1963-06-04 - Special Snowflakes in your eye
Summary: Jean Grey and Logan see what the basement is all about.
Related: If there are no related logs, put 'None', — please don't leave blank!
Theme Song: None
logan jean bobby alex xavier 


It's been more than a day since Jean, Logan, and Xavier teamed up to stop a young family from losing their lives and a father from making a decision he might never recover from. Awkwardly, Charles, Bobby, and Alex had to leave the next morning for Birmingham, Alabama. The Professor promised to meet with both Logan and Jean right away this morning.

But then, the Prince of Atlantis showed up.

Finally, Charles has brought Logan and Jean down into the sub basement of the school where a makeshift training center is housed. There's a small meeting room, a large area for training that the students have named the "Danger Room" and a room that is locked for safekeeping. Behind that door, only few in the school have been.

Meeting the trio are two of Xavier's most trusted students, Alex Summers and Bobby Drake.

"Glad you all could make it," Xavier says as they gather around the meeting table. "I wanted to bring you down here, Jean and Logan, to meet with Alex and Bobby and discuss your stay."

Today, Alex is dressed in a pair of slacks and a lose fitting button up shirt, and that shirt is only buttoned up the bottom half — which reveals the tight yellow and blue X-men containment suit he's got on underneath, along with the top half of the focusing circle in the middle of his chest. It's business casual over serious business, all together. He's got a calm, curious demeanor about himself as he pulls out a chair and settles down, and when his name is mentioned he lifts a hand with a quick grin to indicate which one he is. "Welcome to the Institute." he offers amicably.
When the Prof told them he'd be meeting some people, Bobby was pretty sure who one of them was. And he was right. "Hi Jean." he says, giving her a smile. The other… "Nice to meet you, Logan."
Logan hovers behind Jean like a protective shadow, if Jean's shadow were hairy and had a habit of snarling. He's friendly enough today, though, a cigar chomped in the corner of his mouth. "Alex an' Bobby, huh? Sounds like a right pack o' boy scouts," he grins. "Just yankin' yer chain, boys. Pleasure, o' course," he says, nostrils flaring for a moment as he marks their scents, eyes flicking over the environment. He's not crazy about being penned in much, but he figures Jean needs the help and it's not like he has anywhere els to go. Whoever messed his brain up made damn sure o' that.

"What's with the get-ups?"

It was an eventful day. Napping, wandering, hanging out with Bobby for a few moments, napping yet again, and being awoken to attend a promised meet a few of the Professor's own. So while she looks uncomfortable, its only because official meetings have usually went from bad to worse. But this place seemed different. Her hands unclasp from in front of her as she issues out a quick wave and a lean towards Bobby, another spared for Alex as well. "Hi." A discussion like this was big, and she was packed full of nervous energy. "I.. I can pay rent?"
Xavier nods to Logan. "An excellent question. The clothing is actually specially designed containment suits that help augment each wearer's powers. For me, since my powers come from my mind, the 'get up', as you say, is pretty simple. For other of our students, it might contain other adaptations to make it more useful in situations."

Xavier chuckles and shakes his head, "Rent won't be needed, Miss Grey. I am quite lucky that my mother left me quite a bit of money when she passed away. Lucky enough to live off the interest of investments, and since the house has been paid for for quite some time, rent money will not be needed."

"I've brought you down here to this dank place to show you where I would like Jean to practice her powers. It is my hope that both Alex and Bobby will assist me in completing the physical aspects of your training, while I focus on the mental and emotional aspects."

Finally, Xavier turns to Logan, "And I was hoping you might consider staying as well. I sense a great amount of ferocity in you, Logan, and I hope that I might be able to assist you with that."
"Oh, I got all the merit badges." Alex grins suddenly, crossing his arms over his chest as he gives Logan a measuring look, but when Logan mentions the suit, he gives a shrug and buttons up his shirt a couple more buttons, "And, uniforms are sexy. Everyone knows that." His voice is light, and though joking, his tone doesn't seem intended to be challenging. More seriously he adds to Xavier's explanation, "The suit helps me channel the destruction where I want it to go, instead of letting it fly off and explode all around me. Exploding is bad. I try not to explode as a general rule of thumb." He nods his head to Xavier, turning a look to Bobby before smiling back at the pair, "I'd be glad to help you in training in anyway I can. We've helped quite a few of our people with coming to grips with what they can do. Controlling what they can do. And here, you can be who you are. Safely."
Bobby smiles at the offer of rent, knowing what the answer will be. He just settles back in the chair, nodding at what Xavier says. "Yeah, course. Be glad to help. She's already given me a given me a demonstration of what she can do physically." he says, giving the girl a teasing grin. "It was impressive." Now ferocity is an interesting word to choose and he looks Logan over curiously.
Logan arches an eyebrow at Xavier, "Last time somebody tol' me they could sense my ferocity, I ended up gettin' a roll in the hay. You ain't that pretty, Chuck," he says, striking a match on the palm of his hand and lighting his stogie. "But I ain't about t'leave Red in yer tender hands at the least til I'm good an' sure she's safe. Kid's been through a lot an' she helped me out of a tough spot," he says. He blows smoke from his nostrils like a steaming bull. "I'll keep my own clothes, thanks all the same, bub."

Jean smiles a little, drawing her hands back in front of herself as she looks to them all in turn. She even steps more to the side, keeping Logan within her sights as well. Xavier was right, there was hostility that even she nearly fed off of when he was around. But it was quiet. Bobby's words causes her gaze to lower considerably, her lips bunching as she begins to rock upon her heels. 'Tattle tale..' Was immediately thought of and broadcasted, though it's no telling who could have picked that one up. "Sorry.." She mumbles quietly.

"So.. down here, no one will get hurt?" She asks finally, "..I don't know what physica— oh.." Those times when she passed out or nearly upchucked dinner whenever her powers got out of hand.. maybe the physical side counted as that. The mental and emotional? She's seen that first hand when she first met the Professor. She could still imagine the taste of lemonade.

Even though she really wanted to ask what 'Roll in the hay' meant, she figured it was best to leave it alone. Now her picking and prodding was going to turn to Alex, Bobby had the pleasure of that earlier. "So you make fire? Like he makes ice and snow. Can I see?"
"That is probably for the best Logan," Charles says with a nod. "Our lumberjack fashion-line of suits does not come out until the fall. This way everyone." Xavier gives the Canadian a little wink to show that he's just joking and moves on into the next room. With a little oomph he pulls a lever on a large steel door which eventually gives way and rolls along the floor and opens. What's beyond is a long, cavernous room, perhaps 200 yards. It's width is just under the size of the width of a football field and it's ceiling is in a semi circle, reaching two stories at its apex. "I have some ideas for activities, but if Alex and Bobby would prefer, they are probably better at this sort of thing than I am."
"Fire?" Alex purses his lips thoughtfully, then shakes his head and grins, "Its nothing quite so easy to explain as fire. It's hot— really hot— and assuming it doesn't blow something to bits its probably gonna be on fire after, but fire is really the weakest side effect of the plasma discharge. I'm also complete rubbish at lighting a cigar on demand. Sorry, Logan." He flashes his grin at Logan, "I can… hold my punches, so to speak, but the lowest setting would pretty much annihilate a cigar. So no. I'm not a fire-master the way Iceman here is the lord of all things ice. I'm Havok." When the Professor defers to he and Bobby, he turns a smile towards the man and says, "I'm happy to give a demonstration, to satisfy the lady's curiosity, Professor."
Bobby follows the others into the Danger Room. Alex gets a grin for what he says. "Why don't you blow some things up again?" he suggests. "Here…" Putting his hand out over the floor, it starts icing up and flowing toward the far end. When it gets to the end of the room, it builds upwards, getting rounder, until it becomes a large disk with a smiley face. "Just like last time."
Logan has seen his share of training areas over the years, even if some of the memories are…not quite right. He focuses instead on the young men, taking a step back as he waits to see a demonstration of their powers. "Fire, ice, plasma - just don't be pointin' any o' that shit at me an' we'll have no problems," he grins.

There was a quiet and well placed laugh, the lumberjack deal was pretty hilarious. But she stops even if she didn't sense that feelings were hurt, and follows the men into the rather.. long.. type dome thing. She had never seen anything like it really. Even though it was a plain and reinforced, it was hard to believe that the Institution held something so massive within.

It was like it was bigger on the inside!
Or smaller on the outside, depending on anyone's perception.

"This all sounds complicated.." Jean finally admits about Alex's powers, taking a step back behind Logan and Charles as Bobby demonstrates his range of powers. It was all too impressive, and she watched with slack-jawed wonder.
Charles takes a place by Logan and watches Bobby and Alex and folds his arms; he even rocks on his feet for a moment while giving the Canadian a little grin. His eyes then trail to Jean, "It's a lot more technical than it appears. That being said, it is a pretty simple phenomenon once you see it in action. Havok, as we call him, came to us in a similar situation that you do. Unable to control what could be quite a devastating power. But, together, we found a way to help him manage it. We will do the same for you, Miss Grey."
Alex nods to the Professor, wincing slightly at mention of how he was at first, "Yeah, Jean. When I first started manifesting my power, it … was bad. I would get mad, and buildings stop being buildings around me. They start being rubble falling on my head. Not fun." He rolls his shoulders, flexing his arms, and taking a couple deep breaths, "See…" Another roll of his shoulders as if doing a physical warm up, and he offers a friendly smile for Jean as he explains, "I drink the sun and the stars. Literally. The star stuff — superheated plasma, but really, star stuff has a nice ring to it — is resting there in my body. All the time. By all rights it should burn me to a cinder, but it doesn't. I contain it. Until I let it out— and with the suit— direct it at something I want to go boom." While explaining, he unbuttons and takes off his overshirt and dropping it aside, revealing the blue and yellow suit— with the circular … thing, in the center of his chest. Rolling his shoulders again, a blue light seeps up out through the suit, and begins curling around his body, flowing from his back over each shoulder and around his waist, to meet there at the center where his hands clench together and… it suddenly explodes forth with a violent burst, as the plasma stream surges ahead, blue and bright, and strikes into the target Bobby made. Any ice that didn't get incinerated from the heat probably didn't survive the shockwave that came with the strike.
Bobby has seen it before so he was watching the others for their reactions instead of watching Alex. Once it's over, he glances down the length of the room and the ice sheet extends to cover and put out any fires that started. "He can't light one cigar but one cigar store is definitely doable."
Logan feels the hair on tthe back of his neck stand up as he watches Alex's demonstration. "More like howitzer. Damn, son," he says, puffing on his cigar. "That's one helluva weapon ya got there. I dunno nothin' about stars an' shit, but that was pretty bad ass," he says.

"So do I gotta do a demonstration an' shit?" he chuckles. "I don't mind, been a bit since I got t'unleash."

She really couldn't imagine what shape Alex was in when he first came to the Professor. Or even Bobby. The two young men seemed well adjusted and happy, so that has to account for something. There was no ill will that she felt from them, nothing that'd make her rear up and take a side door out of the institute. So far, she's been amazed with the people she's seen and they all seemed really nice. Logan here was an added bonus.

Jean nods towards the professor as she gets a better angle to watch, her brows lifting at first, then eyes widening as he unleashes the full force of his blast. Her teeth clench together, her hand unclasping to point a crooked finger, then down again.. then up.. and then down. 'WHY IS EVERYONE SO CALM ABOUT THIS!' Is nearly shouted mentally, though her lips remain sealed as she takes another step back. If it wasn't for Logan's cordial words, she possibly would have cut out running back to familiar waters.

Charles smiles to himself as Havok obliterates the target. His head tilts slightly towards Logan, "I'm sure if you'd like to show them what you keep beneath, they too would be rather impressed. Down here we let ourselves go a little bit. It can get a bit…" He pauses as he tries to think of the words. "Rambunctious."

His brown eyebrows raise as he offers up a suggestion, "Bobby, perhaps you'd be willing to lob some snowballs in Jean's direction for her to practice her telekinesis? Or alternatively, she might be able to hit some moving targets with objects." He winces a bit, having never been good at this sort of thing.

That was always Raven's job.

Alex turns an admittedly little self-satisfied grin to Logan, leaning down to grab up his shirt and slip it on over the suit, "I'm not the most powerful one around here, either. We all come to together and help each-other learn the most important thing any mutant can learn, I think: control. Then, working together. I love finding out what we can do together that we can't do alone." That said, he nods encouragingly at Bobby at Charles' direction, grinning at Jean, "Bobby can also do wicked waterslides when the mood strikes him. But that's recreational. Snowballs are a pretty safe way to practice aim." BUt then he's curiously looking at Logan, "Yeah, I'd love to see what you can do, man."
Bobby nods at the suggestion. "Sure, we can do that. Both, one after the other." Though he wants to see what Logan can do first since nothing's even been hinted at yet, except for a really bad temper.
Logan grins, "Gimma somethin' to destroy than, Iceman," he says. He doesn't think of it as a codename, just a nickname. I mean, it's not exactly rocket science, coming up with that stuff. "Meanwhile, I can show one of my powers real easy," he says. He draws the cigar from his mouth and casually grinds the hot tip of it into the palm of his other hand, the smell of burning flesh and the sound of sizzling skin perhaps a bit shocking, "Might wanna look away there, red," he says.

He holds up his hand afterward, showing the red welt, burned all the way through to the meat of him. "Yeah, it hurts, so ya know, I ain't gotten around pain. I'm just used to it," he says as, before their eyes, the burn starts to seal up, reparing itself until he's whole again.

"I see that.." Jean wasn't upset or skeptical, she was just hopeful that none of those blasts would actually turn on her. Though when it's expected of her to use her telekinesis on the fly? Her head immediately shakes. She didn't even know that was the technical term for it. She was under the false assumption that it happened on wishes and butterflies. "I.. don't think that's really a good idea. I don't even know how to use it. Can't I just start with math? Or English? I can paint really well!" Ah-hah. Nervousness.

But thankfully, Logan's mutation was the talk of now and she purposely attempts to fade into the background, turning away as soon as it was suggested to not look at the burn, teetering towards the doorway with quiet paces. Thankfully, those thin shoes were like being barefoot and didn't leave a solid click.

Charles grins at Logan's trick, but can feel the nervousness emanating from Jean. His voice moves to soothe her. < I could try and block the fear chemicals in your brain causing your unease, but you and I both know that won't make you stronger. You'll need to learn to do that yourself. You can trust these men and you can trust yourself. Let loose a little, Jean. I will protect your mind; you will not go too far.>

Alex blinks and winces visibly at the sound of the sizzling flesh, "Err, ouch. Okay. That's useful. But you could have done something less gross like, I'm not sure, cut off a finger." He's grinning with a bit of dark humor at that, but he turns his attention onto Jean, "We don't have to do anything you're not ready for, Jean, but sooner or later you're going to have to face it. Training isn't just about being stronger— though I intend on doing away with the need for my suit, and Bobby thinks I can be more… surgical then I am, so we'll see. Training is about control. Your control, your safety, so you never do something on accident." He looks… troubled, at that. He's done quite a bit more damage on accident then he's ever done on purpose. "Believe me, its a lot more scary to not be able to go out for a hamburger without thinking of the damage you might do if someone rear ends you."
Bobby looks curious and then just kind of blinks as Logan burns himself. The healing's impressive indeed. "Something to destroy coming up." In the middle of the room, a block of ice starts to form until it's ten feet tall and five feet to a side. In the side facing them, an X is incuse, marking the spot.
Logan chuckles, "Well, see, that's another problem," he says, lackadaisically walking over towards the ten foot block of ice. "Can't break my bones. They're bonded with a kinda metal called adamantium. Fuckers who put it in me said it was the strongest stuff on Earth. Makes stainless steel look like toilet roll," he says. "Speakin' o' the adamantium," he says.

*SNIKT*

Logan flicks his wrists and his claws pop from the back of his hands, razor-edged mayhem incarnate. He swings three, four, five, sex times, alternating arms, criss-crossing as the blades slice through the ice. So sharp are they, there's no chipping or shattering, just smooth, clean cuts so that. He retracts his claws and pushes the tower with the tip of his finger and all the pieces start slip-sliding apart, tumbling to the ground behind him as he turns and starts walking back to the group. "Oh, an' I smell an' hear real good, too."

Jean was edging so close to the door she could almost feel the handle within her grasp. But that inner voice that wasn't hers invaded her thoughts, and she stopped almost immediately, turning just a little to glance towards Charles. She was really nothing like them. But hearing that they were once like her? It seemed impossible.

"I know." She says aloud to Charles and Alex, her shoulders slumping. It was really now or never, everyone in the room seemed and felt as trustworthy as they could be. Maybe even one day she could help them too? It all seemed impossible. But she was a little hopeful.

Though, watching Logan in action was a little bit bit amusing if not frightening still, she had never seen him actually -use- the claws but what they could actually -do- to a person lingered in the back of her mind. "It's true.." She finally speaks up, a little louder. "He smelled you from.. well, a mile away. Said you smelled preppy." She gestures towards Charles, indicating him.

"Well, perhaps it was my aftershave. It is a popular brand, and rather strong," Charles deadpans. Watching Logan is partly terrifying and partly exhilarating. "The fear that Alex speaks of will subside. As you learn control you'll trust yourself more and more. Eventually you will not need this place anymore. We'll still hope you come back, of course."

Charles discretely sniffs himself, to check and see what preppy smells like.

Again, Alex winces when the blades come out, and he probably asks the question that Logan's been asked a million times, "Does that hurt? When they come out?" He has to ask it, because that didn't at all look like it was fun. Having knives stick out of you. "See, not being able to have your bones broken? That sounds great! Except that part where you said someone put it into you. I can't even imagine what kind of surgical procedure it'd take to bond metal to a skeleton, and I imagine that healing factor helped a lot, but man, you have bigger balls then I do to want that done to you." He's amazed enough that slicing and dicing the ice almost seems natural after he's thought about the first revelations: well of course this Logan guy can slice and dice like a master chef. He wrinkles his nose, "Okay, I'm really not envious of being able to smell people from a mile away. I mean I'm sure it can be useful but it also sounds disgusting." He grins a bit ruefully, "I mean I've had the misfortune of smelling some people who had serious odor issues. And that's without supersmelling." He does nod to Charles though, "Yeah, it gets better."
Bobby takes a step forward as the claws come out, wanting to get a closer look. Not too much closer though as the man starts vivisecting the ice block. "He called them fuckers." he points out to Alex then asks "Who did that to you?"
Logan slides his claws home and looks sharply at Alex for a moment, "Who says I asked fer it, bub? Yer right, healin' helped plenty. Reason why they picked me, I figger. But they didn't gimme much choice in the matter," he says. "Course, I don't think they expected me t'wake up quite as quick as I did. They sure looked surprised before I cut 'em to ribbons. Can't say I got their names, what wit' bein' out o' my flamin' mind in pain an' hate. Sometimes I get hurt - or pissed - bad enough I lose control a little bit," he says.

He returns to the group and takes a fresh puff on his newly lit cigar, "Don't sell yerself short, Jeannie. You got more moxie'n you give yerself credit."

The banter was seemingly natural, Jean laughs at the quips and finally rejoins the three, though her arms still remain folded about her chest. "In the asylum.. there.. well it just smelled like really bad urine if you pass a certain room. There was also a guy who dreamed about painting with his .." She gestures, unable to say the word. It was unbecoming of a lady, her mother always said. "Though they had this really weird meat surprise pie that smelled strictly like pepper. It didn't make you sneeze, but it smelled like pepper." Jean kind of zones out thinking about it, her lips pursing tightly together.

Though she was snapped out of her thoughts as she listens to Logan's angry ranting, her shoulders tensing just for a moment, her head immediately shaking. "I'm not selling myself short. It's.. I don't know. A comfort thing. But.. they're right. It's now or never.."

Too bad she wasn't like Charles, she could have made them forget they'd even ask. But she takes a step forward out into the open, lowering her hands and shaking them out. She had no clue how to start this, but she supposes that's what the room is for.

"Okay." She says uneasily. "Um. Go?"

<But that's the point, Jean.> Charles voice enters into Jean's mind. < You'll eventually be like me. It's a process, not a switch.> Jean may notice that he's looking at her and as their eyes meet, Charles nods.
"Oh." Alex looks a bit sheepish, and grim, all at once as he regards Logan seriously, "Sorry, missed that. Well. At least they're.. Uh. dealt with." Alex shakes his head then, and he nods to Jean when she decides to partake, but its with a quick smile to Bobby that he lets him take the lead with the snowball training. For this he's not particularly useful except as moral support, "I have no idea how telekinesis works, but most things help by concentrating. Also a snowball to the face is real motivational." He grins suddenly at that.
Bobby is nodding as Logan explains. Yeah, having medical procedures done on you without your consent makes being sliced up seem fitting. He looks over at Jean when she agrees then at the others before motioning to the girl. "Let's go over here." he suggests, walking away a bit. He's seen what she can do so further from bystanders is better. "I'll toss them past you, you do what you do." And whenever she's ready, that's just what he does.
Logan holds up his hands at Jean as if to say he wouldn't argue with her about it. He did his demonstration, now it's time for her turn. He doesn't need training like these folks did in how to use his powers, but they could help her. And it was kind of nice to be around other freaks for once - not that he was about to get all dewy eyed about it.

"I may not need much learnin', but I c'n share a bit o' knowledge, if I hang around. I'm bettin' you boys ain't had much experience fightin'. We can remedy that."

Jean casts a look towards Charles, then slowly nods her head with confidence. It was a huge push, at least to want to better herself so that she could become just like him. She follows Bobby out into the open, nodding towards Alex and offering up a smile. "Concentrating. Got it." They were out in the middle, and she braces herself, fingers rubbing against each other in preparation for the snowballs.

"Okay.. go.."

And then one flies past her, which she totally missed. That was fine. And then another, which she ducks out of the way of. Shaking her fingers again, she braces herself as another one comes flying past, her hands shooting up instinctively to blow it clean out of the air. Bits and pieces of snow fly towards the ground, a decent fleck of it catching her eye, her hands flailing and shaking out as she jumps into place.

"ITS IN MY EYE! OH GO.. oh. It melted."
Charles throws his head back and laughs heartily as she succeeds, clapping loudly. "There you go, Jean! Way to go!" He's all smiles and enjoys the moment thoroughly, as Jean reminds me very much of himself when he was young. Back in the days of being sure he was insane, thinking all the voices were just those inside his head.
"Oh, you might be surprised, but we train for combat, though its considered a last-resort thing. We try to resolve matters peacefully before punching or blowing things up. That said?" Alex shrugs slightly to Logan's suggestion, saying in an almost sincere modest voice, "The only reason I'm kept on hand is to be in case the last-resort is needed. I'm not much for subtlty. But I'd love to train with you anyways, Logan." But he can't help but grin at Jean's first bit of power training, and he just barely manages to keep from laughing out loud. "Excellent! Maybe try with your hands in your pockets?" he suggests.
Bobby throws one, two and then three snowballs past Jean. When she gets the third and starts dancing around, albeit because she got a snowflake in her eye, he can't help but snicker. And then he starts to grin and throws a fourth. "Think fast." he tells Alex.

Jean grins wide after she rubs her eye, blinking fast towards everyone, showing off a grin that couldn't be contended with. "Thanks!" She manages out, both hands waving slightly within the air in excitement, even jumping a little into place as she lets out a happy sigh. She hadn't remembered smiling this wide since childhood, she actually felt at home here with the people surrounding her. This was going to be good.

Though, once Bobby tosses another snowball, this time towards Alex, her hands automatically raise as a gesture of her telekinesis, blowing it out of the sky right then and there and possibly with enough mess to get Alex wet. (bwaha).

"Oh! Woah! I am -so- sorry! SO.. so very sorry.." She backs away, thumb immediately pointing towards the exit. "Did.. did you all hear that? Cau.. I mean.. dinner… yeah.. BYE!" There was no stopping this lady now as she heads for the door and dashes right out. Training was done for today!

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