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The library is not normally too busy this time of evening, students either retired to their rooms to study, or just get some rest. However, there's a constant whirring noise present… which, upon closer examination, would be Professor Charles Xavier, Headmaster, currently taking one of the gliding ladders back and forth. He appears to be… sorting books? Which is a bit odd, considering his recent absence and all, particularly as he hasn't checked back in with any of his students just yet, either. Occasionally he actually laughs under his breath, then continues. Whirr whirr whirr.
*
Scott isn't even a student anymore. He teaches a few classes - math and physics - but for him, teaching isn't really the passion. It's something he does because it's a duty, and it's required of him, and it's good for the students here. But no one has ever been surprised to find Scott Summers doing something responsible when he doesn't have to be doing it.
Like reshelving books, for example.
He has a cart of them that he wheels into the library, stopping short when he finds the professor already working on it. "Professor," he greets, surprised. "I hadn't heard you were back."
*
Who could miss that psychic and formidable presence that enters into the compound? The fact that he didn't check in wasn't concerning at all, people were busy and that was the way that life had moved. Or moves, it's all subjective now, really. But once Jean was finished with her designated chores, she carries her basket of cleaning supplies into the library just in case, pushing the door open and clearing her throat to announce her presence just in case Charles was a little bit too busy in thought.
But seeing the two men there gives her a brief pause, and a smile was put upon her face as she moves to the nearest table to set her basket down, carefully unloading the contents as she remains quiet.
*
Logan isn't in the manor proper these much anymore, usually preferring either his own cabin in the woods or the city proper. But, today, he happens to be on campus. In this case, he's heading to the library to swipe a book. Logan likes to read, contrary to popular image, and his own well-thumbed stock at his place is momentarily cashed.
So, sometimes he borrows something from Chuck. He usually returns it pretty promptly. Of course, this time, the place is surprisingly populated, by the oft-absent Professor himself among others. "Huh. So much fer sneakin' off with some Hemingway."
*
Thea has no idea of what's currently going on inside the mansion, in its more internal ranks. Thea's just here for present delivery, really. Her hair is loose in long waves, held back from her face with combs, her dress tasteful and midnight blue. The box has writing in Greek imprinted in a silvery foil on the side, carried carefully under one arm. She's not sure where she's heading, so much as following a certain biosignature into the library.
*
Xavier blinks, and smiles, "Scott, one of these days I'm going to have you call me 'Charles', I swear it." With that, he slides down the ladder, landing on the floor not too far from him as he nods, "I had the most incredible time, and I must share it all with you, but later. However, suffice to say that John Ronald Reuel Tolkien is a brilliant man, and if we do not have his works in our English literature classes, that must change immediately! And Logan, you really should try Lord of the Rings, I think you'd enjoy it immensely."
With that, he catches his breath, and smiles towards Jean, waving her over, "And, well, I had not planned to be back quite this soon, I wanted to surprise you all at breakfast, but I see I've instilled good work habits in you from your time here at the school. I couldn't have left this in better hands." And he sounds like he means it, addressing the three currently present with that, adding as an afterthought, "Oh, and Logan, I have something special for you waiting in the fridge, a special porter I brought back from England. I think you'd approve." The Professor then gives Jean a wry expression, "You tracked me coming in, didn't you?"
*
Scott smiles faintly, shaking his head as he pushes the cart inside and out of the way to make room for the others arriving. "Sorry, Professor, but you'll always be the professor to me," he replies, glancing over his shoulder to dip his chin to the other arrivals. "Glad you're back, though. Everything here's been normal, but there are some rumors on the news that…" He trails off, looking back to Jean and Logan. "Well. I mean. You can probably…"
The horror. Politeness and respect say he ought to let the professor settle in and enjoy himself before bringing up unpleasant topics, but how can he let the responsibility wait for a minute?!
*
A glance back towards the door before Logan and Thea make their arrival is given, a little smile in the direction in the ghost of them, a pre-greeting given.. and left there for the moment. Once she finishes unloading her basket, the tables were surveyed, and as the two remaining souls enter, the conversation actually picks up quite a bit. "Don't be shy. Grab your book." Jean murmurs quietly, her eyes lifting to watch the two men speak, her brows raised as she was gestured over and with a glide, she approaches.
Her arms were slowly lifted upon the approach, the further words spared for her which allows her to grin a genuine one, and a sideways lean to loop her arms around his chest to give the churchiest hug anyone could ever imagine was given. "I did. You could even say I tracked you coming into the city. Or that I've tracked you over the oceans. Or I could have felt your intent to return home once you stepped foot on the plane." Once she releases him, she takes a step back, a look of worry given towards Scott but not one of him ruining the moment, but of the situations that were slowly mounting.
"It's important." She tells Scott. In other words, she was sure no one would mind.
*
Logan doesn't have any idea what Scott's fussing about, but he usually doesn't, so he pays it no mind. Kid had a jumpy disposition in peacetime, which was odd since he was steady as a rock under fire. Some folks were complicated.
Logan makes his way amongst the books, grinning at Jean and throwing a wink at Thea as he heads towards the book he wants.
"If it gives me a buzz, Chuck, I'll approve. If it's all civilized good taste an' no bite, you'll excuse me if I bring my own hooch as a backup," he says.
*
"Speaking of Hooch.." Thea speaks up, flushing slightly pink. "Good evening, all. I just stopped by to bring Logan a present, I didn't know there was a meeting or anything going on." There's a sidelong glance. "Hello again, Scott." There's a wink there, before she'll set the box down. "Brought you some ouzo, Logan."
*
Charles looks a bit wryly at Jean, "Please don't tell me you were following me the /entire/ time." He then looks at Logan, "And I would hope you would have more faith in me than that, Logan…" He pauses, seeing Thea present a bottle of ouzo to Logan, and smiles, "Ah, I don't believe we've met. I'm Professor Charles Xavier, Headmaster and recently returned from abroad." He offers a hand towards her in greeting as he looks over at Scott, "Now what happened on the news?" Because he knows Scott wants him to ask, so he asks. Doesn't even need telepathy for /that/.
*
Scott worries about everything when he's not under fire so that he can be steady when he is. But then again, he'll be the first to admit it's more than a little bit obsessive. Still, there's a grateful twist of his lips as he dips his chin to Jean's advice. Telepaths are great when you're not very good at saying what you mean.
"A rally, professor," he answers grimly. "There was one scheduled in M-Town, meant to be an awareness sort of thing. But from what I've heard, things went sideways. Got violent. The thing is, there's not much people can agree on when it comes to what made it turn. Except they know what - or who - got the worst."
He grimaces, and the seriousness of the news is enough to keep him from getting flustered by Thea's arrival. "Erik."
*
Jean just shrugs her shoulders. "You weren't doing anything horrible." Because he was him. But the basic conversation around the general area had left her a little bit detached and 'off'. There was a slight study of Thea, a glance between the woman and back towards Logan, not once, but twice.. and with a shrug of her shoulders she moves away to settle down into the chair to listen.
*
Logan doesn't much pay attention to the news. He isn't surprised that Erik might be someone to lose their temper at a rally like that. On the other hand, he's not particularly afraid of violence as a problem solver.
"Worst how?" he says, grabbing a seat of his own and straddling the chair, pulling a pack of cigarillos out of his pocket as he lays his book of choice on the table. He nods his thanks to Thea with a grin, "Appreciate it, darlin'." he says.
*
Thea will accept Charles' hand. "A pleasure, sir. Thea Harman. Friend of Logan's, Warren's, and recent acquaintance of Scott, there." There's a quick smile, before she'll blink at Jean's double take. There's a quick grin at Logan. "I thought I promised you some, next care package I got, thought I'd deliver."
*
Charles blinks, then sighs at the mention of Erik. "And frankly after hearing this, I could use an ouzo." He then smiles apologetically at Thea, "My pardon, normally I'd be a far more hospitable person, but this is not the best news." He gives her hand a slight squeeze, then lets go to move to a chair and take a seat, gesturing for Scott (and the others, if they want) to sit down and join him.
Charles then says, "Alright, Scott, start from the beginning please, with this protest. And did we have any direct witnesses to what happened with Erik?" He gives a second glance to that ouzo, then shakes his head slightly.
*
"I wasn't there," Scott shakes his head, taking a few restless steps before forcing himself to take a seat. "But after the news, I went down to M-Town to talk to the locals. The thing is, a lot of them are…sort of fuzzy about why things went bad themselves, too. To hear most people, things were good, then suddenly things were not good. People got mad, people got violent. And no one's sure how it went from one to the other, but everyone remembers Erik throwing around anything he could grab in the area."
*
Logan strikes a match, applying it to his stogie before he speaks, "Sounds t'me like somebody put the whammy on 'em. Group of mutants, there's almost always one or two got the touch," he says, tapping the side of his head. "This group, o' course, bein' a prime example. Wouldn't be the first time somebody didn't use it for the best purpose," he says.
"So what happened to Magneto? I can't imagine he let 'em lock 'im up."
*
"I mean, if someone can point me to some appropriate glasses and Logan doesn't mind sharing, I don't mind pouring out." Thea will offer, because a good drink is never a bad idea when discussing bad news. "So.. empathy, or something?" She is far from familiar with powers not her own. "I know that there was a lot of bruises, people shaken up by the sudden turn. It could have been worse."
*
Xavier steeples his fingers in the chair, "If I know Erik, he's probably kicking himself for being used in such a manner, and trying to figure out who, if anyone, instigated the riot. The fact that recollections are hazy makes me believe that a psychic /could/ be responsible… but then, Erik's temper has never been particularly patient." His expression turns a bit rueful, as he then glances to Thea and smiles, "Back cabinet, by the coffee maker, if Logan is alright with sharing, anyway."
*
"I haven't seen him, but it's not like he answers to me." Scott's unspoken 'or anyone else, for that matter' can probably be heard even by those in the room who don't have psychic powers. "Regardless, it's left us with two problems. One, whatever caused this. Assuming it wasn't just a mundane change in the mood, then someone set that particular fire. And two, regardless of what caused this, people saw Erik…well, you know. That's going to be a major blow to how mutants are seen." A beat. "Again."
*
Quiet contemplation is her fortay now, her fingers slightly steepled in the manner that Charles' has, near mimicking him in a weird psychic symbiotic relationship that could be downright frightening. "Empathy? Maybe. It's fairly easy to manipulate how someone feels, but to the extent to make them go mad.." She mutters to Thea. "..especially someone as strong minded as him, that would take skill." But she does agree that Erik has a potential for a temper, and with a slight shrug she gives a slight nod towards Scott.
"I can think of a few ways to at least to try to paint us in a good light, but none of it ethical." She sighs faintly. "So, how can we fix this, how can we make it better aside from the obvious?" The obvious being, finding out who did this and making them pay. And finding Erik. That too.
*
Logan snorts, "Plenty o' folks never needed much excuse to hate mutants,' he says. "Maybe somebody from the Brotherhood, lookin' to shake things up, make a break happen? Or maybe somebody else got the tech to put the mojo on people?" he shrugs. Honestly, the how isn't really so much his problem, unless it can be detected by literally sniffing them out. He'd leave the big brain detective work to the Professor and Jean.
"Trackin' down Mags I can probably do, at the very least. I got a good idea what he smells like. Probably easiest to ask Lorna, though, she ain't ever far from tuggin' on Daddy's cape."
*
Thea will go find the glasses, and break open the box to get the bottle of ouzo out and open. She'll just have to smuggle in more for Logan some other time. She's already thinking, pouring the anise flavoured liquer into glasses and moving to hand them out with an ease from her upbringing. "I…should probably keep my mouth shut."
*
Charles shakes his head, "No, that's not necessary, Thea. You should speak your mind." He looks over towards Logan, "I'll try to speak with Lorna, and see if I can possibly reach Erik. I don't think things will turn for the worse, but we should be prepared for that." With that, he glances meaningfully at Scott, but doesn't say anything audibly.
Instead, he thinks to both Scott and Jean, «We'll need to get a headcount of who we have available as far as X-Men are concerned.»
*
Scott shakes his head to the offer of a drink. Serious plans can't be made with booze! "We can work on being a presence ourselves," he says reluctantly. "But without knowing what set the rally off like that, we run the risk of painting targets on ourselves for the next…Well, whatever it was."
*
Jean nods subtly towards Scott and Charles, and once the glass of ouzo was offered, Jean takes it and settles it into her lap, not intending to drink it, and yet not wanting to refuse. Scott raised a good point, and for a moment what she considered nearly had her lifting her glass to take a sip, but she stops and places it upon the table with a shrug. "I'll volunteer for target practice."
*
Logan shakes his head, "We're always targets, buddy boy, don't ever think otherwise just cause nobody's shootin' at the moment,' he says. "Some o' the folks in Mutant Town, eespecially, can't ever forget cause ain't nobody gonna mistake 'em fer human. Pretty folks like me are the lucky ones,' he grins.
"But yeah, findin' Mags is first up. THen when you folks figure out who I gotta bleed to make the trouble stop, you point me the right way an' I'll start cuttin'."
*
Apparently Scott doesn't know how the world actually works. Serious plans are often made with booze at hand! Thea will just hand his glass off to Logan. Logan can handle the double fisting with ease, after all. She'll slip into a seat, sipping the long familiar ouzo. "Some of the folks in Mutant Town know about me. But I could lose my job as a nurse, if I just came out as a mutant." Nevermind her parents.
*
Charles looks at Jean, "Of course you would. I'd expect nothing less." He smiles a bit, then looks at Scott, "Nothing too obvious, but I want to start doing some checking around. And I'll probably be contacting Erik about this, if he'll let himself be contacted anyway. But if there's someone he'd talk to, it would be me." He takes a sip of the ouzo, then blinks and smiles over at Thea, "And, might I add, you have excellent taste in ouzo. Where did you find this?"
*
Scott's jaw tenses at the thought of being pushed into anything - of the sort of damage he could do if he lost control. Charles of all people knows how deep that particular fear has dug into his psyche. "If you think that's what we need to do, Professor, then of course I'll go. I just want to make sure we're prepared for whatever might happen. I don't want to double down on this and lose the bet."
*
"It's settled then." Jean the target! Jean the potentially world ending target! Jean who could eventually snap at any moment the target! Burn the world! Yell into the stars! Eat one! Lets do it! "I don't think we'll lose the bet, especially if we rope Hank into this. The most brilliant mind on our side, what could possibly go wrong?" Scott could snap! Scott who could punch holes into Mt. Rushmore would snap! He'd concuss the entire world!
…The X-Men are really dangerous..
*
Thea smiles at the professor over the rim of her glass. "Piraeus. Greece." That smile widens a touch with amusement. "My grandfather runs a shipping business from that port. I get care packages on the regular, and he's a big believer in having the good stuff." She glances at Jean. "Should we be talking about being targets over making other gestures?" Wait… she should keep her mouth shut.
*
Charles smiles at Thea, "Perhaps, but we do believe in preparing for the worst. We're rarely disappointed that way." He glances at Scott, "Lad, even without the glasses you stick out like a sore thumb. Though if it is a psychic, and powerful enough to affect Erik… perhaps I should be there to provide additional protection." He hrms, looking thoughtful, taking another sip of the ouzo, and asides to Thea, "And if you were looking to continue your schooling, I might waive tuition fees in exchange for regular shipments." He quirks a faint smile, though… well, wait, IS he joking?
*
It's an off-hand comment from Charles, but it hits Scott like a punch to the gut, even if there's nothing outward to show it. Even if he clamps down hard on the disappointment and the crippling self-doubt, shoving it into a back corner of his mind and locking it away. "Well, maybe all the better, then," he says grimly, jaw setting. "Let them take the hit at me, and you or Jean can take me down if I start to get out of hand."
*
"Uh.." Jean didn't know what to say to Thea, she had a great point. "I think everything has been done already. Food drives, support rallies. Maybe some good old fashioned heroing, much like the Fantastic Four. No one judges them at all.." Someones jealous! But at least she had the thought in her mind to go around saving people, hunting things, starting a family business out of it. But with Charles joke towards Thea, Jean shakes her head at the woman. She really suspects that he wasn't joking about tuition. "She could work here. We could pay her." See, bright ideas!
With that said, the conversation shifted slightly towards Jean, her expression nearly falling into the sullen side, her eyes lowering as her fingers lift to close her eyes and rub against the lids. Maybe the emotions she suddenly felt were so strong, or just the thought of it all causes this reaction, but either way, she was slumping within the chair. And then out of nowhere? It was gone.
A foot lightly strikes out to kick Scott for this travesty, but she does force out a smile towards him in light of his feelings or the tone in his voice. Let Scott take the hit, then. With that, she sits up and reaches forward, aiming to plant a very limp-wristed punch upon his shoulder. "I'll keep you safe. You don't have to worry about anything." And then she squeezes his shoulder.
Not once.
Not twice.
But three times!
"I need to make you a new outfit."
*
Charles gives Scott a concerned look, but doesn't say anything out loud to him. Instead he looks over at Thea, "Well, I think I'm feeling a bit of the jet lag creeping up on me, so I should call it a night. Assuming you three haven't sold my bed to the nearest pawn shop to pay for textbooks." He smiles and finishes the ouzo, standing, "Thea, it was an absolute pleasure, and thank you for the ouzo. Jean, Logan, Scott, it's been too long, and we'll talk more in the morning I'm certain about plans. And Thea, if you are looking for work, I'm certain we can come up with something… medical staff?" He glances over towards Jean, "I'm sure we could use one, right? If nothing else, it shouldn't only be Hank."
As he walks out, his voice echoes in Scott's head, a private message for him, »Ruby quartz glasses aren't all that subtle, my boy, that's all. Believe me when I say I couldn't think of anyone better to lead the X-Men.« And the sincerity in the thought is palpable, as he moves out to find his bedroom and retire for the evening.
*
"My pleasure, sir." She blinks. She's not actively looking, really. She has her job in the hospital, but who is she kidding? This place fascinates her. "Well, have whoever is in charge of that sort of thing get in touch with me?" Maybe her time in the Kitchen should come to an end. Who knows. "I didn't intend to linger this late, I should get back to the city." She'll rise, hands smoothing her dress. "Jean, it was a delight, Scott, nice to see you again." There's a smirk. "Sorry about the ouzo, Logan, I'll have to get you some more." With a wave, she will start to find her way out.
*
« I won't let you down, Professor. » They're not just words for Scott, either. It's a core tenet of his existence - don't let the professor down. But Jean makes for a good distraction, even coaxing a faint smirk as he raises his shoulder defensively against that punch. Right up until she starts talking about outfits and it turns to consternation. "Outfit? What-" Oh look, and there's Thea to say goodbye to as well. "Right, yes, I mean- I mean- Sorry about- Uh…" Words, Scott. Words. He clears his throat. "Good to see you again, Thea."
*