11549/Winging It

Winging It
Date of Scene:	25 May 2020
Location:	Shannon's Room (East Halls), Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Aerin visits Shannon to clear the air about their initial meeting. The two wind up discussing ways they can hopefully reach Jeremy and be friends to him.
Cast of Characters:	Nightingale, Aerin Mifflin

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Nightingale has posed:
     It was a pretty laid-back sort of day, with the sun shining in a cloudless sky, and a balmy early summer breeze blowing across the school grounds. Shannon was indoors for the moment, with her dorm windows flung wide open and her door ajar to take advantage of the fine weather. There was plenty of time to go outside in a little while and enjoy Memorial Day. For now, she just wanted to forget the past couple days and take refuge in music. She's in bright blue leggings, a long white t-shirt with Tweety Bird dressed as a hippie on the front giving the 'peace' gesture, and given that she's just in her dorm, she's opted to go barefoot. Her hair is long and loose, with the exception of the thin, pale blue braid on the left side of her face, little silver beads on the end and all.

     She is simply humming along with her soft, silky alto voice as she sits on the bench in front of the older electric piano by the window, with no music on the stand in front of her. Given that it's daytime, she has her headphones unplugged, and hasn't a care about the volume, letting the music fill the room as her fingers dance across the keys.

Aerin Mifflin has posed:
Aerin is wearing her black turtleneck and jeans with a pair of white and red sneakers. She raps her fingers on the door, her glasses tucked into the turtleneck for a change. Aerin peeks her head in, long shimmery hair folding inside the door more than she herself does. "Shannon? Pardon me but do you have a moment?"

Nightingale has posed:
     The notes of the classic rock anthem drift away into nothingness, and Shannon turns towards the door. There was no mistaking those cascades of metallic hair for anyone else's. Now, if she could just remember the name... ah, yes! "Aerin, right? C'mon in!" There's a light rasping on the floor as she scoots the bench backwards, twisting about so that her left leg is drawn up on the bench in a casual sort of way. "How's it going? Settling in okay?"

Aerin Mifflin has posed:
Aerin waves "Yes, thank you." She steps in and rests her hands behind her. "I play bass, your pacing for music is pretty good." She brings her hands from behind her up to smooth out her hair, pushing it around to her back. "I wanted to apologize for the other day, when you were burned. I kept staring at you and I didn't feel that it was quite right. I have to apologize for staring at you. It isn't easy for me because I'm used to being the one being stared at being the mutant. The obvious mutant at least. I know it's something you didn't seem to mind, but I felt I needed to apologize all the same."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon just smiles and dips her head. "It took me some getting used to at first, when I first came here. I think the day that really helped, though, was when I was shadowing Josh Foley on a trip to Salem Center Hospital. We'd stopped for a bit of coffee, and a little girl just ran right up to me and asked if she could see my wings." A brief laugh escapes her, the young woman's smile widening just a hair. "It was precious. Her mother was mortified, but I stopped and thought a moment. To that little girl, it was just a bit of magic. She hadn't learned to be afraid. I had a chance to show her she didn't have to be afraid of mutants. So I told her to make sure it was okay with her mother, and it was just the cutest thing. She wanted a photo and everything... I couldn't say no, not to a sweetie like that. Not when she was only curious, and not in the least bit scared."

     One wing is extended towards the sitting area as she slides off of the bench, in offer of some small hospitality. "I've got tea if you like, or maybe a little juice or soda if you'd rather?"

Aerin Mifflin has posed:
Aerin holds up a hand giving it a little shake "No, I don't need any refreshments thanks." She considers Shannons words "Well..mutants can be dangerous. Or we can be precious. Sometimes it's powers, sometimes it's what we do with those powers. We've seen people lose touch with who and what they are. There are those that if I would know what they were capable - not by powers but by deeds, I would recoil. Those that judge are simple, easy, just observe them and you can know how to manipulate them."

She purses her lips "You seemed to recognize and be familiar with the other new student Jeremy. Is that correct? And if so, how do you know him - if I might ask?"

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon just nods, pursing her lips for a moment. "Prime example is actually Magneto. Once upon a time, just the mere mention of the name was enough to make me shiver. 'Monster' would have been a mild term for me to use. Then there was a mutant rights rally that went south, and who was there helping us defend the protesters? You guessed it. It would have gotten much, much worse than one single fatality..." Here, her voice trails off, thrumming with grief that might never quite heal. "And in the end, he was the first to show the fallen some honor and respect. Since then, I'd had other encounters with him, and yes, one of them did involve his fury--thank God it wasn't directed at me. His reputation for swift justice against those who harm or threaten to harm mutants is well-earned. So... yes. It is in how one uses their gifts."

     The next question actually has her raising her eyebrows, and she smiles a bit. "There was an anti-mutant incident in Salem Center. Kitty and I were out at a coffee shop and were being heckled. Next thing you know, everyone else except us lost all the data on their devices. Everyone else, that is, except for one kid in the corner with his laptop. Some messages began appearing on my phone with no return number attached. Only time I'd ever seen that happen is with another technopath here, Sam Morgan. So I knew there was one in the area. Contact continued after that, and well... I saw the kid with his laptop being heckled by some burly jock classmates. That worried me, and I brought it to the teachers here. The rest is history."

Aerin Mifflin has posed:
Aerin nods softly. "I had a bit of a talk with him at the computer lab. He has some pretty severe issues. He has trauma, the kind where it's pretty apparent if your looking for it. He also has an extremely negative outlook. I don't think that he's ever really had positive interactions with people - not for a long time at least. I'm not satisfied that he's known familial love, or any other kind of love for that matter. He wraps himself in this paranoid persona he's calling 'The Signal'. He has a sense of self as this information spreader, but I don't think he knows who Jeremy is."

She hmmns, settling onto Shannon's bed to sit. "He can talk, but he's not used to it. It's difficult. He can also think for himself, but drawing out those actions. Right now he's heading down the path of a zealot fanatic. He's aware of all these plots and plans against mutants, but these have always been, and always will be. I don't think he can put that away. If that's all you think about.."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon nods, grimacing. "Which is why I'm more than a little upset at Sam Guthrie at the moment. The man's like a big brother to me, and is one of the biggest-hearted, kindest souls out there, but I think he's not quite understanding how to reach out to Jeremy. I don't want to see him give up before he's really given this place a solid chance. And... I don't want to see him go down that path, either." She sighs a little. "I wonder, if we both try to talk to Sam, see if we can get him to listen... because we're both seeing Jeremy's unique outlook, but I'm not entirely sure if he is. I'm seeing the potential for a kind, strong heart, same as you."

Aerin Mifflin has posed:
Aerin hmmns, resting her hands on her knee after crossing her legs. "Well..I see a fanatic right now. He's so close. And he doesn't know when to stop. Or how to stop. He doesn't know love - familiar, romantic, sibling. Even a love for himself. He truly seems to loathe himself, and if you dont have any sense of love for yourself its no wonder you create this alternate personality - the person you want to be. A person infallible, a person beyond reproach. I don't know Sam or what's happening there."

Aerin pulls her hair up from the floor to the bed to pool beside her. "He's afraid to be touched, but he can be. His first incling is that someone is trying to do something - it's instinctual to hide, to avoid. This means he's probably been physicaly abused somehow. I think trying to enforce positive touching - friendly and non-negative touches. Slow, deliberate, that you are not being a threat - is a good start. Getting him to communicate is another. I think if what you want to happen is to happen, we need to encourage him to disconnect from his powers. Even to act more physically then technologically. He was telling me about plots, and plans of nations. Assuming everything is true, and completely his interpretation - consider that telling people things like that put them in danger, harm's way, and spreading information like that - eventually it's going to have someone physical come instead of digital, and they will kill him. Outright. Simple. So he doesn't have the sense of self preservation to keep him from sharing this information."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon nods slowly. "I was trying to start with that, by simply suggesting fried chicken for dinner, and asking what movies Jeremy might want to see for a student movie night. Sam tried assigning him a book report a week for a month, with the stipulation that each report be on a book from a different genre." Shannon grimaces. "That was /not/ received well. I broke curfew to go on a flight to cool my head a bit before I said or did something stupid. Jeremy called coming here a mistake. Verbally, mind, so it wasn't hard to tell how strongly this affected him." She sighs softly, her brows furrowing. "I agree on the physical harm thing. When I saw him in the coffee shop, one of his sports jock classmates was threatening to break his arm. So who knows what he's endured."

     She smiles some, and shrugs. "I guess all we can do is try to reach out and just be a friend to him. And... yeah. Messing with the things he's messing with, it's going to come back to bite him in the ass sooner or later. It's like me with my healing gifts. If I knock myself out healing someone else, I won't be around to help someone who might /really/ need it. Similar idea."

Aerin Mifflin has posed:
Aerin shakes her head softly "I don't see why doing a book report would be an issue? The best way to do that would be to make him read an actual book physically, and write the report by nand. To use some of the skills that have fallen into disuse. If he wants to truly learn then he should learn to talk, communicate. Not just normal people, but humans in general are more comfortable that way. It isn't for us, but it would help dissauade supiscion in public."

She reflects a few moments. "This may not be the place for him - we don't know that. Only he can really say that. But to live with humans, side by side - he needs to learn how to communicate with them. We should encourage him not using his powers and disconnecting from them. To disconnect him from that signal so he can think for himself. All the internet in the world, he's paying attention to the negative, so much it blinds him to the good. There's plenty of good out there too. Not just bad. He just has to go out and look for it. Leading him onto that path may or may not be something that we can do. What we can do is offer friendship as fellow students - though keep in mind he needs to recognize and develop friendships. A fanatic will use people to further their cause - and manipulate them to accomplish their goals. A friend tries to keep people close to them from harm. We'll need to make sure he can determine the difference between the two."

Nightingale has posed:
"And to somehow do that without making him feel like a project or a cause. That was a big sticking point." Shannon pauses, and facepalms. "And now I see that I was an idiot getting mad at Sam. Maybe that's exactly what he was driving at, physically reading the books and writing out the reports by hand. I just wish he would have actually said so in the moment, then things might not have gone belly-up like they did. Ugh, I owe him an apology."

     Another sigh escapes her, and her wings droop. "Maybe this is the place for him, maybe not. But giving up after one day doesn't make much sense to me." She purses her lips, thinking for a moment. "You know," she begins, a little hesitant. "A lot of movie houses really don't want you using your device during the movie. I wonder if going for a movie night, including him, and making sure /all/ of us put away our devices for the duration might be a way to sort of help get the ball rolling? One that wouldn't last very long at a time, maybe be a little less intimidating that way...?"

Aerin Mifflin has posed:
Aerin nods softly "I've taken the direct approach with him, but not everyone can do that. But it's probably why that was happening yes. To make him develop skills to work with others. It's not a bad idea for movie night, though I'm not a very technology saavy person. Being a magnekinetic, I don't get along with it the best."

She shakes her head softly "It's not that he doesn't have a personality, he does. But he doesn't realize it yet as I think it's hiding in the shadow of his Signal persona. The more we can get him to disengage from technology, the more sense of self he'll gain. But it's difficult, that's comforting for him, and reality is terrifying. It will be difficult, frightening, and it absolutely will terrify him. If you want to be his friend, you'll have to see him in pain - as it will be painful for him to disengage to develop himself, instead of just what he perceives as his cause."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods slowly. "Preaching to the choir there. You're talking to a healer. Seeing people in pain... it's common, even if something one never entirely gets used to." She smiles a bit at Aerin. "Sounds like you've been around the block a few times on this, too."

Aerin Mifflin has posed:
Aerin shakes her head "This isn't that kind of pain - it's not the kind of pain that can be healed. It has to be unlearned."

Shrugging her shoulders softly "Not really. My parents are refugees from Genosha. And I am fairly observant. There are different ways to deal with bullies, and my small town had ones that would try to prey upon me being the mutant. If you are observant, and bold enough to use your observations by all means you you can use someone's personality against them. I have some experience with that perhaps?"

Nightingale has posed:
     Wrinkling her nose, Shannon tries to smile. "I know it's not the kind of pain that can be healed physically, silly. I'm not quite /that/ dense." She listens for a moment, and tilts her head. "Observations like that... can be very powerful knowledge, true." She allows herself to fall silent, a slightly tense silence.

Aerin Mifflin has posed:
Aerin nods "It can be. You just have to stay quiet and observe. I'm one that would not have flinched at book reports, yet I like to read. However I imagine part of it is likely the way that Jeremy was handed the task, as well as his percieving of the assignment. It's not going to be easy for him. The most we can do is try to get him acclimated to living and interacting in public, and make sure he doesn't go full on fanatic persona. If you start sensing that though - tell someone. Not through digital means. Because it means he could be a danger to himself and others around him."

Nightingale has posed:
"You sure you're not a teacher?" While Shannon was taking in all these observations, she wasn't at all sure quite how to take all this. Perhaps it was better to keep her mouth closed and just smile. Which she did. "We'll find a way to get through to him, I'm sure."