Arianna Dayspring Summers (tyche) wrote in superbabies, @ 2013-03-01 22:42:00 |
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Arianna had felt drawn to the observatory. She wasn't empathic but there had been some psychic residue that felt painful when she'd brushed up against it. She probably should have asked Ian about it but Ari wasn't used to bothering others with the problems she found. An empath would have had a better idea and Arianna was too adept at shielding things that she didn't immediately recognize it for what it was. When she released the shields and grasped at the residue, it felt like a vice had tightened around her chest. Ari gasped for air, trying immediately to weave her shields again. It was like stepping in glue and the only way to get free would involve abandoning said shoe. To a 'path that was akin to severing a part of his or herself. Arianna felt her throat closed against emotion that wasn't hers. Emmett! came the cry for help, sheltering him as best she could from her panic. She needed him solid so that she could separate herself safely and not fall to pieces in the process. She needed an anchor just long enough to do so. The instant he’d felt Ari’s panic, Emmett had been on his feet. She was too important to leave like that for a second longer than he had to, and too powerful. He and Ian could do untold amounts of damage in states of emotional distress, and Ari was no different, if not amplified by the gestalt-like state they shared. He had to find her. The observatory. Of course. He’d felt the odd presence of the mutant calling itself the Revenant up there not too long ago, and Olivier Lebeau; considering the history, it was no surprise that the place was a mire of emotional residue. He put up the best shields he could, running through the halls until he reached the observatory stairs and taking them at an equally rapid pace until he could see Ari. Immediately, he shielded her, both psychically and physically, going to her and enfolding her in his arms, lending her as much strength as he could whilst moving them carefully out of the observatory. It wasn’t exactly a pleasant sensation for him, either, feeling that much psychic residue, but he could stave it off better than Ari could, since he’d expected it and he had his touch of empathy from his link with Ian. Arianna should have been able to fend it off, should have been able to save herself. Should have was very different from the able to. The problem was that she wasn't an empath and the residue was too emotional, far more than what she'd been expecting. Vaguely, she recognized pinpointing Emmett and he was on his way. He was already trying to help but it wasn't until she was in his arms that she was able to gasp for air. Her fingers curled into his clothing, physically anchoring herself. The emotions weren't hers. She gave a bark of laughter suddenly. "Your shielding is getting better," Arianna said, her grip not easing up in the slightest. “I have a good teacher,” Emmett pointed out softly, kissing her hair. “Let’s get you downstairs, okay? And then we can go to my office or room and stay there until we’re both a bit less off-balance.” To an outsider, it might have sounded like he was babying her. In reality, he was doing anything but that; he knew what Ari was capable of, and he didn’t underestimate her. This place wasn’t a good place for psychic to be at the moment, though, and they both needed to back off and come down from the turmoil for a while. "I'm not leaving... that... there, Emmett," Arianna said quietly. She couldn't have been the only one to notice. "It's not healthy." Blue eyes focused on a point over the man's shoulder and she relaxed her grip, breathing more easily. "Shield yourself like there's about to be a blast," Arianna went on to say. Again, with the one-woman-army. When Ari pushed herself up and away, there was more than a little help from her telekinesis. She looked steady, which was just as important as being steady. "I've got it this time," Arianna murmured. “You are not doing this alone,” Emmett said firmly. “I’ve had practice bringing Ian out of loops; I can back you up on this. If you want to clean it up we can, but we’re doing it. Together.” Well, now. That was different. "I'm not looping, Em," she said, looking mildly curious. Arianna wasn't used to someone being protective of her, someone wanting to stand with her. Her smile came, slowly. "Fine," she relented. It was probably a lot easier than one might have expected. Anyone but Emmett and she probably would have shoved them out using telekinesis. Her father would have handled it on his own. But, then, her father wouldn't have needed help in the first place. Ari made her way back, reaching out with more care this time to trace the residue. "It hurts," she murmured. "It's love but it hurts." Like she didn't understand how the two could be connected. “Olivier and... Emily,” Emmett said quietly. He might not have known the pair personally, but he’d been around for what had happened. “There was an accident, a long time ago. He was claustrophobic and went into a fear spiral. Nobody could have stopped it. She died. This Revenant that’s shown up... I guess it gave him the chance to say goodbye, finally.” Ari's hand came up to rub at her sternum, like her chest hurt. It was the force of the residue and the woman visibly shook it off. "Shield anyway," she cautioned and pushed, telepathically, to enfold the residue and remove it from the physical surfaces it had clung to. When she let out a suddenly shaky breath, the residue was squashed and dissipated. But she'd felt it a little too much and when Arianna turned to look at Emmett, there were tears in her eyes and a single tear sliding down her cheek. "That wasn't mine to feel." Emmett moved close enough to wrap his arms around her again. He’d never been tactile with anyone but Ian, but Ari was just as close, if in a different way, and Emmett didn’t have it in him to not comfort her when he saw her crying. “I know,” he said quietly. “It almost never is, for us. People don’t consider that part of our powers.” The woman was not used to being coddled, for the record. Not by anyone who wasn't Nathan Summers. But she let herself be embraced and decided that crying it out against Emmett's chest was safe. So she did. We aren't empaths. Or I'm not. came the mental voice. Ari recognized that there was some bleed over between the twins. I love you but that? I don't ever want to feel that. She had apparently worked out just how she felt and had poor timing in presenting the idea to the other telepath. There’s always the risk of that, Emmett sent, very gently. We’re not omniscient or omnipotent, Ari, there’s always the risk that something will take one of us. There’s nothing we can do about that. And sure, we could cut ourselves off, refuse to love so that we never get hurt, but that... that’s not really living. I’d rather love you and suffer the pain of losing you than never have you at all. "I just want to protect you," Arianna whispered, looking up and looking uncharacteristically vulnerable. "I don't want--" Her eyes closed, shuttering against the emotions that she couldn't understand. As powerful as Arianna was a telepath, most of her power was devoted to shielding herself so tightly. It made her disconnected at times, able to do what others could or would not. When her eyes opened again, she looked a little less like she was mourning and more like she was unhappy with a situation. "Love sucks, Em." The woman was definitely pouting. “I know,” Emmett said, rubbing her back as she shuddered. “But it’s worth it, with the right person. I want to try to be the right person for you, Ari.” That drew a watery laugh and she couldn't help the almost patronizing look she gave him. "Sap," she accused and let herself lean against him. Even if he was thrown off balance, her telekinesis would have kept him upright the instant she felt the shift. No. No, he had her. "I feel like I need a shower," she groused, tucked in against him to just enjoy the feeling of safety for a little bit longer. It was nice, she decided, to put her trust into someone else for a little while. “Hearts and flowers,” Emmett said, chuckling softly as he wrapped his arms around her properly, hands clasped low across her stomach. “You want to go up to the suite? You can shower and we can relax for a bit.” "Emmett, I just panic-called you away from whatever you were doing. Do you have any sessions? Your patients are more important than my needing to feel clean," and safe, "and relaxing a bit," Ari said, looking up with a frown. One-woman-army mode, yet again. “Nothing this afternoon,” Emmett assured her. “I’ve got a few things in the morning, but this afternoon there’s nothing more important than making sure you feel safe.” Because that had bled through, despite both their shields. She might be protective of him, but he was just as protective of her, and if curling up with him for the afternoon would make her feel safe, that’s what they’d do. Her eyes narrowed at the use of the word safe but it was more comical than honest annoyance. "I happen to love free afternoons," Ari said, like she was letting him in on a secret. She was pretty sure her brief crying episode had made her makeup run a bit but damn if she actually cared. Ari smirked and telekinetically drew him down the few inches in order to kiss him. I love to find ways to kill the time. |