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Post by Nightcrawler on Aug 24, 2023 20:00:57 GMT -5
Date: Friday, September 1, 2023 Words: 158 Tags: Hydro Incognito Notes: Joint Danger Room session for Hydro and Incognito!Kurt waited semi-patiently for the two recruits under his Danger Room tutelage to show up to the sub-basement. While the two usually had solo sessions with him, Kurt tried to do a joint session here and there, see how Roy and Mason handled teamwork and coordinated with their own abilities.
This time, however, Kurt was going to pit them against each other.
Nothing truly difficult, of course, especially since it would be the first time the two were going to go against each other rather than working together. He wasn't going to throw the pair into the Danger Room with the instructions "last one standing wins," or anything.
No, this should be something that was more play than work. Or so Kurt hoped.
Right now, though, he was just waiting for Roy and Mason to both show up. Neither of the new recruits were usually late, but Kurt was eager to begin so he could explain the scenario.
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Post by Hydro on Aug 25, 2023 6:58:00 GMT -5
Tag: Incognito NightcrawlerWords: 170 Roy was never thrilled with Danger Room sessions, but he'd be lying if he didn't mind the exercise. Kurt was a good instructor, conscious of Roy's limitations and was gentle whenever he tried to make Roy push past them. The exercises helped both himself and his powers grow, so much so that Roy was trying to create his own goals with them.
Such as, you know, not liquidizing involuntarily.
Roy took a deep breath and pushed away the thought of dripping as he made his way down the chrome hallway towards the Danger Room's control center. He was in his training uniform, black with a golden X design across the torso, made from some sort of unstable molecules that adjusted themselves to his body accordingly (or however Sierra had described the fabric). He had a full water bottle strapped to each hip and he hoped that would be enough ammo, so to speak, to last the Danger Room session.
"Hey," he greeted Kurt amicably. "What's the goal for today's session?"
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Post by Incognito on Aug 25, 2023 7:18:17 GMT -5
Mason was hopping out of the elevator while trying to put on his boots for the Danger Room session, and he totally ignored the fact that the elevator door almost shut on his foot.
He was usually pretty good about getting to Danger Room sessions on time, but with the weather still being on the warmer side, he had been trying to run off excess energy on the grounds and nearly lost track of the time. He could only hope that when the cooler weather started he wouldn't accidentally miss sessions because he fell asleep somewhere…
"Sorry, sorry!" Mason said when he finally reached the control panel and spotted Kurt and Roy waiting for him. "Just took me a few extra minutes to get changed, that's all. What're we doing today?"
Honestly, he hoped that the Danger Room session wasn't too long. He didn't mind them and thought they were great outlets for his energy, but it was such a nice day outside even for the beginning of September that he couldn't wait to go out later. Maybe he could convince the rest of the household to join him, or at least the other new recruits.
Maybe he could also convince Kurt to hold some Danger Room sessions outside… Okay, so the Danger Room itself wouldn't be used, but a group exercise in the sunshine would be great.
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Post by Nightcrawler on Aug 26, 2023 14:45:27 GMT -5
Words: 187 Tags: Hydro IncognitoKurt smiled as Roy and then Mason appeared in the control room. Predictably, Roy asked about the session goal itself while Mason was casual with his question regarding the overall summary of the session.
"Today's session will be a version of hide-and-seek, mein freunde," Kurt said cheerfully. Gesturing to the Danger Room dome below the control room, he continued explaining. "Incognito will be hiding amid the scenery that the Danger Room conjures and Hydro will seek him using whatever means necessary. In the time limit allowed, Hydro will do his best to find Incognito as many times as he can. Incognito, your goal is to stay hidden for as long as possible."
On the surface, the session seemed to be catered more to Incognito's abilities, but this would also allow them all to see how Hydro utilized his own powers – and ammunition, so to speak – in various environments.
"When you two are ready," Kurt said, "head down to the Danger Room's dome. Hydro, you will start on the left while Incognito, place yourself somewhere to the right. As soon as the first environment generates, you may begin."
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Post by Hydro on Aug 27, 2023 15:47:00 GMT -5
Tag: Incognito, NightcrawlerWords: 156 Hydro greeted Incognito with a smile before turning serious when Nightcrawler began detailing the Danger Room session. Hydro promptly turned baffled when Nightcrawler called the session a version of hide-and-seek.
Seriously?
Yet, as Nightcrawler detailed the Danger Room session more, it began to make sense. Hydro was a little put-off when it was evident that Incognito and he would not be working together towards the same goal, but at least Nightcrawler wasn't throwing the two against each other in a boxing ring.
"Find Incognito as many times as possible," Hydro repeated to himself. He gave Nightcrawler a nod, threw a challenging gaze over his shoulder at Incognito, and said, "Got it," before going into the control panel's elevator to descend into the Danger Room dome.
Despite his fingers twitching towards his water bottles, Hydro let them be as he got into position on the left side of the Danger Room as Nightcrawler had instructed and waited.
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Post by Incognito on Aug 28, 2023 7:01:06 GMT -5
Nightcrawler mentioned the Danger Room session would be hide-and-seek and Incognito couldn't help but grin.
"That sounds awesome," he said, rubbing his hands together. "Man, Hydro, you're never gonna find me!"
He was nearly bouncing on his toes as he descended into the Danger Room dome with Hydro (and made sure to meet Hydro's challenging gaze with a smirk of his own). Incognito went to the right side of the Danger Room as Nightcrawler said to, and he waited with semi-patience for Nightcrawler to start the session with the first scenario.
It was a little odd to be against Hydro, Incognito wasn't going to lie about that. The joint sessions they've had since Incognito joined the Xavier Institute had them paired up to take down common enemies and reach goals together. It was interesting, though, to have his own separate goal from Hydro for once.
And, if they had more sessions like this where they were against each other, Incognito had no trouble making it into a competition.
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Post by Nightcrawler on Sept 1, 2023 6:37:24 GMT -5
Words: 189 Tags: Hydro Incognito Notes: I will take a step back with posting, letting you two go back and forth and will post when I feel the need. Nightcrawler was pleased that both Hydro and Incognito seemed okay with the goals for today's session. They both showed a competitive streak, Hydro's quiet and contemplative, and Incognito as boastful and excitable. Those personality traits generally worked well together in their other joint sessions, and Nightcrawler was interested in seeing how they would play out opposite of the other.
"Good luck to you both," Nightcrawler said as the new recruits used the elevator to reach the dome.
The two didn't take long at all to get into position where Nightcrawler directed them, and Nightcrawler paused a moment to be sure the pair looked ready to start.
With the settings at his fingertips, Nightcrawler conjured a simple enough scene, one of a mostly-flat plains. Long grasses swayed in the wind, a few trees scattered throughout the ground here and there, and a lazy river traveling from east to west. A good beginning, it gave Incognito plenty of coverage while giving Hydro some virtual water to help control if need be.
Once the scene was in place, Nightcrawler allowed them to start playing, the Danger Room's automated voice echoing, "Simulation begin."
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Post by Hydro on Dec 16, 2023 11:05:45 GMT -5
Tag: Incognito NightcrawlerWords: 277 Notes: Gotcha, Kurt! Hydro took a deep breath and watched as the Danger Room did its thing. The new scene before him flickered and loaded into place, and he took stock of what he could see, hear, and even smell. His fingers reached out to touch the long grasses that were nearby, the greenery tickling his palms, and he smiled a little to himself as he heard the river flowing nearby.
He honestly couldn't even begin to think of how to explain the way the Danger Room worked, but he found it a marvel every time he saw it start a new simulation.
There were plenty of obstacles that would help Incognito blend into the surroundings, but Hydro was already thinking of plans on how to flush the other teen out of hiding. As soon as the Danger Room announced that the simulation began, Hydro rushed forward towards the closest tree, his gaze right where he saw Incognito last standing. If Hydro was lucky, he would be able to see the grasses move when Incognito did, perhaps against the wind or bending in another way that seemed unnatural.
To give himself a little more of a vantage point, Hydro climbed the tree as soon as he reached the trunk. He wasn't sure how long each scene would last, so he wanted to move as quickly as possible. He was almost positive that Incognito wouldn't have reached this particular tree just yet if that was his aim, but just in case Hydro directed some water from the virtual river to make it rain on the tree's topmost branches.
If Incognito was there, the way the water fell would give him away.
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Post by Incognito on Dec 16, 2023 19:22:20 GMT -5
The scenery changed around them and Incognito itched to camouflage immediately. He was good and didn't cheat, though, making sure he waited until the Danger Room's automated voice announced that the simulation began.
Then he disappeared.
Rather, he disappeared as much as he could, knowing that if he moved too much, someone with sharp eyesight would be able to see his outline, if you will. Keeping up his camouflage could be a difficult task if he moved too quickly.
Yet, Incognito did want to put more distance between Hydro and himself. Blending in with the grasses, Incognito bent down low and moved slowly with the grasses and the wind to move farther from Hydro and the tree that he had decided to climb. Incognito paused right up against another tree trunk, ensuring none of the long grass would be able to reach and accidentally bend around him.
He nearly sniggered out loud at seeing Hydro make it rain above his own tree, evidently checking to see if Incognito was there, too. Incognito was a little farther away, and he was game to just stand in the same spot if Hydro's best plan was to stay perched in a tree and wait for Incognito to make a move.
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Post by Hydro on Dec 17, 2023 16:22:20 GMT -5
Tag: Incognito ( Nightcrawler) Words: 253 Hydro waited a few minutes in the tree, contemplating. He hadn't been able to see or discern among the grasses if and when Incognito had moved -- although, he was certain that Incognito wasn't in the same spot where he had started -- and he was obviously not in any of the tree branches above Hydro.
Hydro had no doubt that Nightcrawler had conjured this scene first to give Hydro a little advantage. He was sure that the scenes would only get more difficult the longer time went on, so he wanted to find Incognito in this scene as quickly as possible. Yet, just running around the grassy plains wasn't going to help.
He looked back at the river flowing near his tree and back out at the plains before him. With a mental command, Hydro coaxed a sheet of water a few meters' length of the river to rise to just about the height of the long grass. A wide, pushing gesture helped Hydro command the sheet of water to soar over the length of the plains as far as it would go in an attempt to find Incognito.
It was a little taxing and Hydro almost wobbled off of his tree branch, but it wasn't too bad. Hydro guessed it was a little easier to control that amount of water if it was virtual rather than real.
With any luck, Incognito would be hiding among part of the large area the water waved through and he would get splashed to reveal where he was.
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Post by Incognito on Dec 17, 2023 16:42:05 GMT -5
Incognito watched, willing to remain as patient as possible if it meant becoming the victor in this Danger Room session, as Hydro seemed to do the same. Unlike Incognito, though, watching and sitting still wasn't going to win Hydro any points.
Hydro didn't keep Incognito waiting for too long. Incognito saw Hydro look back at the river, and Incognito briefly wondered if Hydro was going to call up individual water clouds to make it rain on each individual tree in the scene. Incognito was trying to calculate if he could avoid getting wet and giving himself away depending on where he stood by the tree when he noticed the sheer amount of water Hydro was calling up from the river.
Incognito didn't have much time to react, not when he saw a literal wave (okay, it wasn't a fifteen-foot wave or anything, but it was big enough to be the same height as the tall grasses around them) come soaring through the plains. There wasn't anywhere for Incognito to go but up into his own tree, but he knew he wouldn't have the time. With his height alone, the water still would have reached some part of him and, if Hydro was paying enough attention, he'd be spotted.
The wave pushed against Incognito, the water reaching about his waist, and he was gently pushed down. Incognito laughed aloud as the water disrupted his camouflage and he said, "Alright, Hydro, I'll give you that one!"
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Post by Nightcrawler on Dec 17, 2023 18:34:00 GMT -5
Words: 242 Tags: Hydro IncognitoHe figured Hydro would be able to utilize the first scene well.
Nightcrawler watched as the two new recruits used their respective gifts to immediately utilize the surroundings to their advantages. Hydro climbed a tree and Nightcrawler was using his own advantage up in the control panel to see where Incognito was based on his body heat signature. Incognito hid well and was exercising extreme patience, with Hydro using his time wisely to apparently come up with a strategy to win.
Nightcrawler nearly laughed aloud when Hydro used the river's water to send a wave over a good area of the plains, splashing against Incognito and revealing the other young man's hiding spot. It was intriguing to see just how much water Hydro had been able to command at once, even for a relatively short timeframe.
Yet, the energy Hydro must have used to execute the mental command may have been more than Hydro expected, especially for so early in the session. It was a wonder how well Hydro would be able to allocate his energy and abilities for the rest of the Danger Room exercise.
Since Incognito had been found, Nightcrawler adjusted the holographic settings into a new scene. Instead of a flat plain, Hydro and Incognito would find themselves amidst a jungle setting, thick trees and green foliage all around. They was a small pond in the southern part of the map and plenty of virtual creatures to accompany the new recruits.
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Post by Hydro on Dec 19, 2023 7:28:00 GMT -5
Tag: Incognito ( Nightcrawler) Words: 159 Hydro had grinned when he saw Incognito lose his camouflage, calling out that he would give that point to Hydro for sending the wave at him. However, Hydro's grin didn't last long. A jungle setting wavered into view and Hydro lightly leaped down from his perch before the tree he was in completely disappeared to be replaced with thick vines and foliage growing much higher.
Incognito was gone amid the new setting, and Hydro took a deep breath of the heavy air. It was warmer, thicker with humidity, and Hydro idly took a sip of one of his water bottles.
This setting wouldn't be as simple as the last one.
Hydro chose to stay on the ground as much as he could, walking forward to try to find some sort of clearing where he could strategize. He figured Incognito wouldn't stick around on the jungle floor, but Hydro was hoping to find something to indicate where he should start looking.
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Post by Incognito on Dec 20, 2023 8:28:40 GMT -5
The long grasses of the plains started disappearing before Incognito could get back to his feet after being knocked over from a wave of virtual water.
(Like, seriously. That sounded so weird. His uniform felt wet, too.)
Replacing the cool breeze of the grassy plains was a humid jungle and Incognito watched in awe as the Danger Room's holograms built up giant trees, vines, and shrubbery in various greens and browns. He rubbed his hands together, ignored the few beads of sweat that started to condensate around his neck, and leaped up towards a tree trunk. The grooves on his Danger Room uniform's gloves helped his chameleon-like sense of balance, letting him "stick" a landing on one of the thicker branches.
Incognito wavered out of view, thoroughly enjoying all of the scenery to help him hide, and crawled slowly towards where he last saw Hydro. His eyes went in two different directions at once to help find the other teen.
May as well take full advantage of the scenery to mess with his friend.
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Post by Hydro on Jan 6, 2024 21:04:48 GMT -5
Tag: Incognito ( Nightcrawler) Words: 255 Hydro tried to take deep breaths in the jungle setting, knowing full well that it was all just a simulation, but he honestly wasn't sure how long Nightcrawler would wait before changing the setting a third time. He hoped that Nightcrawler wouldn't wait for Hydro to catch Incognito again, because he was pretty sure that would be impossible with a jungle surrounding him.
A flock of birds burst out of a nearby tree and Hydro's instinct was evidently to shoot a handful of water like a nerf gun at the source of the sound. He missed all of the birds, of course, but he wouldn't be able to recuperate any of the water he wasted.
Was it getting hotter?
Hydro felt himself sweat or start to drip or liquidize or whatever the hell was going on with him. He kept moving forward, though, his gaze roaming around a little too quickly to really pick up whether or not Incognito was close by.
As far as Hydro understood Incognito's abilities, they worked best when Incognito was staying as still as possible. There was too much to explore in the simulation, though, and Hydro was nearly positive that Incognito wouldn't be able to help but try to move around and discover everything he could about the place. Which meant that he would be moving around, which theoretically meant that Hydro would be able to spot his outline or something if Hydro paid close attention to his surroundings.
Hydro was not doing that very well with this setting.
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