Laurie and Terry, random meeting

[x-siryn.livejournal.com]

Laurie and Terry talk in person for the first time. Laurie's late to class as a result but oh well. Backdated to last week




Laurie walked briskly along the corridor, juggling her breakfast as well as a backpack full of books and her PDA that had just informed her that she was late for Biology class. Laurie hated being late for anything and if she hadn't been preoccupied with the assignment she was meant to finish for English, she wouldn't have been. Shakespeare had a lot to answer for, that was for sure.

It was a good thing then, that she looked up when she did, otherwise she might have crashed headfirst into Terry and covered the poor girl in toast and books.

"Oh! I'm s-sorry." Laurie stuttered, blushing furiously at the girl she'd almost crashed into.

She really needed to stop meeting people this way, otherwise she'd have to start wearing crash pads.

Terry chuckled and waved off the apology. "It's okay. I heard you coming. You sounded in a rush." For once, Terry was not in one herself. One of her two classes had been canceled so she'd decided to skip the drive into the city today. It would give her more time to practice anyway. "Where are you off to?"

"B-biology." Laurie stammered, juggling bookbag, toast and PDA into a more stable order.

That wouldn't do, she'd been here long enough that she shouldn't be this shy around fellow residents, even fellow residents she hadn't seen much of.

"Um, I'd offer to shake your hand and introduce myself but, well, toast, and weird powers incidents and all. So, right, anyway, I'm Laurie. I've sort of seen you in the halls but well, shy, makes it difficult to meet new and interersting people."

That was slightly better, although possibly fast and bewildering...but still, talking was good, right?

"I know who you are," Terry smiled, "It can be a little overwhelming before you get everything under control. I know my first couple of years here weren't exactly easy. I can't even count how many windows I broke. I probably cost them all a fortune. At least you don't have to worry about that."

"Nooo. Although, I just realised I could give all the guys cramps once a month." Laurie replied, grinning as that particular realisation came to her. Of course, it would be incredibly unethical of her and completely out of line.

But damn would it be funny. Especially since guys were _always_ complaining about PMS and women going crazy once a month.

Terry giggled, "That would be a horribly unethical thing to do with your powers. If you ever decide to try, let me know. I have a couple people who deserve the lesson." She grinned wickedly, joking...mostly.

"Well, we are meant to be training with what we can do. I'm sure I could get one of the teachers to agree to let me try on a volunteer." Laurie replied, grinning back. It was one of the things she liked about going to Xavier's, no one here was phased at what you could do, as long as you made sure that you never hurt anyone doing it. "First I have to learn how to do stuff when I'm not feeling it though. And to turn it off completely. So you headed anywhere?"

"Aye, I'm off to the music room. I've a few songs to work out before Friday and there's not anyone in there right now." Terry glanced at her watch and her eyes widened, "Oh, you should be in class, shouldn't you? I'm sorry! I didn't mean to keep you. Who's your teacher, I'll tell them it was all my fault."

"That's alright, I'm sure she's used to me being late by now. I sort of have a problem with mornings. There's just so much to do, I swear if it wasn't for the calendar function in my PDA and Yvette that I wouldn't know whether I was coming or going." Laurie replied, getting a firmer hold on her backpack as it made a valiant escape attempt toward the floor.

For a moment, Terry considered what that would be like. She blinked. "Isn't that stressful?

"Kinda and kinda not. Kinda, because, well, late for classes and all; and frowny faces on teachers is never fun. Kinda not because I love my morning run and when else am I going to do whatever homework I have left from the night before if not right after? Running is so good for your brain, or at least it's good for my brain. Sort of bangs everything into place, and you'd be amazed how clear it all is afterwards." Laurie replied, starting to move in the general direction of her class.

Terry fell into step beside her, head tilted as she listened to Laurie chatter. "I've always felt that way about music. I can play harp for hours and never have to think and at all and then when I'm done, everything is just sort of settled into place and laid out for me. I've been planning..." She cut herself off, swallowing the words 'the wedding' before they even reached her tongue, "stuff that way a lot recently. It's a nice break."

"I think it's always like that when you love something." Laurie replied thoughtfully. "It makes the rest of the world clearer, more sort of there. But, maybe that's just because it's a purpose; something that keeps you in a place when you might drift away otherwise."

She took a bite of her, by now, semi-cold toast and munched thoughtfully, moving the peanut butter covered blob around before she swallowed. She hoped Terry didn't think her strange, she'd always worried that her way of thinking would make people think she was weird.

Strange around here was always a relative term. Laurie was considerable less strange than some of the girls Terry had grown up with and considered nearly sisters. Which reminded her that she needed to get ahold of Jubilee and tell her that she was going to be in the wedding. Which meant telling her about the whole married thing. There would probably be bribery involved in keeping her mouth shut. Why was planning a wedding so complicated?

Terry realized that she'd been silent a little too long, "Uh... Oh, aye, so it is. There's a need in all of us to having something that makes us belong. Whether its a thing or a place or a person."

"It was always Mom and I against the world." Laurie replied, glancing at Terry as they walked. "You wouldn't think this place would be all that small minded, being so close to New York but they've all got ideas of what you should and shouldn't do. Mom is not you're most conventional of people. She only really stayed here because she wanted me to be somewhere stable. It's been a little strange being here, it's like this huge extended family. It's nice though."

"I know what you mean. My uncle raised me. We were always moving from place to place...couldn't stay anywhere very long of course, because sooner or later the garda would be knocking at the door. So it was always just him and me. Coming here...I'd never been anywhere like here." Terry smiled with great affection for the school. "I was a horrible brat for the first bit. Didn't want to settle in or get to know anyone. I just wanted my uncle and my life back. I played harp non-stop. It was the only left that was mine."

"What happened to your Uncle?" Laurie asked and then winced as she realised what a personal question that was. "Sorry, that was kinda a personal question, wasn't it?"

Terry smiled and shook her head, "I don't mind. He's in jail. Pulled one job too many, slipped up and the next thing I know, he's been snatched up by the garda and I'm faced with a man I've never met calling himself me father." As she explained her carefully cultivated American accent slipped away, "That was eight years ago. I've been here...near seven years, I guess. Blimey. Time flies."

"Have you seen him since?" Laurie asked, smiling at the accent.

There was always something absolutely facinating about foreign accents and she'd always been fond of the Irish type.


Terry's pleasant expression faltered for a moment then firmed back up. "Aye. I saw him this spring. I went back home for a bit and he showed up at the keep. He's back in jail now."

"I'm sorry." Laurie replied, not sure how else to respond to something like that.

But Terry just shook her head, shrugging a bit. "Don't be. There's nothing to be done for it. He's done as he's always done and will pay for it same as any would. He raised me well and I've nothing but love for him as to that. It doesn't mean that I don't know that he's hardly the best of men. Besides, it's a little bit late for me to be choosing to run off with me mad uncle again, right? How would I get to class?"

Laurie laughed, turning down the hallway toward her classroom. "Very late, most probably, I've been told a life of crime doesn't pay attention to time usually. All those late nights, pouring over plans. Can't be good for your complexion."

"So it's not. And so, it's better to stay here. At least these days my training schedule is flexible to my school. Tom's never was." Terry smiled, "But I should go and you should be in class. It's a fine line between late and unforgiveably late and I fear you're skirting the edge of it.

"I should. It was nice talking to you though. Catch you later!" Laurie replied, before rushing off in the direction of her class.