| Jean Gray with Telepathy in the Conservatory |
| Summary: | Jean Gray come to the conservatory while Serenity is playing. They discuss whether or not Serenity will be statying. |
| Date: | 2016-08-24 |
| Related: | None |
| NPCs: | None |
| Scene Runner: | NA |
| Social/Plot: | Social |
| Players: |
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Serenity has spent most of her time since coming to Xavier's in the conservatory playing the piano. She is to be found there again today. A particularly difficult piece of classical music is drifting out into the hall from the conservatory. Anyone who might have been asked about the girl would say she s rarely seen outside of the room and once was even found asleep on the piano. When she is not there, she is usually having a meal though some can report that she was seen excitedly hugging Remy LeBeau in the Foyer after disappearing in the middle of the night. She arrived six days ago in the late evening after calling the school to get a ride and being picked up by Polaris and Douglock.
Jean has been pleased with the news that Serenity did call in the end to come over for a look see of the Institute. She's left Serenity alone for a few days, mostly because she got the impression the girl was frightened of her when they first met. However, after enough days have passed, Jean has decided to go check on the young girl, and see if she had reached some kind of a decision. With the conservatory being her favored haunting ground, Jean walked over, dressed casually in skinny jeans and a green top, nothing officious at all. Getting inside the room, she waits by the door as she listens to the music Serenity was playing on the piano. Appreciating in silence without interfering.
It is obvious that at some point in her life Serenity spent a good many hours playing the piano. She was provided with a shirt and sweats that are branded with the Xavier's logo and is no quite pristinely clean. When she's not playing or eating she must be bathing. Finally she finishes the song and lifts a hand to rub at her neck.
Jean claps her hands at the end of the piece, "bravo, you play very well, soft touch on the keys." Jean approaches the piano, "I'm glad you decided to visit the Institute, how do you find the experience so far, Serenity? A beautiful name, by the way."
Serenity jumps at the applause since she wasn't expecting it but the voice is familiar at least. She turns on the bench toward Jean, "I don't know what to think of this place, but it's quieter than the city. And there's a piano. I haven't had access to a piano in years."
"I wasn't lying when I said you could take music lessons here," Jean Grey says as she nods along, "I'm told you're really fond of the room, but you really should be assigned a dormitory if you wish to stay. The room is sometime used for classes." She moves to sit across from Serenity, "did you decide if you want to stay with us or not?"
Serenity chews on her lip for a moment, "That machine guy Doug said I'm a mutant. I guess he means my ability to do voices, but… I'm pretty sure Peter Parker offered me a recording contract. I don't know if I can do both."
"You can do everything you set your mind to," Jean tells Serenity, looking intently into her eyes, "at the Institute, you can learn how to master your power and develop new ways of using it. You mention how the school is quieter then the city? You could perhaps learn to control that, if you mean the kind of sound I think you mean…" looking out the window at the kids playing in the courtyard, Jean adds, "this is not a prison, it's a school. I think it's important for those with powers to really learn how to control them. I was considered insane, before the Professor found me…he really saved my life in many ways." Jean turns to look at Serenity again, "you can take classes flexible to your schedule, most professor would allow you to take segments online if you need it. I don't think it should take away from your music…but if you rather not stay, it's okay. I meant it when I said it was your choice alone."
Serenity shifts for a moment, "I… I don't forget. Well when it's quiet I can forget things but if there's noise, I don't forget. It's hard. There's a lot of clutter in my head." She turns back to the piano and picks out the melody of Yesterday. "It's been nice not to have to worry about where my next bath is coming from."
"I think it really helps having a safe place to be in, so you can actually think beyond the level of survival," Jean concurs with the girl, looking at her fingers as she starts playing Yesterday. "So when there's quiet your dark, and when there's sound you're lit? Is that how you might describe it? Why don't you tell me about what you know of your power? I'll tell you about mine too, if it makes you feel more comfortable."
Serenity nods slightly as though accepting that description. "Can we do what you did in the park? Where there's no sound but you're talking? Can you hear me that way too?"
"Yes, I can," Jean nods, before offering, "I'm chiefly a telepath, when I was very young, I heard the thoughts of everyone around me…and I thought I was going crazy and hearing voices. Coming to this school, taught me how to control it, how to make it quiet down," Jean explains, as she looks over at Serenity, "you want to have a conversation telepathically? In the mind?"
Serenity nods immediately. "I think… maybe I wouldn't … Maybe if I don't hear it out loud, you know?" She falls silent and chews her lip as she thinks. «I didn't know anything about powers. I just thought I was really good at doing voices. I can do anyone if I talk to them for long enough.»
Jean listens to Serenity patiently, letting the girl figure out what she wants to articulate. She knows how tough it can be. When Serenity starts to think her words, Jean replies in kind, «nobody ever knows when it starts, it usually happens in early teens, but some of us, it happens much earlier, leaving us even more confused and alone.» She nods as Serenity explains how she thought she was good at mimicry, «so your power is based on voices? You can produce any sound that you can hear? Is there more?»
Serenity rubs at her ears for a moment then thinks, «I don't know. I've not tried really hard to do anything but voices. I can remember since I was very little though. Two I think. Everything before the hospital is really vague.»
«Well, if you decide to stay at the Institute, I can work with you on that…or if you feel uncomfortable with me, we can assign you a different teacher,» Jean offers, «so when you hear voices, you can mimic them…but can you hear potential voices too? Do you find it louder in a room with quiet people in it compared to an empty room?»
Serenity chews her lip in confusion for a moment, «This is good. I can remember like a normal person this way. I don't have to if I don't want to.» She turns back to the piano and begins playing a compilation of Mozart as she thinks further, «I don't know what you mean by potential voices. I've not spent a lot of time around quiet people. People are so noisy all the time."
«I see…well, there's certainly a lot to explore here, if you are willing to do it, as always it is your decision.» Jean repeats, she knows how suspicious people who have been homeless are, following some harrowing stories that Rogue divulged her with. «I can see you're split, and hesitant, let's do this…you can stay in the school, have whichever open room you like in the girl's dormitory. You can stay with us, eat with us, and for the time being remain a special guest. Attend classes if you like to sample them, or don't. But do talk to faculty, do talk to students, get to explore the Institute, see the people who make it their home, learn about them…see if you feel you can fit in, and more importantly learn. No rush, no pressure, you only become a student if you choose to. That sounds fair enough to you? When you come to a decision, see me again, I'm Jean Grey in case you didn't catch my name…you can look for my office in the administration section, or seek me out with a thought.» She taps her temple as if to illustrate, making light of it with a whimsical smile, «for now, I'll leave you to think about it…unless you have questions for me?»
Serenity nods, «I guess that seems fair enough. I… didn't get past 8th grade. I wouldn't mind earning something that says I could have finished school if I had. Remy suggested as talk to either you or the professor before signing a deal with Peter Parker. I was so excited at first but now I'm nervous about it. Seems too good to be true. Thank you for not making me talk out loud. Sometimes it hurts and it pulls up memories. I can't stop them sometimes.»
«We don't discriminate here, Xavier Institute is first and foremost a safe haven for mutants. But our chief goal is to overcome bigotry and prejudice, and get to a point where humans and mutants live together in harmony. It sounds crazy, but Martin Luther King also once had a dream.» Jean Grey presents to Serenity the purpose of the Institute, just so it's clear in her mind, «so if you want to finish school, having dropped out before, we will give you that opportunity, so long as it's your decision to complete your studies.» Jean nods, and places a comforting hand on Serenity's shoulder if she'd allow the physical touch, «of course, all you have to do is tell us what bothers you, and we can work on it.»
Jean takes a moment to consider Serenity's deal with Peter Parker, «if you like, I can come with you to meet with Peter Parker, and then I can really tell you if the deal is a good one for you or not. I don't know much about Peter Parker as of now, at least not enough to guess what his motive might be, and if he truly means well for you.» Removing her hand from Serenity's shoulder, assuming she was allowed to place it there in the first place, Jean asks, «are you familiar with the Hindu concept of Maya, Serenity?»
Serenity flinches briefly at being touched but then doesn't pull away. «I don't think so. I haven't studied the Hindus before. I mostly focused on music when I wasn't in school."
«It's great that you're open to music and it flows through you, but I think you'll be served well in your life, by making an effort to learn things beyond your scope of comfort,» Jean doesn't scold, so much as offer advice on self development, it is for Serenity to heed it or not. «It's a warning…to not go after what is fake, what is an illusion, and to dedicate oneself to what is real. I'll leave you with that thought, think about what 'real' means to you. It may help with your decision.» Jean smiles and gets up, «you really have a lovely touch for the piano, I should like it if you play for me the Moonlight Sonata sometime…» and with that she starts to head out of the room.
Mozart transitions smoothly into the Moonlight Sonata with a brief almost jazzy interlude between them as Jean walks out of the room.
With Serenity indulging her request, Jean stays for the duration of the piece, before applauding again, "thank you," she speaks in a whisper, before going about her errands.