ArchivedLogs:Manifest Destiny

Manifest Destiny
Dramatis Personae Lucien, Matt
In Absentia	2017-08-08 "{I only know I cannot do this alone.}"
Location <NYC> Tessier Residence - Upstairs - Greenwich Village
The upper floor of this apartment holds the bedrooms; one master bedroom and three smaller ones. One has been converted to a lounge, couches and /more/ books and a large desk by its window. The other two smaller bedrooms upstairs, in strange departure from the rest of the house's style, seem decorated more with younger occupants in mind. One of them, styled largely in purples and blues, has a pair of twin beds with matching butterfly-patterned bedspreads and a similar fabric for the window curtains; a wealth of stuffed toys is neatly arranged on both. The other is very green, its bedspread green-and-black striped; the walls are covered with a host of movie posters. Between the two bedrooms stands a bathroom, cheerfully decorated with colourful mosaic fish in its tiles. The master bedroom, in contrast to the paler, earthy scheme outside, is warm and rich, decorated in deep reds. The exquisitely crafted furniture is dark, with reddish undertones to the mahogany wood. The king-sized bed is stocked with an overabundance of pillows, and more cushions rest in the windowseat. One wall holds a spacious walk-in closet. A table, low to the ground, sits on a thick rug between the bed and the entrance, the right height for kneeling rather than chairs; the checked pattern carved into its surface marks it as a chessboard, though the pieces are not in evidence. The master bathroom adjoins the bedroom; it is large, done in black marble, with an overly spacious glass-walled shower and a similarly large jacuzzi bathtub. There's a quiet knock that comes, late at night on Matt's door. Lucien, dressed in post-work-shower comfort -- satiny-soft black pajama pants, black ace of spades playing card tee, skin and slightly damp hair smelling freshly washed -- does not wait for an answer before entering. There's a solid wooden serving tray in his hands, two mugs of lightly fragrant silver needle tea on it together with a pair of warm freshly cream-and-jam spread ginger scones. He is quiet as he kneels by the chessboard, setting down the tray. Matt's powers have been coiled gently around Lucien's from the moment he came into range, easing the strain of managing his neurochemistry. In person, he is dressed for bed in his Ace of Hearts t-shirt and black pajama pants with red and pink hearts, but evidently...working? The texts for his history of paganism class are spread across the bed, their fore-edges bristling with colorful tabs. He's already set his laptop aside and is closing a binder. "{I just realized I hadn't really started on my lesson plans. For fall.}" He licks his chapped lips, comes over to the chess table, sinks down to a cushion, and pulls Lucien into an abruptly tight embrace. Physically, he feels as well as--,if not better than--he has in weeks, but he's also filled with discordant jangling notes of anxiety and confusion. Low and quiet in his brother's ear, "{Gaétan is manifesting.}" "You've not yet begun seeing to your responsibilities? Goodness, let me find my surprised face." Despite the teasing, Matt's array of work miscellany puts a warm smile on Lucien's face. He sets one of the tea mugs down on a coaster in front of Matt, unloading the rest of the food after and stashing the tray beneath the table. He's quick to return the hug, though Matt's words add a tension to his muscles, a tighter guardedness to his mind. "{What, now?}" His soft voice is aggressively even. "{Do you know what it --}" A slow frown grows on his face. "{He doesn't know.}" Matt releases Lucien slowly, reluctantly. "{I couldn't tell-- it was reaching for me, but I only felt it through /my/ powers. We were out in public, so I just stopped it.}" He picks up the mug, finally, but does not yet drink from it. "{He doesn't know. I think...it was an unconscious reaction to stress. He's about to have a lot more where that came from.}" Lucien releases Matt, easing back onto a cushion of his own. He curls his fingers carefully around his mug, though unlike his brother he does lift it. Tipping his face down toward it, drawing in a long breath of its steam. "{He's been tested.}" This comes with a deeper frown, angled at the moment down at his mug. "{Are you certain it was him?}" Matt gives Lucien a long, flat look. But there's no trace of irritation in his voice when he finally says, "{I know.}" He takes a cautious sip of his tea and hums with quiet appreciation. "{And I am not /absolutely/ certain. Just /fairly/ certain.}" His brows furrow with concentration. "{It wasn't just a blip; it built up slowly, and everyone else near us was /moving./ It also started as he was having a /moment/, and it was directed at me.}" Reaching for one the scones, he picks at a corner of it. "{If this were just about any other time, I'd wait and observe, but...}" His skinny shoulders hitch up in a helpless shrug. Lucien's jaw tightens. He takes half a scone, plucking a small bite off it but not eating. "{The timing is not ideal.}" There is something tight and clenched shifting in his mind when he looks back to Matt. Studying his brother's face. "{...but not surprising.}" Swallowing, he looks down at his plate. Eventually even lifts the crumb of scone to eat it. Reluctantly: "{We could ask Joshua. He might make the learning curve simpler. Give you more information before we -- add to Gaétan's stress.}" "{No,}" Matt's voice is gentle, as is his touch of his abilities, soothing and enveloping, "{not surprising.}" He finally breaks off a corner of his scone and nibbles at it in a desultory fashion. "{I'm hesitant to take let anyone else know, /especially/ before he does--I think that in itself would cause Gae stress, when he finds out. I just don't know if it would be more or less stressful than telling him, knowing virtually nothing. I only know I cannot do this alone.}" He closes his eyes, breathes slowly, evenly, /deliberately/. "{At least not right now.}" It takes a moment before Lucien nods, at this, but eventually he does. Slow. Kind of heavy. One hand reaches out to rest over his brother's, its soothing touch a chemical echo of Matt's own. "{You won't be.}"