xp_logs | Crystal and Nathan

Backdated. Crystal finds Nathan right before he goes to the airport and they talk about the need for vacations.

The last time she had been here, "here" and the rest of Attilan had been in another world. Then, her hair had been black and her eyes had appeared to be bright green. Now, her hair was blonde once more, and her eyes were not hidden behind contacts.

It would be the same hospital where she'd confronted Maximus, wouldn't it? Crystal hadn't come alone this time; the guards were behind her but she knew they were there. After all of the chaos and loudness of the past week, it was good to have a few moments of peace and quiet, and Crystal didn't mind waiting for Nathan to finish his conversation and notice her. Interrupting would be rude, even for the princess of Attilan.

Nathan did something of a subtle double-take at the sight of the young woman waiting for him, but smiled unrestrainedly as he bid the doctor farewell and turned towards Crystal. "Your Highness," he said, deferentially enough, except for the spark of mischief in his gray eyes.

"Not you too!" Crystal mock-complained with a dramatic sigh. "It is to be expected, though, is it not? I have not heard from anyone from New York, but I suppose that when I do I should prepare myself for yet another round of being called 'Your Highness', yes?"

"Most likely. Forge spilled the beans," Nathan said, falling in beside her. "You look well. I had dinner with your sister back at the start of the week.."

"My title is not a secret," Crystal replied with a laugh. "I just did not expect people from Xavier's to find so much amusement in it. Also, thank you, and I am glad you were able to see Medusa. It has been quite a busy week for all of us."

"Liable to be followed by several more, from the sounds of it." Nathan shook his head slightly. "I'm headed to the airport myself," he told her. "Need to get back home - I've helped arrange what I can here, and I've got another potential trip coming up at the end of the week."

Crystal nodded. "Yes, I am sure that we will be busy here for quite some time. Certain elements are fairly easy to deal with, other aspects will take a fair amount of time and effort to figure out. Luckily, we knew about the time difference in advance although it still comes as a surprise to me to see that people and the world have not changed much. You, for example, still seem to be in constant work-mode. Unless, of course, this 'potential trip' is a vacation, in which case it should be a trip for certain, not a potential one. I hope that you went on vacation earlier as you had said you would."

Nathan coughed, but was still smiling. "Well, yes, although the why of that is a long story best left for later..." He looked down at her, the smile lingering. "I imagine you have a few long stories yourself."

"None that involve demons or elder gods, I'm afraid," Crystal said with a bit of a laugh. "It was a rather boring alternate dimension as alternate dimensions seem to go. Not that I have any personal comparisons when it comes to different dimensions or worlds or whatever you wish to call them, but I did worry for a time that instead of returning to this one, we might find ourselves in an inhabited world and run into trouble. Luckily, that was not the case."

"I imagine it's going to be quite the adaptation, coming back to the rest of the world," Nathan said thoughtfully. "Are you planning to stay on the island?"

"Planning to stay? Well, yes, that is the plan," Crystal said. "What else would I do?" She hadn't really seen another option even if she was being driven insane by all of the questions and interviews and requests for meeting combined with still doing her best to help out at the school and part of her wanted nothing more than to just leave.

"There's been nowhere but the island for you, these last couple of years," Nathan pointed out. "I know it's your home and you love it, but you've been out of the world in a pretty literal fashion. And as much as you wanted to go home during your time at the school, I know there were things you enjoyed about the wider world. Things you were interested in, at least." He offered her a smile. "I suppose what I'm saying is that your horizons weren't limited to Attilan, as much as you loved it - but you had no choice about those limited horizons while the island was 'away'. Now you have choice again."

"I have responsibilites," Crystal replied. "I always have." What things was Nathan talking about? She had found plenty of things to keep herself occupied when she'd been away from Attilan. Here, too, she had plenty to do. "How would it appear if I left Attilan right now? For a visit, perhaps. When I left Xavier's, I thought that perhaps I might visit in a year or two. Those two years were over months ago."

"Home and work can be a prison, too, if a pleasant one," Nathan said. "There's a reason people take vacations." He'd leave it at that, although there was more to what he was saying.

During her year at Xavier's, Crystal had spent as many weekends away as she could, and now she might go to Xavier's for a vacation? The thought amused her. She wasn't a student there any longer, and although to the people there she had only been away from the school for two months, to her it had been two-and-a-half years. "I did tell Pietro I would try to see about coming for a visit, and I suppose there are people in New York I should go see."

"I think so. People who missed you, even if it has only been a couple of months for them," Nathan said. "It's a gulf, the time difference, but I think it's one worth crossing, don't you?"

People had missed her? No one who wasn't currently on Attilan had tried to contact her. Perhaps they were waiting to see if she would contact them? She'd been so busy and had thought that people would try to reach her if they were interested in communicating with her.

"I am not sure who will find the time difference stranger," Crystal mused out loud, "them, or me. Before I spoke with Illyana, I had assumed that the same amount of time had passed for everything else. I wondered how and what people were doing, and then I had to realize that very little time had passed for them and for them, it was still the summer Attilan vanished."

"Well, the only way to find out to come and see," Nathan said lightly. "Do give it some thought, all right?"

Crystal nodded, smiling. "I will."