[SCENE]: Matt, Wellington and Gant Play a Friendly Game of BBall!
Matt: *The exercise yard is filled with other inmates by the time Matt arrives at the door leading outside, Wellington by his side. He looks from left to right, taking in the yard, looking for one inmate in particular. Not seeing him, Matt beckons Wellington forward with a small hand motion and walks into the yard.* Here is the exercise yard, dude. We get to come out here for an hour everyday. It...
Matt: ...really isn't anything special, but we usually find something to entertain us.
Wellington: *Follows Matt outside, blinking and looking with awe at the bright outdoor sky and the expansive yard.* It's... it's outside!
Matt: *Glances over his shoulder at Wellington, one eyebrow raised.* ...Yes, it is.
Wellington: I was starting to think everything was indoors. *smiles at him* So what are we going to do out here?
Gant: *Gant is doing his daily jog around the perimeter of the exercise yard when he catches sight of Matt and Wellington attached at the hip toward the center, with Matt leading a very bewildered Wellington around. Recalling Wellington's entry from earlier in the day, Gant smiles a 'This-will-be-fun' sort of smirk and approaches the pair from behind* MATTHEW, my boy - Aren't you gonna show Richie here a good game?
Matt: *Forces a smile, looking to Gant. He didn't really want Wellington's first test to be with Gant.* Hey Damon dude! And, uh, a game?
Wellington: Hey! Uh... *glances at Matt* ...Damon!
Gant: Of course, son! *Pretends not to notice Matt's displeasure* Everyone likes games, eh? … Richie, what do you play, my boy?
Matt: Welly here isn't much of a 'game' player, dude. Didn't you know that?
Gant: HO HO HO! *claps* Basketball it is, then!
Gant: Everyone can throw a ball into a basket!
Matt:...*Looks to Wellington out of the corner of his eye, his voice lowering.* You'd be surprised...
Gant:... *Stare*
Gant: *long silence*
Gant: *Jolly, cheerful* Nonsense! We all like a good sport, Matthew!
Gant: Now get the ball.
Wellington: *just smiles at Gant, infected by his good mood* Sure, I'll try that.
Gant: See? Richie's a good man!
Gant: *Hearty pat to Wellington's shoulder*
Matt:... *Walks off to find a spare basketball, not letting either of the men out of his sight for the few seconds he is gone.*
Gant: *He watches Matt go, an amused little spark in his eye. Turns to Wellington* Richie, how's Matthew treating you, son?
Wellington: *is looking around the yard at the activities of other inmates, then his attention trails to a beetle climbing up the nearby fence* ...Matt? Oh, he's really great! I'm really glad he's been helping me out.
Gant: HO! Helping you out, eh? *A little too cheerful about that* What's he been telling you?
Wellington: He's been telling me all about the prison! He's making figuring out how things work around here a lot easier. *smiles in Matt's direction*
Gant: Richie, son -
Matt: *Comes back with an orange basketball under his arm, smiling.* Got one.
Gant: *Grins* Remember where you are, eh--MATTHEW!
Gant: Did ya get a firm one, my boy??
Matt: Yep, but you can feel for yourself. *Takes the ball and throws it at Gant's chest roughly, smirking to himself.* CATCH!
Gant: *Catches it just fine, most likely to the irritation of all* That was quite a toss, Matthew! You the kind that plays hard?
Gant: *Tosses it from hand to hand*
Matt: I can be, but I suppose we should just keep this game friendly, right?
Wellington: *tilts head* Friendly sounds good to me. Ah... how do you play it again?
Gant: Teams, my boy! Three's not exactly an even number, but we'll make it fair.
Gant: Richie can choose his team. *dribbles the ball*
Wellington: Oh, I... I guess I'll be with Matt. Right? *looks at Matt*
Matt: *Smiles at Wellington.* Sounds good to me. I'd love to team up with you, even if I don't need the extra help.
Wellington: Okay! ...What do we do now?
Gant: *Shoots the ball into the nearby basket*
Gant: That's all there is to it, my boy! HO HO HO!
Matt: *Looks totally unimpressed as he crosses his arms.* Yep, really easy.
Wellington: *watches in awe*
Gant: The team with the most points wins, eh?
Gant: *Scoops up the ball as it bounces back to him*
Gant: *Dribbles.*
Gant: Now, I prefer water sports, myself, but they just ain't got any pools in this place!
Matt: Fine with me, Damon dude. *Uncrosses his arms and takes a few steps closer to Gant, looking over to Wellington.* Best way to learn is just jump right in, dude.
Wellington: No pools? That's lame. *watches him bounce the ball, trying to memorize the way he does it, also hanging back to let Matt take the first move*
Matt: *Quickly steps even closer to Gant before lunging forward in an attempt to bat the ball towards Wellington.*
Gant: *Jerks back, makes a mad dash/dribble to go around the duo and toward the basket*
Wellington: *stands crouched with his arms outstretched, unsure of what to do with himself as he measures Matt and Gant's movements*
Matt: *Frowns and rushes at Gant again, hoping to get to him before he makes a basket.*
Gant: *Rather than keep running, attempts to toss the ball toward the basket over Matt's head*
Matt: *Looks up and watches the ball sail over his head and into the basket. He forces himself to chuckle instead of letting out a grumble.* Nice shot, dude!
Wellington: *bites lip in concentration* Okay, I think I get it now.
Gant: Then start playing, son!
Matt: *Grabs the ball and tosses it towards Wellington lightly.*
Wellington: *winces slightly as he catches the ball and holds it for a moment, then tries dribbling it a few times* ...Hey, this isn't too hard. *glances guardedly at Gant*
Gant: All it takes is a little coordination, eh?
Gant: *easily snatches the ball away and tosses it back at the basket*
Matt: *Watches Gant make another basket and his smile fades.* Aren't we trying to go easy on the first time player, dude?
Gant:... *stare*
Gant: *lets the ball bounce back to him. Catches it.*
Gant:...
Gant: *SMILE*
Gant: Here, good fellow!
Wellington: *blinks*
Gant: *Throws the ball at Matt's head* Catch.
Matt: *Sees the ball coming at his head quickly and attempts to move out of the way but is hit straight on the forehead.* SHIT! ...*The ball falls to his feet, rolling towards Wellington.* That-...*Shaking his head once, he forces a small smile.* Oops, my bad, dudes. I totally got distracted.
Gant: Whoa, son, you okay there? *Still grinning*
Wellington: *winces* M-Matt? *hesitantly picks up the ball*
Matt: *Looks to Gant* Yeah, just fine. *Shrugs.* No worries. It's just a basketball. I can take more than that. I was an action star after all.
Gant: Then play!
Gant: I'll go easy. Show me how you play, Matthew, my boy!
Wellington: You're okay then? *smiles* That's a relief. *dribbles it a little more confidently now, squints at the basket, and tries throwing the ball above Gant and towards the basket... and it bounces off the edge of the backboard and out to the side*
Gant: Ouch! *Poorly-feigned sympathy* That was close, Richie, real close! *claps*
Matt: *Runs to grab the ball before taking aim and throwing it at the hoop...but missing by about two feet. The hair in his face has killed his depth perception.*
Gant: .... Now that wasn't close at all, Matthew!
Gant: HO HO HO HO HO!!!
Wellington: Oh! Let me try again!
Matt: *Turns and glares at Gant, obviously not expecting himself to fail that badly.*
Gant: *Fetches the ball, tosses it back to Richie. Jolly grin to Matt*
Wellington: *catches, bounces it a couple times* ..... *squints at the blurry shape of the hoop, but he just can't see well enough from that distance to aim any better than last time, so he tries dribbling closer, attempting to go around Gant*
Gant: *Stands by and lets him go, strangely enough. Grins, folds arms*
Matt: *Stands aside, also watching.*
Wellington: *concentrates with his eyes on the hoop as he comes closer and lifts the ball with his palm, tossing it up... and it bounces lightly off the backboard and swishes through the net* ...Hey, Matt! Look! I got it in! That's good, right?
Gant: *applauds, chuckling amusedly*
Matt:... *Forces a grin.* Man, that is pretty good, Welly! Nice job! You are totally getting the hang of it now!
Gant: *scoops up the ball* HO! I suppose it's my turn, eh?
Matt: *Moves in towards Gant again.*
Gant: *Shoots a basket before Matt has a chance to really do anything*
Wellington: *brushes his loose hair out of his face* Wow, you're good at this.
Matt: *Holds back a sigh and grabs the ball again. He turns towards the basket and pauses, aiming very carefully.* I'm pretty good at basketball too, but I'm much better at other sports. *He shoots and this time the ball hits the top of the backboard and bounces away.* ...
Gant: *Doesn’t bother to stifle his mirth. Good at basketball, indeed!* Overshot that one, boy! *Jogs after the ball, scoops it up* So what other sports do you do, Matthew?
Matt: *Straightens up. He likes being asked questions about himself, but he still feels sore about missing the shot twice in a row.* I've played football, hockey, soccer, and tennis. And used to be really into karate and fencing.
Wellington: That sounds like a lot. Do we get to do any of those in the yard, too? *tugs open a few of the buttons on his shirt and wipes his forehead* It's not always this out out here, is it?
Gant: You're in California, my boy!
Gant: It's always toasty.
Gant: …Hey, Matthew, wanna try one last shot?
Gant: *Smug grin, tosses ball from hand to hand enticingly*
Matt: There really isn't enough room to play soccer here and no to everything else, unfortunately. *He glances over, wondering just what Wellington is doing before recalling that he doesn't remember anything. He nods.* Totally. I can make it this time.
Gant: Three's a charm.
Matt: *Holds up his hands for the ball.*
Gant: *Winds up and chucks the ball at Matthew's face once more.*
Matt: *His eyes widen quickly but he can't act quick enough to catch the ball and it hits him square in the face. He falls backwards, the back of his head on the pavement.*
Wellington:?!! Matt! Are you okay? *quickly moves to his side*
Gant: … *Murmurs under his breath* Bullseye…
Matt: *Immediately passed out when his head hit the ground*
Gant: *Steps over to matt, looms over him.*
Gant: *Pokes him with the tip of his boot*
Wellington: Is he... *frowns, mumbles* Okay, what did he do when.... *looks up at Damon* I think we need some water for his face.
Gant:... Hm.
Wellington: *looms over Matt, lightly touching the edges of the big red mark on his face with his fingertips*
Gant: *Completely unconcerned* He'll wake up fine on his own, son.
Gant:.... *after a piercing silence* What makes ya think he's so trustworthy, Richie?
Wellington: *still looking down at Matt* What do you mean? He's my friend.
Gant: *Uproarious, cold laughter*
Gant: You're in prison my boy!
Gant: You don't got any friends.
Wellington: *flinches at the powerful laugh* I know I'm in prison. But what do you mean I don't have any friends?
Gant: Prison ain't a friendly place, Richie, eh?
Gant: Never know who might double-cross you. Ho! Could be me! Or it could be Matthew, here.
Gant: *Taps a finger to his temple* Use your noggin a bit, son. That's all I'm saying.
Wellington: He's pretty friendly. ....Are you sure he's going to be okay? What if he forgets things? *lightly touches Matt's forehead, smoothing away some of the hair, but not far enough to reveal the scars yet*
Gant:... Indeed, my boy!
Gant: What if he forgets?
Gant: *Grinning*
Gant: Find any nasty lumps on your head lately, Richie?
Wellington: *shrugs* Yeah, I hit my head on something in his cell. He's been helping me, though. He's a good friend.
Gant: Helping you? *Laugh!* Ever considered that you're just doing what he wants? This ain't you, Richie.
Gant: Ain't you at all.
Wellington: I like doing what he wants, though. So I don't know what you-
Matt: *Groans slightly before he opens his uncovered eye and looks right up into the blue sky.* What the hell happened? *He looks to Wellington and then Gant, it slowly returning to him.*
Wellington: Hey! Are you okay? Do you need me to pour water on your face? *scoots back to give Matt some room, his expression concerned*
Gant: *Grins* Rise and shine, Matthew, my boy! HO HO HO!
Gant: You took quite a fall!
Matt: *Sits up and winces, pressing a hand to his head.* Naw, I'm cool, Welly. *He glares in Gant's direction.* Most basketball players aim for the chest when they pass the ball, Damon dude.
Gant: Sorry, son! Guess I aimed a bit too high, eh?
Matt: *Shakes his head and stands up.* Good thing I am young and can take hits like that.
Wellington: *also stands up, frowning in concern* Matt... are you remembering everything okay?
Gant: ... *Stares*
Gant: ...
Gant: *Bursts into jolly laughter* HO HO HO HO HO HO! That's a good one, Matthew! *drops back to a more level tone* Maybe you should spend the rest of the day inside, eh?
Matt: *Nods.* I think I'm finished here today. I'm going to go see Mimi then. Come on, Welly. Walk back inside with me. *Smiles at Gant.* Thanks for the good game. Let's play again another day, dude.
Gant: *Salutes* Have a good day, my boy! No more head injuries, either of you!
Gant: *Resumes his jogging*
Wellington: *follows Matt closely* You sure you're okay?
Matt: *Nods again.* Yeah, I remember things just fine. Don't worry, okay? I'm a lot more tough than that.
Wellington: Okay. I won't worry. I know you're tough. *brushes some of his loose hair out of his face again*
Matt: *Grins a bit wider at the compliment as he moves to open the door into the building.* I totally am.