Terry and Sean - Backdated

[ax_siryn]

Terry shows Sean around the grounds after his chat with the headmaster.


Terry buttoned up her green duffle coat and pushed out of the mansion, now that she had shown her father around everything inside. She still couldn't believe that he was there with her, and there had been a smile on her face all afternoon, through the meeting with Professor Xavier and the tour of the mansion.

"There's a lake a little way off that way," she explained as they walked down the steps, gesturing in its direction. "And a range, too. Basketball court over there. And a hedge maze this way." She smiled at her father. "What do you want to see?"

"Show me your favorite place," Sean suggested easily. The grounds were beautiful, the house was absurd, and though Sean wasn't entirely sure about Xavier, the man had been upfront and none of Sean's research had suggested otherwise. Not that he'd leave if anything wasn't in order. He'd go wherever Terry was, if she'd have him. He had a lot of lost time to make up for.

"I love the lake," she stated, and carefully forced herself not to think about the boathouse Remy and she regularly broke into. She nodded for her dad to come with, and started walking. "And it'll take us past the basketball court," where she'd first met Remy, she wasn't bringing that up either, "and the range."

“I’d like to see it. All of it, but especially the lake.” A short pause as Sean put his hands into the pockets of his old-fashioned corduroy coat. “I won’t be hurt if you’re not interested in the firearms course.”

That certainly brought Terry's enthusiasm down a notch, and she went silent for a beat. "That's what killed Mum. I mean - I know it was a bomb, but. That's what they use. Guns and bombs."

"Well they wouldn't be the first or last. But I respect you for it, and I don't want you to think just because I'm teaching something here I think you should be interested." Sean flushed a little but tried to look like the cool and confident dad he imagined himself to be... or wanted to be, anyhow. "Now, art class, that you should take."

Terry shot him a look, the look that all teenagers shared when their parents did something they deemed weird. "I should?"

"It'll be a laugh. I've never held a paint brush in me life!" Sean chuckled.

That surprised a laugh out of Terry. "Why did you take the job, then?"

"I want to be useful, so I'll learn with the kids," Sean said gamely, shrugging and smiling. "Anyhow, I do know a bit of art history. I've traveled enough and seen lots of good pictures. I reckon it'll do."

"You give a terrible sales pitch," Terry remarked, eyes twinkling, as they reached the basketball court. It was just a court, though, so she didn't even slow down her gait.

"Well, I didn't want to take the piss. For once." He kept chuckling and eyed the hoop. "D'ye play?"

"Basketball?" she asked, following his gaze before shaking her head. "Not really. When I have to, for PE. I used to do athletics, back home." But now she'd left all that behind, in favour of training for X-Force.

"Ah, good then. I can bring you out and give give you a proper beatdown when I think you need taken down a peg. At least, until you learn to fly, too." Sean was still grinning.

"When are we starting that?" Terry asked with a new light in her eyes. Oh, but she couldn't wait! She'd be able to fly on her own. The brief taste she'd had with Warren months ago had left her longing for more, but she hadn't dared bothered him with that. She'd never thought she could actually do it on her own!

“Any day ye like. I’ll be working with the other fliers too, teaching recon skills, but harnessing sonic powers to get airborne is nothing like these winged students have.” Sean liked her enthusiasm—when she smiled like that, she was her mother through and through. “It takes more work, but it’s also more maneuverable.”

"Can any day I like be today?" Terry asked hopefully, pushing some strands of hair back from her face. Then she chuckled, and shook her head. "I can't wait, really. But I can. I will." He would have things to sort out, first.

"No reason we can't start today," Sean agreed. He'd long since realized that anything she asked for, he'd give. If it wasn't in his power, he'd somehow find the power. "Walk me to the lake and we'll start it off there. So if ye go down, ye go down soft." He chuckled.

Outside? She'd expected the gym - with a lot of mats - or the Danger Room. But she could absolutely do outside! At worst, she'd get soaked through. "You're on," she told him with another bright smile, then sobered down a little. "Are you going to be moving in?" she asked tentatively. It wasn't a given, after all.

"Xavier offered, so I accepted," Sean said. "Only if it's all right with ye."

The smile on her face was a clear sign that it was very, very all right with her, but she immediately covered it up with an I-see-through-you look. "Only if you promise not to use it to hound Remy." She didn't think he would, or more accurately perhaps, she hoped he wouldn't, so she was playing. But she also meant it.

He pulled his hands out of his pockets and held them up surrender. "I wouldn't dream of it! I mean, just checkin' in on the lad and seeing if he's all right, that's hardly harassing..."

"The more you protest, the less I believe you," Terry pointed out, unable to hide her amusement completely.

"It's like that line from Shakespeare about the lady protesting too much, isn't it? All right, all right. I'll be nice enough to any gentleman callers." Sean chuckled and replaced his hands in his coat. "But just so I'm not caught unawares, it is only this Remy fellow, or have ye got several?"

That surprised an embarrassed laugh out of Terry, and she felt her cheeks heating up. "What? No! Just him."

"Don't look so shocked! Ye must know what a pretty girl ye are." Sean's eyes were glinting again.

"Pretty doesn't mean I'm keeping three different boys," Terry protested, ignoring her blush. "And here's the range." Just in time for a change of topic, bless it.

"Ballsy of Xavier to even have one," Sean admitted. "Normally I'd protest it being here, but considering the singular difficulties facing you all..."

"I don't like it," Terry said quietly. "I understand why we have it, but I don't like it." But it was easier for her. She could defend herself with her mutation. Not everyone could.

Sean nodded. "I know ye don't, darling. I can't say I'm over the moon, what with this being a school and all. But like I said...

"Well, doesn't matter. Plenty of other things to love."

There was, really, and Terry nodded, before hooking her hand in the crook of his arm and drawing him along. "The lake's a little way further still."

Sean squeezed her hand with his own and carried on. "Tell me about who you're closest to. Best friends. I want to be on the lookout for them."

"Well, there's Tessa," Terry started. "She's my roommate. She's... like no one I'd met before. She had a difficult life, before, and she's very... analytical. Efficient. And probably the smartest person I know. She - she looked into you, when you first reached out." She hoped he wouldn't mind. Given what he did - what he used to do - he ought to understand, even.

Sean gave a little nod and made a 'that checks out' kind of face. "I didn't expect it to be yer roommate that did it, but I'm glad someone's lookin' out for ye. Someone capable."

Of course he understood. Good. "She's amazing," Terry said, with admiration and fondness in equal parts. "She was in the café, that first time we met, with Clarice. One of our teleporters."

“Was she now!” Sean looked genuinely delighted by this intelligence, eyes crinkling. “Ye’re as smart as he are beautiful.”

Terry rolled her eyes at the compliment she didn't deserve, but she couldn't help the smile on her lips. "She is. Clarice is wonderful, too. Her skin is lavender? You can't miss her."

“That’s flash,” Sean said, looking impressed. “Gives us Gingers a run for our money.”

Terry agreed with an enthusiastic nod. "She's so beautiful! Bright green eyes, too. I mean, all-green."

She looked so much like her mother in that moment, lit up like that, that a lump came into Sean’s throat. “I’ll have no trouble recognizing her then. What’s her story? Her powers?”

"Oh! She's my ride!" she explained happily. "I mean, how I've been getting to New York, and back. She's a teleporter. And she's so sweet, helping me out like that." She could have taken the bus each time, or a car out of the garage, but teleporting was so much faster. Clarice was spoiling her, that was for sure.

“Ah, that’s lovely. I’m glad ye—ye have such good friends.” Sean sniffled and had to look away for a moment.

Terry frowned, looking at his profile as she slowed them to a halt. She hesitated, but then asked, full of concern, "Dad?" It felt right to call him that, which was definitely scary.

He loved hearing it, though. He sniffled again and pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand. "Ignore me, darlin. I'm just being sentimental. When ye light up like that..."

Terry squeezed his arm for a second, and then just stepped close and wrapped her arms around him. She didn't know what to say, or how to make anything better. Were kids meant to comfort their parents? She didn't really know, but a hug couldn't hurt. "It's all right," she told him hesitantly. "I miss her too." She didn't need to have known her to miss her.

He hugged her back, all of her tiny person fitting easily into his arms, almost like she'd always been there. "I'm sure ye do." A quiet moment. A little sniffle, then he pulled away--but kept one arm over her shoulders, continuing to walk in the direction of the lake--or so he presumed. "Who else should I look out for?"

Terry hummed thoughtfully, resisting the urge to play with the simple sound the way she often did when she was on her own. "There's Jay. He's got the most amazing reddish wings, so you can't miss him either. He has a vocal thing, too, sings as well as we do. He plays the guitar, and he's... he's very sweet."

Sean considered another joke about boys but he hadn’t the heart for it just then. Instead he smiled and kept walking. “If there are parties, as ye say, is there music? Singing and playing?”

"There was karaoke once?" Terry offered, thinking fondly back on that night. It was when she had met Jay, too. "But we haven't had proper live music for them."

"Well there's something for next time." He was forcing himself to cheer up a little, but didn't want to overdo it and go fake. Still, he had no doubt he'd be right as could be before long. Terry had that effect.

"I'll talk to Jay," Terry said with a small smile. "And whoever organises the next party."

"Are the adults forbidden from these parties? Ask someone to take a video," Sean suggested.

"I will," she confirmed with a nod, and wrapped an arm around his middle. It was nice, that he cared, but that he wouldn't push his way into the (hypothetical) party to be there. They walked in silence for a few seconds, and she nodded at the lake when it came into view. "Here we go."

"Oh, now that's a fine view." Sean had cheered himself up considerably by then, and he smiled out at the lake. "And not a bad spot for a party, either. Far enough from the house."

"Yeah, we did that when it was warm enough," Terry confirmed, with a smile at the memories.

"It's a lovely place. I'm glad to know ye've found the way here," Sean said, watching her with his own smile.

Terry turned her smile on him. "And now you can teach me to fly!"

"Sure, if ye're ready." Sean smirked slightly, knowing damn well she was dying for it.

Terry laughed happily. "Probably really not, but let's do it anyway!"

"Right so--ye can't get airborne today, sorry to say, but we can practice the basics and apply them. Once we've got the right equipment.

"Can ye feel the soundwaves, when they bounce off something?" The lake was a perfect place to try this.

Terry's face fell at the first bit of news. "Of course I can. What do you mean, the right equipment?"

"Ye'll need something to catch them," Sean said, smiling fondly at how easy her expressions were to read. She got that from her ma, too. "Sort of... wings, like webbing between your upper arms and torso. Once you learn how to angle the waves properly--which is what we need to practice first, so ye don't fall out a the sky--ye can catch 'em."

Her eyebrows knitted into a small frown as she listened to him, trying to understand what he was saying. "Like... bouncing off our own sonar?"

Sean nodded. "Tricky at first, but once ye get the hang of the frequencies, it's nothing at all. Quite a lot of fun, too."

"Can we go very high?" Terry asked, eyebrows raised hopefully. "And fast?" She had no doubt about the fun bit.

"Very," Sean assured her. "And the control bit does become second nature. Ye'll start to feel it without even thinking, to go higher and faster."

"So the soundwaves we need to put out to fly - they won't hurt anyone down on the ground?" Of course she had to check. Sound could be so dangerous.

"I'll show ye the right frequencies for safety," Sean promised. "That's a good starting point in fact."

"All right!" Terry smiled again, getting back to her earlier enthusiasm. "Go on, then."

Oh, she couldn't wait to try it out for herself.