Poolside: OPEN THREAD

[Animaux]

"Hello! I'm Cal." She beamed at Angel. He was hot and not wearing a shirt, but her childish energy at that moment completely glazed over that. She then turned to the other two and grinned. If she had had a tail at that particular moment, it would have been wagging. As it was, her butt was just twitching slightly.

"I've seen you-all around too. Particularly you, eh?" she continued, turning back to Liam, whom she was extremely close to because of her near-crash-landing. His proximity didn't seem to bother her, though. "You're pretty awesome. Bats are awesome. I like being a bat.

"Dunno if I could teach you to swim, though. I don't have much patience; I like to do it My Way." She said the last two words as if they were significant; but it would only make sense to someone who was familiar with her powers.

[Maggott]

Maggott reclined on one of the poolside chairs, his legs crossed over one another and his hands behind his head. Wearing only white and blue surf shorts that matched his currently-blue skin, Maggott was fully aware he was showing off his enhanced muscles. The girls had had a big breakfast, and Maggott's chest, arms, and stomach were particularly well defined that afternoon.

Behind his dark sunglasses, Maggott was watching the various girls in and out of the pool - he had just decided that this was the best spot on campus. He didn't know which he enjoyed more - Paige's tiny bikini or the other girl's wiggling butt.

Ha, why not just enjoy 'em both? he thought. He smiled widely, hoping the others would think he was just enjoying the sun and not the view.

[husk]

Paige relaxed back into her chair and smirked at Warren, watching the interaction between the others with amusement. She'd never really met the other girl before, but hadn't really taken the time to. Girls didn't tend to like her all that much.

"It's okay Liam! We won't laugh!" She meant it as encouragement but was keenly aware it might come off like the normal looking kids making fun of the winged freak. She hoped Warren's own set would curtail that a bit.

Paige was constantly being accused of being a prissy, ditzy, snobby cheerleader type. Oh, if they only knew.

[Crypt]

Liam jumped slightly with surprise as Cal nearly careened into his wing, and he pulled them up close against his back tightly. His brow arched and he watched everyone with wide eyes, his brow arched up in an almost-worried expression.

When he had seen Warren by the pool, Liam had really hoped that the other winged mutant would be able to help him, but it seemed that Warren wasn't there to swim, only to talk - something of which Liam planned on doing little.

Cal seemed extremely bouncy, though, a lot moreso than the last time they'd met. She was saying something about bats (a comparison that Liam had made himself on many occasions), and then she was saying something about not teaching him, which made his wings droop slightly. Apparently he was going to have to try this on his own. With everyone watching.

So, with Paige's encouragement at his back and his shoulders hunched, he moved down along the edge of the pool, his proximity to Cal making him nervous, looked around quickly and leaned forward again, dipping the tip of one foot in the water...

And completely losing his balance as a breeze picked up and filled his wing, catching him completely off guard and tipping him in to the pool.

Giving a short cry before he hit the water, he quickly found himself looking up at the distorted light shining through the liquid that surrounded him, his mouth filling with liquid as he cried out again. His wings flapped furiously, trying to lift him into the air, but the water kept them from moving swiftly and he just moved towards the surface slowly.

Of course, he had moved to the shallow end of the pool, so when he set his feet down and tried to stand up, the water was no higher than his chest. However, it didn't keep him from flailing about wildly and clawing his way up the side and out of the pool, eyes wide as he sat down hard and edged away from the pool on his backside.

[angel]

... Well, that hadn't gone particularly well.

Springing up from the deck chair with a hint of a smile, Warren wandered over to Liam and offered him a hand.

"Hey, I don't swim either - we're made for the air, not the water." Even though Liam was probably better equipped than him - Warren's feathers were more like a raptor than a water bird - it looked like the pair of them were probably going to be staying out of the pool.

Which was maybe for the best. They weren't designed to go in the water. They got to fly, which more than made up for it in Warren's mind.

At least he'd only been in the shallow end. Still, you could drown in a bucket if you panicked enough, and Liam certainly didn't seem to have stayed overly calm.

"If you're going to go back in, you should walk down the steps over there." Warren pointed to the side of the pool that had three seperate levels to let people get in slowly.

[Animaux]

Cal clapped her hands over her mouth with laughter as Liam fell into the pool. But after a moment, he was starting to flail and sink, and she realized he really didn't know how to swim.

She took a running start at the pool, and leapt as high as she could off the edge. In mid-air she performed the fastest transformation she could, and a dolphin twisted down into the water.

But Liam's realization came quickly, and already by the time she got to him, he had discovered that he could stand in the shallow end. She circled him as he made his way to the edge and clambered over the side, giving him a helpful nudge on the foot.

For all her good-naturedness, unfortunately, Cal's social skills were extremely weak. She didn't really comprehend how embarrassed he was.

She popped her head out of the water and let out a long chattering stream of laughter.

[Cannonball]

The drive from West Virginia to New York State had been decidedly...well, probably the best word to use to describe the drive was precarious. The old car had never been driven so far in one stretch and was decidedly unhappy about the status quo. After he had managed to get it up and running again with the aid of some new parts and a lot of initiative (and a lot of Duck tape and prayers), he had set off down the road and got further than he'd expected before it had packed in on him again.

About fifteen miles, in fact.

But Samuel Zachary Guthrie didn't give up, no way. With grim determination and an ever-dwindling bank account he had bought still more parts for it and had got it McGuyvered enough to go along at a maximum speed of about 40mph, which irritated any number of people on the highway.

If he had had a dollar for every time someone either pipped their horn at him or gave the sort of gesture that wasn't exactly 'good morning', Sam would...

...have fifty seven dollars.

He'd finally arrived in Westchester and had put a call into Paige. She didn't answer her phone, however and he'd left a simple voicemail to let her know that he was all of ten minutes away, and he'd see her soon.

The sound of the orange 'Sammy Wagon' coming up the driveway of Xavier's Institute for Higher Learning was something that a few of the younger kids, who were out on the front lawn playing wouldn't forget for quite some time.

He parked up outside the front of the Institute. He'd move it later. He switched off the engine and closed his eyes, counting to three.

One.

Two.

Three.

BANG! The exhaust backfired more than a little loudly.

Sam unfolded out of the little car and stretched his back. It felt kind of weird being back here after so many years...but still. The sounds of splashing water and laughter from around the side of the mansion drew his attention and a wave of nostalgia washed over him as he remembered the fun he'd used to have in the swimming pool. When Sam Guthrie dive-bombed someone in the pool, they knew about it.

Those happy memories at the forefront of his mind, he sauntered around the side of the building towards the swimming pool. He'd just go take a quick look, just for old time's sake.

As he moved six steps away from the orange car, it gave a sad sort of scraping noise and then the front tyre collapsed inward as the steering arm gave up the ghost.

[husk]

Paige had just leapt up with a squeal to help Liam, then stopped as the others did so. Certainly the guy didn't need a crowd helping him.

Putting a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing, the other hand went to her hip and she watched Liam sputter and generally look terrified. Poor guy. He was almost cute, if he'd take those Bono glasses off he'd be doing a lot better.

About to sit back down, she say a tall blonde come around the corner. It took her a second, not having expected him to show.

"SAMMY!!" She let out a shriek, her face lighting up. Jogging over to him and having to adjust the back strap of her bikini top as she did so, Paige threw her arms around her big brother and lifted her feet off the ground, giggling.

[Cannonball]

Sam hadn't been expecting to find his sister in the swimming pool, so was initially alarmed when he heard his name called. When his beloved baby sister threw herself into his arms, however, a huge grin split his face.

"Hey kiddo! Guessin' ya didn't get my call, huh?" He put his thumb and little finger to his mouth like a telephone. "Got here earlier than I reckoned on - there was a moment of uncertainty when I got outta West Virginia when I reckoned I weren't gonna make it at all, but here I am - larger than life an' twice as damn ugly."

He hugged her again, harder and longer than he normally did. Then he took a step backwards to look at her.

"Damn, Chubs, ya done gone got even prettier than ya ever were." His eyes narrowed just a little but retained their sparkle. "Don't they pay ya enough to buy a full swimsuit?"

[husk]

Elbowing him, she spoke through her teeth, though those teeth were smiling. "You call me that here and I'll kick your hind end til it's your top, Sammy."

Linking her arm in his, she bounced a little, showing she was still nineteen, if a very mature nineteen. Her accent came back full force, sounding like a cross between Scarlett O'Hara and Daisy Duke. "I was just hangin out for a smidge before a friend'a mine..." Hell. Was she really going to throw my gorgeous blonde half naked friend over there is going to take mostly naked pictures of me for my boyfriend who was recently arrested for murder at him when he just got here?

Better to wait, she decided.

"We were gonna go out tonight. You should come! Didja have plans while you were here?"

They approached the pool and she smiled like a beauty queen at Cal, Liam, and Warren.

"Hey guys, lookie what I found. This here's my big brother Sammy Z Guthrie. Sam, this is Liam, and Warren, and... I'm sorry sugar I don't think I caught your name." She smiled at Cal in the pool all dolphin-like, laughing a bit.

[Crypt]

After his first foray into the water, Liam's survival instincts came back full force. Something had just caused him severe discomfort, and as he coughed up water, his throat raw, something inside his head snapped.

He was, at best, skittish. Most people, however, would have called it frantic. And when frantic, Liam wasn't at his best.

So all he heard when Warren reached down, talking to him and holding his hand out, was a bunch of noise. He definitely didn't have the calm required to translate the sounds, and when the huge fish-looking thing popped out of the pool, chattering at him, it was nearly too much.

And then there was someone new. That was too much.

Eyes wide, teeth bared and wings pulled tightly against his back, Liam rolled over and bolted for the treeline, all four limbs churning in a panic.

Away! Get away!

[Animaux]

[OOC: Aww. Poor Liam *giggles*]

Cal watched in vague confusion as Liam bolted. How can you hate water so much?

She didn't give him a second thought, though, in the joy of the swimming pool. It had been a long time since she'd gotten to swim.

She gave the newcomer a dolphin-grin and chattered some more. It may have been the word "CalCalCalCalCalCalCal," or it may have been "ackgackgackgackgackgackgack," but it didn't really matter. She was too distracted to care.

She threw herself into the air, spraying water everywhere, and dove into the deep end. Her tail flashed and she swam gleeful laps.

[Maggott]

Maggott pushed himself up on his hands, reacting as the bat boy fell into the water and thrashed about. He was ready to jump in, but the others who were much closer got to him first - and being in the shallow end, it seemed like he wasn't really in trouble anyway.

Shallow end of the pool in't too scary. Beats getting axed by a barrel and dumped out off the PE.

When the girl who's name he didn't know suddenly launched into the air and transformed into a dolphin, Maggott took notice again. He slid down his sunglasses to get a better look.

"Kwaai...," he said aloud.

[angel]

Well, things hadn't improved, and now Liam was off like a shot.

"He'll be back."

Warren wasn't sure who he was trying to reassure with the words. Not everyone in Xavier's School had enjoyed a 'normal' childhood, and even those that had weren't guaranteed to be perfectly adjusted. While the mutant known as Angel didn't know a whole lot about Liam's history, he knew enough to understand that the guy was probably quite freaked out. Not that you needed to know about his history to see that.

So, instead of going after him and making things worse, he turned to Paige and her brother. When Cal splashed water all over the place, he winced - as he'd said, Warren wasn't built for water, and being dressed in just jeans wasn't exactly dressed for the pool either. It hadn't been his plan, after all, to end up there. Thankfully he didn't get more than a few droplets.

"Cal." He nodded to dolphin-girl, wondering if the chlorine in the pool mattered to her or not. Well, she'd change back if she had to.

"Warren Worthington." His wings folded behind him, he extended one hand to shake and offered Paige's brother a smile. Somehow, calling a grown man who wasn't related to you Sammy seemed a bit... odd. This way, the newcomer - well, returning student actually, though he hardly looked like he'd be taking classes - could introduce himself the way he preferred to be addressed.

[Cannonball]

"Good to meet ya, Warren," said Sam, warmly, shaking the winged man's hand vigorously up and down. "Sam Guthrie. Although to my li'l sister here, I'm mostly just 'hey you'." He grinned to show he was just joking. He rubbed at his nose and thrust his hands into his jeans pockets.

"I hate to be the one to mention this, but did y'all realise that there appears to be a dolphin in the pool? Now I saw some mighty strange stuff when I lived here, but that beats all."

Unlike Paige, Sam did nothing to hide his Kentucky tones and his accent was strong as ever it had been.

[Maggott]

Maggott had swam with dolphins only once before, and it had been an amazing experience. When he was doing...work in South Africa, the little free time he had was spent smoking dagga (and sometimes buttons) and surfing on their six-sixes.

Once, he got knocked off his board (and almost out of his baggies) and had found himself suddenly surrounded by a school of dolphins. That moment had stuck with him over his years there, as a point of finding beauty between the things he was forced to do, and even since then.

So seeing a dolphin splashing about in the pool, Maggott had no other thought than tossing his shades to the chair and launching himself into a dive.

He splashed into the deep end and touched the bottom with his feet, then pushed up and surfaced. Smiling, he waved to the folks chooning poolside.

"Yooit!" he called out to them and waved. "Pool's are for swimming, so why aren't ya doening it?" He tread water with his arms and spashed some of it into the air.

"It's laaaaank cool."

[Animaux]

Dolphin-Cal took no notice of the humans anymore. The pool wasn't olympic-sized, but it was still big enough for her to have a little fun; and the chlorine wouldn't bother her unless she was in for a long time. For a few minutes, she was a silver flash under the surface of the water.

Suddenly there was a splash, and somebody joined her underwater. What fun! She didn't know the guy, and he was a bit strange-looking - kinda blueish, really.

But who cared?! It was somebody to play with!

When the newcomer surfaced for a moment to talk to the people poolside, she swam up to him and nudged the small of his back with her long nose.

Play! Play!

[Maggott]

Just as Maggott finished talking to the other students, he felt a firm push in his back. He half-turned and found the girl/dolphin looking up at him with her big happy eyes.

He laughed and sank below the surface quickly, then resurfaced face to face with her. He smiled again, but kept his lips tightly closed. Just as he was about to spray her in the face with a moutful of pool water, she bent her head and blasted water and air out her blowhole right into his eyes.

"Aaaaah!" He yelled, the water spilling out of his mouth. He flailed about, then sank beneath the water.

He might have been fooled by her, but he wasn't a bad swimmer. Diving deeper, he slipped down to the bottom of the pool, then reached upwards. Grabbing her tailfins, he yanked on them, giving a bubbly laugh as he did.

[husk]

"Yeah... seems to be." She smirked, and reminded herself not to swim in the pool again. Did dolphins know not to relieve themselves in the water?

Looking back at Warren and Sam, she smiled. "Well Warren and I had something to take care of, I'm gonna have to take off for an hour or so, didja want to do lunch Sammy?" She kissed him on the cheek as Warren handed her her bag and they edged towards the house.

"I'm sorry Sam, you -really- caught me in the middle of it, but I'll be back, okay honey? I love you!" She waived exhuberantly as Warren laughed and waited for her.

Soon enough they'd disappeared into the house, off on whatever errand they had planned.

[Animaux]

All right! He's in! Cal turned around in the water as the blue man laughed and sank under the surface. Hmm, now what's up? Aha!

She squeaked with glee as she foiled the blue man's attempt to spit water at her. She gave him a good-natured flap with a flipper as he sank beneath her.

And suddenly there was a yank on her flukes! She twisted a little but couldn't shake him, so instead she took off for the other end of the pool. If he hung on, it would be quite a ride - she tried not to flap her tail too hard so he wouldn't be jostled about.