Envisionings (2nd Edition) Part 25 🌌♟️

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of the otherwise orange-red apparition. . . .

as a purple-blue version edges one side

resembling old 3D tech requiring red/blue glasses to view .

rising up into the image of a bird taking flight,

rising,

Flames, various hues, rising,

The images transition into a liquid blur. . . .as we transition-to a careful application of drops to mutationally-powered eyes.

Scott's head tilted far back. Bare, closed eyes receiving the liquid which collects in the creases of his lids. He opens them only after replacing his visor, feeling the lubrication spread over his ocular organs.

We see he's out on the Grounds -a safe place to accidentally discharge optic blasts upwards- and hear, as he takes the cap of the eyedrop bottle from his sweatshirt pocket and screws it back on, the voice of Jean Grey: "Are you ready?"

They're both sporting X-school brand athletic wear -Jean already in a tank top, Scott removing the sweatshirt to reveal his own underneath.

He places the warmer garment aside,

and Training gets underway--Specifically: boxing.

Scott has the punch mitts -a worn pair, by the looks of it- while Jean's got the gloves. Soon he opens up some distance between them, and Jean's motions still seem to cause impact even though her gloves are no longer colliding with the mitts.

Then, the gloves are coming off--and with only extension of her fingers Jean continues to hit the mitts with telekinesis. But before she really gets going, she stops. "Ready to switch things up?"

Next we see their positions swapped: Scott sporting the gloves while Jean's taken over the mitts.

In the same vein, Scott starts with some "basic" training. Then, at the playful taunt of Jean -"Warmed up enough, yet?"- and telekinetic removal of one of his gloves, Scott switches to hitting the mitts with some low powered blasts from his visor.

Jean steps back at the same time as she begins levitating the mitts, taking the practice into the air.

Scott keeps up as Jean takes things even higher- - then dials up his blast enough to put an end to things; can't keep training when your punch mitts are obliterated.

Jean: "I'm glad to see the last of those old things."

She walks up to Scott, "and that someone's pretty well back to form." She runs her hand along his deltoid for a moment.

Scott cracks a smile.

And we see "The Grounds" pixelate away into the open expanse of the Danger Room.

We then rise up through the ceiling and the earth above, seeing how if on the actual Grounds, their training would've been much more brisk, as steady snowfall continues to blanket it.

Panning into/through X-Mansion, we catch a broadcast of the morning news:

Newscaster: " ... partnership between the police, and the ABMC*'s scientist, Dr. Hank McCoy, to explore alternative methods for dealing with criminal mutants. Guidelines have also been set on what circumstances are appropriate to use the mutation inhibiting collars designed by Trask Industries, which we've previously covered."

Hank: "When one of my fellow founders concluded a meeting with Mr. Trask two months ago, he came away feeling less than optimistic. Given these new developments, our sentiments are decidedly more hopeful."

*Association for the Betterment of Mutant Citizens.

We see, as if viewed through a cutaway, the interior goings-on of the Mansion as we continue our pan-up to the highest-set balcony, where the weather is shown not to simply be coming from the clouds, but the hand of Ororo Munroe.

Our transition from the Danger Room to X-Mansion has come with a small transition of time, as our arrival at Ororo is concurrent with Jean's: "Still giving Nature a helping hand?"

Storm: "Winter has called to me from the month ahead."

Jean uses her own powers to play with some flakes, remarking good-naturedly:

"So long as the call's ended when it's time view the Leonids."

Storm laughs in her throat: "I will make sure of that. For now, I cannot help it-

Many may associate Winter with an end before life Springs anew, but I feel it marks the beginning - nothing so rough it cannot be smoothed over, messiness made clean again;

a fresh breath for the places touched by snow."

Jean takes in her friend's words with a subtler smile. Then, sharing thoughts more than bursting bubbles, adds: "What's underneath is only covered, not taken away."

Jean whisks the snow away from an area down below,

revealing a grass-sparse section of dirt.

"No, but it gives us the renewed perspective of a lighter world.

Not to mention all that can be built from it."

Storm gestures down towards the Grounds at large, where students -along with some of the older occupants of the Mansion- go about erecting snow structures, amassing snowballs for a team-based snowball fight, and setting up larger ones for sculpting -as Iceman adds a degree of frost. Many of these activities done with powers, complicating matters or enhancing them; possibilities only as finite as ideas and the ability to execute them.

Storm: "A blank page on a new chapter."

Jean takes the cascade in anew. "There is something to the silence it brings," she holds her hand out to catch the gentle flakes, closing her eyes to take that silence in; despite the sounds carrying up from below.

Then, opening them, Jean moves her fingers as though playing the snow like an instrument, arranging the cascade into a rhythm.

"Now if only I could feel like I was writing the book." Jean whisks the snow skywards.

And we Transition-To

the sky outside a classroom window.

Scott waiting at the front for his students to finish coming in.

Trig Student # 1: "Hey- where's Iceman?"

Trig Student # 2: "He was just subbin'. Cyclops is our usual* trig teacher."

*Who took time off to recovery properly from the

staggering events of the last two storylines! ~Tra

Trig Student # 3: "Didn't you hear Iceman say it was his last day on Friday?"

Trig Student # 1: "Seriously? But he was the best."

Scott sports an ironic smile: "Alright. I'm pleased you found the temporary arrangement agreeable." He glances towards an air hockey table in a prominent place of the room, "we'll be continuing the curriculum from where he left off," attention then shifting to a workbook.

Trig Student # 1 (raising hand but speaking before being called on): "I can tell you where that was. Our half of the class was about to demonstrate what we learned to the other half." Gesturing towards the ice hockey table, the student grins towards the other half of the room.

Scott (not to be fooled): "Thanks, but we'll be exploring different forms of practical application."

Trig Student # 1 (whispering -not too quietly- to neighbor): "Can he even play? Or just on that old pool table?"

Vhzkheeoo-- the air hockey puck is banked by a narrowly released optic blast.

Glasses replaced snugly over his eyes, Scott looks up. "Any more questions before we start?"

Meanwhile in another room, a book is telekinetically brought down from on top of a bookcase, into Xavier's reach.

Xavier: "Thank you. I don't know how it wound up there."

Jean: "I feel just like it." Off a gesture from Xavier, Jean sits down.

A table now between them supports a chessboard with a game in-progress.

"I mean this arrangement of mine, the fact it exists at all. . . I never knew if it could be permanent, still I lived as if I had time. . Now I'm back to feeling like I don't have a hand on anything." She toys with the king, tapping her first two fingers on the crown. "So much I wanted to accomplish, yet I feel like I've done nothing." Jean castles her king.

Xavier (contrastingly assured): "Who can know if this will be the last time you converge here? The future is moldable right up until it becomes the present." A wise smile, Xavier looks down to consider the board. "And your hand has shaped more than you realize." He makes his move.

The sound of a multitude of footsteps shifts their attention beyond the room.

A different smile crosses his face: "And so our game stretches out again."

Having gotten up, Jean adds with a small smile of her own: "We may want to actually set aside time to play it through."

"In any case, I will be looking forward to your next move."

The Professor is left to his gathering class.

While we Cut-Back-To one now letting out.

One of the trig students reaches for their bag- to the result of it disappearing--remaining contents now spilling over the floor. "Aw man. That's the second time I sent my pack back to my room today. At least I hope that's where it is."

Meanwhile, after helping to move the air hockey table to a less prominent spot -during which we can see a pool table also on hand- Trig Student # 3 goes to grab their bag. "It was nice to have you back as Professor, Cyclops." Slinging it over their shoulder as they head out.

Trig Student # 1 (to classmate while preparing to head out themselves):

"In my case, I know I'll be missing Iceman all semester."

Trig Student # 2: "He did teach more like he was still a student himself. I liked that." They help Trig Student # 4 carry their scattered stuff.

Trig Student # 4 (as they're heading out the door): "Well if you ask me, he took some acclimatizing to. But yeah, he was cool after that."

Trig Student # 2: "You gonna' 'cool it' with the puns now that he's gone?"

Laughter can just be made out.

Within earshot at his desk, Scott tucks a stack of papers inside after taking a particular one out. We can just see it's a drawn picture of something before he tucks it into his vest to take with him.

Now out in the Halls, there are more snippets of conversation to catch:

Trig Student # 5: "Don't you think Iceman brought some invigoration to the class?"

Trig Student # 6 (jokingly): "Like a 'Cool Mint' breath."

Trig Student # 5: "You've been hanging out with Porter again, haven't you?"

Trig Student # 7: "Cyclops has gotten messed up a lot, lately.

Maybe it would be the thing for everyone if he just passed the baton already."

Trig Student # 8: "Like I'll miss Cyclops' start-of-the-year apple trick,

but it's time to press the evolution button on trig class."

We see Scott looking perhaps disappointed at this reception of his return. .

. . and things don't look much different come Mechanics Class, where a phased-in-view of what's under the hood, or the ability to check anything out without the use of a creeper

-thanks respectively to subs Shadowcat and Colossus- are missed more than the ready,

off book knowledge Professor Cyclops brings to the table. . .

. . .It's a contrasting story with Jean, teaching her avid class of one; Holo*.

*Jean's been tutoring her on the intricacies

of X-Gene expression--more advanced stuff

than the middle-schooler would come across in the curriculum with her peers! ~Tra

X-Mansion Sub Basement - Lab

Jean: "Your powers would fall under the Illusion Sub-class. What's interesting is the unique way they function. Illusionists are usually a type of telepath. To compare the typical mechanics to yours, it's as if the illusionist is projecting straight into their subject's mind, tricking them into perceiving what isn't actually there. Where as you project genuine images right in front of people."

Holo: "Is that stronger?"

"It has its pros and cons. Since yours don't require tapping into minds, you can use the same effort to project to a crowd as you would to one person, and presumably it wouldn't matter how strong their minds are. On the other hand, your projections have an actual boundary. They can literally be walked out of; a much easier escape than any illusion in the mind."

Holo thinks this over. "I think I like that. I wouldn't want to get anyone stuck on my channel."

A small smile crosses Jean's face. "That's good to hear."

. . .While they finish up, we go back to the main levels of the Mansion. . .

Where Scott quizzically pauses when he notices Ororo coming down the hallway

-pausing her.

"Who's keepin' an eye on Magneto?"

"The Professor is supervising the reconstruction of the X-Jet."

Scott's disagreement of Ororo's correction is evident on his face.

Ororo responds to it: "An alliance cannot be expected to be maintained if it is not approached with a mind as open as it is pragmatic."

"Well I'm still unconvinced it exists in the first place."

"I wanted to talk to you about that, Scott. It could be that a new perspective is what the

X-Men need to lead them forward."

Scott stares, taken aback.

Later - Scott & Jean's Room

We see Scott standing at the desk, appearing to look at the picture he'd taken with him before, which we can see now is a still life of flowers: sunflowers and heather.

Scott's expression, however, speaks to looking at a different kind of "life". .

. . and it's anything but "still".

Jean (having just come in): "Holo gave you one, too?"

When he looks over, Jean shows a picture clearly drawn by the same hand, also of flowers; a sweet pea assortment. "It was a nice surprise." She notices the look on his face.

"Something wrong?"

Scott frowns. "My day had one too many surprises." He moves to the closet.

"Want to talk about it?"

While he considers the question, Scott takes out a jacket for himself and one for Jean,

which he holds out to her ("Thanks").

"Well, it might not come to be anything. I'll see about it, first."

He gets his jacket on. "Ready to go?" - "In just a minute."

And so we fade to just outside. . .to watch the Leonids meteor shower at its peak. . .

Holo's adult sister, Jacilon, has come to X-Mansion to join in the viewing.

Presently, she stands off to the side, speaking with Jean.

"Holo has really learned a lot from you." Jacilon grins a little. "And so have I, since she tells me everything!"

Jean smiles. "Holo is a very attentive student. I've been happy to have her interest."

In the moment, Jean decides to share: ". . .It's looking very likely I could be. . going away again. I'll miss her when I do."

Jacilon's interest takes on a shade of alarm. "You will be?"

Jean responds to it seriously: "It won't be anything like the first* time."

*X3:Unseen

"How can you know?"

"It's this sense I get. . Dreams. Last time** they had me feeling fearful. This time their undercurrent is just. . " Jean searches for the most accurate word. "Steady. I feel it'll more resemble a reverse of when I came back***

than be any way similar to how I left."

**X2

***Envisionings Part 1!

Her gaze sets back on Jacilon. "But it's your natural reaction that's had us decide not to inform any of the students ahead of time. I admit to thinking about telling Holo, though. With the bond she's developed with me, I don't want her to feel blindsided. Though I also don't want to put her in the position of having to explain anything, or have other students learn about it through Holo, if she happens to imagine my ascent."

Eased, Jacilon responds: "Yeah, Holo can definitely share things without meaning to that way." Further reflecting: "She's a sensitive soul, but pretty relaxed about more things than maybe most kids, or even than I would be. I'm sure she'll be okay if I explain it to her after.

Do you, uh, know when it'll be?"

Jean shakes her head. "Probably still a while, but soon."

Jacilon nods. "Well your secret is safe with me, in the meantime." She smiles.

"Thanks for being so good with Holo."

Jean nods, the smile reciprocated. "You two enjoy the show tonight."

"You and Cyclops, too." With a small wave, Jacilon goes to join up with her little sister.

While we join Scott & Jean on a familiar* balcony.

*The self-same one as where they had their

heart-to-heart at the close of the💉🩸 storyline; Part 21!

Standing close in each other's arms, in this moment they have eyes only for each other. . . .

Jean: "This extra time with you has meant a lot to me."

Scott: "It's meant a lot to me."

A loving kiss is shared ahead of the sky's chromatic ignition; a chorus of awe ringing out from the Grounds below.

At first Jean & Scott turn only their heads, until the night sky spectacular captures more of their attention . .

. . Jean coming to be moved by the starry, showering heavens. "To think. . to realize what countless thousands of years went into all this. . .To be here now, taking in this majesty. .

. .Much of the stars long gone, yet we still see the ripples of their existence. . ." Jean closes her eyes. "There was never going to be enough time in this life to see everything through. ." She opens her eyes back to the awesome cosmos. ". . maybe in the scheme of things,

any ripples we make are enough. . ." While there's still a yearning in her, these words are spoken with an accepting calm; a peaceful manner having fallen over Jean Grey. . .

". . .Looks like it's over."

Scott turns his attentive gaze from Jean back to the sky . . . .

-wheeewwwww--POP!~F~i~z~z~l~e~!~

Voice from out on the Grounds: "Maybe a little warning next time, Jubilee!"

Jubilee: "Sorry! I just didn't want the sky show to be over, yet!"

Holo: "Let me see what I can do! My audio is optional."

Mixed laughter.

"Hey, Holo- we can enjoy your fireworks all night! They're quiet and the light doesn't extend as far

-they won't disturb anybody!"

Holo laughs. "Isn't an all-nighter a college thing? I don't know if I can manage it!"

Jacilon (lighthearted yet sensible): "I don't know if I can allow you to."

The fireworks after-show breaks up before long,

while the couple stays a while longer with the stars. .

. . until Jean decides to turn in: "You coming?"

"In a minute."

Jean leaves him with a tender kiss on his lips and a caress of his cheek, then to his thoughts and the quiet of the night.

Turning his gaze to the sky once more, we see one more celestial body --flashing-- across it, reflected in his ruby quartz until it completely takes over the lens; the brightest of the night.