om_main | Philip and Lydia, backdated to May 13

Agent and Panax have their first out-of-class squad talk one morning in the gym, and everyone comes away satisfied.

After she finished her workout with the punching bag, Lydia made for the door rather than the locker rooms. Her hair was pulled up in a high, almost cheerleader-y ponytail and her makeup was the bare minimum--waterproof mascara, a touch of eyeliner, lip gloss; her clothing was typical: sports bra, long racer-back tank, yoga pants. She was getting used to being seen like that, after months and months of trying to build herself up, not to mention squad training, but she still preferred to leave herself a good hour and a half before classes to actually prepare for the day.

She was comfortable being seen like this in appropriate circumstances, not just any time, anywhere, after all.

But she paused when she spotted a familiar figure--in an unfamiliar state of dress. Agent's--Philip's, she supposed, outside of the squad--arms were bare, the play of the muscles in his back evident beneath the light fabric of his shirt. Not that she hadn't noticed he was ripped, but she had never seen quite so much of it before. Nice.

Anyhow, since she'd been meaning to speak to him outside of class or training for some time now--especially since that strange afternoon with Scott on the grass, and he seemed to be more in "putting things away" mode than anything else, she assumed now was as good a time as any. "Agent," she said, pausing behind him. "Good morning."

Philip twisted and looked up as he was addressed, though he finished the slow stretching that marked the end of non-standard workouts. Well, the workouts that didn't involve Laura beating on him at any rate, the cleanup from those was a bit different. He didn't startle, even though he hadn't expected anyone, just winced a little as the stretch pulled at some of the yellow-green bruising left over from the last batch of sparring. "Panax," he said pleasantly, obviously recognizing her though they hadn't had a great deal of interaction. "What can I help you with this morning? And is it something more squad related or...?"

"I guess it is, kind of, but nothing in particular," she said, coming to lean against a nearby wall. "I talk to Scott and Betsy a lot about squad things, but not many of the others. Seems like a thing worth changing."

Of course, Lydia was aware that due to the passive nature of her powers, she had to make it clear that her contributions would lie elsewhere. She had done an excellent job of offering solutions so far, and held her own physically, if just barely, but she was confident that it was clear she was putting forward extra effort not just to keep up, but to climb on top. Still, it was a point worth driving home through this little effort--secondary to her interest in Philip in a general sense, but pleasing all the same.

Philip nodded and twisted himself back around before turning to face her properly. He snagged a nearby towel and scrubbed it through his hair briefly and down over his neck, ignoring how it made his hair stick up for the moment. "We haven't been as organized as we should be, though we've got a pretty eclectic group. I was happy to see that we have a fairly broad range of skill-sets though." He, at least on paper, was on the non-combatant side but looking at it from that view was a bit deceiving.

One corner of Lydia's lips pulled upward--not at what he was saying, but at his hair. Philip Coulson was usually impeccable; Lydia could recognize her own, of course. "They put a lot of thought into parceling us out that way; not so much with the personalities. Then again, at least it's a group where Bragi is less likely to feel he can get away with his bullshit." Between Psylocke, Talon, and--well, basically all of them, he'd be dead quickly.

Too bad he hadn't tried yet, really.

"I already had a discussion with Mr. Johnson about his abilities and use thereof," Philip said. He raked his fingers through his hair, getting it a little more under control, but not by much. "I'm willing to give him a lessons learned status, but we'll see how that plays out. It is an extraordinarily useful ability, if aimed correctly."

"Mmm," Lydia said, expression thoughtful but absolutely nothing else. She wasn't quite sure Agent here had the ability to teach Bragi any kind of lesson he'd be willing to learn--not necessarily due to any recognizable fault in Philip, but because, "I'm not sure he can be taught, but we have to try. It is a useful power; just a shame someone more intelligent didn't get it." They'd be far better off with Damon. He was self-centered and self-serving, yes, but not an idiot. Usually. "Still, just one of many challenges."

Philip smiled, it was an amiable enough expression, nothing that would be all that remarkable really, unless you knew what to look for. The expression didn't quite reach his eyes and there was just the smallest touch of ruthless there. He was curious if Lydia would notice. "A challenge that I am sure we'll be able to address, one way or another."

She lifted an eyebrow, but something faintly pleased played about her lips for just a moment. Well. She was starting to see why Scott cared (even if he didn't want to) what Philip might be testing him for. Just a tinnnny hint of it, anyhow. "And what about the other challenges? Is Upstart one, or is he simply a write-off, do you think?"

Lydia did not think Shinobi Shaw should be written off. In fact, she was certain of it. But she wanted to know what he thought.

"I need more contact with him," Philip said immediately. "But I do believe that lightmindedness is a mask. There's something deadly serious under that facade, which he will likely deny with his last breath, of course. But I need to be sure which way he'll jump. Plus, he has other resources that shouldn't be discounted."

"And he's willing to use them, which proves your point." Lydia crossed her arms over her belly and leaned. "Though the facade becomes almost petulant when asked, I don't much mind, so long as his actions aren't."

Philip shrugged at that, "Believe me, I've met harder to handle than him."

"Everyone who lives in this house has." But Lydia made a mental note that he'd thought it important enough to mention. It could mean a number of things, and was interesting in itself. "Let alone on our squad. Though everyone else seems invested in making the most of it.

"What do you think the headmasters' intentions were, arranging these squads?" Of course she had her own ideas, and how she said it would make that obvious. She'd got Scott and Betsy's opinions on the subject, but no one else's on her own team.

"Honestly, I don't know," Philip said after a moment. "Nominally, I could see it simply being to better train abilities. Why that would then include those like ourselves, I don't know." He gave Lydia a humorless look then, one that really shouldn't belong on a seventeen-year old's face. "Or, they could be working towards a private army. But if your actual question is, do I trust their intentions, and trust that they will keep us suitably informed? No, I do not."

"That seems to be the consensus," Lydia said. "And for the record, I agree. It's worthwhile teaching those of us without defensive or offensive powers to be better able to defend ourselves, of course--who knows what the climate will be like once we're shoved out of the closet." Because Lydia assumed it would be a shove; no one at Xavier's was ready to do it, in spite of her efforts with Warren and Arthur, and probably wouldn't be until it was too late. "Anyhow, that's what self defense class is for."

And there was the problem right there. By Philip's standards, 'self defense' was entirely inadequate. Then again, his standards weren't exactly what would be considered normal. "Well," he said after a moment. "If you ever want more than what they're giving you, I can find some time somewhere for extra lessons. In case of closet shoving, I mean."

"I always want more than what I'm given," Lydia said, eyebrows raising--not so much in surprise. But maybe a little. "Arthur's been helping me learn to throw a punch, but I'll take whatever anyone will teach me. I'm trying to get ready for closet shoving in every way imaginable."

"Then I can definitely help with that." Philip paused for a second, measuring. She was on his squad, and he was already outed on the fit-meter and she was, for the most part, entirely normal. He knew better than most how damn dangerous that was. "The details are long and boring, but while I'm still getting my offense up to speed, my defense is probably better than almost everyone here." He shrugged and gave a self-deprecating little smile. "My dad worked for the government, it was a thing."

"That explains a lot," she admitted, one corner of her glossy lips tilting upwards slightly once more. She shuffled a few cards in her mind, again considering Scott's belief that Philip was testing him, like Tessa, like the headmasters. Ah. "I'm guessing your schedule's at least as full as mine, but I'd appreciate it if we could work something out, yeah. There's knowing where my strongest contributions will lie, and then there's being dead weight when it comes to everything else. I don't do dead weight."

"I didn't believe for a moment that you'd want to be," Philip said. "Actually, I did have one suggestion if you were inclined, but it's entirely up to you. I notice that we're a bit short on people of the medical persuasion. I've got some pretty comprehensive first aid knowledge, but I'd feel much better if it wasn't just me."

She nodded, letting her approval show on her face plainly. "Dr. MacTaggert's my mentor and I work in the lab with her. I'm sure she'd be willing to help me get up to speed. The theoretical knowledge is there, I just need the practical end. I like it."

"That's good. I assume that..." he paused again, not sure how to ask this one. "I assume she's being realistic about the, well... messiness factor of it?"

"I think so." Lydia thought about it for a moment. She had considered it extensively, but not quite in those terms. "She's too practical not to face up to facts, but with a doctor's sense of ethics. There's not a lot of room for flexibility there, but I find that more reassuring than not. At least, in her role."

Sometimes, you had to do what you had to do. But there were others who could handle that, if necessary.

"I'm hoping it would never come up but..." An eloquent shrug there pretty much summed it up. "I find it easier to plan for things going to hell, then be pleasantly surprised if they don't."

"My policy is not dissimilar," Lydia agreed, that not-quite smile twitching at the corner of her lips yet again. "One convenient thing about our squad is that those of us who bother to plan are likely to operate that way. Though Nightcrawler is an optimist, I don't think it's in the 'sacrifice all practicality' sense."

"For which I am eternally grateful," Philip said dryly. "Mostly because seeing that sort of thing come crashing down is incredibly depressing."

"Especially when one's already put so much work into it." Lydia pushed off the wall and stepped toward him once. She narrowed her gaze; she hadn't quite made up her mind, but one thing, at least, was clear: he was not an idiot. And if he was testing Scott, and that wasn't just paranoia... good. "But I think you and I can work together fine, Agent."

"I'm glad to hear that," Philip said with a smile, an actual, genuine one, no less. "If I can be of assistance, please let me know at any time."

"Same," she said, with something as near to a return real-smile as she ever got with near-strangers. "See you at practice."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Shinobi cannot overstate how pleased he is to have been placed on a team with such deliciously Machiavellian personalities as Phil and the Martin girl.

(Also, he protests that you give him entirely too much credit and he is exactly as brainless and flighty as he seems! /petulant)