Trying NOT to feed the rumour mill...
I feel a bit sorry for Madelyne Pryor for the teasing she's bound to get for all that time spent up in Monsieur Summer's room. I ran into her in the kitchen and had a nice little chat--she's positively glowing with happiness, and it's a nice feeling to spread around. God knows my defenses have rested a little easier now that most of the awkwardness from Jean and Scott's breakup has dissipated. Instead they're being bombarded with an overwhelming amount of happiness from couples. Oh well. Better than bad feelings abounding.
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<< XS >> Kitchen - Lv1
Meant to service a large number of people, this kitchen is vast, with more than one oven and several stainless steel work surfaces. Inset into the ceiling are fluorescent glow strips, throwing everything into bright, if somewhat harsh light. At meal times, kitchen workers scurry to and fro with pans and food and various other sundry items. But out of those times, everything is in its place, and there's even a tray of cold snacks for those who might come in search of a bite to eat.
[Exits : [Pat]io, and [H]allway ]
[Players : Madelyne ]
Madelyne seems to have been playing the part of recluse for most of today, locked away in parts unknown (better known, to those who listen to the rumor mill, as Scott's room). But now she's in the kitchen leaning against a counter as she waits for the microwave to finish heating a rather heaping plate of leftover Chinese food. Even though she looks nothing like Jean Grey, Madelyne is recognized by the red hair held back in a ponytail, the bangs across her forehead and the 'Hello, my name is Madelyne' nametag she wears on her shirt. Oh, and the ear-to-ear grin she's trying to hide behind her coffee mug.
Well, Liza knew /someone/ was damn happy the minute she stepped in. And upon recognition of who it is and discussion just last night in the staff lounge, the Frenchwoman has a pretty good idea as to the causes of said damn happiness. But she is, after all, from the French upper class, and she's not going to attempt horrible embarrassment. She offers a smile, keeping it from developing into a grin, as she walks over to pour herself a cup of coffee. "Bonsoir, Mademoiselle Pryor," she greets the woman. "You seem to have been missing for most of today." Okay, not /too/ much embarrassment.
Madelyne looks over at the greeting, and it's obvious that she tries to stop grinning like an idiot - she /really/ does! But she just can't help it. "Oh, hello... Elisabeth, right?" She's still trying to keep track of all the people around this place. And of course, her cheeks also flare a bit red at the mention of her disappearing act. "Yeah, I was... tired. Spent most of the day in bed." Aaaaand now the stupid grin is back. Luckily the microwave dings and she gets to fuss over that for the time being. "Did you want some Lo Mein?" she asks.
"Oui, Elisabeth," the woman affirms. She only smiles a quirks an eyebrow at Madelyne's horribly made up explanation (although she predicts the "spent most of the day in bed" part isn't quite so untrue). She does finally say, "Y'know, it really doesn't matter whether you grin or not. I could feel you /emanating/ good feeling the minute I stepped in the room." It's not said in a teasing manner, but she's sincere, and mostly just amused at the whole situation. It's nice to see happy couples. "...oh, sure, why not." Not like she's eaten yet, the workaholic.
Happiness shifts to guilt as Madelyne blinks a few times at Elisabeth. "Oh, I'm sorry," she says as she gets some plates and utensils out, "I could have sworn my shielding was getting better." Well yes, Maddy, your telepathic shields are fine, but you don't really have anything to keep out empathy. She brings everything over to the table and starts dishing Lo Mein out onto a plate. "Just say when," she says.
"Oh, don't worry yourself. I don't think telepathic shielding does much to keep empaths from picking up on feelings." Now Liza feels guilty for making Madelyne feel guilty. Sigh. "And it's certainly not a bad thing to be glowing with the kind of feelings you're glowing with." She waits for a few scoops, declares "When," and takes the plate with a reply of "Merci."
Madelyne stops heaping and hands over a fork to go with the plate, then hunkers down to eat ...the rest. Hey, she just burned off a heck of a lot of calories, she figures she can afford some carboloading. "Oh, you're an empath?" she asks. "That must be... hard. Especially living in a mansion full of teenagers." Though Maddy has a hunch that right about now, the adults would be the ones giving her more trouble.
Elisabeth digs in with the enthusiasm of a person who didn't realize they were starving until they smelled food. Sure enough, as was even touched in staff lounge gossip, "You'd be surprised which are the ones that give you trouble, sometimes." She grins a bit, amusedly. "But, no, it's not that bad. I spend most of my life putting up a wall, so my defenses aren't lacking. But I will admit teenagers are very emotional."
Madelyne laughs lightly. "Yeah, I guess there have been plenty of emotions flying around not linked directly to the kids, huh?" she says, giving a helpless little shrug. Hey, she can't really deny it, can she? Nope. "You're a teacher here, right?" she asks. "What do you teach?"
"It happens. And at least it's a settled, happy kind of emotion instead of the uncomfortable break-up feeling it was a few weeks ago." Elisabeth doesn't enjoy sharing in other peoples' awkwardness. No, indeed. "I'm a computer scientist." /Doctor/ Lehmann, yes indeed. "And you do auto shop, oui?" Liza's got a detailed memory.
Madelyne smirks. "Yeah back when Jean and Scott first split up, you didn't /need/ to be an Empath to know how bad it was," she says. That's why she spent so much time in her room, after all. She nods in response to the question as she finishes off her latest bite of food. "Yeah, I assist Scott in shop," she says. "I'd like to do more, but right now I'm not really qualified." Though she has been thinking of starting some sort of theatre program, but that might just be Chicago Hype talking.
"It certainly wasn't a comfortable time period. But that's over and done, Dieu merci." Elisabeth seems to be going a bit slower in the food department and is still working on her own dinner. Silly upper class manners. "Well...doing something is better than doing nothing."
Madelyne nods her agreement. "I definitely agree with you there," she says. "For the longest time I couldn't think of any way to contribute to this place even though they'd taken me in and were looking after me and all. But then the Professor suggested I teach and it all went on from there."
Elisabeth smiles. It's hard to be an empath and not be compassionate, and she's happy to see a soul settled and happy. "Sometimes things just...work." And sometimes they don't, of course, but the teacher population is currently brimming with good feelings. "I'm glad to hear you're settled in alright."
Madelyne smiles. "Yeah, it's pretty nice," she says, looking a little distant. But then she snaps out of it and says, "But enough about me, of course. How are things going with you? I'm not as up on the current school gossip as I'd like to be, sometimes."
Elisabeth only smiles knowingly. "Oh, I am quite happily not a topic for the rumor mill," she announces. "And I hope to keep it that way. I don't enjoy having teenagers rip my personal life apart." The dark-haired woman grins, but it's hard to imagine she can't feel /some/ pangs of loneliness, especially being an empath and feeling the joy of happy couples full-force. Sure, she's happy for them, but after a while it just gets to be a bit too much than she can handle.
Madelyne smirks a little. "Yeah, well with the way Scott's been loosening up lately, I have a feeling some of the students aren't going to rip me apart so much as start sending me fruit baskets." She gives a little shrug: obviously that's /not/ her driving goal when it comes to being with Scott, it's just one of those things.
"It's certainly a new experience to see him so...relaxed." A polite way to say that a certain stick has seemed to have disappeared. "And that's /one/ way to get on the students' good side." Smirk.
Madelyne grins. "It suits him, I think," she says, apparently oblivious to any reference to the stick that may or may not be missing from Scott's prosterior. "It's nice to see him smile again." Again with the sappy distant look before she snaps out of it. "Here I go again, boring you to tears with this crap. I feel like I'm back in Junior High."
Elisabeth chuckles a bit, pouring herself a cup of coffee and waving her hand in a dismissive gesture to her self-censure. "You must be positively bursting. About to turn into a musical or something of the sort. Sometimes it's a good thing to act like you're back in junior high."
Madelyne breaks into the big Smile again. "I am," she admits. "I mean... It seems silly, I know, I'm just... I've never had a serious relationship before, y'know? I'm still new to the whole thing." And still she can't help feel a little worried that this is all temporary somehow. Such a pessimist.
Elisabeth shakes her head with a soft smile. "Non, it doesn't seem silly. I can remember the feeling perfectly. It doesn't take an empath to tell you're just about ready to break out into song." It's how musicals start!
Madelyne laughs a little. "Don't worry," she says, "I'll spare you from having to listen to my singing." She sips her coffee and then looks over at Elisabeth. "So you were in this kind of situation before, hmm?" she asks. "What was he like?" Yay, girl talk! You don't get much of this in the garage.
A sadly wistful expression crosses Elisabeth's face. "He was...very popular. Very handsome. Blonde hair, blue eyed. He was German, you see. My father is German, so I spent my summers in Germany. I met Viktor in a summer during college. He was exceedingly charming." Smirk.
Madelyne smirks as she notices Elisabeth's smirk. "Did you guys have a lot in common?" she asks. Because, let's be honest, if circumstances were different and Maddy was in the company of a 'very handsome' blonde-haired, blue-eyed charming guy? She's not sure personality would play too much of a factor.
Elisabeth smiles a bit wryly. "We were both of the upper class. But, other than that...no. But he was handsome and charming and I adored him and was positively exploding with excitement when he showed me the least bit of interest. Not to mention my father not liking him very much, which made him even more perfect to me. So it was a silly summer fling, but it was my first."
Madelyne smirks. "Man, annoying my parents used to be a hobby of mine," she says. "And that definitely sounds like fun," she agrees. She certainly hopes that her relationship with Scott is more than a summer fling, but at the same time it's comforting to know that the mind-numbing giddiness is a normal reaction.
"It was a definite period of rebellion. My relationship with my father has always been...strained." She smiles a bit, shrugging off the last comment. "It's a bad example to give you. It was a silly thing that I regretted, but I have a feeling that you and Monsieur Summers have quite a bit more between you." Smirk.
Madelyne can't seem to stop that smile. "I hope we do," she admits. "I mean, I'm pretty sure we do, y'know?" She's also pretty sure she hasn't been this happy in recent memory, and that can be pretty much attributed to the presence of one Monsieur Summers.
Elisabeth raises her coffee in salute. "I wish you the best, Mademoiselle Pryor. I, however, really must be going. I have to finish up some grading before I head off to bed, and I'd like to get a decent amount of sleep." She brushes some stray whisps of hair out of her eyes. "It was a pleasure talking to you."
Madelyne gives a wave. "You too, Elisabeth," she says. She often forgets that some teachers teach classes with, like, actual homework and tests and stuff. She then returns to sipping her coffee and making short work of the rest of her Lo Mein. After all, she's hoping to catch Dr. Grey at some point.
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<< XS >> Kitchen - Lv1
Meant to service a large number of people, this kitchen is vast, with more than one oven and several stainless steel work surfaces. Inset into the ceiling are fluorescent glow strips, throwing everything into bright, if somewhat harsh light. At meal times, kitchen workers scurry to and fro with pans and food and various other sundry items. But out of those times, everything is in its place, and there's even a tray of cold snacks for those who might come in search of a bite to eat.
[Exits : [Pat]io, and [H]allway ]
[Players : Madelyne ]
Madelyne seems to have been playing the part of recluse for most of today, locked away in parts unknown (better known, to those who listen to the rumor mill, as Scott's room). But now she's in the kitchen leaning against a counter as she waits for the microwave to finish heating a rather heaping plate of leftover Chinese food. Even though she looks nothing like Jean Grey, Madelyne is recognized by the red hair held back in a ponytail, the bangs across her forehead and the 'Hello, my name is Madelyne' nametag she wears on her shirt. Oh, and the ear-to-ear grin she's trying to hide behind her coffee mug.
Well, Liza knew /someone/ was damn happy the minute she stepped in. And upon recognition of who it is and discussion just last night in the staff lounge, the Frenchwoman has a pretty good idea as to the causes of said damn happiness. But she is, after all, from the French upper class, and she's not going to attempt horrible embarrassment. She offers a smile, keeping it from developing into a grin, as she walks over to pour herself a cup of coffee. "Bonsoir, Mademoiselle Pryor," she greets the woman. "You seem to have been missing for most of today." Okay, not /too/ much embarrassment.
Madelyne looks over at the greeting, and it's obvious that she tries to stop grinning like an idiot - she /really/ does! But she just can't help it. "Oh, hello... Elisabeth, right?" She's still trying to keep track of all the people around this place. And of course, her cheeks also flare a bit red at the mention of her disappearing act. "Yeah, I was... tired. Spent most of the day in bed." Aaaaand now the stupid grin is back. Luckily the microwave dings and she gets to fuss over that for the time being. "Did you want some Lo Mein?" she asks.
"Oui, Elisabeth," the woman affirms. She only smiles a quirks an eyebrow at Madelyne's horribly made up explanation (although she predicts the "spent most of the day in bed" part isn't quite so untrue). She does finally say, "Y'know, it really doesn't matter whether you grin or not. I could feel you /emanating/ good feeling the minute I stepped in the room." It's not said in a teasing manner, but she's sincere, and mostly just amused at the whole situation. It's nice to see happy couples. "...oh, sure, why not." Not like she's eaten yet, the workaholic.
Happiness shifts to guilt as Madelyne blinks a few times at Elisabeth. "Oh, I'm sorry," she says as she gets some plates and utensils out, "I could have sworn my shielding was getting better." Well yes, Maddy, your telepathic shields are fine, but you don't really have anything to keep out empathy. She brings everything over to the table and starts dishing Lo Mein out onto a plate. "Just say when," she says.
"Oh, don't worry yourself. I don't think telepathic shielding does much to keep empaths from picking up on feelings." Now Liza feels guilty for making Madelyne feel guilty. Sigh. "And it's certainly not a bad thing to be glowing with the kind of feelings you're glowing with." She waits for a few scoops, declares "When," and takes the plate with a reply of "Merci."
Madelyne stops heaping and hands over a fork to go with the plate, then hunkers down to eat ...the rest. Hey, she just burned off a heck of a lot of calories, she figures she can afford some carboloading. "Oh, you're an empath?" she asks. "That must be... hard. Especially living in a mansion full of teenagers." Though Maddy has a hunch that right about now, the adults would be the ones giving her more trouble.
Elisabeth digs in with the enthusiasm of a person who didn't realize they were starving until they smelled food. Sure enough, as was even touched in staff lounge gossip, "You'd be surprised which are the ones that give you trouble, sometimes." She grins a bit, amusedly. "But, no, it's not that bad. I spend most of my life putting up a wall, so my defenses aren't lacking. But I will admit teenagers are very emotional."
Madelyne laughs lightly. "Yeah, I guess there have been plenty of emotions flying around not linked directly to the kids, huh?" she says, giving a helpless little shrug. Hey, she can't really deny it, can she? Nope. "You're a teacher here, right?" she asks. "What do you teach?"
"It happens. And at least it's a settled, happy kind of emotion instead of the uncomfortable break-up feeling it was a few weeks ago." Elisabeth doesn't enjoy sharing in other peoples' awkwardness. No, indeed. "I'm a computer scientist." /Doctor/ Lehmann, yes indeed. "And you do auto shop, oui?" Liza's got a detailed memory.
Madelyne smirks. "Yeah back when Jean and Scott first split up, you didn't /need/ to be an Empath to know how bad it was," she says. That's why she spent so much time in her room, after all. She nods in response to the question as she finishes off her latest bite of food. "Yeah, I assist Scott in shop," she says. "I'd like to do more, but right now I'm not really qualified." Though she has been thinking of starting some sort of theatre program, but that might just be Chicago Hype talking.
"It certainly wasn't a comfortable time period. But that's over and done, Dieu merci." Elisabeth seems to be going a bit slower in the food department and is still working on her own dinner. Silly upper class manners. "Well...doing something is better than doing nothing."
Madelyne nods her agreement. "I definitely agree with you there," she says. "For the longest time I couldn't think of any way to contribute to this place even though they'd taken me in and were looking after me and all. But then the Professor suggested I teach and it all went on from there."
Elisabeth smiles. It's hard to be an empath and not be compassionate, and she's happy to see a soul settled and happy. "Sometimes things just...work." And sometimes they don't, of course, but the teacher population is currently brimming with good feelings. "I'm glad to hear you're settled in alright."
Madelyne smiles. "Yeah, it's pretty nice," she says, looking a little distant. But then she snaps out of it and says, "But enough about me, of course. How are things going with you? I'm not as up on the current school gossip as I'd like to be, sometimes."
Elisabeth only smiles knowingly. "Oh, I am quite happily not a topic for the rumor mill," she announces. "And I hope to keep it that way. I don't enjoy having teenagers rip my personal life apart." The dark-haired woman grins, but it's hard to imagine she can't feel /some/ pangs of loneliness, especially being an empath and feeling the joy of happy couples full-force. Sure, she's happy for them, but after a while it just gets to be a bit too much than she can handle.
Madelyne smirks a little. "Yeah, well with the way Scott's been loosening up lately, I have a feeling some of the students aren't going to rip me apart so much as start sending me fruit baskets." She gives a little shrug: obviously that's /not/ her driving goal when it comes to being with Scott, it's just one of those things.
"It's certainly a new experience to see him so...relaxed." A polite way to say that a certain stick has seemed to have disappeared. "And that's /one/ way to get on the students' good side." Smirk.
Madelyne grins. "It suits him, I think," she says, apparently oblivious to any reference to the stick that may or may not be missing from Scott's prosterior. "It's nice to see him smile again." Again with the sappy distant look before she snaps out of it. "Here I go again, boring you to tears with this crap. I feel like I'm back in Junior High."
Elisabeth chuckles a bit, pouring herself a cup of coffee and waving her hand in a dismissive gesture to her self-censure. "You must be positively bursting. About to turn into a musical or something of the sort. Sometimes it's a good thing to act like you're back in junior high."
Madelyne breaks into the big Smile again. "I am," she admits. "I mean... It seems silly, I know, I'm just... I've never had a serious relationship before, y'know? I'm still new to the whole thing." And still she can't help feel a little worried that this is all temporary somehow. Such a pessimist.
Elisabeth shakes her head with a soft smile. "Non, it doesn't seem silly. I can remember the feeling perfectly. It doesn't take an empath to tell you're just about ready to break out into song." It's how musicals start!
Madelyne laughs a little. "Don't worry," she says, "I'll spare you from having to listen to my singing." She sips her coffee and then looks over at Elisabeth. "So you were in this kind of situation before, hmm?" she asks. "What was he like?" Yay, girl talk! You don't get much of this in the garage.
A sadly wistful expression crosses Elisabeth's face. "He was...very popular. Very handsome. Blonde hair, blue eyed. He was German, you see. My father is German, so I spent my summers in Germany. I met Viktor in a summer during college. He was exceedingly charming." Smirk.
Madelyne smirks as she notices Elisabeth's smirk. "Did you guys have a lot in common?" she asks. Because, let's be honest, if circumstances were different and Maddy was in the company of a 'very handsome' blonde-haired, blue-eyed charming guy? She's not sure personality would play too much of a factor.
Elisabeth smiles a bit wryly. "We were both of the upper class. But, other than that...no. But he was handsome and charming and I adored him and was positively exploding with excitement when he showed me the least bit of interest. Not to mention my father not liking him very much, which made him even more perfect to me. So it was a silly summer fling, but it was my first."
Madelyne smirks. "Man, annoying my parents used to be a hobby of mine," she says. "And that definitely sounds like fun," she agrees. She certainly hopes that her relationship with Scott is more than a summer fling, but at the same time it's comforting to know that the mind-numbing giddiness is a normal reaction.
"It was a definite period of rebellion. My relationship with my father has always been...strained." She smiles a bit, shrugging off the last comment. "It's a bad example to give you. It was a silly thing that I regretted, but I have a feeling that you and Monsieur Summers have quite a bit more between you." Smirk.
Madelyne can't seem to stop that smile. "I hope we do," she admits. "I mean, I'm pretty sure we do, y'know?" She's also pretty sure she hasn't been this happy in recent memory, and that can be pretty much attributed to the presence of one Monsieur Summers.
Elisabeth raises her coffee in salute. "I wish you the best, Mademoiselle Pryor. I, however, really must be going. I have to finish up some grading before I head off to bed, and I'd like to get a decent amount of sleep." She brushes some stray whisps of hair out of her eyes. "It was a pleasure talking to you."
Madelyne gives a wave. "You too, Elisabeth," she says. She often forgets that some teachers teach classes with, like, actual homework and tests and stuff. She then returns to sipping her coffee and making short work of the rest of her Lo Mein. After all, she's hoping to catch Dr. Grey at some point.