Practice by the Lake, Open

[Sophia Seed]

It took about an hour of hiking to find it, but finally, she did. Though it was quite a long hike up and down a pretty rocky trail in a pair of tennis shoes and skirt, however, it was about time she found what she had been looking for, a nice little beach of sand just by a lake was perfect for her. If only she had brought her swim suit, she’d be able to swim as well, but being new to the mansion, just getting her bearings and seeing where everything was enough for her.

It wasn’t windy, it was perfectly clear, it was excellent weather, and with everything around her, it was perfect for a little practice. Cracking her fingers and repositioning her glasses on her face so that they wouldn’t fall down at all, she pulled out her arms to her sides, and started to feel the area around her for particles of silica. Sand often had great amount of silica in it, and broken up correctly, Sophia could warm and crush the particles of sand in to an imperfect form of glass. Once formed, she could purify it and make it in to a perfect form of glass she could she manipulate with ease in to all sort of stuff.

Sand started swirling around Sophia’s feet, forming and mounding up together just before her, but her focus on the sand would have made it difficult to hear someone else coming up behind her, or even around her, as she tried to form the sand around her feet in order to start crushing the sand. It wasn’t until she noticed a piece of wood snapping in the background that someone else had appeared, and startled her in the process, “Ah!”

[Jubilee]

It hardly took Jubilee 20 minutes to get out here to the lake. She came out here to practice once in a while, and it was a nice place to go when you needed quiet. And she needed some quiet now. However, that wasn't to be, she guessed, since she saw someone new.

A twig snapped underfoot and the girl jumped - she'd obviously been focusing her powers, since the sand was whirling all around her. That was a cool stunt.

"Hey. My name's Jubilee."

[Psylocke]

Psylocke liked to start and end every day with a strenuous run through Xavier's estate. She had deemed it "Logan's Run" because of the difficulty level. One way across the estate, and a different way back; NEVER the same way twice. Betts had ran through the forested area using her acrobatic skills to jump from boulder to boulder and tree to tree. It wasn't long before she'd broken out in a dead sweat. She had her hair pulled back in a neat ponytail, keeping it out of her face and providing less wind resistance. The uneven floor of the forest always proved difficult, especially when one was sprinting through it at such a pace.

It wasn't long before Betts could see the sun's reflection from the lake reflecting on the trees above her. She smirked as she moved closer and closer. She leapt into the air, over the beach, and floated up over the lake. She'd gone so fast, she hadn't even seen the two girls below her until she'd turned around, enjoying a nice calm breeze.

"Hullo girls. You're a long way from the mansion..." it was pleasant to see Jubilee, though she never cared much for her foolishness. At the very least, she was a familier face, which was something Betsy appreciated. She didn't know the other girl, but she'd seen her around before.

[Sophia Seed]

“You scared me,” Sophia wasn’t sure who this was, but her focus lost, the sand swirling around her stopped, but instead of mere sand dropping, bits of glass droplets fell as well. Small, imperfect droplets of glass, like what water probably looked like when it fell from the sky initially, landed in the sand as though much like beads of glass from a necklace.

“I’m Sophia, the new Science teacher. I assume you’re a student?” she randomly presumed, though this much more petite person seemed as though she could have been a student, or an adult at this point. Though who knew, perhaps it was simple an adult in children’s clothing. The small pieces of glass on the ground shimmered with the sunlight, surely kicking up some light in to the surrounding area and making the sand look as though it glowed with the mid day sun.

Another person appeared out of no where, as if flying over the lake and suddenly appearing near her and this new ‘Jubilee’ person. Her athletic and mature body quickly gave it away, “I’m pretty sure you’re not a student.”

[Jubilee]

Jubilee pulled a clean hankie out of her pocket and offered it to Psylocke, who was (as usual) drenched in sweat. For a moment, she considered how glad she was that it was three girls there and no guys, because with the way Betsy usually dressed, all eyes were going to be on her. Heck, Jubilee considered herself straight and couldn't help but look occasionally.

She looked over at the gal who was swirling sand and smiled: "Sorry I scared you. But...uh, kinda, yeah. I'm a student, but I was an X-Man. Then some stuff happened on Muir Island, and I got really freaky. But, it's all groovy now, y'know? I'm kind of a Cadet right now, but that's probably 'cuz Warren thinks I'll be more helpful to the others alongside 'em rather then leading. Which is more than cool, since I like helping people. Right, Betsy?"

Whether it annoyed the gal or not, they were at the Institute - they could use their real names...since she'd always used Jubilee as a nickname (who'd name their kid 'Jubilation' other than her parents anyway?).

[Psylocke]

"I've been here far too long to be a student," she smiled at the thought. Upon being offered a hankerchif, Betsy lowered herself down to the beach, and grabbed the hankie, dabbing up the sweat on her face. "Thank you, Jubilee."

Jubilee then proceeded to be her usual self, letting her mouth run a mile a minute. Betsy was often annoyed at such actions. Jubilee spoke about helping her fellow Cadets, which Betsy wouldn't disagree with. There were several times when Jubilee had taken care of Betsy's backside. Betsy was caught off guard by Jubilees addressing her after her 'speech'.

"I suppose I cannot disagree with that. I would trust you were we together again on the battlefield." Psylocke then looked to the other girl. She was brought in as the new science teacher apparently. Psylocke preferred not to have to constantly deal with the children. On more occasions than she could bare to remember, the X-children had tested her patience. She preferred a time when Xaviers was a smaller place.

[Sophia Seed]

Considering the relationship, these two probably knew each other for a while, though that wasn’t necessarily Sophia’s fault, she came initially just to do some light practicing of her mutant powers. Fields of sand or large amounts of glass were hard to come by, without breaking a few windows or draining of sand box of the precious sand. But this small lake with its little beach could provide Sophia with lots of glass to work with.

“Looks like we all came to same place, interesting,” she noticed that perhaps all of them were practicing or training for something, Jubilee for perhaps a test, but this other ‘Betsy’ person for a marathon perhaps, but Sophia was just out to try her powers out some. Being in the house for the past few days, she had wanted to work with some glass, but none was readily available to work with, this place was much better for making glass things.

“If this place is off limits, that’s fine. I just wanted to practice my powers a bit, and this was the only place with a lot of sand,” she didn’t want to intrude at all, at a place, but she knew that certain places were probably off limits for one reason another. She was about to excuse herself, when she noticed some of the glass on the ground still; putting her hand out and pointing her palm to the ground, she summoned the few pieces of glass off the ground to her hand and in to a small sphere of glass, kind of like a crystal ball in to her hand. She touched on to her glasses, sliding them back up to the top of her nose so that they stayed secure on her face, “Perhaps I should excuse myself.”

[Jubilee]

Jubilee raised an eyebrow and looked at the glass manipulator. She had to be new. She actually scoffed as she shook her head. "Forget those words. Really. No place is 'off-limits', around here. Really, we're all here to learn. To get better, more controlled, whether with our powers or just in general. Trust me about that. This place is your home, we're your family. The only place you can't go is the boys' dorms. Mostly 'cause Betts 'n Jean will tear you apart if you do, y'know?"

She smiled and watched Sophia quietly.

[Psylocke]

Elizabeth felt bad for intruding on Sophia when she was trying to get away to practice. She knew first hand what it was like to want to get away for a while exercising her gifts. And also how hard alone time was to come by in such a facility, though Betsy had felt alone for a very long time. Sophia seemed to quiet and reserved compared to Jubilee, but who didn't seem quiet compared to her?

Once again Jubiee's mouth opened, and Betsy couldn't help but laugh out loud from what Jubilee said. The thought of Betsy ripping someone apart for breaking such foolish rules. "I hardly think I am the X-Man to tear anyone apart for such a thing.... Now Jean on the other hand..." Psylocke smirked at the joke. Jean was much more the serious mentor and teacher type than Betsy. Psylocke was the warrior, not so much a leader. Besides that, Elizabeth never played by the rules anyway. She didn't much care if the others did or not.

Betsy then addressed Sophia, "If you'd like to be left alone... We shall take our leave. I was just doing some daily training." She stood on the beach. Before waiting for a reply, Betsy used her teke to shot a beam of energy, lifting several gallons of water, revealing the floor of the lake. Her eyes squinted from the stress just before she released, causing waves to splash across the lake, a few of them splashing Betsy for standing so close to the edge.

[Sophia Seed]

“No, it’s quite alright. I just didn’t expect anyone, that all,” with the small sphere of glass, she perhaps decided to give the girls a bit of a show, though she’d need quite a bit more glass to work with before she got started.

“If you’ll give me a second,” with the small sphere of glass already in her hand, there was still something she could do, tossing the sphere toward the water. It quickly sank to the bottom of the lake, though only for a moment. With both hands out, her eyes closed, the sand beneath the lake turned and pushed together, as though fusing together in to a portion of mass at the bottom. Combined with the small sphere she one possessed, the water bubbled and turn as the heat released by the glass created oxygen to escape to the surface.

Shortly thereafter, a head began to climb out of the water, though it looked more like some sort of woman than anything else. Before long, it was clear that this particular creation was perhaps a type of sculpture, but of the rather mature individual named ‘Betsy’ that Sophia has only just bet. The sculpture appeared pure in nature, as though something angelic that one might place on the top of a tree, dressed in white robes. It was long before the entire body was out of the water now, and a column like pedestal resting underneath her as Sophia found the time to add in small details. The last of all things was the wings, which were crafted simply rather than overly detailed.

When all was said and done, in the lake stood a Greek inspired column with an angelic looking ‘Betsy standing upon in as though offering guidance or atleast prayers, created out of nothing more than glass. Looking back toward the much more matured individual, she wanted to make sure the introduction was done correctly, or at most, that she was able to capture the features of this ‘Betsy’, “I’m Sophia by the way, Mrs… Betsy?”

[Jubilee]

Jubilee couldn't help but laugh about the way Sophia treated Psylocke. While she trusted the woman, and considered her a great person to have if a fight broke out, she didn't delude herself. There was no way she could be portrayed in a saintly manner. And then on top of that to refer to her in a way that indicated marriage? The sister of Captain Britain, telekine, and all around bad-ass chick Elizabeth 'Betsy' Braddock, married?

Jubilee literally fell over she was laughing so hard at the new teacher.

[Psylocke]

Elizabeth was impressed not only by Sophia's display of power, but also the fine details of the statue of Betsy. She knew the irony behind the gorgeous statue was why Jubilee was laughing. At one time, Elizabeth was a killer. She'd also been called many other things behind her back, especially after her fling with Cyclops despite his partnership with Jean.

"It's lovely... However, I am far from angelic. My mouth is often worse than a sailors, and my mind... Well, let's just say it's worse." she smirked.

Sophia had addressed Elizabeth to which she replied, "Miss.... I'm Elizabeth Braddock. Pepole around here tend to call me Betsy" she flashed a genuine smile. The girl was cute, but she seemed a bit naive about the true nature of people... especially someone who was wearing something as revealing as a near thong not only in public, but in battle.

"And what is it you're laughing at ...child?" Betts placed emphasis on the word child, knowing it drove her wild. She knew why she was laughing so much. She couldn't help but find it funny as well. It was a sweet gesture on Sophia's part at the very lest.

[Sophia Seed]

Perhaps it was an inside joke that caused the younger girl to start giggling and laughing uncontrollably, but even if she knew the joke, Sophia would have probably stood there looking just as confused. Sophia was one of the few people who usually cared about work over having fun or entertainment. For her, working was fun and to not be doing something productive was just a waste of time for her.

“Very well… Miss Betsy,” addressing Elizabeth as such would have probably been much, as Sophia liked calling people by their full name, as for one with such a pretty name, addressing her as Betsy felt like a crime almost. Though regardless of the fact, she’d do whatever was most comfortable for the other. With the statue though, she probably couldn’t leave the statue as is, she probably needed to form it in to something else, or atleast find a way of easily hiding it or compacting it so that she could bring it with her.

“Since you seem to find it funny, perhaps you know something else I could recreate,” addressing Jubilee this time, as the girl continued to sputter laughter from her lips.

[Jubilee]

Jubilee looked up at Psylocke, turning bright red and trying to stop herself from lauging, standing up and dusting herself off, snickering. "You...an angel?"

She couldn't help but burst into another peal of laughter at that. A few moments later, though, she finally got herself under control, covering her mouth with a bright yellow glove as she tried not turn any redder. Soon, she stopped and closed her eyes, trying to focus the way that Betsy and Jean and Logan and the Professor and...aw, heck, everybody, had tried to teach her to do. She took a few deep breaths and looked at Sophia, grinning and biting her lip.

"It's a beautiful statue - really. But really...you'd be better off with a truer-to-life image of her. And as far as what else, I dunno...yourself, maybe? 'Cuz, um. I don't think Betsy or I are bound for Heaven any time soon."

She grinned again and tried to stop herself from laughing when she looked at the statue.

[Psylocke]

Betts just kept a smirk on her face and watched Jubilees antics. As usual, she was full of life... That was the best way to word it. There wasn't much she could say to Jubilee because she was right. The two of them weren't destined for heaven anytime soon... Apparently, with Betsy's resurrection and everything. People would expect her to see that bright light at the end of a tunnel, but she didn't experience anything of the sort. She died, and suddenly she was resurrected on the cold hard linoleum floor... It wasn't a pleasant experience.

"How about instead of making such beautiful sculptures," she was addressing Sophia, "Perhaps you could show us how resourceful your abilities could be?" She was of course referring to how she could use her abilities in battle. She was one of the supreme teachers of combat at the school, though she hadn't taught since her return from Antarctica.

From what Psylocke had viewed, she imagined that glass could be very lethal when it needed to be. A shard of glass, no matter how small, must've been a great value to Sophia in battle. She wanted to see what kind of things she could do... And if she had experience in battle. If she was going to teach students, she should know how to defend a class as well.