xp_logs | Mutation Sternutation: Crystal and Forge, medlab

When Forge comes to make good on his promise to help Crystal leave the safety of the secure room, the two have an unexpected conversation about what their future may bring.

Crystal sat on the floor in the middle of the secure holding room in the medlab, eyes closed. While there was definitely a part of her that was interested in these borrowed abilities, she also knew that, at the moment, it was more important to concentrate on not using them rather than quite literally playing with fire. The room was designed to hold mutants who had dangerous, destructive powers, she knew, and she had let loose with a bit of fire. Unfortunately, it seemed that in order to do that, she needed to be in full fire form, and that involved her clothes getting destroyed in the process. Also, Crystal was well aware of the fact that Amara's powers were not at all limited to fire abilities, but while she was quite interested in seeing how the earth abilities worked, she was also quite certain of the fact that she did not wish to create any earthquakes or volcanoes on the campus of Xavier's.

A series of beeps sounded, and part of the steel door faded to transparency. Visible on the other side was Forge, clad in what looked like a dull grey suit of body armor, bulky yet still form-fitting. He smiled through a thick visor and pressed his thumb to the intercom button.

"Hi, honey," he said, voice distorted through the helmet and the intercom. "I had to resize one of the space suits I made for the orbital mission two years ago. One hundred percent heat-reflective, in case you flare up or something. And I modified one of Shiro's old uniforms for you, I really don't think it should melt since, well, Sunfire tends to go nuclear in the middle of battle. If you're feeling okay, I'm going to come in, all right?"

Crystal's eyes opened, and she had to stifle a laugh at the sight of Forge in the space suit. Instead of laughing, she nodded, and stood up. "I promise not to set you on fire, but I do believe you have already taken care of that possible problem. Thank you for the outfit, while I am not at all cold without clothes, I much prefer to avoid running the risk of finding myself unclothed in full view of random mansion inhabitants and visitors. That has happened two times too many already."

Another set of beeps, and the door slid open as Forge lumbered his way in, his motions slightly awkward inside the suit. As the door closed behind him, he held out a folded stack of black clothing. "This should fit you, it'll probably be a little short and loose in the legs, but I don't think we're going dancing until this whole situation gets resolved."

He sat on the small folding bed and whistled tunelessly inside the helmet, intently focusing on the small computer screen set into the wall. "Hey," he announced distractedly, "you've been letting off some pretty wacky heat spikes. Which makes sense... with the fire... and stuff... is this awkward? I feel awkward."

"Why do you feel awkward?" Crystal asked as she dressed in the dark suit Forge had handed her. "It is not as though you have never seen me naked before."

Inside the helmet, Forge blushed despite himself. "Yes, but, that's when it's you and I and... this is a little bit different, you know. I mean, we don't know what's up with your powers and you're probably feeling scared and vulnerable - I know I'm a bit scared because I'm not sure the doctors really know what's going on - they said they don't know what's going on, and..."

He sighed and turned around, watching Crystal don the jacket over the insulated undershirt. "...okay, have I ever mentioned how good the black leather works on you? Because seriously, yes."

"I believe I have caught a bit of extra attention from you on the few occasions in which I found it necessary to wear an X-Man uniform, constricting and as stifling as I found them, yes." Crystal finished dressing and looked at Forge curiously. "Is that... are you attempting to give me a hint of some sort?"

"Hint? Oh no," Forge said, finally smiling. "When all this is resolved and there's no risk of you flaming up the place, we're totally getting you a set of these that aren't leaving the suite."

"I am fairly certain that that is not the intended use for these uniforms," Crystal pointed out with a bit of a smile, stepping closer to Forge. Another thought had occurred to her, something else, another possibility as to what could have been implied in Forge's statement about the black leather. "So, that is what you meant? Not that you would wish for me to become a member of the X-Men?"

Forge's eyebrows hit his hairline. "What? Are you... what? No, no. You couldn't... what? Oh, no, bad idea. Bad, bad idea." He shook his hands in a definite "no" gesture. At Crystal's pointed look, he elaborated hastily.

"It's not that you aren't competent, because my god, you are. But think of the diplomatic problems, for one. I mean, a princess royal can't exactly be doing some of the stuff we do. And then there's us. I mean, you and me. Relationships plus team, ooh. Never good, nope."

"Oh?" Crystal raised her eyebrows. "I see. No, of course, you are absolutely right. A princess could never chase after someone who caused harm. A princess could never travel to an area rife with war and bloodshed to help people. A princess would never dare initiate an attack upon someone who was violating a friend. And of course there cannot be couples on the X-Men. Why, I am quite certain that Mr. Summers himself would agree with you there, insisting upon that very idea being a reason to keep someone off of the team. No dating allowed within the X-Men, yes? A reason for being asked to leave the team, I am sure."

"Scott and Jean don't count," Forge insisted. "They totally cheat. Psychic link. And I... okay, you have a point and - wait, which side am I arguing? Dammit. It just wouldn't work! You're not even around here all the time, and if you were going to be involved with the X-Men, you'd have to make it a real commitment. None of this Laurie Collins sample-the-hired-killers-of-Europe tasting tour stuff! It's hard work, dammit. Something I take seriously. Really seriously."

He paused, then cautiously raised his hands to the helmet, removing it and walking over to Crystal. "All right, joking aside. Are you seriously considering it, Crystal?"

Crystal frowned at Forge, doing her best to keep herself from outwardly showing any signs of anger. Her emotions needed to be held in check, now more than ever, and he had just taken the helmet off. The last thing she wanted to do was turn his head into a crisp. Her new suit might be made to handle the heat, but she was sure it hadn't been meant to keep Shiro from using his powers at all.

"I am giving it some thought, yes," she told Forge. "I have been thinking about it since we spoke that first day in Dubai. It is important to you, yes? Should I not wish to at least make an attempt at discovering why it means so much to you? Also, please, cease your verbal attacks on Laurie. She is allowed to make her own choices in life, and they do not require your approval."

Forge thought about that, turning the helmet he'd designed over and over in his hands. "What we can do," he said, "it changes who we are. Sets us apart from humanity, but it gives us an obligation. We have to... we have to think of better things, do better things, be better, because we can. Look, if I took what I can do, and I just... I don't know, made cars? I could put General Motors out of business in under two years. But that's... that's nothing."

He sighed and leaned against the flat steel wall. "I want to change the world, Crystal. Because I can. And being an X-Man... it lets me act as a positive force. There's no grand belief to it, not for me. I'm not drinking the Xavier Kool-Aid of coexistence. I just... I have to do it. Or everything's a waste. I have to be something better than just normal. You?" He wiped his forehead and chuckled. "You could never be 'just normal'. I mean, look at you. Supermodel-beautiful, you're royalty, people... people love you. You could change the world from an armchair."

"So I should be a supermodel, then?" Crystal questioned. "Or travel and make appearances as the Princess of Attilan? Maybe I should just go home and sit there. I have not done the first, but the other two? Yes, I have done those, John, and I am sure that I can and will do them again. But, is that what you want? For me to leave the mansion after this situation with the changed mutations is resolved, and only return for visits?"

"It's not about what I want, it's about what's right," Forge insisted, pacing back and forth. "And it's like, I have this life... and it's amazing. I have done so much, and I can do so much more. I flew into space, Crystal! I jumpstarted the heart of a city, I died and got brought back by the electric ghost of the greatest inventor to ever live - my life is anything but normal! And then... and then I have you, and us. And I... I always wanted that to be normal. Like I needed something... normal."

He stopped and looked over at Crystal and hung his head for a moment. "We're not normal, are we? We're never going to be. And we... we can't keep trying to be."

"What... what are you trying to say?" Crystal asked. "What is 'normal' but what we choose it to be and what we make of it? Who chooses what we decide is what we want, what is normal for us? 'Normal' is not the same for everyone, what causes people to be happy and content is not the same for each individual. Normal for some is living in a house in the country, while perhaps only a dozen miles away normal means living in an apartment on the top floor of a high-rise building. Should the family in the country move to the city? Does the couple in the city need to give living in the country a try? Most people would not consider having instinctive mechanical hypercognition or the ability to fly to be normal, yet for us they are, and there is nothing wrong with that."

Forge walked over and placed his hands on Crystal's shoulders, then leaned in to kiss her gently. "I'm saying we're going to decide what we are, and to hell with normal. We're going to be better. And if... when we get this powers situation straightened out, whatever we decide that is - X-Men or Attilan, princess or hero - who says it's an 'or'? We'll make it an 'and'."

He looked over at the bare steel wall, the outline of the door barely visible. "You feel ready to go for a walk?"

Crystal hesitated for a brief moment, still having concerns about her lack of control over Amara's abilities, and knowing there was much more to them than she had already experienced. But Laurie was out there, too, somewhere in the mansion, going through the same thing, needing her help and guidance. Amara's powers were dangerous, but Crystal knew hers were as well. While Crystal had spent a lot of time with Laurie during the past four months and didn't agree with Forge's assessment of the younger girl, she had her concerns about Laurie's ability to control Crystal's abilities. There was no air scrubber solution to save the day this time.

Deciding that while Laurie could wait but she should not, Crystal gave Forge a kiss of her own. "I am ready," she said, and she was.