xp_logs | Jono, Paige and a welcome home

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Jono finds out that Paige is home and floats on over to see her. Paige is in the shower. Wacky hijinxs ensue!

Jono did remember Paige had told him she'd be gone for a while, there was nothing wrong with his memory, just the way he perceived the world. Now he wasn't sure if she'd actually been gone, though he had noticed her missing from the mansion, but he couldn't have said if she'd only been away for a day or for longer. It didn't bother him much, not having a sense of time, but it must've been more annoying to others. And now Paige was back, whether she'd been gone for a short time or a long time, and Jono felt compelled to tell her he'd at least noticed she'd been away.

Paige was frozen solid. She knew she had had enough time to warm up, she was still wearing enough layers for several families from Alaska, and she’d even made tea but for whatever reason, and there were a couple of them, she couldn’t shake the feeling, as if her marrow had turned to ice. Jubilee had been kind enough to suggest an abnormally hot shower, the kind that were just a step away from peeling the skin off, and even offered to leave the room so that Paige could play her classical music terribly loud. Paige couldn’t resist that offer and gave her roomie a hug before shoving her out the door and going to find her Brad Mehldau album. Sweet, sweet Brad Mehldau, how she had missed him, she thought to herself as she started pulling sweaters over her head.

There wasn't really any way for Jono to know where he was, using people as landmarks and people tended to move around, but he figured the place where Paige was had to be at least semi-private because there wasn't anyone very close to her. He stayed some distance away from her at first, doing the mental equivalent of a knock, just announcing he was there.

Of course, mental knock or no, and being able to see or no, or even it being Jono or no, Paige was still in the shower and there was still someone, essentially, rapping on her head. It was a little distressing. Shrieking, Paige whipped around, nearly slipping and having to desperately cling to the towel rack, which just held her up. The ruckus was covered by the music and there was no one all that nearby, luckily, but at the moment that didn’t make her feel much better. “Um. Hi.”

Even without hearing the actual shriek and the following acrobatics, Jono could tell his presence was somewhat unexpected. He got a bit closer, feeling unnaturally awkward. "Hi. I just wanted to... see you."

Standing there in silence a moment, Paige tried to assess the situation. Her boyfriend was in the shower with her. Her boyfriend also happened to be a blind ball of light. Did that mean she went back to her shower? Would she be considered a tease? He couldn’t see her, after all. This was confusing; she would have to stand some more. “That’s... good. I wanted to see you too. Hi. I already said that, didn’t I? Um. How are you?”

Something was puzzling her, Jono could sense that. Something about showers, but he wasn't too clear on the details, and left it at that. "I'm the same. How are you? Did your trip go well? It happened already, didn't it?" He paused to try and sort through her cacophony of thoughts. "Did I- Is this a bad time?"

“No! No, it’s fine. I’m fine. Trip was fine. Sort of. Before and after the crazy part it was fine. Just fine,” Paige rambled at an incredible speed before shivering once. Water needed heat to evaporate, water was taking the heat from her skin to do so, making her chilled. Back in the shower it was. Maybe she could just stand there and not... touch anything. Oh god, she was the start of a bad anime porno. “Just an odd time. But it’s okay.”

"There was a crazy part? Why is there always a crazy part? You're all right, aren't you?" It was still odd to talk to light patterns instead of people, even when the patterns were so familiar they started to become indistinguishable from the people. Jono wondered briefly how long he'd been like this, and stopped, catching the end of Paige's thoughts again. It had become easier. "Bad anime porno?" Did he want to know? Yes, he did.

“You’re psychic and I’m in the shower,” Paige said as way of explanation, staring at the yellow duck loofah that was hanging from the tap. It was suddenly a very interesting duck. Unless it was staring at her. Was the duck staring at her? “I’m fine, just fine. Just cold. Scotland is cold.”

"Yeah, cold. And there's moors and things," Jono replied, a little mystified. "In the shower?" Typical of his luck not to have eyes at the moment, of course. "Should I turn my back or do something just as useless because I can't see anyway?" And what was with the duck? Was there a duck in the shower?

“Yes, I spent a lot of time looking out at those moors and pining for my one true love, oh Heath- wait. No, I didn’t. But I am in the shower, yes.” Paige finally reached down and turned the duck to face the tile, picking up a washcloth, a washcloth with no eyes, instead. “Well, we’re not in any lilac bushes, so you should be okay to stay where you are.”

"Sounds like time well-spent." A pause followed. Were there rules for small talk in the shower? "So what was the crazy about this time? Why is it that having a holiday is impossible without something happening?"

Paige reached over to the small shower shelf she had installed, picking up one soap after another in an attempt to find hers. Why did they have so much white soap? “Ex-husbands and clones but not and generally crazy people. It was fun but not at all and if you need a break from figuring out the meaning of life or something I’d appreciate it if you kept a figurative eye on Moira. She’s tough, and I’ll go see her, but I worry.”

"That made no sense, but sure." This was no surprise, nothing ever made sense when mutants and crazy people got together. Too often it was both of them in the same package. "And you always worry, have you noticed?" It took a bit of concentration to locate Moira right away, but she seemed normal enough when Jono finally thought he'd found her. "She looks fine."

“This is why I have an ulcer,” Paige replied in a mock sad tone, shaking her head. God, she was going to have to find shampoo in here too. Nodding thoughtfully at the Moira comment, Paige finally began the actual cleaning process, trying very hard not to think how very subtly dirty this was. “A giant ulcer that is going to eat through all my stomach and then my abdomen. When you’re done with you maybe you can work on me.”

"I have a great solution," Jono declared, wondering if he should tell her to close her eyes and imagine he was on the other side of the door or something. "You just have to become an energy being like me. That'll work. No ulcers. Maybe a slight risk of exploding, but that's all."

“Immortality and no ulcers all for the cost of possibly exploding. Hm,” Paige pondered, letting her eyes fall closed for a reason she couldn’t remember but was sure was a perfectly good one. “I think I shall have to invent a mutation changer machine. Right after the cure for cancer and that whole saving the Amazon thing.”

"All in a day's work, yeah? You're so optimistic it makes my light hurt." Really, what else could he have said? He was sorely lacking proper limbs for this sort of thing. "Besides, who ever said anything about immortality? I could be killed with kryptonite or something just no one knows it yet."

Finding herself running out of lather, Paige blindly searched for her bar of soap again. She was going to have to make labels or something. “Just keeping the cosmos in balance with you around, sugar pie,” she chirped in a disgusting tone. “And you mean you’re not immortal? But I was telling the family over Christmas that I was dating a God! You’ve made me a liar Jonothan Evan Starsmore.”

"Oh. Well, I'm British so you weren't too far from the truth." Modesty? He'd heard of it once or twice. A long time ago. Maybe it was something Eastern European. "Though if you're going to keep calling me by my full name, Paige Elizabeth, I'm leaving this bathroom right now."

“I suppose that works. I did mention you were the god of snotty British rock stars who think they’re Goth,” Paige replied. There was a time when Paige wasn’t cruel to her boyfriend, or so the history books said. Maybe it was a misprint. “If I don’t call you by your full name, how will I hold your attention? And how will you know it’s me?”

Odder conversation in odder situations have been had. Somewhere in the galaxy. "I knew I was good, but that good?" It's possible Jono would've preened if he'd been equipped to do so. All he did now was get a little brighter for a moment. "I can tell it's you even when you're not saying anything, you know."

“You’re very good.” Paige shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts; this was going to be a very long shower in multiple temperatures if this kept up. She needed more soap. Paige opened her eyes at the change of light across her eyelids and smiled. “You can? Really? You’re not just trying to seduce me?”

"Well, yeah. It has to do with psionic patterns and the like. I'd be a rotten telepath not to be able to tell people apart that way." Jono thought for a moment. "I mean, even more rotten than I am. Did you want to take the rest of your shower in peace or are you enjoying this in some secret way?" He didn't need to add he would be, if only.

“How can you say that? You have the mark of a great telepath; the ability to pick up thoughts like anime porno. And... and the fact that I’m enjoying this,” Paige said, suddenly getting quieter. “I mean. I miss you. You’re right here but... you know. Absence makes, I guess.”

It should've been impossible to feel heavy, being incorporeal and all, but that's how Jono felt suddenly. He wondered how long he'd been like this and remembered someone mentioning New Years recently, although even 'recently' was subjective in his case. "Yeah. I miss you too. I think I actually miss some others too. I heard about the scarf Clarice made me and..." he stopped.

Paige very much wanted to push his hair back behind his ear and kiss his forehead as she always did right now and scrubbed a little more viciously than she normally would have at her scalp. “I think she may have a little bit of a crush on you. Death match anyone? You bring the Jell-o. Maybe blue raspberry, it goes with my eyes.”

The thought was briefly entertaining, and somehow reminded Jono of Sarah. "It'll have to wait until I can see again," he replied quietly. "Otherwise it won't be fun." He didn't say anything about Clarice's supposed crush, because he doubted it somewhat.

“Well, you’d better get moving, Mr. Starsmore. Or I’ll do it without you and then you’ll be sorry. Mind you, there will be tapes, possibly a television special, but that’s not the point,” Paige answered lightly, regretting having ever brought up missing him at all. He already knew, he always knew, she hadn’t needed to say it, to put it into such forced perspective.

"Yeah, I suppose I should get back to my secret lab and decide how I'm going to take over the world next. Possibly including those tapes." It was a bit of a dire reminder of his current condition, one he'd gladly forget if only it was possible. It was ironic that when he most wanted to be around people, it was the stupidest thing he could do, considering his own state of mind and being.

Paige laughed, shaking her head. “Sweetheart, I think the steam is getting to you. I’m the one bent on world domination. You’re my very sexy, talented, brilliant lacky- I mean... person who stands around and is sexy, talented and brilliant and gets to wear very attractive uniform but is not a lacky. Right.”

"So that's the person who doesn't actually do anything else but wear a nice uniform? If the pay is good, I'll think about it," Jono promised, withdrawing a little. "I'll still go now. I need to practice being whole so I can try on that uniform."
“Is that my cue to say ‘the pay is very good’ my imaginary sultry voice?” Paige asked, grinning. Turning off the water, she wrapped one of her towels around herself, suddenly very interested in the bathmat as she folded and folded the tuck in her towel. “And uh. Not that you need it, but. Good luck and... I love you. And all the mushy stuff, you know. Just in case you forgot.”

"I didn't forget. I wouldn't forget." He would've liked to hug her, maybe lie down with her, or just watch her read a book. The brilliant psionic patterns weren't hard on the eyes, but even mutants have human needs. Sometimes even more so than humans. "I'll see you soon. You know where I spend my time."

Wringing her hair over the shower, Paige smiled a little. “Yes, you will. And I’ll come down and visit you soon, too. Possibly with my new textbooks. Extra incentive for a solid form if only so I’ll stop reading to you.”

The last of the light from Jono disappeared slowly as he moved, mindless of the walls, his voice lingering in Paige's head. "Oh, you really know how to cheer up a bloke. No more physics, please."