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xp_logs2010-02-10 10:09 pm
x-aerial.livejournal.com) wrote in xp_logs2010-02-10 10:09 pm
Warren and Crystal - Out for Drinks (Backdated)
As discussed in Crystal's journal, Warren and Crystal go out for drinks on Wednesday night... but not to Harry's. Relationships and getting to know people are the topics for the night.
Princess-ship aside, Warren had decided that there was a certain level of style required when you were taking a beautiful woman out for a drink. So he'd brought Crystal to one of the nicer bars in Westchester, establishing them in a corner niche away from prying eyes. He'd told Jay about the evening out, the other man occupied with a shift at Silver for the evening. The waiter had just brought them their drinks, smiling politely to them both before withdrawing. Warren picked up the glass of scotch he'd ordered, raising it to toast Crystal.
"To not being old," he said with a twinkle in his eye.
"To not being old," Crystal agreed, lifting her own glass, filled with what was called a "Princess Cocktail." The name had amused her, and so she had ordered the drink. She'd been surprised when they had not stopped at Harry's, and Warren's driver had taken them to an upscale bar instead.
Warren took a sip himself, taking a moment to enjoy the alcohol before he focused on Crystal once more. "So how have you been?" He asked quietly, a little more serious than he'd intended. He'd been tangentially aware of the talk about Attilian and her break-up with Forge, but with typical self-absorption, it had been lost in favour of concentrating on Jay and the X-Men and his work.
"I suppose any variation of 'I am fine' is not an acceptable response?" Crystal gave a light shrug. "I suppose that this is one of those situations in which 'I am doing as well as can be expected' is a proper response. So, I am doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances, yes? It is not easy when a long-term relationship ends, but you are familiar with this yourself. I would think that the same question you posed to me applies to you as well."
"No, it's not easy," he said with a hint of a smile. "Piotr and I had been drifting apart for a long time, so I knew it was coming, but..." He shrugged a little. "We had been together for six years. That's not something easily ended, nor recovered from. Even if there is someone else on the scene."
"Oh?" Crystal asked after taking another sip of her drink. She had not heard anything about Warren seeing anyone else, and after what seemed so soon after ending a six-year-long relationship. Then again, Crystal didn't pay much attention to gossip in the mansion or anywhere else for that matter; she'd been the subject of it herself and knew that rumors could be just that, rumors. She preferred truth to fictional "juicy tidbits" of so-called information.
Warren was surprised the Xavier's gossip mill hadn't churned the news around faster - he and Jay were trying to keep a low profile, but he'd made no secret of the nights he spent with Jay. He smiled a little sheepishly, taking a large mouthful of the scotch.
"I've been seeing Jay Guthrie for a few weeks."
Jay? Warren had left the mansion not long before Crystal arrived, but she knew that he had been a teacher at the school. Had he been Jay's teacher? To Crystal, that would be a bit odd, even if several years had passed since then; she could not imagine dating someone she had once taught at a school. "Is it, if I may ask... is the relationship meant to be a serious one? I a sorry; perhaps I should not have asked that, I am only curious as to the nature of the relationship you wish to have after such a long one ended."
"No, no, it's fine," he said with a bit of shrug. "It's... we're just taking it one day at a time. Neither of us are really in a place for something serious, and it's..." He smiled a little, thinking about Jay. "I didn't think I would want something with anyone for a long time, but we click, in a way I didn't think I'd find again."
Crystal nodded. "Yes, I am not sure when I will be interested in becoming involved with someone else again. Of course, it has been less than two weeks since Forge and I decided to end our relationship." The break-up had not been quite as easy and simple as Crystal made it sound, but in the end the result had been the same. They had each found themselves on different paths, and neither one had been willing to travel on the other person's road in order to keep the relationship alive. "Despite what other people may think, I am still young."
"I think it will surprise you," Warren said thoughtfully. "I didn't think I would be ready for a new relationship for a long time. Piotr and I had been over for a long time before we ended it properly, but six years is a long time." He finished his drink in one last gulp, looking over to her with a grin. "And you're a beautiful woman. I can't imagine the men of New York leaving you alone for too long."
"That is what an air shield is for," Crystal quipped, then sipped at her drink. "For me, it is not about meeting a man, it is about meeting the right man. I am not sure that this will happen here, but perhaps. One never knows what will happen. Unless one is a precog, of course, and even then exact events are not always clear."
Warren laughed, leaning back in his chair. "It will happen," he said, with all the certainty of someone very much in like with someone else. "Maybe not soon, and there's nothing wrong with that. You need time. But I don't need to be a precog to know that it will." He grinned. "And I hope your reference to here doesn't mean you're thinking of heading back to Attilan any time soon. At least not for anything longer than a visit."
Crystal shook her head. "No, I like teaching at the school, and I have only recently become a member of the team." She finished what little remained of her drink. "I visit Attilan often; I was actually there for both of the past two weekends."
"Good," he said with a bit of a twinkle in his eye. "Not that I'm one to talk about fleeing home after a break up, but I think you'd be missed. And I'm looking forward to working with you more on the team."
Crystal nodded. "Yes, the events in Pakistan made me think about this. We should work on seeing if my abilities can help you with flight rather than possibly hinder it. I am used to using my powers on my own and must continue to learn to work as part of a team."
"Definitely," he said with a nod, taking a moment to wave off the waiter approaching. This wasn't a conversation he really wanted overheard. "I got far too used to working with the people at the Annex, it'll be good to get in some training with other people."
"It is very important to know how to work with a specific group of people," Crystal said. "It is good to know what skills people can utilize and how different ones can work well together. It can be surprising to learn what different people are able to do and wonderful to learn how to aid each other."
"Exactly," he said with a grin. "And you never know what you can discover about yourself when you're working with different people. It might be easy to fall back on what is comfortable and familiar, but you just end up stagnating."
"That is true," Crystal agreed. It could be very easy to slip back into previous habits and do what felt safe and known, but sometimes changes had to be made. "Care to get another drink to toast to new people and new discoveries?"
"Sounds perfect," he said with a smile, looking around to summon the waiter so they could order another round of drinks.
Princess-ship aside, Warren had decided that there was a certain level of style required when you were taking a beautiful woman out for a drink. So he'd brought Crystal to one of the nicer bars in Westchester, establishing them in a corner niche away from prying eyes. He'd told Jay about the evening out, the other man occupied with a shift at Silver for the evening. The waiter had just brought them their drinks, smiling politely to them both before withdrawing. Warren picked up the glass of scotch he'd ordered, raising it to toast Crystal.
"To not being old," he said with a twinkle in his eye.
"To not being old," Crystal agreed, lifting her own glass, filled with what was called a "Princess Cocktail." The name had amused her, and so she had ordered the drink. She'd been surprised when they had not stopped at Harry's, and Warren's driver had taken them to an upscale bar instead.
Warren took a sip himself, taking a moment to enjoy the alcohol before he focused on Crystal once more. "So how have you been?" He asked quietly, a little more serious than he'd intended. He'd been tangentially aware of the talk about Attilian and her break-up with Forge, but with typical self-absorption, it had been lost in favour of concentrating on Jay and the X-Men and his work.
"I suppose any variation of 'I am fine' is not an acceptable response?" Crystal gave a light shrug. "I suppose that this is one of those situations in which 'I am doing as well as can be expected' is a proper response. So, I am doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances, yes? It is not easy when a long-term relationship ends, but you are familiar with this yourself. I would think that the same question you posed to me applies to you as well."
"No, it's not easy," he said with a hint of a smile. "Piotr and I had been drifting apart for a long time, so I knew it was coming, but..." He shrugged a little. "We had been together for six years. That's not something easily ended, nor recovered from. Even if there is someone else on the scene."
"Oh?" Crystal asked after taking another sip of her drink. She had not heard anything about Warren seeing anyone else, and after what seemed so soon after ending a six-year-long relationship. Then again, Crystal didn't pay much attention to gossip in the mansion or anywhere else for that matter; she'd been the subject of it herself and knew that rumors could be just that, rumors. She preferred truth to fictional "juicy tidbits" of so-called information.
Warren was surprised the Xavier's gossip mill hadn't churned the news around faster - he and Jay were trying to keep a low profile, but he'd made no secret of the nights he spent with Jay. He smiled a little sheepishly, taking a large mouthful of the scotch.
"I've been seeing Jay Guthrie for a few weeks."
Jay? Warren had left the mansion not long before Crystal arrived, but she knew that he had been a teacher at the school. Had he been Jay's teacher? To Crystal, that would be a bit odd, even if several years had passed since then; she could not imagine dating someone she had once taught at a school. "Is it, if I may ask... is the relationship meant to be a serious one? I a sorry; perhaps I should not have asked that, I am only curious as to the nature of the relationship you wish to have after such a long one ended."
"No, no, it's fine," he said with a bit of shrug. "It's... we're just taking it one day at a time. Neither of us are really in a place for something serious, and it's..." He smiled a little, thinking about Jay. "I didn't think I would want something with anyone for a long time, but we click, in a way I didn't think I'd find again."
Crystal nodded. "Yes, I am not sure when I will be interested in becoming involved with someone else again. Of course, it has been less than two weeks since Forge and I decided to end our relationship." The break-up had not been quite as easy and simple as Crystal made it sound, but in the end the result had been the same. They had each found themselves on different paths, and neither one had been willing to travel on the other person's road in order to keep the relationship alive. "Despite what other people may think, I am still young."
"I think it will surprise you," Warren said thoughtfully. "I didn't think I would be ready for a new relationship for a long time. Piotr and I had been over for a long time before we ended it properly, but six years is a long time." He finished his drink in one last gulp, looking over to her with a grin. "And you're a beautiful woman. I can't imagine the men of New York leaving you alone for too long."
"That is what an air shield is for," Crystal quipped, then sipped at her drink. "For me, it is not about meeting a man, it is about meeting the right man. I am not sure that this will happen here, but perhaps. One never knows what will happen. Unless one is a precog, of course, and even then exact events are not always clear."
Warren laughed, leaning back in his chair. "It will happen," he said, with all the certainty of someone very much in like with someone else. "Maybe not soon, and there's nothing wrong with that. You need time. But I don't need to be a precog to know that it will." He grinned. "And I hope your reference to here doesn't mean you're thinking of heading back to Attilan any time soon. At least not for anything longer than a visit."
Crystal shook her head. "No, I like teaching at the school, and I have only recently become a member of the team." She finished what little remained of her drink. "I visit Attilan often; I was actually there for both of the past two weekends."
"Good," he said with a bit of a twinkle in his eye. "Not that I'm one to talk about fleeing home after a break up, but I think you'd be missed. And I'm looking forward to working with you more on the team."
Crystal nodded. "Yes, the events in Pakistan made me think about this. We should work on seeing if my abilities can help you with flight rather than possibly hinder it. I am used to using my powers on my own and must continue to learn to work as part of a team."
"Definitely," he said with a nod, taking a moment to wave off the waiter approaching. This wasn't a conversation he really wanted overheard. "I got far too used to working with the people at the Annex, it'll be good to get in some training with other people."
"It is very important to know how to work with a specific group of people," Crystal said. "It is good to know what skills people can utilize and how different ones can work well together. It can be surprising to learn what different people are able to do and wonderful to learn how to aid each other."
"Exactly," he said with a grin. "And you never know what you can discover about yourself when you're working with different people. It might be easy to fall back on what is comfortable and familiar, but you just end up stagnating."
"That is true," Crystal agreed. It could be very easy to slip back into previous habits and do what felt safe and known, but sometimes changes had to be made. "Care to get another drink to toast to new people and new discoveries?"
"Sounds perfect," he said with a smile, looking around to summon the waiter so they could order another round of drinks.