Damnit, why was she acting like such an idiot around Astrid. Like, she'd dated before, dated some really cute girls before and done more than her share of flirting so why was this the one she was acting like a complete idiot around? Not only was the girl only just realising her own sexuality and fumbling her way through the new and strange feelings, but the one person there able to help explain it and guide her was being a total moron. And was flirting with her. Like shouldn't Alice feel like a complete creep in this situation?

The entire situation was kind of just confusing and awkward and awesome and sweet. Frankly, as much as she hated to admit it, she needed some adult advice. Experience might help in this matter and frankly, she was hoping for a little encouragement. No one liked thinking they were doing the wrong thing and she did really like the her new friend/date/maybe future girlfriend.

Trying to get a hold of Nessa had been a bust but that wasn't really surprising, she was probably really busy with work or spending time with friends. The only other person she could guess might be able to help was Jack but she hadn't been able to find her at the mansion so well, she was a bit screwed.

So she was just hanging out in the lounge, playing some games and trying not to obsess about the situation. Of course, she couldn't help but think about it but at least the games passed the time. Until she got stuck at the same point she'd been at for like ten minutes. "OK for f---s sake! Can I not just have one thing going well for me right now!"

And now the door was opening and chances are it was a teacher coming to give her s--- for swearing and generally make her feel worse. Seriously, she was not in the mood if they threatened detention.

Jack was patrolling the halls tonight… later they might shift her to perimeter duty, but for now she was in the clear. There were pros and cons to working inside. The “pros” were not freezing your *** off and getting to be around the kids. The “cons” were that it wasn’t quiet, and you had to be more of enforcer. It was the hour that most kids had ventured to bed, or at least their bedrooms, and the stragglers needed to be gently prompted in that direction.

Someone forgot to turn the t.v. off in the lounge, if the light filtering under the door was anything to go buy. Jack huffed, pushing the door open. Kids. Upon closer observation, the prawn noticed that it was some sort of video game, at which the player was yelling in frustration.

Hey, didn’t the prawn know that voice?

“Alice?” the prawn inquired. Though the room was darkened, Jack could see just fine. But perhaps Alice couldn’t see the clock that was hanging on the wall. She padded towards the couch, resting a hand on its back. It was, in fact, the blue-haired girl, “It’s getting late.”

Not “you’re gonna break curfew” or “you need to go to bed” or “detention!”, but “it’s getting late”. You didn’t have to be a hard-*ss 24/7. Only when it was truly important. This wasn’t.

Peeking her head over the sofa to confirm it was indeed Big Chief, she was happy for the distraction. Gaming was a bust, she was way to agitated to sleep and in too much of a mood to cook. Some conversation, and maybe some advice seemed a good way to spend some time.

"Hey Jack, sorry about the shouting I'm just having some trouble and am more than a little frustrated." Only underselling it a little there girl but hey don't get the help you need. "It's well its kind of girl trouble."

Clearly she needed someone who actually had some life experience and if fate, or whatever sadistic God ran her life, had dropped one of the cooler adults on staff in the same room as her, she might as well make use of it. It couldn't be worse than spending another hour mashing her face into a wall before collapsing in bed to not sleep for another two or so hours.

"It's well it's kind of complicated and I don't know what to do. Which is a first." She hadn't even had this much trouble coming out herself, why was she so freaked because it was someone else?

It really didn't help that every time she thought about Astrid's eyes or what holding her hand felt like her stomach did somersaults.

If there was one department where Jack was severely lacking, it was social politics. When Alice mentioned “girl trouble”, Jack felt the rumbling uncertainty of someone unqualified to speak on the subject.

“You nean like… draw-na?” she demanded. Jack stepped around the couch, carefully sinking into a spot opposite of Alice, “I’n duh wrong one to ask. I didn’t talk to udder kids ‘en I ‘as your age. Has no idea ‘ut to do ‘iss gossi’ and ru-nors and all dat… sh-“ the prawn paused. You weren’t really supposed to swear in front of studens, “-nonsense.”

Her mind had ventured towards the bullying “girl troubles”. Catty dominating girls that lorded over other girls (and some boys) with a b***hy iron fist. That type of thing. Her mind absolutely did not venture towards lesbian girl troubles. She wasn’t outed to anyone at the Mansion after all, beyond perhaps Mr. Holloway.

"Can listen 'retty well, doh," the prawn offered, delicately crossing one leg over the other. It was a feminine gesture, despite her stature and masculine attire. Tonight's ensemble was a t-shirt, cargo shorts, and a surgical mask that'd been generously decorated by one of the more artistic students. They were into a subculture more into Japanese punk fashion, and had procured a pink surgical mask, upon which a little cat nose and mouth had been meticulously embroidered. The prawn was enough of a stranger to gifts, and appreciative enough of the gesture, to wear it during the subsequent Xavier's shifts.

"Drama? Kind of but I don't think it's the kind you're thinking of." Seriously anyone who'd tried bullying her here had gotten a mouthful of blistering swearing. Who in their right mind tried to insult a person who has a better grasp of the language and knew more ways to insult you than you thought possible.

The offer was made to listen and she was happy to take it. She'd needed some perspective. "It's to do with a girl I met. We were talking and the conversation kind of led to who we found cute and.....apparently she'd never really given sexuality much thought." An understatement and a half, "and she may have kind of come out to me and admitted she was gay."

"Which would be great and everything but she's really cute and I'd been flirting with her and now I feel like I'm taking advantage or something." Coming out was a big thing (even if Astrid didn't fully understand) and it wasn't exactly a cool move to be hitting on someone who was struggling with finding out who they were.

Damnit why did the girl have to be french and adorable. And have wings. Fluffy, fluffy wings.

The prawn idly bounced her foot, humming softly when Alice protested that it was "different" than what the prawn might have been thinking. Different how? As Alice explained the situation, Jack's brain still plugged along the heteronormative stereotype-- oh no, they liked the same guy? The friend didn't like anyone? O- oh... her friend came out. The prawn's foot stopped bouncing. Her antennae, which normally rested flat against her skull, raised slightly. Sometimes kids had difficulties reconciling non-heterosexual relationships, especially if they came from a narrowminded family.

But again, Alice surprised her. Now her antennae were upright and at full attention. Ooohhh. Some of Jack's smaller mouthparts began grooming her mandibles, creating a sort of wordless motion beneath the surgical mask. A brief silence settled, so the prawn took that as her cue to speak.

"Did you know she 'uzz gay 'e-sore you had dat talk?" the prawn pressed gently. She waited for Alice's answer, before continuing, "So how could you 'e taking ad'antage uzz her is you didn't know?"

The prawn rested her hands, one over the other, on her stomach, and resumed bouncing her foot, her antennae settling. That brought some of Jack's own worries up to the surface of her mind-- it was something that her and Zinnia frequently discussed. But it was more of a mutant thing than a lesbian thing, most likely-- Jack was worried that she'd somehow coerced Zinnia into a relationship, that she wasn't there by choice, that sort of thing. To which Zinnia often reminded her that she was the one who'd asked Jack out.

Jack was kind of right, she shouldn't feel bad for flirting before the whole revelation but it wasn't that bit that was really messing with her head, it's what she had done after. And what she'd agreed to.

"I mean, that I get but that's not where it ended." Taking a deep breathe, this was going to be a bit of a long one. "So I kind of helped her discover that she liked girls, mainly because she told me she thought I was cute and stuff." Blushing at the memory, that had been nice. No matter how she felt about it over all, the fact someone like Astrid felt that way about her was awesome.

"Now, she doesn't have the best English, it's not her first language so...and don't laugh, but I think she might have asked me out. I'm still not sure if she was, or just asking innocent questions but yeah, we have a date coming up." So there was the rub. The kind of creepy thing she'd done.

She knew how bad it would look. It was kind of a given that you put your own feelings on the back burner if you were helping a newly outed person come to terms with it. Only she hadn't, she'd kept flirting.

"I....I'm the bad guy in this aren't I?"

Jack listened, lavender eyes unreadable, pensive. She tapped a bent index finger against the base of her mandibles (her "chin", if you would) as Alice explained the situation. What the hell did "help her discover that she liked girls" mean? Did it mean what Jack thought it meant? Did they hook-up and then the other girl asked her out? Kids were so backwards in their courting behaviors... the prawn burbled as Alice wondered aloud if this made her "the bad guy".

"Don't sink so," the prawn assured her, "As-ter all, she asked you out... right? It's lucky dat you two seel duh sane way a'out each uzzer... 'etter dan longing as-ter sun-one who isn't interested in you at all." Her eyes glittered faintly, and she breathed a huff, "It's a whole uzzer layer uzz diss-iculty when you're interested in uzzer girls."

That... was an insight that only someone who was interested in other girls would have. The realization prompted Jack to straighten her slouched posture, lift her gaze from the spot on the carpet it'd fixated on, and give a low, mournful trill. Most of the staff was aware that she was dating Zinnia, but it wasn't something she broadcast to the kids. She also wasn't the kind to gush about her girlfriend, despite the fact that Zinnia was one of the best things to happen to her... love didn't need to be broadcast to be genuine. Especially at work.

The prawn ground her mandibles with quiet uncertainty.

"I'n not exactly an ex'ert, doh," she added hastily.

That, was a very good point. She had at least tried to put her own feelings on hold to help Astrid, unsuccessfully sure but still, A for effort. About a C for overall work but her intentions had been mostly pure. For a bit at least. With Astrid putting dating on the table it was hard to not act like a giggly idiot around her. Sure, she wasn't the most suave person but Alice liked to think she wasn't a totally flailing noob with romance.

But damn if that girl didn't make her one. It was totally unfair though, those wings were just cheating and god that accent. Any hot blooded woman wouldn't blame her for wanting to see her again. "Thanks, that makes me feel a little better. Still a little like a creeper but hey, an improvement's an improvement."

Not an expert? Why not, she was an adult after all and who the hell wouldn't want a kick ass girl friend like Jack? She was pure distilled awesome in a bright blue package. Plus she was tall, like really tall. Tall girls were, well they were hot.

"Really? I'd have bet the boys....or girls would be all over you. For reasons. That I have no clue about." It wasn't exactly a crush but, well Jack was kind of her types. Tall, blue, sassy as hell and a mutant to boot. As far as adults went she was up there in her top list. For more reasons than just being beautiful too. She was one of the few adults who treated her like an equal, punishments aside for rule breaking, and that was hard to not like.

Back on topic girl, she could add more women in her life to the squee club later, she had other problems right now. "I mean, that's kind of not all of what happened. Nothing over tha top but she might have shown off her mutation inside the," wait, Jack might be awesome but she did still kind of a have a job at the mansion, she might want to omit the bar bit, "place we were talking. Some people aren't fans of mutants apparently."

Jack shook her head, though a faint smile touched her features.

"No, really," the prawn assured the teen, "I's only had one cun-itted relationshi'. Dere isn't exactly a line uzz interested indi'iduals trying to date nee."

This felt like a weirdly personal conversation to have with a student, but it also didn't feel fair to have someone bare their relationship troubles while keeping all of one's cards close to their chest.

Alice's ommission of "where" was more suspicious than just saying what'd happened without saying where. The prawn huffed in amusement. She'd been a teen once. It wasn't brain surgery to come up with a few possible locations. Jack didn't grill her for details, though.

"You're joking," the prawn teased, a burble of a laugh escaping her. A normal-looking (albeit blue-haired) kid was telling the sci-fi-film-reject that people didn't always like mutants? Unthinkable! Jack wiggled her toes, drawing her legs onto the couch and her knees to her chest. Her tone dropped to a more concerned timbre, "Did you two nake it out okay? Not too nuch trou'le?"

Alice just gave Jack a skeptical look. She was awesome, were people really put off by looks that much? No screw that, Jack looked awesome and anyone who could handle her didn't deserve to even get to know her. People with that mindset sucked and frankly that just meant there was more Chief to share with her real friends.

"Haha very funny," she replied, a little sarcastically, "I just thought things were getting better. Especially here with how high profile the X-Men are and how much they help people." But no, apparently people risking their lives and getting more than a few scars on behalf of other people just wasn't enough to prove that, shock horror, mutants were people too. There were bad ones, there were awesome ones. Most just wanted to be left the f--- alone and carry on their lives.

"We were fine, they didn't seem ready to start anything but it was the looks and whisper that got to me. I kind of stormed out with Astrid before any of the stupid bigoted comments could start." Like high school all over again when she'd come out. First the glances, the giggling behind hands. Then the just too loudly whispered insults before the little p----- just outright came out with awful things. Like the worst insults she could have imagined and did the teachers care, nope. Not their job too apparently. 

It was just frustrating, to deal with two sets of prejudice at the same time all the while getting told everything was OK. Nothing was wrong. "I just, I was always told that New York was one of the more progressive cities and then you run into something like that and....." trailing off she tried to keep the anger out of her voice. Why couldn't people just not be awful to each other. That wasn't too much to ask, was it?

The prawn listened as Alice spoke. Just listened, just watched as she worked her way through "I thought people were better than that" and "but obviously not, because they treated 'Astrid' like this" and then back to her disbelief.

As Alice assured Jack that they hadn't been hurt, people had just been talking about them not-too-quietly, an undeniable look of relief flitted across Jack's features. Unkind words were fairly common, in terms of how people reacted to visible mutations. But it could have gone so much worse than that. It was a relief to the older mutant that it hadn't.

Jack shook her head with a faint smile in her eyes as she explained, "Sore as nanny acce'ting solks dat Xa'iers attracts, dere are just as nanny... iss not nore... anti-nyutant ***holes just waiting to ruin your day."

A primary hand rose hesitantly to her surgical mask when Jack realized that she'd sworn in front of a student. She'd been so absorbed in the conversation that it'd kind of just slipped out.

"It's like when you see a 'rotest, and den a counter-'rotest starts, you know?" the prawn said quickly, "Iss dere's sun-sing worse talking a'out, den 'ose sides uzz duh argu-nent show utt."