Log Title:
An Offer You Can't Refuse
Characters:
Cyclops & Mirage
IC Date:
3/26/2022
Location:
X-Mansion - Scott's Office
Brief log summary::
Scott gives Mirage an offer she can't refuse.
Rating:
pg
There is no TS in this log::
Yes
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Monday afternoon at the Xavier Mansion and school, Cyclops dressed in all black, black jeans and black sweater with a matching black leather jacket, all emblazoned with the Xavier insignia for the team and the school. Across his desk are stacks of papers and files on the students and other residents of the mansion. He peruses the one on Danielle Moonstar and nods as he acknowledges the progress she underwent from her first arrival as a student to a valykrie and now to X-Factor. Placing the file on the desk, he presses a button on his lapel, the com system for the residents and sends directly to Dani, "Mirage, would you mind coming to my office for a little chat." The voice is clear monotonous and very much the stoic voice of Scott Summers.
An affirmative reply is heard from Dani over the comm system and she is striding through the door with a brief knock first in less than 15 minutes. Across her back is her bow and quiver, and she is dressed in her usual civvies, blouse, jeans and moccasion boots. Her eyes roam the office a moment before locking on the person behind the desk "Hello Scott." she says in greeting as she stops in front of the desk.
When she enters the office, she will find immaculately cleaned and organized aside from the files on his actual desk. The room itself is a bland drab brown color and bookshelves filled with books on various topics. On each shelf are various incarnations of the X-Men, New Mutants, X-Force, Excalibur, and all the mutants that have lived or been associated with him. He rises when she enters and gestures for her to sit at the leather chair across from his own. Taking his seat, "Dani, thank you for coming."
Removing the weaponry strapped to her back she sits, sitting the bow and quiver on the floor at her feet "No problem, I was on my way down anyway." probably to use the danger room for practice if the weapons are any indication "What do you need?" Dani asks point blank, if she wasn't frank before her leave of abscense she certainly is now, though it is obvious she isn't trying to be rude, it is only curiousty that she portrays.
"Well, I don't need anything. I just wanted to check and see how you are doing, actually?" Scott offers a rare smile as he reclines in his chair which rocks a bit, but he uses his foot to keep from spinning. "With the school starting up again, I thought it would be great to get some input from an actual former student. When I first started here, Professor X was the only teacher who pretty much ran everything. It wasn't until the New Mutants were here, were the faculty got a bit more diverse with the different X-Men teaching different things, giving you and your cohort and more diversified education. With the new students here and the X-Men teaching again…I wanted input and a critique. Some advice if you will as someone who was at the top of her class with the different education here than say I or any of the originals had."
Dani nods thoughtfully at his explanation and answers the question she thinks he meant but not quite the one he asked, "I think X-Factor is a good fit. We are all experienced both in and off the field and we are mature enough to not let our egos get in the way, most of the time." she grins at the last bit before continuing "To be honest, I have done my best to avoid the students. They ask questions and I don't want to be giving them ideas. To give you an honest critique I would have to see what you are doing now to compare what I expereinced as a student.
Nodding her head as she speaks of X-Factor, Scott has also been curious of that and while he ran that particular team his own way, he does have his own thoughts of how his baby brother is doing, but refrains from speaking of Havok directly as Dani's assessment hints that things are going well under Alex's leadership. He smiles almost and almost chuckles (almost, but doesn't) when she mentions trying to avoid the students and needing to see things firsthand. "That is a very good point, Dani. And so, with that in mind, I would like to give you the opportunity to see things firsthand and involve you directly. What would you say to an offer of a formal position here at the institute?"
"As in teaching? Or in some other capacity?" Dani inquires, her tone as neutral as her expression "My biggest concern of course would be interference with missions. I know how that was dealt with when I was a student, either class was cancelled or one of the other members substituted. How have you dealt with that since the school reopened?"
"Well the teams have expanded since you were a student here. There are currently two active X-Men teams, blue and gold. So it is only under the direst of situations that both teams would be out of the mansion, and now with X-Factor here as well. We are all intermingling and stepping up. Teaching is reserved primarily for the X-Men, but Theresa has been offered a teaching position by the Professor and I would like to extend that to you too." Scott's tone is not quite as neutral, but as he expounds further he elicits a complimentary tone to the young Native American, "You excelled as a student to the point that you were leader of the New Mutants. And while there is not much of an age difference between the X-Men and the students, I feel a young touch. Someone who was recently a graduate could offer the students more of youthful interaction. Which, you and the other New Mutants would be perfect. I am approaching you first, as you were at the top of your class."
Leaning back in the chair Dani is silent a long moment as she gives the idea some thought "While I was top of my class while a student I am wholefully out of touch with current events." a few years when she was a student would have been nothing, but things have progressed rapidly during her sabatical in Asgard, "What would you have me teach?"
"Being out of touch allows this be a learning experience for you, as well. Almost learning together, but being older and more experienced allows you the keep that maturity that the other students currently lack." Scott responds as he removes the bury quartz sunglasses he is wearing. His eye sealed shut, he reaches for a cloth to wipe the glasses, but continues with the conversation despite the wisps of red smoke coming from his eyes. "Some of the students recently experienced a field trip of sorts to the Shi'ar Galaxy when Lifeguard was kidnapped. And though two of the students were directly responsible in assisting the X-Men and X-Factor, I found myself thinking that there was actually one particular experience that each student seems to go through while here. No matter how hard we try to prevent it from happening, these particular trips seems to happen. The New Mutants, more than any other group experienced it with trips to Asgard, Limbo, and in space. Since you led the students through most of those, I would like a particular class or series of lessons or discussion, however, you see fit to train and prepare students for off-world experiences. We are so busy discussing the human/mutant issue we forget that there are others out there that fit neither category."
Dani seems unperturbed by the glasses removal, she's pretty sure that since she is being offered a teaching job Scott has no intention of melting her face, unless it is to give her incentive to say yes "You make a valid point, Scott. Things would have went much better in those instances if we had more knowledge of what we were getting into. Are field trips permitted?" she isn't sure how she would be to some of those places, Asgard would be pretty easy, but she would have to look into the others.
Placing the glasses back on, Scott continues, "Being a Valkyrie yourself, I thought you would understand." Reaching behind his desk, Scott pulls out a set of arrows which look like golden lightning bolts and a golden quiver. "These are the arrows of Arkon. They allow for dimensional travel. We used them once to rescue the New Mutants in Asgard." He passes the set to Dani, "You control the destination based on where you aim and strike the bolts. So far, I am the only one who bothered to learn how to use them. With Nightcrawler and Magick, we never really needed to learn. But I still took it upon myself. If you are willing, I can teach you how to use them and yes field trips would be permitted, just let us know beforehand and if you need other staff with you."
"Seriously?" Dani stares at the quiver before she gingerly takes it removing one of the arrows for examination "I guess you have a new faculty member." she puts the arrow back, setting the quiver on her lap. "I think learning to use them would be best, at least for the safety of the students. When do I start?"
Smiling at her acceptance of the position, Scott stands up to extend his hand to the newest faculty member, "Well, if you have time now. We can head down to the Danger Room and I can show you how to use the Bolts of Transportation and maybe plan out some locales you'd want to take the students."
Getting to her feet, Dani holds the golden quiver in one hand and shakes his hand with the other, "How many times can a single one be used? Is it one transport per arrow?" she looks at the arrows again "Is this the limit of what we have? Can we get more?" she is full of questions about her new toys.
