xp_logs | Red X: Reconstruction - Jane and Crystal (Reply)

On a rooftop in Barrio Logan, Jane and Crystal talk about Red X.

Jane scrubbed an arm across her forehead, pushing a few errant curls out of her eyes, and surveyed the work she'd done. Apparently not being afraid of heights made one an excellent candidate for roofing duty. Jane didn't mind, though. It was actually kind of fun, so long as she managed to not whack her thumb with her hammer. Although... She stared with undisguised lust at the nailgun Ray was using a few feet away. She could get so much more done if she had one of those.

Crystal hovered near the materials she had brought up to the roof. "Does anyone have any requests for the next load?" she called out. So far, today's t-shirt and jeans had managed to stay fairly clean, but then again she'd only been lifting materials in the air today rather than doing any non-wind-based physical labor.

"I could use some more nails, Crystal," Jane called. It was SO weird seeing Crystal in normal-people clothing. Usually she was all dressed up. And okay, so they were still probably designer jeans, but the point was that they were jeans. "How are you doing?"

"I am doing quite well, Jane, and you?" One item at a time, Crystal began floating items over to those who had requested them only minutes before.

"Really good, actually. If nothing else, I'm getting a really good tan." Jane set aside her hammer and thrust out her arms to demonstrate. "See? And there's a really nice breeze, um, which, thank you if that's your doing." She grinned.

"I do what I can to help," Crystal replied with a smile. "It is something that is quite easy for me to do and quite beneficial for others. I was able to help people in this way during my first visit to San Diego with Red X.

"You were here?" Jane asked curiously. One of the things she regretted was that she had been unable to come out and volunteer immediately after the Earthquake. Things had just been too unstable in her life at the time to break away.

Crystal nodded, almost finished with 'handing out' the requested roofing materials. "Yes. I had only been at Xavier's for maybe a month at that point. A request for volunteers went out at the school and I came here to help. I overexerted myself back then, but I do not plan on doing that again."

"Wow." Jane wondered what 'overexerted' meant, although if Crystal wasn't going to volunteer the information, she wouldn't pry. "Has it changed a lot since then?"

"I was not in this particular location the last time," Crystal told Jane. "I imagine that it must have been quite different after the earthquake occured, even with all of the help in rebuilding that is still needed now."

"Yeah, but I wonder," Jane paused to collect her thoughts. "It's taking so long to put things here back together, and it's never really going to be like it was before, I just hope that it ends up being something people can build from and make their own, you know?"

"Nothing can ever be exactly the way it was before something happened to change it," Crystal said, her mind drifting to the events surrounding Attilan's disappearance and reappearance. "Much can be lot, but life continues, even if is not the same path it would have taken without such an event taking place."

"Yeah," Jane agreed. "Hey, so, are you still in the Red X group at the mansion? I know a lot of people came out or wanted to because they'd helped when the earthquake happened, but aren't really in it any more. I'm not sure who is and who isn't, and I was kind of thinking about maybe seeing if after this they'd want to put together something like a presentation for the younger kids at the mansion with stuff from this and the avalanche."

Crystal shook her head. "No, I did not plan on living in the United States after I graduated from Xavier's. I was then out of contact for a while and..." She stopped as someone starting calling for her. "Please excuse me, Jane. You needed more nails, I believe? I will be back very soon." Moving to the side of the roof, feet never touching down, she floated down.

Jane took the opportunity to sprawl back on the roof for a moment and absorbed the sunlight.

Crystal returned several minutes later, hovering amidst the recently requested materials. "These are for you," she told Jane, handing the requested nails to the other Xavier's resident.

Jane beamed at Crystal, envying her ability to actually carry things with her when she flew. Her own flying had been somewhat severely curtailed on this trip for obvious reasons. "Thank you!" Her stomach growled loudly as she sat up, and she pinkened. "I guess it's almost time for lunch. Have you eaten, yet?"

"I have not had lunch today," Crystal replied. "Would you like to join me for lunch?"

"I'd love to," Jane replied with a grin. "C'mon, let's go."