Players:
Summary: All sorts of conversations in the attic happen.
Date: July 14, 2011
Log Title: Adjusting
Rating: PG
Xavier Mansion - Attic
Every wall is made of glass up to the domed ceiling. Storm has really done her work up here over time and turned it into quite the indoor garden. The room is separated into different parts for the different plants that are in there. There are flowers, vegetable plants, herbs, shrubs, small trees and much more. There are plants that shouldn't even be able to be found in this northern climate but they thrive up here. Anyone wanting to come up here for fresh herbs, fruit or vegetables are welcome to steal from the indoor garden. Depending on the time of year, various different species of flowers and different fruits and vegetables grow. In one area there are a few small fountains and a bench with some fresh dirt on the the ground with trees and plants all around. It seems like a good spot for meditation.
One thing that's nice about the attic are the fruits and vegetables growing up here. Sage has a small basket in one hand and is currently picking various vegetables that he's found such as summer squash, zucchini and tomatoes. Currently he's looking at some various herbs and is sniffing some basil before carefully selecting some leaves. He hums to the tune of Buffalo Springfield's 'For What It's Worth' occasionally singing the lyrics. He's barefoot wearing a pair of jeans and a tyedyed shirt, obviously a home done dye job.
The sound of footsteps on the stairs can be heard, and before long a short-cut mop of coppery red hair emerges, followed by a gentle, worried face, gaze turned inward as she makes her way to one of the more decorative parts of the garden, to sit and poke at her PDA with pretty things at least near at hand. As Sage's voice rises, it finally penetrates her thoughts, and she looks up, blinking. "…Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't think anyone else was here. Hi, I'm Rashmi."
Having always found the attic to be a peaceful area and not usually full of students, David welcomes some quiet contemplative time. Exiting the elevator, David hopes for some downtime and maybe a chance to learn about gardening and whatnot. Dressed casually on a black blue stripped polo shirt and camo shorts, David heads the humming and meanders through the garden when he spots Sage and Rashmi. David blinks a moment as this is a new student he has not met yet. Without the courtesy of his cybershades, he will simply have to do a normal introduction. He smiles at the two an simply offers, "Hello."
Tara had been stuck in the med bay for long enough that she wants to find a place that's pretty much the exact opposite of where she's been. Thus, the attic. It's above ground, it's dirty, there's sun and life. Despite all that's happened, she happens to be in a rather good mood, humming as she plods up the stairs, following they other two people. "Hey there!" she says cheerily, and starts walking around the atrium until she can feel the sun on her face.
Sage turns and smiles at Rashmi. "It's quite alright. I was just gathering some things to make some dinner. You're not disturbing me or anything." He says in his quite noticeable British accent. David then gets a smile and nod in return. "Hello. To both of you." He says as Tara shows up. "Wow, it quite busy up here, is everyone looking for some fresh fruits and vegetables as well?"
"Well, I wasn't looking for any fresh produce but if you can recommend something, then sure why not." David smiles as he introduces himself, "I'm David. You're a new student. Sage, I believe? It's nice to meet you." When Tara shows up, David looks over and his smile goes wider, "Good to see you out of the medday." He kneels down by some of the plants and starts to sniff, "Yes, Storm did a great job when she created this garden. Maybe I can try to whip up a good salad or sauce or something."
Tara wrinkles her nose at the mentions of vegetables. "Bleah. Veggies. No, I'm up here for the sun." Having found a good patch of it, she plops down in it, not caring if she's in the middle of the room. "I've been down in medbay for too long," she answers Rashmi. "But it'll take more than a sucking gut wound to keep ME down." When she hears that one of the guys up here is new she waves in his general direction. "Hey there, New Guy. I'm Tara."
"Well seeing that the sun has already set I'd say it's pretty difficult to get some sun but the sun set his quite beautiful." Sage hasn't quite realized that Tara is blind yet. "Yes I'm Sage. Sage Windsong Chipmunk Holbrook the Fourth. And I like it up here cause it reminds me of the gardens back home in some ways. Just not so indoors and high up." He can't help but find it a bit creepy that David already knows his name. "And I'm sorry to hear you were injured but Vegetables, especially fresh like this, are quite delicious."
"Thank God," Rashmi says, eyes following Tara as she plops down, then smiling up at Sage. "It's good to meet you, Sage. How're you liking the school so far?"
As the Sage's entire name is used in the introduction, David just nods, "Well that is quite a mouthful. I'm David Alleyne. I'm on staff here at the Institute. So it is nice to meet you as well." David then clarifies, "Vegetables didn't injure Tara. She is just not a fan of this bounty." As he looks over the garden and spots some ripened tomatoes, David makes his way towards them. "As a kid, my mother would cut up some tomatoes and put a dash of salt and a drop of lemon juice to give them flavor as a snack. I think I may ask the school chef to include them in the menu for next week." Before looking to Tara, "I haven't been down to the medbay today. How're the others?"
Robin comes up through the stairs into the attic, seeming lost in thought, her puppet following close behind her. She glances about once she's ascended and says, "Oh, didn't expect to see anyone! Um, just here to look at the flowers and rest a bit."
Tara stops up short. "Don't tell me I'm sitting under a sun lamp," she mutters. At Sage's name she asks, incredulously, "You mean there were three other Sage Windsong Chipmunk Holbrooks?" To David, "Better than me, I assume. I was the worst of the bunch, thankfully."
Sage gives David a very strange look. "I don't find my name that much of a mouthful at all and I'll thank you if everyone stops saying that. And everyone knows vegetables do not attack people. It's the Varyndalies that like to rot the vegetables that can be dangerous. They get mighty defensive of their food." He says seriously. "And no, I'm the fourth of the family so thus, the fourth." It makes sense to him. "Hello Robin, it is a pleasure to see you again." He then looks to Rashmi and takes a deep breath. "It's quite different alright."
Rashmi glances about, as Sage gives his opinion of the school, pausing as Robin enters the attic. "Yeah, it really is. It takes some getting used to, but don't worry. It's actually a really nice place, once *it* gets used to you, and hi Robin! No, come on up, there's still plenty of room by the flowers." Mentally rewinding, she looks in Tara's direction. "Well if you were hurt the worst, it's *really* good to see you up and about, Tara. How's the Headmistress doing, d'you know? …Oh. Um. Anyway, Sage… yeah, it'll be crazy for awhile, but honestly this is a really good school."
"Hey Robin, Blank, join the party." David offers as the two enters and then chuckles a bit at Tara's comment on Sage's name and then asks, "The Varyndalies?" He blinks a moment and adjusts to Sage for a moment, "Oh I get it. I think. Are they the opposite of the the Wee Toddies" He ponders to himself for shaking his head as he walks to Rashmi and with affectionate smile and low tone, "It's been awhile. I'm glad to see you are ok. How's Travis doing?" He pats her shoulder, "Seriously I am happy to see you here." He then looks about the room and out the window "Especially now."
Robin waves at Sage as he gives her greeting, "Heya, Sage. Are you talking about your name again? I guess it's surprising for us, but not really for you, which is fine. You've had it your whole life, after all!" She approaches the flowers and stands next to them, offering Rashmi a friendly wave.
"She's doing fine," answers Tara. "I think. It's not easy to tell with her, and I'm glad that I'm no longer holed up in the medbay with her, too."
"Well I've never been to a school before. I was always, they called it homeschooled." Sage explains before giving David a very strange look. "Not quite. They're very different. One is fae folk and the other is not." He nods a bit to Rashmi not sure what to say. "I don't find it that strange though so I don't understand why others seem to think it's queer."
"No, I meant just the adjusting," Rashmi says, waving to the various conversations. "It's like this for everyone, almost… Unless you're a little weird like Tara and actually have *fun* when the emergencies happen," she says, her voice light, the wink almost audible. "But if you have to go to a school for the first time? This is a good one to go to." Glancing up at David, the redhead smiles, nodding. "I know," she murmurs. "I had to get driven down again… but I guess it's just a price of being the unofficial liason, y'know?"
"Yeah, things might be get tough this summer if that attack signifies something larger. I reached out to July and told her to call Sam to see if we need more help." David sighs, "And I sought someone else to see if he can get some information for us." He smiles at all the students and sighs, "Ok time to do my rounds. Have a good night everyone." He then leans down, "Rashmi, when you get the chance. Let's talk." He then waves and heads to the elevator."
Nodding, Robin says, "It took me awhile to adjust here, I spent a fair amount of time being a crybaby, actually… Um, but, things were worse before I came here, so I think it's a pretty good improvement. Still, some of these emergencies worry me… I've been sending out Blank to try and find Shane and Robyn, but…" She shrugs after trailing off and leans in to give the flowers a smell.
"Hey!" says Tara defensively. "It's not MY fault not everybody can be as awesome as I am! But yeah," the blind girl admits. "This place is pretty cool. My mom hates it, but that only makes it better, am I right?"
"Yeah, I prefer to not be around for emergancies or anything dangerous like that in all honesty." Sage says. "I guess, I don't have much to compare by. I miss the farm and my family terribly though." He admits. "Cheers David." He says as the man goes off to the elevator. "Things were just easier back at home when we just had the farm to worry about for the most part. And my Mum doesn't know much about the school to like or hate it. I'm the only one whose ever been outside of England besides my great grand parents."
"I *really* appreciate that, Robin… Just… be careful, okay? That other girl, the one who wasn't a student? She's my dorm-mate. Be *really* careful around her, I mean that. The last thing Blank needs is to have to deal with another Blank on *fire,* y'know?" Giving Robin a worried smile, she looks to Tara and Sage. "Wow… yeah I don't blame you at *all* for being homesick, Sage. I mean… you're from England, right? …Wow. Yeah, this is probably a pretty huge culture shock, considering. Hey, Tara? Do me a favor, and use your awesome powers only for awesome, okay? Like, helping Sage here get used to life around here?"
"Is she a power copier? I guess I'm not sure if Blank can be copied… I mean, she isn't me. I guess I'm unclear on what she is sometimes," says Robin, shrugging slightly as she looks back to her puppet. "Anyway, I dunno what I'll do if I find one of them, but I figure… searching is the best I can do without leaving the school."
Tara gives Rashmi a huge grin. "They don't call me Awesome Girl for nothing!" To be fair, it's really only Tara that calls herself that. She springs to her feet and gets an arm around Sage, hugging him close. "Don't worry. With me around you've got nothing to fear. Hell, if I can keep Sophie and Kieran safe while things are exploding around them, I can keep you safe too."
Sage has to bend down low as Tara puts an arm around him. He's got a look on his face like a deer caught in headlights and his hair starts to move ever so slightly, like even it's tensing up. "Yeah, I'm from Northern England. And huge culture shock is a tad bit of an understatement." Though as the talk turns to Mindbender and Upgrade and the missing students he gets a bit quiet. "Uhhh thanks?" He offers to Tara.
"She is," Rashmi says to Robin, "but I'd only worry if *you* were actually there. Blank… I don't think it can just be him, y'know? But the warning stands… Mostly because enough people have gotten hurt already." Shaking her head, she looks back at Sage and Tara, giving the boy an apologetic grin. "…Sorry? Anyway, when this craziness is over, I should take you to see the City properly. I mean, you've heard *of* New York, right?"
"Her," corrects Robin to Rashmi, "Or I mean, Blank is nothing evidently, but I call her 'her'. Which is pretty subjective. Anyways, yeah, I'll make sure to be careful." The girl scratches her head lightly and glances towards Sage, nodding slightly. "I come from a small farming town. Coming to New York was a touch shocking for me, too. Eventually, you'll get used to it, but it's understandable to be a touch overwhelmed, I guess…"
Tara seems oblivious to Sage's discomfort. "You're welcome!" Thankfully she disengages herself before things can get any worse for the poor English boy. "I'm from upstate New York. Albany, though I've never really got a chance to hang out in the big city itself until I started going to school here."
"I don't know if you call home a town, but it's a small community. We all live and work on the same farm and it's quite lovely there. Rosewood Farms, named for the roses that they planted all around when they first moved there." He then nods to Rashmi. "Yes I've heard of New York, it's where we are right now, right?" He wants to make sure he's not missing anything. "Though I should be going, I want to make myself some dinner downstairs with what I've gotten up here. It was a pleasure meeting you ladies. Cheers."
"You too, Sage!" Rashmi calls, lifting a hand and smiling. "Well we're in the state, yeah, but the big City's a few miles south yet. Anyway, I'll talk to you later!" Blinking, she reviews the conversation, nodding to herself. "…Her. Right, Robin, sorry. I'll remember that." As Sage makes his way out of the attic, the redhead frowns to herself. "…So they attacked the school, and nothing since then?"
Robin nods as Rashmi apologizes, and then waves to Sage, "Have yourself a good dinner!" She returns her attention to the conversation at hand, shrugging at Rashmi, "I guess I have no idea. I didn't know they were attacking the school until they were attacking the school. I haven't heard much about other activity or anything."
Tara waves at Sage, "Enjoy your icky vegetables!" To Rashmi she just shrugs. "I've been down in Medbay since the attack. Heck if I know what they're doing,"
Rashmi nods slowly, sighing to herself. "Well it's worth asking, anyway," she says, voice low. "…So who else got hurt in the attack? Tara, you said you had it worst… Oh. Robin, d'you have my phone number? If not, I'll give it to you. Just… I want to stay on top of this however I can, y'know? Bad enough Barnes is asking me to be the go-between, I already know how much everyone *doesn't* know."
Robin nods at Rashmi and says, "I think I have it from the whole dance committee thing," says Robin, nodding as she thinks about it, but idly pulling out her cellphone to check. "I guess you probably want to know if I come across anything?" she asks, biting her bottom lip for a moment as she contemplates.
Tara starts ticking people off on her fingers. "Me, and Miss Frost got it worst. Kieran got some shrapnel as well, and Sophie got a little banged up, but really she ended up doing herself more damage trying to heal the three of us."
"…Why am I not surprised," Rashmi murmurs, shaking her head and snorting with amusement. "And Robin, that would be nice, but that's not the *only* reason, y'know? We're friends, right? So… call if you need to talk. Both of you, seriously."
The soft tapping of a cane joins the conversation, as the blind girl, Sophie, makes her way up into the room. She struggles some with the door, having to let her cane dangle around her wrist while she fumbles for the handle while trying to hold onto a worn, leather-bound book; her other arm being in a cast with a sling apparently isn't helping. Shutting the door behind herself proves to be much easier; and as she turns, she comes to a halt. "I hear voices," she murmurs. "Rashmi, that is you, si? Who else is there?"
Robin glances down and then back up, nodding at Rashmi, "Yeah, okay." She scratches her head lightly, mussing her now short hair in the process, and she looks toward Sophie as she enters the room. "Oh, hello Sophie," she says, her voice androgynous as ever, "I'm here, Robin. Um, I guess you can probably recognize that, though."
"Speak of the devil," chuckles Tara. "I'm here, too, Sophie," she calls out to the other blind girl, after having found a good place to sit again. "How are you holding up?"
"That's all of us, Sophie," Rashmi says, pulling her knees up to her chest. "Tara tells me you've been pushing yourself too hard trying to help the others?"
Sophie guides herself towards where everyone else is sitting, and shakes her head. "I would not say too hard," she replies, "Only… as hard as I can. While others suffered, I… I could not rest, when I knew I could heal." She finds her way to a seat, and comes to a stop beside it. "I am doing well though, Tara; the nurse tells me another two or three weeks and I can take off the cast. Do you need my attentions again?" She pauses, and tries to reach out with first her broken arm, and then her good one, and finds both occupied with cast and book and cane. "Is… anyone sitting in this chair? I cannot tell."
Looking up towards the chair, Robin says, "No, it looks free to me, unless we have someone with invisibility powers lurking about." She smiles at her own joke and stands up straight after finishing looking at the flowers. "Try not to push yourself too hard. It's just as bad you were hurt as anyone else."
"I'm good," says Tara. "Between you and the medbay they let me go on my own." She gives a rue chuckle, "Though I'm not allowed to do any gymnastics for a few more weeks."
"Wait," Rashmi says, frowning. "They didn't give anyone the Magic Fixit Thingy? ….Why not?" Shaking her head, she wraps her arms around her knees, resting her chin on them. "…At least everyone made it out okay…. And it'll be fine," she says, though whether she's attempting to reassure the others or herself is up to question. "We've survived a lot worse, right? There was that weird creepy future guy, Mr. Sinister, Limbo… it's going to be okay."
Sophie pats the chair and finds her way to plop down into it. She nearly fumbles her book, but manages to catch it, and collapses her cane into itself once she has things under control. "I don't know," she murmurs. "I don't remember the school ever being attacked before while I was here. Tara got shrapnel in her stomach, Headmistress Frost got stabbed, and I… I think Cloud said a girl who looks like a rat put a pry-bar through his abdomen." She pauses, and brushes her fingers through her hair. "And Cerebra is destroyed… but nobody is killed, thank God. Tara did a wonderful job of protecting me."
Robin shrugs at Rashmi and says, "Yeah, I guess I've seen all kinds of weird stuff while I've been here and I'm okay, but… every time, it's just as scary, 'cause I feel like were pretty lucky every time that everything turned out okay." She bites her lip lightly and shrugs. "I guess these people are just a couple creeps, but I'm always worried that a certain point someone else'll be lucky."
"Hell, luck's got nothing to do with it," Tara scoffs. "Why do you think we train in the Danger Room?" She chuckles. "The teachers here know we're a magnet for these kinds of things and they want to prepare us so that we don't have to rely on luck for when they happen." She lets out a little frustrated sigh. "You think the Avengers rely on luck to keep them safe? Nope."
"No, but the Avengers *ask* for it, Tara," Rashmi says, looking up and over at the blind gymnast. "Hell, *I* ask for it, even if I don't want it. That's *why* I took advanced combat with Agent Drew when I never wanted anything to do with it here. You're right, the Danger Room's there so we know how to handle ourselves when we *need* to. But that's not the same thing as the Avengers, Tara… nobody's asking Sage to fight evil, or Sophie or Robin or *any* of us. And honestly? I don't think they should."
Sophie's brow furrows, and she shakes her head slowly. "The Mother Superior, in Spain, once told me that great people rarely do great things of their own choosing. Usually they see that they are doing only what they must, and it is the rest of us who recognize their deeds as great." She pats the top of her book with her good hand. "I… even if I cannot help my classmates and whoever eles has been… abused, would you call it? By Mindbender, I can at least pray for them, si?"
"I guess so…" says Robin, raising her eyebrow at Sophie's comment just a quirk, trying not to let her skepticism creep into her voice, turning towards Tara. "In any case, the reason I came to this school is to protect myself, not to fight bad guys. And yeah, luck does have something to do with it. We do our best, but at a certain point, even though we might have some kind've edge because of our training, one mistake, one slip… And that's all it takes. I'm training as much as I can to avoid those kinds of slips, but I'm not going to pretend they're impossible."
"Geez," Tara says, the rolling of her eyes audible in her voice. "Way to miss my point, Rashmi. I'm not saying that everybody needs to go out and be a superhero." Though, by the tone of her voice, it is obvious that she thinks that more people should. "I'm just saying that we should give credit where credit is due. We weren't lucky. Enough of us was trained to handle the situation to keep it from being worse than it was. Lucks got nothing to do with it."
"Sorry, sorry," Rashmi says, hunching her shoulders. "I'm on edge, okay? This is Robyn, Connor, Heather *and* Tabitha that've gotten the worst of this, Tara. Four out of the five kids either mentally screwed over or just outright taken out were *friends.* Three out of those four are people I'm *really* close to, and the other one I think I'm her only friend in the *world.* So… yeah. Sorry," she says, and seems to mean it very sincerely, "I'm just not at the top of my game. You're right, the training does a lot. Is has to've, otherwise there wouldn't be a need for it. But Robin's got a point, Tara… sometimes we're just fantastically lucky not to have gotten killed. *I* know that better than anyone, after the Limbo insanity."
Sophie remains quiet throughout the exchange, and taps her lips lightly. She bows her head, and fingers the pages of her book; once her hand moves the crucifix emblazoned on the cover is plain to see. "Who is Tabitha? I do not know her," she murmurs. "But I shall pray for her, as for the other four, si? And… Rashmi? If you do not mind, I shall pray for you, too."
"I'll keep looking, and I'll take all my precautions. It wasn't completely luck, but sometimes, it's not completely skill either. There have, yeah, been times where I thought I'd die, but due to someone being in the right place at the right time, I'm still around. I'm just expressing my own worries, legitimate worries that I actually have," says Robin, shrugging slightly, her puppet doing the same motion. "If you want, Tara, I can pretend to agree with you for the sake of appeasing you. But that'd be ingenuine. I can't deny I'm scared, but maybe I should've just kept it to myself." She puts her hands in the pockets of her jeans, and glances aside.
Tara sighs and throws her hands up in frustration, and gets to her feet. "Why do I even bother?" It's not a question she really expects anybody to answer, as she storms off towards the stairs. "Everybody here just wants to be a victim. Here I am trying to get people to take a little pride of being capable enough of coming out of a bad situation without anybody kicking the bucket, but everybody would rather just argue about it. Whatever. I'm outta here." With that she storms off in a huff.
Rashmi winces as Tara storms out of the attic, shaking her head and sighing. "I appreciate that, Sophie… But honestly, those five need it more than I do. And, Robin? Don't apologize… Seriously. You had a point. It just happened to be cross purposes from hers. …I'll talk to her tomorrow, I think. Anyway. It's okay to think what you think, Robin. That's sort of the point of this *country,* y'know? Right up there next to 'We're not taking England's crap anymore,' the God-given right to think what you want to think."
Sophie shakes her head quickly. "No, Rashmi… you need it too, si? You are fit to come apart at the seams, I can hear it in your voice. And besides." She smiles, and shrugs her shoulders lightly. "It is not as through there is a limit to how many people I can pray for. I shall pray all night if I must, si?" She tilts her head. "Only… tell me a little of Connor, and of Tabitha? I do not think I have met either of them."
"I guess I really only know Robyn and Shane at all, myself… I mean, I've never, um, really interacted with Connor much, and I don't think I've met Tabitha," says Robin, biting her lip lightly. "And really, I don't know Shane super well, just… I dunno… I hope I can help her, I guess…" She shakes her head and then says, "And yeah, I know I can think what I want. I guess, if I express worries, I'd rather talk about the worries rather than have someone tell me they're stupid things to worry about. Even great heroes die, as much as I wish they didn't."
Rashmi nods slowly, managing a small smile. "Robin? I'm glad you want to help. And it's *great* that you're doing what you can. I don't know Shane, but I hope it'll make her happy to know someone tried, for her, through all this." Settling back against the garden wall, she shrugs, scratching the back of her neck. "…Connor came in… Wow… last April. He was kind of a mess… He's a little obsessive-compulsive, and he tried to cover that by being the social chameleon type, y'know? It took him a while to come out of his shell… But he's a really, really good guy. The first time I stood there and tried to lecture *Mangeto* of all people, he was right there with me, doing the same thing. Even if he wasn't… gone… right now, I know this would be hurting him a lot… He's the sort of person who think every teenager has a right to just be a teenager, and when something comes along and breaks the ideal, it *hurts* him."
Sophie nods her head slowly. "I understand his thinking," she murmurs. "And… I agree. It is not right that so many of us have our lives interupted, merely for having gifts from God that we did not ask for. But, such is the world, and we can only live in it and do our best to change it."
Robin shrugs at what Rashmi says, "Well, I'd rather just help than be appreciated anyway, but it'd be nice." She pushes up her glasses and then listens to the description of Connor, tilting her head slightly as she listens.
Rashmi smiles at Robin. "Maybe, but sometimes it's just nice to know people really value what you did, y'know? That's why I try and make sure *everyone* gets told how much good they did, sometimes they overlook things. …Anyway. Tabitha. She's my dorm-mate… And the one that blew up the gates, I guess. She's… she's had a real hard time of it, lately. Couldn't make the right decisions, always getting herself into worse trouble than she'd bargained for… So I figured, when I finally ran across her at Barnes, that she needed a friend, right? … …I guess I was right. But now, things just got worse for her, again. And I'm *furious* about that, because she was *just* getting used to things, and how *dare* they screw that up?"
Sophie rises to her feet, and snaps her cane out to probe the ground around herself. "Well," she murmurs. "I shall beg the Lord for them all to come home safely, si? And… I think your dorm mate has a wonderful friend, Rashmi; someone who is possessed of a wise and generous heart. I am sure she will be fine, in the end… as will the others. We shall simply keep vigil in the meantime, in whatever manner that we may." She bobs her head, and turns to make her exit. "Good night, you two; and God Bless."
Robin nods slightly and says to Sophie, "Have a good night, Sophie." She watches the blind girl go, and looks back towards Rashmi. "I'll be keeping an eye out for them too, but… Well, I've never actually come up with thing when I've sent Blank scouting, but maybe this time'll be different? Having a bird's eye view can help. In any case, I'll at least hope for the best for them, since I don't, umm, pray."
Rashmi nods at Robin, smiling. "You don't have to pray to want things to get better," she says, managing a soft chuckle. "And besides. The best we can do is all we can do. And you're perfectly suited to keeping a bird's eye out, Robin, so… I'm glad to know you are."
Robin nods and rubs her neck lightly, "Thanks. I guess it's the best I can do with us being on lockdown right now. I dunno, Robyn's helped me through some stuff, like when Sinister, um, did his thing, what he did to Skyler…" She shrugs again at that. "We just don't deserve any of this, you know? None of us. I don't want to /have/ to be a hero. I've wasted enough of the so-called best years of my life." She shifts her weight to the opposite side and pushes up her glasses.
Rashmi shakes her head. "No one ever said you had to be a hero… but I think you're talking the cape and tights kind. It sounds cheesy, because people run it into the ground, but y'know what? You do one kind thing for another human being, without thinking anything about yourself? That's a hero, Robin. So… like it or not, you *are* one already," she says, grinning widely. "Just the kind that's easier on the psyche to be, is all."
"I guess, though yeah, talking more about the spandex hero. I just want to do what's right, but… I guess I don't really want to be fighting my whole life or anything! I guess that's kind've what I was born into and stuff, but… I dunno. I want to be a doctor and help mutants that others won't or can't treat… Not punch bad guys and live through stuff getting crazy, like it always does," replies Robin, before she chuckles softly, "I guess the quiet life's not in my cards, so to speak."
"We're mutants," Rashmi says, spreading her hands. "Quiet doesn't come easy, but doing the right thing can. And being a doctor? That's *good.* *Really* good. God, I wish I'd've known that last year… Did I tell you about Isabella? Her story's just the kind of thing *you* could be making sure never happens again."
"Well, I figure, I know how to study, and I think I'm okay with people… I want to help people in a significant kind've way, and I know what it's like to be an 'other', so it can be hard to access medical care," says Robin, rubbing lightly under her blackened lens for a moment at the thought, "You haven't told me about Isabella, though…"
Rashmi nods slowly. "So I'm doing normal intern stuff at the Embassy, and Magneto tells me he needs a legal opinion on something. And let me tell you, like him or not, agree with him or not, you *don't* ignore him," she says, shaking her head at the memory. "So we get to the lobby, and there's this little girl… I swear, she couldn't be more than ten or eleven… just *screaming* at her parents, who're trying to take her home. Magneto'd already turned the floor into bars, so they couldn't just drag her off, right? So that's what I saw when I came down… little girl on one side, parents on the other, and it was already turning into just a gigantic mess."
Robin blinks a few times at that and says, "What happened? I mean, I can imagine that'd spark a lot of conflict from her parents, but… why was she screaming, what was happening?"
Rashmi lets out a soft breath. "It took a little bit to find out… And Magneto had to declare her as seeking asylum to Genosha, until we could get everything sorted." The redhead leans back, settling her weight on her hands. "Her parents are doctors, y'see… Father's an endocrinologist, and her mother's a podiatrist. Her father was *convinced* that mutancy wasn't genetic, but hormonal. And he was trying to find a therapy that'd cure it."
Robin raises her eyebrows and says, "Oh my goodness…" She glances away and says, "I guess parents can take that kind of news that their child is a mutant hard, but… was he using her as a guinea pig? That's not right. Just not right…"
Rashmi closes her eyes. "She ran away just in time, y'know," she says quietly. "She started throwing up, just as they were drawing blood to figure out what kinds of stuff he was putting in her. Turns out if she hadn't gotten actual medical attention, she'd've died. Massive multiple organ failure, the doctor told me. All because a daddy loved his daughter…. just…. not enough to accept her like she was. She pulled through, thank God. She goes here now, you'll probably be able to pick her out of the crowd of yournger kids. She's the bossy one that makes things glow." She looses a soft, sad laugh. "That's all she did, too… just… made whatever she touched light up, in whatever color she wanted. How *messed up* is that?"
Robin looks down and puts her hands into her pockets, "Sometimes parents love the ideas and plans they have for their children more than the children themselves, and that's sad… because sometimes, we can't be that person. I… um, know a bit of that first hand, I guess, but I'm glad that girl is safe now. Safer than with her parents, if they're going to love a fake idea of their child that never was… I think I've seen her before, though."
Rashmi nods, pushing herself up, moving over to drop down next to Robin. "Then, frankly? You're probably the best kind of person to make sure that never happens again, if you can help it. And I really, really hope you do it, too… As great as healing powers are, there's just no substitute for a really, really skilled doctor doing the best they can for the people that need it. And that's something you don't even *need* a silly costume for," she says, smiling gently. "So… yeah. I'll back you up however I can."
Robin nods her head slowly, "Yeah… and thanks. I really hope to help people, and, umm, I just hope that young mutants won't have to go and try to get healthcare and be turned away because of the nature of their mutation… Or whose parents cause them harm for being something they can't be." She tilts her head slightly and says, "I guess that's kind've the appeal, too. That seems like a job that'll stay interesting, considering how heterogenous mutants are…"
Rashmi chuckles, nodding. "You should talk to Dr. McCoy," she says, bobbing her head in agreement. "Genetics are his big thing, and if anyone can put you on the fast-track to the best education possible, it's him. Especially if it's for treating mutants."
Nodding, Robin says, "I'd like to ask him about that kind of stuff, yeah. I mean, he's pretty famous for his work… I'm hoping to finish this year with summer classes, so I won't graduate with everyone else, but I will. Which is a pretty big deal to me, 'cause I fell behind since I was on the streets for a year or so before coming here. Hopefully, I can get scholarships to go to a nice school…"
Rashmi smiles. "Oh, definitely. In fact… if you don't mind, of course… I'll look into scholarships around here. I mean, you'll still need a job, so school'll still be a nightmare, but I'm pretty sure there're universities with a good medical program here, if not upstate a little. I could start with NYU?"
Robin smiles back and nods, "Yeah, that'd actually be really great…" She adjusts her glasses slightly, and says, "But yeah, I guess I kind've wish I was independently wealthy or something, but I suppose if you're living out a kind've rags to riches scenario, that kind of thing just doesn't happen!"
Rashmi lifts a shoulder. "It'd be nice, sure… But I didn't exactly grow up with money myself… you just have to not let things like that stop you, y'know? I mean, I was all set to work my butt off to get into law school even *before* I found out I was a mutant, right? It would've been just as hard as medical… Trust me, I've researched it," she says with a smile. "Just don't give up, okay?"
Robin nods and says, "I'm not the type to give up, even when my, umm, slight pessimism would suggest I should. I'm kind've a perfectionist, I guess." She shrugs and says, "I'll find something that someone will hire me for, I suppose. Who knows, maybe I could get work at the embassy too? Maybe. Or something like that."
Rashmi bobs her head. "I don't see why not… I'll warn you, though, intern work is pretty boring. When you're not playing gofer, you're filing, or you're being hauled out of the pen for whatever Super Important Job someone needs you to do. ….So it's not much different from my legal assistant work, except it's like a couple dozen temp office flunkies shared among everyone else."
"Well, I dunno, I guess I'm used to tedious work! I'm good at it. That's why I can study so well. Because I don't really get too bored reading the same bits over and over…" Robin shrugs slightly, "Or I guess I do get bored, but I push through it. So I think, ummm, if it's boring that's fine."
Rashmi chuckles. "Well, it's not boring, that's for sure. Tedious, a little nerve-wracking, but almost never boring. Anyway. Yeah. Talk to Magneto when all this is over with, he'll probably find an opening for you if you want to work at the Embassy. He doesn't like to admit it, but, he's got a soft spot for the school, y'know? … ….Not that it makes him anything less than terrifying, but anyway."
Robin nods at Rashmi and says, "I guess I do think Magneto is terrifying, even if in a weird kind've way I admire what he stands for, even if I disagree with his methods much of the time?" She shrugs and says, "Does that make sense? Like, I think the principles he stands for are great… but I think he's going from the wrong angle."
"It makes *perfect* sense to me," Rashmi says, chuckling, "mostly because that's exactly what *I* think."
"I guess I just think it's scary that he's trying to provoke a revolution, when we're moving towards more tolerance… if it wasn't for the threat of revolution," says Robin, shrugging.
"We-e-ell," Rashmi says, lifting a shoulder, "I think becoming a head of state's damped down the revolution idea some. I mean, he's already *got* a country that needs to get its feet back under it, why make his job harder? … ….Because he's Magneto," she says with a sigh, answering her own question. "Iunno. All I can do is dig my heels in and make *absolutely sure* that whenever I'm giving him a hand, it's for stuff that is actually legally above board. Which works, really. I guess part of it is I try not to be anything but absolutely honest with my principles, and I stick to them no matter what. Which… seems like he respects, so."
Robin nods at that and says, "Yeah, I mean, I guess I would never want to be in a position where I'm doing something illegal or against my principles, but umm, I guess he is pretty intense compared to me. I like to hope I'd stand my ground?"
Rashmi smiles. "It's a funny thing, really. The first time it happened, I was just *terrified.* Literally shaking in my shoes terrified. But it's something I learned when dealing with him; everyone has a place that doesn't give when you push it. It's like you back up, and back up, until finally some small part of your brain just yells 'No more' and boom, courage. It took a lot, for me to find that place… not so much, now. And as much as I wish some of the things we've gone through never happened… they've been pretty invaluable for that. Hell… if it hadn't been for all the times I've had to shove past my fear of Magneto, I probably wouldn't'v survived Nigeria, so… yeah. There really is something to be said about dealing with, let's face it, one of mutantcy's big bogeymen on a weekly basis, y'know?"
Robin nods slowly while her puppet shakes its head vigorously. "I know what you're saying, yeah, I mean, I guess facing your fears is pretty important if you're going to have to face such fears quite a lot." She bites her bottom lip lightly and says, "I guess I try my best to be courageous. That's important, right?"
Rashmi lifts a shoulder. "Sort of… but honestly, I think it's better if you just try your hardest to do what you think is right. Trying to be brave gets you double-thinking about what *is* the brave choice, and then you can screw up pretty horribly. Doing the right thing's usually simpler, if not easier."
