Jean and Topaz || Box Mates (Backdated)

[x-topaz.livejournal.com]

Jean ends up sharing the Box for the night when Topaz ends up down there after burning out her shields at the art fair. (Backdated to August 31.)



Things had progressed with Charles to the point where Jean was starting to feel comfortable enough to rejoin the rest of the mansion population permanently. Her walls were rebuilt and though they weren't fully fortified yet back to the levels they were in the past, she could at least fall asleep without unintentionally listening in on everyone's dreams.

Still, she thought she'd give herself one more night. Scott was out, still reveling in the fact that he had had his eyes returned to him. She would also be the first to admit that she was also pretty damn excited too. But he'd be gone for a little while, so she busied herself by reading one of her romance novels, The Countess of Flames. So perhaps she was a little drawn to the name.

In retrospect, Topaz had known that Haller would take one look at her and force her to go down to the Box. And maybe that was what she'd been after. She hated admitting to the weakness on her own, but if someone else made her go to the Box then it was fine, right?

Of course, she regretted it when she found out Dr. Grey was in there too. Oh that was going to make for one awkward night. Still, she took the extra cot and squared her shoulders as she let herself into the Box, taking just a moment to to revel in the feeling of all the emotions being blocked out before she focused on the woman.

"Uh...hullo."

Jean had heard about the goings on at the fair and half debated trying to convince Charles to never let the students leave the house again. But it was only in jest and she knew it was just how things worked around there. Still, it always worried her when the children wound up in danger. She and Haller had talked on the matter about if it was right for them to be there when their lives were threatened constantly, but for some they had no place to go. Having a sanctuary and teaching place for mutants always came with risks.

"Hi," Jean said with a smile, glancing back down to her book. She knew the girl was feeling awkward so she tried to make her feel comfortable. It had to be difficult to share one's quarters with your own teacher. She imagined she'd be feeling the same way if she were in that situation.

"Don't mind me."

Topaz gave her the best smile she could manage. "Yeah. Same." She set her bag down near the desk and set to work with setting up the cot. Thankfully it was easy enough.

"Um...sorry about the invasion. Wasn't my idea, I swear."

Turning the page, Jean glanced up after the few moments of silence were suddenly broken. "Hmm?" she said, then shook her head.

"It happens. I think most psis have spent some time down here at one time or another."

She didn't tell her about the times where she'd stayed down there so often years ago that they had to almost lock the door to keep her from permanently living there.

"Did you bring anything to keep you busy? I have a few things you could borrow if you'd like."

"Ah, no." She grabbed her bag and settled down on the cot. "I'm good, managed to grab my bag before Mr. Haller dragged me down here." She reached into her bag to get her Kindle. "Sad to say this isn't the first time I've been down here this month, never unpacked from the last time."

That was, perhaps, the part that made her most bitter. She didn't mind the Box - well, she did - but she'd have rather not been there again so soon after her last visit.

Jean smiled. "And that happens too," she said, moving the book down beside her as she sat up in bed and leaned her back against the wall.

"When I was a girl I stayed here a lot. And obviously...I'm here now. Most people only have to deal with their own feelings...and that alone can sometimes be too much to bear. But we have to shoulder the burden of everyone else's too. We feel their pain, and sadness, and joy...And it's okay to say that's too much sometimes. Because it can be. We're not perfect. Everyone's abilities come with their own inherent challenges...and this is one of ours."

Taking off her reading glasses, Jean studied her.

"It's not a bad thing to need to be down here. It doesn't mean you're broken. You just need a little help sometimes. The trick is to learn to accept when you've had enough and to get that help. From here...from your friends...The mind needs healing too."

Topaz looked up from her Kindle, a small frown pulling at her lips. "I know," she said after a moment, her voice slow. She did know - it was a lesson she had learned more than once, and usually the hard way. "I do, I just...usually when I end up in here it's for my own stupidity." Like draining an crowd of people knowing her mind physically couldn't handle the influx. Even if it had been the only option at the time - even if it had helped keep the crowd off Hope and that bloke - that didn't make her any happier about the decision.

"Just feels like sometimes we get the short straw." Psi powers were just so sensitive. Even Haller said he'd had lapses in control before. It didn't exactly lend itself to a bright and happy future as a mutant.

Jean glanced down, nodding with a soft, entirely sympathetic smile. "I agree. It does certainly feel like it sometimes. I thought about what it'd be like to have different ones, to not have them...all sorts of different scenarios. But at the end of the day they're mine. Like an arm or a leg. I may not the way my hair frizzes up when it rains but it's mine, and I learned to accept it."

"Well you could always shave your head but I guess that would look weird." She couldn't resist the light sarcasm. It wasn't malicious in any way - just dry. "I get what you mean though. Guess I'd rather be a psi then have to worry about randomly bursting into flames when my control lapses."

"Unfortunately while we're in here it's easy to remember the bad things associate with our abilities," Jean said, tearing out a piece of paper from her notebook. "There are usually good ones too, but sometimes they're hard to realize." She began to shape the piece of paper.

"When I first manifested my telekinesis it was very hard for people to be around me when I got upset...they usually got hit with something. But once I learned how to control it...." When she had finished she had made a paper airplane, and sent it sailing across the room.

"I found out how useful it could be."

Topaz watched the paper airplane fly across the room, tilting her head a bit. "Guess I'm still tryin' to work out what the 'useful' aspect of empathy is." So far it had only proven to be a massive hindrance, aside from the fact that it fueled her magic. "I mean...telekinesis you can at least do somethin' with. And telepathy. But empathy is just kinda...there." Making life entirely difficult.

"I dunno. Guess I'm just whinin'. I hate gettin' stuck in here."

Jean laughed. "It's okay. I know it can be odd to be stuck somewhere with your teacher," she said.

She smiled. "If you'd like, I could try to teach you some of the more subtle merits of your abilities, sometime. At least the empathetic ones...Obviously I have the magical ability of a tomato."

"Strangely that's not the odd part at all." She'd spent plenty a-night on Amanda's couch -- and even a night or two on Kurt's couch every now and again.

At Jean's offer, she smiled a bit, ducking her head. "If you don't mind...I don't wanna waste your time or anythin'. Not that there's that much to do in the Box..."

"Then what is?" Jean said. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out some playing cards and Uno cards with a laugh. "I get bored too."

"It's never wasting my time, by the way."

"I dunno...bein' stuck here at all, I guess." She tilted her head at the Uno cards, making a face. "I've never actually played that." Luca had liked chess, and Alice had liked gin. Uno was never a thing that had happened.

"I'm not the biggest fan either," Jean admitted. "I try to treat it like a vacation, so that way I'm not bouncing off the walls."

She glanced down at the cards. "I could show you if you'd like? If you get enough people it can create some healthy competition, though."

"Vacation." Topaz considered it for a moment, then nodded. "I can certainly see how that helps. Might have to try that next time I have a long stint in here." Hopefully this would only be a night.

At the offer to teach her Uno, she smiled a bit. "Sounds like fun. Gotta do something to kill time here."

"I usually get caught up on a movie I wanted to see or a book I wanted to read because I know I won't be interrupted," Jean said. It was enforced solitude, but it could be nice if one let it.

"Alright then," Jean said, pulling the Uno cards out of the box.

"Alright, I have wine, I have takeout, popcorn and I even have a movie from your list on netflix," Scott announced as he pushed open the door to the Box, holding up the mentioned items triumphantly.

"I hope you're ready for an evening..." his voice trailed off as he noticed Topaz and the cards spread out across the floor. "But it looks like you ladies started without me." he noted wryly.

Topaz's head snapped up, blinking at the sight of Mr. Summers. Of course it wasn't exactly any kind of secret that Mr. Summers and Dr. Grey were married. But it was something that was sometimes forgotten. "Uh...I can go."

Jean laughed. She couldn't help it, the way Topaz's face fell, like she had walked in on mom and dad kissing.

"Scott...Would it be okay to sleep in the suite by yourself tonight? Topaz needs to be here and I don't feel fully comfortable sleeping outside the Box just yet. I should tomorrow night, though. We could have the movie night then."

"I'm sure I'll find a way to manage for a night," Scott allowed with an amused smile. He'd been looking forward to spending some alone time with Jean but he was sure he could wait one more night after all the time she'd already had to spend in the Box.

"I'll just leave this here," the X-man said as he placed the takeout bag on the ground. "Think of it as my contribution to card night."

Topaz's shoulders shot up to ears as she looked down. "Sorry," she muttered, fiddling with a card. She'd known she was already invading the Box, and that was bad enough.

"Don't worry about it," Scott assured the young girl, "I have a lot of paperwork I need to catch up on. I always have paperwork to catch up on."

He smiled at the telepath and empath, "You have a good night ladies."

Her selfless husband. She owed him one. Jean smiled back, climbing off the bed to give Scott a kiss on the cheek as she picked up the bag."Thanks, love. And thanks for dinner. Good night," she said then turned back to Topaz.

"It's okay, really. I promise. No worries," she said, settling down on the bed. She motioned back to the cards. "Shall we continue?"

Topaz found great interest in the ceiling as Dr. Grey went to Mr. Summers, her fingers still fiddling with one of the cards. She brought her focus down again as Dr. Grey sat back down. "Yeah." She set the card aside, giving the redhead a small smile. "Sounds good."