xp_logs | Jean-Philipe & Sooraya: being a trainee X-Man (backdated)

Jean-Philipe and Sooraya have a talk about what being a trainee X-men entails.

"He, thanks for meeting with me." Sooraya said as she approached Jean-Phillipe in the small rec room the grads shared on the third floor of the mansion. In her hands she held a small tray with some tea and cookies, figuring she since asked him to talk with her she should provide some refreshments. She put the tea down and took a seat across from him.

The setting was perhaps a bit less casual than Jean-Phillipe had expected when Sooraya had asked to speak to him, but he accepted a cup of tea and selected a cookie to nibble on as he sat. "You are quite welcome," he told her. "My door is always open to talk, even if it is not necessarily related to my being a resident adviser." Which he had gotten the impression from Sooraya that this was not.

Sooraya took a sip from her tea and selected a cookie of her own. "Yvette suggested more or less it might be good idea to talk to you... I don't know how much you know about what happened in Attilan when I went there in February, but it made me consider becoming an X-men." She took another sip of her tea. "I wanted to talk to you a little about what it's like to be a trainee, if that is okay."

"Ah." It was unfortunate, the world that they lived in, that almost seemed to push them towards the X-Men and the things that they did. Jean-Phillipe nodded. "It has been...interesting." Especially considering his former affiliations. "Mostly, it is about learning the things you are capable of doing, and understanding how to work with others." Even the silly nicknames and things of that nature were part of building a team."

"Yvette told me about the trainee nicknames. And that teamwork is very important..." Sooraya sipped from her tea, letting it slid down her throat as she considered what she wanted to ask next. "I have heard some things about what the training is like. That you work hard and that you will pushed both mentally and physically. But I was wondering more about what the daily reality of training is like. How would someone's training look like... for a week for example? How much time does it cost for example... And it can't be all exiting or even fun. There must be parts that must be very boring, for example..." She took another sip of tea. "I hope I am making sense..."

Jean-Phillipe kept himself from repeating his 'ah' from before, and sounding like a repeating record, or some manner of ridiculous parrot. "That makes perfect sense," he reassured Sooraya, thinking as he sipped again at his tea. "The duties of a trainee...they do not take up so much of your week that you cannot do anything else," he explained. "After all, more than a few of us who are younger balance it with being a university student." He gestured to indicate himself as an example. "Training...it takes about as much time as a part time job. Or especially rigorous athletic training."

Sooraya nodded even as she was making some quick calculations in her head. The information closely matched what she had already though throughout her years in the mansion. Training, college and Elpis meant she was gonna be pretty busy after the summer... if she decided to do the trainee ship... "How would someone's training look like... for a week for example? I have some idea what someone learns, but I am still having some trouble seeing how it works out in a day to day schedule..."

Jean-Phillipe pondered, flipping back through his head to remember what his own past week had looked like, for an example. "A few sessions in the Danger Room. Sometimes they are by yourself, sometimes with a larger group. It depends on what Monsieur Summers wishes to accomplish. And he does like keeping everyone guessing, to be sure." He chuckled. "Other than that, you are expected to do some reading of the files, and do some work on your physical fitness - jogging, swimming, something of that nature."

"I think I could handle that..." Sooraya tilted her head as she considered it. True, she didn't do much like swimming and jogging at the moment, but she did work out a little now and then. She could even step that up a little now if she wanted. "What would you say what is the hardest thing about being a trainee? And when do you start going on missions?" The last thing was still one of her major worries. Her control had been growing stronger and in Attilan she had been able to fight without really hurting people, but she didn't know what might happen on missions...

"Generally, whenever Cyclops thinks you are ready. If your power is useful in a situation, you might go on a relatively simple mission even as a trainee." Jean-Phillipe had done that a few times during his own trainee time. "But usually in those cases you will have someone to help keep you safe, and a particular duty."

"That sounds like a good and, to be honest, a reassuring precaution." Sooraya replied honestly. "What would you say what is the hardest thing about being a trainee?"

"Teamwork?" Jean-Phillipe said with a chuckle. His reputation as something of a lone wolf was quite well-known at this point. There were still some members of the team he worked somewhat poorly with, but perhaps Scott's discussions with him about leaving personal feelings aside on missions were starting to sink in. "But that is my own personal difficulty. No doubt you will find your own, I think, as it seems different for each of us. There are things that will come easily, and things that will be difficult, and those things tend to differ from person to person."

Sooraya smiled back. "I can imagine you're right. I think I already have a bit of an idea what my issue is gonna be at first..." She quickly went back her mental list of questions. "Time investment... hard things to learn... missions..." She muttered softly. Suddenly she looked up: "Do I really need to learn how to land a plane?"

Jean-Phillipe nodded. "Monsieur Summers believes in being prepared for emergencies. What if you were on the plane, and you were the only one conscious?" He shrugged. "You will also learn some basic first aid from Docteur Jean, and so on."

"Oh, I understand why I have to learn it... Just like the first aid it makes perfect sense." Sooraya countered quickly. "It's just difficult to picture myself landing a plane... I think I am more likely to crash it then land it." She explained with a faintly embarrassed smile.

"You would not be alone in that," Jean-Phillipe reassured her. "Just read the files about the time Marie and Bobby had to land the plane..."