xp_logs | Log: Tandy && Adrienne [Backdated]

Adrienne & Tandy sit down for lunch at a diner after visiting with Alice, Tandy's friend who was put into a coma the day that Tandy's powers merged.

Tandy slid into the booth at the diner, " Thanks for taking me to see Alice. Bummed she doesn't remember much but think it is for the best." It was obvious the it bothered Tandy even if she said differently.

"Some people like to practice selective amnesia where mutants are concerned," Adrienne muttered wryly, sliding into the booth across from Tandy. "You're right. It's probably for the best." She picked up the laminated menu. "At least she's gonna be okay."

"Yea. That's all I could ever want. I was hoping that she would wake up. Don't think I could live with myself knowing I put a friend into a coma. Even if it wasn't really in my power to stop it." Looking over at Adrienne. "Do a lot of mutants go through something similar? I mean...do they do something that was out of their hands?"

"Sure they do," Adrienne reassured the teenager. "That's why the Professor likes to gather you all up and keep you all in one place. So you can share experiences about how you did things that were out of your hands and make friends and sh-tuff. And, y'know, make sure all of you mutants who do things not in your power learn how to... control your powers." Damn, she was bad at these pep talks.

"He sounds like a Pokemon trainer." the blonde smirked a bit while she started to play with a packet of sugar. "I put four people in a coma Ms Frost an it was out of self defense." She looked away. "It is my fault."

"I don't know what that is," Adrienne responded to the comment about the Pokemon trainer, looking confused. She squirmed uncomfortably in her seat as Tandy looked away. "Well, like you said," she tried to reassure the teenager, "it wasn't in your power to stop it. You can't change the past," she reminded Tandy gently. "It happened. There's nothing you can do about it now. All you can do is be happy that your friend's okay, and work your ass off at controlling your powers so it doesn't happen again."

"Pokemon is...like trying to catch different types of creatures that have powers, train them and then battle them. Not that Professor X would do that or anything." Tandy added the last sentence quickly with a slight defensive tone to it. "You are right, but it is kind of hard to control your powers when you don't use them something bad happens and when you use too much something bad happens." Looking up at Adrienne, "And I haven't heard from my parents all summer..."

Adrienne bit her tongue regarding Tandy's comment about the Professor using the students for battling, which was easy to do when Tandy started talking about her powers and her parents. Wow, this kid was just laying out all the big issues for Adrienne to have to respond to, wasn't she? Well, at least she wasn't asking about where babies came from or something like that, so Adrienne was only partly tramautized about having to provide answers and comfort instead of being fully traumatized. "I'm sure your parents have just been really busy over the summer," she tried to lie, plastering a smile on her face. Except that felt patronizing, and Adrienne didn't like patronizing the students unless she got something out of it. "Well, I'm sure your stepdad has been really busy. Well, I mean, your mom's probably busy too, but she's also probably too much of a crazy bitch to take the time to reach out even if she wasn't busy. I'm sure your stepdad will contact you when things slow down for him, though. I'm sure he's wanted to talk to you very much. But hey," she tried to be reassuring, "at least you have people at the mansion who, y'know, care about you. That's gotta be better than being left completely on your own." The way she'd been at that age. Wait, had she forgotten something? Oh yeah. "And you will learn how to control your powers, it'll just take some time. It takes most people years. Sometimes they're well into their twenties before they master their powers. Sometimes it takes even longer than that."

Tandy pushed away the sugar packet and crossed her arms in front of her and smirked. "Yea I guess. They are always liked that busy. I like having people around and the mansion does have a lot of people around. It is a little weird sharing a room after having your own for like ever. At least she doesn't snore and her ghosts aren't that bothersome." Tucking some blonde locks behind her ear. "How long did it take for you?"

"To master my power? I still haven't," Adrienne admitted wryly as the waitress took their orders. "I barely had any control over it for most of my life. It wasn't until I moved to the mansion in 2008 that I finally got help and learned how to get some control. I used to get overloads and pass out a lot. I don't get them much anymore, but there are still so many things I think I should be able to do with my power that I can't. I can't turn my power off, for example. If I touch something and my hand isn't covered, my power will activate... even if I don't want it to. But it's night and day better than it used to be before I came to the mansion," she added with conviction. "As much as I hate to admit it, there are good people there, and they know what they're doing when it comes to powers."

Tandy blinked in surprised that Adrienne said she still didn't have control over her own powers. "Wow. I just assumed that adults knew what they were doing. But question, I hardly see you wearing gloves...." Her eyes lowered to Adrienne's hand and pointed with her index finger. "How is that possible?"

Adrienne pulled her canister of hand-coating substance out of her purse and showed it to Tandy. "A former mansion resident makes this for me. I put it on my hands and it covers them in something that acts as a barrier between my hand and what I touch. 'Basically acts like gloves," she shrugged. "I used to have to wear gloves before I came to the mansion. It was... unpleasant." She wrinkled her nose. Another negative factor in the whole Genosha experience: the time without her powers, where she could actually touch things without her hands being covered in something, had made her realize just how much she missed being able to do that. "But this stuff washes off, so I have to re-apply it fairly often throughout the day. Still, I guess it could be worse." It didn't really seem fair to be complaining about that inconvenience when her powers weren't a danger to other people the way Tandy's were. "But yeah, us adults don't necessarily know what we're doing either. Except if you tell anyone I told you that I'll have to stuff you in a suitcase and mail you to Abu Dhabi."

"Where they some kind of scientist or something?" Looking at the canister for a brief second, but it made sense on why Tandy never seen Adrienne wearing gloves. Tandy smiled at the adult for the first time since arriving, "Abu Dhabi? Sounds hot...and sandy. I won't tell, but I guess that is part of life not knowing what we are doing just going with the flow."

"Exactly," Adrienne nodded. "And the fact that you already know that at your tender young age means you're ahead of the curve," she smirked. "I think he was some kind of scientist, yes," she nodded, going back to the question about Forge. Actually, she didn't really know what Forge had been. "He worked security at the mansion, used to tinker with robotics and sciencey stuff, so I'm gonna say he was a scientist," she decided out loud. "Why, are you interested in sciencey stuff?"

Tandy shrugged, "I kind had to grow up fast." Taking a sip of her soda that was just brought to her. "Was that his power? Science stuff?" That didn't sound too much like a fun power. "Not really...I don't like any classes actually, they are so boring." Forgetting she was talking to a teacher for a moment.

"Well, that sounds like a challenge," Adrienne smirked. "Challenge accepted." She bought some time to think about Forge's power by drinking some water. "Umm, I don't really know what his powers are. We weren't close. I just paid him to make hand-coating solution, back when I had money." She didn't want to think about how much it was going to suck when she ran out of the stuff.

Confused for a moment and then it hit her, "Oh yea History teacher." Tandy was confused again, grown up always had to worry about money. "So what happens if you run out? He'll stop making it for you?"

"Actually Mister Guthrie is going to be taking on most of the history classes this year," Adrienne said as she stirred her straw around in her water. "I'm teaching the math courses, mainly, aside from an independent study course or two in history." She sipped at her water, but realized she'd have to answer the question eventually. "I'm assuming so," she finally answered. "Nothing in life is free, after all. Don't get me wrong," she added quickly, "I could always reconfigure my budget and allocate some of it towards acquiring more of the stuff, but at this point it seems like an unnecessary luxury when I can just bite the bullet and go back to wearing gloves. Or, y'know, just never touch anything. Ever," she grinned.

Tandy made a face, "I don't know why anyone would want to be a math teacher, I mean history is bad but at least you don't have to deal with numbers. Do you teach all the math courses?" Tandy's eyes grew big, "Wear gloves? Only if you get the nice looking ones, and has ventilation to keep your hands from sweating. But I don't think I could survive if I couldn't touch anything..ever. I mean touching is one of the five senses, you can't just go without touching."

Their food arrived then, which Adrienne was thankful for because she really didn't know what to say to any of that, feeling pretty defensive about her career choice and love of numbers and needing nice gloves so she wouldn't be sweaty and the drawbacks of not being able to touch things properly, the way she wanted to, because of her powers. If she'd been talking to an adult she would have bitched them out, but she couldn't really do that to a student. So she just kept her mouth shut and ate her salad in silence. "No, I guess not," was all she finally said in response to Tandy's comment about not touching anything, figuring she should at least make an effort to respond to something.

Tandy bit her lip and looked away from Adrienne, she didn't want Adrienne to hate her. Tandy actually liked the adult - picking up the soda and taking a drink. "Thank you again for taking me. It means a lot."

"Anytime," Adrienne answered with a slight smile, foul mood caving in when she saw Tandy's guilty look. "How about we go to the gelato place after this?"

Tandy smiled at Adrienne, "I like that idea. And maybe I can pick your brain more about how to drive a motorcycle, since I am sixteen and could technically get a license to drive or at least my permit."

Adrienne nodded. "Maybe when we get back to Salem Centre I'll even let you try driving mine in a parking lot."

Tandy's eyes widen at the thought of driving a motorcycle and today. "Did I ever tell you, you are my favorite adult ever?"

"It's nice to know I can buy favouritism with burgers, ice cream, and some motorcycle rides," Adrienne smirked.