Going "Home" Again

[apache_banshee]

Sean had never been crazy about planes. Then again he'd never been crazy about heights period. He probably would have driven if it were more practical. Frankly he was glad to finally be on solid ground again. He had to admit he had some butterflies in his stomach after being gone for so long from the institute. Not the X-Man part, that had to be done as far as he was concerned. The part about seeing all the familiar faces he hadn't seen in..sheesh, how many years had it been? Eh, no point in ruminating. He made his way, trying not to get impatient at the disembarking line.

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[apache_banshee]

Finally after what seemed like forever, Sean made his way into the waiting area. He glanced around the area, not entirely sure who was supposed to meet him there. At least until he saw her. Was that really..?

"Rose?" He asked tentatively. "Is that you?"

She certainly looked like Rose, but more..mature.

[wild_child]

The year she'd had? Yeah, that'd mature you up a bit. Just a bit though.

"Last time I checked, it was," she said. "You're looking good, Irish."

[apache_banshee]

"You too. Man, feels like forever. Would you object to a hug?" he asked a little sheepishly.

[wild_child]

"From you, Irish?" she said. "Never."

She brought up her arms for a hug. "C'mhere."

[apache_banshee]

He set down his suitcase and gave her a big hug.

"It's really good to see you again, Rose."

[wild_child]

Considering Sean was more than a foot taller than she was, hugging was slightly awkward for either of them, but they'd danced that dance (and other dances) many times.

"You too," she told him. "School ain't been the same without ya."

[apache_banshee]

"Yeah," he said a little quietly as he let go. "I loved being home, but..I missed you guys too. I admit I felt kind of guilty every time I heard something happening up here and I wasn't..you know, fighting the good fight."

[wild_child]

Rose nodded. "Yeah, I get that. Professor Red made some of us sit sidelines way too often. Feels good to be kickin' keister official-like."

[apache_banshee]

That made him chuckle. "I swear you are one of the only people I know that can say "keister" with a straight face." His tone turned a bit more serious. "Well hopefully after I reorient myself and go through the necessary stuff i can help you."

[wild_child]

"I reckon you can," Rose said. "Nothin' else, I could use a cabana boy."

She frowned, ever so slightly. "Still feels like we're waitin' for the other shoe to drop."

[apache_banshee]

"My dream job," he said only half-kidding.

Her statement made him quiet. "You want to talk away from the crowd?"

[wild_child]

She gave him a shrug. "I'll tell ya about it on the way back to th' school," she said.

[apache_banshee]

"Sounds good." he picked up his suitcase and followed Rose back to her car. "That a new one?"

[wild_child]

Rose laughed. "Nah. 's just one of the School cars. Didn't figure you'd want to ride on my bike after last time."

[apache_banshee]

"Oh you mean when you tried to "accidentally" kill me? I can't imagine why I'd feel that way," he said sarcastically.

[wild_child]

"Oh, please," Rose mocked, as she opened the trunk for his luggage, "you weren't anywhere near close to dying and you know it."

[apache_banshee]

"As the woman with the massive healing factor, I don't think your definition of near-death is the same as mine," he insisted.

[wild_child]

"Uh-huh," Rose teased. "You keep tellin' yourself that."

She climbed into the drivers' seat.

[apache_banshee]

He grumbles half-heartingly as he puts his suitcase in the back before moving up to the passenger side.

[wild_child]

It wasn't long before they were on the open road, Rose going just slightly faster than the speed limit.

"Don't get me wrong," Rose said, "bein' hated and feared a little bit less is a good thing. But we've been down this road before. Things get a little better... and then somethin' happens and it gets worse again."

[apache_banshee]

"Promise not to laugh, but..I came because of a vision-quest," he admitted.

[wild_child]

There was slight eyebrow arching.

"My roommates a clone, our headmistress is part cosmic firebird, and we have a portal to a demon dimension in our backyard, and that's where you think I'm gonna draw the line?"

Her lips drew back in a smile. "Though you don't exactly seem like the vision-ing type. Unless it involves women."

[apache_banshee]

"True enough," he conceded. "Normally I'm not, but lately I'd been feeling uneasy and I wasn't sure why. Dad sent me a friend of his, kind of an expert on Apache culture. He recommended I go on one. Considering that nothing else was working, I did." He sat back and thought back. "It worked. I saw..violence..destruction..but I couldn't make out specifics. I just feel like..something..is going to happen. I felt I had to come back."

[wild_child]

Rose frowned again. "Well... that ain't good."

"...You're not being possessed by a future version of yourself, are you? Because it's been done."

[apache_banshee]

"If I am they haven't let on," he said seriously. "Hoping it was just desert heat, but..I felt I had to come back."