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xp_logsMaximus greets Crystal with a rather shocking surprise.
Fabian had been as good as his word; Maximus felt exalted, bubbling over with power, as if he could pluck the deepest secrets out of every mind in half of Europe, and he almost had to laugh: if he'd been this powerful on his own, he never would have confused the voices in his head with the thoughts of everyone around him. So much time wasted. But soon, if he could only find Crystal, he would have all the time in the world.
Not all of the guests from New York had arrived yet as the Friday flight wasn't due to land for another few hours. Still, several of them were there, including Terry, Bobby, Pietro, Rahne, and two of her suitemates from Xavier's. Angelo was there, too, but without Amanda. Hopefully, Amanda wouldn't be called in to fight some tentacle-creature and would come the next day as promised. Crystal had shown Laurie and Yvette around the palace and had left them to explore a bit on their own.
Most of the other guests from around the world would be arriving tomorrow and Saturday. Other members of royalty, dignitaries, members of parliament.... hopefully, Mark would be on his best behavior and forget his camera at home. His cell phone would never make it into the grand hall. Official pictures from the hired photographer only, thank you very much.
Floating down one of the rather large hallways in the palace, Crystal spotted Maximus and greeted him with a smile. "The 'invasion' has begun, yes? Not a leather outfit in sight, although most of the guests who wear those will be arriving tomorrow."
"Yes, I'm quite pleasantly surprised--but that's actually not why I've come looking for you." Maximus grinned at her, bouncing a little on his toes. "I've the most wonderful news, Crystal--well, perhaps not quite the most, this weekend, but I think rather wonderful all the same--and I wanted you to be the first to know."
"Oh? What is this 'most wonderful news'?" Crystal asked curiously. She'd never seen him this excited about anything before, at least not since they were much younger. What was it that could make him this excited, especially right at the beginning of an extremely hectic weekend when the palace would be almost literally bursting with people, most of them people Maximus didn't know or didn't particularly care to have around? Of course, she could say the same for a fair amount of people she'd had the misfortune of interacting with at previous events. "Look but don't touch" was a concept certain people just didn't seem to be able to understand. "Do not tell me you have met someone and we are going to have to hold an engagement party for you as well," she teased.
"Oh, heaven forbid. Mother would have kittens." Maximus paused for a moment. "Elegant, genteel kittens with exquisite manners, but kittens all the same." He shook his head, the grin returning in full force. "No, this is something different. It would seem that the Boltagon family's chronically late bloomer has at last . . ." He bowed slightly, spreading his hands theatrically. "Blossomed."
Blossomed?" Crystal echoed, momentarily puzzled. "What do you..." her eyes widened. "Do you mean... did you..." She was almost afraid to say it just in case she was wrong, although what else could he mean? Maybe he was just referring to his business partnership with Fabian Cortez? Maybe he'd "blossomed" as an adult who could manage life on his own?
"I've finally manifested, my very dear cousin. Mutant powers, you know, like the rest of the family, perhaps you're familiar with the phenomenon?" He seized Crystal's arms and twirled her around exuberantly. "I can hardly tell you how excited I am--I was beginning to think it'd never happen!"
"When? Right now?" Crystal smiled, ecstatic at the news and Maximus's exuberance over the fact. Finally! With Crystal and Medusa's early manifestation and Blackagar's not much more than a year after that, Maximus had been the sole member of their family without powers for close to eight years. "What are your powers? What can you do? When are you going to tell everyone?"
"Oh, after the betrothal, certainly--I wouldn't want to steal our favorite couple's spotlight." Just their place in the line of succession, and their lives. Maximus hated lying to Crystal like this. "And I seem to be a telepath. Not a very strong one, I'm afraid." Another lie, or at least a half-truth. It was, he reminded himself, entirely necessary. "I haven't actually even tried to touch someone else's mind yet, just heard what people project . . ." Would she take the bait, or would he have to persuade her?
"You have heard..." Of course he hadn't heard hers, though, she'd learned how to shield herself at a young age. All of them had. They could be broken, of course, but she'd know if someone tried that. "Of course you have not tried to intrude upon anyone's mind," Crystal replied in a reassuring tone, "but I also understand that most people do not know how to shield her thoughts. You will need training, of course. At least you do not have to worry about being sent to Xavier's now that both of our parents know how unsafe it is to be there. It is a shame that Nathan was unable to attend this weekend. I am sure that you and he could have much to talk about."
"I'm sure we would. Perhaps another time." Maximus's brow furrowed slightly. "Though as much as I'd rather not go to Xavier's, I am . . . well, this is very new to me, and I'm worried I might intrude by accident, not knowing better. The line between just listening, and reaching out . . . it seems very nebulous to me. Perhaps with practice I'll learn to tell the difference more easily, but who would I practice on? Especially now, with everyone so busy."
Crystal's eyes widened, thoughts and images flashing through her mind. The palace full of people. The crowded ballroom. And amidst them all, a newly manifested, untrained mutant. A telepath. Maximus would never be able to block all of the thoughts coming at him. Perhaps he could block himself from projecting his thoughts at others, he had been trained in shielding, but now that he was a telepath himself...
She shook her head. "There is no way to train you to block thoughts from coming to you by tonight, or even tomorrow night. Perhaps Dr. Grey-Summers can help? She is a telepath, too. I am certain that you do not wish to miss the gala tomorrow night, but it might not be a very pleasant experience for you. I could drop my shields and we could test out having you block them even when someone is attempting to project thoughts, but I am still only one person, not a crowd of hundreds."
"But even just that little might help!" Maximus replied, and it took very little effort for him to sound distressed. The last thing he wanted at this stage was to run into another telepath; after all, he really was entirely self-taught. "I'm worried about the crowds, certainly. Some of the guests, and a few of the servants, are . . . very loud. And I'm afraid if I'm overwhelmed, I may not be able to stop myself from pushing back. I don't want to hurt anyone, Crystal. I couldn't bear that. Would you help me? I think it could make a difference, I really do."
Any doubt Crystal might have felt about the idea of purposely allowing a telepath into her mind didn't seem to apply in this case. This was the boy she'd grown up with, her cousin and her friend. They'd laughed together, shared secrets... wasn't this what was happening now? Maximus still hadn't said when he'd manifested, and although the thought did occur to her that Maximus seemed to be a bit more in control of his abilities than a newly manifested telepath should be, why would be lie to her? As she had been, her cousin had always known he was a mutant. As Crystal had known, he'd know he would have powers some day; like her. Like her, their family had seen to it that he was properly trained in how to shield from telepaths.
"We can certainly try," Crystal replied with a smile. "I still think we ought to speak with Dr. Grey-Summers when she arrives, which should be shortly, and although we both wish to avoid sending you to Xavier's, perhaps we could arrange to have you work with Nathan on Muir? He can be trusted, and he knows what it is like to have people be wary of him because he is a telepath. Will you promise me that you will ask Dr. Grey to help you tonight?"
"Of course," Maximus said, making a mental note to keep both of them out of the doctor's sight, if at all possible. A better-trained telepath could very likely upset everything. "Right here, do you think, or would you rather go somewhere we can sit down? I'm not really sure what's going to happen, but I'll be as careful as I can."
"Perhaps the library would be best," Crystal said, heading in that direction. "I do not believe that anyone is there at the moment. It will be fine, I will do my best to think softly," Crystal said as they . "I cannot project my thoughts as well as Blackagar can, but I can always put my shields back up if I cause you any distress, and you can do the same, too."
Maximus's eyes flickered at the mention of his brother's name, and for a half-fearful, half-whimsical moment he wondered if she could hear Blackagar too. Absurd, of course; Crystal's mutation was well-delineated and nothing at all to do with telepathy. In the end, all he said was. "I'm sure you'll do just fine--you were always quick to pick up on the shield discipline.
A quick look around let Crystal know that if anyone was in the rather large library, they at least weren't close to where she and Maximus chose to sit. Crystal smiled, trusting, and completely dropped her shields.
And Maximus smiled back, and reached for her.
Fabian had been as good as his word; Maximus felt exalted, bubbling over with power, as if he could pluck the deepest secrets out of every mind in half of Europe, and he almost had to laugh: if he'd been this powerful on his own, he never would have confused the voices in his head with the thoughts of everyone around him. So much time wasted. But soon, if he could only find Crystal, he would have all the time in the world.
Not all of the guests from New York had arrived yet as the Friday flight wasn't due to land for another few hours. Still, several of them were there, including Terry, Bobby, Pietro, Rahne, and two of her suitemates from Xavier's. Angelo was there, too, but without Amanda. Hopefully, Amanda wouldn't be called in to fight some tentacle-creature and would come the next day as promised. Crystal had shown Laurie and Yvette around the palace and had left them to explore a bit on their own.
Most of the other guests from around the world would be arriving tomorrow and Saturday. Other members of royalty, dignitaries, members of parliament.... hopefully, Mark would be on his best behavior and forget his camera at home. His cell phone would never make it into the grand hall. Official pictures from the hired photographer only, thank you very much.
Floating down one of the rather large hallways in the palace, Crystal spotted Maximus and greeted him with a smile. "The 'invasion' has begun, yes? Not a leather outfit in sight, although most of the guests who wear those will be arriving tomorrow."
"Yes, I'm quite pleasantly surprised--but that's actually not why I've come looking for you." Maximus grinned at her, bouncing a little on his toes. "I've the most wonderful news, Crystal--well, perhaps not quite the most, this weekend, but I think rather wonderful all the same--and I wanted you to be the first to know."
"Oh? What is this 'most wonderful news'?" Crystal asked curiously. She'd never seen him this excited about anything before, at least not since they were much younger. What was it that could make him this excited, especially right at the beginning of an extremely hectic weekend when the palace would be almost literally bursting with people, most of them people Maximus didn't know or didn't particularly care to have around? Of course, she could say the same for a fair amount of people she'd had the misfortune of interacting with at previous events. "Look but don't touch" was a concept certain people just didn't seem to be able to understand. "Do not tell me you have met someone and we are going to have to hold an engagement party for you as well," she teased.
"Oh, heaven forbid. Mother would have kittens." Maximus paused for a moment. "Elegant, genteel kittens with exquisite manners, but kittens all the same." He shook his head, the grin returning in full force. "No, this is something different. It would seem that the Boltagon family's chronically late bloomer has at last . . ." He bowed slightly, spreading his hands theatrically. "Blossomed."
Blossomed?" Crystal echoed, momentarily puzzled. "What do you..." her eyes widened. "Do you mean... did you..." She was almost afraid to say it just in case she was wrong, although what else could he mean? Maybe he was just referring to his business partnership with Fabian Cortez? Maybe he'd "blossomed" as an adult who could manage life on his own?
"I've finally manifested, my very dear cousin. Mutant powers, you know, like the rest of the family, perhaps you're familiar with the phenomenon?" He seized Crystal's arms and twirled her around exuberantly. "I can hardly tell you how excited I am--I was beginning to think it'd never happen!"
"When? Right now?" Crystal smiled, ecstatic at the news and Maximus's exuberance over the fact. Finally! With Crystal and Medusa's early manifestation and Blackagar's not much more than a year after that, Maximus had been the sole member of their family without powers for close to eight years. "What are your powers? What can you do? When are you going to tell everyone?"
"Oh, after the betrothal, certainly--I wouldn't want to steal our favorite couple's spotlight." Just their place in the line of succession, and their lives. Maximus hated lying to Crystal like this. "And I seem to be a telepath. Not a very strong one, I'm afraid." Another lie, or at least a half-truth. It was, he reminded himself, entirely necessary. "I haven't actually even tried to touch someone else's mind yet, just heard what people project . . ." Would she take the bait, or would he have to persuade her?
"You have heard..." Of course he hadn't heard hers, though, she'd learned how to shield herself at a young age. All of them had. They could be broken, of course, but she'd know if someone tried that. "Of course you have not tried to intrude upon anyone's mind," Crystal replied in a reassuring tone, "but I also understand that most people do not know how to shield her thoughts. You will need training, of course. At least you do not have to worry about being sent to Xavier's now that both of our parents know how unsafe it is to be there. It is a shame that Nathan was unable to attend this weekend. I am sure that you and he could have much to talk about."
"I'm sure we would. Perhaps another time." Maximus's brow furrowed slightly. "Though as much as I'd rather not go to Xavier's, I am . . . well, this is very new to me, and I'm worried I might intrude by accident, not knowing better. The line between just listening, and reaching out . . . it seems very nebulous to me. Perhaps with practice I'll learn to tell the difference more easily, but who would I practice on? Especially now, with everyone so busy."
Crystal's eyes widened, thoughts and images flashing through her mind. The palace full of people. The crowded ballroom. And amidst them all, a newly manifested, untrained mutant. A telepath. Maximus would never be able to block all of the thoughts coming at him. Perhaps he could block himself from projecting his thoughts at others, he had been trained in shielding, but now that he was a telepath himself...
She shook her head. "There is no way to train you to block thoughts from coming to you by tonight, or even tomorrow night. Perhaps Dr. Grey-Summers can help? She is a telepath, too. I am certain that you do not wish to miss the gala tomorrow night, but it might not be a very pleasant experience for you. I could drop my shields and we could test out having you block them even when someone is attempting to project thoughts, but I am still only one person, not a crowd of hundreds."
"But even just that little might help!" Maximus replied, and it took very little effort for him to sound distressed. The last thing he wanted at this stage was to run into another telepath; after all, he really was entirely self-taught. "I'm worried about the crowds, certainly. Some of the guests, and a few of the servants, are . . . very loud. And I'm afraid if I'm overwhelmed, I may not be able to stop myself from pushing back. I don't want to hurt anyone, Crystal. I couldn't bear that. Would you help me? I think it could make a difference, I really do."
Any doubt Crystal might have felt about the idea of purposely allowing a telepath into her mind didn't seem to apply in this case. This was the boy she'd grown up with, her cousin and her friend. They'd laughed together, shared secrets... wasn't this what was happening now? Maximus still hadn't said when he'd manifested, and although the thought did occur to her that Maximus seemed to be a bit more in control of his abilities than a newly manifested telepath should be, why would be lie to her? As she had been, her cousin had always known he was a mutant. As Crystal had known, he'd know he would have powers some day; like her. Like her, their family had seen to it that he was properly trained in how to shield from telepaths.
"We can certainly try," Crystal replied with a smile. "I still think we ought to speak with Dr. Grey-Summers when she arrives, which should be shortly, and although we both wish to avoid sending you to Xavier's, perhaps we could arrange to have you work with Nathan on Muir? He can be trusted, and he knows what it is like to have people be wary of him because he is a telepath. Will you promise me that you will ask Dr. Grey to help you tonight?"
"Of course," Maximus said, making a mental note to keep both of them out of the doctor's sight, if at all possible. A better-trained telepath could very likely upset everything. "Right here, do you think, or would you rather go somewhere we can sit down? I'm not really sure what's going to happen, but I'll be as careful as I can."
"Perhaps the library would be best," Crystal said, heading in that direction. "I do not believe that anyone is there at the moment. It will be fine, I will do my best to think softly," Crystal said as they . "I cannot project my thoughts as well as Blackagar can, but I can always put my shields back up if I cause you any distress, and you can do the same, too."
Maximus's eyes flickered at the mention of his brother's name, and for a half-fearful, half-whimsical moment he wondered if she could hear Blackagar too. Absurd, of course; Crystal's mutation was well-delineated and nothing at all to do with telepathy. In the end, all he said was. "I'm sure you'll do just fine--you were always quick to pick up on the shield discipline.
A quick look around let Crystal know that if anyone was in the rather large library, they at least weren't close to where she and Maximus chose to sit. Crystal smiled, trusting, and completely dropped her shields.
And Maximus smiled back, and reached for her.
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Date: 2007-06-22 11:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-24 06:57 am (UTC)