11674/In the Theatre of the Mind

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In the Theatre of the Mind
Date of Scene: 20 June 2022
Location: Danger Room
Synopsis: Emma works with Tabitha on telepathic training.
Cast of Characters: Emma Frost, Tabitha Smith




Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost is sitting cross legged over in the Danger Room, "Class, we'll be working on more involved telepathic defenses. The recent.. Incident and our lack of knowledge of it has displayed that the skill level of the majority of the student body is insufficient. So we will be working on increasing your level of fluency with such things. First we will be assessing how capable you already are."

Tabitha Smith has posed:
All that Astral spirit stuff going on since graduation day had been doing a number on Tabby. From the mass of psychic energy flipping her telepath switch on and off. The time she spent wearing a magneto helmet to keep heads out of heads. Specifically hers. And the whole rolling ball of souls trying to break through.

Hence why Tabby ended up in the class despite not technically being a student. At least she's dressed for it in her black and yellow training uniform. The top half at least the bottom is just some yellow jeans and black sneakers

"I dunno if it's a lack of knowledge so much we got brute forced right? Even the Professor wasn't having a good time." she points out.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would fold her arms together, "Brute force solves a great many things. I'm sure that if you find something you can't wholly explode, the next level is often to try and go on to the enxt scale ov detonation." She would dip her head. "The best we can do is try and better prepare you for it. Because, Ms. Smith.."

She would go on, "Something that is capable of disincorporealizing individuals outside of their bodies via passive means can no doubt do far worse when they give something their direct attention. NOw, I will be going to press into your mind. Attempt to fend me off. Take a few moments to compose yourself>"

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Tabitha listens and she does nod. "I wasn't worried so much about me at the time. I was kinda terrified I'd be thinking about using my powers but in the wrong head and they'd blow up cause they don't have my powers and resistance that comes with." The younger blonde woman states and shrugs her shoulders, sitting down similar to Emma. Hands on knees eyes half closed begind her glasses.

So she does try to draw on her training over the years. Concepts like the mind palace. In Tabby's case it's more a mind campervan. Less fortified and more mobile. Her mind was always said to be all over the place. Even Tabby's persona seems a little more cartoonish. Flickering between a teenage girl and occasionally an older version of the blonde closer to Emma's own age, X-Uniform, less wild but a smirk both versions share.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would nod over at Tabitha, "All right. I'm going to try this. I'll no go in too deeply. So just relax and take a breath Ms. Smith and ready yourself." Emma gives Tabitha a moment to compose herself..

Then immedaitely breaks her word.

Going to simply try and batter her way into Tabitha's mind on sheer brtue force. Intent on if possible in one brutal, aggressive onlaught just trying to go as deep as possible into the younger woman's head without actually breaking anything if she could.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
The Mindcamper suits Tabitha's psyche when Emma tries to kick at the door, the wheels spin and the vehicle starts peeling off and driving around the psychic arena that is their shared mindscape. The younger girl at the wheel for now with a manic grin while she never follows a single loop and changes directions as best she can. Representing her thoughts changing and never quite staying on one subject.

<<Don't kick too hard. You're still in a possible mine field Emma!>> she warns. While telepathy is not her normal wheel house. She is a psionic. And one that uses the energy she generates to explosive effect. Not that Tabby has laid any mines or booby traps. Gotta get into the camper of the mind to find out.

Emma Frost has posed:
And Emma goes in and casually muses <<Perhaps. But you're missing the forest for the trees>> Emma goesto try and work on setting up something a little trickier for the benefit of the girl. Emma's intent is to try and separate Tabitha's consciousness adn awareness over and give a veil of illusion voer it. What her intent is to give Tabitha a sense over of she's still in her camper, running and revving and smashing through everything as Emma attempts to replicate everything that is being 'felt' to dissassociate Tabitha from her mental defenses while making it seem that all is well.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
The sense of what Tabitha is doing is muddled and there's a shift in mental Tabitha's to go with it. The telepathic equivalent of tying the steering wheel don and planting a brick on the gas.

Endless donuts and figure eights. While the blonde is at the back and at the door leaning against it to brace.
The younger version on the roof, half way out a hatch holds up a BOOM box. A flick of the play button the tapedeck and very loudly there's Motley Cue's "Kickstart my Heart" playing in both women's heads.

Outside it's just Tabby humming and singing loudly and very badly.

Dazzler she is not.

Emma Frost has posed:
And now the point is that Emma is having the two incarnations of Tabitha mentally, or at least what passes for them passing in song along with one another. Emma's next move is something while the two fonts of her brain are at least disoriented for those few moments while Tabitha is driving along whiplashing..

To try and set each facet of her consciousness as identifying the other as an intruder.

<<Ms. Smith, do not overrely upon distractions. While they work in the short term, they should not be your primary means of defense>>

Tabitha Smith has posed:
The thing about the mind palace is that it's built to ones strengths. Of course with one aspect at the door and the other at the roof and the camper without a driver Separating them further and leaving only one to watch the road might be wise but risky. The older Tabby heads back for the wheel and gets steering again, the vehicle seems to drive a little whilder now while the younger one starts hanging onto the roof more than the boom box that lands on the ground by Emma.

Right where the camper is deliberately aiming the big front bumper.

And the music doesn't stop, just changes to come from the vegicles own sterro. Now it's "Lets get Rocked" by Def Leppard.

Emma Frost has posed:
Effective in the short term. But Emma did tell the girl to show her what she could do. And Emma goes to await the impact. Tabitha's defenses are quite impressive. So along the astral realm, Emma goes to suddenly shift her form to hypercarbonized, hyperdense material along the mental wavelengths. For the 'car' it would be intended to have teh camper slam over into her and go much the same way of the epic prizefight of Disney Copyright Lawyers vs the United States Congress.

Or so Emma's intended to have it simply smash hard across her.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
The Camper is reacting like it hit a moose on a highway. The moose, being Emma is fine (And she knows Tabby totally thinks so!) but the camper flipping over front over back. The younger Tabby is flung out and launched wildly while the older version of the woman is thrown about in a fashion that would make a monster truck rally audience cheer wildly. Vehicular carnage and wreckage all over the place while it rolls and comes to a stop on it's side. the last bit of willfull defense. I's laying on the side with the doors and the roof hatch is compacted and twisted shut.

In thereal world Tabby grunts and is flat on her back. Somehow she's still singing the Def Leppard but in a woozier tone to match the slurring and slowed tone of the stereo system. Like it's eating the tape in the deck.

Emma Frost has posed:
And Emma is going on. In reality, she's putting a hand over at Tabitha's neck to make sure the girl is breathing and prop her head up enough that she's not at any risk. And Emma goes to try and sort through Tabitha's mind to try and implant her to sing something with a little more class to it.
    Something from the Beatles. Even someone as off key as Tabitha can't mangle that as horribly as most others.
    Whether or not she does, Emma is going to then ease her way out of Tabitha's mind but after one final minute adjustment..
    Presuming Emma can get her way past Tabitha's mental defenses and make a few quick tweaks to her headspace..
    In reality, making Tabitha's voice sound like she had just snorted several helium balloons.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
With the mental Camper trashed it's not hard to find a way in for Emma. The windshields are shatters other windows are hon and the hatch on the roof can be pulled away with enough psychic force. And inside the girl is just woozy. And singing cause really, if it's bad enough it can drive anywone away. last ditch effor and all that. Getting past air bags and the seatbelts and all that is the worst of it for Emma.

So it's not hard for the White Queen to make that adjustment and whether or not she regrets that remains to be seen.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost has had far, far worse things happen to her than having to deal with Tabitha singing in an extremely high pitched, cutsey voice. "All right, Tabitha, back to awareness. What did you feel while I was in yoru head. And what are your thoguhts about how I went around to do it?"

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Having her voice pitch changed is probably the least of what Tabitha's had done to her in the past as well.

When she waks up the last thing she sings is one final "...Rocked!" before she comes to her own senses. Then sits herself up wiith a reclined posture, hands behind her to proper her up.

"Uhhhh, ummmm. Felt like whatever I was trying. You could have gotten in faster and quieter at any time no matter what I was doing." which for an experienced telepath like Emma was likely very true. She could have jumped on the roof and got throught that from the start even at the speeds Tabitha was trying for.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would nod at Tabitha, "Good, awareness. What I'm going to suggest is going to be working on parts of your defenses that aren't about purely causing a distraction and a riot for your attacker. Might I give you an example then, Tabitha?" She would offer while gesturing at the other girl.

"Do sit, you performed quite excellently. You can be proud of your own abilities."

Tabitha Smith has posed:
"It's why I'm here right?" Tabitha states and reaches under her glasses to rub heer nose bridge and eyes. Just because she's not physically fine doesn't mean she didn't just expend a lot of energy. "Actual pychic mine field? Icy and slick road surfaces?" she guesses and smiles tiredly.

It's still a class and the other students did just get to see a Master at work so Tabitha isn't the only one learning after all.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would sit back, "Feints. When you meet an invader head on, you put all your effort on that. Presuming they can sipmly take your charge or outmaneuver you, they can simply bypass you. If I had gone for subtlety and focused on not letting you be aware of my infiltration, your defenses would be useless."

She goes on, "You know how squirrels will dig multiple holes that they might hide nuts in and some will be fake or disposable to help prevent other animals from stealing what they have cached?"

Tabitha Smith has posed:
The slightly younger blonde woman nods her head. "Treat it like a physical fight. Think I get ya Emma." Tabitha acknowledges and pushes herself to sit hunched forwards.

Tabby might have been on the path to the separation of tactics and access with the differing versions of herself. Distraction and Evasion. Now she might have a better focus.

"Part of me kinda wishes the telepath switch stayed on. It's easier to do and set this stuff into gear when you have that kinda self access." she states and chuckles at her own expense. "Fear of detonating students by accident not withsdtanding"

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would nod at Tabitha, "Yes, but itis not something one can just switch off and on. It is another thing that you would have to adapt to. And telepathy combined with your powers makes for a dangerous combination. You are extremely powerful, and extremely dangerous, Tabitha Smith."

This is meant as a compliment. Anda warning. "Being actively telepathic when you can casually detonate matter without extensive physical effort means that outside moods or whims you pick up from others in turn influence you."

Tabitha Smith has posed:
The compliment is accepted with a brief but eager smile but she goes back to serious acknowledgement. "It's more that I'd probably electrocute someone generating plasma with their own bio-electricity. But then I might just fry their nervous system since they probably don't have the juice for it. Not something I wanna do. I had to learn how to turn my powers off and on long before I even ran away from home. On my own. And how to minimise how much damage I could do." Tabby states and looks back to the kids that stuck around and got roped into summer training.

"The worry I'd hurt others is why I wore the Magneto Bucket. for a couple weeks till the excess astral energy swindled enough that the switch, or circuit broke and I went back to normal brain wiring. Normal for me."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would nod, "And it's an ongoing risk. ULtimately I feel that you made the best choice under the circumstances, both for yourself and others." Emma doesn't see it as a weakness. She sees it as being the most pragmatic in circumstances until they could figure it out otherwise. "Hopefully in time with training it's something you'll find a way to effectively manage. But in the middle term you've done as best as you can."

Tabitha Smith has posed:
"Dunno if it's something I really want. But it's a thing I gotta be prepared for right. So latent psychic migraines. One more thing I gotta be careful of." Tabby admits and shrugs her shoulders. "It'd be nice if maybe I could get the rest of the suite of psionic powers." Tabby picturing herself finally flying in a manner that's not merely replicating Sam and Ellie powers. The downside of versatility. Looking like a knock off.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would nod, "It's also part of your consciousness that if you need toy ou can have shut down. IT's difficult, but quite feasible for a psychic that you permit to go into your head and temporarily turn off those parts of your brain. Later on they can be altered again."

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Tabitha lets out a hmmm and grins. "Well, at least I'm in the right place to find telepaths I can trust to help." she admits with a bright smile on her lips. Growing up with some she calls sister and BFF and all the closeness.

Picking herself up off the ground she dusts her jeans off as if she still had dirt and debris that doesn't actually exist. The last little work at separating herself from the mind scape she was just in. <<As a gag we should totally drop these kids in a horde mode sim and see how long they last!>> she flashes a thought to Emma after a look back to the kinds and then the Teacher that gets a wink. <<Sentinels, totally!>>

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would shake her head, "Another time perhaps, Ms. Smith. Perhaps when you are at the point you have mastered your abilities and are the one that puts them through training you can partake them through such a rituatl. For now, think on what you've been through adn speak to any of the other teachers here on it if you feel it would be useful."

Tabitha Smith has posed:
"Mastered the telepathic stuff that is. My plasma control is already there." she states and grins as she looks back and forth to the door. "No scaring the hell out of the kids this time." Tabby delares with a wink at the dtudents before offering a hand for Emma to pick herself up so class can be dismissed and not a single giant robot is loaded into the holoprojectors.