Security Sweep Trial

[Pietro Maximoff]

::The date comment, peculiarly enough, failed to further ruffle Pietro. He had no way of knowing that the other man was bisexual, not that such tendencies bothered him; Samson hadn't accused him of having a twisted Oedipus Complex. Surprising, as he wanted to kill his father and he idealized his mother as a Martyred Saint. And Uncle...he loved that man as much as he could love another man. But he didn't have bisexual leanings.

What did grate on him from Jack was the subtle assertion that he was somehow...less, abnormal because he couldn't joke. "Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder is defined by stubbornness and rigidity of character..." Samson had an answer for everything, for every character trait others considered a flaw.:: "I don't have a grudge, and I told you I don't have a sense of humor."

[arcane]

"Then what the hell's your problem today?" Jack asked in exasperation, his hands indicating as he spoke before being situated at his hips.

[Pietro Maximoff]

::Pietro's jaw set. He was all-too aware of speech today. "Hypersensitivity to negative events..." Why did everything that happened to him remind him of Samson's list? He was not Schizophrenic, could not be Schizophrenic. He didn't hear voices, apart from Uncle's telepathic calls, but those were perfectly normal for the living situation. Just as his thoughts raced and his speech blurred because of his mutation, not a mental disorder.

His back remained stiff, and he kept his eyes, first on Jack's hands and then the other man's face once he'd settled down. He spoke flatly, not angry, not quite.:: "It's been a bad week."

[arcane]

Jack sighed a little at that. Now this was seeming familiar. "Right," he said quietly. Though he didn't know Pietro well, he had a feeling he was the kind of man who hid his emotions and his problems. Jack was like that, locked everything away because it was important for him to look invincible even if he didn't feel it. He was sure Pietro was similar, for they did seem to share some traits. "I suggest you find someone to have a chat with, cause even though you might not realise it, you're starting to take it out on other people." He spoke as though he was offering advice, instruction, probably not preferred, but it was only natural for Jack to do so.

[Pietro Maximoff]

::Pietro did not respond immediately, certainly not to mention that speaking with someone on the subject is what had brought on this current bout. Nor to mention that the only people he spoke with were the man who had been a father to him, his twin sister and a few others who had been raised with him and he considered his family, and his girlfriend. He had no peers, no other friends. He had nothing to distract himself, no prospects. "Avolition." He could hear Samson even now. The idle thought of whether that counted as hearing voices made him tense further.

The way the other man spoke, there were two aspects he drew from it. One was experience and the other was dissemination. Pietro didn't think the other man had been told that he was mentally ill. Unstable, unhealthy, unbalanced...he knew too much English and had too many synonyms. On the other hand, who knew?:: "I'll think about that."

[arcane]

"Good," was Jack's simple response, with a corresponding nod of his head. Feeling as though the matter had been resolved, he turned to continue walking without notifying Pietro.

[Pietro Maximoff]

::Pietro began walking easily, despite the lack of notice. Movement was his natural state, and as they walked, they moved from the mansion into the large amount of territory, the grass, the flowers, the trees.::

[arcane]

Jack fell back into silence as they travelled, at least glad that he had worked out the reason for Pietro's behaviour, even if not the cause. As they moved further from the mansion and into open space, Jack looked around the expanse of grounds as he walked, remaining vigilant.

[Pietro Maximoff]

::Pietro was fine with the silence again, now that, for the moment, the issue the other man had was revealed as curiosity and irritation, nothing more. Not too soon later, they arrived near the stables, and Pietro went around to the door.:: "We check here just in case."

[arcane]

Jack nodded once at Pietro words, taking up the rear as Pietro approached the stables. From here, he could not hear any human presence within, but allowed Pietro to inspect it to satisfy himself.

[Pietro Maximoff]

::The horses were calm, not spooked. Pietro could tell from that alone that there was either nobody there, or nobody with a disturbing presence. Uncle had had horses for his entire childhood, and before that...the Sinti were a horse-loving people. He could handle them. Knew them. Still, it was routine, and he clung to it. "Rigidity." He forced the memory away, so he could focus on his task, as he entered the stables and began a quick sweep.::

[arcane]

Jack waited by the door for Pietro to return. There was no point in both of them checking such a small space.

[Pietro Maximoff]

::Pietro did a sweep of the stables at a speed closer to his usual pace. There were no intruders, and nothing was amiss. He slowed and exited, coming to stand beside Jack when finished.::

[arcane]

As Pietro exited, Jack took that as the cue that the stables were empty and he turned to proceed on their way to continue to the sweep.

[Pietro Maximoff]

::Out of the stables, Pietro began his pace again with Jack, as they continued through the grounds. Soon they would be finished with buildings, and it would be all natural growth.::