Logs // Backdated Winnebago log & Wednesday Morning Swim log!

[x-dazzler.livejournal.com]

Backdated log, to August 26th or so, during the drive up to see Jamie's uncle Harvey about a haunted Winnebago. Illyana and Alison in the same car! Featuring snark, pouting and speeding bullets cars!

Alison grinned as she leaned back a bit more comfortably in the Jeep's driver's seat, the radio playing in the background just loud enough to provide the perfect amount of background noise. "You know, if you pout any more you'll end up looking like someone gave you a fat lip." She winked for Illyana's benefit, reflecting that yet again, the girl had proven why Alison was so damn fond of her yet again, with her display of utter common sense the previous weekend.

"I am not pouting," Illyana told Alison loftily, crossing her arms across her chest (and thanking the great organizing principle of the universe that Lockheed was with Kitty for the moment) and definitely pouting more. "I'm just . . . thinking. Maybe you're just having trouble with your vision. I've heard that happens. You know. With... time." Lots and lots of time, was what the tone implied.

"You're pouting. It's kinda cute too, probably make the boys walk into walls in a heartbeat too," Alison added cheerfully, only too aware of the fact that Illyana's reaction to that would be a five year old's classic 'ew, lower lifeforms get 'em away from me' of course. "And I wonder if those ejectable passengers' seats were installed yet?" She murmured the last with revolting good humour, which was always the best way to ensure Illyana stayed right in her sulk of course.

Illyana made a face at Alison. "I am not," she muttered, surreptitiously glancing around in case there actually was an eject button. Not that she was gullible, of course; she just liked to be sure. And the woman's dratted sense of humour meant she had to be ever-vigilant. That was all. "And since boys are stupid anyway, it doesn't surprise me that I could make them walk into a wall. I don't see what pouting has to do with it."

"Are too!" She'd been told in no uncertain terms to go on this mini-vacation thing and enjoy herself. And well, obviously, if that meant picking on Illyana then of course, Alison had to do it. She'd been told to, after all. "And don't think the eject button is that easy to spot, yeesh, what do you take me for anyway?"

Illyana smiled angelically, switching from 'grumpy' to 'sarcastic' in less than a second. "Do you really need me to say?" she asked sweetly, raising her eyebrows.

"Mmm." Alison looked over the road and waited to change lanes, then beamed. "Brilliant and beautiful and the very soul of cunning revenge towards ungrateful students and children who don't appreciate me properly, of course!"

"You know," Illyana said conversationally, "I hear delusion is a sign of dementia setting in."

A wide grin greeted that. "And think, I'm the one driving the car too." Eyeing the speed limit Alison pressed the pedal down a bit, without ever going over, though the change in speed still left a stomach sinking illusion.

"Whoever invented this form of travel must have been suffering dementia himself," Illyana muttered, trying not to look too white. "Is this natural? Is this thing supposed to go this fast? Aren't there laws you're supposed to be following? This isn't your toy jet, you know."

"Fast? This isn't fast?" Alison beamed and then pointed at the speedometer. "It's perfectly natural," she added automatically. "See? The little needled isn't even halfway across the circle and I betcha I can make it go even further if I push the pedal just a bit more! Besides, the jet goes lots faster." Still not over the speed limit, she noted, not that she had any intention of going over, at that. Whee, fun!

"If people were meant to go this fast, they'd come with nuclear power," Illyana said calmly - well, at least steadily, as though she weren't clutching the door handle like the most gullible girl in the world. "I knew you were insane when you threw me in a lake. But now I know that being an old lady has finally hit your brain completely and made you irrational."

"Gee, Shiro'd be glad to hear he's clear on the speeding thing then!" Humming merrily, Alison kept to the fast lane, the very picture of contented calm. "And I can't hear you too clearly, must be the old age. Did you just ask me to speed up by any chance? Eeeeeh?"

~*~

Wednesday morning. It's time to act on that deal that was made! Jean takes a swim, accompanied by Alison's cheering and teasing. The lake is conquered!

Jean stood at the edge of the lake, watching the little wavelets wash over her feet and just listening to the sound. It really didn't sound anything like the flood. Or, well, it did, but it sounded like the flood reduced and reduced and changed into this small little thing, just water washing over her toes. Kind of like the fear. It was still there, curled up in her mind, but... it was smaller. More manageable.

The water itself was... cool. Pleasantly cool in the late summer heat. It didn't have any of the frozen chill she remembered from before. She could do this, she really could.

Re-centering her mind, Jean firmed her shields again, locking down her telekinesis, just in case, then shot a smile over her shoulder at Alison.

Standing a few feet behind Jean, but obviously still wearing her shoes and clothes that had nothing to do with swimming, Alison smiled back. "I'm here and waiting to be shown what's what!" There was nothing but good cheer in her voice, Alison clearly expecting Jean to be able to do just as their deal required. And if there was an undercurrent of unease at the thought of having to show her scars to all and sundry, it was buried under the fierce determination to do just that, and in the process show the world that despite the mark he'd left on her, Sabretooth had no power over her.

Jean chuckled softly before heading out into the water, her steps steady and even until it got deep enough that she could swim.

Standing on the edge of the water, Alison pushed up on the balls of her feet slowly, then back down, heels resting back on the ground. And tried not to heckle Jean into going faster, even though she really did want to see the redhead achieve her goal, regardless of any bet they'd made. "C'mon," she muttered under her breath, trying not to start bouncing in place.

Jean's focus was absolute, her strokes steady and even. She wasn't going slowly exactly, but she wasn't pushing herself. Refused to let herself try to rush through this because, while finishing it was the goal, dealing with it was the point.

Crouching down, Alison watched her progress, the tip of her thumb between her lips, the edge of her fingernail neatly caught down between her teeth. Am not gonna gnaw my fingernails, not gonna… c'mon! How one thought quietly she wasn't sure, but she was trying her very best.

But Jean had spent too much time half in Alison's mind during their pool and lake sessions for her to not be aware of the other woman's thoughts out here now. #Tortoise and the hare...# came the rather distracted reply, and she was easily half way out to the marker they'd set afloat in the middle of the lake.

#Turtles are fat,# was the deadpan reply. #Are you saying you're fat? Don't laugh!#

#Killing you for that later,# Jean thought cheerfully at Alison as she swam on.

#Promises, promises!# was the merry and entirely unrepentant thought in return. #From now on, your Indian name is Fat Turtle Woman! HA!#

#You're not allowed to make me want to turn around and come smack you yet, I haven't made it to the middle!# And laughing while she swam would be dangerous, so Jean refocused.

#Nyah, nyah, can't get me! And don't laugh!# Both hands pressed to her mouth, Alison was pretty sure the wild laughter she was trying to repress could easily be heard across the water, really. She tried to behave and keep quiet instead, eyes dancing with amusement as she watched Jean's progress.