Ororo and Crystal - New Beginnings

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Crystal meets with the school's headmistress to begin a new type of lesson plan.



They were once again meeting outside - Ororo saw no reason to alter that, even if the lessons were going to change. She perched on the edge of the fountain, flipping through the folder in her lap and pausing every so often to re-read a section or two. Dr. Samson had welcomed her idea of working with Crystal on her temper and had given her plenty of exercises that they could explore... she only hoped the girl would work as diligently on them as she had on her previous powers lessons.

"Good morning, Ms. Munroe," Crystal said as she approached the headmistress. It had been a week since she had confronted Logan about his rather rude conversation with Medusa, and she was still unsure about her decision to stay at the school. It was only Mr. Dayspring's offer to work with her, and the knowledge of how highly Medusa admired him, that had kept her from leaving Xavier's.

"Hello, Crystal," Ororo greeted the girl. She knew that Scott had talked to her, and plenty of other people besides, so it wasn't really necessary to give the standard authoritarian lecture on how disappointed she was, etc. Instead, she closed the folder and invited Crystal to come sit next to her. "I know that we have been working on your powers together, and though I have no wish to discontinue our meetings, I think the time has come to alter their content somewhat. It has become clear that there is much more for you to learn besides the mechanics of how they work and how you can manipulate them."

Well yes, wasn't that obvious? Crystal had already devoted years to learning how to use her powers and how to control them. She doubted that she would have been able to use her powers the way she had last Friday if she had not already learned how to use them. Even when she discovered new aspects of her power, new things she could do, she could still apply her knowledge of control to them.

Crystal gave Ororo a small nod. "I am here to learn," she said softly. "That is why I came here, and that is why I am still here."

"I am glad to hear that," the headmistress said truthfully. "Then we will begin to explore your emotions and how they connect with your powers so that eventually you will be able to keep from using them even in times of high stress. While having these abilities is nothing to be ashamed of, nor is using them, we should always strive to make the decision whether or not to employ them with the clearest mind possible. Using them out of anger is the same as striking someone across the face with your hand - it is harmful and dangerous to both parties involved. Even moreso in your case because of the ability you have to use lethal force with little effort. What do you think of this analogy?"

"I have never been ashamed of my abilities," Crystal replied. She hadn't been raised like Tommy, hating mutants and thinking of powers as something bad. She had always known that she was a mutant and would have powers and had been thrilled when she manifested. Well, thrilled after the initial shock of having assassins break into her room and seeing them wrapped in red hair and crashing through windows on winds she had created had worn off. "I think that it is a good analogy, although I doubt that people would have had the same reaction if I had actually hit someone with my hand." Of course, had she done that with Logan, she might be a pile of gory bits and pieces right now.

"I think people would have been surprised, all the same. Though I know Logan has not provided the best example since you have been here, we do not generally use our powers in an offensive manner here at the mansion. And while I understand that the situation escalated far more quickly than you had expected, I think we need to work on finding alternative ways for you to deal with the frustration and anger that may arise while you are here. I will not lecture you again to impress the fact that myself or Mr. Summers is always available should you need someone to talk to, though that is of course something I hope you will keep in mind in the future." Ororo gave Crystal a curious look, wondering if she would finally take that piece of information to heart. "But, barring that, there are other ways for you to deal with confrontation that do not involve violence."

Of course he hadn't provided the best example, and Crystal had a hard time thinking of anyone who had been an entirely good example, save for Ms. Munroe. Crystal hated the fact that one of the misuses of power she had displayed on Friday had been the use of an ability taught to her by Ms. Munroe. Lightning had been one of the things Crystal had not thought she could do, but what was it Marius had said months ago when she told him this? 'Ah, but who knows what the future will bring? They teach you all sorts of fun tricks here. A triumph of diversity an' that.'

"I spoke with Ms. Marie and explained to her why I did not come to anyone," Crystal told Ororo. "I do not know whether she told anyone this information or kept it to herself. If you have not already done so, you have my permission to speak with her about it." Crystal hoped that Ms. Munroe would not want her to go into the whole conversation right now. She'd already gone into it a bit with Jennie on Friday, and then had explained everything to Marie on Monday. "Again, I am here to learn. I will listen with an open mind to everything you say."

With a nod, Ororo opened the folder and selected the first sheet of paper. That was certainly enough rehashing - she would speak to Marie, she decided, but for now they could move on. "One of the first exercises I would like to work with you on is this list. I will preface it by saying that I know it may seem simple or even silly, but I think it will prove useful in the long run."

Passing the sheet to Crystal, Ororo leaned over, one finger indicating the first paragraph. "As you can see, it says here that anger is a secondary emotion. Behind it is another, more basic need or emotion that, when it is not met, can lead to feelings of anger or frustration. For example - perhaps you are experiencing a feeling of anxiety because of an upcoming exam. Because of this, it causes you to act out in anger towards someone who asks you an unrelated question. What this exercise asks you to do is to read over these situations and then identify what feelings may be behind them."

Crystal looked at the paper, nodding. Was this one of those "there's no right or wrong answer" list of questions. How fun. Still, she would apply herself to answering the questions. Hadn't she just promised Ms. Munroe that she would keep an open mind?

"The point is not to ignore anger, but rather to better understand it. If you can see what the emotions are behind your frustrations, it is much, much easier to address them. It is something I have had to learn, and I think it will benefit you as well. Now, let us go through this together and see if we cannot come up with some ideas of our own, shall we?"

------

"...very good," Ororo said as they completed the last exercise, nodding at the thoughtful response Crystal had given to her question. Despite the strange change in the lesson, the girl was still giving just as much effort to it as she had before. I only hope that it will help. "You did well today, Crystal."

"Thank you, Ms. Munroe," Crystal said with a smile, really meaning it. These exercises were a far cry from the work she usually did with Ororo, but that was the point, wasn't it? Of course, she had already been well aware of the fact that powers and emotions were tied together. Wasn't that why she had caused it to rain in Marius's Medlab room, and even before that, the day on the beach before she came to the school? Wasn't that how Forge's lab had been set on fire? Way before that, wasn't that why.... Crystal cleared her head of such thoughts. "Thank you for working with me."

"It is my pleasure. For next week I ask that you start that anger log that we spoke about... if you have questions about it, you are of course welcome to ask me or Dr. Samson." Ororo smiled at the girl, pleased that she seemed to be taking this to heart. Perhaps there is hope. "As I have said, there is no need to ignore one's powers, but nor is there a need to use them unnecessarily. Hopefully this log will help you start to identify times when you are in danger of losing control of your emotions so that in the future, incidents like last week will not occur."

Crystal nodded, knowing that she never intended to allow the events of the gym to repeat themselves. "I will start the log," Crystal told Ms. Munroe.

"Excellent. Well then, class is dismissed for today. I will see you next time, Crystal." Ororo rose, glancing up at the sky - it was a bit grey, but relatively clear. Good. I do not feel like driving into the city today.

"I look forward to our next meeting," Crystal replied, following her teacher's gaze into the sky. The sky. She should go up there, but for some reason she didn't feel like it, hadn't felt like getting off the ground for almost a week now.

"As do I." With that, Ororo gave Crystal another kind smile and summoned the winds. It was time to fly.

Crystal watched as Ororo soared away on the winds the headmistress had summoned. With a wistful smile, Crystal stood and walked towards the mansion. Her next class would be starting soon, and she didn't want to be late.