April & Betsy | Surrealism in Cold Blood
Feb. 16th, 2022 04:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsApril meets Betsy in the pre-dawn hours of the morning, and ends up getting some inspiration for her schoolwork.
On the television, David Attenborough was talking about snakes as another episode of Life in Cold Blood began. That was… the fourth one maybe? Or fifth? Betsy was starting to accept she would not sleep tonight either. She had put on the documentary series and built herself a cozy nest of pillows and blankets on the rec room sofa she had appropriated in the vain hope that a change of scenery from the mess that was her shared suite with Quentin would help her doze off. Sometimes it worked, but tonight was not the night. She was so tired that the unfamiliar mind in her vicinity took a while to register. She looked curiously towards the figure standing in the doorway.
"Up late," April said with a small upwards quirk of her lips. "Or early, maybe?" She made her way to the edge of the sofa, sketchbook and pencil case clutched loose in her hands. "Mind if I sit? I need to do some surrealist pieces for class, and snakes and the television seem as good an option as anything else.”
“That greatly depends on what time is it,” Betsy replied blearily, rubbing her forehead with the back of one hand and burrowing further into her blanket. “And go for it, if I wanted privacy I could have stayed in my quarters.” She realised that didn’t sound particularly polite but was too tired to correct herself. “I don’t think we have met before?"
"Late enough that I'm too antsy to sleep more but early enough that my alarm to get ready hasn't gone off yet." April crossed her legs as she got comfortable on the sofa, sketchbook propped open on her lap. "I don't think we have either... I'd remember your hair. I'm April. Any particular reason you're up so late, or is Attenborough that mesmerizing?" She pulled one of her pencils out, the graphite scratching lightly across paper as she laid down the foundations for the piece.
“Ah, yes, I think I’ve seen you on the journals. Nice to meet you, April. I’m Betsy. As for the late hour I am having some trouble sleeping, and thought that Attenborough might help. Not that I think he’s boring, mind, but he does have a soothing voice…” The sentence trailed off as Betsy’s train of thought careened off the rails, leaving her briefly staring into space. She shook her head clear and glanced curiously at the open sketchbook, trying to get a peek at the other woman’s work. “What kind of a class are you taking?"
"Insomnia's the worst." April turned her sketchbook towards the other woman, mostly perspective outlines with a light sketch of a drooping television. "Drawing class as an elective. We started with surrealism, and I've been trying to find some inspiration for a few days. Not my usual style, but I won't grow if I stay in my comfort zone forever."
“It’s pretty unpleasant. I was having an easier time sleeping for a while after moving in with my roommate, but, well, things happened.” Betsy made a vague hand gesture to indicate the nature of said things. It was not very illuminating. “I think I’m up to about 70 hours now?” She studied the sketch thoughtfully. “I think you could use a bit more shade here - “ she pointed to an area of the paper “- for just the slightest indication of coils, if you see where I’m coming from? There are people here with a much better knowledge of art than I would dream of having though,” she smiled at the other woman. "What’s your main field then, if art is an elective?"
"70? Might be worth talking to Doc Grey," April said lightly. "Main field's mechanical engineering, but they require a chunk of non-technical things and I like sketching for fun." She added shade where Betsy indicated, the rounding shape adding a little extra dimension to the bit she'd gotten down. "Thanks, that's going to look pretty good with a splash of color, I think. What about you? Art interest?"
“I’ve mentioned it to her before, but I guess I could bring it up if it isn’t better by the next time we have powers practice. She has enough on her plate as it is though,” Betsy all but shrugged off the suggestion. “As for me, I am what some would describe as ‘unburdened’ and others as ‘NEET’. In other words, pretty much a freeloader here apart from the occasional bout of usefulness when someone needs to be thought at very loudly. Unfortunately my education, as expensive as it must have been for my guardians, is not of much use unless one is looking for an appropriately well-connected spouse on the other side of the pond. I am fond of art though."
"I'm imagining very regency, heavy on decorum and the arts but light on literature and the sciences? Maybe I've just read Austen a bit too recently, though." April's smile was wry, and her pencil moved in curves as she shaded a snake. "Powers practice? Are you ah.. mental arts as well, then?"
Betsy snorted at the description. “That is… not totally inaccurate. I went to a very traditional boarding school, and even if on paper we had the best labs they could buy, working with your hands just wasn’t ladylike unless it was arts or piano. The library was well stocked though, much like here.” She leaned back against the sofa and closed her eyes briefly, before turning back to April. “And yes, I’m another telepath, although not as accomplished as Dr Grey. What about you, spider powers, right? I think I read something about you giving some of ours a bit of a workout when you first arrived?”
"Ah, the portal was... Weird looking arrival, communication issues, bit of a mess? Didn't help that I'd morphed into a form we didn't know I had before being blown through, although the combination probably saved my life." April shrugged. "And yes, spider powers with some extras, but I'm still figuring out the extent of that. Apparently that entire monster form, if I get angry enough. I'll need to work to keep it from coming out at a bad time, or getting stuck again. What's being a telepath like? Seems like it'd be pretty miserable until you could block other people out."
“A monster form does sound pretty different from the regular spider set as far as I know. Interesting though, and possibly quite useful? And this is one of the best places to be for powers control, or at least that’s what I was told before getting sent here,” Betsy smiled to soften her words.
“As for the telepath thing, well…” She grimaced a bit. “You have probably already figured out that being a mutant is not exactly considered a good thing in this dimension? My parents’ must have had some suspicions about me and Brian - my twin - since they had us tested, but they managed to get the results marked as negative for the X-gene on our records. Unfortunately they died before telling us the truth, so teen me ended up in an emergency room saying I heard voices, and, well. My other brother is a paranoid schizophrenic, so I spent a lot of time in mental hospitals until Brian got access to their records and figured out the whole story.”
"Kurt said it was one of the best places when I met him a few weeks ago as well. Also suggested that I ask one of you to take a look, that maybe it could help me figure out how to switch forms safely? Which I fully plan on doing once I'm sure I've got everything I knew about consistently back under control. I think it will be useful though, if I can get past the communication gap." April frowned at the reminder of how some enhanced were viewed here, and it deepened as Betsy recounted her story. "Yeah. Portal probably saved my life, but it did me no favors with the political landscape. And that.. God, I can't imagine how awful that might've been for a young telepath. I'm glad you were eventually able to get out, but that sort of thing lingers, I'd imagine.”
“Jean or Emma will probably be best able to help with that, they both have a lot of experience with more unusual mindscapes, in case the form is more than skin deep. Although any of us should be able to ease the communication difficulties a bit...” Betsy was briefly distracted by baby snakes hatching on the television and made a small cooing noise under her breath. “Aww, look at the adorable tiny venom factories. Go on, bite the camera!” She grew serious again. “I know that there must be worse realities out there but I do wish this one had better politicians. Anyway, in comparison to many of the people here I got away lightly, and I don’t have to worry about getting beaten up if I go outside without an image inducer or any of that rubbish. I could go on to live a semi-normal life if I chose. Was that an option for people with visible mutations in your world?"
April's laughter at Betsy's comment to the baby snakes was almost silent, a huffed exhale and slight shaking of her shoulders the only thing giving away her mirth. Once she thought she could talk without laughing, she answered the other woman's questions. "I'm not entirely sure, because I didn't know many? Franklin had to wear a special helm to protect others from the radiation he leaked. Lyja--Ms. Fantastic, she's Franklin's aunt--was green, but also a shapeshifter? People think twice about attacking a lady that can turn into a dragon, though. But.. in general? Things for enhanced were better. Wary. Cautious. But not hunted, as far as I was aware. And the other enhanced here, that Avengers team? Most of them were retired or just not part of things, anymore. Probably all about 15-20 years older than they are here.”
“It used to be, well, less bad at least, before M-day. Maybe with time things will get better here too. So far they are showing signs of doing the opposite,” Betsy sighed. The episode was nearing it’s end, and she stood up and started trying to make the sofa look less like the nesting site of a small mammal. “I’m going to go and see if anyone has brewed a pot of coffee yet. I could bring you back a cup if you’re still busy with your sketch?"
"Maybe." April's wrist let out a low chime, but a quick press of the side silenced it. She flipped her sketchbook closed, sliding her pencil back into the case. "I think it's going to have to be good for now, I need to go upstairs and get ready for the day." She gave Betsy a quick smile as she stood. "It was nice to meet you though. Thanks for the unintentional inspiration."
On the television, David Attenborough was talking about snakes as another episode of Life in Cold Blood began. That was… the fourth one maybe? Or fifth? Betsy was starting to accept she would not sleep tonight either. She had put on the documentary series and built herself a cozy nest of pillows and blankets on the rec room sofa she had appropriated in the vain hope that a change of scenery from the mess that was her shared suite with Quentin would help her doze off. Sometimes it worked, but tonight was not the night. She was so tired that the unfamiliar mind in her vicinity took a while to register. She looked curiously towards the figure standing in the doorway.
"Up late," April said with a small upwards quirk of her lips. "Or early, maybe?" She made her way to the edge of the sofa, sketchbook and pencil case clutched loose in her hands. "Mind if I sit? I need to do some surrealist pieces for class, and snakes and the television seem as good an option as anything else.”
“That greatly depends on what time is it,” Betsy replied blearily, rubbing her forehead with the back of one hand and burrowing further into her blanket. “And go for it, if I wanted privacy I could have stayed in my quarters.” She realised that didn’t sound particularly polite but was too tired to correct herself. “I don’t think we have met before?"
"Late enough that I'm too antsy to sleep more but early enough that my alarm to get ready hasn't gone off yet." April crossed her legs as she got comfortable on the sofa, sketchbook propped open on her lap. "I don't think we have either... I'd remember your hair. I'm April. Any particular reason you're up so late, or is Attenborough that mesmerizing?" She pulled one of her pencils out, the graphite scratching lightly across paper as she laid down the foundations for the piece.
“Ah, yes, I think I’ve seen you on the journals. Nice to meet you, April. I’m Betsy. As for the late hour I am having some trouble sleeping, and thought that Attenborough might help. Not that I think he’s boring, mind, but he does have a soothing voice…” The sentence trailed off as Betsy’s train of thought careened off the rails, leaving her briefly staring into space. She shook her head clear and glanced curiously at the open sketchbook, trying to get a peek at the other woman’s work. “What kind of a class are you taking?"
"Insomnia's the worst." April turned her sketchbook towards the other woman, mostly perspective outlines with a light sketch of a drooping television. "Drawing class as an elective. We started with surrealism, and I've been trying to find some inspiration for a few days. Not my usual style, but I won't grow if I stay in my comfort zone forever."
“It’s pretty unpleasant. I was having an easier time sleeping for a while after moving in with my roommate, but, well, things happened.” Betsy made a vague hand gesture to indicate the nature of said things. It was not very illuminating. “I think I’m up to about 70 hours now?” She studied the sketch thoughtfully. “I think you could use a bit more shade here - “ she pointed to an area of the paper “- for just the slightest indication of coils, if you see where I’m coming from? There are people here with a much better knowledge of art than I would dream of having though,” she smiled at the other woman. "What’s your main field then, if art is an elective?"
"70? Might be worth talking to Doc Grey," April said lightly. "Main field's mechanical engineering, but they require a chunk of non-technical things and I like sketching for fun." She added shade where Betsy indicated, the rounding shape adding a little extra dimension to the bit she'd gotten down. "Thanks, that's going to look pretty good with a splash of color, I think. What about you? Art interest?"
“I’ve mentioned it to her before, but I guess I could bring it up if it isn’t better by the next time we have powers practice. She has enough on her plate as it is though,” Betsy all but shrugged off the suggestion. “As for me, I am what some would describe as ‘unburdened’ and others as ‘NEET’. In other words, pretty much a freeloader here apart from the occasional bout of usefulness when someone needs to be thought at very loudly. Unfortunately my education, as expensive as it must have been for my guardians, is not of much use unless one is looking for an appropriately well-connected spouse on the other side of the pond. I am fond of art though."
"I'm imagining very regency, heavy on decorum and the arts but light on literature and the sciences? Maybe I've just read Austen a bit too recently, though." April's smile was wry, and her pencil moved in curves as she shaded a snake. "Powers practice? Are you ah.. mental arts as well, then?"
Betsy snorted at the description. “That is… not totally inaccurate. I went to a very traditional boarding school, and even if on paper we had the best labs they could buy, working with your hands just wasn’t ladylike unless it was arts or piano. The library was well stocked though, much like here.” She leaned back against the sofa and closed her eyes briefly, before turning back to April. “And yes, I’m another telepath, although not as accomplished as Dr Grey. What about you, spider powers, right? I think I read something about you giving some of ours a bit of a workout when you first arrived?”
"Ah, the portal was... Weird looking arrival, communication issues, bit of a mess? Didn't help that I'd morphed into a form we didn't know I had before being blown through, although the combination probably saved my life." April shrugged. "And yes, spider powers with some extras, but I'm still figuring out the extent of that. Apparently that entire monster form, if I get angry enough. I'll need to work to keep it from coming out at a bad time, or getting stuck again. What's being a telepath like? Seems like it'd be pretty miserable until you could block other people out."
“A monster form does sound pretty different from the regular spider set as far as I know. Interesting though, and possibly quite useful? And this is one of the best places to be for powers control, or at least that’s what I was told before getting sent here,” Betsy smiled to soften her words.
“As for the telepath thing, well…” She grimaced a bit. “You have probably already figured out that being a mutant is not exactly considered a good thing in this dimension? My parents’ must have had some suspicions about me and Brian - my twin - since they had us tested, but they managed to get the results marked as negative for the X-gene on our records. Unfortunately they died before telling us the truth, so teen me ended up in an emergency room saying I heard voices, and, well. My other brother is a paranoid schizophrenic, so I spent a lot of time in mental hospitals until Brian got access to their records and figured out the whole story.”
"Kurt said it was one of the best places when I met him a few weeks ago as well. Also suggested that I ask one of you to take a look, that maybe it could help me figure out how to switch forms safely? Which I fully plan on doing once I'm sure I've got everything I knew about consistently back under control. I think it will be useful though, if I can get past the communication gap." April frowned at the reminder of how some enhanced were viewed here, and it deepened as Betsy recounted her story. "Yeah. Portal probably saved my life, but it did me no favors with the political landscape. And that.. God, I can't imagine how awful that might've been for a young telepath. I'm glad you were eventually able to get out, but that sort of thing lingers, I'd imagine.”
“Jean or Emma will probably be best able to help with that, they both have a lot of experience with more unusual mindscapes, in case the form is more than skin deep. Although any of us should be able to ease the communication difficulties a bit...” Betsy was briefly distracted by baby snakes hatching on the television and made a small cooing noise under her breath. “Aww, look at the adorable tiny venom factories. Go on, bite the camera!” She grew serious again. “I know that there must be worse realities out there but I do wish this one had better politicians. Anyway, in comparison to many of the people here I got away lightly, and I don’t have to worry about getting beaten up if I go outside without an image inducer or any of that rubbish. I could go on to live a semi-normal life if I chose. Was that an option for people with visible mutations in your world?"
April's laughter at Betsy's comment to the baby snakes was almost silent, a huffed exhale and slight shaking of her shoulders the only thing giving away her mirth. Once she thought she could talk without laughing, she answered the other woman's questions. "I'm not entirely sure, because I didn't know many? Franklin had to wear a special helm to protect others from the radiation he leaked. Lyja--Ms. Fantastic, she's Franklin's aunt--was green, but also a shapeshifter? People think twice about attacking a lady that can turn into a dragon, though. But.. in general? Things for enhanced were better. Wary. Cautious. But not hunted, as far as I was aware. And the other enhanced here, that Avengers team? Most of them were retired or just not part of things, anymore. Probably all about 15-20 years older than they are here.”
“It used to be, well, less bad at least, before M-day. Maybe with time things will get better here too. So far they are showing signs of doing the opposite,” Betsy sighed. The episode was nearing it’s end, and she stood up and started trying to make the sofa look less like the nesting site of a small mammal. “I’m going to go and see if anyone has brewed a pot of coffee yet. I could bring you back a cup if you’re still busy with your sketch?"
"Maybe." April's wrist let out a low chime, but a quick press of the side silenced it. She flipped her sketchbook closed, sliding her pencil back into the case. "I think it's going to have to be good for now, I need to go upstairs and get ready for the day." She gave Betsy a quick smile as she stood. "It was nice to meet you though. Thanks for the unintentional inspiration."
