ArchivedLogs:You

You
Dramatis Personae Jackson, Rasa
In Absentia	2013-05-19 '
Location <XS> Classroom One
Desks arranged into neat rows make up this, a fairly typical classroom. Chalkboard in front, teacher's desk in front of that. Windows along one wall look out on the grounds, providing plenty of opportunity for distraction for daydreaming students. "I need to talk to you, privately," is all Rasa really needs to say to bring Jackson Holland from the foyer to his classroom where they can have a private conversation. Perhaps it is tone of hir voice, or the intensity of the look in hir eye. Perhaps it is just the continued existence of green skin seen on patches of hir face that the teachers /must/ be talking about that convinces him that it is a good idea to spend some time with the teen. Whatever it is, it's effective. In the classroom, Rasa is less apt to speak, hir whole being infused with fidgetiness, hir legs pacing around slowly, hir hands gently patting the blue tail that rests on hir shoulder lightly. Ze glances at Jackson from time to time, drawing a little closer in hir pacing before finally stopping and looking him over. "What do you know about last Monday?" There. Conversation started. Probably, really, it is just the fact that Jax is pretty responsive to the students telling him they need to talk; he doesn't take overmuch convincing when someone sounds like they need help and so! Here he is. Considerably less colourful than his usual; his floppy hair is just jet-black (with a tiny bit of almost blended-in very-dark-brown roots showing, he's likely not even illusioning this!), no makeup, plain black lightweight pants whose fabric and construction suggests they were built for outdoor activities -- hiking, climbing. A Xavier's t-shirt. He looks kind of /tired/, but in an exertion-way rather than an exhaustion-way, beads of sweat clinging hair to forehead, a flushed look to his slightly /glowing/ skin. He closes the door behind them when they get into the classroom. "Last Monday, I --" His brows crease slightly. "I don't know a whole lot. There was a -- difficulty, I think. In the city. Are you doing alright, after that?" He looks her over with a quick flick of gaze -- a slight curl of smile for the tail. "No. Not really." Rasa begins, leaning against one of the tables to proper hirself up. Hir attention is mostly fixed on the floor. "I was not hurt physically, but I had a monster in my head. I was a monster for a little while. Now when I get hungry, I get scared." Ze swallows hard and breathes deeply. "It's worse than that, Jax. So bad that Shelby told me that I need to talk to a teacher." If Shelby says talk to a teacher, you know that means trouble. "You had a monster in your head?" Jackson considers this with a faint crease of his brows. "Are you getting the support you need from staff, now, to -- I can't imagine that kind of thing is easy or comfortable to get past." He finds a desk, too, turning it around to sit on the back of the chair with his feet on its seat, facing Rasa. "Worse how?" "I am sorry. I don't..." Rasa begins, unhappily turning the whole situation over in hir head. "I ... don't know how to say this. I went looking for one of Peter's enemies, trying to figure out if he had something to do with Peter's disappearance. I met the guy outside, trying to go in quickly and get some information from his mind, but when I touched him, I found out he has a monster in his head." Ze fidgets more, very uncomfortable, hir tail starting to twitch out of hir hands and go low, brushing against the table ze is leaning against. Thankfully, there is nothing on the table, otherwise, it would end up on the floor as the tail seeks to go lower, moodily finding the floor and brushing against it. "He went from idly thinking how /nice/ it would be if Peter was dead, to being extremely concerned for me. He helped... in a strange way, but he took me inside to wait for the teachers I called on the panic button." Ze lets out a shuddering breath, looking up at Jax finally. "Ms. Walters showed up first. She is terrible at situations that require someone to calm down another person. She kind of made it worse, trying to convince me I was ... something my friends wouldn't like and then she said that Ivan had been captured and what would /he/ think of me like this?" Rasa drops hir gaze again and grips the edge of the table. "I got angrier and more upset. Then she attacked the guy who was helping me because he was going to taze me. But... I ... I had a mouth full of razor sharp teeth and muscles like you wouldn't believe and I was so angry and hungry..." Ze has to take a break, the words not flowing so well. "You went --" If there's any more shock or censure that comes after this revelation it's held back sharply; Jackson just quiets, as he considers this. His fingers lace together on his knees. "Who was -- where did you go?" And then he quiets again. Kind of with a slight tightening of his fingers against his knees. "Ms. Walters -- ah." It's a very mild ah. Jax's head tips back, his gaze fixing on the ceiling. "She tried to convince you of what?" One slow breath in, one slow breath out. "I hope you know ain't none of that stuff true. Your powers -- I mean, when things like that happen it's real important to find /yourself/ again and get control, but /you/ are still you." He watches hir with a concerned expression through hir fidgeting, and -- the hand he reaches (for her /clothed/ shoulder) is tentative, questioning, offering the touch without forcing it on her. "Would it help if we talked to the Professor? About helping you extra through things like this? He's /real/ good when it comes to --" His free hand flicks towards his head. Brainthings. Rasa is wearing long sleeves, gauzy to let the warmer spring air in, but covered never the less for the protection of those around hir. Ze is wearing a denim skirt and hir legs are exposed, but that causes no problems when ze rushes in to hug Jackson tightly, as his legs are covered. Ze wraps her arms around him, hir stature shorter than normal, pressing hir face to his chest. "I wasn't... Done." Hir words are a little more muffled, but as close as they are, it's still audible. "She tazed him and released the monster. I had to /force/ her out before he /ate/ us. He destroyed the elevator coming after us. Then there was Professors Summers and Wagner trying to help, but everything was such a mess by then." Ze is shaking a little as ze remembers. "I... Jax... I almost went back to him, to see if I could stop him, to help him like he helped me, but I don't know. I wasn't thinking clearly." Ze shifs hir head, cheek rubbing against his chest as ze looks up, a little scared. "He emailed me. I didn't give him my email address." Jackson is very warm to the touch, warmer still as he folds his arms around Rasa. He squeezes hir tight, one hand rubbing slowly at hir back. For a while he just holds hir, listening to this. When it comes to the last sentence, his hold tightens minutely. "Who -- is this?" is his one question. "I'm glad you didn't go back, that -- sounds like a whole lot of danger you shouldn't be putting yourself into. Rasa, what did he say to you? Do you think you're in danger?" "He asked me to be discrete. He said that we now have something in common. He said he would be available to meet in public, if I wanted to talk about it. He remarked about how fascinating we both find his monster." Rasa doesn't let go, ze just stays there, being held. "I... am afraid I have caught is attention. I am afraid to do nothing. If I try to hide, he might come after me. If I try to meet with him and discourage his advances, he might come after me. If I tell the wrong person, things will get worse." Jackson's hand still rubs at Rasa's back. It's slow and pensive when he eventually replies: "Do /you/ want to talk to him about it? /My/ biggest priority right here is keeping you and this school /safe/ regardless. But there's -- there's always options, Rasa. And we've -- had our share of dealin' with danger." "I am curious." Rasa admits, finally releasing hir hold on Jackson a little. "He also presents a problem to my mutation. His divided psyche... I have no defense against it. He said I should not touch people without knowing more about them, but how does one know more about people like that? They keep it secret." Ze swallows down a lump of fear and admits, "If I don't try to approach this problem, to fight this demon, what if it happens again?" There's a small thoughtful pause and then ze admits "-if this demon can even be fought." "I guess you know more about people like that by talking to 'em. When they ain't trying to keep it secret." Jackson slackens his grip, too, when Rasa's hold eases, not letting go but loosening enough that ze can pull away when ze likes. "Though it does kinda sound like this -- person is pretty -- /intense/. I mean. It's maybe better to work on your control in smaller steps with less terrifying people than to tackle monsters /now/. But --" But. But Jackson hesitates, his teeth wiggling at one of his lip rings. "I don't think dealing with him on your own sounds like it'd be safe at all. For you. For anyone. If he already knows where you -- how much /does/ he know about this place," is kind of an idle side-musing, before he continues: "But we're here to make sure that you /have/ control, that you /can/ be safe when you're dealin' with people. And being safe when dealing with people like /that/ is important, too. I do think we should talk to the Professor about this. He's had a /lot/ of years of practicing discretion. And he'll know better'n I do how to move forward with -- both helping you stay in control in situations like that, /and/ dealing with this person in a way that ain't going to bring down any more trouble on you." "He knows Peter. He now knows me. He knows I called Ms. Walters - the She-Hulk - my teacher. He knows when I call people for help, Cyclops and Nightcrawler come. He knows a fair bit." Rasa concedes and exhales. "Yes, we can talk to Professor Xavier. It would probably be good. If confronted, I could tell 'him' that the school has a very powerful telepath, so discretion isn't exactly an option I can exercise." "I -- don't think we got any plans to go confront /him/," Jackson says with a slight frown, "So he shouldn't really have to know that anyone knows, yet. I don't think you should tell him -- that. I mean, I don't think you gotta tell him /anything/, just yet. Not till we figure this out a little more." He tips his head down, pressing a light and careful kiss to Rasa's hair and then straightening slightly. "But we're /going/ to figure it out." "And Rasa -- you know -- whatever anyone may have said to you." Jax's hand scuffs through his hair. "Your friends and this school and everyone in your life -- we're here part of your life cuz of /you/. And your abilities are part of that -- part of /you/. But every part of you only defines who /you/ are so much as you want it to be. And that's what -- we're here to help you figure out. How to take all those parts and make 'em into --" His shoulder hitches up in a quick shrug, his smile small and a little lopsided. "-- You." "Yes, okay." Rasa agrees softly to the suggested course of action. Ze hugs Jackson a little closer when he kisses the top of hir head then pulls away to stand on hir own. It is easier to look at him when he speaks about hir, nodding in understanding. "Thank you." Ze gives a little smile, but is still somewhat small and unquiet in hir movements. "I appreciate it." Jackson's smile is warmer. "'course," he answers. "I'll see 'bout setting up a meeting, maybe, with the Professor. And till then just -- if you need anything --" His hand turns upwards. "Y'got my number, yeah?" Maybe. Maybe not. But it is in the school's directory! Rasa has Jax's number from the times ze has camped out in his apartment. "I will call you if I need things. Yes. Thank you." Ze takes a deep breath and hugs Jackson once more, then turns to flee the room, tail not quite brushing the ground, but definitely not up and happy. "I'll... see you around campus - as... I'm kind of stuck here." Wave! Jackson returns the hug, quick and tight. "Not stuck here forever," he says, "but -- we'll do what we can to make the stuck-part quick and painless." He waves, too. Prooobably some time later today, Rasa will find a tray of caramel-swirled brownies fresh baked and delivered warm to hir dorm.