Issue 1 Downtime

Theresa had contemplated doing this in the Danger Room, but that just didn't seem right somehow. So was standing barefoot out in one of the gardens, her eyes glowing a soft green as she ran her hands through the air like someone running their fingers water. The movements resembled tai-chi, but weren't exactly right for that either. She pivoted up to one foot and swung her arms around, bringing them out in front of her palms forward. And the wind followed the movement, swirling around her and following the movement of her arms to blow out across the garden.

((Open))

"Hey," Brigid says as she approaches. "Heard you were back."

"Just got back yesterday. News still travels freakishly fast, I see," she says with a smile, bringing one hand up to support a small swirling vortex of air, manipulating it with her fingers as though she were physically spinning it. "How're you doing, Brigid?"

"Yeah well, people checked what the forecast was supposed to be," she smirks.

"I'm doing better now that Dad's left, at least."

"I did notice Lord Scary hovering in the crowd yesterday. Hopefully he didn't cause too much damage."

"Dad was just, you know, being Dad."

"So this is new. You've been practicing, huh?"

"All summer to one extent or another," she said. She flicked her fingers and the vortex turned on its side, still spinning against her palm, even though her palm was now vertical. "Just like I imagine everyone around here has been doing."

"I just chilled out for the most part. There's some bad things that come out in the dark months."

"I wasn't sure if you went home or not, though I suppose I should have with your dad here." She gave the tiny whirlwind a gentle push and it moves to dance around Brigid. "The kids in Spain thought that trick was awesome."

"See, now you're getting to the point where you might have been more places than me. I don't know if we can be friends anymore."

"Mostly just France and Spain," she said with a chuckle. "I'll probably walk somewhere else next summer."

"I think this is the most sun you've gotten, like, ever."

Theresa stuck out her tongue and the whirlwind made a rude noise as it fell apart. "I suppose you might die of a heart attack when you find out the only electronic device I touched on my trip was my phone."

"Hey, I'm not the one who was tanning a nice minty green by monitor light."

"Still, you're in university now. You can just say it's the new you."

"It really is," she said, perhaps a little more soberly than Brigid would expect for her.

"...pretty serious thing, huh?"

"Eye opening. Trying to find a place in the pattern is not simple stuff."

"You mean like weather systems?"

Theresa considered her answer for a long moment, "Life as a whole. I... had some strange experiences last Spring."

"...sounds like it. Something you don't want to talk about?"

"I'm..." She moved over and sat on one of the benches. "I'm not really sure how. I'm sure you noticed I wasn't really all there before summer break."

"Yeah, I kind of just thought it was you being worried about what you'd do over the summer. I know you and your parents really clash."

"I... talked to someone... something? It's hard to describe. I still don't know that I've wrapped my mind around it."

"Uhm okay, maybe you should remember that my weird threshold is already a bit high? Stuff happens."

"Yeah, sorry. I'm still not all there sometimes. I don't even really have a name for it. It's like nature itself was... is talking to me."

"...you know, Mom gets like that sometimes."

"What's it like? Does she talk about it?"

"...not a lot. It happened after some mission she was consulting on with SHIELD. Uncle Logan was there, too. She came back kind of weird. Neither of them wanted to talk about it."

Theresa blinked a little at "Uncle Logan." "I can see how being on a mission with Wolverine could change people."

"He was actually on my side when I was begging to get sent here."

"Good for him then," Theresa said with a smile. "But yeah, I'm still trying to get it figured out. It's seriously strange, but it doesn't feel bad or wrong, if that makes sense."

"Well whatever it is, it really suits you. You're totally rocking it."

"Thanks," she said with a smile. "But that's what I spent my summer doing, listening to nature and learning."

"So I'm guessing the big cool university student doesn't want to borrow my wardrobe from home now," she smirks.

"To wear in England? No. I might still go native, should I ever get to visit."

"Maybe. If I can get my brother to promise not to hit on you."

"He was cute, but totally not my type."

"That won't stop him from showing off."

"And that would embarrass you."

"Noticing a theme, huh?"