Angel & Cecilia (Backdated)

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Angel and Cecilia talk about field trips and stress relief. Backdated to Sept. 8

Cecilia stepped away from the punching bag and wiped the sweat off her forehead.

Years ago, her first roommate in California had dragged her to a boxing workout class. And while Cecilia ended up hating most things about that roommate (a vapid dental hygienist who had a penchant for drama), she still had to be a little grateful that the woman provided her with what was turning out to be a killer stress release. Which, these days, Cecilia badly needed.

After a quick sip of her water bottle, she moved back toward the bag and started another punch combo. After a few jabs, she felt a set of eyes watching her, and she spun on her heel to see who had joined her in the gym.

"Hey Doc," Angel greeted her with an easy smile, sipping her water bottle. "Sorry, don't let me interrupt, I just want a treadmill. Gotta exercise the old leg here."

She made her way over to the treadmill, smiling all the while. "You alright? Haven't seen anyone got at a punching bag like that in a while."

"You sure about that?" Cecilia smirked. "Look at where we live." She figured she'd use Angel's appearance as a convenient excuse for another break and started stretching her arms a little. "Although I guess Logan can't really hit these things that hard, since, you know, snikt." She pantomimed claws tearing a bag apart.

"Logan going at a punching bag is the next YouTube sensation," Angel laughed. "So how're things in the med lab? You guys must've been pretty overloaded with all the fallout."

"That's a good way to put it." Cecilia rubbed her nose. "Can't say I slept much after everyone got back, especially with Jean in the Box and Clarice having to be forced to act in her own best interest for a little while. Most time I'd ever spent with Laurie. Or Amelia for that matter. Which..." She made a little bit of a face.

"On the other hand, it was strangely validating to be that useful again, whatever that says about me." She shrugged, not really sure whether she wanted to go into all of that with Angel. "How are the kids holding up after the art education trip that turned out to be a little more hands-on than expected?"

"It reminded you why you don't spend much time with Amelia?" Angel asked with a wink. Not that she'd ever really crossed Amelia, but she'd heard more than enough stories to know she was someone to avoid getting on the bad side of.

"Well I'm not sure what this says about them, but they're holding up pretty well. I think at this point it's just kind of expected territory - mutant field trip equals trouble. Which I mean, it's always been that way, was when I was a student too - wow I sound old - it just sucks it has to be that way sometimes."

"Okay, first of all, you are not old. Not even close to old. The fact that you're even suggesting that just, like, wounds me." Cecilia grinned, mostly to make sure Angel knew she was teasing. She crouched down to grab an energy bar, unwrapped it, then stood back up. "Can't say I ever went on a field trip while I was here, but I'm grateful for that. Although, you know," she bobbed her head as she took a bite out of her snack. "Art festival in District X? We all ought to have seen that one coming."

"You're only as old you feel, right?" Angel sipped her water, laughing. "Hey, I dream of a world where students can go on field trips to anywhere, including a mutant-populated area, and not have to worry about paintings come to life and attacking them. It's not a horrible dream, is it?"

"Not a horrible dream. That's what life was kinda like, before everything got complicated, and we learned we were the special chosen people or whatever. Chosen for what, I'm not sure. Field trip misery, I guess."

"What a horrible burden we have," Angel said with a sigh. "Forever cursed to have horrible field trips for the rest of our existence. A heavy burden, but someone must shoulder it I guess."

"Yeah, but aren't you choosing to shoulder a lot more of that burden then the rest of us?" Cecilia shrugged as she took a bit of her bar. "I mean, come on, you're like the queen of the New Mutants or whatever," she teased. "Impressive undertaking."

"Well queen does have a nice ring to it but unfortunately I don't think I'll get anyone to call me that any time soon." Angel laughed. "They get it worse than I do anyways. I just deal with the aftermath."

"That's it's own kind of hard," Cecilia pointed out. "I mean, I deal with aftermath for a living, in some ways. So does Haller. Doesn't mean it's easy, especially when you're talking about teenagers." She wasn't sure what the point of this particular aside was, so she shrugged and glanced back at the punching bag. "That's why I beat the stuffing out of a mega-duffel."

"Everyone copes in their own way." Angel smiled, rolling her shoulders back. "You beat up punching bags. Haller does...whatever Haller does. Drinks probably." And Angel put on a smile and tried to keep seeing the good in the world, because if she spent all her time focusing on the bad, there'd be no time for anything else.

"Drinking helps. Sex too."

Angel snorted at that. "I'll keep that in mind," she assured Cecilia as she took another swig of water.