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xp_logs Emily and her family arrive in New York and are met with some unfamiliar but hopefully friendly faces.
Emily had been flagging for hours now, the trip long but the concentration it took for not a single slip up the entire trip was the most exhausting. Even with the Valium she’d been given it was hard.
She glanced around JFK Airport with a sense of relief and pulled on her wheely bag as they walked into the main area and hopefully, an easy way to find the people her parents had said would meet them there.
"How are you, sweetie? Are you okay?" Her mother was just as tired, just as bemused in the busy airport, but her first focus was on her daughter. "If you need somewhere to rest, I'm sure we can get something."
"We can find ya somethin' to eat if yer hungry." Her father added quickly.
Emily shook her head but leaned into her mother slightly as her body lagged. She just wanted somewhere safe, and to know they were safe.
“Did they say where they’d meet us?”
***
Alani was texting as she leaned against the wall outside of arrivals, never through security, and calm in a way her image inducer was programmed to mimic. The family in her recent pictures hadn’t popped up yet but her eyes flicked back up to check again. “Flights arrived. Darnell’s ready to pick up when we get outside, I think at this point I have frequent flyer points with the company. You see ‘em?” She asked Madin, looking at them only at the end of her question, though her eyes darted back to the crowd, brow raising slowly.
The image inducer didn't elicit physical sensations. Madin knew that. They were, nonetheless, itchy. The only positive to it was that in the past, flying involved five layers and concealer and a turtleneck. "Yeah, that's them." Madin straightened and waved at the family dragging their suitcases through the crowd. Stepping forward, they smiled, professional face on. "Hi. You'se the Brightses? I'm Madin and that's my friend Alani. We're supposed to be meeting you."
Henry reached out to shake hands. "That's us, I'm Henry, and this is my wife Kathy and our lil' girl, Emily. It's nice to meet you."
"Yeah, you too." Madin gave them a once over. They looked tired. "We've got a minivan just outside. Sprung for the good parking. Let's go." Unstated, before the kid shifts and we get swarmed by airport security.
Alani flashed a smile back to the family, as she motioned to herd them outside. "You must be exhausted, sorry, we've got a room set up for you to rest off the jet lag." Now that they were outside, she turned back to walk backwards as she talked. "We have some resources for you, but, well, you must have questions, and once we get into the van feel free to ask." As she pulled open the door she tilted her chin towards Madin to take the front seat.
Kathy had held her tongue until they reached the safety of the van, but once they - and their luggage - were inside and they were on the road, she asked what was uppermost on her mind. "You're Australian?" she asked Madin, having picked up on the accent. "Did the Underground rescue you as well?"
"Yeah, they did," Madin said, lying smoothly. "I've worked with them on and off over the years as a result." Judging that they were far enough from the airport, they turned the image inducer off. "I'm not a shifter. I'm using an image inducer. It's so much better than the old concealer and gloves trick I used to have to pull." They continued, ignoring any reactions the family in the back might have. "Have you considered just wearing wigs, Emily? That's basically your whole, deal, right? Just hair that changes?" All of this for a kid who could just put a hat on if they wanted to hide. Honestly.
Emily stared at Madin from her position between her parents for a moment as if trying to think of a response, and then looked over at Alani.
“I don’t know how to answer that,” she confessed.
“You don’t have to,” Alani offered in as soothing a manner as possible as she kept her eyes out the back window. When they seemed to be a respectful distance she turned back to offer a smile. “Image inducers aren’t very common, if you’ve looked you probably found they’re actually quite expensive,” despite the fact that she and Madin had them, though it seemed impolite to comment on, “but the apartment you’ll be staying in is close to a center where mutants are able to meet and some individuals teach power training and we can hopefully find a way to get your power manageable for you. I’ve got some phones set up, so if you wouldn’t mind giving me the burners you got, I’ll dispose of them.”
"This centre...how's it set up? What sorts of classes n' resources're offered?" Henry asked, fiddling awkwardly with the burner phone in his lap. These folks were from the underground and were here to help them but....he'd never quite shook the distrust drilled into him as a child.
Alani offered the family phones with all the calm of a person who had done this before, though she hummed thoughtfully at the question. “A bit of everything really. I tutor children there and watch them when their parents take classes, cooking classes are taught there, life skills, a GED program, as for resources, supplies for living on your own for the first time, new parents, stuff like that. Do you have any favorite things to do, Emily?” She asked with a smile. “We might be able to find you some courses to pass the time too.”
“I like animals,” Emily noted hopefully as she took her phone and looked it over. “I help Mum sometimes.”
"She cooks as well," Kathy offered, seeing Emily was possibly overwhelmed. "We homeschooled her after she manifested - it's not just hair colour, she can change her skin and eyes as well, so a hat or a wig wasn't really an option. So there wasn't a lot of chances for organised sports and the rest. But I'm sure she'll enjoy finding new things to do, won't you, Ems?"
Emily tucked the new phone into the pocket in her jacket and then looked between her family and the strange adults who had picked them up.
“Are there kids my age?” Emily asked, fingers curling into the slightly long arms of her winter jacket. It had been an op shop find, warm and comfortable but just a little too big. She’d asked her Dad to buy it anyway. “Or maybe near my age?”
"At the community centre?," Madin asked. "Yeah, there's some depending on what you want to do. A mate of mine runs a GED program that has some in person aspects. There's a couple of sports clubs, a few other things. They have a bunch of stuff for like, kids, and then some stuff that's in the - you know - teenagers and young adults range, like 15 to 22 or 24 and stuff? You can start building some mutant community ties there if you want, or just hang tight till you've got your powers sorted and then enrol in a mainstream school. Really just depends on what you want to do. "
"That sounds wonderful. And it's safe? After all the media fuss and everything, it seems so strange that we can just go back to being normal people." Kathy hadn't been sure about the pair who had picked them up - after Madin's first speech she'd been wondering if they'd been abducted by mutant traffickers of some kind who were disappointed Emily's powers weren't more valuable or something - but talk of the community centre was more reassuring. "And there's powers training? Henry's been wonderful in helping Emily keep her powers under control, but with the fire hair, it's a bit more than we can handle. At least she didn't manifest that at the farm during bushfire season!"
"A different normal," Alani corrected calmly but with a level of finality on the matter, "there's no 'going back,' so to speak, there are resources on being more comfortable with what your lives have become. Of course, it's always different for everyone. Figuring control, potential triggers, unknowns that may have followed manifestation can take time, it's not a linear process and it is, of course, a learning experience. We have a handful of people who work with the Centre that have done this for a while, and because of that, we'll hopefully be able to set up a training that will work best for Emily's specific powerset. In fact, one of my best friends can alter her appearance due to environmental stimuli. She can even breathe underwater," she gave Emily a wink.
Emily couldn’t help the smile that peaked out from what had been till then a rather blank look of exhaustion. She hadn’t felt much up to anything since they fled to New Zealand, and the increasingly volatile changes that came along with the stress just made her feel even less like speaking.
She sighed and rested her head against her mother’s shoulder. Maybe they wouldn’t mind if she just took a short nap?
Emily had been flagging for hours now, the trip long but the concentration it took for not a single slip up the entire trip was the most exhausting. Even with the Valium she’d been given it was hard.
She glanced around JFK Airport with a sense of relief and pulled on her wheely bag as they walked into the main area and hopefully, an easy way to find the people her parents had said would meet them there.
"How are you, sweetie? Are you okay?" Her mother was just as tired, just as bemused in the busy airport, but her first focus was on her daughter. "If you need somewhere to rest, I'm sure we can get something."
"We can find ya somethin' to eat if yer hungry." Her father added quickly.
Emily shook her head but leaned into her mother slightly as her body lagged. She just wanted somewhere safe, and to know they were safe.
“Did they say where they’d meet us?”
***
Alani was texting as she leaned against the wall outside of arrivals, never through security, and calm in a way her image inducer was programmed to mimic. The family in her recent pictures hadn’t popped up yet but her eyes flicked back up to check again. “Flights arrived. Darnell’s ready to pick up when we get outside, I think at this point I have frequent flyer points with the company. You see ‘em?” She asked Madin, looking at them only at the end of her question, though her eyes darted back to the crowd, brow raising slowly.
The image inducer didn't elicit physical sensations. Madin knew that. They were, nonetheless, itchy. The only positive to it was that in the past, flying involved five layers and concealer and a turtleneck. "Yeah, that's them." Madin straightened and waved at the family dragging their suitcases through the crowd. Stepping forward, they smiled, professional face on. "Hi. You'se the Brightses? I'm Madin and that's my friend Alani. We're supposed to be meeting you."
Henry reached out to shake hands. "That's us, I'm Henry, and this is my wife Kathy and our lil' girl, Emily. It's nice to meet you."
"Yeah, you too." Madin gave them a once over. They looked tired. "We've got a minivan just outside. Sprung for the good parking. Let's go." Unstated, before the kid shifts and we get swarmed by airport security.
Alani flashed a smile back to the family, as she motioned to herd them outside. "You must be exhausted, sorry, we've got a room set up for you to rest off the jet lag." Now that they were outside, she turned back to walk backwards as she talked. "We have some resources for you, but, well, you must have questions, and once we get into the van feel free to ask." As she pulled open the door she tilted her chin towards Madin to take the front seat.
Kathy had held her tongue until they reached the safety of the van, but once they - and their luggage - were inside and they were on the road, she asked what was uppermost on her mind. "You're Australian?" she asked Madin, having picked up on the accent. "Did the Underground rescue you as well?"
"Yeah, they did," Madin said, lying smoothly. "I've worked with them on and off over the years as a result." Judging that they were far enough from the airport, they turned the image inducer off. "I'm not a shifter. I'm using an image inducer. It's so much better than the old concealer and gloves trick I used to have to pull." They continued, ignoring any reactions the family in the back might have. "Have you considered just wearing wigs, Emily? That's basically your whole, deal, right? Just hair that changes?" All of this for a kid who could just put a hat on if they wanted to hide. Honestly.
Emily stared at Madin from her position between her parents for a moment as if trying to think of a response, and then looked over at Alani.
“I don’t know how to answer that,” she confessed.
“You don’t have to,” Alani offered in as soothing a manner as possible as she kept her eyes out the back window. When they seemed to be a respectful distance she turned back to offer a smile. “Image inducers aren’t very common, if you’ve looked you probably found they’re actually quite expensive,” despite the fact that she and Madin had them, though it seemed impolite to comment on, “but the apartment you’ll be staying in is close to a center where mutants are able to meet and some individuals teach power training and we can hopefully find a way to get your power manageable for you. I’ve got some phones set up, so if you wouldn’t mind giving me the burners you got, I’ll dispose of them.”
"This centre...how's it set up? What sorts of classes n' resources're offered?" Henry asked, fiddling awkwardly with the burner phone in his lap. These folks were from the underground and were here to help them but....he'd never quite shook the distrust drilled into him as a child.
Alani offered the family phones with all the calm of a person who had done this before, though she hummed thoughtfully at the question. “A bit of everything really. I tutor children there and watch them when their parents take classes, cooking classes are taught there, life skills, a GED program, as for resources, supplies for living on your own for the first time, new parents, stuff like that. Do you have any favorite things to do, Emily?” She asked with a smile. “We might be able to find you some courses to pass the time too.”
“I like animals,” Emily noted hopefully as she took her phone and looked it over. “I help Mum sometimes.”
"She cooks as well," Kathy offered, seeing Emily was possibly overwhelmed. "We homeschooled her after she manifested - it's not just hair colour, she can change her skin and eyes as well, so a hat or a wig wasn't really an option. So there wasn't a lot of chances for organised sports and the rest. But I'm sure she'll enjoy finding new things to do, won't you, Ems?"
Emily tucked the new phone into the pocket in her jacket and then looked between her family and the strange adults who had picked them up.
“Are there kids my age?” Emily asked, fingers curling into the slightly long arms of her winter jacket. It had been an op shop find, warm and comfortable but just a little too big. She’d asked her Dad to buy it anyway. “Or maybe near my age?”
"At the community centre?," Madin asked. "Yeah, there's some depending on what you want to do. A mate of mine runs a GED program that has some in person aspects. There's a couple of sports clubs, a few other things. They have a bunch of stuff for like, kids, and then some stuff that's in the - you know - teenagers and young adults range, like 15 to 22 or 24 and stuff? You can start building some mutant community ties there if you want, or just hang tight till you've got your powers sorted and then enrol in a mainstream school. Really just depends on what you want to do. "
"That sounds wonderful. And it's safe? After all the media fuss and everything, it seems so strange that we can just go back to being normal people." Kathy hadn't been sure about the pair who had picked them up - after Madin's first speech she'd been wondering if they'd been abducted by mutant traffickers of some kind who were disappointed Emily's powers weren't more valuable or something - but talk of the community centre was more reassuring. "And there's powers training? Henry's been wonderful in helping Emily keep her powers under control, but with the fire hair, it's a bit more than we can handle. At least she didn't manifest that at the farm during bushfire season!"
"A different normal," Alani corrected calmly but with a level of finality on the matter, "there's no 'going back,' so to speak, there are resources on being more comfortable with what your lives have become. Of course, it's always different for everyone. Figuring control, potential triggers, unknowns that may have followed manifestation can take time, it's not a linear process and it is, of course, a learning experience. We have a handful of people who work with the Centre that have done this for a while, and because of that, we'll hopefully be able to set up a training that will work best for Emily's specific powerset. In fact, one of my best friends can alter her appearance due to environmental stimuli. She can even breathe underwater," she gave Emily a wink.
Emily couldn’t help the smile that peaked out from what had been till then a rather blank look of exhaustion. She hadn’t felt much up to anything since they fled to New Zealand, and the increasingly volatile changes that came along with the stress just made her feel even less like speaking.
She sighed and rested her head against her mother’s shoulder. Maybe they wouldn’t mind if she just took a short nap?
no subject
Date: 2024-02-16 04:03 pm (UTC)(RIP Emily, this is a child who has just endured a 12+ hour flight on valium.)
no subject
Date: 2024-02-16 07:43 pm (UTC)god i love Madin
no subject
Date: 2024-02-16 07:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-02-17 03:23 am (UTC)She's subdued this log due to travel and drugs, but it is great to see the setup here for future interactions. I kind of adore, like others have said, the combo of Alani's good cop vs. Madin's Australian cop.
I do like Emily's little gestures here — being interested in her new phone over the current conversation, being intrigued by Meggan, burying herself in a jacket.