3635/Hello Hello

Hello Hello
Date of Scene:	12 January 2018
Location:	Xavier's School, Westchester, New York
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Phoenix, Redstar

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Phoenix has posed:
When an unscheduled / unannounced person enters the Xavier's School property, bells go off. People find out. The school's security is prepared for these kinds of things. So to enter the property unannounced is highly unlikely that you won't be found.

Some students ran across her first, but she was soon met by a member of the X-Men. Storm.

After a short exchange, Storm would lead Vicky into the school to the Staff Meeting Hall, a large room that was once a dance hall and now served as an office space for teacher's desks and a large meeting table.

Jean was stepping away from the meeting table when the two arrived. "Hello." the redhead said to the unscheduled arrival. Jean was dressed in a red sweater and a black skirt, with heeled shoes, she looked very professional.

"I'm Jean Grey, Vice Principal here. Seems as though you're a bit curious about us?" She asked, showing a faint smile.

Redstar has posed:
Vicky looks incredibly intimidated and uncertain as she follows the queen of weather into the large hall. Her pale eyes scan all over the place and her lips part slightly in awe. Sure she grew up well off, but nothing quite like this. As Storm steps out of the way and ushers her inside Vicky finds herself trying not to shake. It isn't hard to sense the fear and self-doubt washing off of her. But there is something more.

~Ugh. You make me sick. Stop being a mouse and take control. You're not subject to anyone anymore!~ Another mind's thoughts, clear and open, ring behind those blue eyes. A frown creases her brow as she looks the Vice Principal up and down. Swallowing away the lump in her throat she finally says, "I'm Vicky. Sorry I...I wasn't sure..." 'If I even should or how to approach this place. It's much more intimidating than I thought.' The unfinished words are finished by her thoughts.

~I don't need your opinions right now, Starr!~ This was a different kind of thought. No, it was dialogue with the other mind. There are definitely -two- individual minds in that shy and scared teenage body.

Phoenix has posed:
Generally speaking, Jean didn't use her mind powers on people unless they gave her a reason. NOT using them was a better exercise for her than using them, it was like pushing heavy weight away to build muscle... and she just found it entirely rude for a telepath to dip into other's minds without provocation.

Sadly for Vicky, she'd given Jean provocation to peer inside and those surface level thoughts where gathered up as the two shared looks.

Jean's right hand extended, she smiled softly to Vicky and spoke. "You're okay. I don't get the sense that you came here to cause any harm or ill-intentions towards us, so you don't have to worry about us seeking any consequences. At least, other than getting to know why you came and how we can help you."

Jean would the motion to a chair at the conference table. "Have a seat, if you'd like. We can get you something to drink as well, should you wish it?"

Redstar has posed:
Vicky glances back at Storm and then to Jean and slowly raises a hand to shake the other woman's own. "Okay...okay," She seems to relax a little bit and smiles weakly now. The chairs are eyed thoughtfully and she pulls one out, perching on the edge and folding her wings up as best she can. Sitting in chairs is hard sometimes. The offer of a drink makes her bite her lip, seemingly torn on accepting or not.
    ~Oh my god you're such a twat!~ That other voice, Starr, drawls sounding disgusted and board. ~At least ask for something besides coke. PLEASE!~ And Vicky's lip then twitches as she tries to hide a smirk at that other voice's comments. "Um...yeah. Please. A coke," She says and the other voice groans. "I...am looking for answers. And this seemed like a possible place to find them." And quieter than the other surface thoughts, 'I hope she hasn't seen the poster' And the image of the missing poster flashes through with flashes of a mental health warning, dangerous person, and then it is supressed as Vicky frowns and bites her lower lip again.

Phoenix has posed:
Jean sat down when the girl did and Storm smiled and went to get the drink, leaving the two of them alone for the time being.

The girl's additional voices were clear in Jean's mind, she could hear them as well as Vicky herself could... but she wasn't prepared to comment on them yet as she was still measuring them and deciding precisely what these voices were doing to this girl.

"Victoria is your full name?" She asked then, showing a smile. "I've always loved that name. I had a Grandmother named Victoria. She was... a wonderful lady." Her voice was spoken softly, calmly and she punctuated her words with a little nod.

A shake of her head was given then and Jean leaned back and crossed her legs at the knees. "What kinds of answers are you looking for, Vicky?" She'd ask her then.

Redstar has posed:
Vicky relaxes a little more and leans forward on the table and seems to prefer confusing on her clasped hands, picking at a hangnail absently. "Yeah...But everyone has always just called me Vicky, even my parents," A flash of pain, a sense of abandonment, quickly shuttered aside. She glances up and sideways at Jean with that same shy smile and then back to her hands again. "My mom...she said she always loved the story of Queen Victoria," She says with a little snort.
    The question leaves silence for a handful of seconds and Vicky licks her lips and frowns, a dozen images and memories racing through her head. 'How do you ask if you're not crazy without sounding crazy?' Stands out amongst them. The other mind, apparently able to hear these thoughts as well, chuckles wryly and with no fondness. ~You can't. That's always been the way of it. You're just lucky we've run into others equally as messed up so far.~ And this time a memory flashes, but this one isn't Vicky's. It is a deliberate memory pulled forward by Starr of a recent and particularly embarassing moment. A moment that was distinctly not tinged with Vicky's mind and being, but Starr's. And she was macking on someone she'd just met.
    Vicky shot up from her chair with wide yes and looking obviously bothered. She turns and begins to pace a little bit instead. "It's hard..." ~Why yes he-~ The other's thought is drowned out by a mental scream from Vicky, 'SHUT UP!'

Phoenix has posed:
A smile was given when the part about Queen Victoria was relayed, she loved little snippets of info like that about a person, it was like a tiny window into the rich pattern that created the person who sits before her now. She didn't comment on it though as the other activity inside of Vicky's mind was a bit of a distration from pleasantries.

Outwardly it would appear that Jean was just watching Vicky's physical struggle with the mental thoughts inside her mind.

Inwardly though? Jean wasn't impressed with how the extra voices were causing stress to the girl. So this is when the redhead reached into Vicky's mind further in an attempt to block out those other voices, deny them their control over Vicky's mind.

She wanted to isolate Vicky's mind, to let her have some rest from the madness.

If successful, then Vicky would find herself... quietly collected with just 'herself' at the helm.

Redstar has posed:
Vicky stops suddenly in her pacing and is very still. Slowly she raises her head and looks both puzzled and a little worried. 'She's never done that before...' There is confusion swirling around her as she turns to look back at Jean. "Um...sorry. I don't know how to explain without sounding crazy. And I am not!" She seems very keen on getting this point across. She returns to the table and sits down and now finds it a bit easier to look at Jean.
    "I'm not alone in my body, my mind. Few people have ever believed me. Those that have...are recent developments. Her name is Starr. And I think she might be..." Vicky was having trouble saying the word though it flashed happily in her mind, 'Demon'.
    Behind the wall that Jean had placed Starr screamed in useless fury, lashing at the wall with weak and unfamiliar attempts to break through. The rage was hot and fierce, but ultimately useless against a telepath of Jean's skill. "Evil," Vicky finally settles on, not ready to really admit out loud her darkest fear. "Thing is...she's always been there. From the time I can remember I've never been alone. At first it was just a presence, a sense of emotions not my own, then words...A few years ago she finally was able to take over...but I think I also let her. Bad things happened," Vicky finally just starts talking fast, trying to get it over with. There is fear the cops will be called, her parents, fear of being taken back to that institution to be poked, proded, and drugged. "I'm not crazy," She whispers.

Phoenix has posed:
<<Starr>> Jean's voice spoke to the 'monster' inside of the girl that she had blocked away and contained for now. <<Starr. I'm not here to harm you or enrage you. What is happening has nothing to do with Vicky. I'm here only to learn what is going on and how I can help you. Both of you.>> These words were only audible to Starr's presence inside Vicky.

"I believe you." Jean said reassuringly to Vicky as Storm arrived with a can of coke and a glass with ice, should the girl want it. Storm set the items down on the table with a smile and then went to her desk not too far away to sit down in her office chair.

"Vicky." Jean continued. "I'm a telepath, and right now I have Starr seperated from your waking mind. She's not happy, but I'm trying to find a way to appease her and find out who she is and what she wants... and how we can solve this ongoing issue for you. Okay?" Full disclosure was her angle here.

Redstar has posed:
The entity known as Starr stops as suddenly as she started though the anger still boils at the surface, ready to explode. ~I doubt there is any help for us. We're the ultimate, !*#&$@ up siamese twins. I don't even get a head of my own.~ There is a great deal of resentment there, seething from years of being a prisoner in this body.
    Vicky, unaware of the discourse, smiles and says, "Thank you," quietly to Storm. She pops the top and pours the glass full before taking a sip. Then she promptly coughs and sputters on that drink at Jean's words. Pale blue eyes are wide in a mix of shock and, perhaps surprisingly, worry, "You...you can do that? She isn't gonna like that at all," Worry becomes more prominent. Memories of Starr making it almost impossible to focus or live rush through her head with that worry. "But...so...I'm right then? I really am right? I'm not crazy?"

Phoenix has posed:
Jean showed a soft smile to the girl and shook her head right to left once. "You're not crazy. I'm not sure if this entity inside of you is a 'demon' per-se, but we'll find out as soon as we can. And do not worry about this Starr retaliating against you, if and when I let her out of this cage... she'll be told that if she wants to be let out ever again, then she better play ball with what I want."

Storm looks over from her desk and smiles toward them both. "You have come to the right place, my darling." She says in her thick African accented voice.

<<Starr. I need you to tell me everything about who you are and how you ended up inside Vicky's mind.>> Jean's voice spoke then to the other being <<I can help you, but you have to help me. And anger is no pathway to any resolution that either of us will be happy with, I assure you.>>

Redstar has posed:
The runaway had never even dared to think about this being possible or happening with any immediacy. So it hits like a ton of bricks leaving her a little stunned and quiet for several seconds. She breaks out of it to let out a held breath in a great 'oof' of sound before talking a very long drink. "Wow...I...didn't even think that would be possible. A cage?" She looks up at Jean in fascination at the idea before giving her head a little shake. "This is amazing," She says and puts a hand over her mouth, fighting back tears.
    Meanwhile on the other side of the barrier Starr's presence trembles and the anger becomes resentment. ~Help? How do you think you can help when even I don't know why we are as we are?! I know...things about living and life as if I've lived before, but I cannot tell you how or why I know this. There was darkness...and then we were being born. I remember everything from that moment. I understood the hunger in my newborn belly, but I couldn't do anything. I watched and watched a life that should have been me living it, but it wasn't...years and years of watching and being unable to change anything...~ The anger is there again, impotent rage against something that has always been with no discernable reason. ~I've been here from the beginning of this life too. I deserve to live it!~ That seems to be the root of the resentment.

Phoenix has posed:
"Lets just say that we have a lot of experience with these sorts of things." Jean said back to Vicky with a little smile. It was true, the Phoenix was inside Jean... being pushed and held back, a tremendously powerful entity that was being kept at bay by the lessons and teachings from Charles Xavier.

Jean leaned forward then to put a hand on Vicky's knee. "We're here to help you, I promise. So long as you want that help. Perhaps we can find a way for you to control Starr too... to shut her off inside of your head when she's becoming too bothersome. So that you can find peace when you want it."

<<You don't belong in this body, Starr>> Jean spoke to the entity. <<I know that you may have been it from the very beginning, but this body you inhabit doesn't belong to you. You're a guest inside it and as a guest you need to respect the owner's rules and desires. If you work with us here, we can perhaps find a way to return you to wherever it is you originated from. Perhaps even a body that you've been separated from all this time.>>

Redstar has posed:
~You seem so certain that I don't belong. But how can you be sure when even I am not?~ Starr's bitterness is harsh in her thoughts and she begins to withdraw, slightly sullen, into herself, ~I belong here. I'm supposed to be here. It's the only thing I do know for sure.~ The mind whispers before quieting.
    Vicky looks up at Jean and she still seems a bit incredulous over the whole thing. "I do...I do want help. It's just weird her being gone like this. Hard...I'm not used to being alone," She sniffles and rubs ferociously at her eyes with the back of her arm. "Damnit. I didn't want to cry," She says with a little laugh. "So...if we're being full disclosure and what not...you should know that I escaped from a facility where my parents had me locked up. It...got broken into and a bunch of people, like me, were freed or escaped. I don't know what my status is, but I do know my parents had me declared a ward of the state when they put me there."

Phoenix has posed:
<<Maybe you do belong.>> Jean replied to Starr. <<But I was observing your interactions with Vicky and it was clear to me that the two of you needed a little time... apart and unless you can interact with her in a more civil and understanding capcity, I will not be rushing to release you back to her. We have to work as a unit here, to get to the bottom of this, Miss Starr.>>

Jean was disheartened to hear the part of this tale about her parents. "I'm sorry." She said softly.

Storm brought over a box of tissues and set it otn the table beside Vicky and placed a hand onto her shoulder for comforting purposes.

"Do you think you could provide us with information regarding the location and... other relevant details about this facility?" She asked Vicky next.

Redstar has posed:
Vicky bites her lip as she takes a tissue and blows her nose. "Yeah...I can," She seems a little nervous once again. "I can't go back there..." And now fear and she shakes slightly, her wings rustling in an unsettled manner. "Promise you won't make me go back there?"
    ~It's the only thing that has ever gotten her to actually do any damned good. She is soft, weak, scared,~ There is contempt in Starr's mind-voice. ~She was just going to let our parents check us in to that place for good! I at least tried to save us from it.~ More bitterness and memories of a long car drive through woods and farm country. A battle of wills, Vicky crying, her parents silent and refusing to hear her pleading. Then Starr taking over, causing her parents to crash the car by summoning a ball of searing heat that scared them. An escape for a day through the woods, defending herself from 'workers' of the institution. They look more like special ops. A tranquilizer dart and then darkness.

Phoenix has posed:
<<You won't ever be going back there.>>
"You won't ever be going back there."

Jean told them both that at the same time. She saw those memories and she wasn't pleased by any of it. Her green eyes gave a look to Storm and then back to Vicky they went. "Look, Vicky." She sat forward in her chair, upright and attentive.

"I'm going to offer you a place to stay with us. I'm going to keep Starr out of your waking mind for the time being... let you get some rest here tonight and mingle as you wish with the others in the school. We have a lot of students here your age and I'm sure they'd love to get to know you. A room will be set aside for you, you can stay in it as long as you want." Jean smiled softly at her then.

"Come morning, we'll talk and figure out where this Institute is that you were sent to. I'll let Starr back into your mind then, and see if she'll be willing to play-ball with us, so to speak... to make this all... Better."

Redstar has posed:
Vicky rubs at her face with one hand. She still can't believe her luck, that this is real, but she smiles, really smiles, for the first time through the tears. "Yeah. Okay yeah," She says as she nods. "Oh! I have to let Shadow know. He helped me out. I've been staying at a second apartment he has in the city." Her hand dives into the fanny pack at her hip, pulling out a simple smart phone. "I...I know this isn't a dream, but it sure feels like it," She sits back a little in the chair, not much because there isn't room, and takes a deep breath.
    The other presence is quiet for a few seconds. ~No, I won't.~ She agrees quietly, prowling the edges of her cage now though not touching them. ~Like most everything else, I've little choice here. This, at least, is different...if not just a new prison.~ It's meant to be a barb, pointed and hurtful. Yet Starr has no idea of the things Jean has experienced and her barb likely does nothing.

Phoenix has posed:
Storm would produce her cell phone and offer it to Vicky. "Here, child." She said softly, matronly. "You can use my phone to call whomever it is you need."

Jean smiled at this lightly and nodded once. "We deal in helping people in situations precisely like this, so welcome to Xavier's School, Vicky. You can stay as long as you need to."

Storm would help Vicky up and take her to find the vacant room as well.

<<This is a complicated situation, Starr. I want to help you just as much as help Vicky. But right now I ask that you relax and try to work with us. I will let you see and hear the outside world but right now, Vicky is going to remain in control and uncontested inside her mind.>>

Jean was troubled by this Institute she saw in the girl's head, it was the kind of place she fear still existed but had hoped otherwise.