2376/A Royal Confession

A Royal Confession
Date of Scene:	08 September 2017
Location:	Xavier's School, Westchester, New York
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Phoenix, Black Rose

---

Phoenix has posed:
On the other side of a cracked door still warded with an image of the Vice Principal squaring off against a terrible paperwork demon, Jean's fingers glide across holographic keys as she waits for Yana to answer her wordless telepathic summons: gently but firmly, the path to her office and a growing sense of urgency insinuated themselves into the Russian girl's consciousness a few minutes ago. Surrounded by a collection of furniture hastily rescued over the course of a spare weekend, she is clad in distressed blue denim and a black tee emblazoned with the cover of Quattro Bagz' Zeonic Zealotry album rather than the oftimes dated business attire she tends to stick to during office hours.

Despite a carefully flattened expression, her teeth have been on edge for days, and now that the summon is out, the tension has spread into her back and shoulders.

Black Rose has posed:
    Yana knocks a few times on the door to Jean's office, frowning. One thing she didn't have experience with before, was telepaths. And, Jean's mental chatter on the mission, and now this summons? Odd. Not unpleasent. But, odd. It sets the girl off kilter. And, that's one thing she really doesn't like. She knows she'll get used to it, but being off center is not something Yana is used to. Then again, maybe that's why she's here. To be challenged. To perservere.
    "Ms. Grey? You wanted to see me?"

Phoenix has posed:
The door closes behind Yana.

Unpainted lips draw into a small smile as green eyes rise.

"Hi, Yana," says the Vice Principal with a brisk wave. Her arms fall to fold along the desk's edge as she gestures towards the three mismatched chairs across from the desk with her chin. "How have you been since the school year started? Are you settling in alright? I know there was some disruption in the early phases, there, but. Now that things are settling back into a normal rhythm..."

Black Rose has posed:
    Yana considers this, thoughtfully. She offers, "I've made friends with most everyone. Tabitha and I got off to a rocky start, but, we've made some headway, after I sat down and tried to talk things out with her. Classes are well. Most of the teachers are pretty good," she agrees, pretty candidly. "Overall, it's met expectations, for both what my father had in mind for me, and what I wanted for myself, I think. And, I believe it can only get better from here."

Phoenix has posed:
"Good!"

Clap; refold.

"That's something that we probably ought to sit down and talk about sometime, him and I. And mom, too, of course, if that's an option! Just to make sure we're all on the same page about how best to meet your needs," she continues while letting a piece of her consciousness spool through astral space until it grazes the surface of her thoughts. "I remember them being big fans of the Academy's focus and academic record, right? What else do you think he's hoping you'll get from this experience?"

Black Rose has posed:
    Yana again considers Jean's questions - these are, afterall, questions that one asks at the interview process. Not a few weeks into the semester. Or after you've invited her to join the New Mutants and given her a uniform. Still, Yana is honest. "All he wants me to get out of this experience is expanding my abilities. He'd like me to have more of a social structure; learning at home was good, I had excellent teachers, demanding. But. I didn't have a whole lot of friends, or - school functions," she gestures, shrugs, "Those sorts of things. They're important, in life. And easier to acquire in more generalized settings, like school, before moving into adulthood. Granted, last minute." She smiles, there, briefly. "But, my father is pretty protective of me. I actually wanted to come to school in my freshman year. But, I had to meet his standards first. Like I said. He's demanding."

Phoenix has posed:
Jean nods through the Russian girl's answer, eyes and mind remaining locked upon her. "I could tell," she quietly interjects of Yana's teachers between almost metronomic breaths. 'That's a shame, but I can empathize' she communicates through pursing lips and a wince at the subject of school functions.

"He sounds like a man who knows exactly what he wants and how to make it happen," she offers along with a final nod for Yana's assessment of him. "With the resources to match. What do you think he wants you to do once you graduate, finish college, all of that-- whatever your heart desires? Doctor, lawyer? Family business? I can't imagine he's not thought about it, a lot."

Black Rose has posed:
    "My father is a well regarded man," agrees Yana, mildly. "Well respected. He and my mother both wish me to be more business oriented, as they are. But, ultimately it's my choice." She frowns, as if debating something, watching Jean. While she isn't sure where this is going, she's more certain than ever that Jean is driving to some point. Perhaps digging for some truth, though she's not sure as to what, exactly that is. "But, in either case, I'd have to prove it. Either prove to my parents I'm capable of taking another path as well as myself -- or, prove to my father's investors and associates that I'm just as capable of running the family business as he is."
    She asks then, "Can I ask why the sudden interest, Ms. Grey?"

Phoenix has posed:
"Oh, yeah," Jean replies, breaking off from polite nodding with a little bit of a start and a briefly broadened smile. "Well, I know we talked about a lot of this stuff during your orientation, but I do like to check in with our new students once they've gotten a few weeks of classes under their belts, given how non-traditional this place can be," she explains, waving her right hand around a bit as she does so.

Not a beat is skipped as she continues, "Plus, I've never knowingly had a sit down with mob royalty - how colloquial is that, exactly? - and since I after I hit a lull in all this make-up paperwork, it dawned on me: 'Hey! You know someone like that, why not talk to her?'

The smile doesn't budge any farther as the Vice Principal cants her head slightly to the side and watches.

Black Rose has posed:
    The thing with growing up with a father who can read your every movement is you learn to try to hide them. Try to make it harder on him. Try to think of distracting thoughts, and maybe such even works to a very small degree when the need presses. But, surprises can still come. Catch you offguard. And, the lack of having her father around has set Yana to be a little more relaxed in those affairs.
    She is, undoubtebly, caught offguard.

    To her credit, it's for a mere moment. But with Jean's ability, her experiences, she'd pick up on it. Another person, less so? Might have missed it. Or mistaken it. But it's out there.
    What's more? Yana realizes it by Jean's expression, and the questions she's been answering. Jean knows. And, there's no use denying it.

    She narrows her eyes back at Jean briefly, clearly upset. She didn't want this out in the open. She didn't want anyone to know. She then transitions into a resigned sigh. She leans back in her chair, silent for a long few moments. "So, should I go pack, then?" She does not sound pleased.

Phoenix has posed:
"That depends," Jean replies while lacing her fingers and letting the smile fade into freshly reflattened features, "on what you want to do once you graduate, finish college, all of that. Because for all that it absolutely is a problem that we're broaching this subject here, now, like this-- we don't believe in turning people away purely because of where they came from, who their parents are; that'd be antithetical to everything we stand for. But - and, you're a smart girl, so maybe this already occurred to you, and you were just trying to figure out the right way to deal with it - so would giving extensive combat training to a ranking member of the Russian mob."

Finally, finallly, Jean's gaze falls from the Russian girl as she takes in a deep breath to compose herself. Her tone is brittle, obviously restrained from letting the full breadth of her anger shine through.

"Granted," her hands fall and her fingertips all thump the table in a row, "that probably isn't what your father was expecting exactly, but regardless, it's the reality we're living in. So. You tell me: should you go pack?"

Black Rose has posed:
    Jean is treated to another brief look, this one of incredulity. And it's sincere. So is the brief laugh that comes from Yana's lips. Genuine that. She shakes her head, some, and tempers herself before taking a moment to place her thoughts into words, the proper context. She suggests, "You've dealt with a -lot- of crazy stuff. Stuff you read about in science fiction, or fantasy novels. Sometimes, in the papers as it involves the Justice League or the Avengers," she says quietly. "I sure as hell didn't knw that, and you can bet my father didn't either. It's maybe given you a very critical, and one-sided view of things."

    She licks her lips, hesitant, then offers, "My father, Ms. Grey, isn't stupid. He's a very smart man. I've told you he's a mutant. So is my mother. My father's ability is that he's able to read people. Languages. Like a textbook. But, he also knows that by pushing that too far? By going overboard? He's going to draw unwanted attention to himself. To his family. We protect our family, Ms. Grey. With everything. Xavier's is my family, to an extent now. It is my home. Now, perhaps, you might understand better when I promised I would protect Diya. And why I was so adamant about it? My father isn't looking for anything beyond making me successfull - in whatever capacity I choose. He wants what any father wants. The best, for his daughter."

    She looks down, briefly, then, back to meet Jean's eyes. "I -want- to stay. But, neither did I want any of this to get out. I didn't want to be treated different. I want people to like, or hate me for who I am. Not - where I come from. Or who my family is."

Phoenix has posed:
"Are you trying to say I'm prejudiced against your family's lifestyle because I wear a costume?" Jean wonders with sharply arching brows and a tense tone. "Is that what's happening, here?" A brisk gesture around, between them as she leans across the desk. "Am I supposed to be the bad guy because I'm not totally comfortable with the idea that you let me train you - let me see how easily you could kill a man, let me remind you - when you knew that me and my 'very critical, one-sided view' of the world might need some reassurances before stepping into that whole scenario? Or are we just supposed to be the same, because neither of us knew something about the other one?"

The telepath leans back heavily after letting that out and sighs again while pinching the bridge of her nose.

"None of this answers my actual question, Yana." she then says. "It's not my place to tell anyone - outside of maybe the faculty, obviously - about this. And I'm.... I'm glad that you feel like you've found a home here. But none of that actually does a thing to make me feel better about what we've been doing these past few weeks-- none of it makes me feel any less lied to, manipulated. None of it makes me feel like I'm not contributing to something that goes against what I believe in-- do you get that?"

Black Rose has posed:
    "Then let me answer you more plainly, Ms. Grey. No. I am not going to share any combat tactics with my father, or any of his associates. Or, for that matter, anyone else."

    There is a pause, "And. No. That's not what's going on here. My point, Ms. Grey -- is that you're so used to seeing things as large threats, that's maybe tainting your vision here. Maybe I'm wrong. Your concern is valid, but -- We prefer to remain low-key. Low-key means - not using battle tactics designed and implemented to take on large forces, or threats that are dangerous above the scale that law enforcement is capable of dealing with," she explains in return. "That would be self-destructive."

    Yana's features flatten, and she considers Jean in return, now. "And do you get that for at least a little bit in my life, I wanted to live something separate from that, to see what it was like? Not about manipulation." This, is truth. "It's about self exploration. Tell me, Ms. Grey. How did you find out? I know it wasn't from my parents. And it wasn't from me."

Phoenix has posed:
"Does it really matter, when I should've known from day one?"

The Vice Principal's hands rise to massage her temples as she studies the Russian girl for a few silent moments and weighs her options.

"I do get that, but the way you decided to go about it? Selfish as hell." Her mouth remains open for another beat before closing as she thinks better of offering any further retorts.

Mentioning the personal self-defense, urban combat, and guerilla tactics portions of the X-Men curriculum seems counter-productive, just now.

"I'm not going to ask you to leave," she notes after a silent moment. "But I need to be able to trust you, and this' the seccnd time you've made me doubt whether or not I can. Hopefully, we can move past that, in the future."

Black Rose has posed:
    Yana does not comment on if it matters or not, she can tell by Jean's answer she's not going to be provided with an answer. She nods to Jean, then. "Thank you, for letting me stay," she begins at first. She purses her lips, perhaps about to say something of her own and, much like Jean, decides against it regardless of how much she wants to express it it's probably not the best idea, just now.

    "I've told you, and - I've demonstrated, Ms. Grey, that I keep my promises." As when she'd promised Diya she wouldn't tell anyone about her, initially and had conveyed that to Jean as to her own individual reason why she hadn't told Jean about the military woman. "I'll give you one now. I promise you that while I am here, Xavier's will be protected like my family. And should I leave, whatever secrets there are will stay, and die with me. But I'll ask you, in return, to not share this with the rest of the faculty. It's my life. And it's not being brought here to Xavier's. Give me that, at least."

Phoenix has posed:
Following what may be beginning to feel like an eternal, perhaps even mystified silence:

"As long as your affiliation doesn't put the school or the other students at risk," she finally allows before clenching surely sore jaw muscles and vaguely gesturing towards the door.

"Thanks for the talk," she flatly adds as her eyes return to the screen they were focused upon when Yana arrived. "You should probably get to class, though. Make sure you let your next teacher know where you were."

Black Rose has posed:
    "It never would, Ms. Grey," Yana offers, with a measure of confidence. She nods, knowing she's dismissed and rises. She reaches the door, pauses to regard Jean, then, she's opening the door and closing it behind her with a sigh.

    Well, she tells herself mentally, that could have gone a /whole/ lot better. And a whole lot worse, too. Take the small victories, Yana.

    And then she's heading to class. It's going to be a long day.