MA and JP

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Marie-Ange comes over to bring Jean-Phillipe some food. He is naturally suspicious, and she confirms that she has some bad news to give him.



Marie-Ange did not, as a rule, like resorting to bribery. It seemed somehow like cheating and like admitting that she couldn't otherwise convince someone to listen to her or do as she wished. Nonetheless, it was expedient and sometimes much less messy than the other options.

Which was why she had two plastic bags of take-out food from her favorite French restaurant in one hand as she knocked on the door to Jean-Philippe's suite with the other. She was all too aware of how much energy projectors ate - she lived in the same building as Jubilee and she and Doug had just given up on keeping the little thief out. They just started labeling things as "Jubes - OK" and "Jubes - Not OK" and hoped that it would keep her out of the of things they wanted to eat the next day. So far, it had more or less worked.

Jean-Phillipe frowned as he opened the door and saw his cousin and takeout food. It wasn't that their relationship was quite so antagonistic as it had been before, but it was still rather out of character for Marie-Ange to show up out of nowhere with food. "Either you want something from me, or there is bad news," he stated, not really a question. Even so, he stood aside and let her into the suite.

"Has anyone told you that you have a highly suspicious view of your only cousin?" Marie-Ange said dryly. "A nonetheless accurate view, but also suspicious. Yes, there is bad news." She set the bags down in the kitchenette and began unpacking them. "Would you like it before or after food?"

"Before," Jean-Phillipe decided. "That way I can enjoy my dinner after I have processed whatever it is that you feel I should know." He followed her into the kitchenette and began taking out plates and cutlery and setting them next to the food.

That made it clear that no one had yet gossiped about the news. "There was a riot at the prison where Toad and some of the other Brotherhood members were being kept. I am sure you noticed the X-Men leaving in the jet? They did not recapture everyone." Marie-Ange turned away from the food to look at Jean-Phillipe. "Toad was one of the prisoners who was not recaptured."

It was a very good thing that none of the plates had been in Jean-Phillipe's hands when Marie-Ange had told him the news. Though he suspected that had been by design. "Merde," he said sulfurously and with feeling. Then, because once hadn't been sufficient, he decided it required repetition. "Merde, merde, MERDE" he yelled, balling his hands into fists and small sparks of electricity crackling around them. He nearly lashed out at one of the cabinets in the initial surge of rage and anger, but managed to compose himself and slowly unclench. "Who else did they not capture?" he asked in a flat tone.

"I believe the other two Brotherhood members who were at that prison are also still at large." Marie-Ange calmly took one of Laurie's silicone handled whisks out of the wire rack and prodded at Jean-Phillipe's shoulder, which gave off a spark along the metal coils of the whisk. "Do you need to go.. somewhere you will not explode a toaster? We can reheat the food? Or we could destroy some of your suitemate's very nice Ikea cooking utensils..."

Meditation had been excruciating in many ways for Jean-Phillipe, but he'd never been quite so glad for the lessons in self-control and calming that Ororo had given to him. He needed every last one of them as he worked at slowing his breathing, then relaxing his muscles, and so on. He closed his eyes while he did this, and when he opened them again, he was visibly calmer. "I think I will be all right," he said when he trusted himself to speak.

It did not take Marie-Ange long to recognize what her cousin was doing, and while she waited, she started putting food on plates. So by the time he spoke, both plates were full, and the one closer to Jean-Philippe was substantively more so. "What do you want to do now? I am sure you are safe here, but I am also sure you know how very relative that word is."

Jean-Phillipe did not have a good answer immediately for Marie-Ange. "I suppose it depends on how likely they are to come looking for me." Retribution was a very likely possibility, given how thoroughly he'd turned his back on the Brotherhood. "What do you think?" He never thought he'd be glad his cousin was in the line of work she was in, but now he was relying on her.

"I think you would be wise to be cautious." Marie-Ange hadn't had a chance to do any real analysis of their information yet, not to mention that they hadn't gotten any likely leads on where the three escaping Brotherhood members would go. It was possible some of them would not return back to Magneto, or at least not just yet. "I would be most concerned about Toad. He is the most personally loyal to Magneto, yes? And possibly the most likely to be holding grudges against electricity wielders in general, because of Ororo, no?"

Jean-Phillipe made a noise as if he were spitting, but dry, with no spittle coming out to land on the floor. "Toad. More like toady," he said venomously. "Personally loyal doesn't even begin to cover it. He is a loathsome little man. But you are correct, he does rather hold grudges." Which raised the likelihood of a reprisal rather exponentially.

It seemed to Marie-Ange that Jean-Phillipe held grudges just as often, but perhaps he had some valid reasons to do so. "I can talk to some people, and I will let you know what I can, but I think in the meantime, perhaps keep your phone close at hand even when you are out? And I do hate to say it, but perhaps do not go out alone? Jay Guthrie works at Silver still, yes? Perhaps a buddy system?"

"Perhaps that might be wise." As loath as Jean-Phillipe was to admit it, his cousin often had very good and sensible ideas. "Perhaps I ought to train more with my powers as well, be ready to defend myself if necessary." He'd set aside any sort of training ever since the revelation that his control was far better than he had let on, but maybe it was time to shed some of that lazy directionlessness.

"I imagine that if you asked, Ororo would let you use the Danger Room, since it is a safe place to use your powers." Marie-Ange suggested. She pushed the fuller plate towards Jean-Phillipe and handed him one of the forks he had gotten out. "It is close to the end of your semester, yes? A few more weeks? I think you are probably safe to continue your classes."

"Hm." Jean-Phillipe began eating as he thought. "Perhaps I ought to see about transferring to Empire State, since several of the mansion residents go there," he said after finishing his mouthful of food. "That way I would have other people to go to classes with."

Marie-Ange actually gave her cousin a sheepish smile as she pulled an envelope out of her purse and handed it to him. "I was hoping you might say that. I... had Doug take care of the electronic details, since normally it might be too soon to transfer for next semester." She wasn't sure what she would've done if Jean-Phillipe hadn't thought of the idea himself. Probably just bullied him into it. "They think you applied in October, and the acceptance is dependent on your GPA, but otherwise there should be no problems."

"Ah...merci," Jean-Phillipe said, completely taken aback by the gesture. Yes, she had presumed, but she still had been thinking of him.