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make me sweat, make me hotter › open catch-all

Who: Storm (Ororo Munroe) and others (OTA!)
Where: Panorama, the Fringes
When: through October
What: Catch-all

Warnings: None yet! Will edit as they come up.

Open and closed prompts posted below!

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[ Ororo's love for green and growing things is not a secret to those who know her well. Her history class is held in the mansion's arboretum, and because of her powers, the expansive lawn and the Institute's gardens are always perfectly well-watered. The reasons aren't clear, but most people don't really look into it much. It's enough for students and staff to know that at least one of the more tedious chores is essentially never a problem.

Ororo hasn't had much chance to indulge in that personal interest though, and her love for things that flourish under her hands goes mostly ignored and unspent except for a sad little potted cactus in her motel room that she'd decided to splurge on one lonely night. But when she runs into a specialty flower shop in the Fringes... well, she was already driving out here. She may as well stop by. Maybe she'll find a friend for her cactus.

It may or may not be easy to miss her as she inspects the plants on display. Some get a careful look, others get a gentle brush of her fingertips. Sometimes she bends over, angled slightly with one ear to the large, leafy monsteras. It's almost as if she's... listening. She isn't talking, not out loud, but there's a sense that she is. Sort of, maybe, kind of.

It's all very gentle and serene and peaceful, until one of the orchids seems to follow her the arc of her hand as she pulls away. It's pure luck that she notices the barbs (teeth?) and she snatches her hand back with a sharp frown. The temperature drops a full degree in her sudden alarm. ]

What are you...?

[ Charles is blissfully unaware that some plants turn into little monsters, but the one that he managed to get luckily does not. Which is a good thing as he finds himself on Ororo's door planning to give her something that he would hope wouldn't try to eat her. Charles went to Kolliery with Erik for a bit to take a break from the city and the turmoil within it, but he's back and luckily had a reunion with Scott that didn't make things worse.

Ororo is the only one he hasn't had a chance to check on, so he shows up knocking at her room, flowers set in his lap so he doesn't accidentally drop them. He is nearing the end of his plans for a public forum post, so there are multiple levels of his plans to see his dear future student. His hair is a bit long at the moment, past his chin now, and he needs a trim which he'll get to soon.]

Ororo, it's Charles.

[ He says after the knock. He senses her mind nearby. For a telepath, certain minds become trackable even if he stays out of them. They're like a radar for him.]

[ It's nearly evening when the knock at her door comes, and Ororo's just gotten out of a shower. She'd been grimy from being out driving, scouting out places in the city when she wasn't doing more chores than she ought to, or looking for a quick-paying job to get her some cash in a pinch. She's dressed in soft clothes, still towel-drying her hair and contemplating the possibility of skipping dinner when Charles comes knocking, and she hurries to let him in, clearly surprised. ]

Professor, good evening. I wasn't expecting you. [ -- or anyone really. Ororo was intensely private and had a hard time making friends. No one comes to visit, and that was by design. ]

Sorry, it's a little... I don't usually have anyone over. [ The room is tidy, if sparse. The only real signs of life were a tiny cactus on one table, and a cute little air plant tucked into a macrame hanger by the window. She likes plants, so when she sees the flowers in Charles' lap, her eyes light up. She presses her lips against assuming it out loud, but - were those for her? ]

I should have called first, I know, it's terribly impolite to just show up.

[ She clearly looks like she's settling down after a long day, and Charles was raised with impeccable manners. But maybe a part of him thought that he'd have to find a way to catch her so she wouldn't brush him off. It could be for the same reason that she says she doesn't usually have anyone over, and he hopes that she hasn't been isolatng herself. Ororo is the newest of the X-Men still, and while he thinks he has a firm grasp of all of the others now, she's the hardest for him to read.

He wheels inside and offers her the flowers. Of course they're for her! It would be strange to come here with them and just keep them in his lap this time. This has all been carefully calculated as a way to connect. Their talk on the phone was fraught, so he would like a chance to speak without so much stress.]

Logan told me you have a fondness for greenery. I found a shop out in the Fringes unexpectedly, and thought perhaps you would like them.

[ Ororo is indeed a little harder to read - but that's also just a little effect of her nature. Her Professor once said it was like trying to read her through a television signal riddled with static. Certainly not impossible, not for him, but difficult. It was even more difficult when she was letting her temper get the best of her powers.

She isn't using her powers now, and her temper is nowhere to be seen when she reaches out to accept the gift with as much grace she can drum up in the moment. Her cheeks flush with pleasure as she touches one of the petals reverently. ]

I wasn't aware that he knew. Or remembered. [ Some things about Logan never changed, but he was hard for her to read. He'd seen things she hadn't, and didn't have a recent memory of the mansion. Day by day, her own life at the institute seemed farther and farther away, but it certainly wasn't as extreme as Logan's distance. It's nice to have a small reminder like this, and she finds herself clinging to the thought. ]

I do like them, so I thank you for bringing them over - but what are they for, if I may ask? Have I missed a holiday?

Logan's far more thoughtful than he'd probably like people to recognize. I'm sure he would get very grumpy if we were to point it out.

[ Charles is very fond of Logan, and it's likely he knows him better than anyone else. He's been everywhere in his head, for one, but he's insightful, and he sees him clearly. And he's a big softie! When he cares about someone, the details stick with him, and he cares for Ororo very much. Not that Charles would rat him out about that. Everyone can communicate their own feelings on their own behalf. But perhaps knowing Logan hasn't forgotten will be a nice touch for Ororo.]

I've been worried about you since our call, but I am trying not to hover too much over all of you. I wanted to perhaps brighten your day a little, and to say ....

[ Charles has had a leg up when it comes to Scott and Logan. They both already had established relationships of a kind with him, and they give him a long leash because of their relationship with the other him. Scott may be struggling with him still, but he accepted Charles and his love for him without questioning the details of how much separated them.

Ororo is someone he is still trying to suss out. She recently lost Jean, Scott, and her Professor all at once. She went through terrible loss, and then she was here, and she had to adjust to many things quite suddenly. She was upset when she called him about Scott, and he did his best to talk her through it, but he was left uncertain if he could help.]

I know I'm not him. Your Charles Xavier. But I care very deeply for all of you, Ororo. It doesn't matter to me that we only met recently. I was in his mind, I felt his love. For Scott, and Logan, and for you too.

[ Explaining how feelings like that transfers between two telepaths would be impossible. One bled into the other. Charles got a quick rundown of the beautiful future ahead of him and the people who he would come to love as dearly as his own children.]

I want you to know that I am here for you, if you need anything.

[ It's surprisingly difficult to hear the words, even when Ororo's known all that to some degree already. This Professor isn't her Professor, but so much of what he did and said was achingly familiar. She'd been stuck trying to figure out if she should treat him a separate man or like a totally new one in the same way Magneto was totally different... But how does she separate it for Charles when he says things like this?

She blinks back the sudden tears in her eyes and clutches the flowers to herself. In the same breath, the sky outside rumbles and darkens abruptly as she tries to get a proper handle on her emotions. It's abrupt enough that even she looks outside at the sound, surprised for a moment before she laughs self-consciously. ]

-- Sorry. When something is a bit much, the sky tends to get away from me. [ The sound had shaken some sense into her though, and she hears echoes of her Charles reminding her of the actual forecast. One deep breath should send the storm on its way.

She turns away from Charles, heading for the kitchen so she can find a bottle or glass of water to set her flowers in. Something to keep her moving while she spoke. ]

I didn't mean to doubt that, or you. I know you're here. I simply didn't want to rely on you so much, not when everyone here has their own issues and worries. [ There was Scott, of course, and Logan too. Everyone. People were just trying to live their lives as best as they could, dealing with things in their own ways. She needed to do the same. ]

But if I need anything, I will try to reach out. [ Emphasis on try. She's never been the type to ask for help, not when she was so used to being the one to help others in the first place. Her needs tended to be shelved until she could blow them all away, like an unwanted storm cloud that disrupted a clear sky. ]

[ Charles hears the sky rumble, and he doesn't at first assume it's her, until her reaction. Her emotions are that connected to the weather, and it's incredible. She's powerful. She's elemental. He is deeply impressed by how it reacts to her feelings, and then how she centers herself and clears it away. Charles has always been a good teacher, but it's humbling to see that he one day manages to so well that he could help bring this woman some peace through her power.]

Your issues and worries are just as important as anyone else's. I don't want you to hold back because you think they aren't.

[ Scott and Logan's woes are real, yes, and Charles has been handling theirs to the best of his abilities in his own way. But he doesn't want it to be like he's neglecting Ororo because the others have more active tensions. She was upset in the car driving back, and she needed him no less than they did. He can tell she's competent and used to taking care of herself, so it's not as if he wants her to change who she is. But more that she knows.]

Before I came here ... I lost my students. The war took many of them away. They died. And I wasn't there for them. I fell into a depression after losing the people closest to me, and I shut myself inside for years.

[ Charles doubts the older him told his students about his failures. Not to this extent. He had a certain aura to present, and he wanted to be there for them, not to take the same kind of sympathy to himself. Charles holds a lot of regret in his heart, and shame, and some of it shows now. He can be guarded about his emotions, but they can also be displayed on his face, like now. There's a heaviness to his words and the experience that lies beneath them.

Logan knows all about this, and he explained some to Scott, but he feels like exposing himself emotionally to Ororo would help her understand why he's still doing his best here. Despite not knowing truly where to start with each of them.]

When I met my future self, and he showed me everything, it changed my life. It led me back to the path I needed to be on to be your Professor. But I wish to get to know all of you for real. Not as these shimmering dreams of those he loved, but as real people.

[ It gives her pause, the way Charles opens up to her in ways her Professor had not. It was probably the difference in age and experience, and simply because - he was the Professor, to her. There has always been a great weight to his presence and an underlying respect for who he was and what he did that she's sure would have made being known so personally so difficult.

And it must have been very lonely, now that she thinks about it. But this Charles doesn't have that problem - he seemed a great deal more gregarious and outgoing than the Professor was. Even imagining him retreating into himself as he describes is difficult - but surely not impossible. Her eyes soften at the thought, but she doesn't turn to quite look back at him yet. He's opening up to her, and expects her to reciprocate. Entirely fair and valid, but... how does one do that after spending a lifetime keeping things close to the vest, for the good of everyone? ]

It's a little frightening, to be known. Really known. [ She picks up an empty plastic pitcher from her kitchen, just large enough to hold most of the flowers he's brought to her. Still an odd thing to receive; she can't even remember the last time someone gave her such a touching gift. It was probably Jean - before... everything. ]

I think it's a liability. It's easy to be used that way - and when I get hurt, it is also easy for everyone else in the rest of the state to feel my hurt. [ And she never wanted to hurt anyone, so it was better for her to be self-contained as possible. A little raincloud materializes over the pitcher, measured precisely so it doesn't splatter raindrops onto her counter as it fills the makeshift vase up halfway. ]

But you — well, the Professor — he and Jean... because of your gifts, and because you loved me, I think it was easy for you to know me anyway. Scott's link to Jean made it easy to share some of that knowledge too. I took that ease and that understanding for granted. [ The rains stops, and Ororo takes a moment to finally glance back up at Charles. ]

I don't know how or why we've all come to be here like this, but I know I can't take it for granted again. Whatever you need from me, Charles, please know that you'll have it. I want to know you, too.

[ Charles knows that his life is, in many ways, exactly that in the future. Lonely. Not that he would ever complain or say so, he was happy and fulfilled in the ways that mattered to him. It's just that Charles knows at a point, once the school is made and the students gathered, he has to be The Professor. He will have to be the leader and father figure that everyone looks to, and there is no room for him to be anything else. It's too important. It's a choice he's made, and one he'll make again.

But he isn't that person yet. Charles is still flawed, still dragging himself out of a struggle that hung over him for years. He won't meet Scott and Ororo for years from now when he's more settled into himself, but now they've met this version, who is trying to figure out what he can be for them. He knows what many of the others need. He wants to know what Ororo needs.]

I understand. Power like yours requires a certain level of responsibility, and you take it seriously.

[ If Ororo's emotional status can affect the weather around them at all times, she obviously had to learn how to control it - and herself - always. It's a mutant problem that they never can shut it off. Their powers are forever. It's a part of their DNA, it's done. Some people, like her, don't have an easy option to shut it off and turn it back on with ease.

But with people she knows, she can let her hair down, so to speak, and she's lost those people. Jean is dead, Charles - hers - is dead. Ororo has to restart her ability to build those connections in a world of strangers.]

Being known is very hard. Of that we are in accord. It's difficult for me being as imperfect as I am, living up to this standard. When truly all I want is to be there for you. To be your family. I hope to earn that place.

[ Earning it is such a funny thing to consider from the Professor. As far as she can recall, the Professor has had such a constant presence and role in her life that having to earn a place like that feels strange. But she appreciates the sincerity now that she has a moment to really consider it. Many people wouldn't bother making such an effort at all.

She glances down at her flowers, tucked away into a makeshift vase that she brings over to one of the windows of the motel room. ]

... Well, the flowers are certainly the right step. I don't think a lot of people even know I like them, or growing them, let alone why. [ She drops that extra nugget of herself with a little smile. It really is nice to have a touch of extra color and life in the room, and she regrets not caving to the desire for more plants earlier. ]

Maybe we could talk about it over tea? Along with any other new concerns or developments you might have wanted to discuss. [ It's hard to let go of some habits, like making things that weren't work, about work. ]

[ Perhaps he wouldn't need to earn it, if he looked at it in a different way. She would automatically see him as the Professor, and she's already shown him respect and loyalty, so he could simply float on that instinctive respect without trying to do more. But that's now how Charles operates. He works for the relationships that he has. They matter a great deal to him, and so does she.]

Logan has his moments, and he knows that bonding with you is important to me.

[ Charles would have asked Scott if they were speaking at the moment, but Logan had years more with an Ororo, years of close companionship as they became the last mutants in the world. That part she doesn't remember, but he does. Them all being out of time from each other is one of the hardest parts to adjust to, but he thinks they've done well.]

Of course. Well my obvious concern right now is about Scott.

[ So not about work! Yes, he will prioritize interpersonal problems first, sorry. They can talk about work afterward. He has no small amount of projects that he's working on, and the two of them have been on the same page about.]

He's been damaging himself at the Dome. Purposely letting people beat him. I plan on intervening soon, but I think it will take all of us to help him get past this.

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make me sweat, make me hotter › open catch-all

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