Jean and Amanda - Tuesday afternoon
May. 3rd, 2011 03:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xp_daytripper posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
xp_logsAfter Jean deals with Julian, she goes back to her office to call for Amanda's help, only to find the witch already there.
Jean put Julian on an IV to help replenish his severe electrolyte imbalance caused by Nico's energy drain. Convulsions were a big sign of problems. She knew he'd eventually stabilize but she wanted to keep him overnight just to make sure. She knew how Julian's admittance for overnight observation would make Nico feel, unfortunately. Either way she had planned on calling Amanda. Jean kept an eye on the patient rooms from her office as she started to pick up the phone to dial Amanda's cell phone. Hopefully she'd be able to help the girl understand it wasn't her fault.
There was a clatter of boots and cane on the metal floor outside and the witch herself appeared, looking flustered. She had obviously come straight from the office - she was wearing a black dress suit with a plain white blouse, very much neater than her usual style of jeans and shirts, her cane in hand - and her tone, when she addressed Jean, spoke volumes of her worry:
"What the hell happened?" Jean slid the phone back onto the receiver, motioning Amanda to come in before the door closed behind her.
She was pretty calm about it, surprising even to herself. She let out a breath.
"I found Julian and Nico naked. From what I could tell things got heavy pretty quickly and Nico's emotions got the better of her. She accidentally drained some of Julian's energy and he started convulsing. I have him on an IV," Jean said, picking up a paperweight. She glanced up.
"Did you know she could drain inanimate objects?" She hadn't remembered inanimate objects being effected while in the caves, just the living things. Had she overlooked it in all of the commotion?
"Oh, bloody hellfire." Amanda slumped into a chair, dropping her bag beside her and covering her eyes with one hand. "Of all the stupid..." With a deep sigh, she looked up at Jean. "We've been working on focusing on inanimate objects - it seemed like a good failsafe if she got stuck needing to feed without having a safe place, you know? Is Julian going to be all right? I could take a look at him, if it helps."
Magic. Magic healing. Magic powers. Mutant powers fueled by magic. Magic fueled by mutant powers. Studying the paperweight a moment, Jean eventually put it down as she blinked out of her train of thought, slowly nodding.
"I..sure. He's asleep. The medicine seems to be working pretty well but they'll take at least a few hours for it to fully take effect. Nico's obviously pretty shaken up. When I came in, the area around her eyes were..." Jean shook her head. "...cracked, like they were before in the caves. I tried to assure her it wasn't her fault but I think it'd help if you talked to her."
"Rest is good. Depending on how much she took, he's going to be pretty wiped for a while. And the crack thing, it's what happens when she uses the power she takes. I'm not really keen on the whole thing, it's too black magic for me, but it's how it is for her." Amanda shoved back a handful of hair with a sound that was almost like a groan. "Stupid, bloody kids. The worst of all this? It was going to happen, sooner or later. This kind of mutant power, a physical relationship... it's a bloody disaster waiting to happen, but even if I'd been hard enough to tell her to end it, she wouldn't have listened. So now we try and pick up the pieces."
Jean smiled softly as she took a seat against her desk, resting her chin in her hand as she studied her.
"I remember another young, sarcastic, dark haired girl who liked to hide from people in her room sometimes and smoke out on the porch. She still smokes out on the porch from time to time, and after so many hardships, she grew into a smart, capable young woman," she said.
Standing, Jean walked over to a small bookcase nearby and picked up a picture of herself at around 15 or 16, standing behind the Professor as she give him rabbit ears behind his head while he smirked in amusement.
"Yes, Nico made a big mistake, but at the end of the day, she's just a teenage girl. Experience comes at the cost of innocence. Nico learned the consequences of what would happen the hardest way imaginable. She knew the minute she felt that stirring inside her that something was wrong, and she'll know the next time she sees him what can happen if she tries anything again. She'll remember it, just like she'll remember that she can't kiss a boy or fall in love without being afraid that she'll kill that person. She'll see Julian on the ground."
She glanced up at Amanda.
"What we do is never easy and more than often incredibly frustrating, but when they make mistakes like this...remember that. The balance is teaching them, but letting them stay young for as long as they possibly can. Because they'll never get that innocence back," she said, putting the picture down. "Could it be the reason why you're so angry with her is because you see part yourself in her?"
"Angry at..." Amanda blinked, then shook her head. "I'm angry, but not at Nico, not really. She's just trying to have a normal life, like all of us tried to do at one point or the other. It's me I'm angry at. I should have taught her better, should have found a way to help her more..." The unspoken thought was clear to Jean, despite Amanda's tendency to shield. I should have protected her better. If I had, none of this would have happened to her. I was supposed to keep her safe. Just like Remy.
Jean walked over to Amanda, taking a seat beside her against the desk. She herself had reflexively that thought when it happened, told herself that when she sensed them doing what they were doing she should've stopped it. But they were always the thoughts of those who cared. What if?
"You are helping her. You are teaching her. If you hadn't taught her to channel her powers onto inanimate objects it would've been worse. Julian might've died. Other people might've been drained too or even killed. You saw what happened in the caves. You know how bad it can be," Jean said.
"The only way to truly protect someone is to encase them in a plastic bubble and never let them out. And in doing so, they can't live. They can't learn to control themselves. It was a horrible thing that happened, but it would've been far far worse if it hadn't been for you," she said, then reached out to put her hand on her shoulder. "And it's only been a few months. She's still learning, but this is big proof that she has learned. Give her time. You are protecting her by teaching her the skills to try to protect herself."
At the touch, Amanda tensed, then relaxed. "Is it always like this?" she asked. "Being a teacher, I mean? I knew it was going to be tough, but I never thought I'd care this much. She's just a kid, Jean, and I'm terrified for her. Her powers, her magic... it's too much for anyone, let alone a teenaged girl."
Jean slipped her hand away from Amanda's shoulder, letting it rest in her lap. She smiled.
"I worry about all of you, everyday. The ones still here, the ones who are gone. You never stop looking out for them. But you learn, over time, that eventually you have to let them find their own way. It's all you can do.
"It's not bad to care, or be afraid too much for them, though. Sometimes its necessary. With Nico...I will admit, I am concerned too. But we'll get through it. She'll get through it. I think she's a strong young woman and she'll make it. She just needs the right guidance from someone who's been in similar circumstances. And I think you're doing a great job in guiding her."
Amanda's smile was rueful. "Who'd have thought, me as a role model and all?" She shook her head, chuckling a little. "Thanks, Jean. It's good to have someone to talk to, about this, and know I'm not fucking it up totally." Then she squared her shoulders in a gesture familiar from her school days. "Right, let's go see to our lovebirds. Julian first, then Nico. Poor kid could probably do with a hug right now and I can manage that without her draining me completely."
Jean laughed. "Actually, I think you're a perfect role model. Sometimes the ones who've had the most hardships and who've turned their lives around are the ones the students'll listen to the most. Do you want to be preached to by someone you think has led the perfect life, or someone who's been there and knows what you're going through?" she said.
She stood, the door opening in front of them.
"After you."
Jean and Amanda go to check on Nico, only to find her in the throes of severe not-coping
After the incident, Nico had isolated herself in her room. Her powers were stable, but her mindset... not so much. The fact she now felt alone in more than one way made it all worse. Sitting on her bed, she had cast an spell, almost without noticing, and her clothes were flying around, folding themselves and entering a backpack she had brought out. She wasn't even sure what she was planning, but once the backpack was finished, she knew she might do something stupid.
Getting up the stairs was slower than usual, with the cane, even with Jean by her side lending a 'hand'. truth be told, after seeing Julian and making sure he was okay, Amanda needed the extra time to figure out what to say to Nico. Platitudes wouldn't work here and she wouldn't insult Nico by using them.
At the door, she paused to catch her breath, ignoring the nagging pain from her leg, aggravated by the way she had rushed over. "Well, here goes," she said to Jean with a wry smile. "Any words of wisdom for me before we do this?"
Jean leaned against the wall by the door as she studied the young woman's face. She smiled. "Remember that in the end she's just a frightened young girl like you were at that age. Try to see it from her perspective."
The blonde witch rapped firmly on the door. "Nico?" she called. "'S me and Jean. Can we come in for a minute?"
"Yeah", came Nico's voice, weakly though the door. She was still sitting on her bed, and besides being paler than usual didn't look as shaken as she felt.
Amanda opened the door and began walking in, stopping as she saw the backpack half-full of clothes. ~This could get tricky,~ she thought at Jean. ~She's on a hair trigger and the wrong tone could set her running.~ "Hey, Grasshopper," she said aloud. "I came as soon as I could. Let's work this out, okay?"
Jean glanced around a moment before her gaze flickered back to Nico. "Where are you headed?" she asked neutrally, without judgment or encouragement. It was an understandable reaction from the young woman: the desire to escape, to go somewhere where no one knew you, to keep from hurting the people you loved. It seemed easy. It was never easy.
Nico looked up, and the first thing she noticed was Amanda being hurt. Almost without thinking, she jumped out of her bed, giving a concerned look to her mentor. She stopped halfway though, realizing she was probably more a danger then anything towards Amanda. "What happened?", asked, momentarily ignoring the women's words.
Looking back the almost full backpack, Nico blinked, almost as if she hadn't noticed it was there in the first place. "I...don't know?", said with uncertainty as she looked at the two women again. "What happened?" she asked again.
"I'm fine. Bad mission, I got winged, but I'm fine. It's you I'm more worried about." Amanda crossed the gap between them, moving slowly so not to spook her student, but didn't reach out to actually touch her, not yet. Nico was way too jumpy and she didn't want Jean to be hurt. "C'mon, grasshopper, let's sit down and talk, yeah?"
Jean leaned against the door frame, relatively calm despite the circumstances. "Do you remember anyone talking about a woman named Rogue?" she asked. "She was a staff member here."
"Yes, I remember she was a teacher here. She left...I think? And she was also one of the Untouchables..." And she more or less knew where the conversation was heading now, but she kept it quiet.
"Yeah, that's her." Amanda sat on the bed next to her student, resting her cane against the dresser and wincing just a little. It felt like she'd strained the healing muscle a bit - something to get Jean to check afterward. "Marie's power was a lot like yours, actually – when she touched people, she drained their energy, as well as their powers. She'd wind up with the personalities of the people she drained stuck in her head, if she held on too long. But she coped. She learned to manage it and even had a normal life, for the most part. And she learned that here, at the school."
"It's a scary thing. To have these powers, to know what they can do, and what they've done. But you're not alone, and you don't have to be alone. There are people who have been where you are now," Jean said. "It's natural to be afraid, and to want to not hurt anybody. But you can get control of them. I've seen it. We've seen it. It just takes time. Even the smallest amount of control is progress. I'm not going to lie....it won't happen overnight, but I do think it can happen."
"And the important thing is not to give up. You're in the best place to learn how to manage this thing and you've got people who aren't going any where. No matter what." Amanda let her hand rest on Nico's shoulder. "We're here for you, grasshopper, okay?"
Oh my God they were being rational with her. She wanted to be a brat and run away anyway, but Nico found the idea of being alone way more frightening than staying and dealing with her share of crap. So she looked up, and tried to look as calm as possible. "I need to train more. A lot more."
"We can do that," Amanda said with a reassuring smile. "Your powers and the magic both. We'll work your arse off."
"Lots and lot of training." She wasn't going to push herself past her limits, but it was time she started testing them and take her training way more seriously. "Enough sobbing for me", added as she stood up and started to pick her clothes from the backpack.
Jean put Julian on an IV to help replenish his severe electrolyte imbalance caused by Nico's energy drain. Convulsions were a big sign of problems. She knew he'd eventually stabilize but she wanted to keep him overnight just to make sure. She knew how Julian's admittance for overnight observation would make Nico feel, unfortunately. Either way she had planned on calling Amanda. Jean kept an eye on the patient rooms from her office as she started to pick up the phone to dial Amanda's cell phone. Hopefully she'd be able to help the girl understand it wasn't her fault.
There was a clatter of boots and cane on the metal floor outside and the witch herself appeared, looking flustered. She had obviously come straight from the office - she was wearing a black dress suit with a plain white blouse, very much neater than her usual style of jeans and shirts, her cane in hand - and her tone, when she addressed Jean, spoke volumes of her worry:
"What the hell happened?" Jean slid the phone back onto the receiver, motioning Amanda to come in before the door closed behind her.
She was pretty calm about it, surprising even to herself. She let out a breath.
"I found Julian and Nico naked. From what I could tell things got heavy pretty quickly and Nico's emotions got the better of her. She accidentally drained some of Julian's energy and he started convulsing. I have him on an IV," Jean said, picking up a paperweight. She glanced up.
"Did you know she could drain inanimate objects?" She hadn't remembered inanimate objects being effected while in the caves, just the living things. Had she overlooked it in all of the commotion?
"Oh, bloody hellfire." Amanda slumped into a chair, dropping her bag beside her and covering her eyes with one hand. "Of all the stupid..." With a deep sigh, she looked up at Jean. "We've been working on focusing on inanimate objects - it seemed like a good failsafe if she got stuck needing to feed without having a safe place, you know? Is Julian going to be all right? I could take a look at him, if it helps."
Magic. Magic healing. Magic powers. Mutant powers fueled by magic. Magic fueled by mutant powers. Studying the paperweight a moment, Jean eventually put it down as she blinked out of her train of thought, slowly nodding.
"I..sure. He's asleep. The medicine seems to be working pretty well but they'll take at least a few hours for it to fully take effect. Nico's obviously pretty shaken up. When I came in, the area around her eyes were..." Jean shook her head. "...cracked, like they were before in the caves. I tried to assure her it wasn't her fault but I think it'd help if you talked to her."
"Rest is good. Depending on how much she took, he's going to be pretty wiped for a while. And the crack thing, it's what happens when she uses the power she takes. I'm not really keen on the whole thing, it's too black magic for me, but it's how it is for her." Amanda shoved back a handful of hair with a sound that was almost like a groan. "Stupid, bloody kids. The worst of all this? It was going to happen, sooner or later. This kind of mutant power, a physical relationship... it's a bloody disaster waiting to happen, but even if I'd been hard enough to tell her to end it, she wouldn't have listened. So now we try and pick up the pieces."
Jean smiled softly as she took a seat against her desk, resting her chin in her hand as she studied her.
"I remember another young, sarcastic, dark haired girl who liked to hide from people in her room sometimes and smoke out on the porch. She still smokes out on the porch from time to time, and after so many hardships, she grew into a smart, capable young woman," she said.
Standing, Jean walked over to a small bookcase nearby and picked up a picture of herself at around 15 or 16, standing behind the Professor as she give him rabbit ears behind his head while he smirked in amusement.
"Yes, Nico made a big mistake, but at the end of the day, she's just a teenage girl. Experience comes at the cost of innocence. Nico learned the consequences of what would happen the hardest way imaginable. She knew the minute she felt that stirring inside her that something was wrong, and she'll know the next time she sees him what can happen if she tries anything again. She'll remember it, just like she'll remember that she can't kiss a boy or fall in love without being afraid that she'll kill that person. She'll see Julian on the ground."
She glanced up at Amanda.
"What we do is never easy and more than often incredibly frustrating, but when they make mistakes like this...remember that. The balance is teaching them, but letting them stay young for as long as they possibly can. Because they'll never get that innocence back," she said, putting the picture down. "Could it be the reason why you're so angry with her is because you see part yourself in her?"
"Angry at..." Amanda blinked, then shook her head. "I'm angry, but not at Nico, not really. She's just trying to have a normal life, like all of us tried to do at one point or the other. It's me I'm angry at. I should have taught her better, should have found a way to help her more..." The unspoken thought was clear to Jean, despite Amanda's tendency to shield. I should have protected her better. If I had, none of this would have happened to her. I was supposed to keep her safe. Just like Remy.
Jean walked over to Amanda, taking a seat beside her against the desk. She herself had reflexively that thought when it happened, told herself that when she sensed them doing what they were doing she should've stopped it. But they were always the thoughts of those who cared. What if?
"You are helping her. You are teaching her. If you hadn't taught her to channel her powers onto inanimate objects it would've been worse. Julian might've died. Other people might've been drained too or even killed. You saw what happened in the caves. You know how bad it can be," Jean said.
"The only way to truly protect someone is to encase them in a plastic bubble and never let them out. And in doing so, they can't live. They can't learn to control themselves. It was a horrible thing that happened, but it would've been far far worse if it hadn't been for you," she said, then reached out to put her hand on her shoulder. "And it's only been a few months. She's still learning, but this is big proof that she has learned. Give her time. You are protecting her by teaching her the skills to try to protect herself."
At the touch, Amanda tensed, then relaxed. "Is it always like this?" she asked. "Being a teacher, I mean? I knew it was going to be tough, but I never thought I'd care this much. She's just a kid, Jean, and I'm terrified for her. Her powers, her magic... it's too much for anyone, let alone a teenaged girl."
Jean slipped her hand away from Amanda's shoulder, letting it rest in her lap. She smiled.
"I worry about all of you, everyday. The ones still here, the ones who are gone. You never stop looking out for them. But you learn, over time, that eventually you have to let them find their own way. It's all you can do.
"It's not bad to care, or be afraid too much for them, though. Sometimes its necessary. With Nico...I will admit, I am concerned too. But we'll get through it. She'll get through it. I think she's a strong young woman and she'll make it. She just needs the right guidance from someone who's been in similar circumstances. And I think you're doing a great job in guiding her."
Amanda's smile was rueful. "Who'd have thought, me as a role model and all?" She shook her head, chuckling a little. "Thanks, Jean. It's good to have someone to talk to, about this, and know I'm not fucking it up totally." Then she squared her shoulders in a gesture familiar from her school days. "Right, let's go see to our lovebirds. Julian first, then Nico. Poor kid could probably do with a hug right now and I can manage that without her draining me completely."
Jean laughed. "Actually, I think you're a perfect role model. Sometimes the ones who've had the most hardships and who've turned their lives around are the ones the students'll listen to the most. Do you want to be preached to by someone you think has led the perfect life, or someone who's been there and knows what you're going through?" she said.
She stood, the door opening in front of them.
"After you."
Jean and Amanda go to check on Nico, only to find her in the throes of severe not-coping
After the incident, Nico had isolated herself in her room. Her powers were stable, but her mindset... not so much. The fact she now felt alone in more than one way made it all worse. Sitting on her bed, she had cast an spell, almost without noticing, and her clothes were flying around, folding themselves and entering a backpack she had brought out. She wasn't even sure what she was planning, but once the backpack was finished, she knew she might do something stupid.
Getting up the stairs was slower than usual, with the cane, even with Jean by her side lending a 'hand'. truth be told, after seeing Julian and making sure he was okay, Amanda needed the extra time to figure out what to say to Nico. Platitudes wouldn't work here and she wouldn't insult Nico by using them.
At the door, she paused to catch her breath, ignoring the nagging pain from her leg, aggravated by the way she had rushed over. "Well, here goes," she said to Jean with a wry smile. "Any words of wisdom for me before we do this?"
Jean leaned against the wall by the door as she studied the young woman's face. She smiled. "Remember that in the end she's just a frightened young girl like you were at that age. Try to see it from her perspective."
The blonde witch rapped firmly on the door. "Nico?" she called. "'S me and Jean. Can we come in for a minute?"
"Yeah", came Nico's voice, weakly though the door. She was still sitting on her bed, and besides being paler than usual didn't look as shaken as she felt.
Amanda opened the door and began walking in, stopping as she saw the backpack half-full of clothes. ~This could get tricky,~ she thought at Jean. ~She's on a hair trigger and the wrong tone could set her running.~ "Hey, Grasshopper," she said aloud. "I came as soon as I could. Let's work this out, okay?"
Jean glanced around a moment before her gaze flickered back to Nico. "Where are you headed?" she asked neutrally, without judgment or encouragement. It was an understandable reaction from the young woman: the desire to escape, to go somewhere where no one knew you, to keep from hurting the people you loved. It seemed easy. It was never easy.
Nico looked up, and the first thing she noticed was Amanda being hurt. Almost without thinking, she jumped out of her bed, giving a concerned look to her mentor. She stopped halfway though, realizing she was probably more a danger then anything towards Amanda. "What happened?", asked, momentarily ignoring the women's words.
Looking back the almost full backpack, Nico blinked, almost as if she hadn't noticed it was there in the first place. "I...don't know?", said with uncertainty as she looked at the two women again. "What happened?" she asked again.
"I'm fine. Bad mission, I got winged, but I'm fine. It's you I'm more worried about." Amanda crossed the gap between them, moving slowly so not to spook her student, but didn't reach out to actually touch her, not yet. Nico was way too jumpy and she didn't want Jean to be hurt. "C'mon, grasshopper, let's sit down and talk, yeah?"
Jean leaned against the door frame, relatively calm despite the circumstances. "Do you remember anyone talking about a woman named Rogue?" she asked. "She was a staff member here."
"Yes, I remember she was a teacher here. She left...I think? And she was also one of the Untouchables..." And she more or less knew where the conversation was heading now, but she kept it quiet.
"Yeah, that's her." Amanda sat on the bed next to her student, resting her cane against the dresser and wincing just a little. It felt like she'd strained the healing muscle a bit - something to get Jean to check afterward. "Marie's power was a lot like yours, actually – when she touched people, she drained their energy, as well as their powers. She'd wind up with the personalities of the people she drained stuck in her head, if she held on too long. But she coped. She learned to manage it and even had a normal life, for the most part. And she learned that here, at the school."
"It's a scary thing. To have these powers, to know what they can do, and what they've done. But you're not alone, and you don't have to be alone. There are people who have been where you are now," Jean said. "It's natural to be afraid, and to want to not hurt anybody. But you can get control of them. I've seen it. We've seen it. It just takes time. Even the smallest amount of control is progress. I'm not going to lie....it won't happen overnight, but I do think it can happen."
"And the important thing is not to give up. You're in the best place to learn how to manage this thing and you've got people who aren't going any where. No matter what." Amanda let her hand rest on Nico's shoulder. "We're here for you, grasshopper, okay?"
Oh my God they were being rational with her. She wanted to be a brat and run away anyway, but Nico found the idea of being alone way more frightening than staying and dealing with her share of crap. So she looked up, and tried to look as calm as possible. "I need to train more. A lot more."
"We can do that," Amanda said with a reassuring smile. "Your powers and the magic both. We'll work your arse off."
"Lots and lot of training." She wasn't going to push herself past her limits, but it was time she started testing them and take her training way more seriously. "Enough sobbing for me", added as she stood up and started to pick her clothes from the backpack.
