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ax_main2017-11-18 01:55 pm
ax_touchstone) wrote in ax_main2017-11-18 01:55 pm
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Scott and Simon | Backdated to November 18
Simon and Scott meet in the library and discuss swordplay and guns. They eventually come to the decision to ask the Professor if guns could be made available for gun safety instruction.
Simon had read many treatises on medieval warfare, tactics, and even street-fighting in his life. It had always been something of a guilty pleasure. Sure, he had a general interest in history, but maybe it was the whole gallant notion of knighthood that had originally gotten him interested in sword fighting. Then again, once he'd really started to research the subject, he'd discovered that there wasn't much gallantry when it came to trying to kill someone with a bladed weapon. It was vicious, dirty, and less about specific fancy techniques and feints than it was about how to stay alive.
Still, once interested in the subject, he'd taken to it with an odd passion to learn more, and had been collecting various sources all of his life. It was only when faced with the reporters at his press conference that he started to think of the knowledge in terms of having an actual use in safeguarding his general survival. Perhaps he might never have to worry about swords in his lifetime, but he certainly was staring down the possibility of mobs and protests armed with picket signs or baseball bats. Both short-reach weapons that he might have to defend against if things went poorly.
Therefore, he'd turned to Xavier's library with an odd notion that the Professor might have found a text or two that Simon hadn't been able to get his hands on. In fact, in the end, it seemed that Xavier had two - both facsimile collections of images and transcriptions from manuscripts dating back to the 1400's detailing fighting form and longsword technique. Simon had been so captivated by an excerpt from Mertin Siber's Fechtlehre that he'd sunk down into a chair in the library and didn't notice when more than two hours passed him by.
Scott spent what as undoubtedly unusual amount of time reading military histories. Sure, it was practical these days, especially the more recent military texts that looked at successful, and not, guerilla operations. But, more than that, he's always found them genuinely interesting. Still, Scott was very cognizant that he was unusual in that regard.
Which is why it was a surprise to find Simon Tam in that section of the library. "Medieval warfare, huh?"
Simon glanced up, blinking at the unfamiliar voice, and then again at the shaded lenses staring back at him. "Oh, ah. Mostly swordsmanship, but yes. Battle tactics as well. Armor use, horsemanship."
Scott's eyebrows rose. "How'd you get into all that?"
"Ah," Simon motioned toward a nearby chair, if Scott wanted to sit. "It started out as a casual interest, which turned into something of an obsession. My father took that to mean that I was interested in fencing, which is how I started in competitions at age seven."
Scott took the proffered seat, his eyes still on Simon. Still, his demeanor was neutral to curious, not at all judgmental. "Alright, so I will refrain from challenging you to an old-school duel."
"That - that wasn't. I wasn't attempting to show off," Simon frowned.
"Didn't say you were." Besides, in all honesty, if they ever were to duel, Scott would mop the floor with Tam. He had a canon emitting from his eyes, after all. Though, now that Scott thought on it, fencing did seem like one of those rich kid sports. "So you took to it, huh?"
"I became bored with the foil pretty quickly," Simon told him. "But the sabre...the speed of both body and mind required certainly sat well with me."
"Sabre," Scott repeated. "That's the one that's bigger and heavier, right?"
"Actually, no. It is shorter, and lighter than the épée, making it faster," Simon told him. "Unlike the others, you can score with the edge of the blade, so the movements of the attacks can seem a bit furious at times, when compared to the other styles."
Scott smirked self-deprecatingly. "Shows you what I know." He eyed Simon's books interestedly. "So what else is in those? I can't imagine it's just swords, right?"
"This...is mostly swords, yes, though not the kind I'm trained in. I've been trying to teach myself real swordmastery, but there is only so much you can do without an actual master still living. And the kind of thing that Hollywood calls sword-fighting is a joke. Mostly, I picked the manuals up again to try to get an idea of defense during a mob situation, where I might need to use an improvised weapon."
So, Simon Tam was hoping to be able to defend himself. Well, that made sense. He was a mutant, he was now a public mutant no less, and he had money. That made Tam a hell of a target. Not that Warren, JP, and probably any number of their classmates didn't have Simon's back, but still. "Makes sense."
Simon shrugged. "Most people would tell me to go out and get a gun."
Scott raised an eyebrow. "You ever fired a gun before, Tam?" He somehow doubted it, but he'd been wrong before.
"My point exactly," Simon agreed. "I never have, and I don't intend to. I want to help people, not harm them, but I need to be able to defend myself in some fashion should the matter come up."
Simon was right, if he wasn't comfortable with a firearm he definitely shouldn't be using them in self-defense. That said, Scott felt obligated to point out, "you should still learn how to use them. I'm not saying to carry, or even to own a gun, just....if someone is pointing the thing at you one day, it might be good for you to know how the thing works."
Eyebrows going up, Simon inspected the other teen. He was difficult to read, what with the glasses and the stoic expression. "I can't tell if you're offering to teach me or not."
Scott shrugged. "Hadn't exactly planned on it, but I can, if you want."
"Do you know them? Guns, I mean," Simon asked curiously.
"My dad taught me when I was a kid," Scott said. "And I've handled them since."
Though that was in very different circumstances, to be sure.
"And...where might we get our hands on one?" Simon raised a brow. "Or do you have one as well?"
Scott smirked at the questions, but after half a second opted against messing with Tam. "You can usually rent them at the range," he explained.
"A range that would allow teens our age to shoot firearms?" Simon asked again. He noticed the smirk, of course, but this was an area of knowledge in which he was sadly lacking, and if he had to ask questions, well, so be it.
"We're in New York, probably not. I think here you have to be licensed to even rent a handgun for the range," Scott admitted. "But they'd probably let you take the safety classes."
Simon raised a brow. "Maybe you. Maybe not me."
Scott raised an eyebrow of his own right back. "I already know how to operate a gun, and how to tell if the gun pointing at me is loaded or not, and how to safely clear a gun. I'm not sure how me relearning any of those things would help you in the slightest."
Simon shook his head. "I meant, because of who I am - because I'm a known mutant, I might not be allowed in a gun safety class. And, if I was, it might shine suspicion on why I want to know how to use one."
"Image inducer?" Scott suggested. "I could probably get my hands on a gun and teach you here, but it would be illegal as hell, and the headmaster can read my mind and knows where we sleep."
Looking thoughtful, Simon set his books aside. "An image inducer would work...yes..."
"I mean," Scott shrugged a little, "it's not as though what you're doing isn't helpful."
Self-defense, any self-defense, was better than none. And the likelihood that Tam would have to use a gun was pretty low. That said, the guy had some real reasons to fear for his safety, and knowing more about what was out there couldn't possibly hurt. "But this can't hurt, if you want to do it."
Simon nodded. "I do. You're right. I should know more about guns, both as weapons to be used and weapons used against others. Thank you."
"No thanks really required, but let me know if you want me to go with you or anything. I've got a lower profile than Worthington or Beaubier," Scott said dryly.
Quirking a smile, Simon nodded. "A bit more practical, too."
Scott huffed a laugh, as though to say 'low bar.' "Anyway, let me know. I'll, uh, stop interrupting your reading," he gestured to Simon's books.
Simon glanced at the books, then his i-watch, and sighed. "I didn't realize I'd been in here so long. You don't need any of these, do you?"
Scott shook his head 'no.' "Nah. The other thing to think about: we can ask the Professor if he has firearms we can use on the range here? It wouldn't necessarily be strictly legal, New York can be weird like that, but it's another option to think about."
Simon hummed softly. "Maybe I should speak to him about that. It's not as if people in this country don't privately teach their children about guns."
Scott nodded. "Worth a shot."
Simon had read many treatises on medieval warfare, tactics, and even street-fighting in his life. It had always been something of a guilty pleasure. Sure, he had a general interest in history, but maybe it was the whole gallant notion of knighthood that had originally gotten him interested in sword fighting. Then again, once he'd really started to research the subject, he'd discovered that there wasn't much gallantry when it came to trying to kill someone with a bladed weapon. It was vicious, dirty, and less about specific fancy techniques and feints than it was about how to stay alive.
Still, once interested in the subject, he'd taken to it with an odd passion to learn more, and had been collecting various sources all of his life. It was only when faced with the reporters at his press conference that he started to think of the knowledge in terms of having an actual use in safeguarding his general survival. Perhaps he might never have to worry about swords in his lifetime, but he certainly was staring down the possibility of mobs and protests armed with picket signs or baseball bats. Both short-reach weapons that he might have to defend against if things went poorly.
Therefore, he'd turned to Xavier's library with an odd notion that the Professor might have found a text or two that Simon hadn't been able to get his hands on. In fact, in the end, it seemed that Xavier had two - both facsimile collections of images and transcriptions from manuscripts dating back to the 1400's detailing fighting form and longsword technique. Simon had been so captivated by an excerpt from Mertin Siber's Fechtlehre that he'd sunk down into a chair in the library and didn't notice when more than two hours passed him by.
Scott spent what as undoubtedly unusual amount of time reading military histories. Sure, it was practical these days, especially the more recent military texts that looked at successful, and not, guerilla operations. But, more than that, he's always found them genuinely interesting. Still, Scott was very cognizant that he was unusual in that regard.
Which is why it was a surprise to find Simon Tam in that section of the library. "Medieval warfare, huh?"
Simon glanced up, blinking at the unfamiliar voice, and then again at the shaded lenses staring back at him. "Oh, ah. Mostly swordsmanship, but yes. Battle tactics as well. Armor use, horsemanship."
Scott's eyebrows rose. "How'd you get into all that?"
"Ah," Simon motioned toward a nearby chair, if Scott wanted to sit. "It started out as a casual interest, which turned into something of an obsession. My father took that to mean that I was interested in fencing, which is how I started in competitions at age seven."
Scott took the proffered seat, his eyes still on Simon. Still, his demeanor was neutral to curious, not at all judgmental. "Alright, so I will refrain from challenging you to an old-school duel."
"That - that wasn't. I wasn't attempting to show off," Simon frowned.
"Didn't say you were." Besides, in all honesty, if they ever were to duel, Scott would mop the floor with Tam. He had a canon emitting from his eyes, after all. Though, now that Scott thought on it, fencing did seem like one of those rich kid sports. "So you took to it, huh?"
"I became bored with the foil pretty quickly," Simon told him. "But the sabre...the speed of both body and mind required certainly sat well with me."
"Sabre," Scott repeated. "That's the one that's bigger and heavier, right?"
"Actually, no. It is shorter, and lighter than the épée, making it faster," Simon told him. "Unlike the others, you can score with the edge of the blade, so the movements of the attacks can seem a bit furious at times, when compared to the other styles."
Scott smirked self-deprecatingly. "Shows you what I know." He eyed Simon's books interestedly. "So what else is in those? I can't imagine it's just swords, right?"
"This...is mostly swords, yes, though not the kind I'm trained in. I've been trying to teach myself real swordmastery, but there is only so much you can do without an actual master still living. And the kind of thing that Hollywood calls sword-fighting is a joke. Mostly, I picked the manuals up again to try to get an idea of defense during a mob situation, where I might need to use an improvised weapon."
So, Simon Tam was hoping to be able to defend himself. Well, that made sense. He was a mutant, he was now a public mutant no less, and he had money. That made Tam a hell of a target. Not that Warren, JP, and probably any number of their classmates didn't have Simon's back, but still. "Makes sense."
Simon shrugged. "Most people would tell me to go out and get a gun."
Scott raised an eyebrow. "You ever fired a gun before, Tam?" He somehow doubted it, but he'd been wrong before.
"My point exactly," Simon agreed. "I never have, and I don't intend to. I want to help people, not harm them, but I need to be able to defend myself in some fashion should the matter come up."
Simon was right, if he wasn't comfortable with a firearm he definitely shouldn't be using them in self-defense. That said, Scott felt obligated to point out, "you should still learn how to use them. I'm not saying to carry, or even to own a gun, just....if someone is pointing the thing at you one day, it might be good for you to know how the thing works."
Eyebrows going up, Simon inspected the other teen. He was difficult to read, what with the glasses and the stoic expression. "I can't tell if you're offering to teach me or not."
Scott shrugged. "Hadn't exactly planned on it, but I can, if you want."
"Do you know them? Guns, I mean," Simon asked curiously.
"My dad taught me when I was a kid," Scott said. "And I've handled them since."
Though that was in very different circumstances, to be sure.
"And...where might we get our hands on one?" Simon raised a brow. "Or do you have one as well?"
Scott smirked at the questions, but after half a second opted against messing with Tam. "You can usually rent them at the range," he explained.
"A range that would allow teens our age to shoot firearms?" Simon asked again. He noticed the smirk, of course, but this was an area of knowledge in which he was sadly lacking, and if he had to ask questions, well, so be it.
"We're in New York, probably not. I think here you have to be licensed to even rent a handgun for the range," Scott admitted. "But they'd probably let you take the safety classes."
Simon raised a brow. "Maybe you. Maybe not me."
Scott raised an eyebrow of his own right back. "I already know how to operate a gun, and how to tell if the gun pointing at me is loaded or not, and how to safely clear a gun. I'm not sure how me relearning any of those things would help you in the slightest."
Simon shook his head. "I meant, because of who I am - because I'm a known mutant, I might not be allowed in a gun safety class. And, if I was, it might shine suspicion on why I want to know how to use one."
"Image inducer?" Scott suggested. "I could probably get my hands on a gun and teach you here, but it would be illegal as hell, and the headmaster can read my mind and knows where we sleep."
Looking thoughtful, Simon set his books aside. "An image inducer would work...yes..."
"I mean," Scott shrugged a little, "it's not as though what you're doing isn't helpful."
Self-defense, any self-defense, was better than none. And the likelihood that Tam would have to use a gun was pretty low. That said, the guy had some real reasons to fear for his safety, and knowing more about what was out there couldn't possibly hurt. "But this can't hurt, if you want to do it."
Simon nodded. "I do. You're right. I should know more about guns, both as weapons to be used and weapons used against others. Thank you."
"No thanks really required, but let me know if you want me to go with you or anything. I've got a lower profile than Worthington or Beaubier," Scott said dryly.
Quirking a smile, Simon nodded. "A bit more practical, too."
Scott huffed a laugh, as though to say 'low bar.' "Anyway, let me know. I'll, uh, stop interrupting your reading," he gestured to Simon's books.
Simon glanced at the books, then his i-watch, and sighed. "I didn't realize I'd been in here so long. You don't need any of these, do you?"
Scott shook his head 'no.' "Nah. The other thing to think about: we can ask the Professor if he has firearms we can use on the range here? It wouldn't necessarily be strictly legal, New York can be weird like that, but it's another option to think about."
Simon hummed softly. "Maybe I should speak to him about that. It's not as if people in this country don't privately teach their children about guns."
Scott nodded. "Worth a shot."