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| Any Friend of Xavier's | |
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| Participants | Jean, Laura |
| Synopsis | Laura helps a younger boy find the bandaids for a small scrape and inadvertently meets a new 'resident' at the school. |
| Location | Infirmary, Xavier's School |
| Time | January 3, 2016 |
| Posted By | Laura |
The infirmary is someplace that Laura does not see a lot of, generally. When you have a built-in healing system, you generally don't need a bandaid. But not all the kids in the school are so lucky. The infirmary door opens and Laura stomps in, guiding a young teenaged boy by the back of the neck. He's holding up his arm, proving that he is one of those who needs bandaids from time to time, based on the bloody elbow. He's wincing a bit, but holding it together. Without looking around initially, Laura says to him, "I told you that you to wear pads while skateboarding and you didn't listen to me, so… don't whine to me about it." Granted, if he was -really- hurt, she'd probably not be giving him hell for it. She releases her hold on the boy and whips open a cupboard to look for a bandaid, unaware that they might be disturbing anyone.
When the door opens, the single occupant jumps, having been sitting in a chair on the far side of the room. It's not noticable but it's obvious that the sudden arrival of the teens has startled her from some private reverie. She watches the two curiously for a moment until Laura speaks to the other teen. As the cabinets open for the bandages to be procured, she stands up.
Dressed rather formally, looking somewhat European in her garb, she runs a hand through her hair before taking a hesitant, slow pace toward the two. The sound of broad heels clacking on the floor is unmistakable and loud enough to warn anyone of an approach.
"I do hope it's not too serious," Her voice is quiet, cultured but distinctly from the area. "If… I mean… if you need help… I would be happy to… You know… take a look." It's only at this point that one might notice that she too has a bandage, sneaking out from the sleeve of her shirt, covering the top of her hand and another that is partially concealed by her hair just above her eye.
Glancing over abruptly at the motion in the corner, Laura inwardly curses. She should have known that there was someone here already. She needs to pay closer attentions to her senses. The kid takes a step back and doesn't say a word. Looking back at him, then to the formally-dressed woman, she says, "Nah. He's fine. He just didn't wear protective padding, like a dork, and ended up skinning his elbow." She pauses briefly before she adds, "He's lucky that's all that happened." Finally turning back to the cupboard, she yanks out a couple of anti-septic wipes, individually wrapped, and a large bandaid, big enough to cover the injury. She hands them to the kid unceremoniously and says, "There. Now get going and listen to what people tell you next time or I'll take that skateboard of yours away. Got it?" The kid nods and starts to head for the door. Laura is already turning her attentions back to Jean as she adds, "Thanks for the offer. I'm sorry if we disturbed you. I don't think we've met. Have we?"
Jean watches the scene unfold between the two, watching the young man depart before turning her attention back to Laura. At the question, a tight grin takes her lips. "I…" She hesitates a moment. "I was about to ask you the same question. But no, I don't think we've met. I'm Jean." She offers her hand, taking another step forward. The way she spoke her introduction was tentative as if she didn't quite believe what she was saying… or know for a fact that it was true. "Are you a monitor or something? Activity attendant or… whatever they call it now-adays?"
Laura eyes the extended hand almost warily at first. Then she reaches out for it to give it a hesitant shake, though it seems like she's being very careful about her movements. The moment it's over, she pulls her hand back and crosses her arms over her chest. Maybe she's just not touchy-feely. "Good to meet you. I'm Laura," she returns with a bit of a nod. Then, she replies with a bit of a snorted laugh, "Hall monitor? Hell no. Just one of the students of the Xavier Institute." College-level student, basically. "I suppose I could say I'm the Keeper of the Databases or Sometimes Researcher, too, but that just seems… a little too geeky for my tastes." She offers a bit of a lopsided grin. "Anyway, someone's got to keep these kids in line or they'll end up lobbing off a head or something. Some of them think they're invincible," pause, "and only a portion of them might be to some degree or another." She considers something momentarily, then asks, "What about you?"
"I'm here because… well, I'm friends with the Professor." Jean clasps her hands behind her back, eyes narrowing slightly. "I was in some kind of accident… another friend brought me here and since then, I've been trying to recover. Apparently, it was a lot worse than it is now." She shrugs; an act that draws a little wince. "So the long and short of it is that… at least for now… I'm just visiting." A brief pause. "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. I suppose I wouldn't want to be confused for a hall monitor myself if I wasn't."
Nodding a little, Laura replies, "Some kind of accident?" She recognizes that Jean's being pretty vague, but perhaps not on purpose. After a pause, she adds a little more easily, "Well, a friend of the Professor has to be alright, right?" Despite trying to be nice, she does seem a little awkward. Maybe the word sprawled in large letters along the left sleeve of her long-sleeved t-shirt says it all: MISANTHROPE. Maybe not. Regardless, she tries to be social and continues along in the conversation, such as it is. "Don't apologize… it's not like you called me a hooker or anything," the younger woman says with a bit of a smirk. "Besides, you haven't been here long, have you? You can't be expected to know who is who yet if that's the case."
"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure how long I've been here… but more than a week." Jean purses her lips and looks toward the ceiling. "The general lesson to be learned here is simple: don't get hit in the head… with whatever it was that did it. I have a vague vision of a loud noise… fire… then…" She shrugs. "Anyway, not a really interesting topic probably. What're you studying?"
Laura winces a bit. "Hit in the head? Eesh, that doesn't sound good," she says after a low whistle. "Sounds… explosive." That's about all she say about it at first. After a moment's thought, she adds, "I wouldn't say 'not interesting', but if that's all you can remember, well, I can't expect you to make stuff up, either." Idly, she reaches up and scratches at the back of her head. "Studying? Well, I'm kind of undecided. I mean, I haven't found anything that keeps my interest for long. Mostly I've been doing the odd bit of research for the Professor. Mostly about minorities and their treatment." Obviously. "I've been focusing on karate a lot, too, over the last few years. Just qualified for my first degree black belt. So… like I said, I'm kind of everywhere."
"Ah, well… you have time. I can remember people pushing me for a direction. It just adds stress. Everyone figures it out in time. They don't need pressure." Jean moves over and takes a seat again, the relief on her expression apparent, even if it's subtle. "I can tell you that life takes directions that you would never guess. I would hope that you don't find yourself in -my- condition… but maybe you can find something exciting and not distressing. Even in this bizarre environment."
Clearing her throat a little, Laura replies, "Yeah, I suppose I'll figure it out eventually." She watches the woman move over to the seat. "Hey… are you okay? How badly are you hurt?" She pauses only briefly before she asks more quietly, "I mean… can I get you anything? Do you need anything?" In her next breath, she shakes her head. "Oh, well, I don't think that would happen." She considers her words briefly before explaining, "You see, I don't mean anything by that. And I'm not like that kid who thought nothing would ever happen to him. I just, well, I heal. Very quickly. It's probably why we haven't met yet, because I never need anything in here." She's not trying to be boastful. It's all very matter of fact.
"That would be -very- convenient," Jean lets her shoulders sag a bit in relaxation. "I'll be alright. I'm much better than I was. You wouldn't believe how bad it -was-." She tilts her head. "That's a generous offer though… So… you heal very quickly… is that all you've got going on? Please don't think that I'm prying. I'm happy to exchange stories if you'd like."
Feeling relatively relaxed around Jean for some reason, Laura finally follows her over to the chair she was seated in. Hopping up on the counter nearby, she allows her booted feet to dangle there with her hands pressed against the edges of the counter on either sides of her legs. With a nod, she says, "Well, if you change your mind, just let me know. I don't mind playing gopher if drinks, food or even a portable dvd player is needed. Just… well… say something." Moving right along. She's being asked about her powers and while there is a brief moment of pause or hesitation, she does come forth with it. They're in a safe environment, after all. "Well… along with the enhanced healing, there's a bit more strength, sharper senses. And these." She holds up one hand, makes a fist and flexes a muscle in her arm. A metallic sound reverberates through the room. -SNIKT- Then two blade-like protrusions snap out of her knuckles, sticking out about three-quarters of a foot.
Jean's eyes go wide when she sees the blade, having listened intently to that point, nodding at the offer for food & drink gathering. She leans forward a hair, admirning the weapons. "I… can't imagine that that was a very comfortable experience." She leans back. "I… trust that they are ridiculously sharp?" She folds her hands in her lap. "How did those… grow? I mean as you grew older?"
As Jean doesn't get too close, Laura leaves the blades extended a while longer. There's something about the 'uncomfortable experience' that leaves Laura silent for a moment longer. Drawing in a slow breath, she whispers, "No… it wasn't." Then, looking up again, she seems to be debating something. Finally, she says quietly and evenly, "They grew with me. They were originally claws made of bone." There's something she's holding back and it's obvious as she looks down to those blades again. "And yeah, they're really sharp. Dangerously sharp. Like freaking ginsu knives."
"I don't have anything… well, physical like that to show. All of my gifts, they're in here," Jean gently touches her head. "I can… well, I'm told I can move things and communicate with my mind. I'm afraid that I'm on the fritz. Apparently, as I get better I'll have control again but right now, it's all I can do to not hear everyone in the mansion thinking at once. Don't get me started on what sort of inconvenience -that- particular dilemma can be. Seriously."
That metallic sound can be heard again and just as fast as they appeared, the metal claws disappear back into Laura's arm, the wounds healing over almost immediately. "Wow… so… you're a telepath, like the Professor?" she asks, already sounding impressed. Being able to do something with your mind like that fascinates her, apparently. You always want what you don't have, right? Or at least think everyone else's powers are cooler, at least on some level. But at the idea that Jean can't keep people's mental voices out, she winces a little and asks, "Eesh. There's no way the Professor can help with that? If… if you ever hear me screaming at you that way, well, let me know and I'll try to, uh, tone it down. It's likely because a couple of the boys are bugging me."
"He has helped a bit," Jean smiles at the comment at the end there. "I promise I won't hold it against you if I hear it. Truth be told, I can't usually distinguish what I'm hearing when I don't initiate it. It's like… thousands of whispers, all carrying on at once. Like… if you're in a restaurant and you can hear the conversation around you as a drone? That's what it's like. It's distracting… and hard to understand… well, you can guess the rest. Moving things sounds a lot more fun to me… but it's not exactly easy. I've been having a hard time making it happen again."
Nodding a little, Laura seems a bit relieved to hear that the Professor has managed to help. She doesn't pretend to understand how these things work, though. But she nods a bit as Jean explains what it sounds like. "Well, I appreciate the lack of judgment on my inner thoughts," she says, not seeming too perturbed by the idea that they would be heard at all. She should perhaps have a right to get wiggy about it, but she's been in the school long enough to know that her thoughts may become privy to other students with this sort of mutation and a lot less control or moral standing. "Yeah, I get it. Well, good to know, I suppose. But, yeah, moving things around sounds fun. I suppose it will come back as things move along for you, right? If you could do it before, I mean, it should come back, right?"
"Truth be told, I've got a lot of… gaps in the memory." Jean tilts her head to look at the ceiling. "It's liberating in one breath and scary as hell the next. You have to wonder… what kind of things have I done? Where was I? No one has these answers that I've spoken to yet. And if the Professor knows, he's not talking yet. So I'm sort of in between right now, stuck without an anchor. It's strange to say that the present can be a prison but… it's totally true." She takes a breath. "I might need to take a walk outside. I need some air."
Laura listens to all of this quietly before she offers a slow nod. "I can't pretend to understand what you're going through. About all I can say is if you ever need to vent, you can snag me. I'm not knowledgeable in these things by any stretch of the imagination, but I can listen." As Jean indicates that she needs some air, she points out, "Bundle up. It's gotten quite bitter out there." Then she hops down off of the countertop and stuffs her hands into her pockets. "I'll leave you be for now. Uhm, take it easy, alright?" She starts to head toward the door, ready to leave Jean be, as she said.
"It was nice to meet you," Jean stands up as well. "Thanks for the tip. I hope you're friend is okay. I'll see you later, okay?"
