For a moment, Match juggled in silence before slowly lifting his shoulders in a noncommittal shrug. “Some, I guess, but I don’t really like what I know most of.”

"Oh, no need to apologise", Kurt assured him quickly. "Perhaps you have just not had the right teachers, or simply the subjects are not for you."

“Nah, it’s okay, I’m not smart, so school was never the thing for me,” the words flowed smoothly as he continued to work, the subject matter requiring no additional brain power. “Luckily I don’t gotta know that stuff for my job. Court records are public records, people are willing to talk if you ask right, ‘s all good.”

"And just who told you that you are not smart?" His tone of voice said he'd like some strong words with them. "There are many different kinds of smart."

The objects in motion stopped, collected in both hands, before Match cocked his head at Kurt in confusion. "No one had to tell me. I wasn't good at school, got bad grades, I probably would have just barely graduated if I finished school. I don't mean it, in like, a dis- a disp — ya know, in a bad way. It's okay, it's just life."

“I suppose”, Kurt conceded reluctantly. “Though if you ever wanted to give it another try, perhaps with a teacher’s undivided attention…?”

A snort that turned into something of a snicker as Match looked at Kurt, willing to play along with what he perceived as a joke. “Why, waddya teach?”

Kurt, on the other hand, was taking it perfectly seriously. “In the past, I have taught here German, dance, martial arts, cookery… I would be willing to try any subject I know something about.”

“Oh,” his voice cracked slightly on the one syllable word, uncertainty beginning to edge back in. “Huh, well, maybe? Lemme think on that?”

"Of course", he said gently. "Take as much time as you need, I will be here."