Jean and Laura Backdated
Oct. 3rd, 2017 09:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ax_x23 posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
ax_mainJean and Laura meet, but Laura has absolutely no idea how to carry on a conversation with another human being. Not really.
Laura took a deep breath and just stared at the water of the pond as she tried to take in the fact that she could just do this. No mission, no chaperone, just her and the outside.
She fiddled with the overly long sleeves on her sweat shirt they had bought when Miss. Hunter had gone with her to Salem Center at Mr. Xavier's request and frowned at how the length would not help when she needed to use her claws. She pushed them up her thin arms, only for them to fall back down.
Maybe if she cut them...
There was a faint click and mechanical whir from a few feet behind her. A moment later, the wind carried a scent to her: young woman, recently showered, and had eaten a peanut butter sandwich.
"Hi, there!"
Laura jerked at the sound of a soft click and flexed her fingers, ready to bring out her claws if it was needed, but when she glanced over to see a young red headed woman she relaxed slightly.
She stood perfectly still as the other girl moved a little closer, assessing the girl's strengths and weaknesses. Taller, unguarded, thin, but has muscle.
"...Hello."
The girl approached, holding a small digital camera in one hand. "I hope you don't mind me taking your picture, but it was a really beautiful shot."
Laura frowned at that, never once had that word been used for her except for when Rice finished on her bone modification. She glanced back at the water, not sure how to respond so instead she just nodded. "That is fine then."
She looked back over at the girl and was a little surprised how much she liked the color of her hair.
"You're Laura, right? I'm Jean. We chatted a little in your forum post." Jean drew up beside her, joining her in taking in the lake view.
Jean, Jean, Jean...the telepath. Laura grew a little more guarded when Jean moved closer, knowing what telepathy meant and suddenly feeling unprotected. "You can read minds?"
Jean's smile withered away.
"I can. I try not to if I can help it."
"If you can help it?" It was an odd concept for kids here to still not have a full grasp on their powers, but Laura guessed that wasn't fair to them since she had been forced to learn as soon as she could. "Is it hard?"
"Sometimes." Jean tucked her camera into her jacket pocket. "Sometimes it feels like having an extra set of ears, especially when I'm around a lot of people. I can try not to listen in, but I have to put extra effort into ignoring it."
"That sounds aggravating." Laura said quietly, wondering what it would be like to not be able to shut off other people's thoughts in your head. "Did you think you were going insane when you first heard them?"
'I thought I was dying.'
But Jean knew she wasn't ready to talk about that yet. Not with anyone but the Professor. It was still way too raw a wound; she doubted she would ever truly be able to get any distance from it.
"It was difficult," she said quietly. "I was catatonic for over a year."
Laura looked over at her a little surprised, her eyes widening slightly before she looked down at her hands. "That sounds freighting. Is that what happened when they came to you?"
Jean tilted her head. "'They'?"
Laura frowned when Jean was confused by her wording, had she not used the correct phrase? What was it that Xavier had called it when a mutant’s powers developed...
"Manifested."
"Oh." Jean nodded. "Yes. I couldn't control it at first, and my mind just retreated."
To have your mind flee from your body during intense times of stress sounded appealing to Laura, but she knew the girl did not see it that way so she kept that thought to herself...
She then took a sharp breath and tensed remembering what Jean's powers were. "Are you reading my thoughts now?"
Jean frowned. "No, I'm not. I try to respect people's privacy. And, frankly, it's not exactly a lot of fun to go sorting through people's thoughts either."
Laura nodded. "Good."
Then because Kinney had taught he that manners were important she shifted a little uncomfortably and looked at Jean out of the corner of her eye. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Silence for a few moments. "How do you like the school so far?"
"It is...different. Different than what I am used to." Different was not always bad nor was it good, so Laura reserved all her judgement for later. "It is my first time seeing so many mutants. What about yourself?"
"The same. I think it's like that for most of the other students." Jean sat, resting her back against a tree. "Though there are at least some siblings here. They knew there were other people out there like them, at least."
"Mmmm." Laura hummed and turned to watch Jean settle against the tree. She had always known there were other mutants somewhere out there, after all she wouldn't even be around without her donor being one. "You did not know at all?"
"I was twelve when I manifested. No one had really heard of mutants then. It was still mostly, you know, sensational news stories. Urban legend." Jean drew her knees up to her chest. "No one knew what was going on until the Professor contacted my parents."
Laura frowned a little at that, when she had arrived at the school, Xavier had been there waiting at the gate for her and told her that he had been expecting her. "He contacted them? How did he know?"
He was a telepath like Jean, but could his powers really reach that far...?
"My parents had been looking for specialists..." Jean shook her head and stood abruptly. "I'm sorry, I don't like talking about this. Maybe some other time." She began heading back to the school at a quick walk.
Laura watched her go, wondering if she should just let the girl leave since Jean obviously did not feel comfortable talking to her about these things. Then change the subject. But Laura had no idea what teenage girls even talked about, so instead she let Jean walk away.
Laura took a deep breath and just stared at the water of the pond as she tried to take in the fact that she could just do this. No mission, no chaperone, just her and the outside.
She fiddled with the overly long sleeves on her sweat shirt they had bought when Miss. Hunter had gone with her to Salem Center at Mr. Xavier's request and frowned at how the length would not help when she needed to use her claws. She pushed them up her thin arms, only for them to fall back down.
Maybe if she cut them...
There was a faint click and mechanical whir from a few feet behind her. A moment later, the wind carried a scent to her: young woman, recently showered, and had eaten a peanut butter sandwich.
"Hi, there!"
Laura jerked at the sound of a soft click and flexed her fingers, ready to bring out her claws if it was needed, but when she glanced over to see a young red headed woman she relaxed slightly.
She stood perfectly still as the other girl moved a little closer, assessing the girl's strengths and weaknesses. Taller, unguarded, thin, but has muscle.
"...Hello."
The girl approached, holding a small digital camera in one hand. "I hope you don't mind me taking your picture, but it was a really beautiful shot."
Laura frowned at that, never once had that word been used for her except for when Rice finished on her bone modification. She glanced back at the water, not sure how to respond so instead she just nodded. "That is fine then."
She looked back over at the girl and was a little surprised how much she liked the color of her hair.
"You're Laura, right? I'm Jean. We chatted a little in your forum post." Jean drew up beside her, joining her in taking in the lake view.
Jean, Jean, Jean...the telepath. Laura grew a little more guarded when Jean moved closer, knowing what telepathy meant and suddenly feeling unprotected. "You can read minds?"
Jean's smile withered away.
"I can. I try not to if I can help it."
"If you can help it?" It was an odd concept for kids here to still not have a full grasp on their powers, but Laura guessed that wasn't fair to them since she had been forced to learn as soon as she could. "Is it hard?"
"Sometimes." Jean tucked her camera into her jacket pocket. "Sometimes it feels like having an extra set of ears, especially when I'm around a lot of people. I can try not to listen in, but I have to put extra effort into ignoring it."
"That sounds aggravating." Laura said quietly, wondering what it would be like to not be able to shut off other people's thoughts in your head. "Did you think you were going insane when you first heard them?"
'I thought I was dying.'
But Jean knew she wasn't ready to talk about that yet. Not with anyone but the Professor. It was still way too raw a wound; she doubted she would ever truly be able to get any distance from it.
"It was difficult," she said quietly. "I was catatonic for over a year."
Laura looked over at her a little surprised, her eyes widening slightly before she looked down at her hands. "That sounds freighting. Is that what happened when they came to you?"
Jean tilted her head. "'They'?"
Laura frowned when Jean was confused by her wording, had she not used the correct phrase? What was it that Xavier had called it when a mutant’s powers developed...
"Manifested."
"Oh." Jean nodded. "Yes. I couldn't control it at first, and my mind just retreated."
To have your mind flee from your body during intense times of stress sounded appealing to Laura, but she knew the girl did not see it that way so she kept that thought to herself...
She then took a sharp breath and tensed remembering what Jean's powers were. "Are you reading my thoughts now?"
Jean frowned. "No, I'm not. I try to respect people's privacy. And, frankly, it's not exactly a lot of fun to go sorting through people's thoughts either."
Laura nodded. "Good."
Then because Kinney had taught he that manners were important she shifted a little uncomfortably and looked at Jean out of the corner of her eye. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Silence for a few moments. "How do you like the school so far?"
"It is...different. Different than what I am used to." Different was not always bad nor was it good, so Laura reserved all her judgement for later. "It is my first time seeing so many mutants. What about yourself?"
"The same. I think it's like that for most of the other students." Jean sat, resting her back against a tree. "Though there are at least some siblings here. They knew there were other people out there like them, at least."
"Mmmm." Laura hummed and turned to watch Jean settle against the tree. She had always known there were other mutants somewhere out there, after all she wouldn't even be around without her donor being one. "You did not know at all?"
"I was twelve when I manifested. No one had really heard of mutants then. It was still mostly, you know, sensational news stories. Urban legend." Jean drew her knees up to her chest. "No one knew what was going on until the Professor contacted my parents."
Laura frowned a little at that, when she had arrived at the school, Xavier had been there waiting at the gate for her and told her that he had been expecting her. "He contacted them? How did he know?"
He was a telepath like Jean, but could his powers really reach that far...?
"My parents had been looking for specialists..." Jean shook her head and stood abruptly. "I'm sorry, I don't like talking about this. Maybe some other time." She began heading back to the school at a quick walk.
Laura watched her go, wondering if she should just let the girl leave since Jean obviously did not feel comfortable talking to her about these things. Then change the subject. But Laura had no idea what teenage girls even talked about, so instead she let Jean walk away.
