Lex, Jeanne-Marie, and Jean-Paul

[x-cynosure.livejournal.com]

While hunting in the woods, Lex has a near-miss with the Beaubier twins. Apologies and introductions follow.



The silence was relaxing after days of repetitive welcomes, everyone saying hello and checking in with him. Lex needed time away from people and there weren't many better ways to escape than to stalk deer in the forest. Morgan had given him the go ahead for it, though he thought she said it might upset some of the residents. He wasn't too worried, however, as he could explain that he always used what he killed.

Lex drew his survival knife as he saw the buck eating from a bush of wild berries. He crept forward, twisting his way through the bushes without disturbing them. He calculated the distance in his mind, ten yards and he'd be within range to take it out. The buck was completely unaware of his presence, and as he moved closer he couldn't help the adrenaline rush.

The buck's head shot up an instant later, ears swiveling forward and back a moment before it bounded off. It only took a moment more for the distant noise to alert the hunter to what had startled his prey -- an odd, frantic beat against the earth that was almost as much felt as heard, like a miniature stampede sped to triple time or more, accompanied by a shriek of wind.

A heartbeat later, two dark blurs appeared, incoming at high speeds. An instant after that, the air was filled with the sound of tearing turf -- the blurs had managed to shift directions and brake to avoid the man in their path, but wound up showering Lex in loose dirt as they did. Finally, the dark shapes resolved themselves into a man and a woman with elven features of a similar cast, dark hair, and wide blue eyes. Their momentum had carried them several yards beyond the other mutant and left them standing in ankle-deep furrows. Both newcomers were clad in form-fitting body suits, though the suits were not identical in cut or make and the woman's seemed to be fraying somewhat. The man recovered from their stunned surprise first.

"Calisse! Are you all right?"

Lex coughed heavily, "I was... till you decided to scare away my prey. Do you realize how long I've been stalking that buck?" He brushed himself off and leaned against the nearest tree. He flipped the knife for effect. "My name's Lex, and I'm new here. I take it you both move really fast, eh?"

"That was not our intention," Jeanne-Marie protested in a smooth, apologetic manner as she began to step out of the shallow channel her skid had created, shaking loose dirt and scattered bits of unidentifiable greenery off her boots. The stop had been panicked and quick and she could feel her heart still moving fast beneath her flesh and her training suit with its fraying edges. It really could not hold up to their speed, even on the ground. She watched him flip the knife and exchanged an amused glance with her brother, but said nothing on that particular bit of machismo flare. They had already done enough to spoil the hunter's morning. "We did not expect to see anyone--"

"--so far from the main building," the other continued smoothly. The two brushed dirt from their shoulders and arms in unison, though the woman stopped in mid-motion to pick at an unraveling fiber on her sleeve. "But still, our apologies. I usually post a warning to the journals before coming out to run, but, as we said, it is far away and early besides." He paused. "Lex, is it? We have spoken on the journals, non? This is my sister, Jeanne-Marie --"

"--and this is Jean-Paul, the literature teacher with the fear of fish," Jeanne-Marie finished, flashing a teasing grin at her brother.

Lex didn't know what to say, the two people in front of him were far stranger than any of the other residents he'd met so far. They even finished each other's sentences. Then he remembered the conversation Jean-Paul was referring to. Not the best thing to bring up but it might give him somewhere to start. "I remember," he said, extending a hand to Jean-Paul, "You told me not to worry about people on fire and loud booms, wasn't that it?"

He turned towards the female and said, "As for your sister, I don't believe I've had the pleasure. You said your name was Jeanne-Marie, correct? Sorry to ask, but your transition from one person speaking to the other has me at somewhat of a loss."

"'Transition from one--'" Jean-Paul began, looking toward his sister as she turned to look at him.

"'--person speaking to the other'?" Jeanne-Marie finished. The pair was quiet for a moment, then laughed briefly, features taking on similar looks of embarrassed amusement. It had been a long time since their actions and their words had slipped into such perfect sync without their knowledge, but with the recent return of their bond, it should not have been so surprising. Somehow, it pleased her a great deal. Still, she made a conscious effort to break their mirrored actions, pushing back some of her dark hair. "My apologies, monsieur. Old habits." She extended a gloved hand once her brother had shaken Lex's and stepped back, "I am Jeanne-Marie, yes. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lex. And we must be making a heinous first impression."

Jean-Paul pretended to consider his sister's assessment of their manners. "True, but still better than our Alpha Flight days by far," he said before turning his attention back to Lex. "Do you plan to be doing much hunting out here? There is plenty of space in the freezers if you need it -- we finally finished the last of what Morgan brought in during the winter. If you would like to stake this area out as your hunting ground, we can give it wider berth. Or at least be more diligent in letting people know when we will be training."

"I'll have to get back to you on that, right now I don't know the game trails well enough to know where I'll be hunting. If you'd like to let me know a general locale and time, I'd be very appreciative." He smiled to let them know he wasn't too angry with them, just mildly annoyed. "I'll make sure to invite you both when I bag my first one. It's going to be a feast I doubt many at the mansion have ever indulged in." He chuckled to himself, reveling in the memories of his first hunt with the platoon. Ten days before they finally snagged a buck and then they'd eaten it raw from the carcass, with a touch of spices for shits and giggles.

Allowing the men to handle the logistics of their next training session and Lex's hunting trail seemed to suit Jeanne-Marie just fine and she let her eyes wander between the pair as she listened. She nodded; all points sounded reasonable and manageable and it was better than nearly running down the mansion's newest resident a second time. When the still-stranger smiled, she smiled back, "Merci. I am sure everyone will enjoy that. Though, I believe you would have to go beyond these woods to find something to surprise the palates here." She considered, stole a glance in Jean-Paul's direction and then looked at Lex again, "If you need assistance in the preparation, my brother is an impressive chef. And I am a speedy prep cook."

"It will take quite a bit to beat out Lillian for the most exotic dinner in recent memory." He remembered that Lex was new -- and for that matter, so was his sister -- and elaborated. "Bullfrog sashimi. She beat out the show-off swallowing live octopus and sake shots because her decapitated entree was staring at her the entire time that she ate. But thank you for the invitation; if you are willing to kill it, we are willing to contribute to the preparation." Jean-Paul examined the athletic young man in front of him; he was certainly fit, but around here, that was not much of a clue as to his origin. "Do you mind if I ask what brings you to the school?"

"Not at all--and I will definitely take you up on that offer of help. As for why I am here... I am, er, was, special forces. We were over in Afghanistan and I ended up destroying a helicopter to save some civilians. I thought it was noble at the time. The Military, however, did not look upon my actions well." He sighed, he wondered how many times he'd have to repeat that story in the next couple of weeks. "Someone, and I don't know who, pulled some strings to have me remanded into Charles' custody. Now I'm here, and I'm rather enjoying myself. Even if I can't get more than an hour to myself." He realized what he said and smiled, hoping they wouldn't take any offense to it.

Jean-Paul's rather unsavory story about their former teammate had already caused the smile to recede from her face, but Lex's left her lips pulling into a small frown as she folded her arms, looking pensive. "That is...unfortunate," she replied at last, "But political agendas do not take away from the nobility of an action, non?"

"I agree," Jean-Paul said with an echoing frown. "Just because an action is inconvenient -- or expensive -- for someone higher up in command, that does not make it inappropriate." Oh, how he could have gone on about that...but not with his sister right there. There was no need to pick up that particular argument again after so many years.

"But, you are here now," Jeanne-Marie relented after a short moment of unhappy agreement with her twin that words seemed to have no place in, "And there are worse places to be. I am glad to hear you are enjoying yourself." Lex's smile, transparent in its purpose and almost endearing, coaxed an airy chuckle from her and she lifted one gloved hand to briefly hide the expression. "It is all right. It is a big place, but it can seem very small with so many people and all of them seeking their own corners." Her light eyes turned toward her brother, "Shall we take our practice out of the hunting ground? I have been longing for some time in the sky anyway." The last time she had flown, at least for any length of time, was on the night of her arrival and there was nothing pleasant in that trip. The request shown through on her features as a genuine one.

Lex thought about that a moment, extremely fast and the ability to fly. He felt a pang of envy towards them, before his father died he'd wanted to be a pilot. He knew there was no changing places so he gave Jeanne-Marie his best best look of mock seriousness, "Just be careful on your landing... I don't think even your beauty could save you from Kyle if you ripped off more roofing tiles this week." He nodded to them both, and ducked through the bushes. "It was sort of a pleasure meeting you both. I hope we meet again when I'm in a more personable mood."

Jean-Paul's mild expression changed to a scowl at Lex's flattery toward his sister, but he told himself firmly that it was nothing. His overprotectiveness was one habit he was not going to fall back into. Much. Where Jeanne-Marie could see him.

"I am sure we will. Jeanne-Marie?" The two took off into the sky as Lex vanished into the woods.