Room 528, Monday Morning

[icecoldfrost]

Emma had skipped last night's party, since she had no reason whatsoever to deal with a bunch of teachers and other adults in her spare time. Besides, she had plans to be out late tonight, and had needed her beauty sleep.

Right now she was curled up on her bed, happily ensconced in her AP Algebra textbook as she worked on her correspondence class final. Mmmm...math.


[OOC: For a ginger, but door & post are open before that!]

Comments

[ihavenocodename.livejournal.com]

The knock on the door was much more gentle than the mental knock on her mind as Jean stood outside the room, trying to stay calm and everything Mr. Dayspring tried to teach her.

It was... working-ish.

"Emma."

[icecoldfrost]

Ugh. She was busy.

"Jeannie." Emma barely glanced up from her text before starting to scribble again. "Am I broadcasting quadratic coefficients? Sorry. I think I'm dreaming in them, which is disturbing, but no worse than some of the other stuff floating about. I'll try to turn it down."

[ihavenocodename.livejournal.com]

The next mental knock was less polite.

"It's about Jono, Emma."

[icecoldfrost]

"What about him?" she asked, waving the other girl in. "Tell me he didn't pull a Bobby and get himself abducted? I've already done my three selfless things for the month, so he'll have to wait until I finish this final before I go trotting after him."

[ihavenocodename.livejournal.com]

"I know what you did to him."

[icecoldfrost]

"Anyone with half a brain can figure out what I did, darling," Emma replied. "I gave him a Valium, since he can't exactly take one orally. One must compensate for mutant physiology in unusual ways sometimes."

If Jean expected her to deny it or play innocent, she had another thing coming. Emma was actually rather proud of her solution.

"It should already be starting to wear off gradually, so don't get your panties in a twist. I didn't do anything permanent."

[ihavenocodename.livejournal.com]

That? That would be the telepathic version of a slap there.

"Is that supposed to make it alright?" Jean asked. "Or do you not understand basic morals?"

[icecoldfrost]

Okay, that got Emma's full attention, and her head snapped up from her textbook.

"What the fuck, Jean?" she snapped. "He's the one that wanted to start getting a handle on things, but was too depressed to know where to start. So I gave him a starting point. What's your problem?"

[ihavenocodename.livejournal.com]

"So you forced it on him," Jean replied, lip curling in disgust. "People change because they want to. Not because you make them change. How would you feel if I went in your head and made you be nice?"

[icecoldfrost]

"So he wants to be miserable? Really? Because I was under the impression that he wanted to be happy and have a life," Emma snarled. "I gave him what he wanted. Not permanently - he's got to do that work himself, and I've got no patience for people who want to take the easy way."

[ihavenocodename.livejournal.com]

"Which is odd, because you took the easy way there."

[icecoldfrost]

"You know what's funny?" Emma asked sweetly. "Why you seem to think it's your business, that's funny. I don't see you coming up with any better ideas, and I don't see Jono in here complaining."

[ihavenocodename.livejournal.com]

"Because he doesn't trust you, Emma. And I promised I'd discuss this with you because you can't do anything like that to me. You're not good enough."

[icecoldfrost]

"He can't write me a letter?" she asked folding her arms and glaring at the implicit challenge. Jean was in her space, insulting her powers. The bitch was insufferable at the best of times, and now was not the best. "He's the one who confessed to me that he didn't know where to start. Not you. Me. So I showed him. If he didn't trust me, he shouldn't have asked in the first place."

Honestly. If he knew any Emma, he should have known better.

"So again; not your business, so quit acting like such a bitch about it. If you have any better ideas, I'd love to hear them, but it's not like antidepressants can work on someone who doesn't have a circulation system."

[ihavenocodename.livejournal.com]

"He's my friend and you hurt him when he wanted help," Jean replied tartly. "If you ever do that again, I'll make sure you know the consequences."

[icecoldfrost]

That was it. Emma was off her bed and right up in Jean's face. "You're so busy being self-righteous you didn't even listen," she sneered. "I was helping. If he asks a telepath for help, he should expect a telepathic answer. If I had wanted to hurt him, I would have told him he was right, and he might as well go end it all and jump off a cliff."

"So don't come into my room and threaten me. I'm not one of your little 'teammates,' and I don't answer to you. Ever."

[ihavenocodename.livejournal.com]

"Because you'd never make it on a team. You'd get people killed with your selfishness," Jean shot back. "And it wasn't telepathic help. It was your 'help'. It was you taking the easy way. You're a sad person, Emma. Trying to play like you have the moral highground when no one in their right mind would think that way."

[icecoldfrost]

Emma's hand shot out to slap Jean across the face.

"I am not crazy," she said coldly. "Don't you ever imply another person isn't in their right mind just because they don't agree with you. I keep asking for your alternatives -- which I still don't hear you providing -- but don't you fucking dare insult me by dismissing my methods as crazy."

She'd tried to help someone once using Jean's methods. Warm fuzzy feelings and puppies and talking. And in the end, he just ended up dead and broken. She wasn't going to make that mistake with Jono.

[ihavenocodename.livejournal.com]

The hand was stopped before she had any chance of striking Jean. Like hitting a brick wall.

"My alternatives? Work with them. I'm helping Jono strengthen his walls to keep you or anyone like you out. And teaching him to work with his powers so he doesn't need to be afraid of them. Too much work for you, though."

There was a pause before she lashed out with a telepathic slap right on back. "Don't start a fight you can't win."

[icecoldfrost]

"Oh, so now it's okay to use our powers to pick on people, if we don't like their reasons," Emma snarled, eyes lighting up in savage glee. "Make up your mind, Jeannie. Either I'm supposed to play like all the other kids, or we get special treatment. You can't have it both ways."

[ihavenocodename.livejournal.com]

"And I'm weak if I don't use my powers, right Emma?" Jean rolled her eyes. "You're just mad you can't win."

[icecoldfrost]

"If you aren't willing to use the gifts you've been given? Of course you're weak," she agreed. "I was just curious if you could even recognize your own hypocrisy."

"Although I'm thrilled to tears that you do actually have the balls to use what the genetic gods gave you, even if the best you can manage is psychic hair-pulling. Now if you'd only give me a reason besides 'because it's wrong and I say so...'" Emma suggested. "No? Then get out of my room. If Jono's got a problem with me, he can man-up and say it to my face. But I don't have to take this from a spoiled, snot-nosed little brat like you."

She couldn't take shields like Jean's on a straight-on fight, no. Emma knew that. But she hadn't survived this long without being willing to take on someone bigger than she was.

[ihavenocodename.livejournal.com]

Maybe in some other time, with more training and experience Emma could take her on in an unfair fight. But that wasn't here or now.

"I'm a hypocrite? That's rich coming from you, Emma. I would think you knew all about it, considering how much coming out of your mouth is. I told you why I was here and you can't even seem to understand morality that's not yours. Because it's weak or something. Am I weak, Emma? No. I'm stronger than you'll ever be in any way. And that is what annoys you so much."

There was a pause before she added. "And, if I wanted to do more than hairpulling, you wouldn't be so happy. So just get over yourself and grow up. I'm pulling my punches with you for a reason."

[icecoldfrost]

"Your reasons so far aren't any better than mine," she said simply, pointing at the door. "Because you haven't said a damned thing that wasn't 'because I say so.'"

"And as much as I'm sure you hate to hear it, in my world, there's no Jean Grey Moral Authority, and I've got no reason to listen to the fuming of an indignant teenager. You aren't my teacher, or my mentor, or anyone else with any authority in my life. So I'm going to tell you one more time to get out of my room, or I will go to the administration and file charges of harassment."

[ihavenocodename.livejournal.com]

'You want a reason? You did it without permission. It's the psychic equivalent of rape, Emma."