Jean Grey (greymatter) wrote in thedoorway, @ 2013-01-05 21:28:00 |
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Entry tags: | !log, jean grey / phoenix (movie), scott summers / cyclops (movie) |
Who: Scott Summers & Jean Grey (movies)
When: Backdated to December 26, 2012
Where: Westchester
What: Scott and Jean make a run out to where the X-mansion should be. :(
Rating: Low!
There wasn’t a Greymalkin Lane where it should have been. Or maybe that wasn’t the right way to think of it when you were tossed headlong into a world that you hadn’t existed in before being tossed headlong into it. They were the wrong fit, not the make up of Westchester, or the unfamiliar roads that Scott was navigating the rental car down. He turned to look at Jean, as the car slowed down in front of where a turn-off should have been to head towards the Institute. They both expected this would be the end result. It was just one of those things that required venturing out for the proof -- or lack thereof -- that this wasn’t them being jerked around. Scott offered Jean a slight smile, as his often were of such a mild variety, and nodded towards the forested land on their left. “Up for a walk?” Since they came this far. Since they were already here. The coordinates of the school were memorized from piloting the X-Jet so many times, and the car wouldn’t cover the last leg of the journey. Even if there was nothing to be found at the end, they could at least know there wasn’t. It had been Scott's idea to come out here, which had made Jean realize that the thought hadn't even crossed her mind. Between all of the vague potential horrors her powers might cause, a host of X-Men she didn't know, and the revelations about her alternate self's relationship with her Scott, there apparently hadn't been room for logical decisions like looking for the mansion. Now, staring off at where the road should be, it was disappointing to already have this much confirmation that their home was nowhere to be found. Scott's question snagged her attention and Jean glanced towards him, returning the muted smile with a nod. "Sure." Climbing out of the car, she pulled her coat tighter around her. Even though it wasn't currently snowing, there was snow on the ground from the day before and the air was biting cold. She'd always loved when it snowed on the school grounds. Besides being a pretty sight, the kids loved it. That there would be no kids having a snow war at the end of this walk was a silly thing to be even more disappointed by, but there it was, anyway. "I have to wonder if I didn't think to do this because I didn't want to know for sure. Stupid, when it comes down to it, but it's disheartening to know once and for all that we can't go home." She paused, a smirk turning up one corner of her mouth. "I hope I didn't leave the iron on." The car was put in park, just off the road in the untouched, thin layer of snow. There was a recollection of what a crisp and clean, white snowfall looked like, but it was immensely less serene through red lenses. Mostly, it was the way the snow cushioned the atmosphere that Scott took a liking to. Quiet. Especially out and away from the cities, it was truly peace and quiet. He stepped around the car, flipping the collar of his coat up as he joined Jean. Maybe it was purely selfish, but even if there wasn’t a school out here, she was with him. If he was ever put to choosing, he would be here. Undoubtedly. The X-Men would always get by back home, even if they were missing him. It wasn’t as if he’d been mentally or physically present before the Tesseract snatched him up. “I thought for a second that maybe it wasn’t worth it, but you know me.” Scott gave her a side glance and a slight shrug. “It never hurts to make sure.” Another twitch of a smile was given. “If we’re here for awhile, at least we’ll have something solid,” he added, hooking his arm through hers once they fell into step. Her smile nudged upwards as he hooked onto her arm and her free hand came up to curl over his bicep for added contact. The warmth was appreciated, both physically and emotionally, and his words were a reminder that she couldn't really go home anyway, so she better appreciate having Scott here with her while it lasted. Pushing aside the grimness of that thought, she trudged forward with a little less drag to her step. "Of course. You're always good for solid," she half-teased, though it was an honest comment on his ability to be the rock in their relationship. "And it's not like we can't make a home wherever we are," Jean added as her focus drifted out beyond the trees between them and the space where the school should be. Her sessions with Xavier had gotten to a point where surprise boost in her powers was less and less likely, but she still had just enough extra oomph to reach out and sense that no one was around for miles. "There's no one out here, Scott. Not as far as I can tell." Even days of being used to having Jean at his side again didn’t wash away the swell of relief that came whenever she reached out, right back to him. It had been nearly two decades they had known each other, but the few months Scott had faced down without her make him all the more prone to keeping close. It probably showed. He knew he wasn’t exactly good at masking things from her of all people. Still, he didn’t necessarily feel it wrong to let Jean see that in light of the doubts this world brought. A thought of Emma Frost was pressed to the side. “I probably wouldn’t have picked the City, if we’re talking homes. The traffic is always awful,” was the reply, given with a smallest notion of humor. If not his aversion to crowds, then the fact that Jean had been having trouble fencing thoughts out. Still, he held at bay the urge to remark that they could set off from the quarters they were given. Government oversight or not, Jean needed the sessions with Xavier. End of story. He stopped, though, at her confirmation that they were alone. There was a silent glance out into the forest, which opened up some distance away. “Let’s just walk to the coordinates. We have some daylight left.” It wasn’t really a question, but he turned his focus back to Jean, waiting for her answer. "I'm not in love with the city either, but I do like having other X-Men close. Bad traffic aside...," she smirked, sparing him a sideways glance, "...it's nice to know if something goes really wrong here, there are allies nearby. I keep waiting for something to happen. It's been awhile since things were this...quiet." That wasn't exactly the right word, but it fit in an abstract way, especially with the silence ahead where a building full of family should have been. Instead of a verbal response to his unspoken question, Jean simply tugged him forward with her. They were here already, and if she didn't see it first hand, she'd always have a tiny doubt to cling to for no helpful reason at all. She had to lift a hand to block out a slice of sunshine filtered through clouds as they stepped into the clearing. It wasn't an overly large space before the treeline started up again, untouched snow all that separated the distance. There was no stopping the small sigh that tumbled from her mouth. "I suppose that settles that," she murmured in a carefully neutral tone. “Were things ever really quiet?” Scott asked, as they cut a path into the clearing. If it wasn’t some global threat to mutants, then it was one of the students. Or Logan showing up as he pleased, and being... Logan. Mutual respect didn’t afford Scott being part of the smiling welcome committee there. He wasn’t exactly wearing boots for snow, but with only the clothes off his back, the pair he had on would have to do. Even his coat wasn’t much for the weather. It just wasn’t in Scott’s nature to complain about what he felt were minor hindrances. Besides, his mind was mostly elsewhere, despite that they were walking through the outskirts of Westchester. “The other Scott --” Might as well tackle the subject. “-- said he’d be willing to introduce me to the others. It was awhile ago, but I was thinking about it. Did you ever meet all of them?” Dragging her attention from the space where the mansion should be, Jean lifted her eyebrows and stuck her hands into her coat pockets to warm up. "Not in person, no. I think I've spoken to most of them over the network by now, but I can't be sure. I'd like to, obviously. Maybe we could ask him to call a meeting." It was strange thinking of someone else as the go-to for direction amongst the X-Men, but Jean was fairly adaptable and it was a strange sort of relief to have Scott separate from that responsibility. He'd likely find a way to feel responsible for them all eventually, but at least he was getting a momentary break. Of course, a meeting meant Scott would meet Emma Frost, and as logical as Jean was, that thought didn't thrill her. Grimacing, she kept that to herself and crossed her arms over her chest. "If you think you're ready to meet them all, that is. There's no rush, Scott." Ask the other Scott to call a meeting. It was almost a relief in some ways, but then it twinged at a nerve or two. Logically, it did make sense: the other Scott was from the world the majority of the mutants present were from. The other Scott knew them all. Jean and himself? Approximations by most people’s book. Same in some ways, not in others. Maybe if they actually met everyone, it would help level some differences out. Or it would be horribly awkward and go awry. Scott bowed his head forward with the thought, brow wrinkling faintly. “We should get it out of the way. I don’t want to end up alienating them, or us from them.” There was a vague shrug. “More than we might already have going on.” Jean may not have been reading his thoughts, but she generally didn’t need to in order to know where his mindset was. It was easy to get wrapped up in her own problems and forget that Scott had a lot of adjusting to do, too. Stepping closer, she linked her fingers through his and tugged him a half-step towards her to get his full attention. “Hey. It’ll be fine. They’ll respect you just as much as they respect him and we’ll find our place, even if it takes some time. I have no doubt about that, and neither should you,” she insisted with a determined smile. It was really only Jean who could pull a smile forward without more than saying a few choice words. Scott nodded in a simple show of understanding. Time was definitely something they both had more of in this world, it seemed. The idea made him pull his sight away from the cluster of tall grass and a few trees that marked the location where the Institute’s front doors should have been. “I think I got what I needed out here. Ready to head back?” He tightened his grip on her hand subconsciously. Returning the squeeze with one of her own, Jean suddenly felt the need to lighten things up for the both of them. It had been one blow after another, and even the good seemed to be getting washed away in all the rest. A small twitch at the corner of her mouth was the only warning sign, and he'd have to have been watching closely to catch it. "Sure. There's just...one more thing I need while we're here," she murmured, before the snowball she'd been forming telekinetically near her feet quickly launched into the air and slapped Scott right in the face. The smile that brightened her face was easily two shades brighter than any of the ones since leaving the car and decidedly more smug. Half the snowball stuck a second longer before dropping off Scott’s face, which was held in an inscrutable, blank set. He looked down at the snow, back up at Jean, and, ultimately, felt the best response he had was to reach for a fistful and wind it back. |