ArchivedLogs:Future Tea

Future Tea
Dramatis Personae Mallory, Lorna
In Absentia	2014-03-31 Lorna and Mallory discuss their dream. (Part of the Future Past TP.)
Location <XS> Library
Xavier's librarian might hope the library is a quiet place to sit and study, but with a school full of teenagers that is not always the case. Nevertheless, it is certainly a treasure trove of knowledge, well-stocked with a wealth of books on its high shelves. Its reference section is vast, though its fiction is as well (much to the delight of many of its students.) The wide octagonal tables and smaller armchairs are often crowded with students, though the whispered conversations that often take place leave some doubt as to how much work is getting done at any given hour. Early Monday morning finds Lorna Dane in the XS school library looking very out of sorts. It looks like she's just back from a run, though her running clothes are a little different today. Gray track pants, a black, fitted long-sleeved shirt that looks warm enough for the current weather, a white head band to cover her ears and hold her hair back. However she is also wearing suspiciously familiar hot pink running shoes. She takes a few steps into the library, just past the help desk, but doesn't see anyone around. "Uh, Mallory? You in here somewhere?" On any other day, Mallory would have already been seated at her desk working on adjustments to lesson plans and grading for the day ahead. But not this morning. The librarian enters her domain in a bit of a rush, black hooves clicking sharply against the hardwood flooring as she approaches. She is dressed professionally, if a bit more disheveled than usual in a pair of fitted black skinny jeans obviously made to accommodate her unusual anatomy, paired with a soft silver tunic top with short sleeves that hangs half off one shoulder unintentionally, cinched tight around her waist with a large black belt to emphasize her hour-glass figure. Her long hair is still quite damp, pulled back from her face and horns into a severe bun that is then spiked through with silver metal sticks to keep it in place. She seems to have rushed out without any jewelry, save for the modest engagement ring that has taken up residence on her ring finger since Spring Break. Thankfully, She has not, however, forgotten her morning tea, and the black thermos of tea is clutched protectively in her hand like the life sustaining treasure that it is; the other hand is less carefully holding a stack of folders and paperwork for the day. The sight of Lorna in the library catches her off guard, and her hooves skitter against the hardwood in an attempt to pull to a stop without falling as she passes through the doorway. “Apologies, Lorna. Running a bit late this morning, I hope you weren’t waiting long. May I assist you with anything?” Mallory greets, a confused expression on her features that doesn’t quite match her tone. At the sound of Mallory clip-clopping in, Lorna turns with a friendly smile which quickly becomes concerned when the taller woman is tottering. "Oh geez!" she says, stepping forward to take Mallory's elbow and help steady her. "Are you ok?" She steps back when it looks like Mallory has recovered herself and puts her hands in her pants pockets. "And no, I haven't been waiting long. I don't even need anything. I just wanted to drop by and tell you something funny from a dream last night." Mallory chuckles at the almost assistance, shaking her head, “I’m fine, I’m fine. Just another round of combat with my arch nemesis: freshly waxed flooring.” She chuckles, moving more carefully now to sit behind her desk, getting her papers and such arranged as she listens to Lorna speak. Nodding along to the statements as she unpacks her papers for the day, her hands freeze momentarily, a notable tremble in brief pause. Mallory looks up at Lorna, a cautiously curious expression on her face, though her voice has an eager edge to it, smirking faintly, “Oh? What happened?” "You'll never guess," Lorna says, shaking her head in amused bemusement. She leans against the counter and lowers her voice, excited but quiet. "But I guess I'm just jealous or something. It was, I dunno, some time in the future because you were married already. Don't ask me how I know that. Dream logic, you know? But not only that, you were preggers!" Lorna chuckles and shakes her head. "So does Aloke have any brothers? I feel like I'm running out the clock here." Mallory settles into her backless chair a little heavily, looking skeptically at Lorna as she explains the dream, taking a pull from her thermos as she listens. When the details sink in though, Mallory inhales the tea she was drinking, coughing violently and sputtering on the lungful of tea. “We… we weren’t by chance, ah, at the Grindstone in Salem Center?” Mallory hazards curiously, setting the tea down and pushing the thermos away from her. Her hand goes briefly to her stomach, flat as ever beneath the tunic, “That is /bizarre/. Just…” She shakes her head again, closing her eyes, and adding quietly, “I thought it was just guilty conscience or something.” She glances up at Lorna’s question, an eyebrow raised in amusement, “You’re younger than I am, Lorna. You’ve got plenty of time. Though he /does/ have an older brother, single, if I remember correctly. So there’s that at least?” She chuckles, shrugging slightly, though the nervousness at the eerie similarity in the dreams is plain on her face even as she jokes. Chuckling as well, at first, Lorna's smile falls a notch when Mallory starts choking, and then asks about Grindstone. "Wait, what?" She blinks and thinks for a moment. "That's weird, how did you know that? I… it was like we were meeting up there. Just to chat, you know?" Gone are the questions of brothers and dating. Lorna is curious about Mallory's insight! "Oh wait, I heard… didn't someone say you're a telepath, too? That's how you know!" She waggles a playful finger at Mallory for playing against the rules, but isn't actually very bothered by the idea of her getting a clue about Lorna's dream that way. “I woke up with a nagging craving for biscotti,” Mallory grumps, sipping her tea again as the information is confirmed, pausing at the thought of how that might sound given the subject of the dream, the tone perhaps just a little bit harsh, “And before you ask, no, I’m not.” She crinkles her nose at the idea of being a telepath, shaking her head slowly, “Limited to the point of it being negligible. Thomas and I share a link, but that is the extent of our telepathy - it’s a strong link, strong enough that I have shared dreams with /him/ before, but not for years. And never with anyone else.” Mallory sighs, leaning her elbows on her desk, papers forgotten for the time being, resting her chin in her hand to regard Lorna curiously. “I know because I had the same dream. You ordered an iced tea, and yogurt. I… apparently lost my mind and was drinking /herbal/ tea,” Mallory says quietly, though the last bit is said with considerable displeasure. “Right?” Lorna looks somewhat dubious until the last shoe drops, and Mallory lists off what they both had to eat. Then Lorna makes a face, "Hey, I /like/ herbal tea. It's good. And besides, caffeine is bad for the baby…" Lorna catches herself talking as if they really were old friends, leaning on another part of the counter, just having girl-talk. "I mean, would be bad. For… someone pregnant." She frowns at herself, and the foot in her mouth. "So ok, we had the same dream, but how? Is your telepathy growing? Or hey... Maybe it has something to do with those wild dreams the city was having a few weeks ago." Lorna thinks for another moment and nods to herself. "I think I'm gonna talk to the Professor about this. If it is an extension of the dreams thing, it's getting more invasive. Do you wanna come with? Maybe he can see if you're developing a stronger telepathy?" Mallory crinkles her nose again, “I’m simply not fond of it. I understand /why/ I would drink it, but I am sort of stereotypically picky about my choice of tea. But I suppose my normal taste in tea would be ill advised in that case.” She sighs softly, looking between her half consumed thermos of tea and her lap, snorting through her nose and adding quietly, “Like that’ll happen.” She shakes her head, clearing whatever thought was haunting her mind, though her brow remains furrowed in thought. “I certainly hope not. I’ve barely gotten a handle on not automatically blasting every thought at Thomas when he’s in range,” she laughs nervously, “I rather hope my own personal demons aren’t horning their way into other people’s slumber.” Letting her head fall into her hand, catching hold of one horn to support herself, she smirks, adding, “And besides, that’s nothing like my normal dreams. It felt so… real. And nothing was on fire. But, just the whole thing felt normal? I don’t know how else to explain it.” Drumming her fingers against the hard surface of her horn, Mallory nods slowly, “Might not be a bad idea, I suppose, talking to the Professor about this.” Lorna's smile is warm and full of sympathy. For whatever reason, Mallory was more shaken up about the dream than she would have expected, but Lorna doesn't pry. "Well, look, it's probably nothing, you know? Just a glitch in the matrix." Lorna reaches across the counter to squeeze Mallory's shoulder. "Not to worry. I'm sure it'll be fine. I'll set up a meeting with His Professorship, and in the mean time… maybe we could go for coffee for real some time?"