starlaboratories | (no subject)

(no subject)

[Look who comes skidding across the floor on an ice path! Crystal only stops when she bumps pretty bodily against one of the main consoles in the Cortex]

Okay, ice slides are something that's a lot harder than I thought it would be.

[She gets up and gives a small hiss of pain at bumping her head against the console table before looking around. It's a lot emptier than she's used to. The brunette brushes a few curls out of her face and dark eyes take in her surroundings. She looks young, in her mid-20s. She walks around cautiously, her heeled boots clicking on the floor]

Where is everyone?

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[Very busted.]

Don't stand there and lie to me, Crystal. I know what I saw.

I was...going to tell you?

[Innocent look. Look at her face, mom, can she get away with it?]

When?

[Get away with it, no. Not exactly.]

Soon? Kind of like how I was going to tell you and pops that I'm taking a sabbatical from medical school?

[That has Caitlin raising a brow.]

Taking sabbatical? For what reason? Because of this?

A doctoral program in engineering, superheroing maybe, and I...I kind of like inventing things better.

[She picks at her fingernails because man, this is as bad as when she broke that one vase.]

[She shakes her head]

You will finish school. The superheroing can wait until you have full control of your abilities. However, inventing things can be done on the side. But you won't just take sabbatical from school. Not for superheroing. School comes first.

[She looks crestfallen]

What?!

School comes first, Crystal. That will always come first. You also can't do anything superhero related while you have lack of control.

But mom, I can be out there, with you and pops and Jay and everyone else!

No, you can't. Not when you don't have control over your abilities.

[She's even more heartbroken at this]

I...I can learn, mom. I...

You can learn, yes. However, school comes first and I expect you to finish it. Not just decide to go on sabbatical. I’ll even teach you how to control your abilities, but that will require you to continue school. Otherwise, I can’t teach you.

[Caitlin has stipulations for her daughter that need to be filled before any type of training or superheroing can be done.]

What if I don't want to go to medical school?

[She's brilliant, that's the obvious thing. Crystal placed top in her class and field every single time. She gives a sigh]

Never mind.

[She walks away, maybe they just won't agree on this.]

Don’t walk away.

[That’s the worst thing anyone can do.]

Do you want to switch majors? Whether it’s medical or engineering, I don’t care. School, however, needs to be finished while I teach you how to control your abilities.

[They’d also have to talk to Ronnie before any mention of superheroing could ever happen.]

[She stops and is frustrated because, mom. The temperature of the vicinity goes down a few degrees before going back up.]

I said I wanted to take a sabbatical from medical school. I still want to keep going for my doctorates in engineering.

[She turns back to look at her]

I really like what I do there.

[She shakes her head when she feels the air change. Something that she knew her daughter had no control over. Something that didn’t phase her one bit.]

Drop medical and take engineering full time then, Crystal.

[She gives a small smile]

I know you do. I just want you to finish school first. That way I can show you how to use your abilities and then we can approach your dad.

[That gets her running back and she hugs her tightly]

I didn't know how to tell you and pops. I...I've been keeping this quiet for a while. And maybe practicing in some parts of STAR Labs without you knowing. I just...I can make the dagger. I can kind of make the sword. But I can't seem to coordinate the slide.

Did you think I'd get upset if you didn't want to do medical anymore?

[She hugs her daughter back and leans her head down, kissing her forehead.]

No more training alone, Crystal. Just promise me that you'll finish school and then when we've got alone time we'll head out, and train. I'll help you master the ice slide.

I thought you'd get pretty mad at the whole...I'm not a normal human thing.

[She feels better now that she told]

I can make snow pretty well.

Why would I get mad that you were a meta? I'm one and so is your father. I'd of been surprised if you were just a normal every day human.

[She can't help but laugh before stepping back.]

Snow is easy.

[She lets her go and looks excited again. Crystal holds her hands out. Cold air rolls off of her hands and she waves, creating ice walls to protect the electronics. Her eyes glow, very similarly to Killer Frost's, and she creates a bank of fresh snow around Caitlin]

[Caitlin notices the eyes glowing and smiles, watching the ice walls that rise up. That was pretty good even with the lack of real training and she tilts her head back when the snow starts falling around them.]

Not bad.

[There's an obvious smile to the tone in the older woman's voice.]

I can make it go away too!

[She closes her hand into a fist and it all recedes until there's no trace left. Crystal starts rambling]

I think the molecules go right back into the air!

[She can't help but laugh before pulling her daughter back to her.]

Far as I know it does. I've never known it to go anywhere else.

[Though she has noticed something.]

Is it just your eyes that change?