Wanda and Jeanne-Marie, Tuesday afternoon

[om_aurora]

Wanda escapes the school and Jeanne-Marie escapes her drama for an afternoon walk into town. The school and their ridiculous brothers are discussed. (After which, Wanda introduces JM to the wonderful world of bodice rippers.)

Jeanne-Marie thought it absurd that she was expected to concentrate on The Red Badge of Courage when all she wanted was to fly. To nowhere in particular, but just away from here. The last two days had been ridiculous and nothing could settle her. Perhaps it would be better, now Jean-Paul would be home more; perhaps she should simply confide in one of her friends--her real friends--and get these thoughts out of her system.

But the idea only made her more restless in her skin, and she didn't like the feeling. It seemed... ungrateful. After all she'd been through, to be ill at ease now? It was too silly.

She was just biting down hard on the inside of her cheek, trying to convince herself to be a little less silly, when she finally noticed who was coming down the hall in the other direction. A red-headed girl with a kind of sweet, ethereal prettiness that had caught her interest every time they'd crossed paths. But no more than a pleasant hello had yet been exchanged--on Jeanne-Marie's end because she felt a little awkward. Because, well. Their brothers.

But that was silly, too. And having had quite enough of that from herself lately, this time, Jeanne-Marie spoke up. "Wanda, hello. Are you on your way somewhere?"

The suddenness of the greeting caught her slightly by surprise, and it took Wanda a moment to reorient herself with a blink. "Oh, hello Jeanne-Marie," she said politely." Not someone she'd ever spoken to much outside of the occasional nod in the hallway, but she seemed nice enough. Pietro's epic stories of awkward had always seemed to focus more on her brother than the girl herself. "Ah...no. Did you need something?" She gave her a look of easy curiosity.

"No, not really," she admitted, clutching her notebook to her chest and shrugging a little. "I just feel restless, so someone to talk to appearing seemed like magic. I didn't want to keep you if you were busy, but I would like to go out. I feel like you've been here so long, but we haven't... well." Her look would likely tell Wanda, who seemed very sharp, that she knew why--she just thought it was a bad excuse.

Wanda tipped her head a little, considering. She couldn't deny it would be nice to talk to someone in a similar situation. Away from both of their brothers.

In the end, she flicked Jeanne-Marie an easy smile. "I'd be happy to. I don't think I've left the grounds since I got here, to be honest."

"Oh! Well then we really have to go." Jeanne-Marie's smile was sudden and bright. She tucked her notebook under one arm and moved to stand next her, linking the free arm up with Wanda's. "What do you like to do? Books? Music? Shopping? Coffee?"

She gave a slightly startled laugh at the other girl's sudden enthusiasm. No one touched her that often, other than Pietro but it was...nice. Friendly. "I honestly don't know," Wanda said with a smile. "Why don't we just go and see what appeals?"

"Yes," Jeanne-Marie agreed with the same eagerness--possibly even more. She led Wanda to the stairs. "Let's get our coats and walk into town. It's sunny and nice, just a little bit chilly. Do you mind? I can never tell--since my mutation showed, the cold doesn't affect me too much, but I think it is nice today."

"That seems handy," Wanda laughed a little and let herself be lead back towards their dorms. "And that should be fine. I could probably use the exercise."

"Mr. Judd will be so proud of us." Jeanne-Marie laughed with her.

A few minutes later they were on their way out the front gate. Though she usually tried to hide her ears when in town lately, for now she tucked her hair behind them and smiled up at the sunshine. She knew Jean-Paul would miss the snow, but she liked the light more, honestly.

"So, tell me what you think of this place so far, Wanda. You must've heard a lot about it, before you came. Does it meet your expectations?"

"To be honest," Wanda said thoughtfully, eyes on the path in front of them but not really focusing on anything, "I'm not sure what I was expecting. Don't get me wrong, it's amazing having all of us in one place. But it was more of an abstract idea until I got here." Except for Pietro, of course, which was the real answer. She hadn't thought about anything but getting back to her brother.

"But," she continued, shaking her head, "being able to practice, whenever we need? I can't ask for better than that."

"To be ourselves--it's more than I ever hoped for," Jeanne-Marie agreed, shoving her hands deep into the pockets of her jacket and giving a little laugh. "I didn't really understand until I arrived, and even then probably not for a few weeks. But then, I never knew anyone else like me--like us, I mean--before, either. It was such a relief, I didn't mind how strange it was."

"Really?" Wanda turned to look at her curiously. "When did yours first manifest?"

"A few years ago--at least, that is when my light powers manifested. Then not long after that I learned I could fly." She tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice, but Jeanne-Marie's upper lip curled slightly. It didn't hurt anymore to think of it... it just made her angry. "I didn't know that I had any speed--just a little, not like either of our brothers, really--until just before I came here. I think that keeping them all hidden had a lot to do with that."

Wanda just nodded a little, mouth twisting in commiseration. Being able to hide had never been her problem. Part of her wondered if she might have learned better control faster if it had, but it was pointless to obsess over. "At least you have your pick of people to practice with," she offered after a moment, a vague attempt to lighten the mood.

"Yes, exactly." Jeanne-Marie leaned in, casually threading her arm through Wanda's at the elbow once more. She was sorry to see that Wanda obviously understood the bad parts--or at least something similar, but it did make for a certain kind of instant closeness among her Xavier's friends, Jeanne-Marie had noticed. "Jean-Paul and I work with our powers some mornings. My speed is better around him, and he cannot really do much with light without me." Which was why the squad arrangements were so vexing, but, well. They'd just see about that.

Anyhow, Jeanne-Marie had heard that Wanda wasn't there from the beginning like her brother because her own powers were troublesome, but it was all very abstract to her. In retrospect, perhaps she should've asked Pietro about his sister; it would've been polite, wouldn't it? Well, now she had Wanda to ask. "When did your powers appear?"

"We were thirteen or so," Wanda said, using the plural without thinking. "And for both of us right around the same time, luckily." For many reasons. Wanda smiled a little wryly and shook her head. "Our powers have nothing to do with each others though. It must be interesting to share them."

"I think I was thirteen, too. Jean-Paul was older, though.

"The powers are nice, because it feels like we are really connected. We don't have--" Jeanne-Marie paused, not even knowing how to phrase it, not sure if it would sound envious if she said what she was thinking. She smiled, but it felt bashful, suddenly. "We didn't grow up together, so I think it helps in that way. To feel like brother and sister. But it sometimes... awkward." A little laugh. "When we touch, if we're not careful, there is so much light--we almost blinded Xavier the first time, because we didn't know."

"I can imagine." Not least because Jean-Paul wasn't exactly the most approachable person to suddenly discover you were related to. Though Wanda wouldn't doubt he was very different with his sister than with Pietro. "I don't think I would have handled it quite so well if I'd just met Pietro this year," she added with a rueful smile.

"You would be a different person," Jeanne-Marie said softly, by way of agreement. "I think about that a lot. How things might've been. How much better."

Even with a brother like Pietro, who seemed so flighty and hyperactive--well, Jeanne-Marie supposed more people thought worse of her own, and yet she had trouble doing without him already. Then she smiled, remembering, "But you have met a sister this year."

"That is true," Wanda said with a soft laugh. "And that was strange enough. She and Pietro are a lot alike, though."

Jeanne-Marie laughed too, though she refrained from expressing how very interesting she suspected that might prove. "In what ways? I do not know either of them very well, only in a sort of casual way."

"Well they're both incredibly opinionated, to put it kindly," she returned dryly, though her smile was fond. "It makes for interesting conversations, let me tell you."

That made perfect sense, and Jeanne-Marie kept grinning. "So long as their opinions agree enough that you don't have to keep them separated."

"For the moment," Wanda agreed with obvious amusement. "Their first real argument will probably shake the walls."

"When posters start shaking down, I will know who to blame." Then Jeanne-Marie had a thought, though she hesitated to bring it up. Was it too personal, for someone she hardly knew? And yet... "This may not be a good question, but please don't feel bad to tell me if is. But do you and Pietro fight?"

It started a laugh out of her, and Wanda shook her head. "Do we fight? All the time. About everything."

Jeanne-Marie gave Wanda's arm a squeeze. "I am always a little bit scared to fight with Jean-Paul. Maybe because our first fight was so bad. But I suppose he cannot escape being my brother, no matter what, now." She laughed again, this time in relief.

"All siblings fight," Wanda said with an almost encouraging smile. "I think it would be stranger if you didn't. And if your first fight was bad and you're still okay with each other, then anything else can't be that bad, can it?"

Put that way, it seemed a little bit silly. A lot silly, actually. Another giggle, this time at herself. Jeanne-Marie replied, "No, it cannot. I have never had family before--and I was moved around a good deal, growing up, from home to home. My last foster parents were the longest I spent with anyone, and they were--well, I certainly did not like to fight with them, either." A significant look, though her tone was light, for discussing something so dark. She never liked to keep that inside--Xavier had told her it made her feel ashamed, and she was tired of that, above all else.

"So you see, every little thing is the end of the world, to me. But family is sort of the opposite? Nothing can ever be the end, really?" Jeanne-Marie made the last two statements into questions with her tone, more looking for confirmation or correction than anything else.

Wanda gave her a deeply understanding look in return but didn't comment, it was obviously something Jeanne-Marie didn't want to linger on and Wanda was more than fine with that. "I can understand that," she agreed with a slight nod. "But it's true. They say you don't choose your family for a reason," she smiled very slightly. "You're stuck with them if you like it or not."

"I am lucky that I like Jean-Paul, then." She wanted to say more, but she didn't want to offend Wanda. Jeanne-Marie was uncertain how much she knew about their brothers' odd... animosity didn't feel like the right word, but near enough. Still, Wanda was so sweet, a far gentler spirit than her wild brother seemed--surely they could talk about it. "Have you met him?"

"Jean-Paul? I don't think so." She hesitated for a moment, weighing her words. "I've heard quite a bit about him from Pietro," Wanda said finally.

Jeanne-Marie chewed at the inside of her cheek a little, hesitating. Then, "They have never gotten along. I think their personalities are too, ah, opposite?" Pietro Maximoff was loud, even demanding, sometimes--a point which she would let Wanda make for herself, and, "Jean-Paul is very intense and--and secretive, you know? Guarded, all the time.

"I do not know Pietro very well--probably because of that. Ah, but he has always been very kind to me." Which was why, although she was annoyed for her brother's sake, Jeanne-Marie had never been able to completely dislike Eames or Pietro. They had both been kind to her when she'd felt like she had no other friend in the world. She couldn't forget that.

"He can be that," Wanda murmured, more to herself, then shook her head. "Pietro doesn't always do well with guarded. He wants to poke at people even when he knows it's a bad idea. And...protective." She tipped her head a little. "I don't know how much you know about it, but Pietro told me Jean-Paul was rather unpleasant towards someone Pietro is very close to. He doesn't take that well."

"Eames," Jeanne-Marie said with a little nod. She didn't know what it was about Pietro and Eames, but that was incidental--and anyhow, most of her friends adored them both without reservation. The point was that she had only considered Pietro as provoking her brother, and not his end of things in that way. Really, "It is to his credit. Jean-Paul is like that too, with his friends. It is no excuse to speak badly of someone's friends to them, but Jean-Paul was... Not having an easy time of things, the day that happened, and he and Eames..."

Normally, she would not have discussed it with anyone, but Jeanne-Marie felt instinctively that Wanda Maximoff was a friend she wanted to have, and that if they didn't clear up this nonsense with the brothers they loved--at least, just between the two of them, the girls--then it would be a little bit tense. "Eames caused Jean-Paul a lot of trouble once--and then behaved is if it should've been nothing. Jean-Paul can hold a grudge, especially when he thinks someone is telling him how to think or feel.

"It is the most remarkable conspiracy of factors, personalities, and timing, really." A sort of bemused smile took over Jeanne-Marie's face, then.

"And the fact that boys are idiots," Wanda sighed. She could see it all too easily-- Pietro getting indignant on a friend's behalf and lashing out over it, Jean-Paul and Pietro already rubbing each other the wrong was as it was. And all of them holding stupid grudges over things they probably barely remember the reasons for anymore. "Sometimes I wonder if it wouldn't be easier just to knock all of their heads together."

"That is exactly how I feel," Jeanne-Marie said, dead serious but also smiling. "I think of it several times a day, to tell the truth. They are such strange, self-centered beings."

It was a mystery to Jeanne-Marie. And oh, between Anders, being annoyed with Simon on Jean-Paul's behalf, and now this Brian-and-Bobby mess, she felt the urge to knock heads together all day, every day, lately.

All of which she did not want to think about just now--in particular, the Brian Issue needed time to rest--and would certainly not burden Wanda Maximoff with. No. That would not be fair, even if Wanda seemed like the kind of person who would have the clarity and wit to deal with it sensibly. They had only just met, really. Jeanne-Marie sighed. "We are so outnumbered by them, here, too. Surrounded on all sides."

"Maybe our sheer levels of common sense will win out in the end anyway," Wanda said with a laugh. For all that she adored her brother, it was strangely nice to have an ally against all of the ridiculous melodrama boys could apparently conjure up when unsupervised. Was this how Pietro had felt when he'd started making real friends, before she'd gotten there?

"If nothing else, we can remind them when they're being especially stupid," she added with a small shake of her head. "Maybe it will help." From the tone of Wanda's voice, she doubted it. But it would make her feel better.

"We must live in hope, no? If all else fails, we will lock down the girls' wing a little better than the rules already have and really ban them." Jeanne-Marie laughed, obviously doubting it as well--and of course joking about banning the boys.

... mostly joking, anyhow. With the week she was having, perhaps it wasn't the worst idea.

"Worst case scenario," Wanda agreed with a flicker of a teasing smile. "Then we'd just have to put up with the whining instead."

"We could turn up the music and turn off our phones?" Jeanne-Marie suggested with a similar smile of her own.

"Worth a try, at least."