Basketball practice (Open)

[Matthew Craft]

Matthew pulls the orange ball out of the bin at the side of the court. With a large hand, he bouces the sphere a few times, getting a feel for the object.

Standing on the sidelines he brings the ball up and with a flick of his wrist, he sends it careening towards the basket.

thump...bwang bwang bwang

Damn. No swish this time.

He jogs over to the rolling ball and picks it up again. He dribbles as he walked back towards the net.

Matthew isn't particullarily good at sports, he never had been. But he definitely has the potential of being good at them, especially basketball. When he was still living home in New Jersey, he had been recruited by his junior high school coach to play on the basketball team. He laughs to himself as he reaches up and simply drops the ball through the hoop.

Standing at a towering 6'11', he is quite the catch for any basketball team. He had been the MVP while he had still been going to the small, rural school. Of course, now that he's attending Xavier's, he's not playing on any sports teams. He supposes that because of the special 'abilities' of the institutes students. Not that his powers could help him in sports, but his height and size certainly gave him quite the advantage.

Swish.

"Nice." He murmurs to himself, then chases after the ball again. He doesn't even know what he's doing out there. Sports just aren't his thing anymore. Music, for Matthew, is where it's at. But, he has to admit, tossing a ball around occasionally does feel pretty good.

[Warren Worthington III]

On the very very very long list of reasons why flying is pretty much the coolest thing ever, Warren muses as he glides, is getting to watch early autumn foliage from above.

This year he’s decided to film it, twenty seconds every day as he loops over the woods surrounding the Institute grounds with his camcorder… he intends to print the finished film showing the explosion of color spread across the tree canopy like fireworks, culminating in the first snowfall, and make copies of it for everyone. Which has turned out to be educational in ways he hadn’t expected, since a surprising amount of activity takes place in the occasional clearing, and most people don’t look up. Fortunately for their continued privacy, even the “zoom” setting on the camcorder turns out not to be as acute as his own enhanced vision.

Right now, though, the only person active outside is a man-mountain practicing on the basketball court. For a moment he assumes Pete is back from his trip to Russia, and swoops down to greet him… then recognizes the younger redhead, a student he’s seen around the halls from time to time but never really been introduced to. Michael? Matthew? Something like that. Same last name as one of the teachers, if he remembers correctly.

Warren can’t remember the boy’s powers, though looking at him he’s willing to bet superhuman strength is one of them, but he remembers feeling way outclassed when he read about them. Of course, that’s true of most of the Institute students. On the other hand, I can fly, and they can’t. So, nyaah. He laughs at himself quietly, deliberately ignoring the fact that he’s hardly the only flier at the Institute.

He hesitates a bit, then shrugs and continues his glide down to the court. Warren hasn’t gotten to know too many of the other students in his brief, frequently interrupted time in the Institute, and this seems like a good opportunity to extend the count. Chuckling quietly to himself, he circles until he’s approaching from behind the boy, then locks his wings in place to glide in silently, careful to stay under cloud-cover so his shadow doesn’t give him away.

Matthew makes a basket, then recovers the ball and tosses it again. This time it goes too high and bounces off the backboard, and Warren takes the opportunity to swoop in and grab it, dropping it into the basket before he brakes and lands gently next to the ball.

" Hope you don’t mind the assist," he calls out, tossing the ball back to Matthew as he walks over to join the boy. " I know, traditionally we’re not supposed to use our powers on the court, but I just couldn’t resist. " He extends a hand and gives a friendly smile. "I’m Warren… I’ve seen you around the halls but I don’t think we’ve been introduced. You’re Matt, right? "

[Matthew Craft]

Matthew had seen the winged student high above the Institute, but hadn't paid too much attention. He tosses the ball again, but instead of the intended swish, it hits the backboard with a loud thwump. He's about to head after the stray ball, but when the white wings brush by him, he jumps back, slightly startled. He watches as Warren swoops down, plucks the ball from the air, and drops it through the net.

"Hope you don’t mind the assist," he says as he makes a graceful landing. Matthew caught the ball as it flew back in his direction. "I know, traditionally we’re not supposed to use our powers on the court, but I just couldn’t resist." Warren folded his wings back and walks toward him

"No problem." Matthew offers a well-natured smile.

"I’m Warren… I’ve seen you around the halls but I don’t think we’ve been introduced. You’re Matt, right? " The angel-like man offers his hand to him.

"Matthew," he corrects, smiling, and shakes Warren's hand. "Call me Matthew. Only my sister calls me anything different. Pleased to meet you, Warren." He notices the cam-corder in his hand and winces with a light laugh. "You weren't filming me were you?"

[Warren Worthington III]

> " Call me Matthew. Only my sister calls me anything different."

"’Matthew’ it is, then. Of course, now I have to ask: what does your sister call you?"

> " You weren't filming me were you? "

Warren nods emphatically, trying his not-insignificant best to keep a straight face. " Oh, absolutely… didn’t you get the memo? I’m your official creepy stalker. All the students get one now, it’s part of the Stalker Acclimatization Program… we take videos, make anonymous calls to your parents implying all kinds of vague things, leave threatening notes in your girlfriend’s locker. You know, the usual stuff. Like a Danger Room sim, except in the real world. You’ll probably get your stalkee assignment in the next month or so."

As he talks, he hits the playback button on the camcorder and hands it to Matthew so he can see the actual contents of it, a remarkably dull though admittedly aesthetic several minutes of video of the same few acres of woods, time-lapsed to show the sprouting of buds from early spring through the beginnings of the turning of foliage.

"Guess you could call it an art project, I guess." He shrugs self-deprecatingly. "Just wanted to have something to remember the Institute by, some day."

[Matthew Craft]

"’Matthew’ it is, then. Of course, now I have to ask: what does your sister call you?"

Matthew runs a hand over his face and rolls his eyes with a laugh. "Matty. Toni has always insisted on calling my Matty. I don't know why," he says, shrugging, "but whatever makes her happy."

"Oh, absolutely… didn’t you get the memo? I’m your official creepy stalker. All the students get one now, it’s part of the Stalker Acclimatization Program… we take videos, make anonymous calls to your parents implying all kinds of vague things, leave threatening notes in your girlfriend’s locker. You know, the usual stuff. Like a Danger Room sim, except in the real world. You’ll probably get your stalkee assignment in the next month or so." Matthew's expression gets increasingly stressed the further Warren continues to explain his so-called Stalker Acclimatization Program.

"Right...I'm going to warn you now, most of skepticism in the family belongs to Toni, so really, I think I just believed about 75 per cent of what you just said." He shakes his head and blinks a few times. "Actually, after listening to all of that, I know you and my sister must get along fabulously." After a brief pause, he starts to laugh.

He sobers as Warren lets him watch the playback on the videocamera. The trees meld from merely branches to an array of vibrant green folliage, all over a period of a few minutes.

"Now that's cool." Matthew murmurs, watching the morphing greenery. Automatically, the tuning fork goes off in his head and he begins to hum, using the notes to follow the flowing video.

"Guess you could call it an art project, I guess. Just wanted to have something to remember the Institute by, some day." Warren almost seems a little embarrassed by his video. It's enough to shake Matthew out of his musical reverie.

"That's a really neat idea. I'd love to see what it looks like after a full year!" He leans over the winged man's shoulder to get a better view of the tiny screen. "Actually, when you're done hand, me that tape and I bet I could make a half-decent soundtrack for it." Matthew concentrates on the image, letting his mind return to the piece of music that was already forming in his mind.

[Warren Worthington III]

> " I think I just believed about 75 per cent of what you just said. "

Warren laughs good-naturedly. "Ah, I see. So which 25% was too implausible? It’s important to calibrate these things, you see. Otherwise I never know what works."

> " I know you and my sister must get along fabulously. "

"Mm? I’m not sure I’ve met her… is she a student here, too?" He blinks a couple of times as various fragments of information connect in his head, then adds "Wait. Toni… Toni Craft? She’s the chemistry teacher, right? Josh mentioned her a while back, something about a class experiment having to do with the women’s bathroom, I didn’t quite follow all the details. I haven’t really had a chance to meet her… I’ve only been around the Institute a few months myself, and I’m on the road a lot, I don’t take a lot of the regular classes. But he seemed to think she’s cool."

He watches, or more to the point listens to, Matthew’s impromptu musical accompaniment with an appreciative nod and smile.

> " when you're done hand, me that tape and I bet I could make a half-decent soundtrack for it. "

"I bet you could, at that. Sure, that’d be great… it won’t be done ‘till next April or so, of course, but I’ll take you up on that. You’re a musician, then? Six years of piano lessons and I can play a mean ‘Chopsticks’, but I’m always impressed by people who can actually play."

[Matthew Craft]

"Ah, I see. So which 25% was too implausible? It’s important to calibrate these things, you see. Otherwise I never know what works." Matthew laughs throatily at that.

"Ummmm....the girlfriend thing. If you were really my stalker, you'd know that I don't have a girlfriend."

"Mm? I’m not sure I’ve met her… is she a student here, too? Wait. Toni… Toni Craft? She’s the chemistry teacher, right? Josh mentioned her a while back, something about a class experiment having to do with the women’s bathroom, I didn’t quite follow all the details. I haven’t really had a chance to meet her… I’ve only been around the Institute a few months myself, and I’m on the road a lot, I don’t take a lot of the regular classes. But he seemed to think she’s cool."

"And I'd be out and about too if I had wings like that! You've probably seen a lot." He smiles, pointing to Warren's pair of feathery wings. "But, yeah that's Toni. She's a real chemistry whiz, but she has no idea when to stop playing with the chemicals. What ever you do, don't mention the bathroom incident to Ms. Monroe. Do you realize how much it cost the institute to replace the toilet and all that plumbing?" Matthew grimaces as he relfects on the incident. "But, uh, yeah, Josh? Haven't met him yet, but I also haven't been here for a while. I'm sure I'll run into him eventually. Good thing he likes my sis though, I know some people have a hard time understanding her. Not so much language wise, but she's just got this really eccentric personality." He waves his hands around his head in an abstract sign of insanity.

"I bet you could, at that. Sure, that’d be great… it won’t be done ‘till next April or so, of course, but I’ll take you up on that. You’re a musician, then? Six years of piano lessons and I can play a mean ‘Chopsticks’, but I’m always impressed by people who can actually play."

"Chopsticks? That's a classic!" Matthew grins. "Though, yes, I can play. It's not exactly something I like to brag about, but I was classified as a musical genius when I was twelve." He says sheepishly, bowing his head slightly. "I can play just about any instrument and any piece you throw at me, but no sheet music. That stuff is gibberish as far as I'm concerned. Like a foreign language." He scratches the back of his head before continuing. "What about you though, besides your stirring renditions of Chopsticks, I mean. You must be up to something besides flyin' around and hanging out around here."

[Warren Worthington III]

> " If you were really my stalker, you'd know that I don't have a girlfriend. "

Warren blinks, looking Matthew up and down ostentatiously. "Seriously? Seemed like a sure bet." He shakes his head incredulously. "Guess you never can tell. Would’ve thought the girls’d be all over you." The guys, too, he adds in the privacy of his own mind. "I bet you just aren’t paying attention."

> " some people have a hard time understanding her. Not so much language wise, but she's just got this really eccentric personality. "

Warren laughs, genuinely amused. "Around here? It’s hard to imagine anyone standing out as exceptional that way if they’re still, um, uneccentric enough to know how to tie their own shoes. This isn’t the sanest student body you’ve ever met, I assure you… present company excepted, of course."

Another possibility occurs to him, and he adds more seriously " Or do you mean something to do with her mutation?" With telepaths and personality-stealing teenagers and who-knows-what-else not unheard-of in the student population, it was possible Toni’s “eccentricity” was a bit more unusual than average, though Warren suspected Matthew was just indulging in a bit of sibling humor.

> " I was classified as a musical genius when I was twelve. "

"That’s pretty cool. Do you do concerts and things, or do you prefer to stay private? There’s an Irish lady on the grounds with God’s own voice, she might be looking for an accompanist…"

> " You must be up to something besides flyin' around and hanging out around here."

Warren shrugs. "Taking a break at the moment. I just flew into town last week – and no, before you ask, my wings aren’t tired, but I’m going to have to spend some of my United Frequent Flier miles before they roll over – from, well, all over the place… trying to drum up some publicity about atrocities at the Mutant Containment Camps they’ve got set up everywhere. Not much luck, though you may get to see me on Stewart’s show in a week or two, which is something." He shakes his head and changes the subject before he launches onto his ongoing hobbyhorse subject. "Had a bit of a birthday party, now I’m just recovering for a bit, enjoying fall in New York. After that, I’ll probably go back to interning with Hank – Dr. McCoy, I mean. Or ‘Beast’, if you prefer codenames. I’m not sure what he’s got set up now, but whatever it is it’s bound to be fascinating."

[Matthew Craft]

"Seriously? Seemed like a sure bet. Guess you never can tell. Would’ve thought the girls’d be all over you. I bet you just aren’t paying attention." Matthew tries to stop himself from turning a florescent shade of red, but fails miserably.

"I...uh..." He stutters, then clears his throat, trying to regain his composure. "I haven't noticed anything, no."

"Around here? It’s hard to imagine anyone standing out as exceptional that way if they’re still, um, uneccentric enough to know how to tie their own shoes. This isn’t the sanest student body you’ve ever met, I assure you… present company excepted, of course." Matthew smiled, hoping that his face wasn't still beet red.

"Right, like you're the most stable of us all." He mutters sarcastically, smirking.

Warren thinks for a moment then adds; " Or do you mean something to do with her mutation?"

"Oh, no. Unless you count the broken floor tiles and banged-up hardwood flooring. Toni just has a physical mutation, but you'd never guess it if it wasn't for the fact that she weighs half a ton. I'm sure you've heard the thumping in the morning." Matthew grins.

"That’s pretty cool. Do you do concerts and things, or do you prefer to stay private? There’s an Irish lady on the grounds with God’s own voice, she might be looking for an accompanist…"

"I have no problem playing for a crowd, but I don't do it very often. But the Irish chick," Matthew pauses to run through his roster of students. "Yeah, Theresa? The redhead? I didn't know she could sing. I might have to collaborate something with her..."

"Taking a break at the moment. I just flew into town last week – and no, before you ask, my wings aren’t tired, but I’m going to have to spend some of my United Frequent Flier miles before they roll over – from, well, all over the place… trying to drum up some publicity about atrocities at the Mutant Containment Camps they’ve got set up everywhere. Not much luck, though you may get to see me on Stewart’s show in a week or two, which is something. Had a bit of a birthday party, now I’m just recovering for a bit, enjoying fall in New York. After that, I’ll probably go back to interning with Hank – Dr. McCoy, I mean. Or ‘Beast’, if you prefer codenames. I’m not sure what he’s got set up now, but whatever it is it’s bound to be fascinating."

"Happy belated birthday!" Matthew pipes out quickly, smiling cheerfully but he calms quickly. "I've never heard of the Mutant Containment Camps, but they don't sound very friendly." At the mention of the mansions resisdent blue beast he cocks his head. "You're interning with Dr. McCoy? Are you hoping to become a mutant ambassador like him? It sounds like it would be really interesting."

[Warren Worthington III]

> " Right, like you're the most stable of us all. "

Warren laughs. "Hardly. But it would be an interesting competition, don’t you think? Like sports teams, or debate clubs. We could arrange the Sanity Olympics." He pauses, then adds in a fake TV-announcer voice: "This program has been closed-captioned for the skepticism-impaired. No actual plans for a Sanity Olympics are in the works."

> " Theresa? The redhead? I didn't know she could sing. "

"Yes, ‘the’ redhead," Warren replies with a wry grin, looking up at Matthew’s own hair. "Though now that you mention it, I’m not sure she sings… but from what I’ve heard of her voice she really should."

> " You're interning with Dr. McCoy? Are you hoping to become a mutant ambassador like him? "

"Something like that, yes. I’m not really clear on the details myself, but, well," he shrugs, looking a little embarrassed, "It just seems like the right thing to do. I’ve been doing a lot of television appearances lately… show people that even obvious mutants are, well, just people. You know? I’m not sure it does much good, but it’s something. And it gets me invited to good parties, which isn’t too bad either."

[Matthew Craft]

"Hardly. But it would be an interesting competition, don’t you think? Like sports teams, or debate clubs. We could arrange the Sanity Olympics. This program has been closed-captioned for the skepticism-impaired. No actual plans for a Sanity Olympics are in the works."

"Aw, too bad, I think I'd win." Matthew crosses his arms over his chest and stands proudly.

"Yes, ‘the’ redhead. Though now that you mention it, I’m not sure she sings… but from what I’ve heard of her voice she really should."

"I'll keep that in mind. It might make for an interesting experience, to say the least."

"Something like that, yes. I’m not really clear on the details myself, but, well, it just seems like the right thing to do. I’ve been doing a lot of television appearances lately… show people that even obvious mutants are, well, just people. You know? I’m not sure it does much good, but it’s something. And it gets me invited to good parties, which isn’t too bad either."

"Sounds like both a beneficial cause and a good time. I guess that we'll just have to see if it sticks though. The last thing I'd want to see would be a repeat of the whole 'cure' fiasco." Matthew frowns as he reminisces on the stories his sister told him of those few fateful days. He's barely able to supress a shudder at the thought of the whole situation flaring up again.

[Warren Worthington III]

> " The last thing I'd want to see would be a repeat of the whole 'cure' fiasco. "

Warren nods. "Exactly. The X-Men got the source of the stuff away from my dad and his backers, so I don’t think we’ll be seeing that particular threat resurface, but there’s always something. "

He takes the basketball, then, backs up a little while dribbling the ball, giving Matthew a chance to defend the basket if he wants. "So," he adds, going for a casual tone, "are you on the X-Man track here, or just in it for the training? Or just keeping an eye on your sister? You sure look like you’d be intimidating in one of those combat suits… you could give Pete Rasputin a run for his money. You a tank-type like he is?"

He dodges and weaves his way down the court as he chats, resisting the temptation to bank a shot off his wings. They don’t really feel like powers to him, exactly – not like telekinesis or anything – but he’s willing to play by the spirit of the court’s unofficial rules. Without them, finding a way around this redheaded giant is a challenge… on the other hand, Warren’s sense of depth perception is pretty exceptional, after all these months of flying. He takes a shot from a fair distance away and hopes.

[Matthew Craft]

Matthew watches as Warren takes possession of the ball and readies himself. The teen smirks, knowing what’s coming. He crouches slightly, arms held outward on either side as prepares to defend his net.

"So, are you on the X-Man track here, or just in it for the training? Or just keeping an eye on your sister?”

Matthew has to pause to consider the question.

“My being here is a necessity. At least, I see it as a necessity. I don’t know about being an X-Man though... I didn’t even know about them until I arrived. But if Toni ends up joining the team then I know I won’t be too far behind.” He says calmly, fully aware that his protective nature is no secret.

“You sure look like you’d be intimidating in one of those combat suits… you could give Pete Rasputin a run for his money.” Matthew laughs at the mention of the X-Men’s famous black leather suits as he stubbornly blocks the net from Warren’s advances.

“Do you realize how many cows they’d have to skin in order to make an outfit that’d fit me?” He asks grinning. “I think I’d feel kind of guilty. Pete’s must be about 3 cows worth, and I’m even bigger than he is.”

“You a tank-type like he is?"

“I suppose you could say that. But I don’t turn into metal or anything—Toni got that gene. I’ve got the strength and whatnot, sure, but my main powers—and no, they’re not music-related like half the people around here seem to think—pack a little bit more punch.” Warren takes a distance shot at the net but Matthew intervenes and catches the ball in mid-air. “Nice try.” He says, dribbling the ball back down the court. “Anyways, according to my doctor I’ve got a nuclear core. Kind of like a radioactive furnace that acts as my metabolism and energy source. Pretty nasty stuff though; I can use it to make radiation bombs. Gave sixty-five people radiation poisoning the first time I ever used it.” Matthew can hear the personal discomfort in his voice as he makes an advance on his basket.

[Warren Worthington III]

> " think I’d feel kind of guilty. Pete’s must be about 3 cows worth, and I’m even bigger than he is. "

"Mm… you might be, at that. I’d never thought about it that way, though… are you a vegetarian in general, or just have a thing for cows?"

Warren swears good-naturedly as Matthew intercepts his shot, and readies himself for defense, concentrating on keeping his wings pinned tight against his back… if he’s not careful, he tends to use them without thinking. He’s also distracted by Matthew’s description of his powers, and fails to put up any kind of effective defense.

"Wow… that’s intense. Were they OK after? Or, I mean, did they…?" He doesn’t quite want to say “die” but the thought lingers. He can’t imagine what having something like that on his conscience would be like, but begins to appreciate why Matthew considers being at the Institute a necessity.

[Matthew Craft]

"Are you a vegetarian in general, or just have a thing for cows?" Matthew actually has to stop to laugh at him.

"Do you honestly think I got this big eating veggies and tofu? And no, I don't have a thing for cows. I just don't believe in killing an animal for its skin. If I got to eat said animal though, then yeah, I'd be cool with that." He notices Warren's behaviour after he explained his powers.

"Wow… that’s intense. Were they OK after? Or, I mean, did they…?"

"Die? No, at least not yet." Matthew makes the shot at the net, but gives up on any hope of it going in as he watches the ball's awkwardly angled arc. "Eleven people exposed ended up with cancer and are receiving treatment. Last I heard, ten of those people are doing well. Number eleven is a newborn named Tracy. Her mother was pregnant with her when I went Chernobyl in the middle of the town." He turns to the older mutant. "My mom told me that Tracy probably won't make it. She was born with a lot of deformaties and the like. I feel guilty, don't get me wrong, but I've come to terms with it. I still don't know how, I mean...I'm about to have a baby's blood on my hands. But I suppose that's why I'm here, to learn how to prevent another Tracy from ever happening again."