Hydro
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Post by Hydro on May 31, 2020 15:18:48 GMT -5
Date: Tuesday, June 6, 2023 Tag: NightcrawlerWords: 182 Notes: What's an X-Men role-play without Danger Room sessions? Hydro blasted a couple of the metal spheres out of the air with a few well-timed shots of his water. The water cloud that he had created at the beginning of the session to follow him around as ready ammo was getting smaller by the moment and he still wasn't quite sure how much longer it would take for him to get to the goalpost.
He glanced at the half of bottle of water he still had on his person and, with a sigh, he took ten seconds to coax the remaining water to join the water cloud and chucked the empty bottle at another sphere that had rounded the corner. The sphere merely shook in place when the bottle hit it with a donk! before zoning in on him, and Hydro dived out of the way of the small laser.
The whirring of the metal sphere rang in his ears as Hydro ran. The whirring increased and Hydro glanced back to see two more spheres join the other one, and he blindly directed three more shots of water to destroy them.
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Post by Nightcrawler on May 31, 2020 17:10:34 GMT -5
Words: 199 Tag: HydroFor being the first recruit for the next generation of X-Men, Hydro did relatively well. Sure, the Danger Room took a bit of getting used to -- which, okay, was a bit of an understatement -- but Kurt hadn't heard Hydro complain just yet. Rather, he seemed to take things in stride.
Or with a sense of resignation, as if he didn't have a choice. Kurt should probably have a talk with him on that.
Kurt watched, and then chuckled, at Hydro hurling his last empty water bottle at one of the laser spheres before dashing further into the maze. Kurt noticed that Hydro always seemed to be conservative with his water which was always smart, if one considered the drawbacks to Hydro's mutation. Yet, Kurt was curious as to what Hydro would do if he was completely out of ammo, if his water was completely dried up...
Kurt called out a few extra laser spheres, curious if Hydro would use up all of his water cloud in self-defense, if his shield would deteriorate or if he would try to converse something until the very end. Would he be able to handle himself without any water to control, to protect him?
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Post by Hydro on Jun 1, 2020 8:37:06 GMT -5
Tags: NightcrawlerWords: 406 The metal spheres were multiplying.
Hydro would have glared in the general direction of the control room if he knew where it was in relation to the simulation, but he couldn't be too sure that it was Nightcrawler who had called in the extra spheres. For all Hydro knew, he could have missed some others somewhere.
His objective wasn't to destroy all of the spheres, though. It was just to get to the central dais.
Hydro leaped over a small wall in the maze, flinging water discs at some of the spheres to thin out the crowd following him. He rolled into a somersault, nearly stumbling out of it when he landed before getting back to his feet to keep moving. He glanced at his water cloud, finding that the boost he had just given it was all but gone already and he was worried he wouldn't have enough to protect him until he reached the goal.
Ignoring the stitch beginning to attack his side, Hydro focused on just moving, hoping that all the exercise he had been doing since moving to the Xavier Institute would give him enough speed to beat the simulation.
He rounded a corner and cursed aloud as he came to a dead end. Whipping around, Hydro's back was to the wall as a handful of metal spheres caught up. Hydro split his water cloud into two, using half to construct a small shield that covered most of his skinny torso and breaking up the other half into small discs to pelt the spheres.
His smaller water discs meant that it took a couple to take down the spheres, and there were still three spheres floating in front of him with only his little shield to protect him. Hydro braced himself as the spheres shot their lasers at the shield.
His mind raced. He could use what was left of the shield to destroy the spheres and make a break for it, but then he wouldn't have any other further protection for the rest of the maze. Hydro's legs buckled, the shield losing water with each laser hit. Should he take that one last risk to beat the simulation?
Hydro's mind was made up for him. He was too slow to do anything but watch as his shield dissipated completely and the spheres took aim at him.
Thankfully, they flickered out as the Danger Room's automated voice said, "Simulation complete. Mission failed."
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Post by Nightcrawler on Jun 1, 2020 11:06:51 GMT -5
Words: 189 Tags: HydroAs Kurt shut down the simulation, he had his answer.
"Not a bad run, Hydro," Kurt said after teleporting down into the Danger Room. "You were very close to the goal. Can you tell me where you believe the simulation went wrong?"
Kurt had his own ideas, but he wanted to see what Roy would say for himself. There were no wrong answers -- none that Kurt could think of at the moment, at least -- but this would allow Roy to think a bit outside the box. He had been close to the goal and probably could have reached it had he made a couple of different decisions.
The Danger Room sessions were scheduled ahead of time, allowing those involved adequate time to prepare for whatever they may face in the session. However, the point of the sessions were to test and push those involved, to see what they would do when forced to make difficult choices. During this session, Roy chose to try to outlast his opponents, to see how long his shield would hold up. While it proved Roy's patience, not acting further resulted in failing the simulation.
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Post by Hydro on Jun 1, 2020 14:48:56 GMT -5
Tags: NightcrawlerWords: 192 Roy took a few deep breaths, bringing his mind back down from the simulation and doing a mental check of himself. He may not have any other water at the moment to re-hydrate himself, but he was fine for now and Kurt wasn't the type to drone on in a lecture for an hour.
Roy raised an eyebrow when Kurt asked where he went wrong and the teen said, "Uh, I went into the Danger Room in the first place?"
Knowing the cheeky answer wasn't what Kurt was looking for, Roy attempted to actually answer. "Aside from being too slow to figure out the maze," he said, "I also didn't allocate my water well enough. I thought I was doing great with it, to be honest, but maybe I need to bring even more water with me during the sessions? Just in case?
"Then that brings up the question as to how conservative with my water is too conservative," Roy continued. "I can't carry around a couple of gallons of water with me all the time, right? But I can't ever run out. I'd be in even worse trouble if I did."
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Post by Nightcrawler on Jun 2, 2020 21:13:18 GMT -5
Words: 159 Tags: HydroKurt snorted and gave Roy a crooked smile at the teen's original so-called answer, but didn't interrupt as Roy tried to articulate his thoughts.
Kurt was about to open his mouth when Roy began to speak about possibly bringing in more water with him, by trying to be so prepared that he would eventually just bog himself down. However, Roy seemed to both work that out himself and stay stuck on the thought as well.
"What would you do," Kurt said slowly, "if I did not allow you to bring any water bottles with you into the next session?
"I'm not saying I'm going to do it," he added quickly, understanding that it could be a source of anxiety for the young man, "but what would you do without the safety of a couple of water bottles? What would happen if you get caught in a situation where you do not have a ready source of water as back-up?"
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Hydro
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Post by Hydro on Jun 3, 2020 15:28:15 GMT -5
Tags: NightcrawlerWords: 185 Roy's heart nearly stopped and he jumped, startled, at Kurt slowly suggested the idea of not bringing any water as backup into a Danger Room session. He calmed down a touch when Kurt mentioned he wouldn't do that -- at least, not anytime soon; Roy was sure it would remain a thought in the back of Kurt's mind -- and he mulled over the idea.
"I... I don't know," Roy said. "I mean, bad things happen when I don't have enough water on me. Not just on me, really, it's more so if I don't stay hydrated. I probably drink way more water than I need, but I'm just... It'll be that one time that I forget to finish my water bottle that I end up passed out or something."
He paused and tried to answer again. "If I wasn't allowed any extra water bottles in the Danger Room, I would probably try to finish the session as quickly as possible while also not overexerting myself. I don't know if that is something that can be done, to be honest. I try to take it easy otherwise."
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Post by Nightcrawler on Jun 5, 2020 7:21:04 GMT -5
Words: 192 Tags: Hydro"As quickly as possible while being as careful as possible," Kurt echoed, mulling over the answer. "In the few Danger Room sessions you've had, it always seemed like you were on the move, thinking up strategies and plans on the fly, while trying to beat the simulation as soon as possible. You would take your time more to prevent overexertion, by the sounds of it?
"Again, I'm not going to do it," Kurt continued, "but it would be an interesting exercise if you did not rely on your outside water so much. There may be a time when you do not have the luxury of extra ammunition, if you will. Perhaps at one point we can try to do a session where you are not allowed to have a water cloud following dutifully behind you. Keep an extra water bottle on hand as a precaution, of course, but use other means to defend yourself and to defeat the simulation."
Roy's powers didn't just lie in the manipulation of water. He was more in-tune to water than just his kinetic abilities. Kurt was interested in seeing what else he would and could do.
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Post by Hydro on Jun 8, 2020 17:46:33 GMT -5
Tags: NightcrawlerWords: 233 Roy still wasn't sure about Kurt getting the idea to disallow Roy from bringing extra water bottles, but at least it didn't sound like Kurt would just spring such a session on Roy without telling him first. Deep down, Roy supposed it made sense to try having a couple of sessions without the safety cushion of his water ammunition, as Kurt called it, but Roy was also a teenager riddled with anxiety about becoming dehydrated who didn't like the idea at all.
"Yeah, I'd probably try to take my time more," Roy agreed. Dryly, he added, "But you'd probably be the type of guy to set a time limit on that kind of session, right?"
He did take a deep breath and say, "I guess it wouldn't be a bad idea to try, though, but I don't know what else I could do besides having my water cloud. I'm not really the most athletic guy..."
Roy knew he was rather skinny. It came from spending more time drinking water and avoiding activities that would make him sweat. Bulking up muscle had never been on his to-do list.
Granted, since he joined the Xavier Institute, Roy had found himself naturally getting more and more in shape, mostly due to the Danger Room itself. Maybe eventually being able to defend himself in hand-to-hand combat would become second nature and not wear him out so much.
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Post by Nightcrawler on Jun 9, 2020 8:57:34 GMT -5
Words: 162 Tags: HydroKurt gave Roy a fanged grin when the teen mentioned that Kurt would be the type of guy to put a time limit on a session where Roy wanted to take his time, but Kurt neither confirmed nor denied that accusation.
Since Roy more or less agreed to the idea, albeit reluctantly, Kurt said, "I do think it would be a great exercise to test your limits. Nothing too dangerous, of course, and you'll never be in a session on your own without Sierra or myself keeping an eye on the simulation. It could also be a great exercise in general. Perhaps you're not the most athletic guy, as you say, but you're a growing teenager. This would help get and keep you in shape."
Kurt made a mental note to ask Sierra if they could somehow program a low-level gym setting in the Danger Room, something that the new recruits could use on their own if they wish with minimal risk.
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Post by Hydro on Jun 10, 2020 17:32:46 GMT -5
Tags: NightcrawlerWords: 176 Notes: Playing off that Critter has agreed to join but hasn't moved into the institute just yet. Roy gave Kurt a half-hearted glare when all Kurt gave him was a fanged grin at the thought of putting a time limit on a session where Roy could not have an extra cloud of water following behind him like a faithful dog.
Deep down, he knew neither Kurt nor Sierra would let him be on his own with any particularly dangerous Danger Room session, but Roy wasn't sure if his definition of dangerous matched theirs. He trusted that the institute teachers wouldn't deliberately put him in anything too dangerous, but Roy was really the only one who truly knew his own limits. A session that Kurt or Sierra may consider to be medium level could be a high risk to Roy.
He supposed that's what the practice in the Danger Room sessions were for, in the long run.
"Yeah, maybe," Roy settled for saying, agreeing lightly but also showing that he wasn't thrilled with the idea itself.
Opting to change the subject, Roy asked, "Uh, that new girl joining anytime soon? You know, the flamingo?"
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Post by Nightcrawler on Jun 14, 2020 8:43:37 GMT -5
Words: 207 Tag: HydroKurt allowed Roy to give a bit of half-hearted response, glad that the teen would at least think about what he had said. Roy then asked about the flamingo girl, the one they had searched for and Kurt met in the park not too long ago, and Kurt let the topic of conversation change.
"Yes, she is, actually," Kurt said, being sure the Danger Room was officially all shut down. "I went and met with the girl, whose name is Willow, by the way, and her parents yesterday. They were all very receptive, for the parents had already been doing their own research for their daughter. I believe their bewilderment mainly came from the idea of Willow joining the public Bayville High when school starts up."
Which was a bit baffling to Kurt, but he supposed he would rather be baffled at the family's most concerning aspect be the public school rather than Willow going to an institute full of fellow mutants.
"She's very cheerful," Kurt said, "and seemed to enjoy talking and connecting with people. You will probably be a great help to her in getting used to this place." Kurt also hoped that Willow would help Roy in return with opening up a bit more.
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Post by Hydro on Jun 17, 2020 9:57:27 GMT -5
Tags: NightcrawlerWords: 185 Roy nodded along with Kurt's words, glad that the parents were apparently receptive to Kurt and the idea of the Xavier Institute.
"Nice that her parents are good like that," he said, trying to sound encouraged at the idea rather than bitter. He had a much better life since moving to the Xavier Institute not too long ago, something that he was still trying to get used to, which he supposed he also had to thank his parents for in some wayward way. Being abandoned by them gave him a chance at some sense of a normal life thanks to Kurt finding him.
And apparently Willow was the type to talk. Roy raised an eyebrow to Kurt when the teacher mentioned how Roy would be able to help Willow.
"Liar," Roy said, no real bite to his tone. "If Willow is the type of person to want to connect with others, she won't need me to help her get used to the place."
Unless Kurt meant that Roy would more or less be babysitting Willow until she adapted to the rules of the Xavier Institute.
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Post by Nightcrawler on Jun 20, 2020 9:01:13 GMT -5
Words: 202 Tags: HydroKurt gave Roy a pat on the shoulder when the teen mentioned that Willow's parents were good to be accommodating to their daughter's mutation and schooling. Kurt knew of Roy's past with his parents and how it hadn't been a happy ending for the teen, and the headmaster allowed the matter to drop.
Kurt did chuckle when Roy called him a liar. "Perhaps she won't need help connecting with others," Kurt said, "but that may be precisely why she'll need you around. Mutants are known, yes, but we've a long way to go before others fully accept us. She's very friendly, Roy. I hope the two of you will become friends naturally, but she may also need someone to be sure no one else takes advantage of her kind nature."
Of course, Willow was cautious when Kurt and she first met, so she may be friendly but weary. Still, it wouldn't hurt to have someone like Roy -- someone with a level-head and one of the longest cautious streaks Kurt had ever seen in a teen -- keep an eye out for Willow.
"She may also help you, Roy," Kurt said. "You both will have a friend when the high school starts up again."
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Post by Hydro on Jun 21, 2020 19:42:10 GMT -5
Tags: NightcrawlerWords: 176 "Essentially you want me to babysit Willow," Roy said dryly, glancing at Kurt with a deadpanned expression. A corner of his mouth did quirk up -- Roy so called it. "When will we get our schedules for next year, actually? I mean, aren't the schedules usually figured out by now?"
Roy was entering Bayville High as a sophomore, which kind of sucked. Not that he ever stepped foot in a public high school in his life, but to start a new school in the middle of one's high school career just seemed awkward. Judging by her age, Roy believed that Willow was starting as a freshman, which sounded easier. She'd be part of the class of new kids in the building, while Roy would just be thrown into a class of kids who already knew what they were doing.
It would be nice to already have a friend amid all the new experiences that high school would bring, but being in separate grades meant that Roy and Willow probably would not be seeing each other that much.
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