ArchivedLogs:Unique

Unique
Dramatis Personae Micah, Jack
In Absentia	12 December 2014 '
Location <XS> Library
Xavier's librarian might hope the library is a quiet place to sit and study, but with a school full of teenagers that is not always the case. Nevertheless, it is certainly a treasure trove of knowledge, well-stocked with a wealth of books on its high shelves. Its reference section is vast, though its fiction is as well (much to the delight of many of its students.) The wide octagonal tables and smaller armchairs are often crowded with students, though the whispered conversations that often take place leave some doubt as to how much work is getting done at any given hour. It's another cold winter evening, but at least there is no rain, no snow, no ice...no extreme winds howling in the courtyards. The large library is a bit drafty, but all of the shelves and tables and little reading spaces topped off with /book/ smell makes it seem cozier. Micah looks like he came straight from work: puffy coat slung over one arm along with his yards of Fourth Doctor scarf, mittens and hat stuffed into the messenger bag at his hip, Firefly hoodie tugged on over his ubiquitous TARDIS blue polo shirt and khakis. His hair has that end-of-the-day muss that has only been augmented by donning and doffing a wool hat. In the quiet of the library, his footsteps can be heard approaching, a little haltingly as he searches for where Jack has stashed himself. Jack is still a little overwhelmed with the day he's had. He's enjoyed it, he just never imagined there was a place like Xavier's where there were so many other mutant kids just being themselves. No one hiding, no huddling around fires in trash cans...just normal school stuff. But as the day's come to an end and his tour guide gone back to handle homework and the like, Jack's stashed himself in the library. He's just quietly wandering between the shelves, examining a few titles here and there and generally looking like an empty set of clothes has come to haunt the library. When he notices Micah, Jack jumps a little but smiles invisibly. "Hey, Micah." “Eep, didn't mean t'startle you. Not usually considered the stealthiest of people.” Micah flashes a warm smile with this, moseying over to lean on the end of the shelf that Jack is investigating. He adjusts the items in his arms to make them easier to hold. “How'd it go?” Jack just chuckles quietly. "It's okay, I was spacing out," he says. He's been looking over various fiction books but nothing specific. "Well, a lot better than I was worried it might. I actually met one of my tour guides before at Evolve so that was cool," he replies, looking around a moment. "I still can't believe this place actually exists." “Easy enough t'do in a library. S'like they're /designed/ t'just suck you in an' keep you isolated from the rest of the world...” Micah's expression waxes wistful for a moment. “Well /this/ world, anyway. Connect you up with whatever other one y'want, meanwhile.” His grin pulls a little lopsided as he nods. “S'a lotta overlap 'tween here an' there. An' the Commons, enough of the time. Prob'ly you'll keep on runnin' into familiar faces.” His fingertips tap lightly at the side of the shelf. “S'that mean you're still considerin' it as an option? Better-than-worried an' Good ain't always the same things.” "That's kind of why I liked libraries. That and they were places to get entertainment," Jack murmurs, remembering the library he sometimes snuck into in Newark. "As long as they're friendly faces, it's all good that they're familiar," he replies. There's a pause and then Jack chuckles. "I'm still thinking about it, yeah. The tour put a lot of points in favor of the place though." "Mmhm, me, too. Bookstores, too, but...they don't take as kindly t'you sittin' 'round readin' the stuff 'less y'buy it." Micah chuckles a little. "I think most people're friendly enough. I mean...s'mostly teenagers here? So y'still gotta deal with...teenagers. But I'm glad you're makin' some friends, maybe. An', yeah, the grounds here do kinda sell themselves, don't they? S'crazy, in the good way." His head shakes just thinking of how /big/ the place is and how much /stuff/ is in it. "Dunno how far afield they took you. Got their own /stables/ an' boat house by the lake, even." "Yeah, they always say it's not a library," Jack's grin is unseen but there. "And yeah, mostly teenagers. Easier to deal with when you are one too," he says, rubbing the back of his neck. "Wait, seriously?" he asks, jaw dropped. "I heard there was a lake but boats and stables? With like...horses? Real ones?" "Ha, true enough." Micah's grin is visible enough to make up for it. "I dunno. I kinda find teenagers easier now than when I was one. Got a little more...perspective now, maybe." The affirmative nod is very enthusiastic, giving his mussed hair a shake. "Sure enough! S'little rowboats mostly? But I take the pups out fishin' on the lake sometimes. An' yep on the horses, too. Jax is the head of the equestrian club here. You ride?" "You could be right. I can't say yet," Jack chuckles. "Wow..." he trails off. "Err, not really," he replies. "Never ridden a horse in my life that wasn't attached to a pole and going around in circles," he admits. "Just never heard of a school that has its own horses before." "Well, it also helps fewer of 'em wanna steal m'crutches an' run off with 'em now or the like? Either that or they're just less likely t'act on it. Couldn't say if maybe m'students wouldn't be plottin' if they could get away with it." Micah says all this with a hint of laughter in his hazel eyes, smile not faltering. There could be more than a little jest in his last suggestion. "I think it's a thing that happens at some fancy boardin' schools, maybe. Ain't never went t'one, m'self. An'...in a lotta ways, this place is unique." "I haven't heard any evil plans to steal your crutches. and I promise I won't take part in any," Jack replies with some amusement of his own. He's able to relax when talking to Micah, opening up more to him than others so far. "Never went to a boarding school before either. Unique sounds right, I didn't even think there was one school for mutants..." "That's reassurin' on account of you could be right sneaky in gettin' to 'em!" Micah's nose crinkles up with the breadth of his playful smirk. "S'the only one I really know of. 'Cept for that thing Norman Osborn was gonna set up, but... That. You'll prob'ly wanna stay away from. That man's more'n a little off. An' I get the feelin' it's gonna be less school an' more...research facility." Just thinking about Osborn gives him the shivers, like spider legs tickly-walking up his spine. "But I don't know of a better place for folks t'help learn about themselves an' their abilities than here. Just wish...there was somethin' for a wider range of ages. Younger kids like Spence. Adults, even. But they do what they can here." "Oh, I can be the most sneaky," Jack replies with a little laugh. "Okay, yeah...staying away. Research facility is just a fancy way of saying lab," Jack shudders a bit as well. "Maybe someone can start one," he remarks thoughtfully. "I know someone who could use help with her powers that's a bit too old for school." "Takes a lotta doin' t'start up somethin' like that. We have the benefit of really wealthy patronage here. Don't /get/ a whole lotta that in the world." Micah shrugs a little, shifting to lean more against his hip on the shelf. "We're startin' small. Clinic has support groups for families an' kids expressin' their X-genes early. An' some for adults, too, though I ain't as involved with those. An' they help from a psychiatric standpoint an' a medical standpoint. If your friend hasn't been there, y'could recommend 'em. It ain't the same...trainin' with abilities kinda things that they'll do here? But it's a start." "Yeah...money is always a problem," Jack murmurs. He leans against the opposite shelf, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'll let her know about the place next time I run into her. Hopefully they can give her a little help," he says. "A start is better than nothing." “Ain't that the truth. Hopefully they can at least provide...a little guidance, maybe.” Micah hefts the coat in his arms again, adjusts the bag on his shoulder. “Okay, then, kiddo. You all wrapped up here for the day? We can head out 'less y'had somethin' else y'wanted t'do or see.” "I wish I could have helped but her powers are just kinda weird and sciency over my head," Jack shakes his head. He shifts a little and reaches back to pull his hood up. "I'm all good to go. I was just hanging out here till it was time to go," he replies. "The tour covered things that I really wanted to know about." "Abilities can be pretty complicated," Micah allows with a tilt of his head. He sets his bag down a moment to pull back into his winter layers. "Good t'hear. Out into the cold night again, brr. But! The van ain't parked out too far, so we'll just walk briskly." Zzzip goes the zipper on his coat as Micah gestures to the door to lead Jack out to the lot. Stuffing hands into his pockets, Jack nods. "Walking brisk is fine with me. And thanks again for coming out here to get me," he says as he heads out to the lot.