Unexpected & New

[nohoundsallowed]

Getting called to the headmaster's office was usually more fraught with trepidation when one was a student at Xavier's. Rachel was slightly nervous herself, but that was mostly because she had felt some sort of different current in the air. There was the usual end of semester freedom excitement from the student body. However, there was something else around that she wasn't quite sure of.

She mentally adjusted her clothes as she approached the big, wooden doors. Her clothes reacted to her thoughts. She let out a puff of breath and raised her hand to knock on the door.

She tried to banish feeling like she was getting called to the headmaster's office for tugging on someone's pigtails.

Comments

[nohoundsallowed]

"You're welcome, Professor." Rachel settled herself into one of the plush chairs in the office. She did sit more toward the edge of the chair than comfortably lounging back.

"What's on your mind?" Telepathic humor du jour.

[ngm_adults]

"As you know," he began, "things have become rather... chaotic, since the revelation of the school's nature, and my own, more personal revelations."

[nohoundsallowed]

Rachel relaxed slightly. This wasn't about Brooke. That was a relief. She nodded.

"Yes. Thankfully most of the media has left our front gates."

[ngm_adults]

Xaiver nodded in agreement. "Quite fortunate. As time has passed, the spectacle has died down quite significantly. But there is still quite a lot of work to be done, and it becomes even more important to press the issue while it is still in the minds of the people."

He went on. "Unfortunately, I cannot do that and continue to run the school."

[nohoundsallowed]

Rachel followed him right up until he said he couldn't run the school anymore. Her mind sputtered slightly. Not that he was stepping down but more that he was talking to her about it.

"I can see that it would be very hard to split the two duties, yes..." She didn't sound very sure where this was going.

[ngm_adults]

"I've no intention of closing the school, of course," the Professor went on. "But it does require leadership. Your father's generation are imminently qualified... but have also begun to busy themselves with their own lives. A certain youthful perspective is required for the school as it is today, with a much larger student body than when I started it."

"I would like, very much, for you to become Headmistress, Rachel."

[nohoundsallowed]

If Rachel had been drinking anything at that precise moment, she would have done a spit-take. As it was she only manage to momentarily gape. She caught herself and snapped her mouth shut.

"M-Me?" If her father's generation was out, she couldn't ask why not her father or Ororo or Hank or someone who doesn't occasionally disappear into the time-stream. Like Kitty! Kitty would be a great choice.

But Kitty was not in the office, and Rachel was.

[ngm_adults]

"You," Charles repeated. "You're certainly more than qualified. And you and Doug already do a great number of the general tasks associated with running the school."

[nohoundsallowed]

"Well, I..." She took a breath. She ran a post-apocalyptic religious order. She could maybe hand a school.

Full of teenagers.

"... I'd be honored to carry on your legacy here at the school."

[ngm_adults]

"I suspect you would," Charles said. "But thank you, Rachel. I know you'll do us all proud."

[nohoundsallowed]

"Are you-How are we announcing it to the school?" Well, with her taking over headmaster duties, the usual telepathic announcements could still happen. Rachel tried to focus on how to transition to her. It was not something she entertained. She had always assumed her father or Ororo or someone elder in the X-Men would get the mantle.

[ngm_adults]

"I think we'll introduce it to the other staff first--though Scott and Ororo already know--before making a more formal announcement to the rest of the school."

[nohoundsallowed]

Rachel nodded once. "Sounds good."

She was trying hard to not look shell-shocked. She knew she had been picking up duties at the school, but she hadn't been aware anyone had been paying attention.

[ngm_adults]

Charles had. And so had Scott and Ororo, both of whom had recommended her for the position.

"We'll make the transition as smooth as possible. I'm not due to be heading to Washington for a bit yet."