xp_logs | Training on the astral plane (Reply)

Jean and Haller help Hope access the astral plane for the first time on her own.

'How do I just do what a tsunami did last time...'

The thought shot through Hope as she settled on the floor as comfortable as possible, considering her nerves. Taking a deep breath, she tried to tuck away the emotions surging inside as well the memories of the water closing above her and faced her two teachers. "I just hope I can do this." She ventured hesitantly.

"You already have," Jim reminded her, following her to the floor. "Maybe you'll replicate it today, maybe you won't. There's no hurry." Which was true, though privately he understood Hope's position. She'd ended up on the astral plane once accidentally; she had no way of knowing when and how it might happen again, let alone might happen to her there the next time, and theory would only take you so far. The sooner she understood how it had happened the sooner she could start mastering it. The counselor looked to Jean. "What do you think -- you go on ahead?"

"You can do it," Jean affirmed with a smile. "Just like you used your other abilities. It's just a new skill to master." Settling down with the other two on the ground, she glanced back to Haller, then nodded.

"I can get her set up."

Jean took Hope's hands. "Remember what I told you about your mind being a rubber band? It's more like a bungee cord. Your legs are secured to the cord. It's strong. It won't break. All you have to do is jump."

"Bungee jumping... alright." That was a picture she might be able to use as a visualization in her mind, though it was rather different from the ones she usually used and tilted her head rather thoughtfully. "So if I had to visualize it, it would be better to use something sudden... not like the more gradual I usually use for ghosting out?"

Jim considered this. "It may be worth trying. You usually visualize scenes from nature, don't you? Meditative. It was shock that jumped you onto the astral plane, and shock is hard to replicate." He rubbed the back of his head thoughtfully. "Let's work off what you already know. First, ghost out as you normally would. We'll start where you're comfortable and take it step by step from there."

"Alright." Hope close her eyes, took a deep breath and as she let it out, the picture of a flower unfolding rose in her mind and she slipped out of her body. When she opened her eyes again, she was hovering just above her body and she sunk down next to it, crossing her legs. "This bit has been easy for quite a while, even if I am nervous..."

The counselor watched Hope's face assume the practiced relaxation of a self-induced trance, then go entirely slack. "No need to be nervous," he reassured her ghostly white form. "We're right here." He turned to his coworker. "Jean?"

With a simple nod from Jean, the world began to fade away and a new one took it's place, one with crisp green grass replacing the carpets. The meadow spread out as far as the eye could see, rolling hills framed by a blue sky with the sun shining down: peaceful, calm.

"Do you feel the tug in the back of your mind?" Jean said quietly. "Like....you're standing at a doorway and can't quite get in?"

Hope focused, 'tilting' her head as she searched for the sensation. "Not really..." She 'said' hesitantly, the bit of anxiety that had vanished just before ghosting out surging to the front again.

Jim thought about this. It made sense that one venture wouldn't have instantly sensitized Hope to the astral plane. Her default state had always been her astral body as a spectator in the real world. The transition had been so sudden and so traumatic it didn't surprise him she couldn't remember.

"That something sudden you were thinking about," he ventured. "I think now is the time to try that. Bring up another visualization, but this time something that isn't about stillness. Something . . . active. Does that make sense?"

"A moving picture?" Hope closed her eyes again, trying to get the picture clear in her mind. Soon it was overtaken by a different picture though and her 'eyes' snapped open, with a flare of fear behind them.

Water began to wash over Jean's feet, and she looked up to find a tsunami barreling toward her. She let out a faint, audible gasp, but had been expecting something like this to happen so it wasn't like being sucker punched. The tsunami froze in midair, but Hope wasn't there.

"Close. It's okay. Keep trying."

Hope's second-hand fear made Jim's scalp prickle; with his telepathy intentionally attuned to her it was difficult to prevent her anxiety from triggering his more protective impulses. He set his apprehension aside and offered her the psychic equivalent of a touch on the shoulder.

"It's a memory," he reminded her gently. "It's in the past, and it's yours to control. Don't fight it. Ride it."

Hope's eyes shifted to meet the counselor's, a small grateful smile at the comfort on her face. 'Thank you.' She projected, before a frown stole across her face. His aura... were there two of them? The inner one shimmered with familiar colors, but the outer one... It was far vaguer, but it seemed to outline another male form, this one much broader build. And the colors were far more stormy...

She puzzled for a moment, using the distraction to push her aside her earlier emotions as much as possible and closed her eyes again. This time, when the water rose and threatened to swallow her, she let it take her. The tug somewhere in the back of her mind started to grow and she winced at the almost painful sensation.

A muscle in Jim's jaw twitched in sympathy. He cracked an eye and saw Hope's astral body suspended before him, face tense with concentration and strain. It was faint, flickering.

He reached out to his colleague and sensed the vestiges of her instinctive reaction to Hope's chosen image. Though it was controlled to the extent it would have been almost invisible to anyone who did not know her well, the counselor extended a tendril of concern.

~Jean?~ he asked, the question about more than their student's status.

~I see her....shadow. She'd not quite there yet, but near the edge.~ Jean said, rising up above the steady deluge of water that Hope seemed to be pouring in via her thoughts. She immediately began to drain it, so that the girl wouldn't be frightened once she finally did come in.

~I'm okay.~ she added with soft assurance.

Hope was the one who needed his attention, and Jean could handle herself. Even so, he responded with the telepath equivalent of a quick hand-squeeze before turning his attentions back to the student.

"You're almost there, Hope," the counselor said softly. "What you feel is the end of your tether. All you have to do now is let go."

Steeling herself, Hope simultaneously seemed to relax and tense up. She let the wave spill over her and she let it carry herself to where it was taking her, a brief, but sharp pain flaring up in the back of her mind. Then it faded...

Hope opened her eyes, feeling the strange urge to cough as if she had really been under water for a bit. Pushing herself up to her knees she gave into the urge twice and looked around her. "I did it?!?!?"

Jim opened his eyes. Hope was no longer visible -- at least, not to this mode of sight. Tension dissipating, he allowed himself a smile. ~Seems like it,~ he replied. ~I don't see you here, at least.~

Hope would find Jean in a white dress, staring down at her with an impossibly blue sky dotted by fluffy white clouds overhead. ~ She's here.~

A bright, warm smile lit up her face as she came to rest on the ground beside Hope, offering the girl a hand up.

~ You did beautifully. It's always a bit of a rocky start when you first try. My first time was accident too. I did it when I was dreaming.~

~I did it? I am really here?~ Hope looked around her taking in the blue skies and the actually pleasant surroundings, before glancing down at her own outfit. A white dress as well, but with seven colored bands at the hem and sleeves and moonstone jewelry. ~I did not think the astral plane could look like this... Or even me? Are you doing this, Dr. Grey?~

"Some of it," Jean said, studying Hope's outfit with a turn of her head. "The dress is all your subconscious."

She kept her hand outstretched. "The Astral Plane is not intrinsically good, or bad. It just...is. Water can quench your thirst, or drown you...Fire can warm you or burn...It all depends on circumstance, just like this."

"Just like the real world. And thank you." Hope gratefully accepted the hand as she rose. "Only far more malleable to the right people, yes?" She asked as she tried to relate her theoretical discussions with professor to what she saw here. "I was wondering... there is no... imprint I think the professor called... no imprint of the mansion here? I would think all that has happened, there might be one."

Jean smiled. "There is," she said, wiggling her toes against the crisp, perfectly green grass. It was too perfect, idyllic, a place only imagined.

"This was just a way for you to feel more comfortable when you first arrived. There is an astral plane form of the mansion. We can go there if you'd like."

Looking up a little shyly, Hope tried to explain: "I would like to see what my home looks like on the astral plane, so to speak. If it's very different from what I saw on Avalon."

"Let's find out then, shall we?" Jean said. The world began to shift, trees and hills springing up like blooming flowers. Stones started to build themselves, forming the walls of the mansion gates, and a gravel path collected toward the top of the hill where the mansion was currently being erected from the ground up. The process was quick, and finished within the blink of an eye. The mansion was always there, but accessing it from different sections of the astral plane often took different methods.

Hope watched in amazement as the physical shape of the mansion took form. Following Jean, she noticed the ghostly shapes of its inhabitants. The busy tail of Dori disappeared behind some trees, followed by Mr. Gibney. A few yards to the side a group of students lounged around.

As she looked stared a little longer, the auras became more visible. Molly was there, her aura strangely foggy in places and Mr. Haller standing nearby, his aura strangely banded with various colors.

Other auras were not as strange and soon the lines of lights connecting them formed. "Can you see this, Dr. Grey?" Hope asked, just watching all the colors and patterns.

Jean hung back, letting Hope marvel at the strange new world she had entered with a smile of contentment. It was nice when someone was allowed to just enjoy their powers. All too often first experiences were singed by pain or fear, like Hope's had, so for her to be able to have this experience felt good.

"Hmm?"

"The auras and what I think may be are the connections between people. It's beautiful in a way." Hope wasn't sure how she knew this, but it seemed to make sense to her. Biting her lip for a moment, Hope hesitatingly held out her hand. "Can I show it to you in some way?"

With a simple nod, Jean took Hope's hand. "Concentrate on the idea of sending it to me, like throwing a ball," she said.

Fixing the sight in her mind, Hope focused on transmitting the sight to Jean and let the thought go. She had communicated telepathically before, but this idea was a little larger then what she was used to, so to speak. "Did I do it right?"

Jean fell silent a moment, glancing toward the astral specters of the students, teachers, and staff. The colors spread out from them like a vibrant shadow as a broad grin spread across her lips. It was her turn to experience a little wonder.

"Perfectly," she said, her focus turning to the waiting Jim.

"Mr. Haller, you should take a look at this."

Still in the security of his body, Jim responded to Jean's invitation with a wordless sensation of assent and linked consciousnesses with the other telepath.

~Interesting,~ he remarked, throwing his thoughts to the astral plane so both Hope and Jean could hear him. ~Hope, it looks like your perceptions slant more towards the empathic even though you've reached an area usually restricted to telepaths. This is different than what Jean and I normally see.~ Through Jean's perceptions he glance down at himself, and noted with curiosity, but not surprise, his own inconsistent aura. It seemed Hope had the ability to see certain types of emotional damage, whether she realized it or not. That might have useful applications. ~Would you be willing to show this to the professor at some point?~ he asked. ~I think he'd be interested in seeing this.~

~Uhm... of course. I would be happy to.~ Hope tilted her head a little. ~Did you mean anything specific or... just this in general, Mr. Haller?~

~In general. The astral plane has a few basic guidelines, but infinite variations. The experience is subjective to the viewer.~ Jim allowed a smile to be felt through his psychic voice. ~Besides, the professor'd be the first to tell you you're never too old to learn something new.~

~I will mention it the next time the Professor and I have a meeting, Mr. Haller.~ She turned back to Jean and commented: "I saw the aura's and the connections as well when we were on Avalon... but seeing this feels quite different. Is that because the pain and fear of the people who made the imprints back on Avalon that it felt that way?"

"It could be," Jean speculated. "You were also in a different state of mind then as well. The survival and panic reflex can affect the mind's interpretation of things."

"So it could have been the people on the island or it could have been influencing the plane." Hope nodded to herself, correlating Jean's speculation with the things she had been reading and discussing with the professor again. She let the idea of her transmitting her aura view fade from her mind.

"Or a little bit of both. The mechanisms of the astral plane are not an exact science," Jean said with a smile, leaning against one of the walls. She extended her hand.

"Shall we go back?"

"It is time to return to our bodies?" Hope tilted her head as she took the hand extended to her. A picture started to blossom in the back of her mind, along with a faint tugging sensation at the back of her head, but she held it back.

"Mmmhmm," Jean said. The smile turned into a light grin. "You did beautifully. Try it slow, to ease into it. The return trip will be a little disorienting, like waking from a dream."

Easing into it... she could do that. Returning the smile, she replied: "I think I am able to do that." She closed her eyes and surrendered to the visualization forming in her mind, a small cove flooding slowly by the power of the tides, and let the tugging in the back of her mind carry her back to her body.

It was easy to tell when Hope returned; the quality of her breathing changed, like someone going from asleep to awake. "Welcome back," Jim said.

Hope kept her eyes closed for a little while longer, taking the time to get settled in her body, just like she had learned when she started to control her ghosting out for the first. Alternately tensing and relaxing various muscle groups for a moment more, she slowly opened her eyes and tilted her head: "Returning to my body was far easier then I thought it would be..."

The counselor nodded. "There's no fundamental difference between coming back from the astral plane and coming back normally. I think part of the problem the first time is that there was threatening physical and emotional stimuli on this end."

"Hopefully getting there will be easier as well next time. Now that I know I do not have to fear it per se." Hope tilted her head, smiling.

"It will, with repeated practice," Jean assured her as she sat up in her chair, smiling back. "I like to think of it like toning a muscle, except in this case it's your mind."

"I think that analogy might just work." Hope muttered, rubbing her the back of her head covertly at the memory of the soreness there. "But thank you both for working on this with me..."

Jim gave her a lopsided smile. "Don't worry about it. It was educational for us, too." He nodded at Jean. "We'll talk to the professor and see if we can work out some exercises, maybe a training schedule until you're comfortable. Sound good?"

"That sounds excellent, Mr. Haller. Though after this I am at least quite a bit less worried about getting back to my body if I something does happen."

"The exercises should hopefully help with that," Jean said with a nod. "Though I suppose if worse comes to worse we could outfit your uniform with body armor." She was only partially kidding.

"One thing at a time," said Jim, though he wondered if extra padding would really be such a bad idea. Or at least a helmet. -- Although on second thought that one might have some negative connotations.

Jim got to his feet, working out a kink in his neck. It seemed a bit awkward to just say "class dismissed" after a session like this. He thought of what the professor would do in this situation.

"So . . . anyone feel like some tea?"