[Paul, Cecilia] Only human? I think not.

[x-vega.livejournal.com]

Paul and Cecilia have a lovely chat about many things.  One thing they agree on, among others, is that Hank is pretty cute.  ;)


Ignore today's date - it was going to be a perfectly calm, normal, boring-assed day, superstition be damned. Freaks 'R Us had their monthly weirdness already, so a trip to the pool was not going to result in an attack by a displaced sea monster or anything of the sort. Stubbornly clinging to said belief with everything she had, Cecilia made her way towards the pool with a towel slung around her waist, grateful she'd gone with Alison and the others to the spa after they got home - gave her a chance to buy a bathing suit. Even if it was apparently a 'boring' black one-piece. That... floss, that Alison had shoved at her, was not a bathing suit.

Paul was blissfully, utterly unaware of the date.  In fact, the only reason he knew it was Friday was because he'd gotten an invitation to a nightclub opening Saturday, which he'd been informed was tomorrow, making today Friday.  Logic.  What he did know without question was that it was sunny.  Not just sunny, but a piercing through the ozone-layer sunlight combined with a cooling wind that demanded his full attention with every inch of skin available.  He rolled over, tilting his face to the light and stretching a little, soaking in the sun.

As the pool came into view, so did the sunbather, and Cecilia was suddenly left very proud of the fact that she was not a drooler, because damn. Maybe she could get used to staying in this place alright after all. With a grin, she made her way towards a free chair and deposited her towel on it, pausing to chance a quick, wary look at the pool. "You haven't seen any sea monsters or anything while you've been out here, have you?"

Paul tipped his sunglasses back and focussed on the speaker.  Ah, Ms Reyes, new student.  "No monsters in the pool today," he said lazily, letting the glasses drop back down to the bridge of his nose.  "Not even the sticky little ones who are enrolled in classes.  Free swim is later."

"Oh, good. Thank you." Let's see.. must be steps into the pool somewhere. Don't want to splash the pretty. "As wary as I am of tempting fate, especially in this place, sometimes a girl just needs a soak."

"Absolutely."  Paul felt around beside his chair for his water.  He wondered where Delphine had gotten to.  One of these days Cain was going to catch her sampling pansies and violets or using the hollyhocks for punching bags and she was going to be in trouble.

Cecilia glanced over her shoulder as she smoothly waded into the pool, a small grin tugging at one corner of her mouth. "Water's just to your hand's left," she offered helpfully. She'd point at it, but he seemed to be having far too much fun having the sun on his face, and perish the thought of taking him from it again.

"Thank you."  Paul located the water at last and opened it.  Helpful young woman.  Medical student, the one who'd had it out with Clarice.  She seemed to have settled down some.  The wind pulled his hair, now dry after his swim, across his face and he tucked it behind his ears.  He generally didn't let it get this long, but who cared now?  It wasn't like he had to be speaking to any audiences and the students were accustomed to more than long hair in their teachers. 

"No problem. Wouldn't do to let the sun shrivel you up." T'would be a shame. Lord only knows how much of the student body would want her dead for such a crime. Cecilia came to a halt once she was submerged to her satisfaction - which, as it turned out, was up to her chin - and leant back against the side of the pool with a blissful sigh.

Paul's phone chirped at him and he sat up, pushing back his sunglasses to look at the text message.  Reading it, he shook his head and saved the message to answer later.  Anyone who hadn't figured out that he wasn't in Canada anymore could wait, thank you.  Cecilia looked rather contented, relaxing in the sunshine.  Sun was healthy, anyone who said otherwise was alarmist.  "Feeling more settled?" he asked.  He wasn't sure he cared, but he did want to know if there would be more shouting matches in future, especially where Clarice was involved. 

"As far as the pool is concerned, yes," Cecilia chuckled, opening one eye to look back towards Paul with a crooked smile. "I'm still working on the larger scale settling. Took me long enough to get settled at college.. this is going to take some time. But I think I'm getting there." She paused a moment, and grimaced. "Well. Except for my manners. I haven't even introduced myself to you yet, I'm sorry."

"With the way news moves around here, one hardly need to introduce one's self," Paul said.  "I'm Paul; Jean-Paul Beaubier to be exact, but I'm going with Paul or else people will call me JP and I'll have to start committing felonies.  This place seems normal enough to me, but I'm fairly jaded, I suppose."  He gave Cecilia a bright, mischevious smile.

Cecilia shrugged, quickly regaining her smile. "Yeah, but momma raised me better than that. Doesn't do to forget one's manners. So, even if you know already - Cecilia Reyes. Pleasure to meet you, Paul." At his smile, her own turned more mischevious to match. "You? Jaded? And here I thought I was speaking with the pinnacle of innocence and optimism. No idea how I managed to confuse you with Jane."

"Nice to meet you too, Cecilia.  You know, I have yet to meet Jane," Paul said thoughtfully.  "I've read her journal and profile, though, and I'm worried about some kind of horrible matter-antimatter convergence accident, should we cross paths.  I expect we'll meet when classes start. 

"I doubt either of you are as absolute as matter and anti-matter," Cecilia replied with a dismissive wave of her hand, though since she didn't bother to bring it up out of the water first, the gesture may well have gone to waste. "I'm sure the school will still be standing, even if you two indulged in something as crazy as a handshake."

"You're terribly optimistic."  Paul's tone was dry and he laid down again but this time with his chin resting on his arms at the foot of the lounge chair and his feet crossed at the ankles resting at the head.  "Give it time.  In a month or two, you'll be diving under the table every time someone so much as opens a soda.  In a year or so, New York itself could be swallowed up by the earth and you'll check to see if you're actually on duty right then or not before you bother about it."

"Now you're the one being optimistic," Cecilia countered wryly, lazily swimming across the pool so she could be in a slightly more convenient position for conversation, folding her arms across the pool's edge and resting her chin on top of them. "Thinking it'll take me so long to dive for cover upon seeing another living thing."

"That's true," Paul said.  He positioned his sunglasses on his head so they kept his hair out of his eyes while he was talking.  "I'm assuming you're not quite shell-shocked yet."

Cecilia paused to consider this for a moment, her brow furrowing in thought. "Not shell-shocked, but still in shock, I think," she decided, casting a look towards the house without bothering to lift her head. It was comfortable where it was.. even if leaving her face turned towards Paul meant he could see the somewhat fond smile she likely didn't even realize she'd developed. "If I wasn't still in shock, I don't know if I'd be so accepting of a big blue monkey in the basement singing Gilbert and Sullivan when I went in this morning."

Paul laughed at that.  "Hank McCoy is hardly a monkey," he said, shaking his head.  "I find them unappealing and he's actually rather handsome, once you get past being anthropocentric.  I don't know about shock, maybe you're just getting acclimatized.  Forcibly, I'm sure, but it's always that way at first."

"I suppose he is handsome, in a blue, fuzzy, fangy sort of way," Cecilia admitted, drawing in a deep breath that she let out in a self-depricating laugh. "And I must be getting acclimatized, if I can say that with the utmost sincerity. Dear lord."

Paul wagged a finger at her.  "See?"  He sounded a little smug.  "It's happening already."

Cecilia rolled her eyes in amusement, and indulged her inner four year old by sticking her tongue out at Paul. "Yeah, yeah. It's less traumatic for me this way."

"I won't rush to point out that it could be worse," Paul said dryly.  He leaned over and grabbed his water again.  "I'm sure someone else has dibs on that one."

"That would be me," she agreed, grinning lopsidedly. "It's an.. odd blend of cynicism and optimism, in this case, but it suits me fine."

Paul nodded, smiling a little.  "You'll go far with that combination.  I espouse it myself.  I like to manage things by being depressingly realistic and damnably practical about most things while wallowing in hedonism as far as the law and my bank account will allow.  I consider it to be a healthy balance."

"Sounds like we'll get along just fine, then," Cecilia grinned. "Nice to find this place does actually have somebody in it I don't need to watch for an ulcer."

"Me?"  Paul stretched languidly.  "God, no.  I'd be dead by now if I hadn't learned to unwind a little.  I consider relaxation to be an art form and a strategic exercise."

"Maybe you should consider teaching some of these people how you do it," Cecilia suggested, trying very hard not to admire the stretch too openly. Not her fault he's pretty. "Force them to just spend an afternoon lounging in the sun."

"Oh, I'm definitely all for that.  In fact, I offer my services as an advisor to anyone at the school, free of charge."  He gave Cecilia a charming smile.  "My humanitarian instincts need some kind of outlet, you know.  And some of these people... well, sudden decompression is dangerous for anyone.  Supervision is definitely required."

"Start with Moira," Cecilia mused, wiggling her eyebrows mischeviously. "Woman needs to take a break. I dropped some herbal tea off in her office yesterday, but that alone isn't going to slow her down. Definitely needs supervision."

"I'd been working on Nate," Paul said, obviously taking this at least somewhat seriously.  "Perhaps I need to try the other half..."  He rolled over and scooped up his phone, pushing a few buttons and reading the result.  "Did you manage to drag her off to whatever girl thing Alison whisked you all away to?"  He dropped the phone on his towel again and settled back into place.

"She came along, no dragging necessary, if memory serves," Cecilia said approvingly, casting another look towards the house. "Definitely try working on her, though. Neither of them will stop stressing if you only work on one of them. When one stresses, so does the other - relationships, I'm told, suck like that."

"All the more reason to avoid them like the plague.  Relationships, that is," Paul amended.  "Nathan's a nice guy and I'm sure Moira's more than tolerable.  I prefer not to chase people down, but if we cross paths, I do try and set a good example."

"Oh, yes, we'll get along just fine," Cecilia mused, smiling wryly up at Paul. "Glad to hear I'm not the only one in this place with that point of view. On relationships, and chasing people down." She paused, and added, "Except for Illyana. But she's fun to torment."

"Teenagers are easy pickings when it comes to tormenting," Paul said.  "I haven't met Illyana yet, though.  I've been keeping to myself, I suppose.  I'm used to it, most of my favourite activities are solitary, with a few exceptions."

"Can't blame you. I'm a fan of flying solo, myself." Cecilia paused, and given where she was, felt a need to amend herself. "Er. Without the flying. But you get the idea, I'm sure."

Paul grinned.  "And here I was thinking I might have another student for flight class.  Pity."

"Sorry to disappoint," Cecilia chuckled, smiling apologetically. "No flying for me. That I know of."

"Watch yourself," Paul said, only partly joking.  "It can sneak up on you when you least expect it."

"Believe me, I know," Cecilia smiled, managing to keep most of the bitterness out of her voice. But only most of it.

"Happens to the best of us."  Paul's tone was neutral, almost dismissive. 

Cecilia let her smile turn somewhat apologetic, nodding and lazily kicking her feet under the water. "So I'm finding. Heartening and depressing at the same time."

"It is what it is."  Paul stretched and rolled over onto his back, shifting so he could still look over at Cecila if he wanted.  "And we both know it could be worse.  I could tan unevenly and then where would I be?"

"You would be a broken shell of a man," Cecilia agreed solemnly. "An injustice I, for one, would never be able to forgive the world for."

"I have tanlines," Paul confessed mournfully.  "This school is ruining me already."

Cecilia covered her mouth with a hand to muffle her feigned, scandalized gasp. "Heavens! Not tanlines! There must be somewhere you could go to remedy this."

"Yes, but I don't have the time to fly to France," Paul grumbled.  "And I don't believe in tanning beds.  The idea of them makes me cringe.  If I'd liked lying like that, I'd have taken up the luge.  Or bobsled."

"Was wondering about the tattoo," Cecilia admitted, smiling and gesturing towards Paul's shoulder. "That explains why your name kept ringing a bell.. but damned if I could place it."

"Pardon?"  Paul tilted his head to look at her and his hair fell into his eyes.  He brushed it back irritably.  Then things sank in.  "I suppose you're old enough to remember them mentioning my name ad nauseum in the years following '88, even if you don't remember the games themselves."

"I was born in '81," Cecilia confirmed, smiling somewhat bashfully. "Wasn't paying much attention to the games themselves, but it's pretty much impossible to forget such outstanding medal counts." Or the mild scandal that followed, but she hadn't really put much stock into it, anyway, even at that age. Cheating at the Olympics would be defeating the whole damn point, wouldn't it?

"I wish that were the only impression I'd left," Paul said, tucking his hands behind his head.  "Unfortunately, I'm more of an object lesson and the reason for extensive athlete screening."

"Hey, it was the only impression you left with me," Cecilia shrugged, flashing a grin. "Not that my opinion likely matters quite so much."

Paul laughed and looked over at her.  "That's very generous of you," he said.  "I try not to be bitter about the whole thing.  Some days I'm better at it than others."

Cecilia waved a hand dismissively, keeping her grin. "You're allowed to be bitter about it once in a while. You're only human."

Paul's grin was wicked.  "The hell I am," he said, laughing.