Dr. Miles Cross's Office, Sept 27 and on.

[Miles Cross]

Dr. Cross is always open for drop-ins, though appointments are needed to assure a time slot.

Dr. Cross will take post-traumatic stress, PRE-traumatic stress, trouble at work, trouble at home, trouble with friends, trouble with enemies--whenever you need someone to talk to with assurances that it won't get spread around campus, Dr. Miles Cross will be there, with a cup of coffee and a couch.

[Miles Cross]

"Hello?" Dr. Cross said, opening his door.

[Veronica Freud]

Veronica jumped a little bit, the petite girl holding her fist up to give the door another rap. She had thought maybe she hadn't knocked hard enough the first time.

"Oh! Doctor Cross? I'm sorry. I was wonderin' if I could maybe book an appointment or somethin'?"

[Miles Cross]

"Why, certainly! Come on in. Oh, and call me Miles."

[Veronica Freud]

"Oh, sure Dr. Miles." The petite girl smiled softly as she stepped into his office, though it would probably be easy to tell that it wasn't as happy a smile as she usually gave. She straightened her skirt a bit as she looked around his office.

"Wow, nice place."

[Miles Cross]

"Thank you. I try to keep it nice," Miles smiled. The wooden interior and leather chairs were a site different than the normal concrete-steel-and-future-moderness of most of the rest of the school.

"Have a seat. What can I do for you," Miles asked, pouring a couple cups of coffee.

[Veronica Freud]

Veronica sat down on the edge of the couch, her knees pressed together and arms resting atop her lap.

"Well, I just needed to talk to someone about... well you probably heard about the missions the other night, and the attack on the dorms."

[Miles Cross]

"Yes, of course. Something's bothering you, then," he said. It wasn't a question.

"Before you begin, I'd like to tell you that you don't have to worry--anything you say in here stays in here. No repercussions."

[Veronica Freud]

Veronica nodded softly. "Yeah, somethin' is." She settled into her seat more, part of her pondering is she should lay down on the couch or not. That's what they do on tv.

"I know, it's yet job. And it's not like anythin' I got to say is really incriminating or anything."

[Miles Cross]

"Of course," Miles smiles, sliding a cup of coffee over towards Veronica.

"So, what's on your mind."

[Veronica Freud]

"Mm, thanks." Veronica wrapped her hands around the cup, letting the head radiate into her slender digits. She held it for a little while before sipping it, not bothering with any cream or sugar.

"Well, I dunno how much you know about what went on that night. I'm sure some other kids've been talkin' to you about some stuff. I guess most of it doesn't really matter." She stopped herself from babbling, shaking her head at herself. "I ain't on any teams. I'm not takin' an X-team minor like a lot of students here. But I got myself put down as a reservist I guess you'd call it. And they needed me to go with a team that night. Things went okay, coulda gone better but none of us was hurt too bad."

She paused to sip her coffee then stared down into the mug. "We thought it was all over until we released some hostages. Turned out they were a trap too and attacked one'a the team members. I tried to just stop one of 'em, to restrain 'em, you know? But I guess I was too big and... I squashed 'er."

[Miles Cross]

"I see," Miles said, steepling his fingers. "How did you feel about that?"

[Veronica Freud]

Veronica sniffled. "I ain't really religious but... I don't wanna go to hell."

[Miles Cross]

Miles nodded. "Well, that's certainly understandable.

Now, it was an accident, yes?"

[Veronica Freud]

"Actually killin' her? Yes, of course! I would never do somethin' like that on purpose. I don't like hurtin' people unless it stops a fight but there's lotsa ways to stop someone without stoppin' 'em for good." She put the coffee cup down on the table designed for such things.

"But I shoulda known better! I was around... thirty eight or forty feet tall! I could'a crushed 'er at half that size. I shoulda known not to do it but I did it anyway.

"And then back at the dorms, they were all fightin' inside. I saw... they were just slaughterin' them. The vampires I mean, the teams and teachers were outright killin' them. Like it weren't nothin' more than swattin' a fly.

"I don't wanna be like that."

[Miles Cross]

Miles nodded, gravely. "Well, it looks like you have a couple of concerns then. First is the fact that you feel you lost control on your mission. Second is the fact that others seem to not share your...thoughts on right and wrong. Yes?"

[Veronica Freud]

"I guess that about sums it up."

Veronica laid down on the couch and sighed. "I dunno. I don't wanna turn into a super villain or somethin'. Like one of them brotherhood guys who used to think that all mutants were superior to humans an' it was okay to kill 'em or make 'em slaves."

[Miles Cross]

Miles nods. "Do you feel like the other people here are super-villains? That their willingness to use lethal force is taking them down that path?"

[Veronica Freud]

"... my roommate brainwashed and raped a girl. So, uh, maybe."

[Miles Cross]

"Ah, yes. You were roommates with Teri, I see. Well, I can't divulge what goes on due to privilage, but I can assure you that she is a very...special case. You talk about the Brotherhood and all that, but...", Miles shakes his head.

"Teri aside, however, do you feel you're surrounded by villains? Are you worried about your classmates and all?"

[Veronica Freud]

"I wouldn't expect ya to doc. If it was any of my business someone'd told me already."

Veronica clasped her hands on her stomach and stared at the ceiling. "Naw, I ain't worried about the students here. I think they're all pretty good."

[Merle McClintock]

Merle sees that the door is closed and guesses that he should have reserved a spot.
He jots off a quick email reservation for later this afternoon and heads back to campus. Oh, and a few reservations for the danger room as long as he was emailing people.

He had heard of a good mexican place in Piccadily circus, so by the time he got back, hopefully Miles would be free.

[Miles Cross]

"But at the same time, you're afraid to become like them."

[Veronica Freud]

"It's not, I..." Veronica sighed. "It just kinda bothers me that just 'cause we were born with special abilities somehow we're given special rights that let us do stuff others can't.

"I don't like thinkin' I'm somethin' other than human. That we're two different species like cats and dogs."

[Miles Cross]

"Expand on that. What do you mean by 'other than human'?" Miles said, leaning in.

[Veronica Freud]

"Back at Xaviers I heard lots of kids talk down about people who didn't have the X-gene. Called 'em human and flatscans and stuff. It always made me feel uncomfortable."

[Miles Cross]

Miles nods. "You're uncomfortable with the idea that you're better than non-mutants."

[Veronica Freud]

"Absolutely! That's, like, racism."

She rolled her head to the side and looked at Miles. "Oh, sorry."

[Miles Cross]

Miles chuckles. "No need to worry about that."

"But you do bring up an interesting point. DO you feel that mutants are, objectively, better? More skilled, and the like?"

[Veronica Freud]

Veronica shook her head. "Nuh uh. To me it's no different than bein' able to learn an instrument a little easier, or run a little faster. Just genetics." She smiled a little bit. "I like to think I'm no different than a redhead. Just a few genes switched around."

[Miles Cross]

"I think that's a helathy way to look at it," Miles smiled.

"Let's get back to the source of the problem, though. During the mission, you say you lost control. Tell me about that."

[Veronica Freud]

"I don't think I lost control. I knew what I was doin'. I just didn't think it through. I wanted to step on 'er just enough to kncok her down and pin her. But I musta stepped too hard when I tried to go fast.

"... it was really gross."

[Miles Cross]

"Has it ever happened before? Not killing someone, but losing track of your own strength?"

[Veronica Freud]

Veronica nodded. "Yeah, it has. But this is the first time someone got killed 'cause of it. I've hurt people before though."

[Miles Cross]

"People you cared about," Miles prompted.

[Veronica Freud]

"Yeah. My ex-boyfriend for one."

[Miles Cross]

"Oh? Does that have anything to do with him becoming an 'ex'?"

[Veronica Freud]

"Yeah, it does. It's embarrassing but, well. Our first time, you know? I got a little excited and, ah, well I shattered his pelvis and femurs." Veronica blushed a bit at her own admission.

[Miles Cross]

Miles smiles, a tad ruefully. "That's more common than you'd think. Teenagers have enough trouble keeping under control when they're on an endorphin high when they DON'T have to worry about spontaneously growing.

Well, more so than usual, at least."

[Veronica Freud]

Veronica giggled softly. "Yeah, I guess so. It just... it feels good when I do it. I feel strong and invincible. It's like finishin' a marathon or somethin'."