Madelyn, Jubilee - Sunday afternoon

[x-madelyn.livejournal.com]

Madelyn is making good her promise to get out and about more, and runs into Jubilee with a new acquisition. It turns out to be a perfect day for kite flying.



It was a beautiful day outside, the sun shining down in just that way, a cool breeze blowing so that the heat from the sun wasn't overpowering. A perfect day to be outside doing something active. The kite was blue, in fact it was that plastic blue that you only seemed to get on store-brought kites and small children's toys. Etched out in silver upon that blue was the picture of a Chinese dragon in full roar. Jubilee had loved it the moment she saw it, sitting perched in the store window of a novelty shop. She'd brought it with a sense of barely in-check excitement and had spent the bus ride back to the mansion impatiently bouncing in her seat.

But she was here now, the kite all laid out on the ground in front of her and ready to be flown. She lifted a finger to the sky, checking the wind to see which direction it was blowing in.

Yes, this whole outdoors thing had been a very good idea, Madelyn decided as she wandered vaguely lake-wards with a book (the latest research by one Doctor Pym - Moira had glowered at the innocent hardback until Madelyn had hidden it under a pile of Sarah's test results). The sun was very pleasant on her skin, even if said skin was far too pale, and yes, pasty looking, thank you Mom for pointing that out. Then she caught sight of a familiar (from various medlab visits when her powers had been acting up) face in the shape of Jubilee, obviously testing wind direction for some reason. Deciding to make the most of this new social leaf - and to interact with students on a basis that didn't involve trying to keep them in a medlab bed or in a classroom - she called out: "Decided to take up flying, Jubilee?"

Jubilee grinned, it seemed Doctor Madelyn had been serious about the outdoors stuff. "Depends on your definition of flyin', Doc. An considerin' the flyin' types we got around these parts that could be a pretty wide definition. But mostly I'm just seein' if the wind's strong enough to hold this kite." she shouted back.

She picked up the spindle and started winding out a length of thin rope. She'd start with only a small amount and then wind it out as the kite picked up the wind. "Dude, it's like the perfect weather for it too. Breeze just sprang up 'bout an hour ago and I got back here just in time. You wanna have first test flight?" she asked magnanimously.

"Thank you, but I'll let you have the first. Want me to toss it up for you?" Madelyn asked, coming closer and laying her book on the warm grass. "I'm very experienced in the area of kite throwing," she added with a smile as Jubilee looked at her a little doubtfully. "I have a little sister, and there was one summer when it was all about the kite flying, so I got a lot of practice."

"Thanks, that'd be great. Kites are kinda a tradition in China but you totally can't get the home made stuff here, so this was the best I could find. They hold this festival in Weifang in April. There's like an opening ceremony and everything, including an hour of Fireworks after. I've never been to it but Gran said she'd take me if I visited the next time it was on. 500,000 people, that's how many people were there to just watch the kite flying last time. It's pretty amazing."

Jubilee turned the kite around till it was facing east and took a look at the patch of ground in front of her. There was a good long run from here before you hit a patch of trees. She'd be able to get the kite up to a fairly good height and then all she'd have to do is keep it in the wind to hold it there. "And you've got a little sister?" she asked.

While she knew the adults in the house had to have been kids at one time or another, it was sometimes hard to imagine. She wondered how many of them had family, and whether they visited them often. It was probably the most mundane of revelations but Jubilee suddenly vowed to find out more about her teachers.

"Strange as it might sound, we teachers weren't designed and built in a lab or cloned from various sadists," Madelyn said, amused by the girl's question. "Carlie's ten years younger than me - she was one of those surprise babies. Mom and Dad hadn't expected any more after my brother and I." She moved to pick up the kite as Jubilee unwound more string. "She's a good kid, just starting college." She shook her head, amazed. "Seems like only yesterday I was pitching kites for her."

Jubilee grinned suddenly, her expression mischievous. "Guess it must get hard to keep track of the years when you're all ancient and stuff."

Having said that, she took off at a run, laughing.

"Brat," Madelyn said, waiting until Jubilee had reached almost the end of the unwound string before throwing the kite into the air. It bobbed once or twice as Jubilee's pace took up the slack, and then steadily rose with the freshening breeze. Madelyn smiled as she watched the silver dragon dancing against the artificial blue skin of the kite, and walked over to where Jubilee had ended up. "You're right. It's a good day for flying," she said.

Jubilee watched the kite duck and soar as she moved the spindle, her expression peaceful. "It's a perfect moment" she said, her eyes flicking toward the doctor. "I've been told it's one of the things you don't resist. Knew it
would be the moment I saw the kite. Funny how the universe knows just when ya need one. So, how's the outdoorsy life sittin' with ya? You should try and get Big Blue out here too, you wouldn't think blue fur could get all pale and pasty but I think if it can he'll be the one ta do it."

"I've been trying - Moira and I were thinking of relocating all his equipment out here, since we can't seem to detach him from it. Or laying a trail of Twinkies leading outside - he seems permanently attached to the lab these days." Madelyn said absently, taking a seat on the grass as she watched the kite swooping this way and that. Jubilee was right - it was
a
perfect moment. The girl was far more astute than she let on - or at least, than she had previously. Madelyn wasn't the first to notice a gradual change coming over Jubilee, most obvious since the attack on the school by Pete's former colleagues, but brewing a long time. It seemed the mansion's firecraker was growing up. "I'll give him another week or so - then I'm sending Alison in."

She laughed, watching the dragon swoop low as the jiggling of her arms caused it to get away from her control for a second. She corrected, sending it into a series of spirals and loops before giving it to the wind again.

"Make sure ya get pictures of that if she does get sent in. So, what do ya think, would I make it in the Moscow circus?" she asked, her grin carefree. She backed up slightly till she was standing beside the doctor and then pulled the kite downwards, offering the spindle to her. "Gran always told me ta never hog the limelight when it came ta kite flying." she murmured.

"Sounds like your Gran is a very wise lady," Madelyn said, smiling as she took the spindle, testing the kite's range with a few tugs on the string. "This is the family you visited in China, isn't it?"

She nodded, unconsciously falling into a relaxed stance that would let her stand in one spot for hours if she wanted. "Yeah, got a great Granddad too, and an Aunt and Uncle. Spent a lot of time with my cousin Quan too, he's got the same power I do, which was cool. He showed me a lot of stuff, got me into Tai Chi and Buddhism. Gramps insisted the I learn ta be a proper Chinese lady. Think he felt bad that I'd had to spend so much time thinkin' I was alone in the world. Someone my age in China would have already learnt all that. It was his way of makin' up for it. He was such a hard ass about it too, even though Gran told me he was doin' it cause he cared. Think the village spent the first month I was there laughin' at the strange American foreigner but they warmed up in the end. You visit family much?"

"Not as much as my mother would like, but often enough. And it wouldn't be worth my life to miss a one of the family holidays - Christmas, Easter, that sort of thing." Madelyn tweaked the kite, sending it into a series of loops. "They live in Pittsburgh, so it isn't impossibly far, it's just I get so caught up in things here..." She gave Jubilee a wryly amused glance. "Or there's some disaster or other."

"Well, pool says Alien invasion is next. Either that or wild yak...although I think that was just was a joke. At least, I hope it was a joke."

"Lets hope Nathan's friend Domino didn't pick him up one as a souvenir - that parrot of his is certainly enough," said Madelyn with a chuckle.

Jubilee grinned, sitting down in the grass beside her. "I haven't met Bella yet but from the stories I'm being told she seems like something of a handful. You ever have a pet?"

"What is this, 'This Is Your Life'?" asked Madelyn, but her tone was teasing. Jubilee really did remind her of Carlie, all spunk and enthusiasm. "Um, let's see. We had the usual procession of dogs and cats over the years, but the pet I remember most was a hamster. I called him Harvey, and he was the biggest damn hamster you ever saw..." She laughed at the memory. "He got too big for his hamster wheel and Dad had to rig up a special one, just for him."

Jubilee grinned, it'd been awhile since she'd just shot the breeze with someone, no particular heavy emotional stuff involved. It was nice, something she wished could happen more often around here. "Not so much 'This is your life' but more 'Jubilation Lee, nature's answer to curiosity'. Hopefully I'll avoid any cat related consequences though." she said.

"I'd prefer it if you did - I doubt you'd be as immune to dying as our last patient." At the thought of Sarah, Madelyn's eyes darkened a little, and she carefully went onto more pleasant topics. "So, how about you? You joining the pet craze that's struck the place?"

Jubilee grinned, her head tilting slightly to the side in thought. "Not sure. I wouldn't mind a puppy but I'm totally not sure if they'd allow two dogs in the house. And we already got a cat, and a bird and a lizard. Oh, and mice... I'd get a fish but they're totally boring. I wonder if they'd let me have a Sugar Glider. They were like, totally the craze in LA but not sure he or she would get along here though. They're Australian, and it ain't that hot here most of the time."

Madelyn pursed her lips. "Probably not. And the thing about pets is that it's not how exotic they are, or whether no-one else has one, but how you interact with them, how you bond. And the mansion's a big place - you could have a whole platoon of dogs running bobsleds up and down the halls, and still have room left over."

Jubilee grinned. "True, and I've always wanted a Malamute, or maybe a Rottweiler, something big and slobbery that likes a bit of fun."

"You'd have to make sure he or she got plenty of exercise and care - Malamutes especially need a lot of grooming, particularly in summer." Madelyn wrinkled her nose. "Oh damn, now I'm sounding all teacher-y, aren't I?"

She giggled, winking. "Kinda, but that's okay. Advice is good."