Room 528, Saturday Night

[icecoldfrost]

Tomorrow was the move back to the cabins, so tonight Emma was packing. Music cranked up to eleven as she worked, swaying along with the beat as she tossed stuff into her duffel bag.

She still didn't have much, but her closet was a LOT fuller than it had been upon her arrival, and she was actually needing to chose between outfits.

A girl could get used to this.

[Open door, open post!]

Comments

[ihavenocodename.livejournal.com]

"I don't think what you're doing is admiring," Jean shot back.

[icecoldfrost]

"Look but don't touch? I'm pretty sure that's what admiring is, darling," she replied sweetly. "It's not like I was trying to make you think you were a penguin or anything like that."

[ihavenocodename.livejournal.com]

"Like you could." Oh, there was that backbone. "You're eavesdropping where people shouldn't."

[icecoldfrost]

Ah, much better.

"Says who?" Emma challenged. "Why would there be people like us, if we aren't supposed to use it?"

[ihavenocodename.livejournal.com]

"Says anyone with morals. Just because we have the ability, doesn't mean we should abuse it."

[icecoldfrost]

"Morals?" Emma couldn't help it; she threw back her head and laughed delightedly. "Jean, I don't know how to tell you this, but people lie."

"Every damn day they lie to the people they speak with, they lie to themselves, and they wallow in the dirty little hypocrisies and perversions that lie just under the surface. All I'm doing is looking for the truth. That's not abuse, that's justice."

[ihavenocodename.livejournal.com]

Jean rolled her eyes. "Right. Sure. Because you're not lying to yourself about this. If someone did that to you, you'd be mad."

Not that Jean would be the one to do it. See, ethics.

[icecoldfrost]

"What do I have to lie about?" Emma asked, spreading her hands. "I'm upfront about what I am, who I am, and what I do. I never said I was nice, and those who don't like it can kiss my ass."

"You're the one pretending to be a perfect little girl scout, rather than owning up to your gifts. Doesn't it get boring, sitting there? Waiting to be vindicated while the rest of us go out and embrace what we are? Don't you want to inherit the Earth?"

[ihavenocodename.livejournal.com]

"I don't know. What do you have to lie about. You said everyone lies, so why would you be any different?"

And... she was not pretending! It was just--oh, shut up!

"My gifts are dangerous if I don't control them."

[icecoldfrost]

Of course Emma lied; she was a Frost. It was even more part of her DNA than her telepathy was.

"So's a car, a handgun, and a cat left in a room with someone who's allergic," Emma replied acidly. "Life is dangerous. Either live yours, or just roll over and get out of the way."

[ihavenocodename.livejournal.com]

"None of those things are controlled by a thought," Jean shot back. "I'm not going to act like you and not care if people get hurt."

[icecoldfrost]

"Are you sure?" Emma purred, leaning back against her desk. "You're making a decision when you get behind the wheel of a car. You're choosing to pick up the firearm. Those are the results of thoughts, darling, and far more dangerous than me seeing what there is to see. It's not like I'm digging up dirty little secrets and using them for blackmail." Yet.

"Although if you can't handle your gifts, maybe it's best if you don't use them."

[ihavenocodename.livejournal.com]

Jean lifted her hand, pulling a few items off the desk and into the air around Emma. "I can handle them. It's control that's important."

[icecoldfrost]

"You can't get control if you don't use them," she pointed out sweetly. "If you don't push your limits, you'll never know what you can do."

"And if you hide it away, acting like it's something to be ashamed of?" Emma smirked at Jean slowly. "Then you can't handle them, and you don't deserve them."

[ihavenocodename.livejournal.com]

"The only one here who doesn't deserve their powers is you," Jean replied sweetly.

[icecoldfrost]

"Why? Because I don't want to sit in the corner and wait to be called on?" Emma laughed. "I didn't ask for this, but it's mine. I'm not going to let it wither and atrophy just because you think we should be seen and not heard."

"I really don't get what your problem is. The only people who have anything to fear from us are the ones that don't deserve your compassion anyway. My roommate isn't afraid of me, and neither are my friends. I know the difference between secrets and gossip, Jeannie." Emma's smile turned slightly cruel. "But I'm starting to wonder if you do. Are you too afraid that you'll like it?"

[ihavenocodename.livejournal.com]

Jean made a face, thinking of the time when her powers overwhelmed her. "Like it? Why would I like that noise constantly in my head? You might be okay with hearing everyone's thoughts, but I'm not like you. I know people wouldn't like it if they knew you could control it." There was a pause before, "You can control it, right?"

[icecoldfrost]

"Is it a day ending in 'Y', and have they been screaming at the top of their little mental voices about sex again?" Emma asked dryly. "It depends on my level of patience that day."

Usually. Just... not always. And like hell Emma was going to admit to her occasional accidents to this judgmental little twit.

"Really, it's a miracle I haven't made someone think they were a banana out of sheer vexation. We're in a dorm, if you haven't noticed, and they're loud even when they sleep."

[ihavenocodename.livejournal.com]

"I hadn't actually," Jean admitted. "I block them out unless I need to use it. Otherwise I'd end up hearing the whole island."

Or they project really, really loud.

People never realized when they did, but she certainly was aware.

[icecoldfrost]

"You might as well blind yourself to keep from seeing the fashion disasters, or cut off a hand to prevent yourself from eating the last chocolate," Emma replied, wrinkling her nose in distaste.

"I usually keep most of it out, unless it's been a long week, but I wouldn't want to keep it all out. If someone's thinking something in my direction, then I want to know about it. That's my right as a person."

[ihavenocodename.livejournal.com]

"I didn't even have this until recently," Jean replied, slumping back on the bed and slowly putting the items from Emma's desk back in place. "It was just the telekinesis."

[icecoldfrost]

"At least you knew that powers were real," Emma pointed out as she went back to carefully folding up her blouse. "Or did you think you were going insane when the voices started up?"

And why did Miss Perfect get two powers? So unfair.

[ihavenocodename.livejournal.com]

Jean sighed and leaned back on the bed. "I almost killed my friends when it got to be too much."

[icecoldfrost]

"Then practice so it doesn't get to be too much," Emma said flatly. "They've got some sort of 'magical' meeting group where people can practice, or you can always work on blocking out Tweety."

Seriously, Emma was rather sure Dinah couldn't get more loud.

[ihavenocodename.livejournal.com]

"Which is why I control it like this," Jean snapped. "It's scary, alright? To know you can do that."

There was a pause.

"Tweety?"