An Administrator Came to Westchester

[ngm_miscellaneous]

Mrs. Mary MacNeilly had made the hour trip out to a private school in Westchester county. She was the person assigned from the State Education Department's Office of Nonpublic School Services to perform a surprise inspection of the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. It had been some time since an in-person inspection of this learning facility had been conducted. It had fallen to Mrs. MacNeilly to go and assess how the school fit the understaffed Office of Accountability's educational parameters.

She drove her midsized sedan up to the gates. She announced herself on the intercomm as "Mary MacNeilly from the New York State Education Department for a compliance inspection."

She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as she waited for some administrator to allow her on the grounds.

Comments

[ngm_miscellaneous]

Mrs. MacNeilly drove up the long driveway after the gates opened for her admittance. She glanced around at the landscape around her and wondered what that burnt crater was for. She shrugged and drove toward the main building at the end of the drive.

She pulled into a visitor's parking space and killed the engine. She grabbed her things and clambered out of the car. She had salt and pepper hair and a slightly pinched looking face.

[talk_to_you]

Doug met her out by the driveway. "Ms. MacNeilly?" he asked. "I'm Professor Ramsey."

[demonbearslayer]

Dani followed closely behind Doug, wearing her best professional face.

"And I'm Professor Moonstar. Welcome to the Xavier Institute."

Did that last part sound a little strained? Naaaah...

[ngm_miscellaneous]

Mrs. Macneilly gave them both polite nods before pulling out a notebook and pen. She would have to type this up later and the department had not given her a tablet, so she was writing things down old school.

"Let's get this started, shall we?" She didn't know why, but this place despite looking placid on the exterior gave her the creeps. Like something crawling up the middle of her back. "I'll need a tour of the facilities and then a look at the curriculum to start with."

[talk_to_you]

"Of course," Doug said.

He was running through a mental checklist of anything to steer around or watch out for and not coming up with anything immediate. Were their any training exercises on the grounds? Was the Danger Room going to come to life and try to kill them with Professor Moriarty?

No, wait, that last one was Star Trek.

[demonbearslayer]

Dani was going through a mental list as well. Was the Blackbird out, and if so, likely to come back for a landing any time soon? How many of Logan's kids were currently present? How long had it been since the last interdimensional invasion... were they overdue? Did she remember to turn the coffee pot off in the kitchen? Why the hell did this have to happen when the Professor and Rachel weren't here? Why, oh why, hadn't she scheduled that camping trip for this week, instead of next?

She smiled tightly at Mrs. MacNeilly. "If you'll follow me to the main office, we can get started on that curriculum review."

And maybe give Doug a chance to give the halls a once-over.

[iced_cherub]

If Bobbi knew about the company she wouldn't be practicing ice slides in the hall. The little winged clone had the hall down pat, but that main staircase? Well just as their guest came into the building she was sliding down it, bare footed on the ice, her wings out trying to steady her.

She saw too late that there was company and she managed to stop the ice, but her forward movement... Yeah right not happening.

"Nonononono..." She tried to pull up so she didn't hit anyone.

[ngm_miscellaneous]

Mrs. MacNeilly was completely unprepared for ice slides and teenagers going down them in the front hall. She squawked and flailed to get out of the way of the teenager with slick momentum on her side.

[talk_to_you]

...Well, the school had a good run.

Doug pulled Mrs. MacNeilly out of the way of sliding Bobbi as quickly as he could.

[demonbearslayer]

Dani stood in mute horror for a moment.

Demons. Demons we could have explained. Maybe aliens.

She stepped in between Mrs. MacNeilly and Bobbi. Maybe she could block most of the view.

Yeah. Right.

[iced_cherub]

Bobbi managed to twist out of the way barely and hit the wall, hitting hard enough to bruise her wing.

"I'm in trouble now aren't I?"

[ngm_miscellaneous]

Mrs. MacNeilly looked at the slightly winged human missile that came at her. She blinked and sputtered for a moment. Then she took a deep breath and turned toward Doug.

"This happen often?" She held her pen over the notebook.

[talk_to_you]

Doug pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to fight off the headache he could feel building.

"My office, three pm, Bobbi," he said.

"We're a very inclusive school," he explained. "with rules to cover this kind of thing. Occasionally, the kids don't listen."

[demonbearslayer]

Deep breath. Count to ten. Deep, cleansing breaths.

Dani shot Bobbi a look that said 'You're going to be mucking out Brightwind's stable for the next six months.'

"Kids will be kids, sometimes. We're sorry about this, Mrs. MacNeilly. The office is just over this way..."

[iced_cherub]

She nodded to both of them and scrambled to her feet. "Yes Ma'am. Hm, so sorry about almost hitting you, I thought the hall was empty..."

Hey she's try to fix the problem she caused at least.

[ngm_miscellaneous]

Mrs. MacNeilly scribbled some things onto her notepad. She gave the apologizing girl a tight smile. "Apology accepted."

She looked at the two professors. "Next stop?"

She was going to get through this tour, go back to her office, and steal her boss's bottle of scotch out of his bottom drawer.

[talk_to_you]

"We were headed to the offices," Doug said. "Which are this way."

And awaaay from most of the chaos.

He hoped.

[demonbearslayer]

Dani walked towards the offices, cutting her eyes left and right. Surely, nothing else could go wrong.

[ngm_miscellaneous]

Mrs. MacNeilly followed after the two. She was now being hyper-aware of her surroundings. She would occasionally stop and note something quickly in her notebook. Some of it was "a girl with wings nearly hit me. Why was I sent to this school?"