7708/Six Weeks Of Detention

Six Weeks Of Detention
Date of Scene:	05 September 2021
Location:	Headmistress' Office
Synopsis:	As instructed, Jubilee goes to see the headmistress about some of her recent troubles. The dreaded v-word isn't said, but the cat is out of the bag with respect to what she is. Jean Grey provides something Jubilation was not expecting in that office: comfort.
Cast of Characters:	Jubilation Lee, Jean Grey

---

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Logan's instructions were clear: report to the Headmistress and turn yourself in. Jubilation Lee, despite being recently deceased, doesn't dilly or dally on her way to the Headmistress's office and instead goes there right away. While she's not wearing her Heely sneakers and, therefore, has no wheels, she seems to move through the halls with a similar grace. She's walking -- anyone would agree -- but it seems to be more of a glide. Anyone looking down at her feet would see that she's simply walking. Weird.

    Two knocks against the heavy door. "Jean?" she calls out, not daring to open it. Jubilee winces and tries again, remembering that she's in some hot water here. "I mean... Headmistress?"

Jean Grey has posed:
"It's open."

One, two, three... "Jubilee? Come on in."

The Headmistress' office looks more or less as it ever has, and the woman behind the desk likewise, without any visible relics of her own recent hardships. If there was physical damage from the school attack, it's been repaired enough that there aren't any obvious signs. And Jean herself has been back at the grind since the start of the new semester. Everything is as it was. Right?

Her desk, as ever, has various piles of papers, though neatly organized, and a computer toward which it looks like she was focused on just as Jubilee arrives, her gaze turning from the screen toward the door when she finally convinces the young woman to come in. She smiles. Considering that night at the hospital, finding Jubilee back and 'well' when SHE returned might have been one of the biggest highlights of the whole thing. If there's some questions about HOW exactly she's back, well... that's something to work through.

"Come on in, sit down- do you want a drink?" She decides to get up just at that moment, going over to a little sideboard where she has a pitcher of lemonade. The biggest takeaway? Despite whatever Logan might have put in any kind of report (OK, Logan probably doesn't do paperwork - but anything she might have heard), she doesn't seem angry, wondering as she pours a first glass, "How have you been doing?"

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    It's open. Jubilee squints at the door and reaches for the knob hesitantly. Her outstretched hand hovers just shy of it before being recalled entirely. How embarrassing. Here she is, in the prime of her death, supposedly meant to subjugate the human race as is the right of all vampires, and she's stuck in the hallway like some kind of kid waiting to see the nurse.

    "I don't care... I'm going in..." she mutters to herself as she reaches for the door again. Jubilation winces and pulls her hand back. "Fuck..." For some reason, the idea of opening this door just feels insurmountable. It's an impossibility.

    Come on in.

    Jubilation pushes the door open, immediately free of whatever anxiety had been keeping her from entering the office. She has been invited and, of course, will accept the invitation. "Are you busy?" she wonders, trying to gauge Jean's current mood. She's done some bad things, after all. Jubes moves her hand behind her, apparently to give the door a push to close. Her hand misses the door by a couple inches but that doesn't stop it from very slowly closing anyway...

    Jubilation takes a seat and leans back in it a little, just enough to get the front legs up an inch or so. "A drink?" she repeats. Immediately, her eyes zero in on that vein in Jean Grey's neck. "Um..." She blinks and looks away, now taking notice of the lemonade. "....Sure." Keeping up appearances. "...Um, how are you?" It's awkward and stilted. It's like any time a kid asks an adult about a recent event in their lives but are too uncomfortable to do it with any noticeable sincerity. Jean's had some rough weeks, but Jubilation is a teen and teens are not good at empathy towards adults.

    "I, um, I'm supposed to report to you. Logan gave me six weeks detention," Jubilation answers, giving the glass of lemonade a marked look of utter disgust. She sort of dodged the question, but that can only go for so long with Jean Grey.

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean stays there at the sideboard, pouring two glasses, before coming back to hold one out for Jubilee and then finally return to her own place behind her desk.

The question the younger woman poses is met with an appreciative smile, pushing quickly past any awkwardness in the asking. "Mmm. Well, I'm holding up. There's a whole bunch to do, not just for the new semester, but with our new college programs on top of all of that. It's probably the most we've done to expand the school since my own graduation, when Charles opened things up to a larger student body. So," she makes a little wave. "You know. That keeps me all pretty busy. But I'm sure it'll settle down as everyone falls into their routines."

Perhaps that answer also dodges a thing or two, but she does it without showing any sign of what might linger beneath. Whatever the case, she moves briskly right on to their current business.

"I saw," she notes. Maybe Logan doesn't file reports, but there's probably some kind of schedule or listing for everyone currently on detention. Often it's Scott's department. She looks at her screen, and back. "So, why did he do that?" she wonders. A pretty typical way for an educator to approach disciplinary matters, 'tell me what you did so you have to say it aloud and think about it'-style.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Yeah, I was meaning to ask about that. With this---" Jubilation stops. With the college program getting added, did that mean that she would have to RA for the college dorm, too, she wondered. But, now isn't the time, especially since Logan confiscated her room keys. "Nevermind," she adds.

    Jubilation takes the glass and looks at it, almost perplexed. Yellow liquid in a glass. It should be familiar, she's sure of that, but, what is it, exactly? She knows what it's not, at least. And, for that reason, she doesn't dare bring it to her mouth. "Thanks," she says softly, finally looking up from the glass.

    Jubilation has an odd way about her, as a whole, but the individual aspects of her are quite striking. Her hair has never been softer. Skin never smoother. Her eyes just seem to be more piercing. There's just a seductive sort of glow about her. Each movement guided by an unusual grace. But, when someone tries to take in the sum of her parts, she could be vaguely unnerving. Sort of like Wednesday Addams.

    Why did he do that? It's a tough question. Does Jean know? What did Logan say? Is this one of those typical ways for an educator to approach disciplinary matters? Jubilee crosses one leg over the other and leans forward to help herself to some incidental item on Jean's desk to use as a coaster. She was invited in.

    "Well," Jubilation begins. She takes a couple seconds after that to summon the words. What should she say? That Logan thought she hypnotized those juniors into doing her hair and makeup like a team of servants? Or should she say she's the one who killed the horse? Or is she in this office to admit to what she /is/? Perhaps all of it.

    "I think Mr. Logan is racist towards my people," she suddenly tries. "He used a very hurtful word." Vampire.

    Jubilee closes her eyes and lets out an unnecessary breath. A demonstration. An affectation of life. "No," she groans. "That's not it. That's not true. Sort of." Jubilee reaches up and rakes her fingers through her hair and opens her eyes again.

    "Logan thinks that I used some kind of mind control on some other students so they would do my hair and nails," she blurts out. "And he thinks I killed Sergeant." That detail lingers for a moment before Jubilation's hammy defense mechanism takes over.

    "But, seriously, do you buy that? I mean, look at these nails. They're terrible!" Jubilation exclaims, bringing her hand across the desk for inspection.

Jean Grey has posed:
The racism comment draws a pair of subtly arched eyebrows from Jean, a very much 'do you really expect me to buy that one?' expression. Of course, it's not wholly clear that she even takes it as 'Vampire.' But anything else would probably make even less sense for the, among other things, Japanese-fluent curmudgeon. One way or another, she knows very well that the man has seen just about everything there is to see in the world, lived in every corner of it, with probably every sort of people. It's a hard one to sell. So, with her dubious expression, she waits for Jubilee to walk it back.

And then, more precise accusations, although they're brought up as vaguely unjust more than they're overtly denied. So, again, Jean does the very obvious thing, the teacher thing, the psychologist thing, asking the blatantly obvious but also right-to-the-point and very probing kind of questions: "Well, did you?"

A few beats. "Control the other students, that is. Or eat the horse? Jean and Rogue are very close. So even if Logan doesn't file reports, there's little doubt she heard alllll about that one.

Despite putting these questions forward, Jean still doesn't sound angry. But she asks, and her somewhat more stern expression suggests she wants straight answers. She doesn't take Jubilee's lead and answer whether /she/ believes it, and highlights the fact: "We're not here about me. So, just tell me." But then, maybe thinking she's taking the disciplinarian routine too far even if she stays calm, Jean softens a little and offers a reassurance: "No one's going to - we're more than a school, you know that. We're a kind of family around here. Whatever happened to you, and whatever is going on... we'll deal with it. But you need to be honest with us, so we can understand what kind of help you might need, and if there's any reason to be concerned for the other students."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Oh well. The nail polish distraction was worth a try. Despite being an undead creature of the night that should fear no mortal, Jubilation is briefly stupefied by the headmistress's sudden turn to the serious. The words ring true. 'We're not here about me. So, just tell me.' She lowers her eyes. The impression among some students, and Jubilee is certainly part of this group, is that Jean Grey is not one to be toyed with when she gets down to business. Apparently dying and coming back to life is not enough to scrub away that respect of Jean's authority as Headmistress.

    "No!" Jubilee insists, looking up to watch for Jean's reaction to that. "I didn't /do/ anything. But..." She takes a steadying breath, which might be recognized as an unnecessary habit. "...I mean, I didn't. I didn't make them do it. But, like, they did it. And then, when I told them to go back to their rooms when Logan came..." Her voice takes on a leisurely, trailing quality as she recalls the events. "....they....went back to their rooms." Jubilee blinks. That one student was more afraid of not getting back to her room than she was at being questioned by Logan.

    Jubilation closes her eyes and looks down, focusing on the words that Jean is saying. "Yes," she blurts out suddenly. "You should be concerned for the other students." She doesn't look up. "I killed Sergeant."

Jean Grey has posed:
First and foremost, Jean listens. Her expression is more thoughtful than stern, focused on the young woman's reactions. Even without getting into her powers, she's pretty good at reading people, especially emotional teenagers. It kind of comes with the job, and you end up seeing a lot of it. Though, as the moments past, that thoughtfulness seems quite deep and focused. There's a slight downward sketching of her eyebrows, as she mulls things over.

"Alright, I believe you. But I think I understand what you're talking about. You did something, but you didn't -mean- to do something, right? Maybe you were thinking about it subsconsciously, or even consciously but in your own head - the kind of thoughts that pop into our heads all the time. Or you asked them something innocent and didn't expect it would affect them so thoroughly?" She shakes her head, as this particular hair isn't the one she's most concerned on splitting. "But the people around you, you had some effect on them anyway."

And because there is a very obvious parallel here, Jean goes ahead and highlights it: "I used to have exactly those kind of problems. Well, maybe not exactly, if we're talking the... mechanics behind it. But I knew everyone's thoughts without even trying, and whether or not I /wanted/ to hear them. And if I got mad, or jealous, or if I just happened to want something from someone... well, I'd make them do it, or give it to me, or even just make them feel what I was feeling. I was pretty much a disaster." Her head tilts a little to the side, her mouth quirked up in one corner. 'Whaddya gonna do?'

Its a brief bit of levity, although it fades quickly. It's a serious discussion, and Jubilee's own admission that she's somehow dangerous is a powerful one. One that Jean lets sit a moment.

"OK. We're not strangers to uncontrolled abilities here, but we are strangers to what's happened to you. So we have to consider what we're going to do about it. We can try some of the usual exercises, but I don't know if they transfer. If that fails, well... we talk to some of our friends, and see what they might be able to say about it. And in the mean time, well, maybe we'll need to make some temporary changes, if you feel like you're going to be under more stress than you can handle, around the other students. We can find you a room by yourself for a bit, change your class schedule, whatever we need to do."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilation watches Jean carefully, listening to each word and mulling it over. Perhaps she's never paid attention to any adult as intensely as now. They're discussing her situation, her life, her apparent right to exist, maybe? After all, some things were said. Allusions made about what Illy might do to her. Jubilation lets Jean finish her description of what discovering her powers was like. How horrible that must have been. A normal response might be to respond to individual parts of that, to relate, to support, but Jubes just stares.

    "Well, thanks for believing me," she begins, her voice joyless. "But... It's not like that." Jubilation stops right there and considers her next words carefully. Where are they coming from? It's as though sometimes her decisions are being made by Jubilation 'Jubilee' Lee, that precocious goof with the sparkles, and sometimes they come from somewhere else entirely.

    "I... It's hard to explain," she stammers. "I didn't mean to make them do it... But... Like, shouldn't they be tending to my hair and nails? I mean, they should be so lucky they get the honor!" That little ditty lingers for a moment before Jubes reaches up and grabs the sides of her head. "I'm, I'm sorry. I can't explain this. It's like, things I know are wrong just feel so right. Killing Sergeant...It's horrible. I... I would never hurt... But..." She takes another demonstrative breath.

    "It felt so right."

    Jubilation swallows nothing and looks down. She stares at her lap as Jean rattles off a series of impromptu ideas for what could be done about this. She didn't call her a name. She didn't use the v-word. She wasn't immediately jumping to finding a fix for whatever this is. Jean wanted to find friends to talk to. Wanted to help her. "Headmistress," she mutters into her lap. "Stand up."

    Jean should undoubtedly feel a supernatural will being expressed with that request. A glamouring effect some vampires have been known to employ upon the weak-willed. There would be no chance of such a thing to reach Jean Grey, but the headmistress would no doubt be able to detect this for what it is. It's a vampire extending their will upon the living. A supernatural demand for Jean to stand up...

    While Jubilation Lee might be a vampire, she's also a scared young woman who needs a hug.

Jean Grey has posed:
The suggestion that Jean is flat out wrong here does give her a momentary pause. Is she? Obviously, this is a little out of her usual depth, at least in a certain sense. "Ok, well explain it, then," she prompts, still ready, maybe even eager, to hear as much as she can out of the young woman's own mouth. It not only goes back to that basic strategy from earlier, but it reflects the fact that in this unknown territory, Jubilee herself may be their best source of information. At least before they go contacting all the Van Helsing types.

So, again, she listens and nods, although the first lines of a more concerned and less thoughtful-looking frown start to form as Jubilee starts talking about how all of this is only natural and right. "OK, OK." This is more to cut her off from further dwelling on the line of thought, because it's obviously getting into her own head a bit. "I think I understand the difference you're trying to get at. But, still, we're ultimately talking conscious and unconscious. You're still here, the Jubilee that we know, and she doesn't want to hurt us, hurt her friends. Everything else, we have to treat as... what it is."

It's there that Jubilee throws a bit of that Vampire juju at her. Jean, obviously, is about the reverse of the dictionary definition from weak-willed, but she's also very psychically aware, and she can feel the strangeness of it, the unfamiliar impulses at the edges of her senses, thoughts springing from the ether, rather than from any natural mental process, fear, instinct or drive. It's an experience outside her knowledge of traditional psychic disciplines, which is enough to be disquieting.

It also provokes a little something, a brief flicker in her eyes, and a very different impulse for her to contend with. A voice that, for a moment, urges her to /deal/ with the problem then and there, decisively, in that moment. She pushes /that/ one aside as well, holds it in check.

So, after a moment, she does stand up, walking around the desk and closer to Jubilee. "A week ago, someone blew me into atoms, and here I am." It's said with a certain disbelief, but also resignation. "I've seen- well, things I don't wholly grasp, life and death in their most fundamental. If everyone was able to find me, and bring me back from some grandiose cosmic scheme, then we'll find a way to bring you back." And then, because she does hear thoughts, she holds out her arms. "Come here. There's not a chance you'll hurt me, I promise you that."