Self-Medicating

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa grumbled as she rummaged through a medicine cabinet. None of the medicine had been prescribed to her, not strictly speaking, though Elsa did feel at least somewhat entitled to pretty well whatever she could get her hands on. She'd helped coordinate an action that had resulted in several students, including her twin sister and her twin's apparent new boyfriend, being saved from death, not to mention getting SPECTRE to momentarily back off. Add on that she was still a Bellefonte and, well, Elsa's ego was quite high on the matter.

Equally high was the throbbing pain in her head. It had come and gone for several days now, ever since she'd stretched her abilities to get everything together for that same coordinated effort. It especially roared back whenever Elsa used her powers. She wasn't an idiot: she refrained from using her abilities as much as she had. However, given that she still had to work to fix things around campus, not using her abilities at all simply wasn't an option. So she figured that the right thing to do was find migraine medication.

Hence why Elsa was reading medicine bottles, frowning in displeasure at the ones that didn't fit what she needed. She had to squint at them as well, since the throbbing pain made reading the small labels rather difficult. She sighed and shelved another, stopping to rub at her temples. "There has to be something here that I can use," she mumbled, before reaching up for another. "Diarrhea medication," she said, dryly, "Joy."

[Trevor Paige]

This was the part of Trevor's 'job' that he actually enjoyed from time to time. Sure, it was easy enough to hand the keys to the nurses' office and locked cabinets off to some easily swayed kid to go collect an order that needed filled but where was the fun in that? Every so often Trevor liked to get his hands dirty, as it were, and venture out at night to obtain the desired product himself. It kept things from getting monotonous and boring.

Tonight, though, tonight was different. Something wasn't right. The door to the office was already open and there was someone inside. The nurses generally had no reason to stay late, at least not this late, and the sounds coming from inside didn't indicate someone who knew where things were. Leaning against the door frame, Trevor crossed his arms. At first he thought it was Erika, but quickly recanted and realized it was Elsa. There were subtle differences the boy had managed to pick up on he used to identify his girlfriend's sister... at least when she wasn't trying to pass herself off as Erika.

"The pain medication is kept seperate." Trevor said as he watched the brunette going through the assorted bottles. The pinching of her nose gave away her intent. He could almost see the headache the girl had. "It's over there." He pointed to the subtle cabinet secured with a padlock tucked underneath a table in the far corner of the office. "I'm guessing you have your own set and won't be needing these." He smirked to the telepath as he lifted the set of keys to the nurse's office he'd procured for just such an occasion.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa heard the voice but didn't bother to turn. She recognized Trevor; hard to forget someone when they had been there at the rescue. She hesitated for a moment, still holding the diarrhea medication, her head still throbbing, trying to collect herself. They weren't friends, she and this boy, though she understood that he apparently managed to establish a connection with Erika. Elsa blamed being imprisoned and her sister's tendency to emotionally attach to people when vulnerable. It wasn't as though she'd really gotten to sit down and hash out what this whole mess was with her.

So for now, she set down the medicine she'd been holding, arranging it, "What, pray tell," she said, turning to look over her shoulder at Trevor and raising her brows, "are you doing in here, Mr. Paige?" Her eyes fell upon the keys in his hand, and she arched a brow. It didn't surprise her to find that Trevor had managed to get another set; they weren't exactly well guarded and it wasn't hard to find someone willing to make a set if you knew who to ask. If anyone knew who to ask, it was Trevor Paige.

Elsa didn't wait for an answer before moving over to a cabinet. Oh, she still wanted one, and she looked expectantly at Trevor while she worked the lock on the pain medication. Elsa just happened to need something to dim the throbbing that had begun in her head. At least she took some solace in knowing that it wasn't permanent.

[Trevor Paige]

Trevor watched the twin cross the office toward the cabinet he'd pointed out. He wanted to get to know Erika's friends and family, learn more about the girl he'd slowly but surely found growing more and more close to. Elsa, though, was an enigma. Being twins with impressive mental mutations, Trevor couldn't help but be curious about the girl who shared so many traits with Erika. He wanted Elsa's approval, after all, she was his new girlfriend's twin sister.

"Me?"  Trevor shrugged faintly as he, in turn, moved to the shelves Elsa had been looking through. "I'm just here to help a friend."  Of course it was a lie.  It was a fat lie.  One he told expertly, though. With a practiced eye he looked over the rows of medications and plucked a single bottle from the crowd of many.  Flipping the small object into his palm he tucked it into his pocket without bothering to look at the label.  He knew exactly what he was after.  Prescription strength anti-sleep aids were always easy sells at a school, especially among college students.

Turning, Trevor fully expected the telepath to protest his 'acquisition' or, at the very least, show marked disapproval in his actions.  Nonetheless, he still had unfinished business with Elsa.  He knew how his rescue from SPECTRE came to fruition.  He knew the parties involved and what they went through to get him and the other students out.  He also knew the driving force behind it had been the girl standing before him.  "Thank you, Else."  He said exhaling slowly.  "I know you did it for Erika, but if not for you I'd probably still be stuck in that Hell hole."  She could admonish him for stealing, or getting cozy with her sister all she wanted now.  He'd said his piece.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

"Are you seriously trying to lie to a mind reader?" replied Elsa. She didn't know, fully, that Trevor was lying. She could; it would've been easy enough to simply skim through his thoughts and figure out what was going on there. Even while her head throbbed like mad she could manage it. She didn't need her powers to always tell what people were thinking though; seven years of intense training had left her quite skilled at reading people's expressions and seeing beyond the words that came out of their lying mouths.

"You shouldn't be taking those, especially if you're going to be selling them," she said, but there wasn't much malice in her voice, particularly as she plucked anti-migraine medication. She should be more stringent about it; Elsa knew that. She was the one that followed the rules, after all. She was also the one with a throbbing headache in desperate need of migraine medication without the pesky questions that Dr. Campbell would inevitably ask her.

While Elsa worked at popping the top, she heard Trevor thank her. She glanced over at him, watching from the corner of her eye, freezing for a moment. Did it for her sister, but still saved him. Elsa hadn't been thanked by anyone else, except Erika, didn't really want to be thanked, mostly for the exact reasons that Trevor just said. "I would've killed you to get her out of there," she said flatly, popping open the bottle and tipping some of the pills into her head. "And put the pills back. You should at least know better than to steal in front of Academy staff. Honestly, if you end up arrested and I have to escort Erika on conjugal visits I will not be happy."

[Trevor Paige]

There was no way Trevor assumed Elsa would believe him. The lie just came so effortlessly it seemed the right course of action. Most assuredly the telepath had at least an inkling of suspicion about what the boy did in his spare time and that, right there could make it difficult to deal with his significant other's sister. "Figured it couldn't hurt." He offered with a bit of a smirk as his hands went into his pockets.

"Ah." Yes. Elsa's reply confirmed what he'd already suspected. "Apparently my reputation precedes me." He said, turning to the brunette. "That puts me at a disadvantage." Whether it was because he knew that usually tainted an individual's perception of him or it simply meant she knew more of him remained to be seen. His eyes narrowed as he studied Elsa. He knew mutants with mental powers were often prone to headaches but he didn't like the way she looked, as if she'd been dealing with the pain for far longer than she wished.

"I know." Trevor responded without hesitation or sign of wavering in his voice. He was well aware that Erika was the reason for everything. That Elsa had risked the lives of everyone involved just to save her sister. "But your intent doesn't change the fact that you saved my life." And with that, Trevor would let the topic go. There was nothing more to say. Whether or not she had meant to save all of them was irrelevant. Her actions were the reason he was still alive and for that, he's always be in her debt.

It was partly this respect for Elsa that caused Trevor to reluctantly drop the bottle of medication back into the empty slot he had plucked it from. "So you know." He said flatly. Not that he believed for a second Elsa wasn't acutely aware of his still budding relationship with his sister, it was just strange to hear someone else speak of it. He chuckled softly to himself and shook his head as he responded to his own statement. "Of course you know. She's your sister and you're a mind reader."

[Elsa Bellefonte]

"I'm assuming mine does as well, so it's more of a level playing field,' replied Elsa, keeping her voice tight. She didn't believe for a moment that Erika hadn't mentioned her to Trevor. Admittedly, Erika would probably cast Elsa in a far better light than she deserved. So Elsa just had to leave it to Dirty Laundry to make her out to be a heinous bitch. People had already started talking and thinking about her being responsible for, well, all the death and such that had hit the school lately, and Elsa certainly wasn't going to correct them any time soon.

Intent didn't change the facts, as Trevor pointed out. Elsa could almost feel him dropping the subject. Good, she'd already had that discussion with Erika; she didn't need it with current male distraction. At least current male distraction put the medication back. Elsa watched him do that, before looking at the pills in her hand, turning to see how many she could take. They weren't helping quick enough, as far as she was concerned.

Elsa raised her brows at "so you know" then, practically smirked at the latter bit. "You forget that we also share a dorm room together," Elsa pointed out, giving the pills another shake, wondering. "Should I bother threatening to mind rape you if you do anything to majorly hurt her?" She looked over to him, quirking a brow. "Or is that just assumed? I'm figuring that a mind like your is probably filled with secrets, and we both know I'm bitch enough to just ferret through them,' she smiled a tight smile and gave the pills another little shake, mostly wanting the added noise. Her eyes flinched a little at the sound though, reminding her that yeah, that headache was still roaring as loud as ever.

[Trevor Paige]

Trevor gave a faint shrug and turned toward Elsa after giving one, final, almost forlorn glance at the bottle of money he'd put back on the shelf. "I've never put much stock in rumors." Erika had praised Elsa, yes, and Trevor was well versed in Dirty Laundry's description of many of the Academy students and staff. "I prefer to draw my own conclusions." Because you never knew who could be a valuable ally or dangerous rival when you played the game like Trevor did.

Trevor's head shook as his hands went into his pants' pockets "Nah." He answered without hesitation. "You don't have to worry about that." Trevor never took Elsa as being a protective sister but it seemed to fit the profile he was already building of her. "But duly noted." If only Elsa knew Erika was really the one holding the reigns when it came to that. She, after all, wasn't in her first, close, romantic relationship.

"Oh, I wouldn't take more than two of those." Trevor said, pulling a hand from his pocket long enough to give a half wave toward the pills in Elsa's hand. "Much more and you'll have more than a headache to contend with." Of course Trevor knew his prescription drugs. Or, at least, the ones the nurse's office contained that were popular among students. Pain medication was one of his best selling items and he made a point to learn as much as he could about them. You couldn't very well have students overdosing on illegally acquired pain medicine, could you?

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa was tempted to point out that only an idiot took little stock in rumors. Rumors were like currency, albeit strange currency that you had to learn to spend. They built or destroyed reputation, and someone smart, someone like either of them, could easily twist a rumor or two to say exactly what they wanted, or possibly even twist a person ro two. However, Elsa couldn't help but agree with that last assessment, nodding. Besides, she wasn't quite sure yet just which of those labels applied to Trevor Paige, and she wasn't one to give information to her enemies that didn't serve a purpose for her as well.

Duly noted, yes, it would be. Trevor sounded a little off with that, no hesitation, for one thing, and Elsa thought she sensed something else. She wished her brain wasn't attempting a coup, so she could better sort through this boy's thoughts. Of course, he didn't know that her power wasn't working quite right. A tight smile could show a lot, and she did one now.

"Somehow I'm not surprised that you know how these work," she said, looking at them. She frowned, moving the bottle in her fingers to study it. Her brow furrowed. "Are you really selling migraine medication? I could understand, say, morphine or codeine or some of the other drugs, but this?" she held the bottle up. "Or do you just get bored when you're raiding the cabinet and just start reading whatever bottle strikes your fancy?"

Keep him on the defensive; had always been Elsa's strategy in the past, and she certainly didn't see a reason to alter it now.

[Trevor Paige]

Trevor studied Elsa. It was almost awe inspiring how this person who looked exactly like his beloved Erika have such drastically different body language. Even early on in their budding relationship Trevor had caught on to many of the subtle clues Erika gave off in small gestures here and there. It was almost a study in how to read the indicators of what Erika was truly thinking, a marvelous course of academia if you were Trevor. Else, though, was a completely different book.

"Oh, believe me." Trevor said, hands still in his pockets as he regarded the brunette girl evenly. "I fully understand the power of rumors, especially in this place." No he hadn't read Elsa's mind, far from it, in fact. But he had seen the look flash upon her face. The one that showed she thought him foolish with just a trace hint of something that may or may not have been disdain. He hadn't gotten a good look at the cover of this book quite yet. "I just don't let them make my decisions when it comes to people."

Trevor gave a bit of a smirk when his pharmaceutical expertise came into question. "We live on a campus with hundreds of mutant children and adults." He explained with a faint shrug. "Migraines are the most common side effect of powers but local statutes dictate only a certain amount of a drug that strong can be prescribed to a single individual." He lifted a hand and pointed a finger upward as he spoke. "Not for safety reasons either. But for fear of them ending up on the streets." He frowned some as the hand returned to its previous pocket and he slowly crossed the room toward Elsa. "A shame, isn't it? That the nurses here are so shackled by the fears of society to properly care for their patients." His head shook faintly. It was true, Trevor charged a fee for the pills but his rant wasn't complete bullshit. He didn't ask a quarter of what the pills would cost on the street or even if prescribed in order to make them affordable to any student suffering from chronic migraines who had exhausted their regular supply. "It's beneficial to know what you're handing out." He said, shrugging again. "Defeats the purpose if they get sicker from their pills, doesn't it?"

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Fully understand the power of rumors? Elsa couldn't help but wonder if Trevor was thinking of something else there. He had, after all, started associating with a Bellefonte, and everyone knew who the rumor mill's favorite punching bags were. As for making decisions, Elsa was tempted to lecture Trevor on that. Rumors were how you built a reputation, and reputation meant something. That was how people knew you; more importantly, it was often how you wanted people to know you. That was certainly the case with Elsa and her reputation, at least, more or less. She might not care too much what people said, but she cared to know what was being said.

Instead, they had the exchange regarding pharmaceuticals. Migraines were among the most comment side effect, but Elsa was already shaking her head. "We operate under different circumstances here, and you know it," she said, pointing at him. "if you're going to attempt a self-righteous rant or to trick someone, pick someone else," she practically snorted. Hadn't she already said as much? But the words just poured off Trevor's tongue like honey. Elsa only hoped that this wasn't how he'd gotten Erika to be with him. She noted to talk to her sister about that.

"That last part was probably the only bit that's fully true," she said, glancing at the medication again. She moved to adjust things, wanting to clean it up, make it look like someone hadn't taken the migraine medication. She hesitated as she did it though. Wouldn't it be better if something else had been taken too? She didn't want to support Trevor's bad habits, but at the same time, she didn't fancy an inquisition into where she got the pills. That had been the point in coming here in the first place, after all.

"You want to keep the people you sell things too healthy, otherwise they can't keep buying from you. It's why drug dealers only put so much of the crap into what they sell," Elsa paused for a moment, reaching up to take a bottle of pain killers, not migraine medication this time, but something more overall. she held it, moving it between her fingers, wondering.

[Trevor Paige]

"I don't try and fool myself or anyone else into believing I'm doing a service out of the kindness of my heart." Trevor replied. He was smart enough to know what he did was wrong and was mostly for profit. But there were silver linings to many of the things he did. Sure, the majority of his dealings carried no such positives, but those didn't cause him to lose any sleep either. "It's business." He explained. "My commodity is whatever the market demands." He offered a faint shrug. "And if the markets trend toward a need, as opposed to a simple want, well, so be it. I don't lose sleep either way." If anything, Trevor was remarkably disconnected from the 'work' he did.

"That's a rather harsh sounding assessment." Trevor said, frowning a bit, although he didn't imply in any way Elsa was wrong. His eyes then narrowed as he watched the brunette apparently engage in a brief internal debate. There was something going on here that made him curious and it wasn't just Elsa stealing migraine medicine. "I'm not pushing coke or heroin here. It's caffeine pills and migraine medicine." Trevor simply felt a bit of context was needed. There was a huge difference between himself and your standard drug dealer.

Once Elsa hesitantly plucked the bottle of pain medication from it's slow Trevor had an idea what was weighing on her mind. He didn't know if it was guilt centered around stealing from her own institution or fear of getting caught but it was obvious Elsa was having some sort of issue with making off with her desired medication. "Hey, look..." And in an instant the businessman was gone. Trevor's hands went to his pockets as he continued watching and studying the brunette. "Everything in here's pretty well documented, as I'm sure you know. They'd know if someone was just coming in here and taking medications. The state laws keeping track of this stuff are pretty strict." So were the laws surrounding illegal use of prescription drugs. Trevor shrugged faintly and glanced off toward one of the other racks of nursing supplies. "I can cover you if you really need those." Of course Trevor knew how to cover his tracks. This wasn't his first trip to the rodeo... or nurse's office. "If you need them, take them. I'll fix things here so no one's the wiser." He looked back to Elsa. Was it a shady offering? Damn straight. But was there more than a hint of genuinely not wanting to see Elsa in pain or the cause of a minor emergency within the Academy? Definitely. "And I promise to leave everything here when I leave."

[Elsa Bellefonte]

At least Trevor was somewhat honest about his motives, Elsa had to give him that. However, as she listened to that honesty, she had to wonder. Was this someone she wanted Erika to associate with? Should she do something about that? Well, whoever Erika chose was her business, but there was no way that Elsa wasn't going to be pointing this out to her sister. was that what Trevor wanted? Was that why he was being honest? Or was this some sort of game to try and figure Elsa out? She wished that her head wasn't killing her; it would make figuring this out so much easier, and not just because she could fairly effortlessly scan thoughts and figure out what was going on there.

Commodities, markets, all delightfully neutral and self-benefiting... which fit in almost too comfortably with Elsa's world view. The harsh comment had her rolling her eyes. "If you want sugar coating, pick the other Bellefonte. I'm not cuddling up to you at night, and I probably wouldn't sugar-coat things even if I was. we both know that pills can be just as dangerous. If you want to disassociate yourself with the standard drug dealer, figure another angle. Personally I'd go back to the 'I get people what they need' bit. Sounds a little bit more altruistic, though we both know there's a 'at a price' to be attached there."

She had the bottle in hand, listening as Trevor continued. Documented, of course she knew, though the strict laws thing was, again, a little different given their jurisdiction. The school had permission to operate slightly differently because the people attending were slightly different. Trevor's offer had Elsa chuckling though. "You honestly think I'm not capable of fudging records myself?" she replied. She didn't want to, that was the problem, though. She didn't want to admit that to Trevor either. "I'm not going to put myself in your debt, Paige, so stop trying," didn't stop her from sliding some migraine medication into a pocket, before picking up something else. "Here," she said, tossing a bottle at Trevor, "now the stash has been raided instead of someone looking for a particular set of pills. Problem solved."

[Trevor Paige]

Trevor knew when he was fighting a losing battle. Elsa held all the cards, the chips, and had the dealer in her pocket. To continue his current course would only serve to dig himself into a progressively deeper hole. To paraphrase the old Kenny Rogers song, Trevor knew when to fold 'em. Nodding faintly he remained silent while Elsa spoke. She had leverage by virtue of being his girlfriend's protective twin sister and he had less than none based upon his reputation and the shady dealings he had been caught red handed being involved in.

Trevor decided a different approach. He caught the bottle as it was tossed to him, glanced at it briefly in his hand and decided to go with a stunning course of action. The truth. "Look, I get it. My actions dont paint me in the best of light, I know this. Regardless of what you may think, I'm not a bad guy. I also don't expect one speech to change your mind." Trevor fiddled with the bottle that had yet to make its way into his pocket. "And Erika means a lot to me." Elsa could hate Trevor all she wanted. So long as she understood Trevor's genuine adoration for her sister he'd be fine. "I'd never think of hurting her and only want to see her happy." Trevor looked to Elsa and offered a faint shrug. He'd said his piece, there were no more words he could he could say. All he could do was hope the brunette in front of him believed them.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

"I don't think you're any worse than I am," replied Elsa, keeping her voice level, though she quirked a brow at the end there. Did Trevor know how Elsa viewed herself? She certainly didn't believe herself to be on the "light" side of things, the do-gooder type. Oh, she kept her head down, followed the rules and did what was necessary to further the family name. It was this last bit that hinted most strongly toward where Elsa's beliefs and allegiances lay: She would do what it took to preserve her and hers.

One speech wasn't going to change her mind, nor was just a few actions. However, she could hear the truth ringing in those words. Sure, Trevor had a reason for claiming that Erika meant a lot to him, especially in front of her twin sister. Never want to think of hurting her, only want to see her happy, even a shrug. Elsa stood watching for a few more beats after that, trying to figure out what to do here.

"Everett didn't mean to hurt her either," she said, speaking quite deliberately, "nor did Felix, for that matter," she looked at the pills for a moment, then back at Trevor. "So no, I'm not sure what I think of you and her relationship with you. It doesn't help that the two of you are clinging to each other after being kidnapped. Not exactly the best sign of things," she paused again, then moved toward the door. As far as she was concerned, this whole conversation was over. It wasn't one she wanted to have, and she had what she came for anyway. She could repeat a few threats, but Trevor had been among the rescued. He knew what lengths Elsa would go to for her sister if she deemed it necessary.