Madelyn, Alison - Sunday evening.

[x-madelyn.livejournal.com]

Alison drops by to see Madelyn on her way to the gym, and ends up with a training partner. Or perhaps that's what she intended all along..



The door to Madelyn's suit was half open, various sounds from within tangible proof that its occupant was back and within, puttering around doing something or other. And the half-open door was pretty much an invitation to poke one's head in and wait patiently to be noticed, Alison decided, suiting deed to thought.

Madelyn was indeed back, and in the process of unpacking. Coming out of her bedroom with her hiking boots, intending to dump them in the closet by the door, she grinned at the cheerful face poking around the door. "Hey, firefly," she said, cheerfully, although perhaps a touch tired-looking. "Come to welcome me home?"

"You left the door half-open. You never know who might wander in when you do that, y'know?" Alison nodded wisely, taking the invitation for what it was while stepping fully into the room. "So I took it upon myself to protect you." The solemn expression never wavered once as Alison leaned on the wall next to the door, dropping her gym bag to the ground - she'd head off to train afterwards. Taking a break to greet Madelyn wouldn't set her back in any way.

"My hero," Madelyn deadpanned, then snickered as she tossed the boots in the closet. "And that's the last of the unpacking. Off to the gym?"

"Well, I was going to but I can spare some of my precious time for you," was the grand declaration. Alison nudged the bag with the side of one running shoe, wrinkling her nose at it. "I've been keeping the database updated daily with the stuff I do." She was due for an evaluation with Madelyn on the next day, in fact, part of the deal they'd struck before she was allowed to train, after Cain's accident and her 'miraculous' healing.

"So I've seen." Madelyn resisted the urge to ask how things were going - that could wait for the evaluation, after all, and she tried not to doctor at her friends too much. "I think I might have to start joining you - too much Christmas cheer makes for slow and doughy doctors, and if I'm to keep up with things here, being in good shape helps. Besides, my favorite pants almost don't fit any more," she added a little mournfully.

Alison snorted quietly at that. Madelyn looked just as fit as ever to her eyes. "You read my mind, actually." Winking, Alison stretched out one leg in front of her, wiggling her foot. "I was going to take you up on that offer to join me you made, before the holidays started." She looked a bit sheepish, for a moment. "I sort of already integrated you to this week's schedule?"

Madelyn laughed at that. "You're almost as scary organised as I am - I plead medical training, what's your excuse? Besides team-leaderlyness?"

"Scott. He's contagious and he's the one who took over my powers training when I got here. Heck, he took over my whole training." She didn't specify it had been after a power-related incident. Only Sam and Scott knew about that one. "Think they make vaccines against that sort of stuff? What if I'm contagious too now?"

"I'll put Hank onto it - I've already got it, so you're safe with me." Well, mostly - Madelyn's suite tended to be a little on the chaotic side, at least with books and newspapers and journals and sundry other writing materials strewn in various places, but that was more of an indication of someone too busy for cleaning. The kitchenette was always pristine, 'though, and not just because she seldom used it. "I'd say we should work on a vaccine, only I'm tempted to let it run rampant - this place could use a bit more organising. Try sharing a hotel room with a teenager for a couple of days." She rolled her eyes slightly. "Still, it did Jubilee a lot of good - I think she got some closure out of it. And possibly some idea of what she wants to do with her life."

"Well, my room is messy, to the untrained eye at least. Ask Lorna." It was chaotic to say the least, except for anything that had to do with music. Perhaps less so now than when she'd first arrived at the mansion, though Alison wasn't about to admit to that. "You forget. I took three teenagers to Mexico last year. I know what that's like." She paused. "Okay, Paige sort of balanced the boys out a lot. I admit that."

"Doesn't she always?" Madelyn asked. "I need to have a chat with her at some stage, see how she's doing. Hank's got some new ideas on Jono's condition, but we're still not a lot closer on getting him some form of physical body back..." Madelyn made a frustrated noise, and waved the thought away. "We'll get there. But yes, all this waiting has to be hard on her."

"She does indeed. And of course it is. She just soldiers on and doesn't show it unless you blindside her every now and then." Alison sighed a bit, foot falling back to the ground finally. "I'm still getting Jono to help TA for the kids' class this term, you know. He gets the point across even like he is now, and they like seeing him."

"Good - he doesn't notice the passing of time, but it's not good for him to lurk in the basement." Madelyn chuckled a little. "And I think he's actually feeling social. So social he shall be."

"Well, I don't treat him any different and pick on him all the same. He likes it, even though he'll never admit it." With a knowing look, Alison tilted her head to the side, then crossed the room to its center to plop down on the floor, which was more comfortable then leaning on the wall. "And how've you been lately?"

"Good. And a little nervous about it - it seems like most of the place are feeling their own senses of mortality and uselessness, given what happened on Muir, so me being in a good mood seems to jar. Especially when I get silly and there are jokes made on subjects touchy to others." Madelyn gave Alison a meaningful look, but didn't push the issue. "Hank and I have been trying to support Moira as much as she will let us, of course, and then there's Nathan and Haroun trying to out-angst each other... It's a good thing Amanda's not here to find out about our plans for her and medlab, or we'd have the full set."

"I think Amanda won't mind too much, once the not constantly being on the edge of worn out had the chance to settle in." The remark about touchy subjects wasn't ignored, but Alison wasn't inclined to make a fuss about it either. It wasn't linked to Muir and if anything, she felt she'd earned the leeway to be a little bit touchy (or a lot) about Magneto and his crew. Didn't mean everyone else had to be. Even if the thought of the man still made her want to throw up. She focused on something else instead and frowned, just a bit. "I could knock both their heads together, honestly." The grumbled had an undertone that said exactly how tempting the thought was, too.

"They'd probably enjoy it too much. Or use it as an excuse to continue the Woe - a mere female can beat them up, what kind of men are they, etc, etc..." Madelyn didn't suppress the eyeroll this time. "I could point out the essential uselessness of being a baseline human in a house full of superheroes, but I doubt it would go down well. Besides, they've both got people to yell at them, I won't add my two cents unless it's asked for."

"Pff. I can't beat them up. But if they did that, it'd be a death sentence. Ororo would fry them or something - they'd have earned it too. Yeesh. You'd think the two people with the most combat experience here would realize that they're freakishly important assets but nooo..." Alison didn't slip up again and comment that she had far more reasons to worry than them, this time though. "Anyway. I'm cheating. Getting both of them by not yelling at them at all. Ha."

Madelyn snickered. "See, that always works - you'd think they'd realise what we're up to with that, but they never do, and call us devious and sneaky instead." She gave Alison an embarrassed look. "I have to admit, I came through medlab on the way back, to check on things first. Habit, this double-checking thing."

"Mmm. And what did you see?" She knew her training schedule had taken a hike what with the plan involving keeping an eye on Nathan by way of integrating his workout schedule to hers, but it was still within the limits the medlab staff had set upon her. She'd been scrupulously careful about that.

"Don't worry, you're not in trouble. I was just making sure there hadn't been any more accidents, and that Haroun had checked out okay." Madelyn shrugged a little. "It's hard to relax, even with the medlab empty. Moreso, actually, since I keep wondering what's going to fill it up next." Wrinkling her nose, she perched on the arm of the couch. "Still, given some of the training time people are putting in, I think it's time we did the full physical on all team members. Stress injuries, over-extension, the works. And with Hank back on active status, we have the manpower."

"Hey, I'll be the first in." Alison laughed at that, shaking her head. "Actually, with my eval tomorrow I'd say I will be the first in. It was supposed to be a regular thing though. Want it to make it the full works instead?" It would practically be a training session, if the treadmill tests were involved. "I can clear the time for it easily."

"That works for me. And if you let me join you today, it could be good karma? You put me through hell, I do the same for you...?"

"I don't think I'm quite up to putting you through training hell yet, but we can work on it." Alison grinned with deceptive innocence. Haroun's idea of drills were pushing her to her limits constantly - not that she minded. He never pushed her too far, was careful to avoid injury while ruthless about not slacking off. "I'm ready." Alison looked at her running shoes pointedly.

"I will be in five," Madelyn promised, getting up and disappearing into the bedroom to change. Sweater and jeans did not a comfortable training make. "How about training purgatory? Can we manage that?" she asked, voice muffled by the sweater she was pulling over her head.

"Some people say purgatory is worse than hell, you know." Alison was smiling angelically, even though Madelyn could hardly see her. But it would be nice to have yet someone else to join in her training. And keep an eye on her, though she'd never admit to that. It was easy to lose yourself in training - she did the same with the guitar practice of late, trying to regain the limberness in her hands from before the blowing up.

"Well it's more boring, so yeah, probably." T-shirt and windbreaker, and sweats. Still tugging the 'breaker over her head, she came out, glad she'd gone for the braid today. "Sneakers, sneakers, I know I left you somewhere around here..." she muttered mostly to herself, before pouncing on the errant footwear poking out from under the coffee table where she'd kicked them off. "All set! Let's go!" she exclaimed, practically bouncing. Exercise! With company! The treadmill was dreadfully boring, and she'd been slothful for far too long, if you didn't count fleeing from Hank and Snowy Revenge.

Alison smiled serenely and wondered how far she could push Madelyn - and therefore herself - before she caught on. She had a feeling the challenge would take over for a while first, which meant Alison was being a bad girl and would probably pay for it at one point. She didn't think Hank would let Madelyn used the nitro-dipped medical instruments...

"Well then. Off we go, oh comrade-in-training!"