Owner	Pose
Jean Grey	The school year approaches fast, though if one counts the summer schedule then does it ever really end? Jean is outside at one of the small tables set up for people to lounge or work outside, and she's engaged in the latter. There's an iced tea on the table that the sun is slowly reverting to its traditional state even with an umbrella present. She's got her laptop in front of her which is firmly in the shade. It's full of spreadsheets and calendars, as she works on arranging the class schedules and student training periods. She's even got a notebook and pencil next to her with an array of scrawled notes. "...so chemistry here, then bio? No, too much science at once. Hm, art. Switch up the brain. But then they just need to come back down...hmf." She mutters and grumbles to herself as she moves blocks around like a single shape Tetris game.
Shannon	Indeed, the school year likely never ended for some. One such youngster is sprawled out on a towel on the grass, in her black bandeau bikini, and soaking up some sun. Or so it seems. In front of her is a biology textbook that looks more as if it's meant for seniors or college students, judging by the heft of the dang thing. Yet she seems intent on studying it, soaking up what knowledge she can, and generally at least -trying- to keep out of trouble.      Though how long would that last...?
Logan	Logan was back once again. That seemed to be a common way of looking at his life with the X Men. Today, he was dressed in jeans, a leather jacket, and riding boots. Moving from the Cabin on Breakstone Lake, Logan heads towards the garage, looking like he was heading somewhere else.
Colossus	So many of the kids still being gone when added to a few other issues troubling him has led Piotr to withdraw into chores. The problem with chores is they end. He's finished his own summer classes, and his adviser was squawking about nearly being done. Piotr tuned him out. His lessons are planned. His art room has been cleaned, rearranged, and then cleaned and changed again.     Piotr comes up from the backyard with a bag of garbage he collected from the fenceline. There just isn't too terribly much. A few tree branches stick out, but the bag is mostly empty. His steps are methodical and measured. His mind is churning through this and that and the poor Russian is sweating profusely.     "Hello." The greeting is quiet but sincere.
Jean Grey	Jean Grey reaches up her hand to scrub her palm over cheekbone and brow to try and shove away an impending headache, and takes the twinge as a sign to lean back from the screen for a few minutes. She then comes to find she's no longer alone. She looks firstly towards Shannon out there in the grass, and there's a twitch of a smile at the corner of her mouth as her eyes take in the size of the book. One guess where that came from. With her eyes on the lawn, she Piotr emerging from the woodwork. Or trees, as it were. "Are you still pruning trees out there? You need some extra hands?" But he's not the only one to appear, and she gives a faint and contemplative click of her tongue as a wild Canadian appears. "Logan!" She calls out, "Sneaking home and not saying hi as usual?" Her voice sounds stern, but there's that amused gleam in green eyes. She's long used to his comings and going.
Shannon	Apparently, it was no light reading, even for the winged teen, who was rarely without a book in hand, her laptop, or sometimes even both. Closing the tome with a light -whump-, she pushes herself to sitting up, spreading her wings out wide and relishing the feel of the sun upon them. Her hands upraised above her head, she stretches out, rubbing her eyes and glancing around. A wave and a smile is offered to Jean, her smile widening still further as she spots the wild Canadian in question. "Welcome back!" she calls out.      Mr. Rasputin's look of someone ill-affected by the heat does wipe the smile right off her face, however. Ever the healer, she's on her feet, and darting inside to get a pitcher of lemonade and some glasses for everyone. Nobody was going to drop from heat exhaustion on /her/ watch!
Logan	Logan hears a voice with a Russian accent, and stops. Pulling himself up short, he looks over at Colossus, and says, "Pete. Working too hard again I see." Logan places his hands on his hips. "Whatcha up to?" Next, Logan hears another voice. One that almost...almost! makes him smile. Almost. "Jeanie." His eyes find hers, and he grunts. "Yeah. Hi." Few words. Again. No apology. "Won't be gone long. You know how it is. Always got somewhere ta' be, somethin' ta' do." Someone to slice. Last, Logan looks over his shoulder at another. Shannon. "Hey kid. Thanks." Looking like he was getting ready to move towards the garage once again, he takes a quick moment to appear like he is being friendly.
Colossus	"Garbage in the fence. Jeremy and Shannon did very good at helping me prune the branches back from the fence." He nods to Logan in a friendly way. As he approaches Jean he deposits the garbage off to the side,, then points back at her screen. He confidently gestures with his finger to the schedule she was going to set but rejected because it involved stairs. "Stairs build character." Piotr's tone is quiet. He tries to stay out of Jean's way because he is covered in sweat. The Russian does not like summer.     He grunts softly after Shannon. "I am fine." One can almost hear him audibly roll his eyes. " His head gives a faint shake and he moves back over to pick up the garbage bag. "I am going to throw this away." He tells Logan with a little shrug. "I like to be busy." Some things simply do not change. He accepts that Logan comes and goes as he pleases. "Harry's before the kids come." The Russian does not make it a demand; merely a suggestion. "I am improving with the darts."
Jean Grey	"Yeah, yeah. Big world," Jean says teasingly with a sweep of her hand towards the lake before swinging it back around to thumb-point towards the mansion behind her. "Tiny cage, but you always come back." And that sounds like it's enough reassurance for her. She squints in amusement then towards Piotr as he criticizes her schedule. "Thirty pairs of feet on the stairs is also thunderous. Think of the poor architecture." She does lean in ever so slightly to give him a closer squint as he utters he's fine. "Hm." Is the single note she utters, that kind of suspicious noise like she sensed a shift in the air. But she leans back and turns her eyes towards Shannon. "Speaking of classes, that doesn't look like light reading. Still working with Doctor McCoy, I take it?"
Shannon	With Miss Grey's table being something of a central hub for the moment, Shannon deposits the pitchers and glasses upon it, for others to avail themselves of it or not, as they will. Even Mr. Rasputin's protestations of well-being only get a light shrug, at least outwardly. However, those directly next to her, and anyone with very good hearing, might hear something akin to a muttered, "Stubborn mule," coming from her. Or was that a trick of the cicadas and bullfrogs that sang their songs into the sultry summer afternoon? One may never be quite certain.      The query about the book has Shannon oddly turning about very quickly, her brows lofting as she bites her lip. She chokes back any reply for a moment other than a nod, and a "Yes, Miss Grey."      She's just as quick to turn away, distinctly on edge as she makes her way back to her towel. However, she stops for a moment, looking back at Logan. "Staying for a while this time? You'd be surprised how folks miss you around here."
Logan	Logan shrugs. Nods back at Piotr, watches as he deposits the garbage and turns back to the red head. "What, it is a big world!" Hearing what Pete tosses out there, Logan then smiles. "Harry's. Good idea. Yer buying." Before the kids come. Ugh. September. "Tiny cage...feels like that sometimes you know." Logan shakes his head. "But yeah, I'll always come back. As long as this ticker keeps on ticking." Logan taps his chest and then looks over at Shannon and snorts. "I am pretty sure great sighs of relief go up every time I jet out of here."
Colossus	"Bah." Piotr snorts. "What is a little thunder?" He replies to Jean. "The foot traffic ends the complaints over an instructor being unreasonable or stubborn." His chuckle is deep and he seems unoffended. Piotr hefts the garbage back with one hand and plods towards the garbage cans at his usual pace- he is not slow. He is just big and the size is deceptive.     Dropping the bag, Piotr starts back. "I will buy." He agrees with Logan. "What else do I have to spend salary on? I have my truck, room, board, some savings, and some to send back home." His shoulders rise and fall in a shrug. "Life is good." Feelings about Logan coming and going, if he has any, are not commented upon.
Jean Grey	"We're all stubborn. That's a losing argument every time." Jean points out. "The loser is whoever is slightly less stubborn, which means the arguments can run longer than a round of Monopoly." As the student answers, Jean slowly turns that same lie detector needle look she had on Piotr onto Shannon at her abrupt answer and overt body language. But unlike her old metallic friend, she doesn't let Shannon go so easily. "Why do you look like I just caught you in class with the answers written on your arm?"
Shannon	Without a word, the winged teen simply picks up the book, brings it over to Miss Grey's table, and sets it down next to her, taking a step back. Sure enough, it was indeed a book borrowed from Mr. McCoy's lab, looking to be one intended more for a college student. "At least staying here reading a book, I've got a prayer at staying out of trouble."      Logan's reply gets an arched brow from the girl, and she frowns. Without even hesitating, she simply goes right up to him and looks him square in the eye, not flinching. But there is something of a smile tugging the corners of her mouth up a little bit. Just a little. "You'd be thinking wrong this time." Plain and simple. No fuss, no muss. "Still on for training on Fridays?" The long-standing bouts of training had been no secret to anybody who knew her--and a welcome thing.
Logan	"Yer a good man, Pete. A good man. I'll be there." Life is good. Is it? "Right. I'm off to get back on the road. An old friend went missing in 1976, and I heard she may be back. So, gotta track her down, see if the rumour is true." Logan puts on a neutral expression and moves towards the garage. With a look back over his shoulder, Logan nods to Piotr, winks at Jean, says "Stubborn. Yep. That's me." Then he "two finger salutes" towards Shannon, tapping his right temple with both fingers. "Fridays. Sure kid. When I'm around." A pause. "You ladies hold down the fort for me. You too Pete! Be back soon!" With that, Logan heads to the garage and is gone from sight.
Colossus	"Be safe." Piotr says. He does not admonish. "If you need help, call." That simple. To expect anything else from Logan is unreasonable, and for him not to offer to help is impossible for Piotr. Piotr stuffs his hands in his pockets and nods to Logan as the other man departs. Piotr's frown lasts only a moment. He pulls in a breath and slowly works his jaw, bouncing on his heels a couple of times. He is officially out of things to do.
Jean Grey	"Good hunting, Logan." Bids Jean towards the departing man before turning back to the two still present. It's Shannon who's then given a look that's too murky to be called either disappointed or sad as she rests one of her hands atop the book. "Pretending trouble isn't out there or doesn't cross those walls isn't the way to go about it. It's knowing how close your friends are and when to engage or back away and call in those friends." She nudges the book back across the table before reaching out to top off her tea with lemonade.
Shannon	One finely arched blonde brow lofts as Shannon just stares right at Jean for a moment. Had she just heard what she -thought- she heard? The look is not broken for several long moments, her expression turning far more serious than a girl her age ought to be, before she finally closes her eyes and takes a deep breath to tamp down a burst of unnameable emotion. "Trust me, I know it's out there. I go for what /should/ be a simple, supervised trip to a museum, it finds me. I go for a bit of pizza in Salem Center, it still finds me. It's found us right here on school grounds this past year. I don't pretend it doesn't exist, but I don't go looking for it either. It's gonna find us soon enough without helping it along. So I'm trying to /not/ help it along, and maybe learn to fix some of the damage in the process."      The towel is forgotten, the winged teel plopping herself right down in a chair next to Miss Grey, and nudging one out for Mr. Rasputin to join them if he chooses. "I wish there wasn't a need for teams like the X-men, or New Mutants, or any other team out there, or for a place like this. But there is." Her voice does soften for a moment, that ghost of a smile tugging her lips upwards again. "And we have this place, and each other. Something I'll always be glad for."
Colossus	Looking at the two women, and weighing things. "I need a shower." Piotr says, his tone gentle and calm but obviously looking as if he is uncomfortable. With a little shake of his head, Piotr turns towards the house. His Russian is showing in this moment. "I will see you at dinner." He tells the ladies.
Jean Grey	Looking over towards Piotr, Jean gives the man a soft nod as he heads off. Then it's back to Shannon and that stifled rise of emotion. "Ah." Jean says quietly, a single note that carries the weight of a few lifetimes on it. She tips her head back to look up at the sky, searchingly as if she could see one star amongst the blue. "And you realize the difficulty of The Dream. Peace at the cost of war. Life at the cost of lives. We hold close to each other, hoping that some day we can call the world home instead of an old, dusty mansion beside a lake. I wasn't joking, when I called it a cage." There's a strange and subdued fury in those last words, and a fire behind those green eyes like seeing a tiger through bars and it knowing it doesn't belong there. She drops her chin again and looks aside to the teen, the look gone as quickly as it came like the summer fog at dawn. "I wish I had an answer. I wish I could tell you that it'll all work out, but you're smart enough to know the odds. The trouble you find yourself in isn't odd. It's always out there, just not everyone sees it. I don't want you going out there trying to be a hero, but I know that's not what you're doing. In the moment, you're just doing what you can."
Shannon	"Isn't that all any of us can do?" Fury or not, it doesn't deter Shannon one bit. It was a feeling she recognized within herself, every time she went out and encountered hte trouble that plagued the world at large. It was a feeling she knew too well, when helpless to do much if anything at all to help the ones she'd come to love the most.      Oh no, it doesn't deter her one bit. Leaning over in her chair, she offers a one-armed and one-winged hug to Miss Grey, and smiles somewhat. "The Dream's difficult, but I want to believe it's still worth working towards. It's worth it, and none of us are alone." She cracks a self-deprecating smile, chuckling and shaking her head. "Even if some of us still have a little growing to do."
Jean Grey	Jean Grey reaches out to drape her arm over the girl's shoulders in a reciprocal one-sided hug. "Adult Secret: No one ever fully grows up. That ceiling is a lie. There's always room to get better." "Just be careful out there, alright? The school's our sanctuary as well as our burden. Keeping this place secret, safe, and out of notice is key. I can't tell you not to fight, though that would be what the headmistress part of me needs to say. I'm not a fool. It's just remembering that someone is always watching, and those eyes can turn back here. We can't just worry about protecting ourselves, but it's protecting everyone here too. It's not easy. There's a lot I wish I could go out there and do, but I can't just mind wipe everyone who might draw a line between me on television and me on the school website."
Shannon	"Oh, so even adults think adulting sucks. I don't feel so bad now." Shannon chuckles lightly, leaning into the hug for a moment. It did much to bleed off some of the tension in her thoughts of late. "I don't mention the school when I meet people, and I don't introduce myself with my last name. Heck, even when I wound up meeting Captain Rogers last year, if I hadn't heard from Kitty at the pool party for our birthdays that he had been here just a few weeks before, I wouldn't have even alluded to it to him. And that's going some."      She smiles a bit wryly, only drawing back if or when Miss Grey does. "If someone's watching, maybe I oughta hit 'em with the pressed ham. That'll scare 'em off." She snickers softly, shaking her head. "Or we dig up those old pictures Jeremy erased of Logan, that'll do it, too."
Jean Grey	"NO." Jean blurts as she's leaning back, only clearing her throat once the exclamation is out. "No, no and I'm not bringing *that* up again. Some things are better left forgotten." Shameful pictures and the Ark of the Covenant both seem to belong in a forgotten warehouse in Jean's mind. "We do have more than Jeremy keeping an eye on the web though, we have for a long time. Sometimes we do have to superhero in the streets, so we try and keep the whole 'X-Men' thing on the down low when it comes to the internet. Best offense is a good defense sometimes."
Shannon	"Who are they? Never heard of 'em!" Shannon quips, with a wink to Miss Grey. Much like the three monkeys, she sees no evil, hears no evil, and speaks no evil. X-men? Who are they, anyways?      The outburst in regards to such pictures draws out a soft little snicker at first from the winged student. A snicker which turns into a giggle, then outright fits of laughter. Her pale azure eyes twinkle with amusement. "Oh come on, it'd be a perfect defense!"
Jean Grey	"Good answer." Jean remarks with a laugh as she picks up her drink. "The bonus being the less people know of, the more places we can sneak into. Thankfully, we haven't had to do a lot of that lately. Of course, now that I say that, something will inevitably happen that'll need the whole team flying off. That's just how it goes. But for now, the worst I need to worry about it class arrangements."
Shannon	"Flying off... and returning oddly hungry?" Shannon snickers softly, shaking her head. "I don't wanna know what happened on that one, but I sure was hard-pressed to keep up with making enough snacks that day! Plos... well, my dreams looked like something out of the sixties that night."      Glancing back towards the mansion, she smiled a bit more, ruffling her wings. A few feathers are starting to look a touch ragged; it seemed molting season would soon be here. "Speaking of snacks, there anything I can get for you? You've already got your hands full, so let someone spoil you a little for a change."
Jean Grey	"Not our proudest moment, or mine." Jean says with a grimace pulling at the corners of her face along with a strong surge of embarrassment. "If you ever wind up in a field of 'alternative medicine', do not use fire. I didn't think I got it that bad, but the reports of people having weird dreams... well. Sorry. I don't like losing control like that." "Anyway! I'm good, really, thank you. I should wrap up for awhile and give my eyes a break. I might head out for the evening and see what's up in town and get some fresh air."
Shannon	Hugging Miss Grey once more, she hastens to offer some reassurance. "It was a really nice dream, just vivid. We were all out here cooking out and having a good time, and all was right with the world." Getting up, she smiles, scooping up the book and getting her towel, to bring everything back inside. "You all came home alive and in one piece, so I'd still call that a win." She pauses and smiles warmly, much of her earlier tension gone. "I'm glad you're all okay."