Jean blinked, then hurried after Monster, who was now almost running through the grounds. She caught up with her at the doors to the Institute. "What happened to needing a guide?" Jean asked, panting slightly.
"Kurt knows his way around the Institute a lot better then he does his way to and from the park," Monster answered calmly. Jean blinked again, slightly disturbed by the girl's casual reference to using Kurt's memories. 'Don't be silly, Jean,' she scolded herself. 'It's not much different from what you can do, after all.' But the unsettled feeling refused to go away…
"Hey, wait!" she cried, realising that Monster was heading straight for Kurt's bedroom. "The Professor needs to talk to you!"
Monster didn't stop. Jean grabbed her wrist, and froze. 'Fur?' she wondered, forgetting to block the thought.
Monster looked back at her, and then used her free hand to press one of the fake jewels on the elaborate belt buckle she was wearing. The image of a normal girl faded out, to be replaced by a creature with long, dense green fur and a short muzzle. Dark gold eyes watched Jean's face attentively.
Jean looked at the creature in surprise. Apart from the belt, the only clothing she wore was a pair of boots with platform heels. Jean frowned. Hadn't the image been of trainers? And where was the rest of the girl's clothing?
"Why are you wearing so little?" she asked.
Monster gave her a strange look. "With this fur? I'd melt!"
"Well, then – why are you wearing anything at all?" Jean asked helplessly.
"I need the belt for my holograph projector, and the boots make me look closer to human proportions," explained Monster.
Jean looked at her more carefully, and fought an urge to back away as she realised what Monster meant. "Your arms and legs are the same length!" she gasped in surprise, noticing that Monster's arms were longer then a human's would be, and her legs were shorter.
Monster pulled a face at her. "No, really?"
Jean blushed. "You're right, it was kind of a stupid comment."
Monster blinked. "Look on the bright side. You're the first person who's realised that." She started off towards Kurt's bedroom again, but Jean didn't let go of her wrist. "Fine," she sighed, turning and heading off towards Professor Xavier's study instead. Jean let go of her wrist and followed, unsure of what to make of the strange girl.