Summary:Jean visits the safe house for Carin's final vetting. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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It's been several weeks now since a gaggle of X-men girls out being foodies stumbled over a fleeing mutant speedster being hunted by AIM. And got her to one of the X-men safe houses, where she's been poked and prodded to ensure that she's not going to lead the bad guys down on their heads. Kitty and Doug have ensured her cybernetic implants are harmless and secure; Rachel has poked around in her brain, and while she's confirmed that Carin really doesn't have a lot of clear memories at the moment and is honest about what she's told everyone, well…she doesn't remember most of her life. Other than she was a foster child, apparently, before AIM got hold of her. And that something bad went down with her parents and family that was traumatic.
That said, Carin is pretty much to the point where she's relaxed….she's a bit bored and lonely being stuck in the house by herself, but hey, feeling safe makes up for it. And she got a playstation from Cessily! Which means she's had stuff to do, at least. She just kinda feels like a couch potato.
Today, she's got the radio on as she p'owns in Overwatch….reflexes like hers make her a brutal opponent, after all!
Jean's life has been busy lately. There's been the whole issue with the gods, of course. But on the more mundane front, there was studying, and finals, and graduation. Her time has been limited. But now that at least one of those things is settled, she's back to some of her other duties, including this.
She has a couple of bags of groceries in hand as she steps inside, looking around and calling out. "Knock knock, anybody home?"
Carin doesn't immediately hear someone messing with front door with the music drowning out the sounds, and her being focused on play. When it actually opens, however, her head tilts up, her green eyes widening, before there's a sudden *whoosh!* and her game controller falling to the couch as she appears in the entrance hall, stopping about ten feet away from Jean as she watches her a bit uncertainly. "Uh…hey…." she says. Well she's got keys, right? So probably she actually is supposed to be here and is not here to horrible kill her. Also, she's liking the fact that X-Men appear to be mostly redheads, she's not alooooone. "Ah…need a hand?" she says, her right foot brushing behind the back of her left ankle a bit nervously as she clasps her hands behind her back. It's not hard to tell that she's nervous in general…not necessarily by you, so much as she's very firmly in the 'flight' over 'fight' camp when things suprise her.
Jean blinks at the sudden appearance, but she doesn't seem all that shocked, a faint smile curving. "Hey. You must be Carin." Apparently she's at least been given the basic rundown. "Thanks," she adds, offering over one of the bags. "I'm Jean. I thought I'd come and check in on things, bring over some supplies. Sorry it's been so long."
The slender teen takes the bag. She's obviously been hitting the clothes stored here, which are….well, what you'd expect for mostly clothes acquired from the bin at Goodwill. This doesn't really excuse her eyeblinding choices, being she's got a bright neon green pair of shorts, a grey henley long sleeved shirt with bright orange highlights, and a ruffled black skirt. Which, against her utterly alabaster skin is…well, colorful. Goes okay with her coppery red hair though! And the huge green lightning bolt tatooed down the right side of her face. "Um, nice to meet you then, Jean. And yeah, I'm Carin." she says, smiling a bit shyly as she steps back, starting to carry things down to the kitchen. "Sorry I didn't hear you coming in, but it's good to see someone…."
"No worries," Jean says lightly, heading to the kitchen as well. "I can generally tell when people are around. Kind of more polite to let them know I'm here though," she smiles crookedly. Once in the kitchen, she starts unloading the bags. Most of what's there are things that ill keep well - freezer foods, pasta, canned and jarred goods. But there are a few more fresh things as well, since there's someone actively in residence.
"How have you been while you've been here?" she asks, starting to put things away. "Comfortable, safe?"
Carin ndos and sets the bag on the slightly battered counter, starting to unpack it. "Oh, sure…I mean, Cessily brought me the game thing, and then Rachel has been trying to help me remember things." she says, frowning thoughfully. And oh yes, slight echos of frustration and some old emotional pain, though it's muted…she isn't dwelling on whatever Rachel was able to dredge up. "Um, haven't remembered a lot of things yet though…I mean, I get…flashes, here and there." The pale girl wrinkles her nose in annoyance. "I…have a sister. Older sister. And I remember more clearly training I was forced through when I was forced to be evil minion for the bug guys. I think I remember….bits and pieces. Running? Not just during training, but like…track? I think."
She starts putting things away, though she doesn't seem to have much of a system, it's mostly 'hey, this cupboard has space I'll put it there!'. "And yeah, safe. Kitty said the implant in my head is safe, so they can't track me or erase my brain like they were gonna try, it's like…having a smartphone in my head, kinda."
"To be honest," Jean says, looking over with a wry smile, "Rachel's probably better at the whole memory thing than I am. I've actually got blocks of my own." Once the bag is empty, she starts folding it up, saving it for later. "To keep things from getting…Well, I wasn't always the best at controlling my powers, so. Safer for everyone if I had the training wheels on, so to speak. But I can get another read just to make sure everything is good for you to come to the school. Then at least you won't have to sit here alone."
Carin perks, her eyes widening as she gets an eager look. "R-really? It'd be okay?" she says excitedly. She tilts her head. "W-well, I don't think I have blocks, it's more…they were trying to erase my memories so they could implant a different personality that was all 'rawr kill kill maim murder'. " she says, her voice pitching low and eeeeevil for the last part as she holds up her hands and wiggles her fingers. "Um, sure though!" She looks curious. "So you're a student? I thought you were like…um, older, like Piotr. I mean, not in a bad way!" she says hastily. "But just, um, you seem more…together."
"I started at the school when I was pretty young," Jean grins, putting things away and heading for the living room. "Younger than most of the first class. I was just ten when my powers came in. So I've been doing this sort of thing for a long time. I just graduated college," she adds, clarifying. "So I'm not a student at the school, but I'm not a teacher either. Just sort of in between things."
Carin tosses the last of the groceries that need it in the fridge, then pads after Jean, staying close to her. "Really? It seems like a cool place." she admits..ten, really?" She tilts her head, smiling shyly again. "Um, that's about when mine kicked in, actually. I think. I'm not sure exactly how old I was, but around there." She grins. "Oh, wow! Congrats though ,that's cool!"
"Thanks!" Jean drops onto the couch, ruffling a hand through her hair. "It's definitely a relief to be done, at least with this part. Not sure where I'll go from there, but I'll figure it out." She tucks one foot up beneath herself with a small msile. There's something about her that just seems quiet, accepting. Part of it is the empathy that comes with her powers, but part of it is just who she is. "So. Having trouble remembering things," she smiles faintly. "Not uncommon in our experiences, I'm afraid to say. What is it you want from the future, though?"
Carin plops down on the couch, pulling her bare legs up to sit crosslegged. "Um…" She fidgets a bit at that. "I…I don't know. I don't even remember what my past is yet, though…right now it's just…it's good to not be…afraid?" she admits softly. "Or that I need to run. And to have people who…are wanting to help."
"Those are all good things," Jean agrees. "But you don't have to remember everything about your past to have feelings about your future. Sometimes…sometimes that just makes it easier." It seems she has some thoughts of her own about pasts. "I know it's probably hard. You've been running, if you'll pardon the pun, for a long time. But if you're going to build a new life, then you'll need to think about standing still for a minute."
The speedster frowns at that, idling picking at a loose thread on her skirt. "I…yeah. Okay. I mean, I don't…exactly have a lot of stuff I can do. I mean, I'm really fast. And they trained me in…well, being evil minion super soldier stuff, but that's totes not the sort of thing I wanted to do." she admits after a moment. "I guess…go pass high school? Or GED or…or something."
"Good news," Jean smiles crookedly, "We can get you through high school. The school even has some graduate studies after that, too. It's a place to start, at least. You can decide later where you want to go. But I'd recommend you start thinking about it, at least."
She leans back a bit, setting her hands on her leg. "So, I understand Rachel's done a bit of poking around. So you'll have an idea of what it's like, at least?"
Carin tilts her head. "Oh, sure…" she says after a moment. "It feels a little funny having someone in my head, but it's cool." She frowns. "She said it's like…a puzzle, where pieces are missing and some are just floating around not attached to anything? If that makes sense."
"Rachel and I see things a little differently," Jean says, smile faint. "Like I said, I've got a few blocks in place, so telepathy isn't…my strongest ability. But I've got some other talents. Ways of seeing things. Do I have your permission?" she asks, gaze steady. It seems that part is important as well.
"Sure, knock yourself out." the younger girl says, settling back in the couch a bit, then closing her eyes. "Um, do you need to like, Vulcan mind meld or anything to do it? Do I not need to think of pink hippos or something." Pause. "…cuz I'm totally thinking of them now."
She peeks over with one eye open. She's being silly, but it's not hard for a telepath to sense that she's a bit on edge and nervous about her mind being poked into again. Not so much that she's against remember, just…thus far all her memories have kinda sucked.
As warned, Jean's mind and its touch are different. She's not searching for particular memories, at least not right now. Rachel has done that well enough, she trusts. What Jean is looking for is a bigger picture. The measure of emotions, of intent. When memories are lacking, then the question becomes one of self. The touch is light - it's noticeable, but in the way that walking into a warm room from the cold is. Enveloping.
Carin's memories are noticeably off kilter. Fragmentary. It's an artificial break…memories that seem detached, or missing. There are some that still stand out that seem there, just without a path to reach them easily. And the feel of them is often of something…emotional. And unfortunately for Carin, they seem to be not very happy emotions. Carin does straighten up, then slowly relaxes a bit more at the warm feeling. "…oh…you feel…really warm like this…" she murmurs.
"No need to think about anything," Jean notes, her voice as gentle and warm as the touch of her mind. "I'm just sort of getting a feel for things." It isn't the memories she's touching, though she can't exactly avoid them. It's intention that she's looking for, the hallmarks of personality that have formed around those blank spaces. In short, she searches for heart, more than mind. For trustworthiness.
"Okay." Carin says, tthen tries not to think of anything in particular. Which is harder than you'd think. It's mostly wandering thoughts. Sort of mentally comparing Jean's hair color to her own, wondering what Jean studied and graduated with. Maybe a doctor? A doctor is good. Mental powers are all shrink stuff, right? Right. And she's got normal skin, not weird skin like Carin's. All vampire. She doesn't even get to sparkle. She just looks like some creepy goth girl who opened a vein or something.
Inside…well. Most teens have some issues wit insecurity, self confidence. Body issues. But Carins' are especially bad. There are lingering psychic scars, the sort you get with outright emotional abuse. Her self esteem is in the basement. She's starved for affection, feeling isolated and alone, and still shy. Desperately wanting to have someone care, but inwardly not believing she deserves it deep down, so she pulls away. There's shame for her looks, for her behavior, for what she sees as her cowardice. She only runs away, after all. It's what she's best at. Some part of her is sure that all the new people she's met, all the X-Men, are going to realize she's not worth their time and she'll be alone again. It's old feelings….years of it. Leading back to old traumas in her past, probably when she was around ten or eleven. She's lonely and desperate to be liked. To have someone care.
Jean knows those feelings. She's seen them too many times in her years with the school. She can't make them go away, not on her own. Not genuinely. But she can offer some solace, at least. And she can be aware of them, and the danger they could potentially present. Slowly, she withdraws her mind, but she still leaves a faint glow behind, that feeling of closeness, like sharing a chair with someone. Of simply not being alone.
"There we go," she says, opening her eyes with a small smile. "All done. Not so bad, right?"
AT the least…Carin is honest in what she's said and what she knows. She's not intentionally holding anything back…she just literally doesn't know anything more to tell people. And she genuinely doesn't want any harm to happen to the X-men or their students; they've been nothing but kind and supportive to her. Something she's just been drinking in. She opens her eyes, blinking. "Oh, sure…I feel…" She smiles a little bit. "…um, I feel kinda good, actually. What did you do?"
"Nothing much," Jean shrugs, though that smile lingers. "Mostly I just got a feel for things. You know that kinetic sand stuff? It's kind of like taking a handful and moving it between your hands. If there was a shape there, you can kind of feel what it was, and you can feel it fading away. You can feel if it's hot or cold, if there's anything off about it. But when you're done, it's usually at least a little bit warm from your hands. So it's kind of like that. I guess you could say that was a nice, long, mental hug," she chuckles.
"But the good news is, I don't see a reason why we shouldn't bring you in. You don't have any ill will against us, I don't see anything that predisposes you to cause us any harm. Doug and Kitty cleared the implants, so that's not a problem. The only potential issue is that these people are actively looking for you, but you wouldn't be the first student we took in to keep them safe from others."
Carin nods a little at the explanation, looking like that makes sense to her, putting it in those terms. She looks relieved at the judgement though, relaxing a bit. "Really! Um, yeah….well, they don't know where I am and New York is hyooooooge. So as long as I'm not stupid about using my powers or getting photographed or something…hopefully, um, okay?" she says tentatively.
"We'll get you safely to the school, and once you're there we should be able to help you figure out some things about your powers," Jean nods. "One of which will probably be checking for an energy trail of some sort. If there's not one, then given your particular powers, I don't see getting away from trouble and back to safety as a potential problem. And if there is one, then we'll figure out a way to cover it. That's the sort of thing we do." She sets her hands back in her lap, grin flashing. "So. Whenever you're ready, pack up your things and we'll get you resituated."
Carin hops up, grinning. "Hold that thought!" Then….*WHOOSH!* There's a blur of motion around the living room as the console suddenly is packed back in its box with the games tacke don top of it, then a duffle bag appearing suddenly that has some clothes crammedd into it…most of which is still in packaging, as someone apparently was nice enough to do a delicates run for her, then some shampoo and toothpaste and such, before Carin is visible again, the duffle on her arm, the console held in front of her by her hands. "Ready!"
Jean looks amused as everything is brough together in a whoosh, laughing. "Well all right, then," she grins, standing up. "Lucky for you, I've actually got a car outside, so you don't have to wait for me to call one. Load 'er up, Carin," she waves toward the door, standing up to follow the girl out.