Adrienne and Sam: Library Meeting (Backdated to Jan 21st)

[x-cannonball.livejournal.com]

Sam and Adrienne meet. Naturally, Morgan comes up and Adrienne gives the warning all friends must give.

Adrienne hadn't been to the mansion library except for a perfunctory tour when she'd first arrived so that she could tell her students where to find the books on math should they need extra help. She was interested in looking up empathy and emphatic mutations to learn more, however, so she seated herself at a computer terminal with a notepad and pen to look up some call numbers. Spotting a young blond man in the room, she gave him a smile. "History teacher, right?" she asked.

Sam turned when he was addressed, giving his usual, big, genuine smile. "Sam Guthrie." He stepped over and offered a hand. It didn't occur to him who Adrienne was or why that might not be a good idea. He knew she was around and once he heard her name he'd know she was Morgan's friend but at the moment his instincts were guiding him and those were the instincts of a well raised Southern man.

"Guthrie, right," she said apologetically, taking the hand and shaking it firmly. "Sorry. Adrienne Frost. I teach math. So the history teacher probably knows the library, right? Does the history teacher know where I might find books on empaths?"

"That I can probably help with." He returned her shake and then, with her request, he was off to the well trafficked section where a lot of information on powers could be found. "I didn't think you were an empath. Is there a specific interest? I'm pretty handy with little known facts." Sam knew she wasn't an empath but he liked to speak without such a hard tone to what he was saying. He also, very honestly, had no clue why she would be looking for the information.

"No, I'm a psychometrist," she answered evenly, following him through the library. "I read the history of objects, I don't know much about reading or influencing emotions. I'm curious," she said innocently. "Specifically, about influencing other peoples' emotions." More specifically, about Manuel de la Rocha's powers, but she didn't add that part. "What sorts of little known facts are you handy with, Mister Guthrie?"

"Lots of historical facts, mostly. Where some ideas come from and such." Once the pair arrived at a shelf of books, Sam started thumbing through them, pulling a couple out a bit so she could read the titles and decide if they were what she was looking for. "So far as I've ever heard, empaths amplify emotions someone is feeling. I imagine it would be difficult to make emotions in a person that aren't there in the first place." He turned to look at her. "All the mind stuff is really confusing to me, though."

Adrienne gathered up a couple of the books Sam was pulling out. "Very interesting," she mused. "I had no idea they amplified someone else's emotions." That was fairly terrifying. "Telepaths can make people think thoughts that aren't there in the first place," she pointed out. "I assumed it was a power similar to telepathy, only instead of thoughts, putting emotions into someone's head. I admit, however, that I am fairly confused about 'the mind stuff' as well, Mister Guthrie," she said with a neutral smile. "Do your powers help you with your being handy when it comes to historical facts?"

"They help me get out to historical places to see them but not much more." He smiled and turned once he tugged on the books he thought would help her so she could decide which she wanted. "I'm not too knowledgeable about telepaths either but we have several of those and I don't think they do empathy so I assumed there were some fundamental differences on how thoughts and emotions work, since they're both mind things." Sam thought for a moment. He hadn't been very helpful. "I do know that psychology wasn't even it's own discipline until the sixties and that we don't really know that much about it all as a whole."

Adrienne raised an eyebrow. "They're both mind things, therefore there should be fundamental differences on how they work? I'm afraid I'm not following you," she said with a laugh."Now, historical places, historical objects, that I can understand. Sometimes I think I should have gone into antiques, with my power. Or museum work. Are you a speedster, Mister Guthrie?"
"They're both mind things but they don't work the same so there must be other fundamental differences." Sam corrected, to clarify himself. "I'm guessing the mind is even too complicated to people that have powers dealing with them." He smiled at her laugh. "Morgan likes history too. Maybe she'd want to start a business with you." He had heard about Adrienne enough to know her and Morgan were good friends. "The fastest!" He said with a laugh, cutting his other thought line off when she mentioned speed.

Now the other eyebrow shot up to join its fellow. "Morgan? History?" Funny, Morgan had never mentioned an interest in history to her. "I don't know if I can really see Morgan working in an antique shop," Adrienne said with a smile. "She seems to enjoy shooting things so much more than cleaning, cataloging, appraising. Do you two have a common interest in history that led to an acquaintance, or was it something else? Swimming? Shooting?"

"We first met just running across each other but that didn't go so well at first. We both tried again, got along just fine, and after Jay came back she came to my room to see me. We ended up watching the History Channel for the evening. She said it's the only thing she can stay awake through." Sam relayed the information as best he could so that Adrienne wouldn't be quite so lost.

Adrienne schooled her jaw not to drop, reminding herself that an evening spent with someone didn't necessarily mean what she was thinking it meant. But the fact that Morgan had given him a second chance after her initial 'didn't go so well' meant something. So maybe... "Are you the potential someone? The boy who thinks she's pretty?"

Sam laughed nervously, turning red just a little. He didn't know he had been discussed. "I do think she's pretty. I'm not sure if she considers me a potential someone, though. She said that it wasn't anything serious." He leaned against a book shelf as he watched her, he wasn't sure if Adrienne was going to clue him in or if she was just getting information.

"Well, I'm not sure, either," the psychometrist answered, leafing through the contents pages of some of the books he'd found her. "The fact that she referred to the person as a boy makes me think it's you," she shrugged. He had that wholesome boyish vibe, something not many of the men at the mansion had. Not that it was a boy who lived at the mansion, necessarily. "Are you interested in her?" she asked, not as casually as she would have liked it to sound. Serious or not, Adrienne didn't want Morgan to get into something that could lead to disappointment later, so she wanted to get a feel for Sam's intentions. The fact that she cared about his intentions towards Morgan was confusing, but Adrienne batted that aside for now.

"I am... wait, why am I a boy?" Sam was confused. He didn't know if that meant people thought of him as immature. Being the oldest in his family he hadn't though of himself that way in a long time. He was also a teacher and a pretty important member of the X-Men, he liked to think. He could tell Adrienne was concerned for her friend and he didn't mind that at all. He was more than happy to answer any questions she had to help ease her mind, once he found out what she meant.

Adrienne gave him a look that could be read as 'you seriously don't know?' "Because you just waft wholesome, pal. It's not a bad thing," she added casually, "it's just the way you are. And sorry to say it, but that's rare in the males around here. She didn't refer to you as a 'bloke' like she did someone else, she specifically said 'boy' and you're the only boy I can think of here."

"I've just heard a lot of other words to describe me. I didn't know if calling me a boy was saying that I'm immature or not." Sam gave one of his big, polite smiles. "Since it isn't, then question answered." He didn't actually seem to be upset about it at all, the answer was more than enough to explain the choice of wording to him.

The psychometrist shook her head. "She didn't mean immature," she confirmed, fairly certain. Carrying the books to the checkout desk, Adrienne frowned at Sam. She knew some of Morgan's history and a little about her views on relationships and had to admit that maybe wholesome farm boy would be good for her friend. "I approve of your interest," she said with a sage nod, corner of her mouth tugging up in a half-smile to indicate she was joking. It wasn't as if Morgan would give a flying fuck whether Adrienne approved of Sam or not, after all. But she thought Sam might be good for the blue woman, and wanted him to know that. "If you break her heart, though, pal, I will hire someone to kill you."

Sam followed Adrienne as she went to the checkout desk, "I think she's more worried about breaking my heart, if I remember right." He did remember right but it was polite to not be too firm with statements. "Are there any warnings for her that I should pass on about that?" That's right, the country boy was being a little bit of a smart ass, though his tone was still light and playful. He knew that it was very usual for people to give a threatening line before someone dated their friend, he even understood it, but it ruffled his feathers a bit any time it happened.

"No," Adrienne replied with faux cheerfulness, "no warnings for her. I think she will break your heart, but that's no concern of mine. In fact, it'll probably be good for you in the long run. Heartbreak will help you grow up, lose the 'boy' vibe." She matched his playful tone even though she sensed she had struck a nerve.

"I'm pretty happy being a boy in the way you explained it, actually." Sam replied, still smiling. He had reminded himself that sometimes everyone said things that bothered others. It was his job to be understanding. "You know, I've had a pretty good heart breaking before. I don't think that's really going to change how I feel about the world."

In her best camp councilor voice, and with a smile to match, Adrienne called out, "That's the spirit!"