2014.02.10 - Games of Cards and Minds

It's a lovely afternoon at Xavier's and the breeze is flowing through the house, making it chilly but homey, the kind of day one could slip under the blankets to watch a movie and be completely comfortable to have a perfect experience.

As it is, Jean Grey has decided to be more casual than usual, going for comfort rather than looks, as she sits by the center table clad in tracksuit trousers, blue in color and stamped with a big X on the thighs, and a long-sleeved white blouse. Bunched around her hips and over her legs there's a blanket, and with socks to keep her feet warm the redhead is set for a perfect day with who might be her favorite company: Rachel Summers. As she holds her cards close to her curving lips, Jean makes sure her Daughter-From-Another-Time cannot see her cards as they play a game of Texas Hold'em. What are they betting?

Beans. Which would be lame, but each 15 beans one has to answer a question truthfully, which raises the stakes a bit!

Rachel, for her part, hasn't felt the need to get particularly dressed up today either, and is still in what she dragged on after her post-exercise shower this morning - an oversized red Xavier Institute hoodie and a pair of black leggings. She sits across from Jean, tailor-fashion, with the over-long sleeves of her hoodie pushed up past her elbows to stop them getting in the way - and prevent any accusations that she's got cards hidden up her sleeves!

Even so, cheating might be Rachel's only hope in this game, because she's never played Texas Hold'em in her life! And what makes matters even worse for the younger redhead? There's no way she's getting past Jean's psi-shields to take a peek through her eyes at her cards! To her credit Rachel doesn't even try, her eyes moving from her own cards, too meet Jean's eyes, and back again. She's smiling, clearly enjoying herself, but there's an air of uncertainty to her that's not mirrored in Jean's expression.

Giving Jean another searching look, Rachel nudges forward some more beans.

Calvin Rankin wanders into the lounge, head bent over a smartphone as he's busy fussing over it. He's paying just enough attention to other things to make sure he doesn't walk into any anything or anyone. "Afternoon, Jean. Rachel." he says absently, as he detours slightly to walk around them. And then he pauses to actually look at them. "Why are you sitting on the floor?"

Jean puckers her lips in a low coo as Rachel bets more beans, her eyes fixed on the other woman's as she never averts her gaze from the other telepath. "Be careful... you might be biting more than you can chew...", her voice laced with humor as she peeks back at her own cards and at the ones turned up in the center of the table. Taking her time to fetch some beans of her own, Jean doesn't nudge them forward, but places her hand over Rachel's own bet, and lets her beans fall down, as she covers her quasi-daughter's chip-in.

"We are playing poker, Calvin. Some variation Hank taught me sometime ago!", Jean says warmly, even if those eyes never leave Rachel's. She does get intense about poker!

Rachel's eyes flick up from her just-bet beans when she hears that noise Jean makes, a rueful look coming into her eyes. She doesn't know if she's made a misstep or if Jean's trying to psyche her out. It might be both! "Why do I think..." She asks, with a little pause in the middle, "...that I did that just by agreeing to play?" She's still smiling when she says it, though. A quiet chuckle escapes her when Jean matches her bet with more of a flourish, sure that the dramatic effect is intentional.

Rachel looks around quickly when Calvin enters, having only run into him briefly once before, but greets him with an amiable, "Hi." She glances back at Jean as she answers, then shrugs. "The floor's not so bad." She adds with a quick grin.

"Well, don't let me interupt." Cal says, putting the phone away in a pocket. "I just hope whomever the better cook is wins. I love bean soup." He moves over to one of the couches and flops down where he can see the two women.

Jean loves the little tells Rachel gives, and for a moment she almost considers dropping the act. Doing so, however, could make Rachel stop squirming, and that simply would not do. For the first time, maybe ever, Jean Grey knows how it is to ge Remy LeBeau, and how FUN these games can be! As she reveals the last card the redhead smirks some and speaks ominously...

"Abandon all hope, Rachel Summers... for... I..." - and she flips the cards, grinning as she bites her lower lip - "TWO, not one, but TWO pairs!", and she shows her hand, to confirm it. Jean looks so pleased with herself, and smug, it's ridiculous. Maybe she doesn't win at this as nearly as much as she would want. It almost feels like she doesn't believe she won, her eyes looking down at the cards to double and triple check it!

"HAH! I K- I mean...", and she clears her throat, trying to act less excited, raising both her eyebrows and closing her eyes "I believe these beans are mine, thank you...".

As she leans over the table, Jean uses both arms to collect the meager 8 beans that they have bet, as if she was pulling a mountain of chips. She's so pleased with herself... uncanny.

Rachel, it is rapidly becoming obvious, is not a natural poker player when she can't cheat. She's giving away so much that Jean doesn't even need her telepathic powers to read her in this game. Rachel can tell Jean's having fun at her expense, but she really doesn't mind. She's having fun, herself, and it's good to see Jean so relaxed.

Even so, Rachel winces automatically when she hears THAT tone in Jean's voice. It portends doom, and the cards being flipped seal it, annihilating Rachel's solitary pair. Rachel would groan, or do something equally over the top, but one look at Jean's incredibly smug expression and she can't help laughing. Laying out her own cards in surrender, Rachel shakes her head, still laughing. "Cal? You're in luck. My cooking's terrible." She calls over to him, before meeting Jean's gaze again. "Don't get too attached to those beans. That was just a warm up." Rachel says, trying to put a serious voice on and failing completely.

Cal studies the two women as they play. One he knows very well, just not in this reality. The other he barely knows in any reality. "Actually, I lied. I am going to interupt, if you don't mind. I met a student the other day whom I didn't know before. I'm a little concerned. Can you tell me about Laura?" Though he's mostly asking Jean he does include Rachel with a look. "She calls herself X-23." he adds, in case there's multiple Lauras in the school.

Jean smiles widely at Rachel, and hearing that laughter has the older redhead's heart beating faster. When warned about the warmup all Jean does is nudge Rachel under the table, stretching her leg to poke at the other telepath and leaning over the table slightly to tease "Bring it on, Marvel Girl~", a smile creeping up even if she tries to look daring or cocky.

At Calvin's question Jean arches a brow as she shuffles the deck. There are many things she doesn't know about the time traveller yet, but one thing Phoenix does know about those is that you can never be too cautious. As such, she turns at Mimic with a decidedly less friendly, even if polite, attitude "Why are you concerned about Laura?", she asks with some humor, even if she knows there are plenty of reasons why one should be concerned about the young clone. "Have you talked to Logan about her?"

As Jean's foot pokes at her, Rachel reaches a hand under the table to swat at it - too late. She grins anyway, and then /groans/ when That Name is mentioned. "I need a better code name." She declares, eyes gleaming even as they narrow in mock-accusation and she points at Jean over the table. "And that's your fault, too!" She firmly blames the other redhead.

Calvin intercedes before Rachel can really warm to that topic, and she twists around in place so she can face him more directly. "I know Laura." Rachel confirms, a bit guardedly. She'd be wary about talking about any of the students behind their backs, particularly to someone she's barely met, and particularly Laura. Jean replies before Rachel can say any more, and Rachel reluctantly decides that's probably a good thing. She gives a nod to back up Jean's words, before adding, "She can take care of herself."

Cal shakes his head at the question. "I was intending to but am told he's away on a mission. I should rephrase though... I'm not concerned about her. I'm concerned for her. She's clearly unhappy and holds herself apart from others. She's afraid to get close to anyone because she thinks she might end up killing them before she can stop if something sets her off. From what she said, that's not an unreasonable fear."

Jean takes some time to absorb Calvin's words, mulling over them in her own head before she can finally reply with some confidence. "She has some issues, yes. The young mutants here have many issues, and even in cases such as with Laura... time and companionship heal everything. She will be alright. I'm afraid that anything else I say about her could be a breach of trust between student and teacher, and between myself and Logan. Still, I'm confident that she will heal.". Jean sounds very a lot less worried about Laura than most would expect her to, but it's for a good reason, something Rachel might pick up as she gets a very brief glance at her direction by Jean.

If Rachel and recover from being a Hound, from hunting and killing other mutants for Sentinels, Laura can certainly recover from being a cloned soldier-girl, especially with Jean, Charles and all the students there for her.

"Logan understands better than most about the power this place has over people who need some help.", she adds in the end. "I'm glad you are fitting in so nicely.", she says with a wide smile, in the end.

"I'm aware of how much help the school can be in such cases." Cal notes, nodding at Jean's words. "I wasn't bringing the situation to your attention - I assumed you already knew - so much as setting the stage for an idea I'm about to propose. I was intending to talk to the Professor about it but since I ran into you - and Rachel" he adds, nodding to the girl, "Both powerful telepaths, I thought I'd get your thoughts on it." He takes a moment to pick his words then says "I'm thinking of a telepathic block that would prevent her from instinctively going into kill mode without her intending to. But!" he's quick to add, heading off an objection he knows would be raised. "It would be under her control. Something like a hypnotic trigger that could be turned on or off and one that she can do herself. It would help her feel less dangerous to those around her and since it's under her control, give her more confidence while at the same time not endangering her by blocking her abilities if danger threatens."

Jean does react a bit at the mentioning of telepathic blocks, taking a deep breathe as if she is gearing up to start talking about how peoples' minds are not playgrounds and should only be intruded upon or changed only in the most extreme circumstances. Cal is smart enough to stop her right there and continue his explanation, and as such Jean listens, the idea of blocking parts of peoples' thoughts and reactions sitting awfully bad with Phoenix, who has been trying to discover more about herself, not shield others from their own discoveries.

That being thought, Phoenix knows Laura's story, and she knows that that 'trigger' is not natural. It is not part of who Laura is. As such, even if very wary of her words, Jean nods.

"It is not a bad idea, Calvin. Have you spoke to her about it?"

Rachel's head turns sharply as Jean concedes that Laura 'has some issues', her eyes fixing on Jean's again as her expression turns as guarded as her tone, when she spoke to Cal a moment before. After all, Rachel herself 'has some issues'. She knows how she'd feel if she found out someone had approached Jean about HER.

Rachel doesn't move, remains sitting cross-legged on the floor, but tenses up a bit. It's only when Jean refuses to be drawn any further about Laura that she starts to ease down, and as Jean glances her way Rachel nods, understanding, but clearly not entirely happy with the direction the conversation has taken.

...and then Cal suggests mental blocks, and Rachel's tension level ratchets right up again. She shifts around to face him properly, drawing up one knee and draping her arms around it. It's a comfortable pose - if you don't notice that her hands are white-knuckled. She's deferred to Jean so far, but she can't keep quiet any longer - even though she's keeping her temper on a tight leash, Jean at least will feel it telepathically. "It MIGHT not be a bad idea." Rachel says tightly, her tone indicating she's not convinced of that, but trying not to snap. "If LAURA wanted it." She looks back at Jean quickly, then back to Cal. "I won't be part of messing with anyone's head against their will. Not even if the Professor says it's the right thing, or she's been convinced to say yes because everyone says it's the 'right thing'. It's not." Rachel cuts herself off before saying more, her jaw closed tightly.

Cal shakes his head. "No. First I wanted to make sure it was possible." Which, given that he's mimiced both Jean and the Professor multiple times and been a powerful telepath himself, he was fairly certain it was. "And second, I wanted to make sure you and the Professor were willing to do it. I didn't want to chance giving her hope and then having it pulled away. I know tampering with someone's mind is a serious business but I feel that it would be to her benefit in many ways. Once she's able to control her own instincts, it can be removed but meanwhile, she won't feel like a bomb waiting to go off." He nods at what Rachel says, taking her words quite seriously. "I agree, Rachel. It would be her decision. It's not 'the right thing', it's just 'a thing'. And it's her call in the end."

Jean can feel Rachel's tension, and she can see where the other girl is coming from. These subjects were never easy for her at first, and even today, discussing even superficially about them, make Phoenix somewhat cringe inside. Still, Laura might actually need a push in the right direction. Rachel's words, however, catch Jean off-guard, and she cannot help but find that passion endearing, smiling at the other woman before she cocks her head to the side.

< Do you really think we would ever do anything like this without her approval, Rachel? >, she speaks to her quasi-daughter's mind in a joyous tone, as if she is trying to let Rachel realize that although she is passioante about it, she might have not taught this outburst through. < Relax. The day we start doing psychic surgeries without consent is the day we might aswell all move to Genosha and, what? Form the M-Men? Not as catchy, I'll concede, but... >, and she shuts up. She is not Bobby, she can't really tell jokes.

"It might be possible, it might not be. It all depends on how invasive the proceedure would be. Some things are not worth the risks. I am fairly confident Laura can be helped, but if you want me to say it is possible or not, I can't. I have to have her come to me, knowing that I will be probing her defenses, feeling her limits, to see if the surgery could even be performed. I'm afraid that giving her hope is the only way for me to even answer your first question. BUT... if it is possible... between me, Charles and Rachel we can certainly do it.

< The only reason why I am even considering this, Rachel, is because this fear Laura has is very worth having. These frenzies of her are not instinct, like Calvin seems to assume they are. They were programmed in her. They are not part of Laura's. Trust me, okay? >, she whispers to Rachel, guarding her message very well from other telepaths around, before Rachel will feel an invisible hand squeeze her own, reassuringly.

Rachel's eyes are dark and shadowed when she looks at Jean, not able to return the other woman's smile. << It was done to me. >> She replies with her mind, her mental tone bleak. << Not by you, not by the Professor. By the worst people there are, but it was still done to me. I wasn't... me, for a while. I'm still not sure what I am. If there's any suggestion this isn't what Laura wants... >> If Rachel was talking to /anyone/ else, even the Professor, her next words would be 'You'd have to go through me first'. But she isn't, this is Jean Grey, and Rachel admires and respects her more than anyone. << ...I can't be a part of it. >>

Finally, though, Jean's words, and more than that, the strength of feeling behind them, and the manner in which she tries to assuage Rachel's fears, does break through Rachel's instinctive, knee-jerk reaction. And the M-Men line is pretty bad. Bad enough to raise a bit of a smile from the younger of the two red-heads. Rachel's missed most of what Cal's been saying during her mental exchange with Jean, but as he addresses her directly with his own reassurances, she gives a jerky nod, but stays silent as the two speak.

And she finally proves that she does have a poker face as she gives no outward reaction to Jean's final telepathic words. << I do trust you. >> Rachel's reply is simple, but she adds a wordless apology for giving Jean reason to doubt it.

"If you want me to approach her about this, I will." Cal tells Jean. "Or you can do so yourself if you prefer once you've discussed it with the Professor. I'm just a guest here and don't want to overstep."

Rachel's words sting at Jean, and more than that, the psychic impression that seems to pulse from the other redhead in waves, conveying her feelings over the matter, make Phoenix shiver, to the point she almost feels overwhelmed by helplesness. A mental note and a raising of psychic shields later, Jean realizes that maybe she should keep her protections down when around Rachel. As much as the young telepath might not look the part, she is every bit as powerful as Phoenix, and maybe even more, and while the Original X-Woman tries to come up with shields, words and keeping her attention focused on Calvin aswell, Rachel's silent almost-threat hits her like a truck.

Rachel will feel the cards on the table move subtly, as if a telekinectic disturbance from Jean makes them slide a bit, without the older redhead's control. To both the telepaths, Jean's heart is beating hard, those words almost cutting deep into Rachel's not-really mother. Even Calvin will notice Jean's wide eyes, her pale face as she looks at her not-quite daughter, apparently over nothing. Of course, Mimic knows better than that.

Eventually, whatever it is that is happening between heir minds, seems to subside and earn a weary smile from Jean, Phoenix's throat dry as she looks back at Mimic.

"If you have befriended her enough to know about those things, Calvin, I would advise you to talk to Laura. Furthermore, if you are really here, and you won't be going back home anytime soon... why not get rid of the guest label already?", and she smiles some, still startled from her early exchange, but well enough to function properly "We might like getting to know you more than you imagine.".

Rachel has a temper - which she's managing to keep mostly under control - and an impulsiveness that she's... not. She'd been relaxed, in the middle of playing a card game with Jean, in the safety of the Mansion, so her own shields had been as thin as she ever lets them get, and of course she didn't think to strengthen them when the conversation drew the reaction from her. This close to Jean, as lightly shielded as the other redhead is, she experiences her reaction to Rachel's impulsive words, and it takes Rachel a moment to untangle the mix of emotions that's partly her, and partly Jean.

Rachel's own shields go up, though she doesn't slam them shut. She's not trying to cut herself off from Jean as much as protect the both of them from the feelings that Calvin's suggestions have stirred in her. She feels the edge of Jean's telekinetic touch as it ruffles the cards, and she realises that she's holding her own powers primed as well. Taking a breath and carefully letting it out, she forces herself to let go, and some of the heaviness in the air around her dissipates. A real, if apologetic, smile is found for Jean.

Rachel takes another calming breath, and looks toward Cal again. "I'll talk to Laura, as well." Rachel says.

"It's not for the guest to declare himself part of the family." Cal points out though he's smiling. "But I'm in this reality to stay unless I get pulled away again and I've been promised it'll be my choice if there's ever an emergency large enough to need me." The smile fades a bit as he turns serious. "The Institute is the only home I've ever really had and this Professor is very much like my own. If I am welcome, nothing would make me happier than to stay." Nodding to Rachel, he says "Switching topics, have you established a legal identity in this reality? I unexpectedly ran into Illyana the other day and she mentioned a friend of hers was in a similar situation but was able to register as an alternate dimension hero or something similar."

Jean catches that smile and after briefly looking down she winks at Rachel, sighing some as she looks up at Calvin with a wide smile, her shields lowering down again as she lets the younger redhead across the table from her feel the warmth she is feeling right now.

"You are very welcome to stay, Calvin. We are not here to deny anyone without a home a place to stay. That's... why we are here for.", Jean says honestly, before Mimic starts asking questions about the state of civil obligations of alternate dimension heroes, and Phoenix is stunned. Is that a thing? It should be a thing.

She listens to her daughter's response intently, smiling at her subtly.

Mostly thanks to Jean's reassurance, Rachel's eased down enough that she's actually paying proper attention to what Cal's saying, and she's finding the concept of him being on call in this reality to be intriguing, even as a refugee from another future herself. Finally unlacing her fingers - and flexing her hands a bit after the death grip they've been in for the last couple of minutes, Rachel looks at him curiously and pushes a hand back through her hair. "What sort of emergency would that be?" She's interested, but also practical enough to want to know what might be coming their way.

She's slightly surprised when the topic of conversation shifts to her, but she answers readily enough, giving a shake of her head. "I haven't. Given that we're not all that open about /everything/ that happens here, that sounds like it'd cause unwanted attention." She shrugs. "Being a telepath helps." She smirks. "No-one needs to see your identification." But then she shakes her head again. "But it is a bit... awkward." She looks over at Jean knowingly. After their shopping trip as 'sisters', and catches the other red-head's look of astonishment. Really, Rachel muses, she should be surprised as well, but she had a hard enough time adjusting to a time and place where there weren't internment camps and Sentinels. Being able to register as dimensionally challenged doesn't really measure up.

Cal nods and settles back in the couch. "Yes, that's going to take getting used to. My reality was very different in some ways with no real anti-mutant prejudice. The X-Men were public figures and just as respected as the Avengers. I'm going to need to find a balance between helping here and being open elsewhere. I couldn't in good conscience just sit back and not help when it's needed. As for what you asked..." He pauses to try to organize his thoughts and keep things simple. "Obviously, we all know there are different realities. Perhaps even an infinite number of them. They split off frome one timeline and form another. But sometimes something happens in a reality that shouldn't have ever happened. Something that affects the multiverse as a whole. And so it needs fixing. People from all realities have been pulled out of time to be on teams to fix things when that happens."

Jean tries to keep up with all the conversation about timelines but this is very fast getting too technical and, if she has to admit to herself, farfetched to the Phoenix. She did not study these things and although Rachel and many others are proof that other timelines do exist, Jean is not entirely sure there are any rules for them. And, finally, talking about realities that need fixing invites the screeching warnings of the Phoenix, burning somewhere, everywhere. Jean Grey is not keen on fixing realities, at all.

As such, she shuffles her deck of cards, with much less precision than a certain cajun, as she looks at Rachel talk to another dimension hopper.

Despite her best efforts, Rachel's expression turns a little bitter when Cal talks about his home reality. The idea that the X-Men could be open about who and what they were, and not face persecution for it... this reality that she finds herself in now is paradise compared to where she came from, but what Cal's talking about is like heaven, and if it exists, she can't help but wonder why she was chosen for hell. Her eyes widen when he talks about fixing realities where things /shouldn't have happened/. "You're saying..." Rachel begins, a shocked tone in her voice, before she clams up and makes herself actually /listen/. And then slowly, unwillingly, she nods. "Got it. Sorry." She meets his gaze, and speaks calmly. She doesn't want him to think that everything he says sets her off. "Where I come from, things were..." She shakes her head. "...bad." There's no sense dwelling on the specifics right now. "But I guess... we must've kept our problems to ourselves. At least until I found my way here." She smirks, dark humour at work. "As long as you're not here to send me back...? As far as I'm concerned, welcome home." It's home to her, now. Why shouldn't it be for Cal, too?

Cal gives Rachel a sympathetic smile. "I've seen lots of realities where things were bad but they weren't... broken. Sometimes what we did made things better. I hope that was usually the case - I think so - but we never got to stick around long enough to see the long term effect. I know there was another team who were... Well, lets say they were picked specifically to fix things that my team would never do." He considers Rachel's body language as he talks then adds "You helped save one reality I was in. You contacted the Asgardians and brought them to Earth exactly when they were needed. Without you, we would have failed."

Rachel knows that Cal means well, but the idea that her reality somehow wasn't broken puts her teeth on edge. This time she manages not to interrupt him as he talks - or at least, until he stops to take a breath. "I don't think I'd want to do your job." She tells him honestly. "Fixing worlds worse than where I came from, then being presented with another one that's broken in a new an interesting way? I'd have lost it." She snorts, adding under her breath. "If I haven't already." She looks up again, though, when he talks about what 'she' did, and shakes her head. There's a bit of a smile on her lips, though, as she thinks about his words. "Wasn't /me/, but I guess it's good to know that /a/ me got things right for once."

"I don't want to do my job either." Cal answers with a snort. "None of us did at first. But we came to understand it was necessary. Even so, I've had enough. I'll help out if they really need it but I'm retired from fixing realities. I'm ready to just try to make a single one a better place." He smiles at the last comment then adds "You were an Avenger."

Cal's frank statement about his job satisfaction gets a short-lived, but genuine grin from Rachel, and then a slow nod as he explains he's retired. She doesn't blame him. Even if she does privately wonder if it's his previous job that's got him wanting to 'fix' Laura. Smaller scale, but it sounds like the same kind of project. She can't blame him for that, either, now she believes that she has a hint of what might be driving it, but it doesn't mean she's any more comfortable with putting it into practice. "Good luck." She tells him honestly. "We all need it."

And then she laughs, incredulously, before she manages to cut it off at look at him in disbelief. "You're sure this was a version of /me/?" She asks, and chuckles to herself. "Wow. They must have been desperate." She muses, but the idea's brightened her mood a bit.

Cal just smiles and stands up. "Definitely you. I think I'll go see if I can find Laura. I'll let her know she should come talk to both of you if - when - she has questions. Talk to you later." And with that, he heads out.