nextgenerationmarvel | Oh hey, it's pool time, eh? (Open)

It was a beautiful August afternoon. Almost disgustingly gorgeous, actually. The humidity had finally fallen to an acceptable level and it was showing up as a very lovely 80 Fahrenheit (27 Celsius to Kayla, it would always be 27 Celsius). It was beautiful and safe ... it'd probably be awhile before Kayla felt like going camping again. Nobody had been hurt too badly, but it'd still been an awful mess, and Rose hadn't really been the same after it.

It was perfect weather for a dip in the lake. Not too hot, not too cold, no real wind. And it was also an absolutely perfect opportunity to take her new swimsuit on a trial run.

Kayla had always loved water, since she was a little kid. She remembered her father always joking that she should have been born a dolphin or something. She'd never have made a swim team in any significant way, but swimming had come naturally to her- but even more so, just the feeling of being in cool water, floating, treading water, even just standing in it.

If other people joined her, that was awesome, but she didn't mind being alone either. Like a complete goon, she started running down the pier and jumped into the water.

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He offered Kayla something of a smile. "I mean, do you doubt that I can...actually, I don't know." Topher was more of a skydiver than he was a swimmer, but he wasn't necessarily bad at it.

Also, it helped to know how to swim when your family had a history of members being wrapped in psionic cocoons many leagues under water.

He was nowhere near champion levels of swimming, though.

"But it'll be fun finding out!" He splashed Kayla then and dove under, using his strength to propel him forward.

"H-hey!" he was not going to be left behind in this! Dolemeck began to refocused his telekinetic powers. He kept his legs together and used his arms for upper body strength. He manipulated his legs under water for the first time in his life, making them move like a dolphin, or a merman if you will.

"Hey! I'm actually doing it!" Dolemeck thought to himself. While he was still refining his powers, he was able to finally manipulate his legs for the first time since he discovered them. "Wonder why I cannot do this with my braces on... maybe it is just easier to move my legs like a fish, instead of walking. I should talk to headmistress Ramsey about this later!"

Soon, he had caught up to Topher.

Edited 2014-10-23 06:14 (UTC)

Well ... Kayla was still ahead, but both of them were starting to gain on her. She was going to have to get serious about this, if she was going to hope to win. She concentrated on summoning up a low-level shockwave behind her, giving her a push in the water- and a sizeable wave for the others to deal with.

Totally honest.

Kayla would never cheat. She was just being creative with her advantages.

They were mutants. Using your powers just a little bit couldn't possibly be considered cheating.

At least this is what Topher insisted any time they played a basketball game.

Topher held back a laugh as the wave pushed him back - the last thing he needed was water going into his lungs. He was thrown back enough, but Topher surged ahead again, once more putting his strength to use. He wouldn't catch up to Kayla, but that was okay. He didn't need to be the best at everything. It was the one thing that both of his parents had taught him while growing up - he didn't need to be perfect if he wanted to lead the X-Men one day. He just had to recognize his own strengths and weaknesses, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of those around him.

Dolemeck was starting to tire out from using his powers this way. It was hard to keep his focus on moving his legs for this long. Instead of trying to catch up to Topher and Kayla, he took a detour towards the more shallow waters.

Gasping for air, Dolemeck sat up in water that went to his waist. He was not upset about losing, he was proud he did as much as he could, today. All that embarrassment was gone, and there was just a look of joy on his face.

"Whoo!" Kayla proclaimed proudly as she reached the other end, grinning and waving at the boys. Surely, she would've been fairly gracious had she lost, but sometimes it just felt good to win. She immediately started swimming back towards them.

"Hey guys. Good race!"

Topher padded up a moment later, a wry smile on his face. He ducked under the water and came out so he was facing the same way that Kayla was, swimming back with her. "Remind me how good of a swimmer you are the next time the Atlanteans decide to launch an attack," he said dryly.

Dolemeck finally felt strong enough to use his abilities to just let his body float in the water towards Topher and Kayla.

"Aye, that was fun! I am a bit exhausted, however... I never used my powers like that before!" He said with pride. "It felt good to swim again."

"I'll keep it in mind." Kayla grinned. "Though I'd probably just end up punching the shit out of them. It's kinda what I do. Though I'd rather do it with my fearless leader calling the shots." Kayla grinned broadly.

She smiled over at Dolemeck. "Awesome pawsome. You should do it on a regular basis while the weather's good. Water's amazing."

He grinned. Fearless leader. Topher could only hope. He really did like to think that he'd be the next generation of Summers to lead the X-Men. Between his Uncle Scott, his Aunt Jean, his parents with X-Factor, and now Rachel, well, he had a lot to live up to. A lot to prove.

Pressure? What? Noooo. Just gotta remember to not be uptight the way that Ms. Frost claims Husk used to be.

"Water aerobics and things are supposed to be good, I think," Topher added. "Maybe one of the instructors can help guide you in something like that."

"I should try and make it out to the lake more often." He agreed with Kayla. "Maybe find a swimming buddy, as I am not allowed to be out here by me-self. For good reason, and I understand it."

He then looked over at Topher, giving him a bit of a sad smile.

"Water aerobics and aquatic therapy are for muscle strengthening. My legs are strong enough, but my brain just does not connect that they are apart of me. I mean, I can feel them and all. I just cannot control them without aide."

There were no sad feelings, no anger. It was just like he was stating a fact.

"Without those leg braces I could not even walk. They would just buckle out from under me or my knees might bend the wrong way."

He went back to floating around the two, looking a bit exhausted, but still jovial.

"I... may need some assistance getting back to the mansion, come to think of it. If I put the braces on while soaked like this, I could damage them or slip as I walk. Would either one of you mind helping a bloke out?"

Uptight and Topher did not really combine in any meaningful way. Kayla was positive that he'd be fine. Anything he needed to work on, well, he had time. Mrs. Ramsey wasn't going away anytime soon.

Kayla nodded at Dolemeck. "Lean on me, bro. We'll get ya home."

Oh hey, it's pool time, eh? (Open)

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