TWAT club meeting mingle

[laserguy]

Who: Scott Summers and members of TWAT (Teenagers With Abilities and Talents) Club. Or any teenager that just stops by really.
Where: Roof of the club building
What: Teenagers with abilities or maybe no real abilities hanging out on the rooftop and eating food. Talking. Doing club stuff.
Warnings: Probably none.


[Maybe you're already part of TWAT club and read the message that Scott sent out to everyone, basically stating that they're having a meeting this Saturday to just hang out and meet new members. Or you saw one of the flyers around town that mentioned about having a meeting. Either way, the meeting is held at the rooftop of the club building, so just come. No food or anything required. He's a good leader like that, yeah. Definitely.]

before the meeting;
[Why did you come early, god.

Well, anyone that is one of those people that like to come early to events, Scott's putting you to work. Maybe it's just helping getting the food out on the tables, or bringing up chairs or tables up to the rooftop. Either way, work needs to be done and setup is still in progress, so pair up with other TWAT members or whatever to get things ready. Thanks, Scott appreciates it. Probably.

Also, if you have your own food or brought a game of some sort, that's cool. He definitely isn't going to say no. Go set that up.]

just hanging out;
[Once the meeting starts and Scott gives some basic speech and welcoming new people to TWAT Club (in which he wasn't nervous at all shut up), people are more than welcome to just eat the pretty decent spread laid out in the tables. Stuff like chips, pizza, rice balls, ramen, probably some mixture of American and Japanese food because he's him and his girlfriend is Kotone, so yeah. There's also a little sign or note in front of the tables that states 'provided by cooking club, so join us. ✨'

Since this is a place filled with teenagers and abilities... Scott probably has encouraged people to show off their powers a little. JUST DON'T BLOW SOMETHING UP it's okay, he's talking about himself too. Of course, he's not forcing anyone to show off their powers and everything, but he sort of hopes people are feeling more comfortable to do so. That is the purpose of his club and everything.

There's also a random cornhole game set up. Don't ask.]

after club;
[Feel like being a nice person and help clean up? Nice. Scott isn't forcing anyone to stay after to do so, but he appreciates the help. It's mostly just taking tables down and clearing out the trash. Anyone that stays can probably take home some of the leftovers. So, that's a nice bonus.

Maybe you just want to sit on the ground and enjoy the evening a little. He's not judging.]

[ooc: TWAT mingle log! Please feel free to post your own top levels and tag each other. :> If your character would bring food or set something up, go right ahead. The more the better, right? Also your character doesn't need to be part of TWAT to join, Scott will just sort of let any teenager in. 'Teenager' being anyone that doesn't look too much like an oldie--]

Comments

[izanagis]

[For being a goofy American teenager with eye lasers, Scott is terribly observant, isn't he? It can take a person by surprise, if they're not prepared...but he's right. Yu puts up a front of being very well put-together, and he does it on purpose to keep people from worrying. He doesn't want to rock the boat, so to speak.

That said, he's a little surprised when the other boy jabs him in the chest.]

Some amount of that is just part of the job. But...I get the feeling you're not talking about routine monster-fighting, here.

[Sacrifice implies something very specific, there -- something more along the lines of his teammates than himself.]

[laserguy]

[Job? What, being a Wildcard?? Scott feels that frustration build and there's a spark of red that flashes behind his shades, clearly angry about that response. He is really tired hearing this.]

Just because you're a Wildcard doesn't mean you're the only one that should risk their life. [Maybe he's assuming too much of what Yu meant by that, just recalling his conversation with Kotone and just how upset all of that made him. She values her life less than every else's, she thinks she has this responsibility to do that more than everyone else, it's all bullshit.

He pokes Yu in the chest again, as if further emphasizing his words.]

Whatever danger is out there, you don't get to think that your life is worth less, got it?

[izanagis]

[It takes Yu a few seconds to put it together. Does this have something to do with Kotone, or the others? Not that he knows, of course, but the fact that Scott is putting such emphasis on the Wildcard aspect... He shakes his head.]

No, it's not like that.

[Something flinches across his expression for a second, just one, brief and subtle. The shadowy hands of the Thousand Curses reaching for him, being bodily shoved out of the way, watching as it dragged his friends down instead, one by one--]

... I'm usually the one saying that kind of stuff. That...we're a team. No one's life is worth less than anyone else's.

[laserguy]

[Scott stares at Yu for a few seconds longer, as if really making sure that the other teen isn't bullshitting him. Yu seems sincere, that he isn't just saying that to please him or whatever nonsense, so after a few seconds, he finally nods and lowers his finger.]

Yeah, good. [At least Yu gets it. He's glad. Maybe one less stupid asshole for him to worry about.] As a team, we all work together to make sure that no one has to sacrifice their life. That shouldn't... that shouldn't be anyone's first thought.

[His teeth clenches, some heavy emotion weighing on Scott's shoulders. He wants to shrug it off, act like he's fine in front of his friend, but... all that hurt so much with Kotone. She said she's going to try her best for now on, but all that was painful. He's not going to forget any of that anytime soon.]

[izanagis]

[He nods. Their reasons may be a bit different, but it seems like this is something they both feel strongly about.]

... I was mad at Yosuke for a long time after what happened at the Ruins. That's why. [He tries for a little bit of a smile, but it's shaky.] At home, all of my friends...they seemed to decide on their own that I was the one who had to succeed. No matter what. It...

[It's hard to talk about, but maybe less so at present -- there's so many heavy thoughts in his mind already that it doesn't feel any worse, really.]

It doesn't feel right, when someone measures their own life as less important than yours. Especially when they're wrong.

[He's the one who needed them -- not the other way around.]

[laserguy]

[Scott barely holds back his flinch when Yosuke's mentioned. It's been months, but fuck, no matter how much time's passed, it still feels raw in a way. And if he feels this way, he knows it's ten times worse for Yu. It sucks.]

...It's sometimes hard convincing people of that. [He may not have gotten that feeling back home, but here? Yeah. Kotone, Minato, a few others... just always ready to jump in and be reckless because they 'want to protect their friends.' Yeah? So does Yu and him and everyone else. It's not right.]

It's like... why can't they understand all the people that want them to live? [He didn't mean to get emotional right now, at his club no less, but his voice cracks at the end.]

[izanagis]

It is. [Hard. Yosuke never seemed to get the message, not really. He understood that Yu was mad, but...Yu was never totally convinced he wouldn't do it again. Even Mikey...he left in some ill-conceived attempt to keep everyone else safe.

The tone of Scott's voice, the words he chooses... Yu pauses for a second, at that. This is clearly something very personal for him, something that means a lot. His first guess is that it involves Kotone in some way...and he can believe it. Leading and self-sacrifice are often intertwined -- even if you're not aiming for it, fighting like this still means sacrificing your time, your safety. Your childhood, so to speak.

But he doesn't ask. Not yet.]

It can be hard to understand that there's another way. But... [He lightly bumps Scott's shoulder.] We just have to show them. Prove to them that if we work together, no one has to get left behind.

[That's-- an oversimplification of what he means, in a way. But it's the general idea.]

[laserguy]

[Between Mikey and Yosuke, Yu really understands, doesn't he? Maybe even more than Scott. Tears almost spring up in his eyes, finding someone that really gets it, but he manages to fight them down. Be stronger, Summers.]

...Show them that there's always a second option.

[Even if it may seem impossible, even if it is. Scott knows that somewhere, he's probably being childish, but what's wrong with trying and wanting with all your might for your friends-- for everyone to make it through? He just has to get better, be better, a leader that works himself to the extreme so that no one dies. Even if it sucks and is stressful, it's better than anyone dying.

He wonders if that's how the Scott in Quentin's timeline feels.

Shoving that thought aside for now, Scott nods to Yu's words, feeling a little better that he at least agrees with all his sentiment. He still feels raw in a lot of ways, emotional even, his voice not really hiding any of that as he speaks up once again. Why does he feel so open even with this stupid glasses hiding half his face?]

Prove that we want them to be here with us more than they want us to continue on without them.

[izanagis]

[It's never the only way. That's the part that's so infuriating, really, in the end -- pushing someone forward at the cost of yourself...it's not right, and it doesn't work. Yu had fallen victim to Izanami's attack, too, in the end, and it wasn't his friends' sacrifice that had allowed him to pick up and go on -- it was the strength of their love for one another.

If it wasn't for all of them...

He pivots from that grim thought, nodding in Scott's direction.]

We have to be there for them, too. The way they want to be for us. If you're a team, you have to protect each other, right?

[Trust is what it comes down to. Trusting your team to have your back -- and them trusting you to have theirs.]

[laserguy]

[Seeing the more firm determination in Yu's eyes helps to strengthen his own resolve, that emotional fragility slowly disappearing to be replaced with a familiar confidence. He's not sure what kind of challenges Yu faced back home or the sort of demons or Shadows his group had to fight, but he knows that it wasn't easy for him. He's just glad that he doesn't seem to have the same mindset as Kotone or Minato, as much as he loves the former and bullies the latter.

If he ends up being a leader someday, in charge of the X-Men as Quentin mentioned, he wants to adopt more of Yu's leadership style.]

That's what it means to be a team. Trusting and protecting each other. [He repeats, mouth thinning as he squares up.] Even if we have to keep showing it to them.

[izanagis]

[This is an opinion that he and Scott share, and there is something so deeply refreshing about that realization, especially in light of the sacrifice Yosuke made over the winter -- in light of Mikey's decision and the reasoning behind it. Yu is not someone who believes in sacrifice for the greater good, and he never has been; rather, he'd prefer to find another way. He operates under the belief that there is always another way.

Maybe that's not true. Maybe it's foolish and naive to think that way. But he represented the idea of hope in Izanami's game, after all. Of course he believes in that hope.]

They're all pretty persistent, so it'll take some work. [The smile in his expression indicates that this is work he won't shy away from. He puts out a hand for Scott to shake -- a manner of agreement, in a way.] But...I really do believe we can protect each other. All of us.

[laserguy]

We just have to out persist them. Luckily, we're both stubborn assholes.

[Scott almost seems like his regular self once more, the normal determination he has when making others do what he wants being guided to something that is really important to him. He still doesn't know if he'll actually be a leader back home or if he'll follow the same steps as his counterpart, but he's determined to do something here.

After all, there are plenty of people that matter to him in this world.

So, he takes Yu's hand, gripping it firmly with a small nod.] We can. We will.

[izanagis]

[Yu exhales. It's not really a chuckle, not even close, but it's an acknowledgement of what Scott is saying -- an affirmation that he's not wrong.]

We will.

[He gives the other teen's hand a soft squeeze before letting go.]