(Untitled)

[carrytheshield]

WHO: James Rogers, Hank McCoy, and OPEN to Avengers Mansion residents
WHERE: Avengers Mansion
WHEN: Tuesday
WARNINGS: None
SUMMARY: Hank invited James to stay at the mansion for a few days, James is lonely since Gerry left and agreed.
FORMAT: Para to start, then whatever

Comments

[bluepurrymuffin]

Hank thought it might be rude to invite James to the mansion and be absent the whole time, so he decided it was time to pay a visit. Classes were out for the day, after all, so he had a bit of free time.

He spotted James out in the yard with the dog, and gave them a wave as he was still a little ways off. Even in New York, it was never hard to spot him from a distance.

[carrytheshield]

Barkdevil saw Hank before James did, and began to live up to his name, barking at the stranger. James sat up, looked over, and waved.

"It's okay, Barkdevil. He's okay," James told the dog. He grabbed the shield and stood up, slipping it onto his back.

[bluepurrymuffin]

Hank noticed the dog with some wariness. They had a tendency to not get along with him too well. Who could imagine that occurring, him being a seven-foot-tall cat and all.

Nonetheless, he strode over the James and offered him an outstretched hand. "How are things at the mansion treating you?"

[carrytheshield]

The dog whined a bit but accepted what James said. James shook Hank's hand and smiled up at him.

"It's quieter than I expected," James admitted, "Much quieter than if my team was living here." He missed them. And Gerry leaving made him miss them even more. "Being the only teenager is strange."

[bluepurrymuffin]

He gave the dog a weak smile, hoping some sort of mutual respect might eventually develop. "Yes, I believe the only other we have on roster is Ms. Bishop, and she stays elsewhere."

[carrytheshield]

"Yeah. I haven't seen her, or spoken to her, since one of her teammates left," James said. He still thought it was weird that she was calling herself Hawkeye. It was just weird.

"I know there are other heroes closer to my age." Most of them were probably on their own or with a different group, though.

"How about you? How's work?"

[bluepurrymuffin]

"Somewhat busy the last week or so." He took off his glasses and wiped his eyes. "We've had a few of our own Ported out lately, so I've had to take up an extra class or two as we try to secure substitutes for the rest of the semester."

"Unfortunately, Powers Training isn't one you can expect a flatscan to be qualified to teach." Luckily for him though, it was the first class Hank had ever lead.

[carrytheshield]

"That really sucks," James said. Then he paused. He was pretty sure he knew what the word meant in this context, but, "What's a flatscan?"

Teachers coming and going seemed like another hassle school brought. Not going was much simpler.

[bluepurrymuffin]

He was always asked that. Maybe he should find a new term. "Baseline human. A native, in City terms."

[carrytheshield]

"Someone without any powers," James said. That made sense, even if the word 'flatscan' itself didn't.

"I still haven't found my power, if I have one." It didn't really bother him, but he was told everyone here had a power.

[bluepurrymuffin]

"Oh?" He scratched his chin, considering this for a moment. "I thought you'd mentioned something over the Network about teleporting?"

[carrytheshield]

"I can't teleport... I could make Gerry teleport to me, but he's gone now," James said, "I tried with other people, but it didn't work"

[bluepurrymuffin]

"Some sort of rapport, perhaps? It sounds as though it at least has the potential to be a power, if it could be honed." Maybe through something like, I don't know, a Powers Training class...

[carrytheshield]

"I've been just fine without a power, and Captain America didn't have one either," James was sure he didn't have a power, but he was equally certain he didn't need one either.

"How would I even go about honing it if I don't know if it's a power?"

[bluepurrymuffin]

"If we began with the assumption that it is one, we can work from there. But you are right, Steve--" Wait.

There had always been something familiar about the cut of his jaw, but somehow the presence of the shield had always slipped past him. "Did you know Captain America, James?"

[carrytheshield]

That wasn't a question James enjoyed answering, because Steve might still be alive in Hank's world.

"I was really young when he was killed. Too young to remember him," He answered.