xp_logs | Crystal, Logan, Lorna, Jennie, Marius - A Series of Unfortunate Events

Events set after and based on this log.

After Logan takes it upon himself to tell Medusa unkind things about Crystal, the youngest Amaquelin goes to have words of her own with the self-defense teacher. Unfortunately, her experiences at the school have not been pleasant, and this confrontation is the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back. Hell hath no fury like a really ticked-off Amaquelin.

"I hear you had a nice chat with my sister this morning. Would you care to explain to me why exactly I should attempt to change myself simply to fit in rather than continue to be myself?" Crystal inquired of Logan even before the door to the gym had closed behind her. She had forced herself to remain calm during her previous afternoon class after Medusa had related Logan's words to her, but she intended to speak with him before self-defense class started. "Also, how am a liability to anyone?"

Logan stopped what he was doing to grin toothily at Crystal. "Well. Forgotten all your courtesy and poise, have we?" he asked her casually. "And no, I really wouldn't care to explain."

"What you said was completely uncalled for," Crystal informed Logan. "I will not tell you how to feel, but if what you told Medusa is really how you think of me, you should have spoken with me or with Mr. Summers or Ms. Munroe. I really do not understand. In class, you are harsh, but I believed you felt that I was making good progress. Was this an inaccurate conclusion on my part?"

"What's that got to do with the price of tea in China?" he asked. "You work hard in my class and you're coming along nicely. Has nothing to do with if I like you or not." he pointed out. "Even spoiled little princesses can sweat a little, learn a thing or two if they want to."

Crystal's eyes narrowed and she glared at Logan. "Trust me, I have learned a lot since I arrived at the mansion." Perhaps even more than I ever wanted to know. "No one is required to like me, and I am not required to like anyone. This is not about like or dislike. This is about respect, about maintaining a proper student/teacher relationship. I wanted to learn from you. I thought you had something to teach me, and I respected you for that."

"Your job is to respect me and what I teach. My job is to teach you what I feel that you're ready to know." he said placidly. "My feelings for you and the stick up your ass have nothing to do with it." he said, baring teeth in a smile.

"I am not required to respect anyone!" Crystal replied icily. "My job is to learn, not to respect anyone! I have been showing respect, and being polite, but none of that matters to you, does it? You formed your opinion of me without giving me a chance! Do you really think that I need to take this class in order to feel safe? I am already perfectly capable of defending myself!"

"Maybe. Maybe not." he said. Her comment on not needing to respect anyone he let slide as typical adolescent bullshit - she certainly _did_ need to respect people, chiefly among them the Professor, her sister, and maybe her folks. "So you don't have to respect your sister? Your parents? The Professor? Curious view of things you got there, kid."

"My sister and my parents deserve my respect," Crystal retorted. "When I came here, I intended to show proper respect to all teachers. However, I am not required to respect those who choose to insult me for no reason! Please, allow me to end your uncertainty as to whether or not I can defend myself should the need arise." Without moving at all, the air around Logan began to move and the air pressure changed. Crystal was enraged, and found herself provided with the unique opportunity to test out a particular use of her powers that had been suggested to her within hours of her arrival at the mansion. Surely a little bit of choking wouldn't hurt the man with the healing factor.

Logan felt the air pressure change and gulped as much air into his lungs as he possibly could. Then, to save his own hide, he charged at Crystal, quick as a hunting cat. He had to do something before she collapsed both his lungs. He'd never suffocated before and he wasn't sure how his talent or healing would cope.

Crystal's eyes widened as Logan lunged towards her, a dangerous look in his eyes. That was unexpected. She had figured he'd drop, then heal. She hadn't meant to hurt him, but it sure looked like he meant to hurt her! He had a healing factor; she didn't. Crystal continued standing in place, but suddenly a boom filled the air and a bolt of lightning struck Logan from a small cloud that had formed nearby.

The lightning made his muscles jump, but it wasn't a big enough stroke to seize him completely. Just a few more steps and he could end this -all he had to do was ignore the burning in his lungs, the purpling that spread over his body and then faded nearly as soon as it came. She was in _deep shit_ and Logan wasn't much in a mood to be gentle.

Crystal stared as Logan continued towards her. Why was he still coming towards her? Hadn't she already made her point? Of course he could heal, the Bad Men he was so fond of talking about wouldn't. Did he really want her to keep attacking him? Crystal gasped as Logan slammed her back against the wall, pinning her there with his claws on either side of her neck.

It wasn't hard to guess that Logan was ticked. You didn't have to be a telepath or have enhanced senses to know that. Crystal's defensive instinct kicked in, her only thought on how to get him away from her. A gale-force wind erupted from around them, slamming into Logan and sending him flying backwards, straight into and through the doors of the gym.

As luck would have it, Lorna is walking in the hallway just as the gym doors meet their brutal end.

Lorna jumped when the gym door slammed open and Logan hit the wall. "What the..." She ran the last couple of steps, casting a look at him then whipping her head around to look into the gym, wondering who he was sparring with. That kind of violence should be kept to the DR not the gym where any student could possible get in the way and be injured... Her mental train of thought derailed. "Crystal?"

Sensing Logan moving, she flung out her hand--just a warning right now, not actually stopping him from getting up. "Stay there, Logan. What's going on around here?"

Crystal had waited in the gym for a few moments before rushing to the doorway of the gym. It might not have been the safest move, but she wasn't about to stay in the gym and wait for him to rush at her again. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of Lorna. Oh, great... "I... Ms Dane... you see... yes, I created a gust of wind that blew Mr. Logan through the doors!"

Logan wanted to talk, to say his peace, but unfortunately her little stunt with the air pressure had dropped things severely enough that both his lungs had collapsed temporarily. He had to give his healing factor time to unstick them, to let the oxygen flow back into his body before some _real_ damage happened. Taking a couple of moments to calm down would likely not go amiss either.

Lorna looked between the two of them, knowing there had to be more to the story. Crystal was too good with her primary use of power to have that kind of accident. "Why don't we talk about this later, Crystal? Can you get to cooking a little early?" She gave her a reassuring smile then turned away,
"Logan, whenever you're ready, can we talk about this?"

Ms. Dane was actually being nice to her? After she had just admitted to using her power against a teacher? "I...I'll see." She hurried off, not sure if she would even make it to cooking class. She had to go outside, then she'd go to her room... and then she'd have to tell Medusa what she had done.

Logan gasped loudly as his right lung unstuck, and then again as the left one let go. It took him a few deep breaths in prana, breathing deeply, before he was capable of coherent speech. "Well, that was fun." he said with disgust. "Girl attacked me."

"I'm sure it was for no good reason at all, you being the charming gentleman that you are," Lorna said dryly, offering him a hand up. "You were just minding your own business, offering her tea and cakes."

Logan shot Lorna a _look_. "Check the security tapes. I was working out, she came in here spitting flames at me, we had words, she used her power to deny me air. I advanced on her, she hit me with a stroke of lightning, I pinned her to the wall - doing no harm, mind - and then she threw me backwards. You know the rest." he said with the conviction of the completely correct.

"I'll be sure to do just that." Lorna looked at the doors, hanging on warped hinges half torn out of the wall and sighed. "Cain's going to have a fit. I'll deal with Crystal. Probably should talk to Ororo too. I think the lightning is a new trick for her. You all right? What was the fight about?"

"A lack of respect." Logan said, then gathered himself and walked away down the hall.

Lorna sighed again and pulled her ignored hand back, running it through her hair. She contemplated beating her head against the wall but they'd taken enough damage today. She fixed the hinges instead and went to find Ororo. Someone else could have the joy of telling Cain about the mess.

Crystal goes outside and causes tree branches to dance and sway. Between classes, she goes to her room and speaks with Jennie.

Crystal rushed into her room, slamming the door behind her. She felt drained, tired... and still extremely mad. What was it with this place? How could the teachers act in such a way? Who did they think they were? They seemed to be so comfortable judging her for not attempting to fit in, yet they did their best to ensure that her stay here was as miserable as could be.

Jennie jumped as the door slammed and the book she was reading flew out of her hands to land on the floor
with a thud. Just when she thought she would get used to this place again. The dark haired girl retrieved her book of the floor and eyed her roommate warily. "Crystal? What's wrong, honey?"

On another day, Crystal might have questioned Jennie on calling her "honey", but she wasn't about to get into that right now. "Oh, nothing is wrong. I just...I am tired of being here, Jennie! Have I ever been mean to anyone? Have I ever been rude to another student here? No. Still, people, teachers even! have judged me ever since I stepped into the mansion, based on their preconceived notions of who they believe I am. I have never asked for any special favors. I didn't have to, did I? Simply being comfortable with being Crystal Amaquelin of the royal family is a crime here, isn't it?"

"What happened? Did somebody mess with you again? Don't give me that look, somebody had to set you off." Jennie herself had been guilty stereotyping Crystal as well, but she had found that Crystal was all right under all the manners and stiff exterior. Some days she wished that the other students would give her a chance, and that Crystal would lighten up just a little.

"People really have their heads up their asses sometimes, around here. You can't let what they say bother you. I've wanted to fling people out of a second story window for all the gossip I've been hearing about me, but that would just provoke them more."

Crystal nodded, leaning back against the door. "In a manner of speaking, yes. Actually, the horrible words were spoken to my sister... by a member of the staff! I...I could not let them slide. Enough is enough. I went to confront him about what he had said. He was so rude, Jennie! I had been tempted to do it before, but I knew, and still know, that it was wrong...but I had to show him that I am not the weak, defenseless, pitiful creature he seems to think I am! So...I attacked him. I used my powers against him, Jennie!"

"Woah, hold up here," Jennie scooted forward to the edge of her bed. "You attacked a teacher? Who was it?" She mentally ran through a list of teachers that would provoke such a thing with Crystal. "It's not that greasy creepy guy, teaches self defense?"

That wasn't quite how Crystal would have described him, but she got the point. "Yes, I attacked Logan. He can heal. I wouldn't have attacked anyone else. I knew that he would be fine even when I... well, a change in air pressure can be used in a variety of ways."

"Have you talked to anyone else about him?" Jennie held up her hands in a placating manner, "I'm not saying go to the ones you don't trust, but Ms. Munroe is good for things like that. Or even Mr. Haller. He's the student counselor...again. He's been helping me out. I mean, if Logan got you so riled up you attacked him, there's something going on there. Teachers should not provoke the students." Any other time, Jennie would have been plotting revenge for her slighted roommate, but the thought of using her powers for any harmful reason made her slightly ill.

Crystal shook her head. "No, I came here afterwards. Ms. Dane knows, though. She happened to be out in the hall when I... when he crashed through the doors of the gym." She sighed softly, attempting to regain her normal air of calm. "I did not stay around after that, other than to tell her that yes, I did toss him through the doors of the gym."

"He crashed through the doors of the gym?" Jennie's face split into a grin, "Man, I wish I could of seen it," she shook her head, "Anyway. I would email someone and offer my side of the story. Like right now. If you apologise right away and give your side, instead of hiding. It looks less like you just attacked him unprovoked."

Jennie paused, "What the hell did he say that made you want to throw him?" Forge had claimed that Crystal had set his lab on fire in retaliation for not knowing where she was. Jennie also knew that Forge could exagerate just a little, sometimes.

"I am not hiding!" Crystal replied indignantly. "Did you hear the wind outside? That was because of me. I did not think that you would wish for me to set loose gale-force winds in our room, so I went outside first, and then came here. Where else would I go? I cannot know if anyone is available to speak with me now, and I will not simply run around the school looking for someone."

"I never said you were," Jennie said dryly, "I just said, it would be better if it didn't look like you were hiding. Don't be so touchy, I'm not the enemy here." Some days it looked like Crystal truly believed people only thought the worst of her. "And there's always email, or you could go check and see if Mr. Haller is in." Jennie stretched and lay back down on her bed, picking her book back up but not opening it. "You shouldn't let people get to you so much, Crystal. Welcome to the real world, it doesn't always work the way you want it to."

No, Jennie had said that she was hiding, but Crystal didn't want to argue with her roommate, and now she was acting like Forge! "The world does not have to work the way I want it to work," Crystal replied, "and I do not expect it to do so. However, I do expect that students should not have to deal with things like this from their teachers! Can you imagine what would happen if he repeatedly insulted and was rude to Sooraya or Yvette?"

Jennie very nearly choked at the mention of Yvette's name. "I...I can't imagine. This is why you should tell someone Crystal. You know sitting around being mad at him or chucking him through a wall still doesn't solve the problem. The staff has to know he was harassing you. They don't know something is going on unless you tell them." It's how they let things gets so bad for me.

Crystal's eyes narrowed slightly. "Oh, really," she said, allowing a hint of derision into her voice. "I hadn't noticed that, thank you so much for telling me, Jennie! I didn't notice that Forge and I were the only ones who even thought twice about the fact that you were missing. I didn't notice that I had to ask Ms. D'Ancato to come check on you. I didn't notice that Marius left the school because he felt that the school was not doing him any good!"

Jennie rolled her eyes. "Well, sitting around here bitching about it isn't going to help anyone either. Either do something about it or quit complaining. Contrary to what you think, most of the staff can't read minds, and the ones who can don't do it without your permission," she opened her book and began to look for her page, "If you won't tell someone I will. I've found that when you try to solve problems on your own, it ends horribly."

"I already told you, Ms. Dane was there! She knows what I did!" Crystal took a deep breath. Why won't you talk to me? Why are you hiding what happened to you this summer? Enough with the rushed words and casual way of speaking. "Yes, I will email several of the staff members about what
happened. I will go ahead and do that right now, before I leave for the weekend."

"Good," Jennie said, nodding. "This is good. Maybe you can get him chucked off the teaching staff," she felt her own hackles raise on Crystal's behalf. No one had a right to treat Crystal like that. If it had been Jennie, she would have, well, done something bad. She sighed. There had to be other methods of taking revenge.

"She... Ms. Dane was actually nice, even after I admitted that yes, I caused him to fly through the gym doors. She told me we could talk about it later, asked me to go to cooking class early!" Crystal had been quite surprised, fully expecting Lorna to be mad at her for attacking Logan. Jennie's words sank in. "Chuck him... off of the teaching staff?" Her eyes widened slightly. Yes, Logan had been rude and nasty, but would this really be the first time the teachers would be alerted to the way he had treated her?

"Yeah," Jennie said. "If he's being an asshole to you, he has no right to teach. I'm surprised you didn't say something sooner."

Crystal sat down in a chair, peering at Jennie curiously. "Who was I supposed to tell? Was I supposed to try to prove everyone right by acting like a spoiled brat who is unable to do anything, running off, crying to the teachers?" She took a deep breath. "More than one person here made me a promise this summer, Jennie. Neither one kept his word. I emailed someone for help and was brushed off. An apology was made, but... based on all of this, and other things I have observed while I was here, there was nothing to suggest to me that anyone would want to hear from me. Honestly, I thought someone must know about Logan's...teaching style."

She really wasn't going to let this go, was she? Jennie closed her book again. "Listen, as you have no doubt already figured out, no one is perfect. Things are not going to work out the way you planned. That is no reason to think it will happen that way always. People fuck up, Crystal. You want people to give you a chance, you need to give them a chance." She held up another placating finger, "I'm not saying that you already haven't. But, honestly, how many chances have you given them? One? Did you talk to Ms. Munroe?"

"About him, or about anyone else? Either way, no, I have not. I am still not used to the way things are here, I just assumed this was another one of the ways to which I am unaccustomed." Crystal really didn't want to keep repeating herself. From what she had seen, it seemed acceptable for teachers to be rude and use strong language around the students. Why would she think this was any different?

"Because it's not," Jennie said, vehemently. "It's not the way you should be treated. Some standards are the same everywhere you go. A teacher harassing a student is bad in the states too. If you have a problem, if something's upsetting you, you should freaking tell someone. Anyone. Tell me, tell the RA, tell the professor. Keep telling someone until they hear you. Don't give up so easy."

Tell the RA? She had emailed Marie to ask for help for Jennie and had received a frightening response. True, an apology had been made, but Crystal hadn't wanted to repeat that experience. "I am sorry for all of this, Jennie." I know hearing about my troubles cannot be beneficial for you right now. "I truly am."

"No! No. Talk to me. I am here to help you with your problems. For all the good that I do. Even if you feel like the whole school's against you, you got me in your corner. Okay? I might not count for much, but I'm still here." Of course, going to Jennie was probably scraping the bottom of the barrel. Not exactly stable, was she.

Crystal's eyes widened in surprise as she stared at her roommate. Well, that was a sudden change in mood, and Jennie's words were quite surprising considering they were coming from the girl who wouldn't tell Crystal any of her problems. Crystal had no doubt that Jennie's disapperance and her silence after her return had something to do with the way she had acted earlier. She had worried about her missing classmates, been relieved when she discovered they were back at the school, then had had to worry all over again upon the realization that something was still terribly wrong. An email to Ms. D'Ancato wouldn't have been necessary if everything was perfectly fine.

Could Jennie have any idea of the thoughts running through Crystal's head at the moment?. "Jennie, ever since..." her words were cut off by a knock at the door to their suite. "I will be right back," Crystal promised before going to answer the door. "Oh... hello, Ms. Dane."

Before she leaves for the weekend, Crystal pays a surprise visit to Marius with a surprising question.

The knocking wasn't stopping. Marius had been trying to ignore it, but it had been going on for some time now and showed no signs of letting up. Apparently none of his suitemates were in. Marius sighed and pulled himself away from the shocking dullness of last semester's history textbook. As an afterthought he picked up a sweater on his way out of the room to don before answering the door. Manners.

"Apologies," Marius said as he opened the suite door, "if you're looking for the sociable ones, none are about." Then he blinked, actually registering who the visitor was. "Oh. Hello."

"Hello, Marius," Crystal replied, deciding to ignore his first comment. "I just wanted to come by and see how you are doing."

"Brilliant," Marius said, now on hour 17 since his last solid food and standing in the doorway dressed in a sweater that had been lying on the floor for something in the neighborhood of three days. "Not much else to be said, really. My life has been immensely uneventful of late. And yourself?"

"Oh, I... well, I cannot say that my life has been uneventful," Crystal said with a wry smile. "I...are you happy here, at all? Do you even want to be here? I know you left, and now you are back...and I do not know what happened during the summer, but...I just wanted to see whether or not you are...ok being here."

Marius stared at her. He didn't quite know what he'd expected Crystal to ask, but that certainly hadn't been it.

"Well," he said. "Considering the alternatives, I may now say with confidence I find Xavier's the least appalling of my extremely limited options. So yes. I suppose you may say I'm okay bein' here. Insofar as history has proven I am incapable of responsibly seeing to my own needs an' thus leaves me with little choice in the matter should I not wish to spend the rest of my life in the care of an appropriately appointed medical facility." He cocked his head at her, dreadlocks falling across his orange eyes. "That is of course my personal situation. Any particular reason you were seized by the all-consuming desire to ask?"

"Yes...and least appalling does not sound too pleasant, Marius," Crystal told him. "I...look, I am not sure who will know what by the time I return to the school, but no matter what anyone says...I will be back. Sunday evening, Monday morning...I will be here. Medusa and I are going home this weekend, but we will be back. Even if it is just to talk to people.

"Oh. Indeed." He thought of the home in Brisbane he hadn't visited in a year and now dared not return to. And he wondered why Crystal felt he was worth telling this, or who she thought he would be talking to. Instead, though, Marius only nodded. "Well. If so questioned I shall endeavor not to raise the hue and cry, then. I suggest mentionin' it to at least one member of the staff before you do. It seems secondhand notice like notes an' phone messages are no longer considered quite so reliable. It might be best to indulge them. They do have their funny ways."

"I have informed them. They know. I just wanted to speak with you before I left, and I figured that I might as well tell you as well. Like I said, I will be back, and I hope to get the chance to talk to you for a longer period of time, but I must take my leave right now. I am very sorry that remaining here seems to be the only option for you. It should not be that way. Have as nice a weekend as you can, please." With a smile, Crystal turned and ran off down the hall.