The best we can (Kealey)

The radio Kealey had brought from her apartment to her mansion room was playing softly in the background. Sometimes music helped distract her when emotions were running too high around the mansion and that was something that seemed to be more and more commonplace as summer got into full swing. The sketches laid out on the small desk were all of costumes for X-Men and Kealey was trying to work out some of the details. She’d known when she took the job on that it was going to be a big project, she hadn’t really understood all the variables though. Besides the usual problems that had to do with sizing, material, and design there was also the fact that Kealey had to consider the power that went along with every costume. Sam’s had presented a problem that had been easily solved with cold weather gear, other suits…not so easy.

Kealey sighed and leaned back in her seat, pushing stray curls that had escaped from her ponytail back behind her ears. She didn’t feel bad taking a “scholarship” from Sam anymore, Kealey was definitely earning her keep.

Yawning and stretching helped some, and Kealey leaned forward again, humming along with the radio. She was just about to put pen back to paper when there came a knock on her door.

Kealey looked at the door for a moment, head tilted to the side in confusion. She usually didn’t get many visitors. Up she got, padding across the room in a pair of sweats and a tank top. Hand on the door knob, Kealey stopped, brows knitting together at the emotions that could only be coming from the other side of the door.

It wasn’t that they were bad they were just strange. There was reluctance there, along with eagerness, gratefulness and some guilt. Who was it , and what were they doing?

Kealey opened the door, then stood, absolutely riveted to the spot.

A lot had happened in the few minutes she’d spent with the young killer the night he’d stumbled upon her in the hallway. One thing was sure though, she’d never forget that face, those eyes, and here he was again.

There were people moving around, and for a moment the blonde’s first reaction was to call for help. Something stopped her though. Something in those emotions, maybe the fact that the furthest thing from this young man‘s mind was violence. She stared for another moment trying to figure out what it was, then spoke.

”I hadn’t expected to see you again….can I help you?”

She should have been yelling. Something inside of Kealey made that very clear. Maybe it was the feelings of the other person in the hallway. He was absolutely full of regret. Regret for showing up at her door? Regret for what he’d done? Kealey didn’t know, that was one of the many weaknesses of her powers. The feelings were there though, and as he held out a cookie tin, the only thing the blond could do was stare at it.

He’d….made…her…cookies?

Is that what people did when someone let them get away with murder? Kealey didn’t know, but apparently this young man thought so. There were people wandering everywhere, nobody found his presence strange. He was definitely a mansion resident. Kealey’s curiosity rose to replace her trepidation about this meeting. Slowly, she reached out and took the cookie tin from his hands.

”You don’t have to apologize to me…” she said, her words soft and thoughtful.

He’d made her cookies, twice when the first batch had come out poorly. Some of Kealey’s assumptions were being shattered here and the need to understand bubbled up thickly inside of her. How did one approach such a topic, though?

”Thank you, for the cookies. I….have to ask why, though? Should you even be here?”

Kealey just nodded her head when he asked if she’d told. There was a little more to it though, ”I told Shin…I don’t know if he’s told anyone else, though.” The Sanctuary, he’d need to stay at the Sanctuary from now on? Kealey frowned slightly, wondering if she should call there and let Venus know exactly who was staying in their rooms.

The cookie tin was warm in Kealey’s hands, like it had been held onto for a long time. This had been a difficult decision for the younger man to make. Kealey couldn’t blame him for having trouble.

He started talking about his classes, how he’d probably failed his finals at the mansion and Kealey’s brows drew together more. Why was she feeling sorry for him? Why did she want to say something comforting. He’d killed someone. It had occurred to Kealey that there were probably lots of people in the Mansion who had killed people. They’d all committed acts of violence, necessary of not. Even Kealey herself had hurt people, hurt them intentionally. What made this young man any different? He was already tearing himself up about the whole thing…

”Maybe they’d let you retake them if you had a good excuse?” she offered up. It probably wasn’t that helpful though.

He offered his name. He’d given her everything she needed to send the police, the mansion administration…anyone after him. This was not a cold blooded killer.

”I’m Kealey.” she said softly, ”Are you sure I can’t help you?”

He wasn’t going to lie to his teachers in order to save his grades. Again, Kealey felt like she was stuck in some sort of paradox. She knew what he’d done, what he was capable of, yet here he was acting for all intents and purposes like a good kid. In spite of her instincts, Kealey’s heart went out to the younger man, Calley.

She asked what she could do, and he responded. He wanted to talk…not about what had happened. Kealey was relieved by that, she didn’t know if she could handle it still.

”Sure” she said, backing into her room and moving towards the desk to sit down. ”I’d appreciate it if you’d leave the door open though.”

Just because she’d decided he wasn’t a psychopathic serial killer didn’t mean Kealey wasn’t going to cover all the bases she could.

”What did you want to talk about?”

Kealey shook her head when Calley said he was sorry for scaring her the last time, she really didn’t want to think about it. The apology was genuinely given, though so something needed to be said.

”It’s alright…the paranoia is a side effect of what I do. You were every bit as scared as I was.” she said, brows drawing together as she frowned. ”A lot of things were bleeding over. I’m not usually hysterical.” she wasn’t. That whole experience was uncomfortable in hindsight, running to Shin after Calley had left, all the crying and talking…people didn’t know all that about Kealey. They looked at her differently when they did.

Calley asked about the costumes and Kealey looked to the work that was slightly overflowing her desk. She nodded her head, ”Yeah. At least right now…I’m actually still in school. Sam wanted me to give it a try, though, and things are going better than I could have hoped.”

”What do you do?” Besides kill people. He wasn’t one of the X-Men, so completely justifiable homicide in the heat of battle was seeming more and more far fetched.

Kealey had to laugh a little bit at Calley’s reaction to her powers, ”Don’t apologize…it does suck. I don’t want to know all those things. I really don’t. I hate knowing things about people, things they may not even know about themselves. It’s not right.”

He said she was strong and the laugher faded, Kealey shook her head, ”I’m not strong. Not at all. I’m an absolute mess half the time, and the other half I’m getting myself into situations I can’t get out of on my own.”

Why was she telling all these things to a person who was not only an almost complete stranger, but a killer to boot? Because he probably wouldn’t argue with her. Shin always argued, as did most of the other people she came across and voiced her self-disapproval to. Maybe he’d just nod his head, it would almost be a relief…to know she wasn’t the only one who felt that way about herself. Besides, nothing Calley could learn about her would be as bad as what she already knew about him.

”And don’t you worry about the skirts…each team member is having a heavy hand in their own costume. I know all about Sam and his roving eye.”

Suddenly, Calley was disgusted with himself, and Kealey wrinkled her nose in shared distaste. ”What’s wrong?” she said, swallowing hard and shaking her head a little to clear it.

He was a student, for the most part, but as Calley’s silence stretched after the answer his emotions veered more and more towards that self-loathing slight panic from the first night they’d met. That was bad, he suggested they go somewhere else with the conversation. Kealey nodded enthusiastically.

He was so doubtful, but at the same time, so confused and vulnerable. What had happened that night? A part of Kealey didn’t want to know at all…but another part wanted to know everything that had contributed to the powerful emotions that had torn her up so badly.

”What about your power? What do you do?” she asked, trying to keep away from emotions or that night.

>> ”I’m not strong. Not at all. I’m an absolute mess half the time, and the other half I’m getting myself into situations I can’t get out of on my own.”

“That’s nice,” Calley said. Which... sounded less sincere than it had in his head. “I mean, that’s nice that there are people you can count on to get you out of those.”

He just shook his head when she asked what was wrong. Internal monologue blip: he’d rather not explain. His mutation, now. He could handle telling about his mutation. “I’m a shifter,” he started.

At which point Shin entered the room. Calley recognized him from the last King Pharmaceuticals fight, and nondescript path crossing incidents around the Mansion since then.

He recognized him as the person Kealey had told.

>> "Who's your friend?"

The shifter stayed where he was, back against the bed, looking up at Kealey. That answer rather interested him, too.