Log2: Scott, Alison

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Part 2 ­ an hour later

Scott: "Alison..." *speaks when he's right next to her*
Scott: *waits for her to look at him, or acknowledge him*

Alison: *Alison blinks, jarred out of her thoughts, and looks up to see Scott standing next to the bench on which she's sitting* "I'm sorry?" *she winces, wondering how she's been ending up saying that so often lately*

Scott: "I'm sorry too. I was out of line."
Scott: *squats down in front of her*
Scott: "But I don't like being blackmailed, especially by proxy."
Scott: *looks at his hands, then at her*

Alison: *blinks and looks utterly blankly at him* Blackmailed?

Scott: "You told Rahne to come ask me to go on a ride, and she implied you'd told her that If I didn't want to, I was to 'speak to Betsy'?"
Scott: *raised eyebrow*

Alison: ...

Scott: "Why did you do that?"

Alison: The kids wanted to ask you but didn't know how. Honestly, I wasn't sure how either. You're - unbending on things sometimes. *doesn't point out Betsy wanted anyone not having fun to be reported to her*

Scott: "Have they ever thought to just *ask*? Did you?"

Alison: ...
Alison: No.
Alison: *isn't sure how to point out that "just asking" anything of Scott seems like the last thing to do and winces*

Scott: "What?"

Alison: It's not the first thing that comes to mind when approaching you at first. I - and I'm feeling rather stupid now, because it's usually what I try to do anyway. I think. *wonders if she knows how she does anything anymore*
Alison: *looks half apologetic, half worried at his reaction*

Scott: *shakes his head* "I know I've been a bit ... out of it lately, but am I really that unapproachable?"

Alison: *she brings her legs up to sit cross-legged on the bench, and decides to try again, and just take her lumps if it goes badly* Remember when we spoke the last time? *she doesn't mention the memorial outright, thinking he'll know anyway* That... worked. You were there. Talking to you earlier - it started it out that way, but then everything just went sideways all of a sudden. Like slipping on ice? It's hard to figure out what to do - especially when you don't know the person that well to start with...
Alison: I mean... *shakes head* I'm a songwriter. I know words right? But if I don't know the right words, I'm sunk no matter what. It's frustrating - I'm not used to that, which doesn't help.

Scott: *pauses, thinking*
Scott: "I wasn't sure what had set me off earlier until I thought about it while looking for Betsy."
Scott: *runs his hand through his hair* "You can't force people to have fun, Ali."
Scott: "Or, even jokingly, threaten them."
Scott: "It Just. Doesn't. Work. And that's what I felt you were trying to do. Pressuring me into doing something I didn't want to do, and using the kids to do it."
Scott: "Not good."
Scott: "That may not have been your intent, but that's how it came across."
Scott: "Which is why I told them I would go with them on the roller coaster later, which I did."

Alison: *eyes darken slightly and sets jaw* It's not what I meant to do. *starts to say something else, and stops - unsure what to say at this point*

Scott: "No, but it's how I perceived it. What were you trying to do?"

Alison: I'm not even sure anymore. *smiles bitterly* I'm not even sure of most of anything I'm
doing anymore.*she leans her chin on her hands ­ unaware of the result*

Scott: *reaches out, touches bandages* "What happened?" *concerned voice, for a team member*

Alison: *freezes slightly, looking at her hands, consternation showing briefly at actually having forgotten about that* I - overdid it yesterday. At the gym. Piotr bandaged them for me.

Scott: *looks at the bandages themselves and nods, indicating Piotr's good work of course*
Scott: "And why did you overdo it yesterday?"
Scott: *softly*

Alison: I was upset. *looks down, and her shoulders shake slightly - when she looks up however, he realizes she's chuckling rather than crying - though it seems to have been a close call on that* With myself. *chews on lower lip briefly, eyes turning inward as she looks over his shoulder* I lost control of my powers earlier this week. *she closes her eyes, taking in a deep breath - she's said it*

Scott: "And what happened when you lost control?"
Scott: *places his hand on her knee, still concerned, though it's hard to tell except by his voice, because of the visor*

Alison: *takes in another deep breath and lets it out slowly* I'm not just a walking lightshow, though that all I've been using my powers for really, most of the time. I know I can push it to the solid light levels though I've never tried. And lasers. But sometimes - I can influence emotions too. Hypnotic light effect, I guess.
Alison: *control slips, and looks seriously guilt-ridden* I slipped up on that one.

Scott: *waits a moment, then* "...And...?"

Alison: I influenced someone. Pretty negatively. The Professor knows - he contacted me right after I shut everything down but... *she shakes her head* I've never slipped up that badly on that. Ever. I managed to quiet down some people at a concert once, but - it's never been that bad before. *hands shakes slightly and she works on taking another breath properly*

Scott: *lets her recover herself, keeping his hand on her knee, is quiet. The Professor knows, so he doesn't need to pry.*

Scott: *then...* "What do you think caused your lapse of control?"

Alison: *flat, instant reply* Emotions. I don't do negative feelings too well. And I slipped on my control on my powers and it all went to shit. And since it's my own emotions that control that aspect of my power...

Scott: "So, other than your hands and your emotional state, no damage done?"
Scott: *still calm, quiet, like soothing a skittish horse*

Alison: *she stares at him for a moment, then runs both hands through her hair, looking exhausted* I just wish I could hide from the rest of the world right now, and Sam's lying to cover my sorry butt and I hate that and - *pauses, closing her eyes to make damn sure her power's under control*

Scott: *sighs softly* "Don't hide. You're not meant to hide it inside. It tears you up, and makes it worse and that much more painful." *moves his hand to touch the bandages*
Scott: "Sam will be okay. But will you? Talk to me."
Scott: *takes a bandaged hand in his*

Alison: I don't know. *she shrugs, ignoring the knot in her chest* I'm scared.

Scott: "Who isn't these days? What are you scared of?"

Alison: Hurting someone again. *tries to put words to something that's just been looming there for the past few days* Someone I care for. *whispers* I don't ever want that to happen again.

Scott: "Hey," *wipes her tears away with his thumb* "...I...I...wish I could tell you it won't happen again. But it will. I'm sorry, Alison, it will."
Scott: "But if you're worried about your *powers* hurting someone...that we can work on."
Scott: *tilts her chin up* "You know how much I have a hard-on for control."

Alison: *she gives him a small smile, hope showing in her eyes at the edges of what is mostly exhaustion and uncertainty* I'd like that. *she sniffs and a shadow of her usual self peeks through* I really hate feeling this way. I'm not used to the Gloom and Doom thing. I'm used to *she pauses, blinks and then actually chuckles* being more in control.

Scott: "Now come on. Jono's still wearing that hat."
Scott: "Tomorrow, we start with physical training and powers training. But now, we eat cotton candy."
Scott: *tries to stand, but wobbles, as he's been squatting and his knees hurt and his legs are asleep*
Scott: "Whoa." *puts out hand to steady himself*

Alison: I get the feeling today is my last day of freedom. *she gets up herself and reaches down to help him while refraining a grin at the frog like wobble*

Scott: *is careful to steady himself on her arm, not hand*
Scott: *gets up slowly, stretching*

Alison: Scott?
Alison: *is unsure to ask him if he was joking earlier or not*

Scott: "Yes?"

Alison: Was that meant to make me laugh, what you said earlier? *wonders*

Scott: "Jean always said I didn't have much of a sense of humor." *shrugs*

Alison: *looks at him almost suspiciously for a moment, then shrugs* Everyone does. Just because they don't always connect perfectly at the center doesn't mean you can't figure out where they do at the edges.

Scott: "If I'd said 'stick up my ass,' would that have been better?"

Alison: *Alison snickers and responds automatically* No. Then I'd have thought you were serious. *blinks and pauses, eyeing him to see his reaction to the automatic snarky response*

Scott: *grins* "Of course. Then I would have been."

Alison: *chuckles* That's a sense of humor. *looks around* And that is a cotton candy stand. *points off to the stand*

Scott: *heads toward it*

Alison: *follows, humming* "The only real cotton candy, is bluuue cotton candy..."