xp_logs | Julio and Crystal

Knowing Crystal hasn't taken the events of the past weekend very well, Julio leaves class early to catch Crystal as she leaves her last morning class. Apologies are made, and Julio asks Crystal a suprising question.

Julio tapped his foot and checked his watch. He'd gotten out of class early with the excuse that he needed to use the bathroom in order to do this. Crystal's email had bothered him, and not because he was angry. In fact, it was the lack of anger that bothered him. Normally his words being misinterpreted would royally piss him off, but he felt nothing but calm and a little bit of pity for Crystal. It was the first really bad thing she'd gone through, no wonder she was freaking out.

Crystal was the last student to leave the classroom. It had been an interesting week, one that had followed a truly horrible weekend. She wondered what would have happened had she spent Friday night in Attilan instead of at the mansion. Would she have been affected there or would she have somehow been safe from the meeting-of-minds that had gone so horribly wrong between Mr. Haller and the street performer?

"Ah, Crystal!" He spotted the familar blonde girl coming out of the classroom. "Wait, I would like to speak with you. "

Crystal looked at Julio, a bit surprised but hiding it. Nodding, she headed his way. It was clear that this was not a random, just by chance encounter. He had been waiting for her and she was not sure why.

He caught up with her, and then stuck his hand sin his pockets, rocking back on his heels awkwardly. "So, I got your email. I think I should apologize, when I am stressed out I make jokes. I should have just made jokes about me. I know that this was not fun for you...so.." he exhaled and shrugged, and looked her in the eye. "I am sorry."

"There is no need for you to apologize," Crystal replied. "A lot of people here make jokes when they are stressed. It is the Xavier's way. I understand why people do it; I just do not generally choose to make light of events that caused anguish to people."

"Still, you seemed upset. I am sorry that I upset you," he adjusted the strap of his strap of his bag. "I had a similar reaction this summer, so," he shrugged again.

"I was upset by what had happened, by what the other me had done," Crystal replied. "I did not want those events advertised as something to be proud of or as something to be discussed," Her head turned slightly as she looked at him. "I do not know what reactions you had this summer." Just some reactions you had a few months later.

"Nah, I was not saying they were something to be proud of," But man, I have never heard a girl swear like that. "As for me, I was very touchy about--" he gestured, "San Diego. Or anything having to do with it. I did not wish for people to talk about it because it was scary to me. It still is." He looked down at his shoes and sighed. Then he looked back up. "So I can see where you are coming from, and I again apologize."

Crystal nodded. "You wanted people to know about it, though, and decided not to keep it a secret." She thought back to Julio's first journal post, where he had stated in simple terms what he chose to let the residents know. "Really, though, what you did in San Diego was not by choice. What happened was not a result of Julio Richter deciding to destroy a city; it was the result of a madman choosing to use someone to bring about destruction."

"I know." Julio said quietly. "But sometimes, knowing you were used makes it worse." He hand a hand through his hair and sighed. "And you understand what happened over the weekend was not by choice either."

Again, Crystal nodded. "Yes, I understand that. No one meant for it to happen; it was an unfortunate accident." The form the dream had taken was still, well, there had to be a reason why it ended up as a dream of a world without mutants, hadn't it?

"So, you are not upset at me anymore, yes?' Julio said hopefully.

"I am not upset with you," Crystal confirmed. "You did not mean any harm."

"Good. I am not so good at drama, so I try to stop it when I see it." He grinned. "So, lunch now? Will you eat with us in the cafeteria?"

The cafeteria. That dreaded place of horror where students shouted to be heard above one another, tossed food at each other, and spoke of ghastly things such as Dr. Tran. Crystal had eaten in the cafeteria several times, but mainly just for show, or when someone asked her in advance to eat with them.

"I would be glad to join you for lunch." So help them all, if someone threw food at her and it somehow found its way back to them, that counted as a defensive use of powers, right?

Julio grinned. "Excellent."