powerunleashed | (no subject)

(no subject)

Jean didn't exactly know how someone went from saving the world to going back to business as usual but apparently that was part of their life now. Most of their time was taken up with rebuilding the school, naturally, but after the living quarters were back in mostly-running order she had a lot more free time to just take a break and the Professor had run her off more than once.

So she had a work ethic. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, was it? She hadn't wanted to go to the mall or play cards or anything like that so she'd ended up outside by the lake, half reading a book and mostly just keeping an ear out for anyone else; as much as she ended up isolated from everyone else, she did like people and she liked feeling like she was a part of the conversation.

Since her attention was a little divided, she didn't exactly notice the moment he showed up until a shadow slid across the book. Oh.

"Did you get told to take a break too?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Scott, for his part, had been keeping busy ever since Egypt. He wasn't as much use as Jean or Erik were for rebuilding the mansion, but he'd painted rooms and moved furniture and trained his powers and done everything he could to avoid thinking about the fact that his brother was gone.

It's not exactly that he was told to take a break, but that he was imposing a break onto himself. There was nothing more for him to do at the school today, so rather than sit in his room and stew in his thoughts and emotions, he decided to poke at Jean some.

"Me? I'm taking nothing but breaks." Not true. He hadn't sat down except to sleep or eat, and even that rarely, in days.

"Some of us have a work ethic," Jean said. Still, it was half-hearted and it had no sting. Scott had been working as hard as anyone else. She shifted over a little, offering him space under her tree if he wanted to sit.

"You miss him." She didn't need to be a telepath to pick that up but at least if he wanted to talk about it, he had the out.

Of course he wanted to sit. He didn't come all this way to stand over Jean. He lowered himself haphazardly, stretching his legs out in front of him and leaning back on his hands. "And the rest of us are cool."

Of course she went straight for the thing on his mind. Even though he can never forget what Jean can do with her mind, it still sometimes surprised him when she was so straight to the point.

"I don't want to talk about it," he answered, voice sullen and flat.

"You don't have to. It's just...all over you. I don't have to be what I am to know that," Jean said. Still, she didn't want to pry so she focused, instead, on using her mind to weave together blades of grass so she wouldn't be tempted to pry again.

"I find it easier to read you than anyone else. It's like I don't even have to try."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only