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xp_logs2007-06-10 10:21 pm
x-jeangrey.livejournal.com) wrote in xp_logs2007-06-10 10:21 pm
New Renaissance Man: Missing the Obvious
Jean and Scott have been banging their heads against the list Doug gave them, when Ororo comes by to help out.
Jean should probably not have been using her chopsticks as a reference to scour the map. She was being good, of course, and not actually touching the map, but given she had an actual pencil, one would normally think that would work better. Of course, the pencil was stuck in her hair, and she hadn't yet started spawning spares.
"Sedona," Jean said, eyeing the map. "What's in Sedona?" It wasn't the first place on the list, but it was one of the few American sites.
"Umm...." Scott peered at the screen of his laptop, frowning. "Just touristy stuff. The Red Rocks?" He turned the laptop so that Jean could see the image of the admittedly striking rock formations. "I guess it's popular among the New Age types."
"I have serious trouble seeing either Haverford or Lyman as a New Ager. Maybe that's just me. Although," she said, flipping pages in the almanac before picking up the carton of fried rice again, "given some of the rest of these places..."
"Glastonbury," Scott said, and was rather proud of himself that he hadn't even twitched at Lyman's name. It was taking a fair amount of self-control, however. "Although that's as much a historic site..."
"Yes, and not quite as over run with people as Stonehenge. Although, actually, they could have gone there and just not flown. We'd have no record. Unless, did Doug check car rentals?" She looked up.
Scott started to sift through the printouts of the emails Doug had sent him. "I'm not sure there was anything like that from what he found in England..."
"Or trains, at that," Jean frowned. "Could easily be no record. Damn."
A light knock came at the door, and a few moments later a very tired-looking headmistress poked a silvery head in through the door. "Hello. I am sorry to interrupt, but I thought it might be easier to update you on my travel plans in person, rather than email... do you have a moment?" She smiled slightly, glancing from Jean to Scott.
"Come in, come in, we could use a break. Wonton?" Jean asked, waving Ororo towards one of the chairs.
"No, thank you." 'Ro took a seat, casting a gaze over the papers spread over the table. "Are you sure I am not interrupting anything? I could always send you the information after all."
"Positive sort of interruption. I feel like I'm banging my head against a wall." Jean sighed, leaning back into the couch. "Trying to find a pattern to this list," she said, handing Ororo the master list Doug had given them. "Right now all we have is 'popular tourist attractions'..."
"And really, I doubt they're seeing the sites," Scott said with a crooked smile that turned warmer as he met Ororo's eyes.
Ororo took the list in hand, looking over it briefly. Towards the end of the list her brow furrowed and she immediately begain to re-read it, lips moving as she did so. "I have herbs in my greenhouse from a garden in Glastonbury," she remarked to no one in particular. "And a beautiful agave from Sedona. Though it does not like our climate much."
Scott tilted his head. Ororo did this sometimes, talked aloud on the way towards making a connection - so did he, it was a habit picked up from drawing up tactical plans. "You have plants from some of these places," he said, to prompt her.
"Hm?" she asked, glancing up again. "Oh, yes, I do. Charles gave them to me." She raised her eyebrows, as if wondering why this was significant. "And I think they are from most every place on this list. Though not all. Sometimes customs can be difficult for even Charles to negotiate."
"Places Charles visited?" Scott muttered, almost wonderingly.
Jean blinked, and then blinked again. Then reached out a hand for the list Ororo was holding and stared at it. "'Ro, I'm an idiot. I mean, seriously, how many times have we listened to stories of his travels? Hell, he even sent me to Tibet." And Haverford had been there, too, or knew more about it than anyone really ought to.
"So you have a list of places Charles has visited. I would imagine that if you spoke with him you could find out what is not on the list and therefore figure out what may be missing. If that would be helpful," 'Ro offered.
Scott's lips were twitching suspiciously. "That... would be the natural step, wouldn't it?" The groan slipped out, and he rubbed his hands over his face. "Not thinking clearly here, suffice to say..."
Jean dropped the list back onto the table, leaning back into the couch. "I can think of at least three or four places off the top of my head that aren't on here. Yeah, talking to Charles would be a better place to start, though. And then try and figure out what's the same about the places that are on the list, and the ones that aren't."
"That seems a good idea. I'm sure Charles would welcome the discussion, now that the parents have gone."
"We can all devote some time to other things, now that the parents are gone," Scott said, and then looked up at Ororo. "I'm sorry, 'Ro, you came to talk about travel plans." He smiled again. "When are you heading out?"
"Tomorrow," came the response. "Nathan has made the flight plans, so I can only hope it is not too early in the morning. He is quite eager to get out there... not that I am not. I have taken care of what paperwork I could... hopefully there will not be too much more during the week."
Jean grinned, collecting the fried rice again. "Ororo, if it will keep you and Nate from thinking about here, work, or anything else stressful, I'll do your paperwork if I have to. Or, you know, sneakily add it to Scott's."
"I thrive on paperwork," Scott confessed, as if it were a revelation. "And you know," he said more softly, "all of the rest of it seconded, too."
"Thank you," Ororo said; it was warm, but perhaps not as warm as it would've been a few weeks before. "I am sure we will be able to divert ourselves very well... plenty of mountains to climb there, after all. And we will be reachable by satellite phone, if in case we are needed."
"And we'll do our best to make sure you're not." Jean smiled.
Jean should probably not have been using her chopsticks as a reference to scour the map. She was being good, of course, and not actually touching the map, but given she had an actual pencil, one would normally think that would work better. Of course, the pencil was stuck in her hair, and she hadn't yet started spawning spares.
"Sedona," Jean said, eyeing the map. "What's in Sedona?" It wasn't the first place on the list, but it was one of the few American sites.
"Umm...." Scott peered at the screen of his laptop, frowning. "Just touristy stuff. The Red Rocks?" He turned the laptop so that Jean could see the image of the admittedly striking rock formations. "I guess it's popular among the New Age types."
"I have serious trouble seeing either Haverford or Lyman as a New Ager. Maybe that's just me. Although," she said, flipping pages in the almanac before picking up the carton of fried rice again, "given some of the rest of these places..."
"Glastonbury," Scott said, and was rather proud of himself that he hadn't even twitched at Lyman's name. It was taking a fair amount of self-control, however. "Although that's as much a historic site..."
"Yes, and not quite as over run with people as Stonehenge. Although, actually, they could have gone there and just not flown. We'd have no record. Unless, did Doug check car rentals?" She looked up.
Scott started to sift through the printouts of the emails Doug had sent him. "I'm not sure there was anything like that from what he found in England..."
"Or trains, at that," Jean frowned. "Could easily be no record. Damn."
A light knock came at the door, and a few moments later a very tired-looking headmistress poked a silvery head in through the door. "Hello. I am sorry to interrupt, but I thought it might be easier to update you on my travel plans in person, rather than email... do you have a moment?" She smiled slightly, glancing from Jean to Scott.
"Come in, come in, we could use a break. Wonton?" Jean asked, waving Ororo towards one of the chairs.
"No, thank you." 'Ro took a seat, casting a gaze over the papers spread over the table. "Are you sure I am not interrupting anything? I could always send you the information after all."
"Positive sort of interruption. I feel like I'm banging my head against a wall." Jean sighed, leaning back into the couch. "Trying to find a pattern to this list," she said, handing Ororo the master list Doug had given them. "Right now all we have is 'popular tourist attractions'..."
"And really, I doubt they're seeing the sites," Scott said with a crooked smile that turned warmer as he met Ororo's eyes.
Ororo took the list in hand, looking over it briefly. Towards the end of the list her brow furrowed and she immediately begain to re-read it, lips moving as she did so. "I have herbs in my greenhouse from a garden in Glastonbury," she remarked to no one in particular. "And a beautiful agave from Sedona. Though it does not like our climate much."
Scott tilted his head. Ororo did this sometimes, talked aloud on the way towards making a connection - so did he, it was a habit picked up from drawing up tactical plans. "You have plants from some of these places," he said, to prompt her.
"Hm?" she asked, glancing up again. "Oh, yes, I do. Charles gave them to me." She raised her eyebrows, as if wondering why this was significant. "And I think they are from most every place on this list. Though not all. Sometimes customs can be difficult for even Charles to negotiate."
"Places Charles visited?" Scott muttered, almost wonderingly.
Jean blinked, and then blinked again. Then reached out a hand for the list Ororo was holding and stared at it. "'Ro, I'm an idiot. I mean, seriously, how many times have we listened to stories of his travels? Hell, he even sent me to Tibet." And Haverford had been there, too, or knew more about it than anyone really ought to.
"So you have a list of places Charles has visited. I would imagine that if you spoke with him you could find out what is not on the list and therefore figure out what may be missing. If that would be helpful," 'Ro offered.
Scott's lips were twitching suspiciously. "That... would be the natural step, wouldn't it?" The groan slipped out, and he rubbed his hands over his face. "Not thinking clearly here, suffice to say..."
Jean dropped the list back onto the table, leaning back into the couch. "I can think of at least three or four places off the top of my head that aren't on here. Yeah, talking to Charles would be a better place to start, though. And then try and figure out what's the same about the places that are on the list, and the ones that aren't."
"That seems a good idea. I'm sure Charles would welcome the discussion, now that the parents have gone."
"We can all devote some time to other things, now that the parents are gone," Scott said, and then looked up at Ororo. "I'm sorry, 'Ro, you came to talk about travel plans." He smiled again. "When are you heading out?"
"Tomorrow," came the response. "Nathan has made the flight plans, so I can only hope it is not too early in the morning. He is quite eager to get out there... not that I am not. I have taken care of what paperwork I could... hopefully there will not be too much more during the week."
Jean grinned, collecting the fried rice again. "Ororo, if it will keep you and Nate from thinking about here, work, or anything else stressful, I'll do your paperwork if I have to. Or, you know, sneakily add it to Scott's."
"I thrive on paperwork," Scott confessed, as if it were a revelation. "And you know," he said more softly, "all of the rest of it seconded, too."
"Thank you," Ororo said; it was warm, but perhaps not as warm as it would've been a few weeks before. "I am sure we will be able to divert ourselves very well... plenty of mountains to climb there, after all. And we will be reachable by satellite phone, if in case we are needed."
"And we'll do our best to make sure you're not." Jean smiled.