Focus, Jean wanted to yell as his thoughts went every which way.
Her eyes shifted up to the ceiling and she said, "I've been to, uh, about ten different timelines and about four alternate dimensions. There's always a way out, we just have to find it. But that's another conversation."
Leaning forward, Jean placed her hands on her knees and refocused her attention on him as he rooted around for coffee.
"The Phoenix is the cosmic force of life, the sum total of all the psionic energy in every universe that ever was, is, and could be. A lot of civilizations believe it is the Guardian of Creation, and probably inspired the mythology bird of rebirth that is its namesake. In the purest sense, its purpose is to cut away and regrow pieces of a universe that aren't working or have grown stagnant, like what a natural wildfire does to a dry forest. Lots of different mythologies include this idea of cosmic rebirth and recycling the world, like Hinduism, for example. It's not like an evil apocalypse, it's a cycle of renewal. Does that make sense so far?"
"So, the Phoenix Force is inextricably drawn to life, specifically sentient life. Which is relatively uncomplicated when you're talking about dogs, cats, birds, and natural ecosystems. But when you bring something like humans into the equation, something capable of higher thought and complex emotion and irrational logic and decision-making, things get really messy. And the Phoenix Force is drawn to that, too. Since it is made up of psionic, mental energy, it wants to experience those things."