Hope and Haller: meeting again

[xp_trance]

Relaxing a little after season full of events, Hope has the chance to connect for the first time with Haller after helping to fix his mind. 


"If you are looking for a quiet space, I would not suggest going that way. It is supposed to be the kitchen, but it sounds like the Danger Room" Hope poked her head outside of the small parlour, an elegant cup firmly in hand.

Jim turned to smile at the familiar brunette. "Oh, hey, Hope. No, I'm just wandering. I did just spend a month mostly immobile." He took in her demeanor and raised a questioning eyebrow. She was wearing a sweater. It was a nice sweater, but he wasn't sure he'd seen Hope wearing anything other than a blouse or some kind of blazer since she'd been a student. "I haven't seen you around lately," he said. "Busy?"

"The final holiday events just wrapped, so I am relieved to finally have a day or two to myself." Hope smoothed out her sweater. "I was actually just going to look for another coffee. How has your recovery been going? I hope it has been going well?"

"A lot better than it could have been. They took good care of me." Jim frowned, parsing through some of the lingering impressions. "I could be imagining it, but I'm almost positive Quentin had dinner with me at some point."

"Wow, you must have touched something within him." Hope tilted her head, lowering her eyes just a tad. "And my apologies for not checking in with you earlier. I have hardly been in the mansion since we managed to help you."

We certainly did something to him, Jim thought, but kept it off his face. "Don't worry about it. I've mostly been concentrating on stepping up the rehab and trying to get my shields worked out. I meant to ask sooner, though -- are you okay? Um, after the situation with Radha and then the astral plane, I mean. We never got a chance to touch base."

"Honestly, I hardly have had time to really consider it. The final two weeks of December have been non-stop events." Hope paused, carefully considering how to word the next bit. "I am relieved I was able to assist you though, both with Radha and restoring your mind. It was rewarding work."

Jim smiled. "It is. Well . . . the stunt with Radha wasn't typical, but it's nice to be able to use your powers to affect a real change in a person's life, like what you and Quentin did for me. You're more recon-oriented, right? Was that the first time you've done anything like that?"

"Recon and information gathering, yes.I have done some search and rescue as well in the past. I would say..." Hope paused suddenly, frowning just a little. "Would you like to sit down in the parlour for a moment while we chat, instead of us standing around in the hallways?"

"Sure." Jim followed her into the parlour, automatically motioning for her to take a seat before he did. "I did some search and rescue back in the UK, before I came back to the mansion. Alzheimer's patients or kids, usually. I was surprisingly bad at it, actually, at least compared to most telepaths. It's difficult when I don't already know the mind I'm looking for."

"For me it is more that my ghost form enables me to get into all those tight little corners others cannot go. But otherwise my powers are not always that front and center."

"If you're talking crisis situations, less traditionally offensive powers require the development of lateral thinking," the telepath pointed out. "For example, I'm not cut out to be a combat telepath, but I'm good at assessment and repair. I take the skills I developed there to create other techniques to compensate."

"Information gathering in all its forms and applying that to 'diplomacy', also in all its forms." Hope easily named, not quite naming that diplomacy also included occasional manipulation and blackmail. "That is how I would best describe what I do. But my abilities are just one part of what I have available."

Jim smiled again. "Apparently you were pretty diplomatic with Jack, from what I remember. I think that was as much a part of it as your powers. It can be difficult to convince me to act on consensus. Quentin, uh . . . had a little more trouble."

"I sincerely believe I just got lucky. He was more concerned with keeping me safe than arguing. Quentin had the 'luck' of dealing with your more belligerent personalities, I think." Hope discretely covered her mouth with her hand as she let out a short laugh. "Mix that with Quentin's unique version of diplomacy and tact... I can believe there were quite a few fireworks."

"He handled it pretty well, all things considered," said Jim, declining to mention the psionic shotguns. Quentin had been roasted enough. "Anyway, you might have an unexplored talent in this area. Collaborating with more traditional telepaths for active applications, I mean. Enough strange things happen on the astral plane that it might be worth developing it."

"There is the thing Quentin and I have been able to do as well... where we combine our powers..." Hope mused out loud. "It is certainly something interesting to explore."

"Certain abilities synergize well with each other. Certain people, too. It might be useful to talk to Jean and Emma. I personally have a lot of experience empowering others because it's part of my approach when a patient needs any kind of psionic surgery, but everyone has their own specialty. I'd be curious to see what they'd bring to the dynamic."

"I will certainly be talking to Doctor Grey and Ms. Frost. I never considered this..." Hope pondered, pulling out her phone and making a few quick notes. "But after I find an event planner or two and contract them for my business. And possibly someone who can serve as back-up for the etiquette training as well."

"Pencil in time to confer with psychics on further applications of psionic powers, but only between event-planning" was not a typical response from most people he spoke to, but from Hope it made perfect sense.

"Is that for your own benefit," Jim asked, "or is Warren keeping you working overtime on the wedding?"

Hope grinned again, this time openly. "I made alternative arrangements for that as soon as he asked me to plan the wedding. There are two wedding planners working on it actually and I oversee it, along with acting as a liaison between them and Warren. Otherwise I would not have time to run my business or work at XFI."

The telepath snorted. "I'm glad there's at least one aspect of your life where you can escape him. Although I guess his ability to permeate every aspect of another person's life isn't always a bad thing. He was . . . surprisingly helpful when I was catatonic. Although apparently I somehow now own a small cottage in Maine."

"Believe, he still haunts my steps enough, though he pays for it handsomely. But a cottage in Maine?" Hope raised her eyebrow in surprise. "That seems like an odd choice? Or is there some kind of significance I am unaware of?"

Jim shook his head in such a way to acknowledge their mutual understanding that some aspects of Warren's mind simply could not be fathomed. "One of his 'enrichment activities' was using me to pick stocks, and that's what he did with the proceeds. I guess it is sort of charming. Any chance you and Sue could use a place for a weekend getaway? It has a clawfoot bathtub, apparently. Oh, and he's pretty sure no one was murdered there. He said that a few times and honestly it's starting to worry me a little."

"Hmm... the bathtub and the peace and quiet definitely sound like a good idea, but do they have wifi there? Otherwise it is not going to work for Sue..." Hope paused for a moment, reviewing what she had just said. "Or me actually."

"Or anyone else I've spoken to," Jim remarked wryly. He shook his head. "Well, I hope you can find a way to pencil some kind of break into your schedule. It sounds like you could use it."

It is definitely on the list once I have sorted out my staffing. And for Sue to get some things sorted out." Hope shook her head. "I just left her yelling at an accountant on the other side of the world... the UK? India? Pakistan? I am not even sure. I hope you will be able to use the cabin for yourself soon as well."

"Maybe in a few weeks." He settled back in the chair, turning his ear towards the sounds of construction emanating from the hallway.

"Right now it's good to be back."

Comments

[xp_icarus]

I'm very tired but this is so pog. Doing the Mr beast point.