2013.10.08 - Outdated Romanticism

With Warren's event over, and things having settled down at the X-Mansion with the early rush of school over, taking advantage of the weekend for themselves to take Betsy Braddock out to dinner was Douglas Ramsey, attired in nicely styled clothes. 
Pulling out a seat for Betsy before taking his own place at the table, Doug smiles. "Been a long week, hasn't it?" 
Wearing a flowing summer, lilac summer dress Betsy takes a seat murmuring a somewhat awkward 'Thank you', nodding at Doug when he asks the question, her whole body seeming to respond aswell. It was a busy week to Elizabeth Braddock, but she seems pleased. Raising her hand the woman calls a clerk to get herself and the man before her something. For now, all she will have is a cup of coffee. 
"Too long. Too bothersome. Here's to hoping for... better weeks!", she smiles, raising her coffee and taking a sip, eyes closed.
Ordering himself a cup of hazelnut cappucino, Doug nods. "Though I did get the first test of the system I'd been working on for months out of the way. Spent time with the new students. They're all pretty rambuncious. Although the old ones sometimes give me headaches..." 
Wrinkling his nose at Betsy, Doug inquires, "You ever spent any time with them? I could use your thoughts, if you've had a chance to meet them." 
"Our students are pests.", Betsy begins, opening her eyes to peer at Doug with her lilac orbs, their strange new coloration artificial-looking but almost hypnotic in quality. "But I did have a run-in with a girl this week. A special run in. Her name was Aldine, I think. Ruth Aldine. Nice girl.", the woman says off-handedly, even if her words and posture seem to indicate that the subject not only bothers her, but also warms her some, as if feeling good somehow made the brit uneasy.
"They can't be that bad, honestly. A little bit energetic, a bit excitable, but..." 
Odd, were Betsy's eyes -that- vivid in the past? He didn't remember them being quite like this. 
"Oh Ruth! Yes. Blindfold. Her abilities can make things a bit... uncomfortable for pepole. I haven't been able to sort out how to get her to be more... approachable. Nice...?" The wording as well as the body language made Doug curious, as he reaches to touch her hand lightly, hoping it would make her feel at ease. 
Elizabeth takes Doug's hand and gently brushes her thumb on top of it, in a light caress, as she shrugs, not relaxing yet, her eyes focused on the coffee and sometimes peering at Cypher without never focusing on anything in particular.
For all that's worth, Betsy is one hell of a liar. No way this would be noticeable by Doug unless he had mutant powers. 
"She is nice enough. I... We talked a bit. I think there is something really brilliant within that girl.", the british woman says, something about the way she says it making it seem like Betsy has a softspot for Ruth, the heart-warming kind of feeling that since being abducted by the Hand Doug has not seen in his girlfriend.
It's rather odd, that Betsy has never quite seemed to have -that- feeling about Doug, and yet there was -something- that kept her hanging around. Maybe it was that Doug could call her out on her lies. "There's something more about her, isn't there, Betsy?" he asks, his own coffee cooling to the side as he runs his thumb over the back of Betsy's hand in a comforting gesture. 
"Mmm?", Betsy feigns not actually hearing Doug, a brief moment passing before she realizes Cypher can see through her lies easily. Things would be easier if she would just telepath her way out of this, out of Doug's difficult questions, but then again... there is a reason why he is the only person she avoids manipulating with her mind. Sighing, she nods. It is not comfortable, but she is somewhat happy he is forcing her to speak out of worry and care.
"Yes. Yes, there might be, yes.", the woman says, taking a sip of her coffee and looking at the man before her, before continuing. "She's... delicate.", and what Betsy doesn't tell is: 'She's like me.'.
Doug was not the mindreader Betsy was, but the way she moves, the various tells her body language shares when she's lying or evasive, leaves Doug with the delicate act of trying to offer comfort, leaving her to share or not to share as she choose, but giving her the chance to -feel- comfortable. 
And so when Betsy looks back at him, Doug's smile is more of a 'I'm here'. 
Reaching up to kiss the back of her hand before clasping them in both hands, Doug nods slowly. "It can be unnerving dealing with her, because she believes people might not necessarily want to know what she has to share behind her mask," he says slowly. "But she has that courage to tell people anyway." 
Although Elizabeth smiles at Doug, the lingering discomfort is still there. Ruth messed with her somehow, as she does with everyone she talks to. 
"Oh, no. That is not courage. She cannot help it, anf if she could, and she -will-, she wouldn't say it. I myself wanted to punch a hole through her head for the things she said... even told her that.", Betsy says rolling her eyes, trying to play it cool, but bothered. "In the end, however... I think I managed to connect with her, stabilish something. It was...", and she takes her hands away from Doug's, as she grasps the edge of the table "It was so powerful, Douglas. You wouldn't believe it if I told you. She was so glad... so happy. I... never had someone that genuinely happy because of me before. It was mighty.". 
Elizabeth's whole body shudders at the thought, goosebumps all over her. Ruth's emotional response and sincerity really touched her in a specia lway.
"I always thought it was courage, for her to say it even knowing the reaction she would get..." Doug clarifies, as he runs his thumb across the back of her hand, soothingly before she removes her hands, and grasps the table. 
"I might not understand perfectly... but if you're happy, I'm happy," Doug smiles, as he leans forward, elbows resting on the table. "It's worth the frustrations of dealing with the students to get that moment when you know you've made an impact on someone's life, isn't it?"
"Mmmm.", it's all response Doug gets from Betsy for a moment as she glances to her side and down, squinting her eyes, thinking. She is not so sure about that, whatever it is. "I'm teaching her to do things that will let her... live the way she wants to. Ruth is one of those kids who had a lot taken from her... but... impacting someone's life... I don't know about that. Not sure it matters. I... I just don't really know how to feel about it. "
Elizabeth turns to Doug and takes a deep breath, pursing her lips into a thin smile. "Most of times I freak out when I have to teach. But her? It's different. I still freak out, but... she is so helpless. So... broken. I just feel like... Ugh. It's weird. I am dreading our next encounter but I am excited... God."
"It's really personal for you now, isn't it?" Doug notes, as he cants his head, studying her expression, the way she seems positively intense when Ruth is mentioned. "I'm not too conversant with her case file, other than superficially." 
Leaning back, Doug nods slowly. "A lot of our students have their own... ways of being broken. It's our island of misfit toys, you know...?" 
And if Betsy wasn't conversant with te reference, she could just as well fish the image out of Doug's head - the annual Christmas Rudolph special with toys who were perfectly functional but broken still seeking to be useful in some way to other people... 
"Personal? No, no. I mean... maybe superficially.", says the telepath, frowning and looking down, unwilling to admit what she had already thought about previously. She takes a deep breath and makes a hand motion, smirking. "What about you? Any young, nubile mutant girls giving Mr. Ramsey their dorm number?", the woman teases, looking like her usual self, tilting her head to the side.
"Don't think you can fool me with that 'Nice Mr. Ramsey' routine. Anyone who works so closely and so frequently with the young females in the Institute must have a secondary agenda.', Elizabeth says. Teasing and sidetracking Doug is one of the things she is still good at.
Hmmm. Avoidance, at least, but that was fine, as it meant Betsy wasn't quite ready to explain what was on her mind. Letting her know that she could take her time on it, Doug nods, before quirking an eyebrow at the Brit.
"Just because the last class was like 99 percent girls, you're never going to let me live that down, are you?"
Leaning back, Doug grins a bit. "At least the incoming class has a couple of boys this time around. And besides, you know I only have eyes for you." Resting his face on his hand, the young blond looks towards the purple-haired woman with a wrinkle of his nose. "Although you know... I think I have a sense of accomplishment when I feel like they've learned things from me." 
"Oh, Douglas, you make me blush with all that out-dated romantism.", Elizabeth teases the boy, smirking, before she says "But you are not as good as a liar as you think you are. Men seldom are.", the brit continues after chuckling "No men only has eyes for one woman, that is... almost insulting, to be told that. It doesn't mean you don't like me, Mr. Ramsey, but please. I am not an innocent flower who will swoon over that."
Eyeing Doug for a moment, Psylocke looks up and the to the side, before looking back at Doug and smiling. "You can be honest with me. About anything, really. I am not Jean or Kitty, I can take a lot more than any of you can dish."
"Is it really outdated?" Doug frowns, canting his head. "I mean..." His voice trails off. "Well, I never -really- thought about it. It's just... I mean, I noticed. God knows, I had my share of crushes... Kitty, Caitlin..." 
He thinks about it a moment, trying to get at what Betsy was meaning. "I look, I don't touch, for many reasons. I mean... but I have to admit, I don't think very long about it." 
"Well, you should. Everybody should wonder why we have so many rules when they don't make that much sense to begin with. We lead dangerous lives... some things should be more important than others.", Elizabeth says, arching a brow at Doug, knowing she has him interested, in the least. She likes his open-mindedness. 
"Make it an exercise from now on. Make a list of the attractive women you like around you. It should really open your eyes to the shark inside of you.", she finishes, with a smug smirk.
Leaning against the table, Doug considers this, before looking towards Betsy. "Well I figured you looked too, and I don't mind looking." Wrinkling his nose, the young man hesitates, before asking, "So why do you want -me- to do this exercise?" It was rather... different to figure out what she wanted to do with this particular exercise. To make a point? To encourage him to look elsewhere? 
"I... just feel like you could benefit from some perspective. Everyone in that mansion could.", Betsy says, looking up and at Doug, alternatingly, as she speaks. "Why shouldn't you be able to feel attracted and persue other women. Riddle me that.". Elizabeth looks at Doug and tilts her head as someone who says 'Come on, answer me -that-, hotshot!', humored and calm.
"Oh... I don't know. Because it seems like dealing with too many people at once gets you into too much -emotional- hassle," Doug answers. "I mean..." Taking another moment to think, the young man glances up towards Betsy. "Or are you wondering -why- I find you attractive?" 
"Me? I am one of the most beautiful women in Westchester, I am sure most men and some closeted women think I am very attractive.", Elizabeth says simply, before she touches her forehead and smirks "But you are not attracted to me just physically. You are 'in love with me', and that requires, for a man like you, more than a stunning body, even if not my own."
"And that...is probably why I don't spend enough time -thinking- about how other women are attractive," Doug muses. Tilting his head at Betsy, Doug has to admit, "We've never really talked about that, did we? A body not your own...?" 
There was a hesitant look as he considers the look of her face, her eyes, in a 'what am I looking at' manner, before reaching for her hands. "But you're still Betsy, aren't you?"
There's a distinct pause in Betsy as if an arrow had just zommed into her heart from her back. This is not something the woman wants to talk about, and for a moment Doug can actually tell his girlfriend doesn't know the answer. Doesn't she know who she is? And suddenly there's a butterfly of purple energy around her head, and his. Wha- 
"Me? I am one of the most beautiful women in Westchester, I am sure most men and some closeted women think I am very attractive.", Elizabeth says simply, before she touches her forehead and smirks "But you are not attracted to me just physically. You are 'in love with me', and that requires, for a man like you, more than a stunning body. Which begs the question, why?". Betsy seems somewhat bothered, peering at Doug with a smile, however.
Blinking slowly, Doug has a moment of deja vu, as though this question had been asked before, but ... it wasn't quite the same. And then the thought flees, as the young mutant tilts his head at Betsy. "Because in some ways, I feel like there's more to you than just being attractive. Like... I don't know. Like you need me in a way that I need you. To... to complete something that's missing?" 
"Me? Complete what's missing? You are a whole person, Douglas. You don't need anything from me, but you want to think that way, because that's love, isn't it? It's sublime, and we cannot really understand it. It needs to be that way, just like religion, or else we will question it and it becomes useless.". Betsy, the Philosopher. With a smirk she looks up, and then at Doug again. "We don't need each other. But we choose to be together. Doesn't this sounds far more appealing? We could be appart, but we are not."
"I don't know," Doug replies, as he considers. "I think it's like a knife and a fork. You could make do with each one on its own, but together, it's a lot easier to do something." 
There was a smile, as he smiles. "Besides, there are activities it's more fun to do as a pair." 
Betsy smirks and nods at Doug, narrowing her eyes. "Oh, naughty joke, I like it.", says the woman, before tilts her head to the side, allowing her purple hair to slide down completely behind her. "And on that note... we should investigate those activities throghouly. Exhaustively. Until we are sure we have really hit a note on synchronization as a pair."
For once, reading Betsy's body language, there was no mistaking -any- of that intent. 
"So... home, then?" Doug grins, as he stands up, before offering her a hand up. As much as Betsy might not like being given -special- treatment, Doug was still going to treat her with that idealized romanticism, offering her a hand up. Simply because he wanted to. 
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