[ She jerks away on her end, too. But that's as good an invitation as she'll get, considering the state of things. She's pretty sure everyone here will be alright. More hands to hold the fort down, as it were. Logan needs more than what he has. ]
On my way.
[ So, after hanging up, Jean opens the window to her room and backs up. She takes in and lets out a breath and runs toward the window and lifts herself out of it. She drops some in the air as soon as she's out in the cold but she uses her arms to help push her up more, away from the ground and up, up into the air.
The cold bites but she's determined to get to the farm. She pulls up the scarf to cover up to her nose but still has to squint against the wind as she pushes herself onward.
Once she gets to the farm itself, she can spot movement in one of the fields. A lone horse. She tries to push herself to it but a wave of exhaustion hits her and she's descending to the ground. Not falling but she has to move her body enough to have her feet meet the ground once she's close enough.
Jean stumbles once she's on the ground but stays upright. She looks toward the horse and it's still a ways out. She sighs behind her scarf before pulling it down. ]
[ He expects her to come by the normal way of doing things, to arrive via train and show up at the end of the long drive, framed on either side by dead wheat. Long enough for him to have the runaway mare in check, by his reckoning, and maybe then Jean can help him put her away...
He's certainly not expecting to be in the midst of crossing the field to see a figure falling from the sky. No no, not falling- descending the way Storm did, though with a little less of Ororo's grace, a slightly brighter shape across the dark horizon. Logan spurs his horse into a quick trot, and reigns him in not far behind that figure, surprised as fuck to discover it's Jean. ]
[ She hears the thumping of hooves and looks over, surprised in turn to see Logan on the draft horse. His question has her thinking for a moment before shrugging, lifting her arms slightly in the gesture. ]
A while?
[ Ever since she fought Apocalypse. She was surprised to find she could do it, too. Looking back over at the mare, she points, ]
[ His mouth flattens into a line, though his gaze follows Jean's gesture and he nods. ]
Yep- ah, shit.
[ Noticing her pursuers, Gabriela issues a shrill cry of alarm, and sets to cantering a little farther away. Logan swears beneath his breath in a warm cloud of white, before he offers a hand down to Jean. ]
[ She takes his hand and uses some of her powers to help herself get on the horse. Flying still takes a lot out of her, though. She has to blink away the lightheadedness as she holds on to Logan. ]
Why is it so afraid? Just from the lights going out?
[ A low cough, in the cold air. The freezing temp doesn't affect him, not really- he's spent worse nights in worse weather wearing less. ]
Talk to her. Try not to sneak up on her- she's got to get a bead on you and decide you're not about to hurt her.
[ Something that isn't really working, at present. She's since settled a relatively short distance away, her tail whipping anxiously beneath the starlight. Logan glances at Jean out of the corner of his eye, and adds- ]
Charles had-- has --a way of calming animals. Think you can try and reach out to her?
[ At that cough, Jean frowns at the back of his head and is already undoing one of her scarves with one hand by the time he's asking about her trying to calm the horse down.
She pauses, surprised by the idea because it had never occurred to her before. ]
Telepathically? I don't know. I've never tried it before.
[ But she gets the scarf off her and then is pushing it to hang around Logan's neck. Adding, ]
[ What's she- oh. He lifts a hand like it'll still her, only it doesn't because she's still looping the warm wool around his neck. ]
It's just a little brisk. I'm fine. You don't gotta worry about me.
[ He'll loosen it a bit with a tug, his mouth pulled up into a lopsided, long-suffering sort of smile. Alright. Alright. Logan nods toward the horse. ]
Look, just give it a shot. Animals are a lot simpler than people. Should be a breeze.
[ She looks back to the horse and suddenly feels a spike of fear in her stomach. Flying was one thing. Connecting to someone else's mind was something she hasn't done since... before she woke up in the hospital with no memory of how she got there.
[ This time he actually turn to look at her. As best he can anyway, from where he sits in the saddle before her, a glance over his shoulder. Beneath them, Chuck shifts his weight. ]
Why would you think that?
[ It's clear by his tone that he thinks the question's ridiculous. ]
[ She averts her eyes, from him or the mare, knowing the answer and yet not able to find the words to answer truthfully. It's taken time, but slowly she has regained her memories of what happened on the slave outpost. Remembers following Laura there, remembers finding the young girl and helping her. Remembers being overpowered and then put in a cage. She remembers the "Phoenix" taking over.
She remembers nearly killing Kurt and the man in front of her. And she remembers desperation driving her to shut her own mind into a coma to make it all stop.
But how can she say any of this here and now? Shaking her head slightly, ]
[ It's that unease, and the fear wafting off her that has him frowning. Don't think he doesn't recall what happened that day, that terrible, dreadful day when Laura disappeared through the Ingress, when she was captured, when Kurt was injured, and when the thing that haunted him for ages, the thing that took Jean from all of them, had come back in a blaze of hellish glory.
Whether it's that or something else making her hesitate, he doesn't know. She flew all the way here- why balk now? Sliding a hand back, he touches her fingers where they're fisted in his shirt. ]
You got this, Jean.
[ His encouragement is quiet, a low rumble shot through with a deep note of trust. It'll be all right. ]
[ She had wanted to help him. But using her telepathy hadn't been apart of the equation. Until it apparently was. Her fear is palpable and she feels like she could choke on it until Logan gives her those words of encouragement. A gentle touch full of trust and, for a moment, she feels like she can believe it.
Jean gives another nod and moves to get off the horse. Before Logan can protest, she adds quietly, ]
Just in case.
[ She's not even sure what will happen but she doesn't want to risk Logan or Chuck in case... anything bad happens. She gives Chuck a gentle pat to his neck before moving away and walking forward towards the mare. Once she feels she's at a good distance from both, she stops and tries to calm herself. Closes her eyes and tries not to think about what happened on that outpost. Vicious fire and malice flashes at the forefront of her mind's eye and she shakes her head. She forces them away.
Jumps far back, to when the Professor taught her how to first use her telepathy. She raises a hand up to her head, two fingers at her temple. Like it was a button to press. Something she can control. Slowly, carefully, reach out. Breathe in, breathe out.
She feels the mare's unease, fear. Jean's heart goes out to it, trying to soothe it. It's okay. You know us. We just want to help you. Keep you safe. The mare whinnies and tosses her head a few times, looking like she might run again, but Jean persists, continuing in her attempts to calm it.
It's okay.
Finally, the mare goes quiet and starts to walk over to them. Jean opens her eyes when she can hear the hooves close by and lowers her hand from her temple slowly as the mare approaches her. When it stops in front of her, and it doesn't flinch from her as she moves her hand to its nose, Jean finally smiles. Relieved, blinking back tears. She rubs up and down the mare's nose and then does the same for the neck before pressing her face against it. ]
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no subject
On my way.
[ So, after hanging up, Jean opens the window to her room and backs up. She takes in and lets out a breath and runs toward the window and lifts herself out of it. She drops some in the air as soon as she's out in the cold but she uses her arms to help push her up more, away from the ground and up, up into the air.
The cold bites but she's determined to get to the farm. She pulls up the scarf to cover up to her nose but still has to squint against the wind as she pushes herself onward.
Once she gets to the farm itself, she can spot movement in one of the fields. A lone horse. She tries to push herself to it but a wave of exhaustion hits her and she's descending to the ground. Not falling but she has to move her body enough to have her feet meet the ground once she's close enough.
Jean stumbles once she's on the ground but stays upright. She looks toward the horse and it's still a ways out. She sighs behind her scarf before pulling it down. ]
Dammit.
no subject
He's certainly not expecting to be in the midst of crossing the field to see a figure falling from the sky. No no, not falling- descending the way Storm did, though with a little less of Ororo's grace, a slightly brighter shape across the dark horizon. Logan spurs his horse into a quick trot, and reigns him in not far behind that figure, surprised as fuck to discover it's Jean. ]
Since when the Hell can you fly?
no subject
A while?
[ Ever since she fought Apocalypse. She was surprised to find she could do it, too. Looking back over at the mare, she points, ]
Is that the only one out?
no subject
Yep- ah, shit.
[ Noticing her pursuers, Gabriela issues a shrill cry of alarm, and sets to cantering a little farther away. Logan swears beneath his breath in a warm cloud of white, before he offers a hand down to Jean. ]
I don't have time for this. C'mon.
no subject
Why is it so afraid? Just from the lights going out?
no subject
She's always been a little high strung. First week I got the place, she spooked at a damn fence post.
[ Logan gives Jean's hand a pat and lets her go. ]
no subject
Jean frowns more at what she's told, her heart going out to the poor animal. Doesn't help she's always had a soft spot for horses. ]
What do you normally do to calm her down?
no subject
Talk to her. Try not to sneak up on her- she's got to get a bead on you and decide you're not about to hurt her.
[ Something that isn't really working, at present. She's since settled a relatively short distance away, her tail whipping anxiously beneath the starlight. Logan glances at Jean out of the corner of his eye, and adds- ]
Charles had-- has --a way of calming animals. Think you can try and reach out to her?
no subject
She pauses, surprised by the idea because it had never occurred to her before. ]
Telepathically? I don't know. I've never tried it before.
[ But she gets the scarf off her and then is pushing it to hang around Logan's neck. Adding, ]
You should be wearing a jacket.
no subject
It's just a little brisk. I'm fine. You don't gotta worry about me.
[ He'll loosen it a bit with a tug, his mouth pulled up into a lopsided, long-suffering sort of smile. Alright. Alright. Logan nods toward the horse. ]
Look, just give it a shot. Animals are a lot simpler than people. Should be a breeze.
no subject
Softly, ]
...you don't think I'll hurt her?
no subject
Why would you think that?
[ It's clear by his tone that he thinks the question's ridiculous. ]
no subject
She remembers nearly killing Kurt and the man in front of her. And she remembers desperation driving her to shut her own mind into a coma to make it all stop.
But how can she say any of this here and now? Shaking her head slightly, ]
I'll give it a try.
[ Even if she's terrified to. ]
no subject
Whether it's that or something else making her hesitate, he doesn't know. She flew all the way here- why balk now? Sliding a hand back, he touches her fingers where they're fisted in his shirt. ]
You got this, Jean.
[ His encouragement is quiet, a low rumble shot through with a deep note of trust. It'll be all right. ]
no subject
Jean gives another nod and moves to get off the horse. Before Logan can protest, she adds quietly, ]
Just in case.
[ She's not even sure what will happen but she doesn't want to risk Logan or Chuck in case... anything bad happens. She gives Chuck a gentle pat to his neck before moving away and walking forward towards the mare. Once she feels she's at a good distance from both, she stops and tries to calm herself. Closes her eyes and tries not to think about what happened on that outpost. Vicious fire and malice flashes at the forefront of her mind's eye and she shakes her head. She forces them away.
Jumps far back, to when the Professor taught her how to first use her telepathy. She raises a hand up to her head, two fingers at her temple. Like it was a button to press. Something she can control. Slowly, carefully, reach out. Breathe in, breathe out.
She feels the mare's unease, fear. Jean's heart goes out to it, trying to soothe it. It's okay. You know us. We just want to help you. Keep you safe. The mare whinnies and tosses her head a few times, looking like she might run again, but Jean persists, continuing in her attempts to calm it.
It's okay.
Finally, the mare goes quiet and starts to walk over to them. Jean opens her eyes when she can hear the hooves close by and lowers her hand from her temple slowly as the mare approaches her. When it stops in front of her, and it doesn't flinch from her as she moves her hand to its nose, Jean finally smiles. Relieved, blinking back tears. She rubs up and down the mare's nose and then does the same for the neck before pressing her face against it. ]
Good girl. Good girl.