xp_logs | Crystal and Jean - Lunch Time (Reply)

Crystal joins Jean in her search for lunch.

Crystal was walking down one of the hallways in Xavier's, just as she had done many times before, except now was not really the same as it had been before, was it? Last time, she'd felt compelled to stay. She'd always been moving from one thing to another, always finding some way to fill her time, whether it be classwork, working on her powers, helping others study for class or with their powers, mailroom duty, a shift in the medlab, her own, not-for-class studies...

Now, she was just... here. On her own. For a visit. Because she wanted to. She was on a vacation, and at the moment there wasn't anything she had to do. Crystal had brought a couple of textbooks with her so that she could continue to study, but that was at her own pace, and right now she was on vacation and taking things slowly.

Turning the corner of the hallway, Jean blinked at the blonde head walking down the hall ahead of her, seemingly lost in thought. Even after running into each other in Ireland for the wedding, two years of age and experience had changed her, and yet... not. Jean smiled at the thought and called out, " Crystal?" picking up her pace to catch up with the girl as she turned to see who called. "It's good to see you."

"It is good to see you, too, Dr. Grey-Summers," Crystal greeted her, pausing for a moment as the doctor approached. "Are you headed somewhere in particular? I am not, I am just... walking. I do that sometimes, despite rumors to the contrary." Yes, her preferred method of getting from one place to another had always been flight, but that didn't mean she never walked or ran.

"Ah well, I tend not to put much stock in rumors like that, particularly not when the obvious lack of muscle atrophy proves you do walk at least occasionally." Jean's smile was mild, but there was a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "And I'm just getting off a shift in the medlab, so I was going in search of lunch. Care to join me, or have you eaten?"

"You might want to be careful with the way you phrase that," Crystal told Jean, a slight grin playing on her face. "Around here, someone overhearing that might think that the school's lunch has run away and you are the person who has been placed in charge of finding it. Assuming that this is not the case, I would be glad to join you for lunch, and even if it were, I would still join you."

"An epic search for the missing food? Well, if that were the case I'd definitely be glad of your company and your help, although I'm not sure I'd want to eat lunch that had run off. But no, thankfully, we don't have to do any hunting outside of the sort that involves scrounging in the fridge - summers don't usually involve quite as structured a meal plan as during the school year when all the students are in residence, and lunch is almost always catch as catch can." Jean headed on down the hall, aiming for the kitchen.

"I had food delivered to me the summer I was here." The one summer Crystal had been at the mansion had been spent, in terms of food, avoiding Lorna and the kitchen. Even when she had ceased that avoidance, she still hadn't cared much for the kitchen, the dining hall, or Lorna. "I ordered delivery during the school year, too, just not as much. After I helped myself to Forge's Power Bars without realizing they belonged to someone, I was never quite sure what was there for the taking and what might belong to someone. I did replace the Power Bars, of course."

"In theory there shouldn't be anything in the main fridge that's not for public consumption," Jean said, "although it is possible to accidentally grab something that's intended for an upcoming meal and get the entire cooking class on your tail, but for the most part that's safe. Before we remodeled, when the student suites didn't exist and so they didn't have their own mini-fridges, the fridge and cupboard attached to the student lounge were subject to the most elaborate scheme of markings and hidings and so on. Secret messages indicating that the 'frozen fishstick' box was actually ice cream bars, or the -true- ownership of the bag of ruffled chips. Now... much less complicated. Thankfully." Jean held the door to the kitchen open, gesturing for Crystal to precede her.

Crystal gave Jean and nod of thanks and walked into the kitchen. She stepped aside to let Jean follow her, then just stood there for a few moments. The school's kitchen didn't seem anywhere near as large and as frightening as it had the first time she had seen it. The stove, too, was no longer a hated object. There was no fear of being forced to take beginning or remedial cooking, and no dreaded Kitchen Goddess to avoid.

"Now, you didn't actually say if you'd eaten or not," Jean said, heading for the fridge to poke her head in and see what was about. "Are you hungry? And, if so, any request?"

"I have not had lunch yet," Crystal said. "Anything you can find that is not about to take on a life of its own is fine."

There was still some roast left from last night's dinner, so Jean pulled it out and set the oven to warming as she sliced it thin and collected some bread. "So, are you having a good visit so far?"

Crystal nodded, smiling a bit. "Yes, it has been nice to see people and to take a break from being 'Princess Crystal' wherever I turn, although some people here appear determined to remind me of it."

"Yes, two years of anything will tend to leave one wanting a bit of a break. But, of course, it's still a new idea to us. Or, at least," Jean admitted, "a new twist on an old idea."

"'A new twist on an old idea'?" Crystal repeated curiously.

"Hmm?" Jean said, placing two plates of sandwich into the oven. "Oh, I know you used to get a certain amount of grief over being 'Lady Crystal'. Some of the kids, I'm afraid, are a bit too egalitarian for their own good."

"It was 'Princess' back then, too, even if I was not really one at the time," Crystal said with a small laugh. I even made a journal post about it. Perhaps that should be the title of the journal I intend to post today: 'I am a Princess. Just get it out in the open, no confusion, allow people to get it out of their system, perhaps?"

"Heh, it might help. One never knows." Pulling out a chair while the sandwiches warmed, Jean settled down. "So, how long are you visiting?"

"About a week, I think," Crystal replied. "The students and staff will be busy again once school starts again next week. They seem busy already, really."

"Well, speaking for myself, you're more than welcome even when I am busy, but I can understand feeling like you don't want to be in the way."

Crystal hadn't thought she'd be in the way. She just wasn't quite sure what she'd do there beyond that time. Save for a few exceptions, everyone at the mansion was a student, staff member, X-Men, and quite often one person fell into two of those categories. She didn't fit into even one, and she wasn't taking classes at any of the universities close-by.

"I will be joining the rafting trip this weekend," Crystal told Jean. "Will you be going?"

"Chaperoning, yes," Jean said, smiling. "Luckily, I can do that from the bank and don't actually have to get into any of the boats." At the small 'ding' of the oven timer, she stood up, collecting their lunch and setting it down on the table, along with silverware. "Careful, the plates are hot."