ArchivedLogs:Glamour

Glamour
Dramatis Personae Lia, Jack, Jax
In Absentia	11 February 2015 It's all about the faery magic.
Location <XS> Conservatory
Tall panes of glass keep this large indoor garden warm year round. Tended to by the school's groundskeeper, the conservatory is lush with plant life, a carefully cultivated paradise within Xavier's walls. The room serves as a classroom as well; in the center of the garden a ring of seats forms a small circle, a favorite locale for some teachers to hold court. The forty-five minute break late on Wednesday mornings is ostensibly for studying, but Lia almost never uses it as such. She studies plenty, for sure, but that's a /nighttime/ activity that can be accomplished tucked in her under-bed cubby with a reading lamp. Daylight hours are for /daylight/ and the enjoyment thereof when one isn't in class. This particular hour finds the girl sprawled out prostrate in one of the grassy areas, face right in a bunch of foliage and long, wild ash-brown hair spread out along her back and upper arms like a cape. Or wings. Outer layer of sweats not needed so much for warmth in here, she has discarded them and is left in a flowy-gauzy violet tunic top over a plum leotard, soft pink leggings, and brighter-pink legwarmers over black ballet flats. Her head bobs faintly side to side, as if to silent music, or tracking the world's tiniest ping pong match. Jack studies about half the time during the forty-five minute break. Other times he uses the nice break to catch up on a little homework or just do some reading. Today he's planning a little reading and has decided to head to the conservatory to do it. Dressed in jeans, an Xavier school t-shirt, and a longer sleeved blue shirt he's left unbuttoned, he's humming a little tune as he walks along. Today, Jack's also got a few other things that might catch attention. On what is likely the back of his left hand, he's got several stripes of what could be make up that are as close to his old skin tone as he could describe to the person that helped him. There's a few small stripes of paint on his face, his cheek judging by the shape of them. Two different shades of green, a blue, a yellow, and some plain white. Just some face paint he's trying out. When he spots someone laying in the grass, Jack tenses up. "Hey," he calls out, altering his course to head over. "Are you okay?" he asks, hoping nothing is wrong. There's a bright splash of colour entering the Conservatory in the form of one art teacher just-off-work. Silver and black skinny jeans, shimmery purple Doc Martens, a rainbow colourblocked sweatshirt on over a purple tee that reads "I'm one of the bravest girls alive", glimmery metallic purple-and-blue makeup, black nails with a rainbowy oilslick sheen to them. Dark glasses on his eyes. Jax trots into the room with his head turning side to side too -- not as though listening to music but as though he's looking out for someone. Whether or not the person he's looking for /is/ Lia is uncertain, but when he sees her a warm smile spreads across his face anyway. "Hey-hey-hey. What's goin' on?" He doesn't seem concerned, relaxed, easy-smiling; Jack's question hikes his eyebrows up. He peers down at Lia again, head tilting to one side curiously. "Shh-shh-shh," is the much softer answer to Jack's louder calling, even before Lia's head turns to regard the...slightly stripy mostly invisible boy. Her eyes widen a little as Jax also comes into view. The girl rocks her weight more over one hand to raise the other one slightly, gesturing in a small, repeating circular motion that /might/ be inviting a closer look. "I think the faeries are sleeping. Well...most of them. Some of them are crawly." Spotting Jax too, Jack realizes its Lia when he gets closer. When he gets shushed, the invisible boy looks as confused as empty clothes can. After a moment he lets out a little sigh and his shoulders slump. Shaking his head, he rolls his shoulder a little to get his backpack into a more comfortable position. "Hi, Professor. Hey, Lia," he greets the other mutants. "Faeries?" he asks, looking down at the grass. Jax tips his head back at this, head turning to follow the path of Lia's gesturing. "Maybe they're bat-faeries. Owl-faeries. Nighttime faeries. Crawly ones? We got crawly ones in here?" He drops down to kneel in the grass alongside her. He glances over to Jack, mouth curling into a quicker smile. "Oh, oh /me/. Right. Uh, Jax is fine, really. Or Mr -- if y'must." His lips quirk to one side thoughtfully as he looks Jack over, a very small furrow forming between his brows. "Huh. S'that workin' out good?" He's gesturing towards the stripes of paint. “Hiyes,” Lia answers all in one word. “Mr. Fairyjax. Tiiiny faeries. Spotty. Mostly sleepy.” The girl has pushed back the bottom-most leaf of a broadly-leafy plant, exposing a rock underneath that doesn't look so much like a rock as like a /mound/ of ladybugs. As advertised, most of them are rather still, though a few crawl right over the others sluggishly. Who knows what she was doing down there to discover them in the first place. Jack considers for a moment before crouching down as well to see what Jax and Lia are looking at. "Oh, sorry," Jack replies a little sheepishly at the name correction. He's confused for a moment by the question but he makes the connection after the gesture. "Oh, um...it's going okay so far. I'm just seeing how different colors look for now. Still not sure I want to even try a full...y'know...face of paint or make up. I tried a whole thing of face paint when I was younger once and it uh...freaked people out more than just invisible me," he explains, rubbing the back of his neck. When Lia reveals the insects, Jack just blinks. "Ladybugs?" "Oh, oh gosh!" Around Jax there's a shivery flutter of light, sunny and warm before it fades away. "Oh they're adorable. Much more cosy in here than out in the snow, that's for sure." A few of the ladybugs are starting to change colour, purple and blue and yellow, metallic sheen to their spots. He glances up afterwards, looking back over towards Jack. "Well, yeah, the face paint's a little, uh -- stark but I don't think it'd have that same reaction if you jus' used /normal/ makeup? Put on foundation in your regular skin-tone, get used t'actually drawin' in features more natural, it wouldn't be half so noticeable." "Yes, yes, I think so. Maybe not? They can be boys if they want to." Lia glances back at Jack for a moment, considering the bits of paint, then looks to the insects once again. "/So/ many and very sleepy." She slides in an inch or two closer, eyes widening again as the ladybugs start putting on an illusion show. "More pictures! I took pictures but I need more pictures the colours are better." Her phone materialises from somewhere under her abdomen in her hand, camera app soon up and working with slow, deliberate adjustments between each capture. "My options were kind of limited back there," Jack points out with a shrug. "I think that's what this stuff is. Foundation," Jack replies, holding up his hand to show the small patch of make up on the back of it. "Rasa offered to teach me more about make up stuff since I know pretty much nothing about it. This is just a test bit to see if I like...have some kind of bad reaction to it," he shrugs again. He looks back to Lia with an unseen smile. "Yeah, I think Ladybug's just a name," he replies. When the bugs start changing colors, Jack lets out a faint 'huh'. "Pretty cool." "Even if you do have a bad reaction, there's a /zillion/ different brands'a makeup. Some with a lot less -- /stuff/ in them, a lot more friendly t'skin." The ladybugs are still slowly recolouring, stopping only when they are all vividly bright. His hand comes up, scruffing slowly through his hair. There's a pause, a small furrowing of his brow. "S'... just a trick of the light." He sounds somewhat distracted. More than somewhat distracted, really. There's distraction to go around. Lia continues snapping pictures of her colourful little faery-bugs as they continue to change in appearance and only become more fanciful. "B does good makeup. You could ask her, maybe." This recommendation gives her a thoughtful pause. "Do you think she would put colours on me, too? I don't have colours. Some of the other girls have painted my nails sometimes. Those were all different colours." Her teeth find the inside of her cheek and gnaw at it. "Tricky-tricksy light-glamour." Click. Click. The camera-app continues steadily. "And sometimes for theatre club. But that is usually more...cakey-face. Feels funny. Not as pretty as B." "Huh. And just proving how little I know about make up," Jack replies with a slightly embarrassed little laugh. His attention drifts to the color changing bugs again and he smiles. "What colors would you want?" he asks Lia curiously. Jax's distracted comment has the invisible teen looking back at him. "What is? The bug colors?" "I think ze'd love t'do your makeup. She's right good at it. An' loves pretty colours. She's got a billion an' if y'want any more she never feels shy 'bout dipping into mine." Jax's tone is still distracted, his brows still furrowed. His teeth scrape against his lip, hand shifting down to rub fingers against his temple. "Oh -- oh right, the bug. Colours. That, too. But also you. Tricky-tricksy light-glamour..." This echo of Lia's phrase comes quiet, half under his breath. He drops his hand, shaking his head abruptly. "'pologies. S'jus' kinda. Huh." “She always has pretty colours. /And/ blue.” Lia thinks on the question of colours for a moment, still looking intently at the ladybugs, even once she has finished taking pictures, as if for inspiration. “Purple. Pink...red. Shiny. Rainbow.” Just a few options. “I think it also maybe depends on what you are wearing. I will have to ask B.” At Jax's repetition, she rolls onto her back to look up at Jack more thoroughly. “Did Jack get a glamour? There are ways to see through that, you know. Wear your coat inside out. Look through a rock with a hole in. Or only through your left eye.” The girl squints, looking at the invisible boy through her left eye then shaking her head and giving up on this when it doesn't work. “Wear a posy of primroses. Or put faery ointment over the lids of your eyes. I don't know what to put in it,” she adds in all seriousness. "I like their blue too," Jack replies quietly. "Probably. I don't know much about fashion either so I couldn't say," the invisible teen chuckles. He's a little concerned by how Jax seems to be so distracted and wonders if him being invisible is giving the man a headache or something. Lia distracts him though and Jack tilts his head to the side. "Uhh...I'm not sure any of that would work. I'm invisible because I'm a mutant, not because of fairies..." he trails off awkwardly. "I think Jack's always got a glamour," Jax answers pensively. "An' I think I always got faery ointment?" A wave of his hand in front of his sunglasses coats their lenses with a glittering silver sheen. "Ain't never been real sure where the line is 'tween mutants an' magic anyway. But I think I -- could see through." His words are slow, thoughtful. "Prob'ly help other folks see through it, too. I do tend t'come with a helping heapin' of faerydust." "Oh, mutants are not just one thing. Mutant-fish. Mutant-doll. Mutant-faery." Lia's head nods to Jax with this last. "I am not sure that all mutants are not some kind of faeries. Changelings. Magic." The girl smiles up at Jax. "Very magic. Of course you do. Faerydust. Fairyjax." Her hand gestures back toward her little cluster of hibernating ladybugs. "Tiny faeries." Jack just frowns a little but refrains from making a comment on magic. He's not so sure it's real at all. It's Jax's words that have his attention though and Jack's shoulders stiffen. He looks at the professor with an unseen expression of uncertainty. "Are...are you saying what I think you are? I mean Shane and Rasa said you might be able to...but..." he trails off, swallowing a lump in his throat. "I was a faery afore I ever was a mutant," Jax answers cheerfully. "But I think there's jus' a little bit'a magic in all of us." He folds his legs cross-legged beneath himself, teeth digging into his lip. "Don't know for sure. But I could try, if y'like?" Lia nods, her smile just a /little/ smug as she holds a hand palm up toward Jax, as if presenting him. See? She isn't quite used to getting this much agreement on her ideas. "Best faery," she adds for good measure. "You know how to fix the glamour?" "Wait, wha?" Jack asks, a little confused. He shakes it off though, more pressing concerns. The invisible teen sits as well, rubbing the back of his neck. "I...I'm kind of nervous," he admits. "But...as long as it won't hurt you...I...yes. Please?" he replies, nodding even if it can't be seen. "I don't know about the /best/, I'm pretty nontraditional about it. I ain't never stolen not even one person's child or /nothin'/." But after lightly amused response Jax lapses into quiet. The (glitter-dusted!) sunglasses shade most of his expression, but his brows are slightly furrowed, his fingers beside him digging down into the grass. There's not really anything by way of /feel/ to mark the transition; just a slow odd distortion of light, a blur where before there was nothing. And then somewhat like a camera coming into focus the blur resolves into features, hands and face and hair -- and stripes of makeup, still, where they'd been before. A small smile pulls at Jax's lips, together with a faintly satisfied nod. "/Best/," Lia reiterates with a widening grin. "And you are just a /light/ faery. Not all faeries do the same things." Her tone implies that this should be obvious. As the light starts to distort and blur, Lia curls up into sitting in a single smooth, feline motion. Her head cants, eyes fixing on the emerging boy. When he /appears/ she makes a small sound of /delight/ that isn't quite a giggle, hands coming together in a clap-like movement. "Best-best-/best/!" Jack stays silent as Jax gets all quiet and serious. He resists the urge to close his eyes, the distortion making him squint a little. The expression on the face that is revealed is one of worry, Jack biting his lip slightly. His hair's a bit shaggy since he needs to cut it but he's tried to keep himself well groomed. Oddly enough, he's not ghostly pale but who knows how his powers maintain that. Jax's nod makes the teen look back and forth between the other two mutants nervously, almost afraid to ask. "It...it worked. You can see me?" he eventually works up the nerve to ask, a hopeful tone in his voice. "Wonder what makes a faery, then. Some sorta gene like we got or is it just a cultural thing." Jax's head tips back, sunglass-covered gaze focused up at the glassy ceiling. Not even really looking at Jack now that he's here, at least not till the question comes. He looks back down, dipping his head in a quick nod. "Faery ointment," he clarifies helpfully. "Didn't have no rocks with holes through 'em on hand -- actually," one hand lifts to his earlobe, where the large retainers gauging his lobes look to be made out of some sort of dark and glittery mineral. "-- guess I /do/." Not that he's removing them to use as seeing-stones. "T'ain't," he adds apologetically, "somethin' I can keep /up/ without bein' around. But, yeah. We can see you." "Magic," Lia answers Jax, again with a /strong/ implication of obviousness. There might be a hint of teenager in her tone this time, too. "Yes," the second answer is aimed at Jack along with a smile and a small wiggle-fingered wave. "Hello." Jack's expression is one of pure amazement. A grin spreads across his face at the answer and Lia's greeting. "Hi," he says, almost not sure of the right words. "Oh my god," he eventually says with a little laugh. "I...I really can't say thanks enough but thank you," he says to Jax. "Even temporary I...just feeling like people are looking /at/ me instead of /through/ me like I was nothing...this is...wow," he runs a hand through his hair. "Magic or not you are the /best/." "Can't /only/ be that, there's plenty-magic in the world that don't come from faeries." Jax's mouth curls up into a quick wide smile at Jack's amazement, his own face (already perpetually far-too-pale; unlike Jack /he/ actually /can't/ tan) gaining a flush of pink through his cheeks. "Jus' wish I could find some way t'make it stick. Think that'll take a whole lot more workin', though." His teeth drag against his lip, blush remaining as he pushes slowly to his feet. "But till then I think talkin' t'folks like Rasa an' B could be real helpful. Even if t'ain't /exactly/ you, the makeup thing might help with that -- lookin' through you." He dusts his fingers off against his jeans. "I should get, though." He sounds apologetic about it. "Got work. I'll see y'all tomorrow?" His fingers curl in a small wave before he turns to head out. “/Faery/ magic,” Lia clarifies with an actual giggle this time. Her phone comes up again, snapping a few pictures of Jack for good measure. “Maybe Doctor Fuzz—McCoy,” this correction has the sound of something that has been drilled into her a bit. “Can hook up all his science things and figure out the science part of the magic, too. He can help with mutant things sometimes, and he is /very/ smart.” The words 'get' and 'work' perk Lia's ears and widen her eyes. “Ohgosh, ohgosh! Class!” She snatches her discarded sweats and pulls them on without stopping in her forward motion to retrieve her bag, which she is able to sling over her more warmly-clad shoulder by the time she gets there. “Can't be late! Tardiness is bad!” And away she bounces like the White Rabbit. The appearance of the camera makes Jack jump and actually blush a little as well. The first picture taken of him in about four years. He nods as Jax speaks though. "It's still...oh man thank you," he says, unable to hold back a joyous laugh. He hasn't been this happy in a long while. "I'll try to talk with them both when we're not all busy with school stuff," he says, agreeing. The mention of it being time for class has him pushing to his feet as well. "Yeah...class," he says, ready to go. Sure he'll be a little disappointed when Jax stops but it won't be enough to dampen the good mood he's in now that'll last likely all night.