Yvette, Laurie// Yvette, Angel - Wednesday morning

[x-penance.livejournal.com]

Yvette moves out of medlab and into the suite with Laurie. It's a rather nervewracking experience for both of them.

OOC note: Posting early because I can't post at work.




Laurie smoothed her hands over the bedspread as she watched Yvette explore the room. Haller had left a few moments ago and she wasn't entirely sure what should happen next. Although, she supposed talking was as good a start as any.

"Um, so, I guess I should show you around a bit. Your bed is over here, I made it up so you wouldn't have to mess around much." Laurie started, standing and walking over to what would be Yvette's side of the room.

Yvette would have frowned, if her face would let her. "Mess around?" she asked, voice shy and hesitant. Laurie seemed nice enough, but things were so stange... At least she was out of the frightening hospital, and the room was full of sunlight. She'd missed sunlight. "What is to be meaning, please?"

"Oh. Right. Non-native English speaker. Sorry, I've been told I can be a little scatter brained. They told me you might have some trouble handling things, because of your skin. So, I made the bed so you wouldn't have to try doing it without ripping things." Laurie replied.

She actually had no clue how to explain 'muck around' to someone who didn't already know it's meaning. This was going to be harder then she thought. She just hoped Yvette was patient.

Yvette blinked, the action shuttering the blank electric blue glow of her eyes as she tried to follow Laurie's fast-paced speech. "Thank you," she said at last. "It is... difficult for me now." She held up one hand, talons twice as long as her palm.

Laurie had seen Logan pop his claws before, and also Kyle's feet but she couldn't imagine what it must be like having to manage claws that big on your hands.

She wasn't entirely sure what to say or do next. What exactly did you do with a new roommate, beyond showing them where the bathroom was and where they could put their stuff? Maybe someone who knew how to talk to people might have been better for this.

"I'm, um. I'm sorry. I'm actually pretty bad at this. Is there anything special you need, or should I just show you where everything is and we can go from there?"

Yvette bobbed her head a little, just as nervous. "I am sorry, I don't mean to make fright for you," she apologised, sounding a little anxious. "Mr. Forge, he say the clothings he make for me will make me more safe - not so much cutting things?"

"N-no. Not frightened." Laurie replied, wincing. God forbid her roommate think she was somehow frightened of her. "Just nervous. I want you to feel welcome here and I sometimes feel awkward talking to new people. It's not your fault. And Forge is very good at making things. He made this for me, to help me control mine."

Laurie held the air-scrubber out with her hand so that Yvette might get a better look at it.

"My power, it releases something called 'pheromones' into the air. It affects people physically."

Yvette tilted her head, not understanding all of the words, but understanding that the device somehow helped Laurie with her powers. "Mr. Forge, he is helping you?" she asked, examining the device carefully from a distance.

Laurie nodded, smiling. "Yeah. He's really good at making things, especially to help other mutants. How many people have you met so far?"

"Paige." That name came immediately, and her eyes glowed brighter. "She is finding me in the woods and bringing me back. Mr. Haller and Mr. Forge and Mr. Professor." She shrugged a little. "Not so many, but I am not so upset. Too many people, they are being loud and making fright to me," she admitted a little shamefaced.

If Laurie could have, she would have given Yvette a hug at that moment, but she remembered what Mr Haller had told her about how sharp Yvette's skin was currently and resisted the urge. "It's alright, I was really overwhelmed when I first came here to. There's more then enough time for you to meet everyone. Now, do you need anything special to eat, or can you just have normal meals like the rest of us?"

"Nothing special," the younger girl replied, glad for easier questions. "I do not eat so much - for a very long time I was not eating at all, but the doctor, she says I will eat more. The food here, it is different to my home. But good." She cast a shy glance at Laurie. "How long are you being here? You are liking it?"

Laurie paused as she tried to remember just how long she'd been here, time always seemed to move faster when you weren't really concentrating on it. She finally settled on 'a little while' as a good answer, since she couldn't remember the exact month she'd entered the school. Or, if she were honest with herself, done her best to forget that particular event, even if coming to the school itself was good. It was just the circumstances that still had the power to terrify her, even now.

"A little while, not as long as some of the others. Less then a year, anyhow. But I am liking it. Paige helped me too, you know. She's good at getting people out of trouble. And Mr Dayspring, although you haven't met him yet. He's nice though, and Marie, she's one of the other teachers. She went shopping with me once. She's great."

Laurie smiled, realising she was babbling a bit. Yvette was easy to talk to, maybe it was just that she was so still and seemed to be listening so intently. Although, that could just be the language barrier. It must be hard learning to understand English. Laurie was a native speaker and even she still had problems with English classes. Something that Kyle would be helping her with. She wondered if he'd mind if she brought Yvette along.

Yvette was indeed concentrating on what Laurie was saying, processing the slightly fast-paced words. It was very different to her lessons at school, but the help Mr. Professor had given her whilst she'd been 'hiding' helped. "There are... very many people here?" she asked, a little timidly. The building had been big enough, but the thought of meeting all the people in it was frankly terrifying.

"Oh yes." Laurie replied, noticing the slight quiver in Yvette's voice with a pang of sympathy. She herself had found meeting so many people all at once a little off-putting, if it hadn't been for the journals...

If this had been some sort of movie, and not real life, Laurie might have smacked herself in the forehead right then. It was never the first thing people told you when you came here, most of the time because most of the kids here weren't terribly shy, and could find their own way around a computer without any immediate instruction. And with how Yvette had entered the school, it might have been overlooked so far that she'd need a journal account.

"Did Mr... I mean, did Forge set you up with a journal account at all yet?" Laurie asked, smiling as she unconsciously mimicked Yvette's speech. All the Mr this and Miss that was contagious.

"Journal..? Oh, you are meaning the computers?" Yvette's eyes glowed brightly as she remembered Forge carefully explaining the system to her. "It is being able to talk to the other people on the computer, yes?" Again she held up her hand. "Mr. Forge, he is making me gloves, that will be letting me touch, but it is being hard to type even so. He said there is a..." She paused, trying to remember the word. "A pre-gram? Something that will let me talk the words and they go onto the computer?"


"Program, yep. They created it when one of the teachers here was hurt and still wanted to talk to everyone. It's really amazing. Now that they've assigned you a room, I can get Forge to install it for you on your computer. Which, reminds me. Do you want to see your desk? Everyone gets one, and a laptop." Laurie replied, moving toward the back of the room where their desks were set up.

"Please." Yvette followed in that odd half-scuttle she'd had to adopt as a result of the claws. The room was so large! And the furniture so fine, solid and heavy and difficult to damage. Peering over the edge of the desk, she straightened from her crouch to look at the computer a bit more closely. Much smaller and sleeker than the clunky box at her school, the old machine belonging to the headmaster. "I am being afraid I will break it," she confessed, looking up at Laurie. Even standing upright, she was much smaller than the older girl.

"Well, Forge is going to make those gloves for you, so you won't have to worry about breaking it. Although, I think they made a computer for Mr Marko when he was really big as well, so maybe they could make one for someone with sharp claws? Forge is good with things like that, so no need to worry. Would you like me to introduce you to people? Or do you want to wait till you can make a journal entry yourself?" Laurie asked, reaching over and turning on the computer.

Yvette might not yet be able to touch the computer, but Laurie could at least start the introduction ball rolling if that was what Yvette wanted. Sometimes having someone there with you for the initial social attempt could make it less scary. Still, Laurie was still a stranger, you couldn't make someone trust you in only a few minutes afterall, so she wouldn't be insulted if she said no. She could at least e-mail Forge to let him know Yvette needed help setting things up.

And indeed, Yvette shrank back a little, intimidated by the thought of saying hello to everyone just yet. Especially when everything was so new and strange. "A little later, perhaps?" she asked, voice dropping into a near-whisper. "It is being too soon, and I am wanting to understand better first." Drawing away from her desk, her gaze fell on Laurie's, and the books piled there. "Oh!" she breathed, bending to peer at a book more closely, but avoiding touching it just yet without the gloves. "You are having poetry class?"

"English class, it's one of the standards." Laurie replied, walking over and opening the book. "Do you like poetry?"

She was more the active type, then the reading type but could still appreciate a good poem and Wordsworth was one of her favourites.

By the way Yvette had her hands clasped in front of her, glowing eyes wide, it was easy to guess that yes, she did, even without the benefit of fine facial expressions. "I am liking it very much," she said, and then a thought struck her. "Is there being a library here? With books?"

"There is, one of the best libraries I've seen for a school, actually. We could go there now, if you like." Laurie replied.

It was probably a good idea to show Yvette a bit of the school, anyhow. She wasn't entirely sure how much of a tour she'd have already been given.

"I am liking that, very much," Yvette said, with that sudden brightening of her eye glow that was coming to mean a surge of strong emotion. "Thank you, Miss Laurie."

***

Laurie opened the door to the Library and waited for Yvette to walk past her before letting it close. She'd taken the trip to the library slowly, trying to point out as much of the mansion between their suite and the Library as possible, and avoiding the more well used corridors as much as she could. She knew Yvette was still nervous about meeting new people and she didn't want the girl to get overwhelmed.

"Well, here we are. The best school library in existance, and run by the best Librarian in existance. I'll have to introduce you to her later, since we'll need to get you set up with on the library system so you can borrow books whenever you want." Laurie explained as she walked further into the library.

"It is being so big..." Yvette breathed, almost afraid to make any louder noise for fear the bubble would burst. All this was starting to feel like a dream again, a good one this time. She crept forward, taking in the shelves with their loads of books, the quiet, the patches of sunlight falling onto the floor from the large windows. "So many books..."

"And they've got just about any subject you could think to ask about." Laurie explained, Yvette's reactions delighting the older girl. It was always nice to see someone happy. "And anything they don't have, you can ask for."

"Are there books being in different languages?" Yvette asked, still taking it all in. "Albanian?"

"Mr Dayspring does a couple of language classes, so there's books in those languages. There might be some in Albanian...We could ask Miss Shan if she could get some in if there aren't. Maybe even ask if she could find an Albanian to English dictionary so we can help you with your English." Laurie replied, walking toward the library computers.

She'd take a quick look through the catalogue to see if there was any Albanian language books and if she didn't find any, she could see if Miss Shan was around.

It was difficult not to wander off and lose herself in the stacks, but that would be rude. Later, Yvette promised herself. "Mr. Professor is helping me with my English while I was... asleep," she explained. "But I am trying hard to be better with it. English is being a very strange language, and the people talk so strangely sometimes. Not being like the recordings in the class at all."

"Most languages sound different in person then they're taught in classrooms." Laurie explained. "I guess because language that's written down rarely changes whereas when someone is just saying things, they can change depending on where that person is from and how they were brought up, or if they're trying to appear cool by using the latest 'in' word. But, it'll get easier, I promise. I've been told the best way to learn a language is just to dump yourself right in the middle of it and kind of wallow."

Laurie trailed off as she noticed the clock on the wall, if she didn't get a move on she'd be late for English class and God help her if she missed anything, she was already struggling with Shakespeare as it was.

"Um, Yvette? I've got class in just under ten minutes. Would you mind very much if I took you back to the suite? We can come back to the library later though, and I can get Miss Shan to give you the grand tour." Laurie said in a rush.

Yvette was a little disappointed, but the books weren't going anywhere. With a small nod, she agreed. "Being late is a bad thing and I do not wish you to get into trouble. We are to be going back now, yes."

"Yes. But I promise, soon as I finish classes, I'll bring you back here and I'll give you a proper tour of the mansion." Laurie replied, leading Yvette back through the door.



***

Once Laurie has gone to class, Angel investigates the newcomer.



Her roommate - Mi... no, Laurie, she was to call her Laurie, no 'Miss' - had bustled off, saying something about class and Yvette was left to herself. Not that she minded; her head was spinning from all the new experiences and she needed some time to sort things out. Not to mention get used to her surroundings. "~ This is what happens when you become Sleeping Beauty and miss six months of your life...~" she murmured quietly to herself in her native language. The bedroom was much larger than her old one at home and she moved cautiously around, careful not to touch anything with the long red talons that were her hands now. It wouldn't do to break anything of Laurie's, after all.

Angel had spotted Laurie heading out to class—she'd actually just come in from one—she trotted over and knocked on the door. She'd been wanting to meet all the new people in her suite but she'd known that they were probably still adjusting and hadn't wanted to bother them.

"Hello?" she called out. Yvette was the girl's name, she remembered.

The knock startled the other girl and she jumped, feet tearing into the carpet a little. "Oh!" she exclaimed softly, mortified at the damage. There was another knock, and she realised the person was still out there, wanting to come in. "H-hello?" she replied in English, her accent marked. "Who is there?"

"I'm Angel," she responded, peeking around the door just a little bit, red hair getting in her eyes. "I'm in the same suite and I just wanted to say hi and introduce myself."

"Angel... like the people having the wings, yes?" Despite her initial fright and shyness, Yvette peered back at the other girl with curiosity. "I am Yvette. I am to be staying here, for now at least." She stopped, unsure of what next to say, and then remembered the lessons on manners in her old English classes. "Please to be coming in?"

Grinning, Angel came in but left the door open. "Yep, exactly like people with wings," she responded, taking in Yvette's appearance without even blinking. She recognized the shyness though and the language barrier…that reminded her of Sooraya. "And thank you. Yvette's a pretty name, I like that. Where are you from?"

The girl's friendliness was reassuring. Yvette would have smiled if she could - her powers had made a mask of her face, although Mr. Professor had told her she would get movement back once she gained more control. "Kosovo," she replied, ducking her head a little, the spikes of her hair rattling.

"Wow," Angel said, eyes widening, "you are far from home." Gah, she hoped that wasn't a bad thing to say and she winced. "But your English is pretty good, are you learning here or did you learn back home?"

"Very far," Yvette agreed, her voice dropping sadly. Then she rallied, glowing blue eyes flaring brighter for a moment. "But I am to be going home, when I am not so sharp and hurting people. I am missing my mother very much. And I am learning English at school in Kosovo, but Mr. Professor says he help a little, in my head when I am..." She floundered for the word. "Asleep but not. I am sorry, I do not how to say in English."

Sitting down on Laurie's bed, Angel glanced at Yvette's talons and wondered if she could convince her grandmom to make individual finger gloves. If she tried to sew, the attempt would be deformed and then would probably mutate and try to eat someone. "Dreaming?" she suggested helpfully. "And I understand about missing your mom. I miss mine, too."

Yvette shook her head. "Not dreaming... hiding, perhaps? In my head. Mr. Professor had to wake me up." She looked at her own bed, reluctant to make a mess by touching it - at least not until Mr. Forge had had a chance to mass-produce his amazing fabric and replaced her bedding - and choose to crouch easily on the floor, arms resting lightly on her knees and talon-tips just brushing the carpet. This new shape seemed to lend itself more to such positions. "If it is not rude to be asking... where is your mother? Far away too?"

"Oh, that's not rude at all," she rushed to reassure the other girl. "My mom's in California, all the way across to the other side of the United States. Not quite as far as where your mom is, though. My dad lives really close by, less than an hour drive." Angel grinned. "It makes it easier being here and learning about my powers."

"You have been here a long time?" Yvette asked, tilting her head slightly and regarding Angel with those glowing blue eyes.

"Not all that long." She had to think about it. "Wow…only two months now, it feels like so much longer, actually."

"This is seeming to be a very good place," Yvette ventured, sounding a little unsure if only because she hadn't been there that long and so far she'd seen the infirmary and this room. Oh, and the library. That was a good thing. " Are you liking to be here?"

"I love it here," came the immediate response. "It's different from home but in a good way. And it means I can learn to control this…" Angel cupped her hands and concentrated, bringing a single blue flame to life between her fingers. She beamed.

"Oh!" Yvette's eyes flared, echoing the colour of the flame Angel held. "You make fire?" she asked, edging a little closer to get a better look. "And you are not burned?"

"Nope, part of my power is that I don't burn from any fire." There was a slight sheen of blue radiating from Angel's arms and she willed herself to contain it there and not let it spread. These weren't fire proof sheets she was sitting on, after all.

"It is very pretty," Yvette observed, reaching with one long talon towards the little flame, blinking as she felt a dim warmth, but that was all. "It is difficult, learning to do this?" she asked, hope entering her voice. If Angel could learn to make fire and not hurt anyone, perhaps she too could learn.

Not moving, Angel nodded. "It's not easy," she said softly. "I still have accidents and I've got a loooong way to go. But everyone's always helping me to learn and everyone is very patient when things happen." When her leg went to sleep, she shifted slightly and eeped as she brushed the finger-talon that Yvette had been holding out to the flame. She'd known about the sharp pointiness and braced for a small cut but all that happened as that they skidded off each other. "…whoa."

Yvette had been about to pull back at the first movement, an exclamation of dismay on her lips. "You... you are not hurt?" she asked, disbelievingly. Of course, Paige hadn't been hurt by her either, but the older girl could turn herself into diamond. And this girl didn't have metal limbs, like Mr. Forge. "How is this?"

"I…I don't know." She stared at her hands, the flame gone but the sheen still there since she hadn't turned off her powers. "I think one of the teachers mentioned that the shield that I sometimes get might help sometimes and I think that's what she meant. It protected my skin from yours, I think."

"This... is a very good thing, I think. I do not wish to hurt you." Yvette had pulled back any way, not wanting to risk Angel being injured. But she yearned to see if the 'shield' Angel spoke of would work again. "I was not getting burned, also. My skin, it is very hard, I think."

Looking up, Angel chewed on her lip and then decided. "Are you currently taking classes?" she asked suddenly. "I know that's really out of the blue but if you are, we can probably see if the teachers will help us experiment. I mean, it'd be really, really good to know if this shield thing works like that all the time and they can check out how much your skin does. I like the color, by the way, it's very pretty."

"They tell me I will be having help soon. Mr. Professor and Mr. Haller, they want to be sure I am not... how you say?" Yvette paused, unsure. "Upset? About what happened, before. But I am very excited to start learning soon." She ducked her head a little at the compliment. "Before, when I first am starting to change, it was just a little. It is being hard to get used to, but I am glad you think my skin is pretty."

Angel made a note to see if they could test the limits of both her fire shield thing and Yvette's skin. Later, though, probably much later. She just really wished she could pat the other girl on the head and let her know it would be okay in the end. "It is," she said firmly. "It even kinda matches my hair!"

Yvette couldn't smile, but there came from her throat a small, girlish giggle. "We are... matching set, yes?"