Hope, Jean and QQ: a troublesome training session (backdated)

[xp_trance]

During a training session with Jean a new part of Hope's abilities manifests. QQ unfortunately gets caught up in it all. 

 

“It's been some time since I have been here."  Hope spoke as she took shape on the astral plane, a soft pearly glow illuminating the darkness around them just a little. "It has not gotten any less eerie though. It never does." She reached out with her mind tentatively and the plane responded. The glow of her fingertips on her right hand first dimmed before being covered with the darkness around them. "Nor does this ever change."  

"It can change," Jean said as her form shimmered into being. "It just takes practice." 

Setting foot on the 'floor' of the astral plane, grass sprung up, radiating outward. Above them, the sun started to rise in reds, oranges, and purples before fading into a light blue. Powder white clouds puffed across the sky like cotton candy. 

Jean smiled. "And that's why we're here." "You know..." Hope raised her hand and the darkness crept further, covering her entire hand. "... I've attempted feats like that a few times, but it never seemed to work. The cloaking thing, the only thing I have managed, is interesting, but I have never quite seen it's use." 

"It can be beneficial when dealing with malicious psi users on the astral plane," Jean explained as the sky turned into a sunset before fading to black and stars winked into being. "This is only one part of it. Not everyone is on the same level. If you can cloak yourself it makes you easier to hide." 

Hope had to grin a little. "I can see the tactical advantage of it, but since there isn't much I can actually do here..." She gestured to indicate the environment around her. "...I have very little reason to come here. Hence the very little use. It's the same thing with the bonds between people I can see here. It sounds quite nice, but if there is no one to track..."  

"Then perhaps we should go lower," Jean said thoughtfully. "The Astral Plane works a little like the atmosphere. Think of the mind as an airplane. Telepaths are pilots who know how to get their mind off the ground and into a different atmosphere, like the sky. There are optimum levels to go, but sometimes you can adjust to different areas before getting back to earth."  

She smiled. "Make sense?" 

"So since I am not a telepath this is not the domain of the astral plane where I am at my strongest? And there are other areas where I might be though?" Hope tilted her head thoughtfully. "It makes sense that my abilities would work differently. What is there at the lower levels?"   

Jean paused. "It can be really tricky to navigate. Sort of like...taking your airplane close to the ground without landing. Or...like I don't know...being a ghost while still having a body. It can be dangerous. Most telepaths tend to stay up here." 

"Taking the plane close to the ground... so it's closer to the real world? Or at least a representation of it?" A flash of memory made Hope shudder slightly suddenly.   

"Sort of..." Jean tilted her head. "Are you okay?"  

"I... I was just reminded... I think I have been on the level of the astral plane that you just described... the first time I was drawn here..." Hope shuddered again, but she firmly retook herself. "It's just... but I cannot... the previous you..."  

Jean fell silent a moment. "The previous me did what?" she said. It was a grab bag which her she was talking about, the good or bad? 

"Are you sure you wish to know?" Hope waited for a moment for Jean to speak up and protest, but when none came she continued: "My introduction to the astral plane was not exactly gentle... During a mission I was caught in a tidal wave and nearly drowned. My companions managed to pull me out, but my mind had somehow separated from my body and ended up here. I was unable to get back and the past you came to find me... she found me in, what I think, is the level of the astral plane you just described. I don't remember much of it, but I know it took a bit of psychic surgery to get me back into my body..."  

Almost subconsciously, the world around them started to throw a little lusher, with beautiful flowers and trees, trying to soothe. Jean let out a breath. "I imagine that was a very scary situation," she said. 

"With the things we can do, sometimes our mind has a way of being able to escape in the face of death even when our body can't," she said, her mind drifting momentarily to Quentin. She smiled at Hope. "I'm glad the other me was able to help you get that sorted out. Are you afraid to go there again?" 

Hope paused a moment, reigning in her mind even more firmly. "More deeply uneasy than scared." She finally spoke. "The circumstances are quite different and this time I am not alone. Nor am I the same person I was then."   

"What's causing the unease then?" Jean said.  

"From what I do remember.... the images of the people frozen in time as the tidal wave hit or just after..." Hope explained after taking stock of herself. "They are rather haunting. I know that is not what I'll be seeing now, but it's like the threat is still there."  

Jean frowned with a sympathetic nod. "I can only imagine how horrible that was. I think...having already been through it, preparing yourself for any potential situations like that will help. The first time had to have been a shock. Right now, we're just practicing. You won't see it. But if you're ever in a place where it happens again and you know you can't help, perhaps you could...say goodbye to them, or a prayer if it brings you comfort, then help the ones you still can save." She let out a breath. 

"It's easy to say right now, but that's why we practice. It's all we can do." 

It took a moment to sink in, but Hope nodded. "Let's do this then. Now that I am thinking about it... seeing bonds makes a whole lot more sense if there is a layer where actually representations of people are present. You go first and I will follow?"   

Giving Hope a smile, Jean nodded. "Stick close to me," she said. The world around them fell away, and it seemed as if they were floating over the mansion like a bird soaring on the wind. Without the tether of the ground it was easy to fall. 

As the mansion came into view Hope focused and she slowed down even more. A few shimmery figures moved below them and colors surrounding them suddenly jumped to life. Their auras were at least somewhat familiar, but with the glowing lines between them the part of her powers that allowed her to see bonds between people suddenly made a whole lot of sense. "Wow, have you ever quite seen it like this?" She directed her mind towards transmitting a clear picture of how she perceived people.  

 "I can usually see the links connected to people but I try not to go down to this level much. It's a little too personal and I try not to pry. The auras are new, though," Jean said. tilting her head as a curious smile formed on her lips. "It's beautiful." 

"This is not so bad indeed. But I think it's more than just the links." Hope watched all the interplays of the colors in both the auras and the links with a small smile on her face. "The colors of the emotions in the aura also shimmer in the bonds... strange... I never realized this... must be the emotions towards each other..."   

"Could be," Jean said thoughtfully. "Definitely a different way to look at things. And you didn't seen this before? With...other me?" 

"No, I did. I just did not realize the full complexity of what I was seeing. Especially that first time it were just those terrible images, just overlayed with so many colors...  Only later I realized what I had seen, but I never really returned to this level of the astral plane..."  

"With your own heightened emotions at the time it probably didn't help," Jean said. She glanced around. "Well, let's take it slow for this first outing. Maybe focus on one or two people, then branch out." 

"It would probably be easiest to limit ourselves to the grounds then." Hope ignored the colors emanating from the mansion and floated more in the direction of the most used areas. "The pool at least drew one admirer today." Slow she drew closer, studying the various colors shimmering around him and strangely, the lack of cords that signified bonds.  

Not much in the way of bonds, though. Preferring his solitude as always, Quentin was sprawled half-asleep on a lounge chair by the pool, drifting in and out of consciousness. A margarita pitcher now filled only with rapidly melting ice sat on the table next to him along with a portable speaker blaring the latest Kim Petras. He probably would have ended up blacking out if left to his own devices, except for a nagging feeling in his head that incessantly demanded his attention. Without thinking much (typical), he opened a telepathic eye to the astral plane. 

It was like a psychic gnat buzzing around his head. It could have been any number of phenomena, flitting around this lower level of the astral plane that telepaths typically ignored, but trauma left only one possible option for Quentin: the Shadow King back for revenge. Suddenly awake, he raised a telepathic hand to swat the fly, but suffering from a liter of homemade margs, untreated post-traumatic stress, and his usual lack of psychic finesse, his move did not have the intended effect. 

Absorbed by the interplay of colors Hope drew even closer, almost unconsciously. She almost didn't see it coming, the shimmering hand moving towards her at high speed and she 'dove' to avoid it... straight 'into' Quentin.  

In her mind she pulled the oyster close around the pearl that represented herself, locking her safely away from weird phenomena. Slowly she opened her eyes to take in what happened and she stared at the pool on the school grounds. This though.... this was the normal world... not the astral plane... and when she tried to move her hand, her body would not respond... 

The rough pavement brought Quentin back to consciousness. What was he doing on the ground? Brownouts and falling over weren't new experiences for Quentin, but having them following a psychic disturbance was, well, disturbing. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, but couldn't move his legs to stand up. He felt heavy and dense, and lacked the muscle power to move. And not only had that buzzing not gone away, it was even louder, more intense. The Brood X cicadas had nothing on the din in his head. 

"Fuck, no more tequila with an actual worm in it . . ." he said hoarsely. 

She 'felt' herself moving and the perspective shifted as she 'sat up', but when she again tried to move her hand... nothing happened. Hope tried to move her head... nothing happened. This wasn't making any sense... She had no control over her 'body', but she was moving... Since she had been working/observing with the psi's, she focused and called out: "Hello?"  

Quentin's head shot up and he surveyed his surroundings, like a rabbit searching for a nearby predator. There was a voice in his head. Despite his sudden lethargy, he seemed to mostly retain control over his body, so this wasn't a possession like he had feared. The presence was familiar, too. So maybe not a predator? "Who's there?" he asked wearily. "If this is an elaborate knock-knock joke, I'm gonna throw you <i>through</i> a door..." 

"It's Hope!" She fought to keep her mental voice even. "I... I seem to have ended up in your head..."  

Quentin's phone sprang to life. The caller ID read 'Jean Grey.'  

Jean telekinetically kept her own phone pressed to her ear, letting out a sigh as she checked Hope's body's vitals.  Unlike Quentin's encounter, Hope had a body, one that was currently unoccupied mentally. The functions were still there but Jean was loathe to think about what would happen if Hope stayed in Quentin's mind for too long.  

Still unable to physically move much, Quentin summoned his phone with his own TK, and put it on speaker when he picked up. "This is your fault, isn't it?" he screamed into the speaker. It was too much of a coincidence that the queen psychic herself would call him mere moments after an astral disturbance. "The hell were you doing?" 

"Yes, I did this on purpose just to ruin your day," Jean said, timing Hope's pulse with her fingers pressed against her neck. 

"Hope and I were practicing her astral projection capabilities when she got a little too close to you and was pulled in. Are you both alright?" 

"I feel like I gained a hundred fifty pounds," answered snidely, "And it feels like I have to fight my body to be able to move, and maybe I have a concussion when I fell, but otherwise I'm peachy. Now can you put down the phone and fix this?" 

Frustration made Hope lock down her fear and unease for a moment and mentally she snapped: 'Are you done with your little temper tantrum? It is not like I want to be here anymore then you wish for me to be here.'  

"You try getting possessed by sentient malevolent darkness . . . after having already been possessed once by the Shadow King, and see how you like it," Quentin snapped back. He turned his attention back to his phone. "Jean. Pool. Now." 

Jean rubbed her forehead. "Okay. Let's all take a breath. I'm getting Clarice to watch Hope's body. I'll be there shortly. Try not to murder each other before I get there," she said. The phone turned off with a beep. 

Hope mentally 'crossed her arms'. 'How long have you known my mental signature by now? If that is what you do with every psychic thing that surprised you...'  

A few deep breaths and an impressive display of upper body strength (also telekinesis) finally got Quentin up off the ground and back to his chair. "You're funny, thinking I've taken the effort to notice you. And besides, you try getting smacked in the face with a whole astral person, see how you take it." 

Two or three more minutes passed before Jean made her way outside and to the pool. One of the pool umbrellas skidded over, shielding Quentin (and Hope) from the sun as Jean, dressed in her lab coat, crouched down.

"How are we doing?" she said, moving to check Quentin's vitals as well. 

"Seems to have no impact on your regular functions, Quentin. Hope, your body is okay, Clarice is looking after it. We need to figure out a way to get the two of you separated. And that will likely require another trip to the Astral Plane." She took a seat in one of the chairs next to Quentin's. 

"Think the two of you are up for that?" 

Hope didn't reply immediately, 'staring' at the colors surrounding Jean and the cord of shimmering light that connected her with QQ. It took her a moment to shake out of it. ~My apologies. This is rather strange... I seem to have kept both my aura sight and my ability to see links between people... even while stuck in this pretentious twit's head. And as for slipping onto the astral plane... Something seems to be holding on rather tightly here.~ 

Jean nodded thoughtfully. "Hmmm. Good to know. And I also know this is a crappy situation but can you both try not to tear each other apart please? I know neither of you asked for this. The sooner you work together, the sooner you can get away from each other," she said. She tilted her head at Quentin.

"Q, are you able to get to the astral plane?" she said.

He nodded and wordlessly traversed to the psychic realm, appearing in his usual getup of his high school uniform adorned with medals and epaulettes like the dictator of a banana republic. But there was also an unusual golden bracelet on his wrist, with a tether that trailed off into the clouds. 

"This doesn't match my outfit at all."

Jean soon joined him in the astral plane, tilting her head at the piece of jewelry he was talking about. ~Hope....do you own any special bracelets?~  She knew Hope wouldn't be able to see it but at least she might know what she was talking about.

~I almost never wear them, so nothing that jumps to mind..~ Hope paused as she considered and her mind jumped back to the vaguely remembered mental picture from when she ended up in QQ. ~Are there pearls on it?~

 

Jean squinted. ~Yes, I think so. Is that important?~ 

~Maybe?~ Hope frowned a little as she thought. ~I have always managed my powers through visualizations... and I remember something about an oyster shell enclosing a pearl when I was startled. And then I ended up in his head.~ She just managed to withhold her mental glare. 

 

~I'd much prefer a pearl necklace.~ Whether or not Quentin intended to keep that stray thought to himself was anyone's guess, but he was typically unapologetic about the innuendo. "Well, points for attempting to accessorize, I guess. But, anyway. Surgery time, Doc."

 

Jean closed her eyes for moment at the necklace comment, then shook her head. ~It's not that easy. We have to figure out the best way to separate the two of you. If we don't do it delicately parts of Hope might remain.~

 

 She let out a deep breath. ~Hope, I need you to relax. Quentin, you too. It's possible that all the stress and tension is keeping you two tethered. So let's try some meditation. Visualize yourself floating on a calm sea. Don't pay attention to anything other than my voice.~ Her own voice was light and calming.

 

~As you float on the sea, you let yourself be gently pulled along by the soft waves. It's quiet. The only thing you hear is the lapping of water.~

 

Hope easily gave herself over to Jean's voice, used to guided visualizations from her training, and slowly she tried to let go of her frustration at QQ. She could feel something float just at the edge of her consciousness, the mental image from when she had ended up in QQ's head. She tried to reach for it, but just when she was able to grab it, it floated just out of her reach. ~Could someone...?~ 

 

Quentin—who now found himself at Jean's word back in his swimming briefs, floating listlessly in the sea Jean described—raised a hand, putting astral form to Hope's psychic gesture, effectively lending her a small portion of his power in aid.

 

The picture of the oyster clamped close slowly cleared and Hope studied it carefully. It was clamped close tightly and when she looked closer, thin golden chains seemed to be loosely wrapped around it. Drawing in a deep breath, she pictured the oyster releasing itself, the chains sliding away. Something released in her mind and she felt a little less heavy. Opening her eyes again she studied the oyster which had opened up, but which was still held back by the chains. ~Jean, I think I am almost there... but the chains... that isn't me... Any chance you can help with that?~

 

~Because the two of you are merged together, you both have influence on the other's mind right now. You can't move the chains because they don't belong to you..~ Jean said. A mermaid version of the redhead came to rest beside the oyster.

 

~Connections don't come from thin air. They're often made from something, such as emotion. The stronger the emotion, the stronger the connection.~ She gently ran her hand along one of the chains but didn't move it as she closed her eyes.

 

~This one is made from fear.~ 

 

Opening her eyes, she floated on the water beside Quentin, staring up at the stars that had shimmered into being in the sky. She glanced over at him. ~You have to be the one to let it go.~

 

His first instinct, to make a lewd comment at Jean's getup, died on his lips when he understood what she was saying to him. He adjusted his position, treading water right-side up instead of floating on his back, and glared daggers at her. Metaphorical ones, at least for now. "I'm not afraid," he insisted, "What the hell would make you think that? I've been through much worse, astrally speaking. I don't do fear. This is ridiculous. Who're you trying to fool, anyway?"

 

It went on like that for another minute before Jean's calm, patient, no-nonsense expression shut him up. "Fuck," he groaned. She was correct, of course. When he'd accidentally trapped Hope, fear was his primary reaction. Fear that he had been trapped again, that the worst thing that ever happened to him—being held captive in his own body, watching a monster use it to spread carnage, without any purpose beyond chaos—was repeating itself.

 

And now he was doing much of that himself to someone else, which scared him more. And though Jean didn't say it in so many words, she needed him to break this cycle. 

 

He could do that. He was Kid Omega, a telepath of the highest caliber. Fear would not rule him. 

 

He reached out and touched a link of the chain, which crumbled to dust. The rest of it followed.

 

Hope 'saw' the chains release from the oyster and suddenly it was like she was inside the shell, only to be catapulted from it one moment later. She saw mermaid Jean and QQ floating beneath her for a second before closing her eyes and controlling her descent, coming down to hover above them. The oyster had just vanished. "So, that was that... thank you." She commented as she hovered above them. "Back to our bodies now, I guess?" 

 

Jean smiled. "That's the plan," she said. "Clarice is with your body right now. I'll be with you physically in a second. I want to make sure Quentin's okay. Are you good to get back on your own?"

 

"That should be fine." She could already feel the tug of the waves tickling at the back of her mind. "Then I will see you there." Closing her eyes, Hope let the waves overwhelm her and draw her back to her body. 

 

 Quentin was still for a moment, letting the serenity of the ocean wash over him before he returned to the loud crass material world. He was still sitting on his chair as if no time had passed, although his limbs felt stiff. He stretched, as much for his comfort as for making a show for Jean. 

 

"Saved the day once again, Doc," he said. "What would we do without you?"

 

"I'm sure you would have figured it out eventually," Jean said with a smile. She studied him carefully, then added quietly. "Are you alright?"

 

He shrugged. "It's fine, whatever. Try to keep these amateurs in check, though, would you?"

 

Jean laughed. "I'll try my best," she said. "But gotta teach them to not be amateurs first."

 

She patted him on the arm. "Sorry to scare you like that. If you need to talk later, come by any time, okay?"