Alison and Cecilia
Aug. 3rd, 2004 03:23 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsWarm up that flux capacitor for some BACKDATING! Takes place on August 3rd, after Cecilia's encounter with Clarice in the kitchen, and the initial tour of medlab and talk with Hank afterwards. Cecilia, now with more knowledge of the school and its handling of Sarah's situation at her disposal, goes to find Alison. For sanity. Alison. Sanity. Yeah.
The medlab was gorgeous, there was no doubt about that, and the tour - and information that she would be trusted to work in there, degree or no - had done much to improve her mood, after her run-in with Clarice a few hours previous. Not that Cecilia was very upset over it. Exasperated over talking to a pink brick wall, but that wasn't anything new.
Confirmation that there actually was a girl with several peoples' blood on her hands living in the basement, though, had been very.. sobering. As had been Hank's explanation of why the school was handling Sarah the way they were. It was logic she could follow. She'd live with it, but that didn't mean she'd have to like it, and it sure as hell didn't mean she'd go out of her way to talk to this girl. Which meant, clearly, that it was still necessary to swing by Alison's.
Lightly rapping a fist against the door to the woman's suite, Cecilia raised her voice, just enough to be heard inside. "Alison? It's Cecilia. You free?"
A heaving sounding thump followed by quick running greeted the knock, soon followed by the door opening a few inches. There was no one at eye level however.
"Miles down here!" A bright smile greeted her, the little green boy peeking up at her with lively curiosity. "Alison said there was someone new! Miles hopes Miss Cecilia Reyes likes it here!" And in a low, conspiratorial whisper. "Miles can make cookies now."
Cecilia blinked a bit at the lack of someone at her eye-level, but then she recalled Alison's mentioning a seven year old, shortly before said seven year old spoke up. She allowed herself a moment to be grateful for Clarice's earlier warning that he was little and green, because it meant that she wasn't nearly as surprised by his appearance as she could have been - and after spending a few hours with Doctor McCoy, she was feeling extremely open-minded.
Besides. She adored small children. But shhh.
"Hi there," she replied cheerfully, mirroring his bright smile as she dropped down into a crouch, loosely folding her arms over her knees. "It's very nice to meet you, Miles.." She paused, casting a shifty-eyed glance around the hall, before she quieted her voice to a whisper. "And I'm sure you make very, very good cookies. Do you think I could have one, when you're done?"
A gleeful grin was the answer and Miles nodded once, suddenly shy - but still curious. He gazed up at her for a long moment before half-reaching out, his hand swerving halfway to rest on the doorframe once more, instead. "Miles can go near Miss Cecilia Reyes," he murmured back, very solemnly. "Miles won't hurt her with his power." He also had started getting some measure of control lately, but well, he still wasn't able to bring the field in under two and a half feet. He sighed a little, shuffling his feet.
"You're doing fine, baby," Alison's voice came from within the common room and Miles turned to grin up at her, forgetting all about his previous worries. She leaned down to give him a hug, smiling down at him and he bounced once before hopping into the hallway. "Miles can go make cookies now? Miles will go find Lorna and ask if we can!" And he winked carefully at Cecilia to show she was going to be remembered before darting off towards the stairs.
Cecilia beamed in response to Miles' grin, winking at him with a cheerful "Thanks." The movement of his hand caught her attention - not so much when it began moving her way as when it swerved towards the doorframe, instead, her expression softening at just how quickly he'd become so solemn. There was a pang of familiarity there, albeit for entirely different reasons.. she hoped. Hoped very, very hard.
Before she could respond, though, Alison's voice drifted out into the hall, and her attention moved upwards as Miles' did. She offered a quick smile and a wave, remaining crouched a moment longer so she could exchange a quick, conspiratorial look with the little boy before he went bounding off.
"He's very sweet," she said after a moment, looking up at Alison again as she straightened back up. "And very, very cute."
"Yeah, he is," Alison smiled wistfully, leaning in the doorway and watching Miles run off, occasionally pausing to hop once or twice. She waggled her fingers at him as he snuck one last look towards them both and flashed them a grin before scrambling down the stairs.
Opening the door fully she steppped inside, tilting her head at Cecilia in a silent invitation to come inside. Music sheets were stacked neatly to one side on the coffee table of the common room she and Lorna shared, a guitar leaning on the stand in a corner while a slim synthesizer was propped up near the couch.
"You wanted to talk about something." It was more of a go ahead to talk away, rather than a question, and Alison eyed the coffee pot consideringly at the same time, raising an eyebrow towards Cecilia.
"I did," Cecilia confirmed, wiggling her fingers after Miles before she accepted the silent invitation and moved inside. She couldn't help a curious look around, and considered the coffee for a moment before shaking her head, with a smile. "Thanks, but I'm.. jumpy enough already, I think," she said wryly, her smile turning self-depricating.
"I.. met Doctor McCoy," she began, looking to Alison again. "Got the tour of medlab, and.. got that rumor thing I mentioned in my e-mail cleared up. The, er.. young woman in the basement?"
Well, wasn't that an interesting hesitation to make. "Sarah," was all Alison said in confirmation, eyes going to one of the pictures of Miles in the common room, where both he and Artie were doing their best to fit their faces in the photograph while sticking their tongues out.
"Sarah," Cecilia confirmed, nodding and lifting a hand to rub her forehead. "Doctor McCoy explained why she's being cared for here rather than somewhere else, and it's logic I can follow, so there's no trouble on that score. Still going to lock my door when I go to sleep, mind you, but it shouldn't be more disruptive than that. He brought me up to speed on a few other.. quirks of life here." Quirks. Yes, quirks was a safe way to put it.
"That's a mild way to put it," Alison grinned at her a bit, shaking her head. "Talent for understatement. You'll fit right in." She pulled out a waterbottle from the small refrigerator she and Lorna kept in the common room, and offered it to Cecilia in lieu of coffee. "Was there anything specific you wanted to know, or did Hank answer all your questions?"
"All the ones I could think to ask at the time, anyway," Cecilia mused, reaching out to accept the waterbottle with a slight grin. "I'm sure I'll have some more once the shock wears off. You forgot to mention how insane this place is in the sales pitch."
"Well, at least we don't have to worry about bug-eyed alien invaders out to use humanity as hosts!" Alison quipped brightly, leaning on the corner counter. "Of course, if I were possessed by an alien entity, I sure wouldn't be telling you now, would I?" She kept an innocent expression the whole time.
"I came here to regain my bearings, not have them thrown further out of whack," Cecilia whimpered, hiding her face behind her hand and eyeing Alison with mock-wariness from between her fingers. "And given the way you drive, the fact that 'safe port in a storm' and your name seem to be synonymous in my head probably says a lot about me, huh?"
"You are a wise woman," was all Alison could reply to that of course, accepting the backhanded compliment with complete good will. "If you're nice, we can ask Scott to give you some of his advanced driving lessons too." A pause. "So, asked any of the instruments in the medlab to marry you yet?"
"I have been trying to court most of them, but they appear to be oblivious to all of my advances," Cecilia pouted, letting her hand fall from her face so she could open her water bottle. Can't drink with the cap on, silly girl. "But I'm not giving up hope. Do they respond well to gifts? Chocolates? Blood sacrifice?"
"Hrm. That reminds me to have the pet rules of the house amended. No chickens will be kept for purposes of ritual sacrifice." Alison waved one finger in the air in a pretend 'taking note' gesture and grinned. "You could always suck up to the inhabitants of the medlab. Twinkies, demonic coffee or donuts. You get to guess which works for which, though. Wouldn't be interesting a challenge otherwise."
"I get the feeling they might be somewhat interchangable," Cecilia grinned. "I don't think I've ever met a doctor who didn't drink coffee like it was water. Outstandingly healthy, that." With an amused roll of her eyes, she took a quick sip of her water. Much better than coffee. "Bribery, though, I can do. Good advice."
"So long as you're so obvious about it people know you're just doing it to fuss over them, it's always good," Alison murmured absently, wrinkling her nose. "And there's nothing normal about Moira's coffee. The thing is like the blood of the aliens in the movie. Eats through anything." She made a sizzling 'sssss' sound, waggling her fingers. "The stuff is scary I tell you."
"Then why on Earth is she allowed to drink it?" Cecilia replied confusedly, blinking twice as she tried to figure out exactly how acidic the coffee would have to be in order to be as bad as Alison was making it out to be. Madre de Dios. "If it can eat through things, it can probably eat through one's stomach, you know."
"She has an iron cast stomach," Alison groused, still not entirely sure that wasn't fact more than myth. Maybe it was a latent mutant power? "If you dip silver in it for two seconds, it comes out so bright it's scary."
"Unless it's a mutation of some kind, nobody has an iron cast stomach," Cecilia observed, smiling wryly and casting a brief look back towards the door. "No drinking the coffee in the basement. Got it."
"Probably a mutation," was the grumbled reply, Alison shuddering at the memory of the coffee hissing at her from the mug that had barely managed to contain it long enough for her to flee to safety.
Cecilia grinned, casting a slow, thoughtful look around the room as she gave a surprisingly comfortable silence a few seconds to hang. But, eventually her gaze returned to Alison. "How do you survive this place?" she asked, trying to sound amused but not quite catching all of the sincere curiousity before letting the question out.
"The people," was the simple reply, Alison not even really thinking about it. She shrugged a bit, feeling self-concious. "I'm not used to being in one place for long anyway, so I work with what I've always relied on before. The people."
"Uh oh," Cecilia murmured, watching Alison with a mix of wariness and genuine sheepishness of her own. "What if I don't usually like people? The social thing.. it's a bit hard when you're as snarky as I, you know. Most people don't have the right sense of humor for it. Easier to skip it."
"You'll find something of everything here," was the truly unworried reply. "You hardly have to be friends with everyone. I'm not, for one." There were a few she rarely if ever spoke to, at that. "You just do your own thing and find the people you think are safe or right as your support structure slash social circle. It'll happen on its own, most likely."
"I suppose that's true," Cecilia admitted, glancing down at her bottle of water for a moment. "I suppose if I ever feel myself starting to slip, I can come bother you again," she decided, looking up again with a wry grin. "You don't seem too terribly put-off. Or you do a very good job of hiding it and sparing me my feelings."
A snort of laughter greeted that remark, and Alison gave Cecilia a self-deprecating grin. "Are you kidding? You come talk to me, I won't mind. It's hell getting anyone to talk here. Most prefer staying walled up in their world of woe and pretend everything is all right." She shook her head again, the smile still there and taking some of the sting out of her words. "I don't mind questions. Or talking. It's refreshing, really."
"I'm just not used to having people there willing to listen, without a psychology degree and a hefty paycheck inspiring them to do it," Cecilia chuckled, rubbing at her forehead. "Haven't really done much of the 'having friends' thing since I was little." She paused for a moment, thinking, then asked, "Is staying holed up in one's world of woe okay if they don't also pretend everything is all right?"
"I used to be the counselor but I gave up on that. Counselors don't drop brick on people's heads for being idiots." Alison grinned cheerfully, not at all sheepish about what she'd just said. "And I'd rather go for the brick dropping. Far more satisfying in the short run."
"Hey. Self-honesty I can deal with. Hypocrisy rankles me to no end. Note that I'm pretty damn obvious about nudging people into doing what I want them to do." She shook her head, chuckling. "I'm surprised none of them have realized all they need to do is say 'no' and that'd be that. Then again, if they allow themselves to be bossed into stuff, odds are high they don't mind that much. Not like they can't see me coming a mile off."
Cecilia managed not to boggle openly at the thought of Alison Blaire as a counselor because.. well.. Alison was doing a damn fine job of counseling her right this very moment. It was a good fit for her, once you looked past the surface. "Agreed on the brick-dropping," she smiled, nodding her approval. "If I ever need one dropped on me, you are very much invited to do so. I'm sure there will be ample opportunity, eventually."
The rest, Cecilia considered quietly for a moment before she nodded, her smile softening noticably. "I try not to be a hypocrite, but I do stumble now and again," she admitted, with a sheepish look given to her shoes. "And at the age most of the kids here are at, 'go away' generally means 'hold my hand while I regain my balance but don't make me ask you to'. Not always, but in general."
"Mmm. Bricks. Anvils are good too.But no pianos. Not fair to the piano, that." She winked, amused. "We all stumble now and then. Consistent hypocrisy I have no patience or taste for though. S'all." She shrugged, tilting her head to the side for a moment. "Oh, a fair number of the kids here have damn good heads on their shoulders, when they're not doing typical stupid kid things." She snickered, shaking her head. "Heck, I do my share of stupid not so much a kid anymore things. We all do. But it's still nice to have one actually wander over and ask to talk now and then." There was a hint of fervour in those words that had a world of meaning.
"And hey. Some of the adults here are renowed for what you just described. Bricks are good for them too." She paused. "I should start a collection. Maybe ask Cain to order a stack? He'd get a laugh out of it, if he knew what they were for. Heh."
"Cain?" Cecilia asked curiously, her brow furrowing in thought. "I don't think I've met him yet.. but I'm not sure actual bricks would be good. You'd just concuss the people you used them on, and head injuries aren't my top choice of learning experiences." She smiled wryly, shrugging and having a quick sip of her water. "Verbal bricks, though.. those, you can use. Much more effective, if you pay enough attention to be able to aim just right."
It was her turn to pause, though, and then she offered Alison a small grin, inclining her head a bit. "I'll come wander over and ask to talk whenever I need to, so long as you understand the offer extends both ways. I can be a damned fine listener, when I put my mind to it."
"Offer noted and accepted." Alison chuckled, still liking the mental image of dropped bricks. "I tend to mope a bit but generally where someone can see and call me on it. Or find someone to have a nice breakdown on when I need one. Us histrionics divas have to do that, dont'cha know." She nodded wisely, hand fluttering over her heart in an exagerated 'am so fragile, woe!' gesture.
"I shall be ever-watchful for mope-like actions, oh wise diva," Cecilia mused, lifting a hand in a mock-salute. "I'll even try to be gentle when I call you on it, should it ever come to pass, and otherwise leave my door open so you can come cling at me." Nodding to herself, she flashed a grin, managing not to look too amused at the gesture. Fragile, right.
Alison grinned, shaking her head. She was only too aware that she could hide from the best if she were so inclined, and at the same time grateful she much preferred to express herself rather then hide everything away from the world (well, for the most part). "You'd be surprised how much of that I did while trying to break into the music world," she snickered, remembering a few people who had literally kept her sane and going during those years.
"Oh, I don't know about that," Cecilia chuckled, smiling and lazily swirling the water in her bottle. "I'd think it would be a hell of a stressful time. Much with the clinging and the occasional breakdown on the people closest to you. More stressful than medical school, in its own way, for sure."
"Well," and this time Alison seemed a bit more earnest somehow. "Let's just say that at least in medical school if someone stabs you, it's likely to be with an actual knife like thing, at least." She smiled a bit sheepishly, shaking her head.
"Now you're underestimating non-mutants," Cecilia chided lightly, grinning and wandering in the general direction of the couch. "Very creative when it comes to sticking each other with pointy objects. I have stories." Her grin turned wicked, but she waved it off in short order. "But, since I came for a sanity break.. you up for having me around a bit longer? Long enough for, say, a movie?"
"I wasn't even taking mutant abilities or not into account, actually," Alison said mildly. "Humans have been hurting each other since the dawn of time, one genetic quirk more or less won't stop that." She let the point rest however, with that.
"Hrm. What kind of movie are we talking about then?"
The medlab was gorgeous, there was no doubt about that, and the tour - and information that she would be trusted to work in there, degree or no - had done much to improve her mood, after her run-in with Clarice a few hours previous. Not that Cecilia was very upset over it. Exasperated over talking to a pink brick wall, but that wasn't anything new.
Confirmation that there actually was a girl with several peoples' blood on her hands living in the basement, though, had been very.. sobering. As had been Hank's explanation of why the school was handling Sarah the way they were. It was logic she could follow. She'd live with it, but that didn't mean she'd have to like it, and it sure as hell didn't mean she'd go out of her way to talk to this girl. Which meant, clearly, that it was still necessary to swing by Alison's.
Lightly rapping a fist against the door to the woman's suite, Cecilia raised her voice, just enough to be heard inside. "Alison? It's Cecilia. You free?"
A heaving sounding thump followed by quick running greeted the knock, soon followed by the door opening a few inches. There was no one at eye level however.
"Miles down here!" A bright smile greeted her, the little green boy peeking up at her with lively curiosity. "Alison said there was someone new! Miles hopes Miss Cecilia Reyes likes it here!" And in a low, conspiratorial whisper. "Miles can make cookies now."
Cecilia blinked a bit at the lack of someone at her eye-level, but then she recalled Alison's mentioning a seven year old, shortly before said seven year old spoke up. She allowed herself a moment to be grateful for Clarice's earlier warning that he was little and green, because it meant that she wasn't nearly as surprised by his appearance as she could have been - and after spending a few hours with Doctor McCoy, she was feeling extremely open-minded.
Besides. She adored small children. But shhh.
"Hi there," she replied cheerfully, mirroring his bright smile as she dropped down into a crouch, loosely folding her arms over her knees. "It's very nice to meet you, Miles.." She paused, casting a shifty-eyed glance around the hall, before she quieted her voice to a whisper. "And I'm sure you make very, very good cookies. Do you think I could have one, when you're done?"
A gleeful grin was the answer and Miles nodded once, suddenly shy - but still curious. He gazed up at her for a long moment before half-reaching out, his hand swerving halfway to rest on the doorframe once more, instead. "Miles can go near Miss Cecilia Reyes," he murmured back, very solemnly. "Miles won't hurt her with his power." He also had started getting some measure of control lately, but well, he still wasn't able to bring the field in under two and a half feet. He sighed a little, shuffling his feet.
"You're doing fine, baby," Alison's voice came from within the common room and Miles turned to grin up at her, forgetting all about his previous worries. She leaned down to give him a hug, smiling down at him and he bounced once before hopping into the hallway. "Miles can go make cookies now? Miles will go find Lorna and ask if we can!" And he winked carefully at Cecilia to show she was going to be remembered before darting off towards the stairs.
Cecilia beamed in response to Miles' grin, winking at him with a cheerful "Thanks." The movement of his hand caught her attention - not so much when it began moving her way as when it swerved towards the doorframe, instead, her expression softening at just how quickly he'd become so solemn. There was a pang of familiarity there, albeit for entirely different reasons.. she hoped. Hoped very, very hard.
Before she could respond, though, Alison's voice drifted out into the hall, and her attention moved upwards as Miles' did. She offered a quick smile and a wave, remaining crouched a moment longer so she could exchange a quick, conspiratorial look with the little boy before he went bounding off.
"He's very sweet," she said after a moment, looking up at Alison again as she straightened back up. "And very, very cute."
"Yeah, he is," Alison smiled wistfully, leaning in the doorway and watching Miles run off, occasionally pausing to hop once or twice. She waggled her fingers at him as he snuck one last look towards them both and flashed them a grin before scrambling down the stairs.
Opening the door fully she steppped inside, tilting her head at Cecilia in a silent invitation to come inside. Music sheets were stacked neatly to one side on the coffee table of the common room she and Lorna shared, a guitar leaning on the stand in a corner while a slim synthesizer was propped up near the couch.
"You wanted to talk about something." It was more of a go ahead to talk away, rather than a question, and Alison eyed the coffee pot consideringly at the same time, raising an eyebrow towards Cecilia.
"I did," Cecilia confirmed, wiggling her fingers after Miles before she accepted the silent invitation and moved inside. She couldn't help a curious look around, and considered the coffee for a moment before shaking her head, with a smile. "Thanks, but I'm.. jumpy enough already, I think," she said wryly, her smile turning self-depricating.
"I.. met Doctor McCoy," she began, looking to Alison again. "Got the tour of medlab, and.. got that rumor thing I mentioned in my e-mail cleared up. The, er.. young woman in the basement?"
Well, wasn't that an interesting hesitation to make. "Sarah," was all Alison said in confirmation, eyes going to one of the pictures of Miles in the common room, where both he and Artie were doing their best to fit their faces in the photograph while sticking their tongues out.
"Sarah," Cecilia confirmed, nodding and lifting a hand to rub her forehead. "Doctor McCoy explained why she's being cared for here rather than somewhere else, and it's logic I can follow, so there's no trouble on that score. Still going to lock my door when I go to sleep, mind you, but it shouldn't be more disruptive than that. He brought me up to speed on a few other.. quirks of life here." Quirks. Yes, quirks was a safe way to put it.
"That's a mild way to put it," Alison grinned at her a bit, shaking her head. "Talent for understatement. You'll fit right in." She pulled out a waterbottle from the small refrigerator she and Lorna kept in the common room, and offered it to Cecilia in lieu of coffee. "Was there anything specific you wanted to know, or did Hank answer all your questions?"
"All the ones I could think to ask at the time, anyway," Cecilia mused, reaching out to accept the waterbottle with a slight grin. "I'm sure I'll have some more once the shock wears off. You forgot to mention how insane this place is in the sales pitch."
"Well, at least we don't have to worry about bug-eyed alien invaders out to use humanity as hosts!" Alison quipped brightly, leaning on the corner counter. "Of course, if I were possessed by an alien entity, I sure wouldn't be telling you now, would I?" She kept an innocent expression the whole time.
"I came here to regain my bearings, not have them thrown further out of whack," Cecilia whimpered, hiding her face behind her hand and eyeing Alison with mock-wariness from between her fingers. "And given the way you drive, the fact that 'safe port in a storm' and your name seem to be synonymous in my head probably says a lot about me, huh?"
"You are a wise woman," was all Alison could reply to that of course, accepting the backhanded compliment with complete good will. "If you're nice, we can ask Scott to give you some of his advanced driving lessons too." A pause. "So, asked any of the instruments in the medlab to marry you yet?"
"I have been trying to court most of them, but they appear to be oblivious to all of my advances," Cecilia pouted, letting her hand fall from her face so she could open her water bottle. Can't drink with the cap on, silly girl. "But I'm not giving up hope. Do they respond well to gifts? Chocolates? Blood sacrifice?"
"Hrm. That reminds me to have the pet rules of the house amended. No chickens will be kept for purposes of ritual sacrifice." Alison waved one finger in the air in a pretend 'taking note' gesture and grinned. "You could always suck up to the inhabitants of the medlab. Twinkies, demonic coffee or donuts. You get to guess which works for which, though. Wouldn't be interesting a challenge otherwise."
"I get the feeling they might be somewhat interchangable," Cecilia grinned. "I don't think I've ever met a doctor who didn't drink coffee like it was water. Outstandingly healthy, that." With an amused roll of her eyes, she took a quick sip of her water. Much better than coffee. "Bribery, though, I can do. Good advice."
"So long as you're so obvious about it people know you're just doing it to fuss over them, it's always good," Alison murmured absently, wrinkling her nose. "And there's nothing normal about Moira's coffee. The thing is like the blood of the aliens in the movie. Eats through anything." She made a sizzling 'sssss' sound, waggling her fingers. "The stuff is scary I tell you."
"Then why on Earth is she allowed to drink it?" Cecilia replied confusedly, blinking twice as she tried to figure out exactly how acidic the coffee would have to be in order to be as bad as Alison was making it out to be. Madre de Dios. "If it can eat through things, it can probably eat through one's stomach, you know."
"She has an iron cast stomach," Alison groused, still not entirely sure that wasn't fact more than myth. Maybe it was a latent mutant power? "If you dip silver in it for two seconds, it comes out so bright it's scary."
"Unless it's a mutation of some kind, nobody has an iron cast stomach," Cecilia observed, smiling wryly and casting a brief look back towards the door. "No drinking the coffee in the basement. Got it."
"Probably a mutation," was the grumbled reply, Alison shuddering at the memory of the coffee hissing at her from the mug that had barely managed to contain it long enough for her to flee to safety.
Cecilia grinned, casting a slow, thoughtful look around the room as she gave a surprisingly comfortable silence a few seconds to hang. But, eventually her gaze returned to Alison. "How do you survive this place?" she asked, trying to sound amused but not quite catching all of the sincere curiousity before letting the question out.
"The people," was the simple reply, Alison not even really thinking about it. She shrugged a bit, feeling self-concious. "I'm not used to being in one place for long anyway, so I work with what I've always relied on before. The people."
"Uh oh," Cecilia murmured, watching Alison with a mix of wariness and genuine sheepishness of her own. "What if I don't usually like people? The social thing.. it's a bit hard when you're as snarky as I, you know. Most people don't have the right sense of humor for it. Easier to skip it."
"You'll find something of everything here," was the truly unworried reply. "You hardly have to be friends with everyone. I'm not, for one." There were a few she rarely if ever spoke to, at that. "You just do your own thing and find the people you think are safe or right as your support structure slash social circle. It'll happen on its own, most likely."
"I suppose that's true," Cecilia admitted, glancing down at her bottle of water for a moment. "I suppose if I ever feel myself starting to slip, I can come bother you again," she decided, looking up again with a wry grin. "You don't seem too terribly put-off. Or you do a very good job of hiding it and sparing me my feelings."
A snort of laughter greeted that remark, and Alison gave Cecilia a self-deprecating grin. "Are you kidding? You come talk to me, I won't mind. It's hell getting anyone to talk here. Most prefer staying walled up in their world of woe and pretend everything is all right." She shook her head again, the smile still there and taking some of the sting out of her words. "I don't mind questions. Or talking. It's refreshing, really."
"I'm just not used to having people there willing to listen, without a psychology degree and a hefty paycheck inspiring them to do it," Cecilia chuckled, rubbing at her forehead. "Haven't really done much of the 'having friends' thing since I was little." She paused for a moment, thinking, then asked, "Is staying holed up in one's world of woe okay if they don't also pretend everything is all right?"
"I used to be the counselor but I gave up on that. Counselors don't drop brick on people's heads for being idiots." Alison grinned cheerfully, not at all sheepish about what she'd just said. "And I'd rather go for the brick dropping. Far more satisfying in the short run."
"Hey. Self-honesty I can deal with. Hypocrisy rankles me to no end. Note that I'm pretty damn obvious about nudging people into doing what I want them to do." She shook her head, chuckling. "I'm surprised none of them have realized all they need to do is say 'no' and that'd be that. Then again, if they allow themselves to be bossed into stuff, odds are high they don't mind that much. Not like they can't see me coming a mile off."
Cecilia managed not to boggle openly at the thought of Alison Blaire as a counselor because.. well.. Alison was doing a damn fine job of counseling her right this very moment. It was a good fit for her, once you looked past the surface. "Agreed on the brick-dropping," she smiled, nodding her approval. "If I ever need one dropped on me, you are very much invited to do so. I'm sure there will be ample opportunity, eventually."
The rest, Cecilia considered quietly for a moment before she nodded, her smile softening noticably. "I try not to be a hypocrite, but I do stumble now and again," she admitted, with a sheepish look given to her shoes. "And at the age most of the kids here are at, 'go away' generally means 'hold my hand while I regain my balance but don't make me ask you to'. Not always, but in general."
"Mmm. Bricks. Anvils are good too.But no pianos. Not fair to the piano, that." She winked, amused. "We all stumble now and then. Consistent hypocrisy I have no patience or taste for though. S'all." She shrugged, tilting her head to the side for a moment. "Oh, a fair number of the kids here have damn good heads on their shoulders, when they're not doing typical stupid kid things." She snickered, shaking her head. "Heck, I do my share of stupid not so much a kid anymore things. We all do. But it's still nice to have one actually wander over and ask to talk now and then." There was a hint of fervour in those words that had a world of meaning.
"And hey. Some of the adults here are renowed for what you just described. Bricks are good for them too." She paused. "I should start a collection. Maybe ask Cain to order a stack? He'd get a laugh out of it, if he knew what they were for. Heh."
"Cain?" Cecilia asked curiously, her brow furrowing in thought. "I don't think I've met him yet.. but I'm not sure actual bricks would be good. You'd just concuss the people you used them on, and head injuries aren't my top choice of learning experiences." She smiled wryly, shrugging and having a quick sip of her water. "Verbal bricks, though.. those, you can use. Much more effective, if you pay enough attention to be able to aim just right."
It was her turn to pause, though, and then she offered Alison a small grin, inclining her head a bit. "I'll come wander over and ask to talk whenever I need to, so long as you understand the offer extends both ways. I can be a damned fine listener, when I put my mind to it."
"Offer noted and accepted." Alison chuckled, still liking the mental image of dropped bricks. "I tend to mope a bit but generally where someone can see and call me on it. Or find someone to have a nice breakdown on when I need one. Us histrionics divas have to do that, dont'cha know." She nodded wisely, hand fluttering over her heart in an exagerated 'am so fragile, woe!' gesture.
"I shall be ever-watchful for mope-like actions, oh wise diva," Cecilia mused, lifting a hand in a mock-salute. "I'll even try to be gentle when I call you on it, should it ever come to pass, and otherwise leave my door open so you can come cling at me." Nodding to herself, she flashed a grin, managing not to look too amused at the gesture. Fragile, right.
Alison grinned, shaking her head. She was only too aware that she could hide from the best if she were so inclined, and at the same time grateful she much preferred to express herself rather then hide everything away from the world (well, for the most part). "You'd be surprised how much of that I did while trying to break into the music world," she snickered, remembering a few people who had literally kept her sane and going during those years.
"Oh, I don't know about that," Cecilia chuckled, smiling and lazily swirling the water in her bottle. "I'd think it would be a hell of a stressful time. Much with the clinging and the occasional breakdown on the people closest to you. More stressful than medical school, in its own way, for sure."
"Well," and this time Alison seemed a bit more earnest somehow. "Let's just say that at least in medical school if someone stabs you, it's likely to be with an actual knife like thing, at least." She smiled a bit sheepishly, shaking her head.
"Now you're underestimating non-mutants," Cecilia chided lightly, grinning and wandering in the general direction of the couch. "Very creative when it comes to sticking each other with pointy objects. I have stories." Her grin turned wicked, but she waved it off in short order. "But, since I came for a sanity break.. you up for having me around a bit longer? Long enough for, say, a movie?"
"I wasn't even taking mutant abilities or not into account, actually," Alison said mildly. "Humans have been hurting each other since the dawn of time, one genetic quirk more or less won't stop that." She let the point rest however, with that.
"Hrm. What kind of movie are we talking about then?"
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Date: 2004-08-17 12:32 pm (UTC)But... but...
;)
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Date: 2004-08-17 12:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-17 12:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-17 01:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-17 02:27 pm (UTC)*makes note to send the memo to staff about the ritual sacrifices*
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Date: 2004-08-17 02:28 pm (UTC)But c'mon, you know what Lorna can do to a chicken . . .
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Date: 2004-08-17 04:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-17 06:15 pm (UTC)!!!
Date: 2004-08-17 06:33 pm (UTC)Re: !!!
Date: 2004-08-17 06:41 pm (UTC)School grounds too.
Re: !!!
Date: 2004-08-17 06:43 pm (UTC)Re: !!!
Date: 2004-08-17 07:24 pm (UTC)*g*
Re: !!!
Date: 2004-08-17 07:35 pm (UTC)And I'm not making any promises.
Re: !!!
Date: 2004-08-17 08:12 pm (UTC)You travelled with me long enough to know what you need to know about my sense of humor.
Re: !!!
Date: 2004-08-17 08:52 pm (UTC)Re: !!!
Date: 2004-08-17 09:13 pm (UTC)Re: !!!
Date: 2004-08-17 09:33 pm (UTC)Re: !!!
Date: 2004-08-17 09:34 pm (UTC)Re: !!!
Date: 2004-08-17 10:48 pm (UTC)You're such a quick learner! :D
Re: !!!
Date: 2004-08-17 07:47 pm (UTC)Re: !!!
Date: 2004-08-17 08:11 pm (UTC)Re: !!!
Date: 2004-08-17 08:17 pm (UTC)Re: !!!
Date: 2004-08-17 08:36 pm (UTC)...
And I'm not telling you what you're not seeing. ;)
The SADL called...
Date: 2004-08-17 12:58 pm (UTC)They've got the Comfy Chair and the Fluffy Pillows because ...
NOBODY EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION!
Redhawk
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Date: 2004-08-17 02:06 pm (UTC)Says who?
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Date: 2004-08-17 02:27 pm (UTC)