Jean and Topaz: Nope

[x-jeangrey.livejournal.com]

Topaz runs into Jean in the hallway. She has a serious case of do not want.



Topaz had long ago mastered the art of walking and reading. She walked through the halls with confidence as her eyes skimmed the words of the book in front of her -- Macbeth. There was something so strange about an American high school teaching Shakespeare.

Of course there were some things her talent didn't account for. Like when she whipped around corners without thinking. Or looking.

"Sorry!" She said quickly as she walked into someone. She took a step back, shaking her head. "Sorry, that was stupid, I should've..." Her voice drifted off as she looked up and saw who exactly she'd walked into. "Ah..."

Jean had barely sensed the young woman before she saw her, narrowly avoiding a collision. She stumbled backward, almost in mirrored unison with the girl's own footsteps.

She shook her head. "It's no problem," she said with a smile, then tilted her head at just how startled she looked. It was more than just surprise. Her face was blanched, like she'd seen a ghost. Or was having a nightmare.

"Are you alright?"

"Ah..."

Say something you bloody idiot! Gonna be damn hard to explain that the world ended again because you're mental!

"Yeah," Topaz finally said quickly, shaking her head. "S-Sorry. You just uh...I usually feel people comin' before I walk into them." Her accent was just a bit thicker than usual.

"Didn't realize you were there. Sorry."

Jean kept her smile, soft, warm, hoping to put the girl at ease. She didn't know why she was so spooked but she didn't want to do anything more to exacerbate things.

"It's okay. I usually feel them too. But nothing got broken or spilled so I think we're okay," she said. She extended her hand.

"I'm Jean. I'm going to be working in the medlab."

Telepath. She's probably still a telepath moron. Focus.

Topaz slammed her shields down, swallowing hard as she took Jean's hand. "Topaz. I mean, that's my name. I'm one of the students. Nice to meet you. Are you uh...new?"

Jean hadn't been listening, she never did, but she did notice the sudden strengthening of her mental walls, as if she had something to hide. Like she knew what she could do. It was curious, but it was possible word got around. She let it go in stride, being used to some weariness around telepaths. It was natural. She didn't take it personally.

"New to the mansion but I've worked with a few people that live here," she said, nodding.

"You said you could sense people coming. Are you a telepath as well?"

Topaz squirmed a bit, shoving her hands in her sweatshirt pockets, eyes dodging to the side for a moment. "Ah...not really. Mostly empath." Look at her, look at her. Look at her for Christ's sake. She finally lifted her eyes to meet Jean's gaze. She did seem nice enough at least. Even if it was all just weird. "I have very secondary telepathy."

"It can get tricky, can't it? To always know what people are feeling," Jean said sympathetically.

"On the one hand you never have to guess, but on the other...you never have to guess. You feel it all the time. It's never just your emotions."

She smiled softly. "If you ever need help with it, I could try. Admittedly...I get empathic bleed sometimes. Especially when the emotions are strong. But I'm getting better at it."

As much as Topaz didn't want to admit it, she did need some help. Her shields were still a bit of a mess - she'd never had anyone to help her fix them when they'd gotten here.

But she didn't need it desperately enough to let someone from this universe anywhere near her head.

"Thanks. I'll um...I'll remember that."

Judging by the look in the girl's eyes, Jean could tell it was something she said just to make conversation but would probably not be taken up on. But she wasn't going to push. She looked spooked enough, even if she didn't know why. And she didn't want to make it any worse.

"Well, it was nice to meet you," she said with a smile. "I should probably get going. Enjoy your book."

"Nice meetin' you too." Blimey if that wasn't weird as all hell. She looked down at her book, making a face at it. "Still think Shakespeare in American high schools is weird," she muttered, more to herself.

"Shakespeare in general is weird, I think," Jean mused. "But beautiful. Once you figure out what he's trying to say. I think it's something better appreciated when you're older." She turned.

"Have a nice day," she said, then started to leave.

"British." As if it needed clarification. "We're taught to appreciate Shakespeare before we're taught to walk."

She would be lying if she said she wasn't grateful for the chance to escape. "See you around." She hurried off quickly. Her suite would be safe at least.