13413/Absentia

Absentia
Date of Scene:	01 June 2021
Location:	Ororo's Attic - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Jean and Scott find Ororo in a state.
Cast of Characters:	Storm, Cyclops, Phoenix

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Storm has posed:
The days had blurred. Ororo has been on medical leave for a while with no end game in sight. She's kept only two of her appointments to speak with the physician, made excuses to not speak with Charles. All in all, Ororo had unintentionally deemed herself persona non grata, if anyone had seen her it would be a bold faced lie. It was set up that dinners would be served to her by the door. Only dinners. Breakfast and lunch were only copious amounts of water that she consumed whenever she was thirsty, which replaced her appetite.

She may as well have had a tictac for snacks; the ultimate Victoria Secrets model diet.

This morning she was early to rise; windows open ajar to let the fresh air in. The plants needed the sun at least, though.. they have seen better days. They were dried and nearly dead, after all. Papers still strewn around the floor, odd symbols drawn upon it. Some messily, some with clarity, some in crayon which would have been funny, if not for the crayon-esque drawings making appearances on the wall. Along with chalk. And then paint from the rec room.

The attic was a fucking mess.

And Ororo? She's there. Staring at the wall. In the nude. Her hair at least was wrapped in a messy, curly bun. Thank god.

Cyclops has posed:
Enough was enough. Scott and Jean was not about to watch one of their best friends wither away in some downward spiral. If she is having a mid-life crisis, they can all have one together. Sharing is caring after all.

The door is opened, or unlocked, because they would have a master key, and the field leader makes his way inside carrying a tray of food. "Ororo, we really need to talk. Jean and I are /really/ conce--- and .. you're naked." He says as he halts his forward motion, glancing upwards at the ceiling and shuffling around to one side to stare at the wall.

"I brought you breakfast, and Jean. You need both." He lets out a heavy sigh. Women.

Phoenix has posed:
With missed appointments, clear avoidant behavior, and potentially self destructive habits; there was one woman on call. That being the woman who'd done the exact same thing. One Jean Grey. Also she was probably pretty safe from being electrocuted for disturbing Ororo's self-imposed exile. Probably.

"Ro." Comes her voice from outside the door with that quiet and faintly drawn out syllable that conveys 'I know you're in there and talking is now required'. As Scott leads the way in, Jean follows in his wakes and dodges around the man as he averts her eyes to walk over towards her friend.

"You've been busy in here. What's on your mind?" She asks calmly as she looks to the scrawled symbols everywhere while walking over towards Ororo's closet to find her a robe or long shirt to toss on. "...guessing I also need to order you some new pens."

Storm has posed:
At least Ororo had some sense about her; she bathed.

With Scott and Jean both entering into her space, along with a tray of food and a rummage through her closet, Ororo had the sense to give them a good 'what-for', but knowing it was all in the name of caring, she lets it go. Really, Ororo didn't have a leg to stand on. Turning from the view of the wall towards the two, she watches them wide-eyed, eyes darting from one to the next, soon forcibly calming herself by relaxing her stance.

"Hi."

She sniffs, then shakes her head from the dust-clouds that gather, one hand lifting to rub at her nose as if she were a child. "I'm not hungry." She says, now following Jean's path to the closet, reaching out for whatever was grabbed to quickly put on. "Nothing is on my mind, really. What is wrong? Did something happen?" Because surely, they're not here for her. "Oh, yes. If you would. Pens. Felt tip. Sharpie Markers too. Colorful, if it is not too much to ask. I find that papermate pens have increased in quality over the years."

Cyclops has posed:
As he turns to look back towards them, Scott blanches again as she is now facing them fully. He most likely has seen everyone naked in the locker room at one point or another, or due to damaged uniforms, but this is a different setting. He clears his throat, trying to keep his visor eye level. Why is she so tall?

"You are starving, obviously. We know you aren't eating. We're really worried about you. We heard about the memory gaps, and you're not speaking to your specialist, or us. Your room is .. " He trails his eyes around, trying to keep them off the body of his best friend until she finds something to wear. "This is not like you. Will you please talk to Jean? I know you won't talk to me."

No one wants to talk to Scott. It's like talking to drying paint.

Phoenix has posed:
Jean offers out the clothing but doesn't sweep her old friend up in a hug like she may have otherwise, perhaps respecting that wall-eyed expression and recognizing space may be needed.

"You may not be hungry, but eat a little anyway." She gently insists as she gestures towards the table where she goes to sit. She slants Scott a chiding look as she walks past him. << Stop it. Of course she'll talk to you. >>

"Ro, you're not being yourself. You haven't since you came back from that field trip. I know things... went a little off, but that's all been fixed now and you're not usually the sort to just wallow like this." Her eyes glance towards the multitude of scattered pictures fluttering in the breeze. "And this definitely is not normal. What were you drawing? What does that mean?"

Storm has posed:
"My room is fine." Ororo nearly snapped, but she tone checked herself in the name of safety. Though, she was a little hurt by Scott, her lips bunching up then falling flat. "Why would you say that about yourself? I would talk to you, any time." She would, it was her honest truth.

With the robe now covering her most delicate parts, she turns to move into the doorway of the closet, holding onto the jamb to slip her feet into a pair of slippers, then turns to shuffle towards the table. She was going to eat either way, at least to get them off of her back, not to mention, the food smelled so good..

"I'm fine. I am not wallowing. I just need time to myself, that is all." She glances around the room, now falling lightly into her chair, her elbow propped upon the table so that she could lean her chin upon her knuckles. Her eyes weren't focused, now that her attention was drawn to the symbols. And soon she pulls herself out of the reverie with a smile, "Sorry? Oh, what's for breakfast?"

Cyclops has posed:
"We brought you french toast and eggs." Scott says as he motions to the plate of food on the table that he set down, finally allowing his eyes to settle once she has clothes on. "And yes, you would talk to me, but I am sure there is some things that you would feel more comfortable talking with Jean about. I know that I can be difficult to open up to."

He starts to clean up things off from the floor in his usual compulsive manner, shuffling papers into neat stacks and picking up pens and markers. Everything will be laid out on the table in a neat and organized manner. He has to keep his hands busy, if anything to stop himself from worrying.

"We love you, Ro', it's why we are worried. We just miss our best friend."

Phoenix has posed:
Creases begin to form in Jean's forehead at the unfocused look and Ororo's avoidance of the symbols. Her own eyes glance towards the papers again and then over to Scott. << Something feels wrong. >> She says to his mind. << Something isn't normal here. Check and see if the internet has anything about that symbol while I talk to her? >>

Back to Ororo she looks them with a strained smile. "I heard that you were having some memory issues. That you hadn't remembered what happened at the bazaar, and you've been... in the clouds since then too. Did anything happened to you during that fight that you remember? Did you get hit in the head or anything?"

Storm has posed:
"Mm!" Ororo perks up considerably, drawing the tray closer to herself as she begins to rip apart the french toast with her fingers. She was delicate about it, pinching just with her nails and sure to not get any grease or syrup on her robe. "You're not difficult. You're just too logical in the face of emotionality. If that is even a word."

A slice of french toast is popped into her mouth, and soon a clump of eggs. As he cleans, 'Ro's brows lower, but straighten again, keeping her eyes off of Scott and onto the plate of food.

Does she mention anything about love and being missed? No. She pointedly ignores him, even though that sentiment causes her to flinch.

Looking up towards Jean, that little cloud of anger appears. The room didn't go hot, but the temperature dropped considerably to a cool fifty degrees. "I don't remember anything." It wasn't as if what she told Rogue was something she asked her to keep quiet, so she couldn't get too upset. "I got off of the van, I went to a stall.. and.." She gestures. "..what happened, happened. I wasn't injured, I don't even think I was near the children."

Cyclops has posed:
<< No problem. They don't look familiar, but I am sure Hank will know about them. He knows everything. >>

Scott says as he flips through the drawings, eyeing the symbols with a concerned look. He takes out his phone to tap out a text, while taking a few pics subtly as well with the sounds turned off.

"The children are fine by the way. No harm, no foul. You did a good job resolving it." He tries to tack on a positive for that situation.

Phoenix has posed:
<< Good. He should be able to figure out where they're from.>> Jean says aside to Scott.

"I'm starting to think something happened to you, Ro." Jean says quietly even as she feels the temperature dropping more than the breeze alone can do. "After you eat, I'd like to take a look and make sure that you're okay, if just to help assure everyone that you're alright, and if you are then we can cancel these appointments and leave you be. I can even clear you to head out of here for a bit if you wanted to visit home. School's pretty much over for the year, so you have all summer free for a vacation. I just want to make sure you're in one piece."

Storm has posed:
"Oh, good." Ororo says to Scott. She had forgotten all about Jeremy and Rosie during the ordeal. In fact, she can only remember when someone else mentions it, and a few odd pieces of the children arrive and are gone again. She smiles at that, then finally pushes the rest of her food away, her eyes darting across the room as she inhales. The chill was slowly easing up, and soon.. Ororo was practically ready and roaring to go.

"Listen, nothing happened." Ororo says to Jean, near pleading. "I am completely fine. That's why I haven't gone to any appointments, I don't need them. I'm alright." Her hands splay now, then snap together in a fist. The chair she sat in was pushed back so that she can stand, now looking around on the clean floor as she strolls to her closet.

"Whatever everyone thinks happened, did not. It was just a lapse. Like I was driving and zoned out and now I'm back." Now, she was snapping through her wardrobe, the hangers clicking against each other in loud ticks. She was getting annoyed. "I don't want to go home. I want to be left alone. So.. thank you for the visit, but I need to get dressed." Clothing picked out, and now she turns to watch the two, waiting for them to leave.

Cyclops has posed:
"We don't know what happened, Ro', which is why we're here. We aren't making assumptions, we're just trying to see if you're okay. You're our best friend and your health and safety is important to us. If you think you're okay, then .. we'll believe you." Scott says with a furrow of his brow.

<< I don't believe her. Something happened and this is starting to scare me. Maybe ask for forgiveness rather than permission. >>

He lets out a heavy breath, glancing to the door, then back to her. "If you want us to leave, we can leave." He says as he starts for the door, squaring his shoulders.

Phoenix has posed:
<< You're not the one she's going to electrocute. >> Jean says dry and tense to Scott. She's stressed. This is her best friend, expect the right woman doesn't seem to be home.

"Ororo, I /have/ to check you out." She insists as she rises out of her chair. "We don't know what happened, we weren't there. So we just need to clear you, that's all, and you know it's quicker for me to take a look than us go all the way down to the medbay and deal with those loud scans because I know you hate being near those." Small tubes are no one's idea of a good time, but especially not Ororo.

"It's just a second and then it's over and we'll go. I just don't want to do that without your okay." Her voice is smaller, quietly pleading with her lips compressing into a thin line. "Please. I-- I just need to be absolutely sure that you're alright."

Storm has posed:
"And when I tell you that I am fine, why do you not believe me?" Her gaze, hurt, falls upon Scott and Jean now. She was holding her clothing protectively against her chest, backing up further into the closet until the sound of the hangars cause her to step instinctively forward. It wasn't a good feeling, this slow rise of emotion. The mix of them causes it to cool, heat up, cool again, and near smolder. The plants, half withered, are dead and gone now..

"You do not have my okay. You have my word, and if my word means nothing to you, then -scan-." Even though the 'permission' was given, there was a veiled threat there. With her being as she is, what she would do after was -anyones- guess.

Cyclops has posed:
"Ro', this honestly doesn't sound like you. We aren't here to corner you or to attack you. You know that, right? Remember when Hank went feral and ran around in the woods naked? He insisted nothing was wrong either. Sometimes we just don't know ourselves, or we build up defense mechanisms instinctively. If we weren't concerned, we wouldn't be here. You know us, we trust you to take care of yourself, but if we notice something is happening to one of our strongest friends, we have to check in."

Scott lets out a heavy breath, trying not to sound too upset, but he can feel his emotions becoming wibbly in his chest. He gives a glance to Jean, then back to Ororo, then reaches for the door and opens it with a furrow of his brows. "I'll just .. let you two talk. I'll just be a distraction." And a lightning rod most likely.

Phoenix has posed:
"I love you, Ro." Jean says to the white-haired woman with her eyes dark with the strain of the moment. "You've never let me insist that I was fine when I wasn't. Even when I've been blind, you weren't. I believe that you feel that you're fine. As your friend, I'm telling you that you aren't. I-- ..."

<< I can't do this, Scott. I can't. Not here. If she strikes out at me, if there's /something/ that doesn't want to be found, we're in a bad place for a fight like that. We need to wait. Let's back off for now and talk with Hank. We need more information and fast. >>

"...ok. We'll go. Just remember we're here for you, Ro. Always." And she'll turn to walk towards Scott and give Ororo her space.

Storm has posed:
Ororo was ready. As soon as she felt that fiery pressure, she was going to take the entire building down with her.

Or was she?

Who knows with what she was thinking. But she kept her eyes on them, even as they try to talk her down and into being scanned, she held firm with a purse of her lips and a tight clutch. Her foot even slides from it's regular position, her eyes narrowing and preparing to dart away like a cat who had caught a fish, or some other meats it wasn't supposed to have.

And as they turn their backs to leave, Ororo had the presence of mind to say something, but she was the victor. Clothes were soon thrown upon the bed, and her feet immediately stomp towards the papers that were neatly arranged. She was searching through them, mumbling to herself, and even swearing. Hell.. they could probably hear her down the hall if they kept their ears peeled.

'Ro was off her rocker.