Log: Bobbi and Maya, Sunday morning

[xp-mockingbird.livejournal.com]

Bobbi runs into Maya after jogging, and they end up talking about her time at the mansion so far.


Bobbi was rubbing her hands together and blowing on them as she stood in the kitchen, waiting for the kettle to finish boiling. She'd been out jogging and it was freezing cold outside, so she'd made a beeline for the kitchen to make herself a nice, hot cup of tea as soon as she'd gotten back.

Between watching a boiling kettle - her mother would tsk so hard at her for doing that - and trying to warm up, she hadn't heard anyone else enter the room and continued to hum to herself while she waited.

Maya, being deaf was always a great deal louder then most hearing people, given that she never had an indication beyond others reaction as to how much noise she was making.

So she was somewhat surprised that the woman she'd seen about the place but never formally met didn't notice her until she'd sat down on one of the stools that stood around the massive kitchen island and waved.

"Hi."

Jumping a little, Bobbi quickly both collected and scolded herself for not paying attention. She smiled as she turned around and saw a familiar face she hadn't formally met yet either and she waved.

"Hi there, sorry about that. I let myself get a little distracted there." She extended a hand and walked over to offer it to the other woman. "I don't think we've met in person yet, I'm Bobbi."

"Maya," Maya replied, reaching over the island to shake her hand. "You from around here?"

"I live here now, but I'm from California originally," Bobbi said. "I like it here well enough but I'd be lying if I said I missed the weather there." Especially on winter days such as then. "How about yourself? Also, I was just about to have some tea, would you like some?"

"Originally from a place called Lame Deer in Montana but I guess I'm from here now, least for a little while," Maya replied, tapping her fingers on the benchtop as she thought about tea. "What kind of tea?"

"I've never been to Montana, bet it's nice there though." She liked the idea of wide open spaces and being able to run somewhere like that regularly. "I've just got a bit of Earl Gray for myself but there's more varieties in the cupboard there I do believe." Bobbi nodded towards a nearby cupboard where they kept their coffee and tea reserves.

"It was okay, pretty anyhow." Maya replied, she didn't like to think of it much - missing home just made her feel helpless, and that just made her feel angry. "I prefer sweet tea, but I'll get something later."

"Ok, fair enough." she replied with a smile. The kettle was finished boiling so Bobbi picked it up and carefully poured some of the hot water into her mug. "So, I never really quite know how to ask this, but what is it you do exactly?" It was always an awkward question to bring up, no matter how many times she'd attempted to ask it. "I've got enhanced reflexes, stamina, strength, in general."

"It's a little hard to explain honestly - I copy physical stuff," Maya replied with a shrug, tapping her fingers against the surface of the bench. "Rogue tried to explain but I'm not really sure I understood it. Something about photographic recall."

"Huh, I see, cool," Bobbi said. It sounded pretty interesting, a lot more so than her own abilities at least. She put the kettle back and put a spoon in her tea, letting it sit and steep for a while before taking her first sip. "How've you been finding it here at the school so far?"

“Guess that would depend on who you ask,” Maya replied, becoming somewhat engrossed in her finger nails as she imagined some of the people here talking about her. They probably thought they were the cat’s whiskers as well, as her Grandmother liked to say. “I’m coping, I guess. Why do you care?”

"Just curious is all. I remember first coming here and finding it a little odd, at least at first." Bobbi didn't come there as a teenager, however, but it still took some adjusting nonetheless. "And I know you haven't asked, but if you ever do have any questions or need help with anything, feel free to ask."

"It's not odd," Maya replied with a shrug. "It's just not home and I'm not sure if I want it to be yet. I keep thinking Dad's going to call Wade any moment now and it'll all go back to how it was, only it doesn't. I'm just tired of everyone else being completely okay with that."

"Time will tell, I suppose." Bobbi wasn't sure what else to say to that, really. Adjusting to a change on that kind of level was pretty subjective, she figured, and there wasn't much anyone could say or do other than listen, so that's what she was trying to do.

With her tea done, Bobbi decided to indulge herself a little and went to the cupboard for a package of miniature swiss rolls. She carefully opened its plastic wrapper before offering its contents to Maya first, eyebrows raised in a silent 'want one?' gesture. Maya accepted one and bit down with a touch of relish – she loved Swiss rolls, especially the ones that had a layer of jelly in them as well as cream.

“I guess, it’s like I got given two choices, and one would have been beyond selfish but they’d have all tried to make it so I could choose it even if it meant everything else went to sh*t and the other choice was the right one for everyone else but it meant I didn’t get a say in anything after I made it, everything since then has just been a million ways of telling me that I’m a horrible, selfish person because the right choice is so hard and I hate it,” Maya explained between bites, warming to her explanation. “And, I know I’m not a saint but you’d think we wouldn’t all be playing ‘my life is harder than yours’ bingo but everyone is and I just feel like I’m the one that always ends up losing when I make a choice that’s for me rather than for someone else. How is any of that even fair?”

"It isn't fair, it sounds like the old 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' scenario to me." Where no one is a winner, unfortunately, and that's exactly what Maya seemed to be going through. Bobbi took a second bite of her own Swiss roll, finishing it off with it - she loved them too and couldn't hold back much longer than that - then crinkled up the wrapper before placing it in a nearby trash bin.

"It's hard, if not impossible, to do what's best for you when everyone else is playing that game." She'd been there before but wasn't about to join in on the 'my life is hard too' bandwagon with her. "Wish I had some better advise to give or things to say but, well." She had tea to offer and Swiss rolls, of which there were still more packages of in the cupboard, to which she nodded with her head. "There's more to be had if you'd like?"

“Thanks,” Maya replied – eating the last of her current Swiss roll – she gestured for Bobbi to hand over another. “For everything, I guess. I mean, I’ve got Haller to talk to but he’s my therapist so it’s different; and there’s others but, I don’t know – sometimes it’s just easier to be angry then to talk. Guess you caught me at the right time for it?”

Bobbi slid another package over to the younger mutant with a little smile. "Anytime, Maya. Timing is everything I guess, and speaking of which," she said, wrinkling her nose a bit, "it's time for me to get a shower after all that jogging I think." She took her empty mug over and placed it in the sink. "It was nice talking with you though, and like I said, anytime you want to talk again just say the word, ok?"