nextgenerationmarvel | Office Hours (Open to all)

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Office Hours (Open to all)

When: Friday afternoon
Where: X-Mansion, Franklin's office
What: Franklin has open office hours.

Franklin Richards had taken to teaching like a duck had taken to water. He'd shown up with half of his planning for the year finished already, though as a famous general had once said, "no plan survives contact with the enemy". He'd had to do a lot of adapting on the fly, but it was good. It kept him busy and made him feel useful as something other than some sort of ridiculous fount of all power.

He'd adopted an open-door policy pretty early, because the truth was, sometimes he liked being interrupted from marking and other paperwork. If anyone had any questions or concerns, he was there to help them out. If someone wanted to drop him off some coffee, well, that was extremely welcome.

Franklin liked coffee, a lot. People who gave him coffee tended to get their requests granted much more quickly.

The door was open. Who would come in next?

And would they have coffee?

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The summer session was a lot quieter around Xavier's. Students went home to see their families for the most part. There were still classes held, which could ostensibly be why a redheaded boy from Kansas City was still there.

Though he was hard to find as he had been hiding. Mostly in the form he was currently in.

Athos slipped into Franklin's office like he was avoiding someone. Which he was. The turtle blinked at the teacher at his desk, checked over his shoulder out the door, and then took one step to the left to get out of view of anyone in the hallway.

"You look like you're trying very hard to avoid someone. In trouble with the Headmaster?" Franklin couldn't help but smile faintly at the turtle, even though he honestly wished they could see a little bit more of Pete himself. "There's no one coming. You're safe for a little while."

Athos raised one scaly brow at the question. He drummed the fingers of his right hand against his thigh as his other hand adjusted the sash around his waist. The turtle sniffed and then smoothly settled into one of the chairs.

"Best bang around here. Lest there be some stag turning."

"... I see. Stag turning?" He was going to assume that was some kind of metaphor. Because there weren't any stags about. Possibly in the deep woods around the Mansion, but he hadn't seen any in some time there. "You'll probably have to explicate that statement a little."

He nudged a dish towards the turtle, filled with various candies. "Candy?" Franklin had a bit of a sweet tooth, so he usually kept some around.

The turtle's eyes narrowed momentarily. Then he adjusted his face mask to perch better on his face. "You're a canny graybeard. You'll tumble to."

He glanced at the bowl of candy. With a slight shake of the head and a raise of the hand, he declined. Athos did not have the sweet tooth Porthos or Aramis did.

"Greybeard? Already. Sheesh." Franklin took one of the candies for himself. That was funny, he could've sworn the turtles loved candy ... perhaps it was just this one that did not.

"Would you be able to keep this book for Pete, for when he's next around? I haven't seen him in a little while and he asked for it." He took a book and handed it to the turtle.

Is that how you did it? Franklin didn't know. He wasn't used to turtle-oriented multiple personality disorder. Or whatever exactly it was.

Athos reached over and took the book. His mask covered the disappointed sneer at reading the title. None of the turtles were much for book-learning, which was why none of them attended classes. That was all Pete.

"Want the sod?"

"Well, I wouldn't mind talking to him sometime." Franklin replied. Pete had actually done a very good job on his last assignment and Franklin wanted to tell him that, but he'd been out of his class for almost a week. No doubt because the turtles had other plans. It made giving positive reinforcement a real pain.

"Though it's not very nice to call Pete a sod."

"Rube then," he corrected himself blandly. The ninja turtle stretched and rolled his head a bit. He took in a deep breath. As he let the breath out, his blueish green skin turned pinkish and then faded to more of Pete's skin tone. His mask and gear became part of his body as it shrank and contorted to Pete's normal shape.

In a matter of moments, a red-haired teenage boy sat in Franklin's office. He wore a t-shirt and jeans. He blinked at the book sitting in his lap.

Well then. That was an interesting little development. He hadn't expected Pete to be 'called' up so suddenly.

"The book you were wanting to borrow? Right there." Franklin managed a small smile. He dug the assignment out of his briefcase and handed it over. "I also wanted to congratulate you on your work. Your writing's come a very long way since we started in September. Wonderful use of expressive language."

If only the boy were a bit better at expressing himself personally, but he could imagine how that was a little difficult. He pushed the candy dish a little further forward.

"Candy?"

"Oh. Uh, thanks." He ran a finger along the book's cover. Then he picked it up and held it to his chest. Maybe this would keep the turtles away. They avoided school things like the plague anyway.

He looked up and took the assignment back with his free hand. "I tried a little harder."

Pete set the assignment on his lap to help with the schoolwork guard. He reached into the candy bowl and stopped himself from grabbing half of it. He plucked out a couple pieces instead.

"You're welcome. I hope you enjoy it." Franklin tried his best to be reassuring and non-frightening. Hopefully Pete wasn't dwelling on the exact nature of Franklin's matter and space-manipulating abilities. It wouldn't do to have him terrified of his little old history teacher.

"I look forward to reading more of your work." Hopefully Pete actually showed up in class a little more often. The turtles were interfering with his academic development! How was he supposed to attain all the state curriculum outcomes when he wasn't able to be around half the time!

All the same, he couldn't really be too hard on Pete for patchy attendance. He probably showed up whenever he could. Sharing bodies with a turtle must have been hard.

"And before I forget, I'm organizing a field trip to the Ellis Island museum and Statue of Liberty, if you want to go."

Edited 2013-11-10 22:44 (UTC)

"I-I might." If the turtles left him alone enough to read. Pete wasn't really thinking of what anyone's powers were. Just that they were mutants and that scared him. His own powers scared him. Even more now that he got the drift his was freak among freaks.

"I'll... I'll try to be there for the next test... thing." Pete swallowed a little. For some reason, the turtles let him go to class when there were tests or important things. Otherwise, it was occasionally a crapshoot.

"Oh? Uh. One of us will make it. Don't know who would sign the..." He trailed off and got intent on graded assignment on his lap.

"Administration will see to that." Franklin frowned when he saw Pete staring at the assignment. At least he was staring at an A. But he had a real sinking feeling about what that sudden aversion meant. He could feel his heart and stomach sink like a rock.

Franklin went over from the other side of his desk to the chair beside Pete, putting his hands on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Pete." He didn't want to say too much about it openly, especially if he wanted it kept private. "But you know you're not alone here, right? If you ever need or want to talk about anything, or need help, we're here."

It was a lot easier to talk about the War of American Independence. But the fact was, they would never just be an ordinary school with a few extracurricular powers-training classes. Pete was, sadly, far from alone on that score.

Pete rubbed at the A a little. Like he was trying to make sure it wasn't a converted F. He hadn't gotten many good grades before he came to Xavier's. Then again, he hadn't had a need to throw himself into academics to avoid reality either.

He glanced up at Mr. Richards with watery eyes before looking down.

"No, I'm alone," he said quietly. "No freaks as bad as me."

"That's not true. You're not a freak, and there's nothing wrong with you. And your challenges, hey, that's what we're here for." Franklin looked at Pete for a moment. He hadn't had his parents abandon him, but he knew what it was like to lose them.

"We care about you, okay? All of us, teachers and students alike." There was no denying Pete had some pretty serious challenges, but he needed to realize that he wasn't completely on his own. Though honestly, he wondered if letting the turtles have free rein like that was the best thing.

Though was it fair to them to suppress that?

Edited 2013-11-11 02:55 (UTC)

Pete swallowed and shook his head slightly. He didn't really expect any of the people here to understand.

He took a breath in and his skin turned more pinkish. The pinkish tone got purplish blotches as Pete's body shifted and changed. His clothes melded into the form as it expanded.

Then Porthos was sitting in a chair with a book held to his chest and an assignment sitting on his lap.

"Whooooooa."

Franklin had to stifle a whispered curse.

"... hello." He sighed and took out the candy bowl, offering it to the turtle. It really wasn't the turtle's fault. "Candy?"

Porthos gave Frankin a crooked grin. He didn't even seem to notice the stifled curse. "How's it hangin', teach?"

He cocked his head at the offered candy. "Shibby! Don't mind if I do."

He set the book in his lap, on top of the graded assignment, and grabbed some candy.

Well okay so she didn't have coffee, but part of that was because really a fourteen year old with coffee and abilities just screamed trouble...

Though she was behaving for the moment! Well, unless you take a really good look at the stack of books she's carrying. Avionics might be a good idea, but the other book, which is full of practical jokes... Someone might want to confiscate that one before a prank war breaks out in the dorms. Though as she passes Franklin's door she smiles waving a hello at least.

Yes, Franklin agreed, Bobbi and coffee were not allowed to combine. She got a pass.

Franklin certainly noticed the stack of books. Avionics? Practical for her. Practical jokes? Well, the place could get dour sometimes. And she probably understood that with his ability to manipulate matter and energy, he was pretty good at them too.

"Hello, Bobbi. Looks like you've got big plans for the afternoon."

"Sort of." She smiled brightly. "Hoping the weather holds so I can try really flying not gliding." She ruffled her small little wings a little. "And this one... Not like I'd be able to pull off anything too good with Rose as my roommate, I swear she has a nose for sniffing out any gag stuff I have."

Shifting the books under her arm she peeked at his desk from the doorway. "Still grading papers? That has to be the worst part of being a teacher. Even at this school."

"Yeah. You should've roomed with Valeria when she was young. I always managed to get her with pranks. Except she never thought the frogs were gross. She just wanted to either keep them as pets or dissect them to see how they worked." He chuckled slightly.

"It's good flying weather, actually." Franklin had been considering going out for a bit of a fly himself. "But yeah, Rose seems like the sort that's hard to sucker. And even harder to gross out.

And well, it's grading, but it's more getting ready for the big push in September. More work now while I have more time means I don't have to work quite as hard then." He shrugged. "Personally, I'd take grading papers and doing lesson plans over an attack by Mr. Sinister but I'm boring like that."

He pushed his candy dish forwards. "Candy?"

"Frogs aren't gross at all. But I spend most of my free time out in the woods catching them, only to release them elsewhere so when I practice freezing things I don't hurt them."

She nodded. "I just don't think they're strong enough to really lift me. The bird books I was reading said that baby feathers aren't for flying, but I haven't grown in the other ones yet, which makes it frustrating, so I just keep faking it. I know I can land safely from the roof at least. Did that the other day."

Bobbi couldn't help but laugh at that. "I don't mind fighting, but only to protect someone. It's why I got into trouble at my old school, bullies kept picking on a friend of mine... I only lost control once, froze the pipes of the school. But Sinister looks scary, at least from the pictures I've seen. I'd rather steer clear of him."

When he offered the candy she did take one piece. "Thank you."

"Frogs are awesome, I agree." Franklin grinned. "But I used to think that they'd gross out girls for sure. But my sister didn't agree."

"That could be. You'd have to get an expert to check you out to be sure that you've got just baby feathers right now." Franklin wondered what it would be like to have to rely on that to fly, rather than just doing it, like he had much of his life.

"... yeah." Franklin had personal encounters with Sinister. "He's pretty scary. But he hasn't bothered anyone at the school in a long time. I hope it stays that way."

"Back home my room had a huge tanks with frogs, walking sticks, pretty beetles. I even had some snails. Grossed out mom to go in. Guess some of us girls just love breaking the rules that 'gross' things are suppose to be avoided." She took a seat in the chair across from him.

"Dr McCoy looked at them when he ran tests on me. But I think I'd have to ask Mr. Worthington about it. But for now it's still fun to glide at least."

"I hope so too. I'm still only on easy levels in the danger room." Though he's still debating the self defense classes next semester, the summer one she decided on a few easy things to help her catch up and so she wouldn't get too bored.

"Sounds pretty cool. I love walking sticks." Franklin smiled slightly. "Probably."

"Gliding must be pretty fun. And if it's true about the feathers, it won't be long before you're taking full flight. Can't be too far in coming." Franklin was kind of surprised she didn't have them already, actually.

"Easy levels in the Danger Room are nothing to sneeze at. They like to run teacher sessions every now and again, and they're brutal. Are you taking self-defence with Logan next semester?"

"They're one of my favorites, I love the bugs that camouflage well because it's trickier to find them. Though I haven't brought any inside, I don't think Rose wants a zoo in our room."

"It is! Higher heights are a little scary at first, but still fun. I'd think it would be like parachuting only I have a little more control, if I want to land sooner just fold in and dive."

She nods. "I've been thinking about it. It's better than the class I wanted to take at my old school. My parents wouldn't let me take that one because they said it was too dangerous." Though really she can't see how. "I was going to wait a few more days before finalizing next semester's classes."

"Uh huh. So you're gonna sign up for all of Mr. Richard's history classes, right? Well, all the ones you can anyway. And while you're at it, you should come along in a week or so for when we go out to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty."

Yes, Franklin was shamelessly pitching his little extracurricular fieldtrip. Whatever, it would be fun. He'd make it fun.

She giggled. "Already signed up for two of them. And for the field trip. I've only been to the shelter in New York and that was to help out. I've yet to go see the landmarks."

Hey fun's good, and Bobbi enjoys lessons that aren't just reciting from the text books. "It really should be fun though."

"Oh, Professor Richards," came a voice from the doorway. "I just have to pass this class. I'll do anything."

"Oh, Miss Power, I think we might be able to find a ... mutually agreeable solution." Franklin grinned. "Why don't you come in and close the door and we can work something out?"

Yep, Franklin's expression just turned into a great big grin.

"Hey you."

Katie grinned, shutting the door behind her.

"Hey yourself."

Franklin got up from his desk and crossed the distance between them, wrapping his arms around her and giving her a long, sweet kiss.

"Found a few moments in the schedule for little ol' me, huh?" He smiled. "Everything going well at the Future Foundation?" As for him, it was clear he was hard at work, the office being liberally stewn about with half-read books and papers.

"I'm sorry about the hurricane that came through here. Thankfully there were no casualties."

"Well, there was some kind of accident on the dimensional physics floor, so they locked it down and sent the rest of us home until they put the tentacle monster back in whatever dimension it belongs," she said, her tone making it clear she was kidding.

"I hate it when that happens." Franklin replied. "Don't suppose I get to drag you out for lunch? There's a great shawarma place in town. And I think if I stay in this office any longer, I'm going to become symbiotically fused with the New York state curriculum.

They will call me Outcome. It will be terrible." He grinned broadly. "And men shall behold the power of my attainments and tremble. I'll assess them all to oblivion. Formatively and summatively."

"My afternoon's pretty clear," Katie said. "So yes, lunch is good, thanks."

She laughed. "Teaching really that terrible?"

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Office Hours (Open to all)

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