|
  |
Julian's arrival at the school is accomplished without much fanfare. A simple matter of an invitation, and an acceptance; no drama, no daring rescue from a dire situation. His car pulled up in front of the building a few hours ago, and after a brief meeting with the headmaster, he deposited his luggage in his assigned room, and has been exploring a little bit, since. The grounds are wide, and the mansion itself is not exactly small. He finds himself drawn eventually to the library, quietly perusing the rows of books; occasionally, Julian takes one from the shelf and leafs through it slowly, only to put it back where it came from a few moments later. There has been no official announcement yet that he has joined the staff, though it's possible Charles may have told the others about the young junior instructor prior to his arrival. Either way, his is a face that will be unfamiliar as yet.
*
Jean was tucked away in her usual corner. After last night, she's had the best sleep that she has ever had, finally waking up and drawing herself from the cabin. Slowly dragging her way into the mansion for a nice cup of water. And then to the library for more reading. Though this one is just for entertainment.
Would anyone believe that Charles had Lord of the Rings in his arsenal? The daughter of she, well.. ward that she was (legally), found this rather interesting and amusing! Fairy tales. Sometimes she wishes for them, wants them, loves them and puts it out into the world in hopes that she'd get it back.
Her bare feet remained upon the 'good chair', toes wriggling as she turns the page, her eyes lifting to spy the new man.. connecting the new mind to the face that breeches these halls.
« Looking for something specific? »
The voice in his mind calls out.. it was soft. Not loud.. and could be confused as a thought.
*
"Hmm.." Julian murmurs aloud, his eyes continuing to scan the shelves. "Nothing specific, no," he says quietly, responding to the new thought that has emerged, in a voice not his own. It seems a bit strange to him, but he doesn't quite put two and two together to realize that it had originated elsewhere, not a product of his own mind. "Something light, but engaging," he continues, thumbing the spines of the books as he passes them. And then he spots _the one_. He reaches up, to the top shelf, and pulls down a copy of Jules Verne's "Journey to the Centre of the Earth", a smile coming to his face. A book he's read a dozen times, at least, but one he never tires of. His own copy had been destroyed some time ago, both a consequence of age and carelessness. With the book in hand, he turns, looking to find somewhere to sit and read, only to finally notice the redheaded woman seated _just_ where he'd pick, if it weren't occupied. "Oh, hello," he says, offering a smile, and quickly taking note of her choice of reading material. Interesting, not the usual fodder for a young lady in this day and age. Julian's thoughts aren't guarded at all, not yet understanding fully that there may be those here who might glean from the surface of his mind.
*
« Oh, well that should be easy, then. »
Jean wasn't going to rise from her seat to help him. Though it appears, from the general feeling that she feels from him, that he was successful. In fact, his emotion was bringing about one of her own, the thought of an old dolly that she remembers from her home. It was comforting at least, even as she turns the page, her eyes focused upon a word that she tries to sound out within her mind and yet.. as he speaks up, her eyes lift and..
There was a little blush to her cheeks, her eyes widening as she lowers them down to her books. "Hello Julian.." Tuck it in buddy!
*
So it would seem that Xavier did tell the other instructors about him, or at least that's what he assumes from Jean knowing who he was. "You've got me at a disadvantage, Miss," he says, moving toward the woman where she is seated. His eyes move over her, taking in the shape her body, her features. He gives her a smile, and a nod. "Julian Keller," he says as a formal introduction.
Outwardly he is more than cordial, but his thoughts are unguarded. He's always loved libraries, and seeing Jean reminds him of his last experience with a redhead, in a place not so different from this. "You must be another instructor here? I'm sorry, Professor Xavier hasn't yet introduced me to the other memebers of the teaching staff."
*
Wha..wha! The surface thoughts be damned. While she did have her time with less than savory people, there are still everyone out there in the world that could make this girl blush. In blush she does, her cheeks nearly match the color of her hair. "I'm Jean." She blurts out. "Jean Grey. I'm.. not a teacher. Just a student."
The words were said -long- before he even though it, but she tries to keep a happy smile upon her face. Even tucking herself in a little bit against the chair..
"I mean. Student? I'll have my GED soon.. then I'm going to coll.. but I still stay here. I mean.. you.. know.." No.. he doesn't know..
"I live here. Sometimes.. most times.. oh god.."
*
Julian pauses, blinks a couple of times. Must have misjudged her age. Oops. "Oh, I'm sorry," he says, a little bit nervous-sounding, as he pushes that particular thought from his mind. "I just assumed.. I mean, you're not.." The sudden blush doesn't escape his notice, but he doesn't comment on it directly. "Pleased to meet you, Miss Grey," he says in an effort to recover from his blunder. "I'm sorry if I disturbed your reading, I know how irritating that can be."
Of course, the thought also occurs to him that the blush may have been caused by him. He's well aware that this is a school for mutants, and that Charles may well not be the only one with telepathic gifts. That in mind, he considers that he'll have to try to keep his thoughts under better control. Even so, Jean sitting there, as she is, he can't help but be reminded of his old flame.
"Any particular colleges you've got your eye on, though? I've done my share of applying to schools, and would be happy to help you get organized that way, if you'd like," he offers.
*
"No no, it's okay!" Jean nearly stood, but she soon snaps the book closed. The thoughts she's gleamed from him was more than enough of a distraction. "Oh, I've read it a lot. It's always my go to. I'm trying to learn from it somehow.." She rests the book within her lap, her bare feet soon pressed to the ground, searching out for the shoes that she had removed earlier.
"Well, I'm attending the Frost Institute for psychology." She pauses. "It's a college, co-ed. Dorms and all. I have a place there but I don't frequent it as much." She admits. So it was clear, she didn't need help. Much. The testing? Well.. that was something different.
*
The shoes aren't so small that he'll not be able to move them, but they're small enough that his control isn't great. Even so, having spotted them before Jean does, Julian picks them up using telekinesis, and the shoes gain a light green glow. With a flick of his wrist, the shoes move toward Jean. Fast. And not well aimed. They actually fly from their place on the ground to strike the nearby wall, falling within reach of Jean, thankfully without her having to move far to get them. At least their location is clear now?
"Shit," Julian says, and then catches the profanity right afterward. "Er, oops. Still working on that," he says, though he doesn't clarify whether he means the profanity or the lack of control. "Thought I'd try to be helpful, but.. still need some practice with small objects," he says, a bit of a sheepish smile on his face. "I swear I wasn't trying to knock you out with your own shoes. Assaulting students with their footwear isn't exactly the first impression I was hoping to make," he says, letting out a little bit of laugh.
"Frost Institute, that's a prestigious school. Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm surprised they accepted you there before you had earned your GED. You must be something special," he says. "But I guess this being a school for mutants, I shouldn't be all that surprised."
*
While the shoes weren't that small, Jean couldn't see them until he picks it up with his TK. Jean watches carefully, even allowing her head to twist as they slam into the wall, her own hand striking out before they fall upon the floor, floating them as she slowly lowers her hand to her lap. She was trying to go by sight alone when using her TK.. which still needed a bit of practice.
But her feet kicks out, the shoes slowly fitting upon each one, and once her feet lower to the ground she lets out a soft sigh. "It takes work.." She says, in regards to the college and TK alone. "But.. I think she just saw my case and felt sorry for me. And asked me to attend." There was a little self depreciating frown there.. but it soon changes into a smile.
"What's your lesson? Or.. what will be the classes you teach?"
*
"Emma Frost isn't well known for taking in charity cases," Julian replies with a smirk. "So I can't imagine it was pity, Miss Grey. But then, I don't know the woman personally, only from what I've heard second-hand. Maybe secretly she really is just a soft-hearted kitten," a thought which earns another short laugh. "My power is better suited to larger objects. I can pick up a car and move it around without any trouble, but the last time I tried to pick up a pencil I ended to crushing the desk it was sitting on." Julian shrugs lightly, "It does take work, you're right about that. Part of why I chose to come here; not many places where people like us can use our gifts without drawing unwanted attention, right? In some of our cases, our gifts are not entirely indoor-friendly." Julian's own an obvious example.
"I'm going to be teaching World History, primarily. If it goes well, and Professor Xavier is satisfied, perhaps he'll let me pick up another couple classes. In the meantime, the light workload will give me the chance to help out with some of the extra-curriculars, I hope."
*
"I.. I like her.." Jean stammers out, her gaze flitting away from him as she slowly puts the book aside. "She's.. really nice to me." She huffs a little, finally forgetting the subject of Emma as she stands, giving her arms a stretch. "Here, let me show you a trick." There was a pencil not too far from where she sits, taking those few steps closer to stand at his side, her own hands out as she gestures for his.
"World History, I'd like to sit in if you don't mind. I could learn something." Her smile was gentle, but then her gaze goes towards the pencil, and to the man once more. "Give me your hands."
*
Julian takes the woman's hands, as requested. His hands are just a little bit on the rough side, owing to the last few years of working with them. "I'd be happy to have you there," he says with a smile. "And maybe you could offer me some honest feedback, too. I've learned from experience that you can't trust teenagers to tell you if you're doing a good job or not." Little bastards, every one. "What's the trick?"
*
"Good! I'm excited!" She really was! If anything, Jean loved to learn! "Okay.." She says, getting into teaching mode herself. With his hands in hers, she turns them.. so that her fingers lining with his, which are obviously bigger than hers. She steps close, allowing him to feel the gently wrapping of TK which keeps their fingers bound, extending his hand out with hers, hers on top.. his on the bottom..
"First.. breathe.." She says quietly. "And just look at the pencil." She looks up towards him, then nods, indicating him to follow. "You don't want to put your all in it, you want to just gently nudge it. That's all. Slowly lift it, and relax.."
*
ROLL: Julian +rolls 1d100 for a result of: 10
*
Julian presses his hands to hers, and lets Jean take the lead, moving his hand as she instructs. He breathes out, slowly, and back in, in an effort to calm himself and concentrate. The pencil. Julian clears his mind as best he can, trying to forget the fact that there's a very pretty girl practically pressed up against him. Dude, she's a student, stop that. "Okay," he says quietly, focusing on the pencil. His hands begin to glow, just they had before, and so does the pencil. It doesn't move yet, as he he's hesitating. "A nudge," he repeats. He nudges, and the whole table the pencil was on suddenly gains that same green aura, and topples like it had been run into by a small car, with a crash of noise that in most other libraries would earn a stern look from the old lady in charge. So much for a nudge.
*
It was interesting, his TK manifests color, hers doesn't. Hm..
But she watches and waits, a grin forming upon her lips as the table itself crashes and topples. Well.. it's a start!
"Maybe you're the destructive type.." She finally murmurs, allowing her TK to unravel from their fingers, a little step taken back with a shrug. "I suppose that's as good as any!" She grins. "I'm more of a.. lift and throw sort of girl myself.." She wriggles her fingers, almost atypical to jazz-hands.. and oddly enough dorky.
"Sorry.. bad joke.." Wait, was there a joke in there?
*
"Like I said, better with larger objects," Julian replies, allowing her to withdraw. The 'jazz hands' get a grin. Cute. "For instance," he starts, moving his hand to motion to the table, which lights up, as she has observed. With a smooth gesture, Julian rights the table, setting it easily back where it had started. No trouble at all, and if she's sensing his emotions, there was a lot more strain and stress coming from him when focusing on the pencil; practically none when he moves the table. "I can manage my share of destruction, though," he says, thinking back to his youth, and all of the broken furniture. To say nothing of what got him kicked out of the Peace Corps. He forces those thoughts out of his head, though, and refocuses on Jean. "You're the only other telekinetic I've met, admittedly. Are there many others here? I'd really like the chance to get together and practice.. test our limits, see what we can do." He's excited about the prospect, not having had the chance to see anyone else in action before coming to the school. Except on the news, at least.
*
As she withdraws, she watches. It.. started to come easy to her thanks to Gabriel and a few children that she's met. Gauging anothers power, assisting as she could, telling them to calm their hearts and to focus. Maybe, at least she could be a teacher as well! Though, that was something that the future holds.. maybe.. if she was still here.
The little thought of that causes her to frown, stepping away with a quiet turn to pick up her book, holding it against her chest, her chin tilted downward.
"Oh.. um.. so far I'm the only one I know. Erik, he can manipulate metal, lift it into the air and stuff.. but.. that's all I know."
*
"Sorry, did I do something wrong?" Julian asks, tilting his head in confusion as he sees Jean pull back, both physically and emotionally. He doesn't have the benefit of any telepathic abilities to go with his kinetic powers, unfortunately, so the inner workings of Jean Grey's mind are a mystery. But then, aren't all women a mystery? "If I did, I'm really sorry," he says. Xavier didn't say anything, but maybe it's a faux pas around here to ask about others' powers. Give him a break, it's his first day. He watches the girl a moment, contemplating how to shake that frown.
*
"No.. no no.." Jean admits, turning around to face him with a sad little smile. "I just.. get this way sometimes. Self reflection. I don't know why I do it, or like.. sometimes things that people say make me think about other things and it just makes me kind of sad.." Word vomit, Jean was really good at speaking her feelings and her thoughts in a general sense, especially lately. She was still crushed from Sacremento. Here was to hoping that Frodo would have fixed that, but not.
He lost things too, right?
"I.. I'm sorry, you don't even know me.." She starts to sniff, her eyes burning with tears. "..I just had a really bad time lately. Books.. books are great, right?" Oh no.. here it goes..
"I'm sorry!" And she begins to sob.
*
Whoa. Julian stands there a bit stunned for a second, listening to her talk. "Hey, don't apologize," he says at last, his voice soft as he moves slowly toward the woman, trying to seem as non-threatening as possible. If she wants a hug, he'll give it, but he won't initiate, due to having just met the girl and not wanting to come off as creepy. "Maybe we just met, and I'll bet I'm not the only one to make the offer, but if you want to talk, I'll listen. Sometimes you just need to let it out, right? Believe me, I get that. I don't know exactly what you're going through, or what you've been through, but I can be an ear you can bend, if you want. No pressure." He offers a gentle smile, "And yeah, books. They're awesome."
*
Jean shakes her head almost immediately, tugging her shirt up by the collar to sniffle and wipe away at her face, a grim little smile put on as she takes a breath. Surely, she does want a hug, but the sentiments were same. She didn't want to seem creepy, the clingy sort, or down right awkward like she already was.
But thats mental wards for you!
"No.. no.. I'm.. I'm okay really. You.. you know how women are, am I right?" She laughs awkwardly, then lifts the book to give it a slight wave. "I'll be alright in the end, yeah? I.. I better put this back."
*
"Okay, well, offer's on the table if you change your mind," Julian says, giving a nod to the young woman. He pauses, and then lets out a little chuckle, despite himself. "Sorry," he says after a moment. "You just remind me of someone I knew in college. She was.." A psycho? Yes, she had her moments. Forget about the fact that the reason they broke up was because Julian found her in bed with one of their professors. "She was a bit emotional, too. I'm sure she had her reasons for it, but she never wanted to let me in on them. Starting to think maybe redheads just don't trust me intrinsically, or something," he jokes, a bit of a wry smirk on his lips. He doesn't consider that the joke could be taken badly.
He also doesn't realize that Jean had seen at least part of that memory of he and this girl. If he had, he might have avoided invoking her in conversation.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have brought that up," he says a moment later. "Jesus. I've now thrown your shoes at you, probably broke that table, and compared you to an ex-girlfriend. First day here, and I'm already batting a thousand," he says, giving a nervous little laugh. "Good start to things, huh?"
*
Jean unleashes the tight little smile upon her lips, opening them to say something but she stops as he keeps going. She snaps them shut, her eyebrows lifting, book hung down by her sides as she lifts a hand to pause him to speak but.. thinks better than drops it. "The redhead girl in the library? The cozy corner?" Jean asks. "The one who you found with your Professor?" Hey, he put it out there, mentally. Though Jean didn't have to blurt it out like that..
"It's okay." She says nonchalantly, though as soon as she turns her cheeks begin to burn yet again, her head moving left and right to find the spot from where she took the book. "First time meetings with me are always horrible. I think you'll get used to everything eventually." She tries to cover just a little, finally moving towards the column where she found her book. "I'm like the Professor. His powers.. but.. we're not related, just so you know."
*
Julian freezes, staring for a few seconds as Jean reveals that she had seen that particular flash of memory. You can't hold it against him though, because aren't there rules about that? A man cannot be held responsible for what his brain thinks, only what his body does? "… yeah," he says simply, slowly. "So you saw that, huh." Julian frowns, looking down. "Sorry.. shouldn't be letting myself think about things like that, just because you've-" he stops himself, and shakes his head. Dude, she's a student, knock it off. "Never mind," he says, forcing a thin smile back to his lips. "Least we got the first one out of the way, then. And, uh, not going to lie, glad you're not his daughter, or something.." That'd be super awkward, the professor's daughter seeing some of the new instructor's private memories. Yep, definitely learn how to keep your brain in line there, Jules. "Can we start over? Hi, I'm Julian. Going to be teaching World History. I'd love it if you wanted to come sit in on my class." He forces a smile, but it's awkard as hell, even now.
*
Thankfully! Jean has seen worse. Jean possibly had done worse, but she wouldn't dare tell a soul. Not that she promised, anyways. But..
"Yes." Yes, she saw it. All of the juicy bits. But she tries her best to be nonchalant about it so that he would feel better. No big deal! It's nothing! Hey, it happens! "Just because I look like her?" She asks. "Sort of?" She turns around, waving her hand slightly, then offers up a grin. With a turn again, she lifts upon the tips of her toes to shove the book back into place, then turns to give a lean against it.
"Anyways, surface thoughts usually. I can sometimes tell from that alone when someone new enters the house. It's like another voice in a sea of voices already." She explains. "And I can feel what they feel too."
Though, as he's willing to make anew, Jean takes those few steps forward, her hand stuck out for a shake as she bobs her head briefly. "I'm Jean Grey. Soon to be ex-Student. Totally not the daughter of Charles Xavier, even though I'm legally his ward and he's my carer." To make things even more awkward, if she has his hand or not, she'd lean in. "Well, some people -would- consider me his daughter, for legalities sake. Right? Huh?" And she grins, cheesy and all.
*SHAKESHAKESHAKE* And with that, she snorts out a loud giggle.
*
Julian extends the offered hand, and smiles as she goes through the re-introduction. The snort earns an outright laugh, breaking the tension entirely. "Well, soon-to-be-ex-student Jean Grey, it's a pleasure to meet you. And really, it's just the hair." And there's the awkwardness back again. "I'll, uh, try to keep those memories buried. Must not be over that one completely, I guess," he says, failing to completely stifle a frown as that particular realization hits him. It's momentary though. Let's not dwell on it. Julian's really not getting this whole 'starting over' thing, apparently.
*
Yay! He laughed! Boo.. he's frowning. That wasn't a good thing at all. "You don't have to keep those memories buried." She states, drawing her hand up to motion him towards the chair, even following so that she could take up the twin chair upon the other side of the table he just moved. "Come on." She states, kicking her shoes off again so that she could sit cross legged, her hand lifting to twirl around in a circle so that her chair could face him.
"Talk about it. And I promise I'll talk to you about what's bothering me." Not now, later! "Unless you just want to let it all go and .. prepare your lessons for your new students."
*
"Oh, it's stupid," Julian says, moving to sit as she's motioned for him to do. Wait, who's supposed to be the instructor here? He settles into the chair, and leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he looks toward Jean. "Was in college, a few years ago. Sophia, that was her name. We met in our theology class, and after a couple of dates ended up.. well, you know. Our whole relationship was based on sex. She was actually kind of an awful person. Total psycho." Is this the kind of thing you talk to a student about? She -is- a soon to be ex-student, though, so maybe it's okay. "We fought all the time, except when we were in bed.. maybe that's what made it. You know. Anyway, after about a year, I found out she had been sleeping with her English Lit professor, from her best friend. Doing it to get a better grade in the class, of all things. So we broke up.. and it's not like I haven't had relationship since, but I guess that's the one that sticks in my craw," he says. "I guess you never really let go of the first girl that really hurts you."
*
"It's not. Feelings aren't stupid, and I did hear from someone recently that it was good to talk this stuff out." But, afterwards? She remains quiet. She doesn't interrupt, she doesn't judge either. She just listens as if the most important story in the world was being told, elbows planted upon her thighs, chin planted upon her hands. Quiet as kept until he was done.
"No. But you learn from it." She states. "Like signs. Things you notice that other people do, things that you notice that you can't get past. You had passion, at least. That was good, right?" She asks with a smile. "Some people go their whole lives without feeling that sort of passionate connection. Just consider it all a blessing, and nurture the hurt. Grow from it."
*
"You're right," Julian says, letting a smile come to his lips again. "We had passion, no denying that. I was young. I had a hard time controlling my emotions. Still do, sometimes. Lots of broken furniture and picture frames, in my past," he admits. "I guess it's all part of the experience. You learn, you grow, you become who you're meant to. But, just putting this out there, if I could go back, I'd tell my young self not to be tempted by the sex, and find someone who actually wanted to talk now and then. And who wasn't struggling that badly in English Lit," he actually laughs at that. "Thanks," he says after a moment. "Feels good to let it out, tell someone. You're the first person in a long time who I've talked to like this."
*
Jean nods completely. She doesn't remark on her past just yet, in fact, some part of her was ashamed. He called his ex-girlfriend a psycho, imagine what he'll think of her when she reveals she was in a mental institution? Ouch!
"Haa.. yeah, me too.." She says quietly, her hand drawing up to rub idly at the back of her neck. "I wouldn't!" Jean snaps up, "Just think about it. Would you be where you are right now if you didn't?" She asks. "Would you be able to even tell the difference between passion and.. real, true, honest to god love?" She stands then, her hands pressed against her hips. "Unless, you're one of those types who hate love. In which, I'll do my best to change your mind about that."
His little quip actually makes her giggle, her body flopping down again as she lets out a gentle sigh. "Yeah.. that seems to happen a lot during first meetings too." She clicks her teeth, then winks in his direction.
*
Maybe sensitivity is something Julian needs to work on. He follows Jean with his eyes as she moves, up and then down again. "That's one way to look at it, I guess," he agrees with nod. And she's not wrong, by his own admittance; your experiences make you what you are. "No, I'm not one of those types that hate love. I like to think I'm a realist, but I'm not so jaded that I don't think love really exists. The idea of a soul mate, one perfect person for each and every one, I'm not sold on. Happy to debate it, though. But Love?" With a capital L, even. "If that's not real, then nothing is, right?" He smiles again, making eye-contact. "And there'd be nothing worth living, fighting, or dying for," he says.
*
"See, now I have something to work on." She says quietly. "Soul mates." She gives him a slight grin, almost as if she were prancing. "Just think about it." She moves closer towards him, plopping herself flat upon the ground, her legs kicking out into a sprawl. It was debate time.
But his last words, they were held on to, as well as the eye-contact. Those words rang true, really. "You're right." She says with a bit of finality, but she continues on. "But listen, people don't even know that they've met their soulmate until they're gone. Like.. say for an old friend.." Her own memories play back to when Annie died.. it was troubling, in fact, it started that entire whirlwind that she was in today. The Phoenix, meeting the Professor, everything else in her life was just because of that connection with a friend. "..maybe even someone you've had just a single chat with and connected to." She smiles. "Just.. one chat. Just one spark. It's usually all there is."
*
Julian grins, and slips down to the floor as well, leaning forward onto his elbows on his knees, cross legged in front of Jean. He listens as she talks, letting her get her full argument out before speaking in response. "Okay, but don't you think you could have that spark with more than one person? The idea of a soul mate is that they are your perfect match, that you and this person alone in the universe, belong together. I'll give you that it doesn't need to be romantic love, although I think that fits the notion best. But is it fair to think that there's a single match for you in the universe? What if you miss that person, never meet them? What if your supposed soul mate is halfway across the world, and your paths never cross? That'd be an enormous waste of a life, wouldn't it?"
*
"I do think you can have that spark." She does listen, her eyes shooting towards the ceiling as she offers up a little shrug. "I don't know.. I think everything that -I- do is a waste of my life now.." She admits quietly. "But think about it. On a cosmic level, we're all connected to each other, some more strongly than others. Some in such an infinite way that it drastically changes something within our souls. It could be small, it could be tremendous. It could be a woman that looks towards you and offers a smile. It could also be that buddy that you share a beer with. Or the woman that you've made passionate love to, that your bodies just fit the eternal mold of forever and it's just so.. mind blowing!" Her fingers gesture around her head, the smile upon her face of pure joy. She loves this subject!
"I believe in soulmates. I just don't believe that you can have -only- one. I believe we are many."
*
"That's just love, Jeannie," Julian says with a smirk. "So we don't disagree. Someone once told me that love is just two souls that find something to connect with in one another. Doesn't have to be any more complicated than that, does it? Doesn't mean you run off and get married, doesn't mean you have to be together forever, or even more than a moment. But that spark, as you said," he holds up his hand a bit, closing it into a lightly held fist, "In that moment, that binds you to another person. That's it," he says, shaking his fist just a little bit for emphasis. "Cosmic, like you said. Everyone's connected, through whatever force you might believe in. Call it fate, call it God, call it the power of positive thinking, whatever. In one way or another, we're all one and the same, right?"
*
"Is it though?" She asks him, scooting close just a little. "We're all one in the same yes. We agree with that. But.. what if there are more parts to us out there that we didn't know about? It's like you said, a soulmate could be across the ocean, and yet that doesn't make the fact that they are any less true." She grins. "People born on the same day, at the same time for instance. Isn't there some connection there? How.." She reaches up to grab his fist. "..if those people were to ever be locked up in the same room, there would be this -draw-. A complete.. maddening draw. To where you just /know/."
Slowly, she releases his fist, her own hands drawing in her lap. "I think I just talked myself into a circle and out of the argument."
She concedes defeat! "But.. I still believe in it. It makes me happy."
*
"Not saying you're wrong, Jeannie. In fact, I agree. Difference between 'a' soulmate, and 'the' soulmate. Just calling it something different," Julian says, not shying away from her having taken his hand at all, but when she releases it his hands both move to rest on his knees. "So you might say that there could be a part of me in you, and a part of you in me. You know, hypothetically." He smiles, leaning forward a bit in a teasing kind of way. "I, for one, would hate to have missed out on this connection right here," he says, motioning between the two of them with a hand.
*
"Soo.. that means I win, right?" Jean grins, in fact, she breaks out into a slight little snicker, a quiet little snort is heard that makes her cheeks burn with fire that nearly matches her hair. Her hand reaches up to rub a little at her nose, a little breath taken as he leans in, her own hand reaching out to flick at his motioning hand in a manner of jest.
"The connection of a teacher versus the student?" She asks. "You.. being the student and me the teacher of life." She pulls her shoulders back, even straightening to make herself poise. "I think I have done well by you."
*
"Sure," Julian says with a smirk. "You win." He laughs again at the snort, but doesn't comment. "That's one way to see it, sure." He grins as she makes a show of straightening up. "You've done very well. A-plus." Putting that teaching certificate to good use. "Have you been here very long? You're Xavier's ward, you said, so did you grow up here? Doesn't look like he's a new owner, considering the place has his name on the front gate."
*
Jean grins, giving him a thumbs up with a snap and a crack of her teeth. Though, once he asks.. she figures one good turn deserves another. Such as, Surprise! You're a crazy chick magnet!
"I actually came here in the summer." She admits, her legs slowly curling inward to fold upon themselves, her hands soon folding in her lap just as he did his. "He actually found me. I didn't go looking. He heard from somewhere that I was in the hospital. A mental institution. I've been there ever since I was fifteen because of my telepathy." She frowns, finding the words easy to come out.
"I felt every voice, every emotion from everyone all the time. And it drove me mad. My parents didn't know what to do with me. They were scared, justifiably so. You put all of that together with telekinesis and we're talking hundreds of dollars of property damage." She laughs a little, but it was sad. It wasn't funny at all.
"So.. my parents willingly gave me to them. Well, care of me. They don't know that I'm better, but they know that they've done the right thing." She sighs, leaning back then, planting both of her hands upon the carpet. "Just so you know, you're surrounded by crazy women."
*
Julian listens, raising his eyebrows a bit at the story. He had never considered how lucky he had it, having only the one ability, and no voices making him think he was losing his mind. Of course, the property damage, that happened anyway. "Hearing other people's thoughts in your head doesn't make you crazy, if it's actually happening," Julian says. "Can't imagine how I'd react to something like that. Not being able to tell what was going on in my own mind. I had a hard enough time without it.. but those were my own problems, couldn't keep a lid on my temper.. combined with magnitude of my telekinesis, I caused more than my share of damage. Threw my father's car into a ravine once." And not long after got shipped off to the ranch. Possibly related events. He gives a bit of a shrug, and an easy smile. "Crazy I can handle. Just don't sleep with the English Lit professor," he cracks, hoping to break the tension. Not that he's making light of her situation, but better to laugh than cry, right?
*
"Well, I wasn't just hearing their voices. I was feeling everything they felt too. Like, I can feel what.. there's a little girl here, Jennifer. Right now.." Jean's eyes lift to the sky as she tries to pick out the single body within the entire mansion, a little smile drawn upon her face. "She's content. She's currently in the room, coloring in her colorbook. And she feels like she wants to have a snack, but she doesn't want to move. She wants to get this one side just right.." She pinches her fingers together, her eyes nearly glazing over. But she snaps out of it to hear his own tales with a frown.
"Well that was a mean thing for you to do!" She leans forward, reaching out to smack his leg in admonishment. Even if his joke did make her laugh, she rocks back with a slap of her thigh. "Well, I'm better now, at least I hope I am. I'm still sorting out how I feel and what I think." She lets out a sigh, her shoulders slumping. "Which means, if Jennifer is getting hungry, everyone else might. I need to go and clean the kitchen Crystal can prepare supper properly."
With a little grunt, she rocks forward and draws herself to a stand, her arms lifting over her head to bend back to pop her back in places that she so adores. As she straightens, she shakes her head out and lets out a huge grin. "I hope your first class goes smoothly, Julian."
*
"Well, I didn't mean to!" Julian says with a laugh. "I get angry, and things kind of just.. happen. Gotten a lot better at keeping it under control as I got older.. but it's not perfect," he explains. "Must be frustrating, not knowing if what you're feeling is our own, or someone else's." He frowns, thinking about that. "You seem pretty together now, for what it's worth." The whole story explains why she's his age, and just now getting her GED. It's not pity that he's feeling, but a sense of understanding. He stands as she does, stretching a bit in tandem. "I hope so too. Teenagers can be hard to deal with.. but I guess if it goes badly, you'll be there to help me get things under control, right?" He grins, and then suddenly realizes he'll have to find the classroom some time before school starts in the morning.
*