xp_logs | Log | Ororo and Haller

Backdated (Feb. 2nd) : Meeting by chance out by the lake, Ororo and Haller catch up and talk about the weather.

It was strange how being back at the mansion seemed to exacerbate his smoking habit. He didn't feel overly stressed -- or rather, Jim corrected as he wandered down to the lake, he didn't feel continually stressed. The past few weeks had had their moments. Shrugging to himself, he lit his cigarette.

It seemed Haller wasn't the only one seeking the outdoors as an attempt at soothing worn-out nerves. Ororo had just completed a walk around the lake herself, gazing at the gray clouds reflecting on the flat-glassy surface of the water. Occassionally a slight breeze would ruffle the reflection, but it was otherwise calm. Spotting a figure standing solitary on the path, Ororo veered towards it instead of heading back up towards the mansion.

Jim blinked up at the movement, startled and suddenly obscurely guilty. It was Ororo. He didn't see Ororo around much; their schedules didn't tend to overlap. Someone like her against the chilly New England winter seemed like an odd contrast. But being outdoors would be natural for her, wouldn't it?

"Good morning," Jim said, managing to keep most of his surprise out of his tone. He was impressed by how little fumbling went into replacing his lighter in his pocket.

"Good morning." Ororo greeted him with a smile. She didn't seem to be dressed for the weather - her thin, longsleeved shirt wouldn't protect much against the cold. "It's a bit early to be wandering the grounds, isn't it? Still, it felt like a good time for a walk. I can see you had a simliar idea."

Jim smiled, rolling his cigarette between his fingers sheepishly. "I try not to smoke inside. So many folks have hyper-sensitive mutations it just seems like common courtesy." He stuck his free hand in his pocket and took a drag. He really wasn't up for small-talk on the fly, but he made the attempt. "How have you been? I haven't seen you around lately."

"Oh, I've been around. Just busy, always busy." Ororo shook her head, though a smile still played on her lips. "It seems like administrative pile up faster the more you try and tackle them. How have you been - settling in all right?"

"Better than I expected, to be honest. There've been a few rough patches, but that was expected. My history being what it is." He smiled slightly and rubbed the back of his head. "How's it been for you here the last -- what, six years? I was too jetlagged to ask that first night."

Ororo grinned. "Busy. But I'm sure it's no surprise to you, just from your few weeks here already. There's always something going on. It's wonderful, though, because it means we've gotten more students, and that's always a good thing. I'm glad you're back as well... if anything it'll prove that it is possible to survive the Xavier Insitute in one piece." She winked to show she was joking. "But really, it's good to see you back here again."

Jim chuckled, a little self-consciously. "Well, in fewer pieces than I came in as. Which is still pretty good, in my opinion. So, you're a CO now? Even without the headmistress chair I'm impressed you can find time to do anything as casual as take a walk." He thought of his conversation with Kurt. "Or garden. The greenhouse really is impressive."

"I think the school found out the hard way that it's beneficial for the headmistress to have some 'alone' time," Ororo replied. "I manage to fit it all in, even if it means some long nights. And early mornings."

"I guess the lightening bolts are probably a good deterrant. Especially if the students don't know you wouldn't use them." He took another drag. "So does this mean they're tied to your emotional state, then? Your powers, I mean." He gave her a lopsided grin. "Not that I doubt you don't need powers to enforce your need for space, but mine were. I always wonder."

"More or less," Ororo replied. "It just helps me keep my peace of mind to be outside, even on a day like today," she said, spreading her hands.

"I know the feeling. Sometimes looking at the same four walls all the time gets a little constricting." He paused to exhale a column of smoke into the pale grey sky. "Today's not so bad. I used to badger Moira to take me out in the dead of Scottish winter. At least in New York you can see the sun for more than twenty minutes at a time." He cupped his hands and blew on them to warm them. "I miss being so close to the ocean, though. A wild sea is strangely cathartic."

Ororo nodded her agreement. She more than most people knew the appeal of a wide-open sky, the absence of boundaries or walls around you. "Well, we don't have an ocean," she said, raising a hand and gesturing towards the placid lake. A wind suddenly picked up around them, stirring the still water until it was jagged with small, frothy waves. "But we can improvise sometimes."

Jim blinked, then laughed. "It's nice to see waves that aren't a result of someone crashing into something. My sanity thanks you." He raised one hand to smile past the cigarette. "I'm not used to being around people with control. I wasn't in much of a state to appreciate it when I was a student here, so it's like learning all over again for the first time. I don't remember too many accidents with you when you came in, though . . . or at least, none that I noticed. Which wasn't much for a while."

"Well, it didn't come without practice," Ororo said, watching as the waves grew larger on the lake. "And Charles helped immensely. He's amazing... I don't think any of us would be where we are today without him. And now we get to watch a new batch of students go through the same thing... and help them if we can."

"That's a cycle I don't mind perpetuating. Minus some of the more explosive personal setbacks if we can at all avoid it, but you get the idea." Jim wrapped one arm around himself, shivering under his jacket. "I think I'm going to head back in. I underestimated the power of the great outdoors. Or overestimated my body's ability to insulate against it. Which doesn't take much, really." He smiled over at her. "Nice to get a chance to talk to you without some kind of crisis going on."

"Mm, it was good to see you," Ororo agreed. "And if you ever need to make some waves... you know who to ask." She smiled as the lake began to smooth over again.

"Um, thank you. You, too." As warming as it was, Jim found the blush less than welcome. Okay, even I know that was unintentional. It wasn't as if he was talking to Wanda, after all . . .

Ororo nodded, and if she noticed the slight redness to Jim's cheeks she didn't say anything. "Have a good day, then."

Jim started back towards the main building, glancing back over his shoulder to wave. "You, too." . . . again. Jim turned away, and took a slightly too-forceful drag on his cigarette. Okay, he acknowledged to himself, so maybe there's a little stress.