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xp_logs2011-01-30 02:26 pm
x-aerial.livejournal.com) wrote in xp_logs2011-01-30 02:26 pm
Julian and Crystal - Let it Snow!
(Backdated.) After Julian's journal post regarding his dislike of snow, Crystal pays him a surprise visit with an unexpected "present" and offer.
Julian's iPod was blaring classic rock as he looked over the latest reports on the X-Men general records. He tapped his foot against the coffee table softly as the melodic tones of Kansas carried him away. The rec room was hardly empty, several students were doing their homework and others were playing cards or some sort of game near the window. The cold winter air outside had drove most people inside these days, with a few notable exceptions.
A cool breeze found its way into the room, weaving this way and that, avoiding both people and objects until it found its way to a certain dark-haired young man. Upon reaching its intended goal, the cold air circled around him, showing him the special present it carried: snow. Trapped within the moving air, the tiny snowflakes moved with the wind, making it appear that Julian was surrounded by his own personal snowfall.
His eyes went wide as the swirling snow surrounded him and the couch. Somewhere beyond the weather wall there was laughter. He dropped the papers and they went everywhere, pushing himself up and over the back of the couch, tumbling to the floor with an, "AH!"
Blue-green eyes peered down at him as the wind and snow swiftly moved away from Julian and circled around an air-controlling princess who was floating above the couch. "Are you hurt? I was under the impression that you simply wished for there to be less snow, not that you are actually afraid of it. My apologies." Another wind was sent out and the lost papers began to gather together.
Julian's brow furrowed, "It wasn't so much the snow as the sudden change of weather indoors catching me by surprise!" Dusting the snow off the top of his head, Julian shivered and stood up. Nothing seemed to be hurt and the whole ordeal was apparently quite amusing to those watching them. "What was that about?"
"Oh, that was a message from Mother Nature. She says hello," Crystal replied, quite pleased with her response. "Julian, you have lived in New York for over two years. You arrived here two winters ago. All four seasons have beauty to them, and while some parts of the world do not have snow or what many people think of as true winter weather, we have all of that here. Why not try to enjoy it instead of complaining about it?"
The teenager gawked at her in disbelief. "Seriously?"
Crystal nodded. "Yes, seriously. Many people enjoy being outside in the snow, and it can be fun to build things made of snow and become involved in snowball fights. This can only be done for a short time each year, and not everyone is able to experience the wonder of snow."
"I'm fairly certain," he picked up his iPod and thrust it into his pocket. "You could have accomplished that without nearly giving me a heart attack."
Crystal looked at Julian with a quizzical expression on her face. "After all that you have seen and experienced, that is what you believe is capable of causing you to suffer a heart attack?" She floated a few of the scattered papers towards him.
Julian considered for a moment, "Fine- yes, giant robot dragon-flies, colossal columns of fire...you make an excellent point. Sorry, I shouldn't have yelled."
Those weren't quite the things Crystal was thinking of, and neither of them seemed to be all that frightening, but to each his or her own. Crystal happened to find the idea of being locked in a cage and hurting someone while watching someone else undergo a magical ritual truly horrifying. "Apology accepted." She moved swiftly to the window and opened it, but although the temperature outside was much lower than it was inside, those in the room did not feel the cold. The snowy breeze under Crystal's control moved outside, and the snow she had carried joined the rest of the white flakes outside.
"I was about to ask if you realized it's cold outside, but you seem to have that under control," Julian smirked- her royal highness has pretty interesting powers.
Crystal nodded at Julian and smiled a bit. "Yes, I understand that it is cold outside. My ability to keep myself from feeling the cold does not mean that I do not know when it is cold or hot outside. I can keep others warm as well. On multiple occasions, I have functioned as a heating unit or air conditioner depending on the particular need at the time while out with Red X."
His one real outing with Red X had resulted in his complete exhaustion after helping his one time mentor, Nathan, contain a pillar of flame as Angel and someone else burned off the gas from a train wreck- this was not one of his fond memories. "I wasn't-" he shook his head, "never mind. Next time, could you just give me a little warning before you come at me with a blizzard indoors?"
"Of course, Julian," Crystal agreed. "Should I decide to cause snow to surround you again, I will warn you ahead of time." And it was just quite possible that if Crystal had still been carrying snow on the wind, she would have promptly informed Julian of her decision to have any indoor blizzard and immediately done so. Crystal didn't play pranks very often, but when she did, she went all out. Of course, Julian didn't look very amused at the moment. "I did not mean to upset you. It was just a little bit of snow, nothing harmful. Is there some reason that you dislike the snow so much?"
Julian shrugged and motioned for her to have a seat on the couch, "Care to join me?" He sat himself down in the seat he had just occupied, thankful that none of the snow had stuck to the couch. "Honestly, even after a couple years, I'm just still not used to it."
Crystal had been hoping that the two of them would go outside, but perhaps it was better to talk inside first, so she gave him a nod, closed the window, and took a seat on the couch. "Perhaps I like the snow so much because I did not get to experience it for most of my life," Crystal mused. "It appears that you dislike it much for the same reason I like it. We do not have snow on Attilan, and I do find it quite beautiful, so to me the snow is something new and enjoyable. Of course, I realize that I might not feel this way if I had to wear many layers of clothing in order to avoid feeling the cold, and that since I can fly I do not have to walk through the snow."
"Yes, both of those things do tend to be a bit difficult," Julian smirked and put his iPod in his hoodie pocket. "We had some snow in California when I was growing up, but it was all up in the mountains. We could get away from it, but here- not so much."
"But you do not need to avoid it entirely, do you?" Crystal questioned. "Is it really so bad? This is New York, yes? Cold winters and snow are a fact of life here, not something completely unexpected." Crystal could understand someone complaining about unexpected weather patterns, but being upset about expected conditions didn't seem to make much sense.
Julian frowned and shook his head, "It's not like I have many other choices as to where to live. I mean, yeah, I could go home and go to school and stuff like a normal guy, but..." he held up the stack of papers. "I'd be missing out I think. Plus there's Nico and Dori and everyone else here." He shrugged, "I don't know."
Now it was Crystal's turn to frown as well. "Julian, living in California and going to school would not make you any more 'normal' than you already are now, and if you wish to attend a university, you could do that here or anywhere else in the world you chose. I do not believe that you are so limited in your options as to where to live, and I do not believe that by remaining here you are not 'a normal guy'. Do you want to take classes? You can do that and still not miss out on the life you have chosen here."
He scoffed at that, though held up an apologetic hand as he chuckled, "No, no, no. I didn't mean I want to start school again or anything. I mean, at first it was just because I couldn't afford it- now, hell, I probably have about as much money as you do, your highness." Julian gave her a cheeky grin and pressed on before she could say anything, "Now I have the means, but no such motivation. I could go to school, sure, but I don't know what I want to do with my life to be honest and it would just be a waste of time and money. Plus, I'm still pretty grounded here."
"If something interests you, learning about it is never wasteful. I always find something new to study, and whether it was my intention or not at the time, somehow I always find a use for what I learn. I studied to receive a degree in Biology without planning for that to lead anywhere in particular. Many college students change the main topic of their studies at least once, yes? It is not unheard of to begin taking classes and in this way discovering what it is you will to do with your life." It seemed that the course of Crystal's life had always included something new to learn, and there was always a path to follow if only she looked for one. She had mourned the deaths of her parents, understanding that the previous plans for her life were no longer in existence, and that everything had changed. She had locked herself in her room and cried. She had been sad and angry and hadn't known what to do... and the she had found something to do. There were others in need, and Crystal refused to spend the rest of her life having a pity party when she could do something with her life and make a difference in the lives of others.
Julian smiled at the princess and answered with a shrug. "I guess I have no idea. I want to get a better handle on my TeeKay though- once that's done, we'll just have to see where things go."
Crystal nodded, not particularly wanting to press the issue. The young man held so much promise; if only he would do something about it. However did he fill his time without working or teaching? Crystal couldn't imagine her life without these things in it. She'd always wanted to learn things, both with regular studies and discovering new aspects of her abilities. "It is your choice, Julian. Your life, yes? You are still quite young, and your whole life is ahead of you. Now, speaking of powers, how would you like to experience the winter weather as I do?"
One eyebrow on Julian's face raised above the other, "What do you mean, as you do?"
"Come outside with me," Crystal invited, smiling at him. "We will travel by air and not feel the cold. Then, perhaps, you will be able to understand a different perspective on what you appear to see only as harsh winter months and unwanted weather."
"I..." he searched for an excuse that she wouldn't be able to counter, but found none. With a resigned sigh, Julian set down the stack of papers and stood up, "Okay, lead the way...should I get my coat, or...?"
Crystal looked up at the young man and shook her head, keeping a smile on her face. "Julian, have you ever seen me wear a coat?" She had worn them before, but not for years. She might wear a light jacket upon occasion if it was part of an outfit, but generally her clothing did not involve much in the way of sleeves. Nathan's ice-climbing trip to the Adirondacks had been way before Julian's time at the mansion, and there was a reason she had practically stripped while Mondo was watching.
"I suppose I haven't," hesitantly he stood up and nodded, "Okay, let's do this." Julian followed Crystal outside, finding it surprisingly warm in the space around her. "So, do I need to do anything, or...."
The two mutants rose into the air, the air beneath Julian solidifying so that it was almost as though he were still standing on solid ground. Solid ground that was transparent and in motion. Without trying to make it obvious what she was doing, Crystal looked at her passenger to gauge his reaction.
"Oh man," Julian resisted the urge to kneel down and grab at the solidified air, "This is so weird!" Within moments he could see the whole of the mansion grounds illuminated in the dim light of the moon, which reflected off the water on the lake like a giant silver pool. For a moment he was quiet, only breaking his silence to say, "Wow."
Crystal nodded, satisfied. Not everyone reacted well to traveling through the air, and Julian wasn't making any sort of snarky comment. "You see, yes? Is it not a beautiful sight?"
Julian nodded, once again silent- dumbstruck both by the beauty of the winter's night, and the fact that he was- at long last- flying. The trick with solidifying the air was certainly something he was going to need to try at some later point when Crystal wasn't around. "You win, I'll lay of mother nature for the time being."
Crystal smiled again, glad that Julian was handling things so well. If she had known that the young man had wanted to fly, she would have made a similar offer long before this night. But Crystal never knew how someone would respond to a flight, and while she was always happy to give it a try should someone ask her, she wasn't in the habit of randomly asking people if they wanted to be lifted up into the air. Anyone who lived at the mansion but didn't know she could fly was either new or not in the habit of noticing people traveling at least a few inches off the ground, and anyone who wanted to fly with her shouldn't have a difficult time finding her to ask.
"On behalf of Mother Nature, I thank you. Oh, and perhaps the next time there is a snowball fight, you will join and be on my side?
With a chuckle, Julian nodded in agreement, trying hard to pay attention to his host instead of the intense activity in the lines-of-force that were currently surrounding them.
Julian's iPod was blaring classic rock as he looked over the latest reports on the X-Men general records. He tapped his foot against the coffee table softly as the melodic tones of Kansas carried him away. The rec room was hardly empty, several students were doing their homework and others were playing cards or some sort of game near the window. The cold winter air outside had drove most people inside these days, with a few notable exceptions.
A cool breeze found its way into the room, weaving this way and that, avoiding both people and objects until it found its way to a certain dark-haired young man. Upon reaching its intended goal, the cold air circled around him, showing him the special present it carried: snow. Trapped within the moving air, the tiny snowflakes moved with the wind, making it appear that Julian was surrounded by his own personal snowfall.
His eyes went wide as the swirling snow surrounded him and the couch. Somewhere beyond the weather wall there was laughter. He dropped the papers and they went everywhere, pushing himself up and over the back of the couch, tumbling to the floor with an, "AH!"
Blue-green eyes peered down at him as the wind and snow swiftly moved away from Julian and circled around an air-controlling princess who was floating above the couch. "Are you hurt? I was under the impression that you simply wished for there to be less snow, not that you are actually afraid of it. My apologies." Another wind was sent out and the lost papers began to gather together.
Julian's brow furrowed, "It wasn't so much the snow as the sudden change of weather indoors catching me by surprise!" Dusting the snow off the top of his head, Julian shivered and stood up. Nothing seemed to be hurt and the whole ordeal was apparently quite amusing to those watching them. "What was that about?"
"Oh, that was a message from Mother Nature. She says hello," Crystal replied, quite pleased with her response. "Julian, you have lived in New York for over two years. You arrived here two winters ago. All four seasons have beauty to them, and while some parts of the world do not have snow or what many people think of as true winter weather, we have all of that here. Why not try to enjoy it instead of complaining about it?"
The teenager gawked at her in disbelief. "Seriously?"
Crystal nodded. "Yes, seriously. Many people enjoy being outside in the snow, and it can be fun to build things made of snow and become involved in snowball fights. This can only be done for a short time each year, and not everyone is able to experience the wonder of snow."
"I'm fairly certain," he picked up his iPod and thrust it into his pocket. "You could have accomplished that without nearly giving me a heart attack."
Crystal looked at Julian with a quizzical expression on her face. "After all that you have seen and experienced, that is what you believe is capable of causing you to suffer a heart attack?" She floated a few of the scattered papers towards him.
Julian considered for a moment, "Fine- yes, giant robot dragon-flies, colossal columns of fire...you make an excellent point. Sorry, I shouldn't have yelled."
Those weren't quite the things Crystal was thinking of, and neither of them seemed to be all that frightening, but to each his or her own. Crystal happened to find the idea of being locked in a cage and hurting someone while watching someone else undergo a magical ritual truly horrifying. "Apology accepted." She moved swiftly to the window and opened it, but although the temperature outside was much lower than it was inside, those in the room did not feel the cold. The snowy breeze under Crystal's control moved outside, and the snow she had carried joined the rest of the white flakes outside.
"I was about to ask if you realized it's cold outside, but you seem to have that under control," Julian smirked- her royal highness has pretty interesting powers.
Crystal nodded at Julian and smiled a bit. "Yes, I understand that it is cold outside. My ability to keep myself from feeling the cold does not mean that I do not know when it is cold or hot outside. I can keep others warm as well. On multiple occasions, I have functioned as a heating unit or air conditioner depending on the particular need at the time while out with Red X."
His one real outing with Red X had resulted in his complete exhaustion after helping his one time mentor, Nathan, contain a pillar of flame as Angel and someone else burned off the gas from a train wreck- this was not one of his fond memories. "I wasn't-" he shook his head, "never mind. Next time, could you just give me a little warning before you come at me with a blizzard indoors?"
"Of course, Julian," Crystal agreed. "Should I decide to cause snow to surround you again, I will warn you ahead of time." And it was just quite possible that if Crystal had still been carrying snow on the wind, she would have promptly informed Julian of her decision to have any indoor blizzard and immediately done so. Crystal didn't play pranks very often, but when she did, she went all out. Of course, Julian didn't look very amused at the moment. "I did not mean to upset you. It was just a little bit of snow, nothing harmful. Is there some reason that you dislike the snow so much?"
Julian shrugged and motioned for her to have a seat on the couch, "Care to join me?" He sat himself down in the seat he had just occupied, thankful that none of the snow had stuck to the couch. "Honestly, even after a couple years, I'm just still not used to it."
Crystal had been hoping that the two of them would go outside, but perhaps it was better to talk inside first, so she gave him a nod, closed the window, and took a seat on the couch. "Perhaps I like the snow so much because I did not get to experience it for most of my life," Crystal mused. "It appears that you dislike it much for the same reason I like it. We do not have snow on Attilan, and I do find it quite beautiful, so to me the snow is something new and enjoyable. Of course, I realize that I might not feel this way if I had to wear many layers of clothing in order to avoid feeling the cold, and that since I can fly I do not have to walk through the snow."
"Yes, both of those things do tend to be a bit difficult," Julian smirked and put his iPod in his hoodie pocket. "We had some snow in California when I was growing up, but it was all up in the mountains. We could get away from it, but here- not so much."
"But you do not need to avoid it entirely, do you?" Crystal questioned. "Is it really so bad? This is New York, yes? Cold winters and snow are a fact of life here, not something completely unexpected." Crystal could understand someone complaining about unexpected weather patterns, but being upset about expected conditions didn't seem to make much sense.
Julian frowned and shook his head, "It's not like I have many other choices as to where to live. I mean, yeah, I could go home and go to school and stuff like a normal guy, but..." he held up the stack of papers. "I'd be missing out I think. Plus there's Nico and Dori and everyone else here." He shrugged, "I don't know."
Now it was Crystal's turn to frown as well. "Julian, living in California and going to school would not make you any more 'normal' than you already are now, and if you wish to attend a university, you could do that here or anywhere else in the world you chose. I do not believe that you are so limited in your options as to where to live, and I do not believe that by remaining here you are not 'a normal guy'. Do you want to take classes? You can do that and still not miss out on the life you have chosen here."
He scoffed at that, though held up an apologetic hand as he chuckled, "No, no, no. I didn't mean I want to start school again or anything. I mean, at first it was just because I couldn't afford it- now, hell, I probably have about as much money as you do, your highness." Julian gave her a cheeky grin and pressed on before she could say anything, "Now I have the means, but no such motivation. I could go to school, sure, but I don't know what I want to do with my life to be honest and it would just be a waste of time and money. Plus, I'm still pretty grounded here."
"If something interests you, learning about it is never wasteful. I always find something new to study, and whether it was my intention or not at the time, somehow I always find a use for what I learn. I studied to receive a degree in Biology without planning for that to lead anywhere in particular. Many college students change the main topic of their studies at least once, yes? It is not unheard of to begin taking classes and in this way discovering what it is you will to do with your life." It seemed that the course of Crystal's life had always included something new to learn, and there was always a path to follow if only she looked for one. She had mourned the deaths of her parents, understanding that the previous plans for her life were no longer in existence, and that everything had changed. She had locked herself in her room and cried. She had been sad and angry and hadn't known what to do... and the she had found something to do. There were others in need, and Crystal refused to spend the rest of her life having a pity party when she could do something with her life and make a difference in the lives of others.
Julian smiled at the princess and answered with a shrug. "I guess I have no idea. I want to get a better handle on my TeeKay though- once that's done, we'll just have to see where things go."
Crystal nodded, not particularly wanting to press the issue. The young man held so much promise; if only he would do something about it. However did he fill his time without working or teaching? Crystal couldn't imagine her life without these things in it. She'd always wanted to learn things, both with regular studies and discovering new aspects of her abilities. "It is your choice, Julian. Your life, yes? You are still quite young, and your whole life is ahead of you. Now, speaking of powers, how would you like to experience the winter weather as I do?"
One eyebrow on Julian's face raised above the other, "What do you mean, as you do?"
"Come outside with me," Crystal invited, smiling at him. "We will travel by air and not feel the cold. Then, perhaps, you will be able to understand a different perspective on what you appear to see only as harsh winter months and unwanted weather."
"I..." he searched for an excuse that she wouldn't be able to counter, but found none. With a resigned sigh, Julian set down the stack of papers and stood up, "Okay, lead the way...should I get my coat, or...?"
Crystal looked up at the young man and shook her head, keeping a smile on her face. "Julian, have you ever seen me wear a coat?" She had worn them before, but not for years. She might wear a light jacket upon occasion if it was part of an outfit, but generally her clothing did not involve much in the way of sleeves. Nathan's ice-climbing trip to the Adirondacks had been way before Julian's time at the mansion, and there was a reason she had practically stripped while Mondo was watching.
"I suppose I haven't," hesitantly he stood up and nodded, "Okay, let's do this." Julian followed Crystal outside, finding it surprisingly warm in the space around her. "So, do I need to do anything, or...."
The two mutants rose into the air, the air beneath Julian solidifying so that it was almost as though he were still standing on solid ground. Solid ground that was transparent and in motion. Without trying to make it obvious what she was doing, Crystal looked at her passenger to gauge his reaction.
"Oh man," Julian resisted the urge to kneel down and grab at the solidified air, "This is so weird!" Within moments he could see the whole of the mansion grounds illuminated in the dim light of the moon, which reflected off the water on the lake like a giant silver pool. For a moment he was quiet, only breaking his silence to say, "Wow."
Crystal nodded, satisfied. Not everyone reacted well to traveling through the air, and Julian wasn't making any sort of snarky comment. "You see, yes? Is it not a beautiful sight?"
Julian nodded, once again silent- dumbstruck both by the beauty of the winter's night, and the fact that he was- at long last- flying. The trick with solidifying the air was certainly something he was going to need to try at some later point when Crystal wasn't around. "You win, I'll lay of mother nature for the time being."
Crystal smiled again, glad that Julian was handling things so well. If she had known that the young man had wanted to fly, she would have made a similar offer long before this night. But Crystal never knew how someone would respond to a flight, and while she was always happy to give it a try should someone ask her, she wasn't in the habit of randomly asking people if they wanted to be lifted up into the air. Anyone who lived at the mansion but didn't know she could fly was either new or not in the habit of noticing people traveling at least a few inches off the ground, and anyone who wanted to fly with her shouldn't have a difficult time finding her to ask.
"On behalf of Mother Nature, I thank you. Oh, and perhaps the next time there is a snowball fight, you will join and be on my side?
With a chuckle, Julian nodded in agreement, trying hard to pay attention to his host instead of the intense activity in the lines-of-force that were currently surrounding them.