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Logan brought Jean down to start working on doing some hand to hand with her. Odds are, she wouldn't need it much - her powers could handle way more than her fists. But sometimes this sort of thing helped people focus and get their minds together. Discipline and all that. Plus, it keeps you in good shape.
Of course, Logan, with his healing factor and metabolism, could just chow down on cheeseburgers and beer and still maintain his six pack. Jerk.
He's in shorts and a wife-beater, his hands wrapped in tape as he prepares to run Jean through some basic boxing drills, "We'll start ya on the speed bag. Ain't anything complicated, just hitting it, getting a rhythm, gettin' your heartrate up to start."
*
Long pants and her very own little wife beater. Jean wasn't dressed to impress, hair tucked into a ponytail as she takes a step up to a speedbag. "Okay.." She murmurs quietly, her hands slowly beginning to work at it, punching it once.. twice.. slow.. but even her punches were sloppy and unskilled. She was even smacking it with an open palm, wincing just a little, taking another step back and attempting to have another go at the dangling ball.
"This.. I don't like this.." She murmurs quietly, dropping her hands down by her side. "I mean, I understand it's partially necessary.. but.. I don't think I can get the hang of this."
*
Logan leans against the wall, taking a sip of a beer, "Why not? Ya can't get into pretendin' to hurt folks? Make your shoulders burn?" he says.
"Might be they come up with a way tot make it so our powers don't mean squat. Turn 'em off, make 'em useless, whatever. Gotta be able to protect yerself even without 'em," he says.
*
Jean shakes her head slowly. He pretty much hit the nail on the head. "I don't.. no. I.. just don't think it's right to hurt people no matter what they've done to us." Even though, deep down, she knows that there's a need to fight back. But she was looking for a different way.
"I can run. That's how I could protect myself. Or just stay here and read." She smiles slightly, almost a little fond.. "The library here is grand. I'm learning so many things, things that weren't available to me in our Asylum. And I'm understanding -so- much. Like interactions between people who actually care. When and when not to say something. Human nature. Our nature. To read between the lines of how we feel and how to help those who -do-."
*
Logan considers, "I don't want to make you do somethin' you don't wanna do, Jeannie," he says. "If you genuinely wanna go straight up pacifist, I ain't got a problem with that. Everybody gotta do what they do," he says. "I just want ya to be safe, that's all. Don't gotta be aggressive, don't gotta even try to hurt somebody or kill 'em. But there's folks out there who ain't right. Folks who're just plain bad. And I wouldn't want to lose ya to any o' 'em," he says.
"Don't get me wrong, I'll die protectin' ya if I gotta. But even I can't always be around…"
*
"I…" Jean grunts a little, then takes a step away from the speedbag. Her arms lift to draw over herself, her head lowered as she tries to figure out what to say. "I.. just don't want to fight."
"When we were locked up.." She starts, frowning just a little. "..I knew you were there. I could feel your rage. Your anger. And I could feel it within my soul and sometimes I could feel it even when I'm sleeping. But.. there was a question as to why I could feel that intense anger so deeply."
She frowns a little. "I guess, reading has helped me realize that it wasn't your anger. I mean, it helped. But.. it wasn't your anger. It wasn't even mine but it .. was? And I'm afraid to express that anger because.." There was a little chill, her eyes closing as her fingers lift to press against the bridge of her nose. Even thinking about the fire… the flash of a wing-flap.. it was beautiful.. that fire..
"..I'll burn the world.." She murmurs quietly, then clears her throat. "I want to be like Professor Xavier. I want to teach. I want to use my gifts to help. Not my fists. And.. you won't die. I won't allow it. You don't have to always protect me, Logan. I think I will be okay."
*
Logan considers. He certainly heard what she said, under her breath or not. Could she burn the world? Maybe. He didn't consider much of anything impossible anymore. Maybe Jean was dangerous. Maybe she could be a monster.
He didn't really care.
People like Raven and Erik like to talk about causes. They want to argue about what the right thing to do is, who to follow, make plans. They want to lead. Logan's not a leader. That doesn't mean that he follows blindly - far from it. But it means that he doesn't try to control the situation - he doesn't think he can fix anything. And he's experienced enough to know that cause only takes you so far if the people involved are fuck-ups or monsters.
So he goes on his gut. He gives his loyalty to people instead of ideas, to friends instead of concepts. He has no idealogy except protect his friends and kick the shit out of his enemies. And Jean, above and beyond anyone else, is his people, the person in whom he has placed his greatest loyalty. If she burns the world, he'll be lighting his cigarette on it.
"You ain't gonna allow it, huh? Glad t'hear it, darlin'. Well, then, if you just wanna get some exercise, I suggest a little bit o' swimmin' if you don't wanna tussle with the ol' canucklehead."
*
Coming in after a run, Alex is in a pair of shorts and a tank top, his usual exercise attire, really. He carries with him a metal thermos, and as he slows and glances around, he lifts it up to twist the top and take a chug of water. Then he approaches Jean and Logan, though not too close. "Hey, guys." he greets.
*
"No, I'm not going to allow it." Jean states faithfully, reaching out to smack the speedball with the open palm of her hand. "No one that lives in this house shall die. I make this my formal decree. And if anyone in this house could die and come back to life? They.. will never have to do that in the first place. Yeah!" She smacks the speedball again, laughing.
But she shakes her head almost immediately, backing up a spot to draw her hands up into a really, really horrible fighting pose. "I didn't say I didn't want to wrestle! I'm just saying that I'm going to be like the Professor and help people!" Which means, spar time!
Alex's appearance.. well? It just amps things up. With a hop and a few steps back to do a little boxers dance around the invisible ring to warm herself up, she offers a grand ol' grin. "Hey Alex! We were just about to power spar." Well, Jean was. She doesn't know what Logan was going to do. Probably stand there and get hit.
*
"By power spar, do you mean…" Alex tilts his head to the side, lifting his canteen up for another swig of water, "Spar with powers? Or … I'm not sure." But he has to grin at Jean's boxer dance, wandering over and setting his water aside, "Have you had much martial arts training, Jean? Most students who first arrive don't. Then they give us weird looks when we tell them that's part of the curriculum."
*
"Um…" Jean stops her little dance after Alex puts his water side, her hand touching along the back of her head. "I guess.. spar with our powers? I don't know.. I wanted to sound like a swell girl." She grins sheepishly, her hands dropping to her side.
"I haven't had much other than what Logan has taught me. I.. kind of don't want to go down that route for my way of living. I want to be a teacher." She grins slightly, then shrugs. "But, Logan said it's a necessity since no one can be anywhere all the time and .. I just figured I'd be a runner instead of a fighter. Play fighting though?" She grins. "Good exercise. I remember when my brothers and sisters and I used to play fight." Maybe that was something she was trying to recreate.
*
"I'm a teacher. Geophysics— I have a masters degree from NYU." Alex smiles encouragingly, totally on board about the teacher thing, but: "Yet everyone needs to be able to defend yourself. The Professor's ways are peace-first: but be prepared, just in case. So, Logan's right. Running is good, it's a solid strategy, but what if you're surrounded? Or someone is just blocking the exit? There's too many people out there who are stupid about mutants for us to let ourselves be in their mercy."
*
"See? I want to do that. I just need my diploma, and a good college.." Jean was already planning. She was ready for this sort of life, the life of a teacher, almost like her father.
She does listen to Alex however, a frown growing along her face as she takes another tap at the speedbag, lost in thought momentarily. "I don't know.. maybe use my powers and make them fall asleep?" She sighs slightly, then takes up a crouch, her fingers lightly thumping along the ground. "When I got out of the asylum.. I hoped that I wouldn't have to do this. That the Professor would fix me. And he did.." To an extent, there were still nightmares.. "..I just didn't expect to fight people who are like my family. Regular." She looks a little sad at that, then stands again. "I know it sounds like I'm stubborn but.. I just, want to avoid raising my hand to someone for a very, very long time."
*
Alex nods his head in understanding, his expression looking sympathetic, "And maybe you won't ever need to fight— but what if one day you throwing a punch is the difference between saving some kid's life or not? It'll be too late to learn then. Me, I learned to fight because… like right now?" He gestures down at himself, "I'm pretty defenseless. I can't wear my suit all day, every day, so if I'm out without it… and someone attacks me, I'm just not good enough at control to knock someone out without it. So I have to be able to fight. Just in case some anti-mutant bigot shows up. I haven't ever had to use it yet, outside of sparring I've not so much as thrown a punch once in my life. But I know I have the tool in the toolbox if it ever needs to come up." He shrugs a bit, "Maybe your power means you'll never be defenseless… or maybe you just never know."
*
Jean sighs and shakes her head. She knew that the both of them were right, and her objections to fighting were pretty much null and void.
"I see what you're saying." She smiles and takes a little step closer, her hand reaching out to awkwardly pat his shoulder. "Okay. Tell you what." She stops patting by then, pulling her hand away to rub her fingers together. "You help me study to get my high school diploma and into a good college so I can teach.. and I'll learn to fight." She wrinkles her nose. "Well, that doesn't sound like a bargain on your behalf but.. I guess this is me saying that you guys are right?"
*
Alex nods, his smile warm and expression enthusiastic, "Absolutely." At the pat on his shoulder, his smile turns into a grin, "It's a deal. Do you have a favorite subject? Like I said, my expertise is in geophysics, but I had good marks across the board so can help tutor you for most non-specialist fields." At it not being a bargain, he laughs softly, "It sounds like good negotiation on your part, at least. But besides, I don't have a lot to do during summer anyways. Just hanging out with—" And he pauses, and coughs. Ahem.
*
"Psychology." Jean quickly answers. "I really find it fascinating. But yes. I'd need a tutor for every subject. I think.. the last.. grade I've completed was fifth?" She really, really couldn't remember.
Though there was a slight linger in Alex's words, very slight, Jean manages to finish that sentence for him. "Bobby. Yes. I know." How she knows? It's really.. odd. She did note that Bobby has been more calm as of late, and not as.. sad. Guarded. Miserable.
With Logan gone by the wayside, possibly cussing and complaining about something or other, Jean just comes out with it. "Are you two dating?"
*
Alex looks surprised by — whoooa. What did she say? Alex looks around, his expression a little guarded… but only a little bit. He doesn't panic or have any major reaction. "I'm not entirely sure I'd characterize it like that." he says, tone a little bit careful, "We've been hanging out. I've been helping him come to grips with some things that he has to deal with that I dealt with when I was his age." He does flush a little. Hanging Out is probably not the whole of it at all, even if she wasn't a telepath she might get that.
"Fifth? So you have a few years to catch up on. That's no problem." Ahem. Alex slips his hands into his pockets.
*
"Then what would you characterize it as?" Jean asks. She even takes a little step closer, her face a clear mask of any emotion. There wasn't a hint of curiousity in her gaze. It almost as if she were looking right through him. "You didn't say his name. And hanging out, I've read, has more than at least one term. And you said that you weren't entirely sure. Does that mean you were like him when he was his current age? Gay?" She wasn't admonishing him, though her face betrays it, she was truly curious.
"You're also blushing. You really shouldn't be ashamed of dating Bobby. I think that's the last thing he needs is someone ashamed to be in love with him." This is why no one likes Jean.
The subject change was quick, which snaps her out of her vacant stare. "Oh yes! A few years. I've been spending most of my time in the library though. Hopefully I can find a way to just.. do it all at once and keep going."
*
Alex sort of stares at Jean a moment, the color rising on his features. This… takes some serious mental effort to get his brain in gears, and he starts shaking his head in denial, "Now wait, wait, wait, hold up here." He still shakes his head, "I'm not homosexual, I like women too. Bobby has it harder then I did. I … wouldn't characterize it as anything. Its not that its nothing, its that he's not ready for it to be anything more then it is— which is we're sleeping…" Less with the sleep. "…together— and he's especially not ready for anyone to know about it." He rubs at his nose, looking seriously embarassed, "I'm not ashamed, though, I'm respectful of his feelings and the fact that he's not OK with it. Yet. There's no call to be using any L words or anything when we've only gone on like two dates and the first was an accident." He frowns a bit, "But I also know a lot of people would look at this and … have extremely negative reactions. Its bad enough being a mutant, at least a mutant gives me power, but a bisexual or homosexual mutant? That would go over real, real bad. Some things just need to stay… private. I don't like it but that's the world we live in."
*
The expression upon her face wasn't amused. Not in the slightest. There was a hint of concern and confusion, mostly resistance at prying into the poor mans mind. Heavily resistant, to add. The temptation was there and it comes in drones, much to the point her fingers curl into fists to rub harshly against the palm of her hands.
"Sleeping together but not sleeping." Jean states. It wasn't a correction, just pointing that out.
"I suppose.. no. I know it's bad. Being a mutant. And on top of that, being gay." She frowns a little. "It seems that the stakes are higher in you and Bobby's regard." She considers this, her gaze lowering as that hand draws up and rubs against her chin. "Are we attempting to tackle one social injustice at once or all of them at the same time.." She shakes her head, neverminding her words.
"Don't hurt him. Okay?" She says now, looking to him earnestly. "Everyone else wants to hurt us, I don't think it would be nice for us to hurt each other."
*
"Oh there's plenty of sleeping too." Alex counters, relaxing a little bit, smiling, "There's something to be said for sleeping next to someone, feeling them close. Waking up to them still being there. Its safe." But he shakes his head slowly, "I'm not really trying to tackle any social injustices, I'm just trying to protect my people. And here… in this place, I can be who I am. I dealt with the feeling of shame over what I like so I'm fine with it now, but Bobby hasn't, and I just don't want to push him into it. I think most mutants will be understanding, because yes, we already deal with bigotry. But he's not ready. So… don't tell anyone, please?" Then he shakes his head seriously, "I have no intention of hurting him. I don't know if… this, he and I, are a good idea, but … I have too much experience and confidence in what I know and want and he's… new. But … the time when I could put a stop to it is past. But no. I don't intend on hurting him." Intend being the operative word.
*
Jean looks a little sad at that. If there were a chance for her to sleep next to anyone without hearing their thoughts, she'd take it. Safe was the right word for it. Very right.
"I won't tell anyone. I promised him." She murmurs quietly. "I only asked.. and I guess the only reason why that this was brought up is because I felt how he.. feels." She furrows her brows slightly. "It's odd. Before it wasn't under control and everything managed to blend itself in.." Her hand waves around her head for a moment. "And I'd have to hide and isolate myself from everyones truths.." And lies. "Its better now. I know to stay quiet and keep it all in." She smiles a bit.
"I think I'm going to go read." She states. "Hopefully we can begin studies soon? And training sessions with you and Logan and whomever else?"
*
"Thank you." Alex smiles warmly as she says she won't tell, nodding; the sad look gets a curious tilt of his head, but for now, he doesn't pry. "You're strong, Jean. You'll become stronger. Your gift is a much greater burden then some of ours, but you'll find the steel to bear it, then you'll see. You'll do fine." Then at mention of studies, Alex nods quickly, "Tomorrow. 10am, the library." He says this firmly, and takes on his perfected teacher tone. That's an instruction! 10am, sharp!