ArchivedLogs:Enterprising

Enterprising
Dramatis Personae Jax, Kisha, Kyinha, Ororo
In Absentia	2017-02-28 "Shank related no doubt."
Location <XS> Conservatory
Tall panes of glass keep this large indoor garden warm year round. Tended to by the school's groundskeeper, the conservatory is lush with plant life, a carefully cultivated paradise within Xavier's walls. The room serves as a classroom as well; in the center of the garden a ring of seats forms a small circle, a favorite locale for some teachers to hold court. Classes have ended for the day, though it'll be a bit yet until dinnertime. Though the sun hasn't quite set, yet, it's not /very/ bright here in the conservatory -- mostly due to the dark clouds overhead, the heavy rain drumming at the glass walls. A few of its walkway lights have switched on, though overall its still fairly muted, greyish and dim. Along one pathway, far off towards the back, a huge monstrosity of a dragonfly -- larger than horse-sized, gleaming metallic blue is settled down on a pathway underneath some orange trees, quiet tearing noises accompanying her making a lunch out of some brisket. A bit ahead of her, an equally bright figure is crouched beside a row of beet plants brows slightly furrowed as he works one of the plants out of the soil. Jackson -- understandably has not been seen around the school in quite some time. He is not really dressed for gardening -- in neatly pressed slacks with faintly shimmery pinstripes, a dark shirt with bright (also shimmery-metallic) suspenders, vividly glittery nailpolish that matches his peacock-toned hair. He doesn't seem to mind the dirt currently getting under his nails, though; it doesn't /seem/ to be ruining his manicure much. Bundled up in her winter greatcoat Kisha stomps her way in from the gardens. A process which lets in far more cold air than should be necessary as she has to keep the door open for a little flock of drones. Each of the dozen drones is a golf ball sized bundle of sensors, hoverboard repulsor engines and delicate brass filigree. Once she's through the door the drones adjust their positions around her to form a perimeter. "Good day Mister Holland. Jax that is." she frowns. "Or do you perhaps have a new prison nickname you go by? I am told those are a thing." Coming in from the main part school, Ororo steps gently with a stack of papers tucked under her arm. Her white hair flows loosely about her shoulders and she's dressed for comfort, a white t-shirt, khaki capris, and cork sandals. She makes her way to the classroom area of the conservatory, setting the papers down and seemingly claiming the table for her own. She's just about to sit down when she overhears Kisha's greeting. Her eyes widening, she leaves the papers behind, quickly stepping around to get a better look and confirm for herself. "So it's true," Ororo says, maintaining the look of surprise for only a moment longer before she suddenly beams happily. "Welcome back Mr. Holland." Strolling beside Ororo with his own stack of papers, Kyinha is wearing a white t-shirt with a fading graphic of spiral patterns inside a water droplet above the words "Agua e Vida", a flared, faintly shimmering blue ombre midi skirt, and black strappy sandals. His skin is jet black, but absent the halo that usually surrounds it in warmer weather, making him look oddly flat and dull, like a person-shaped hole in the world. "Jax!" he exclaims, smiling wide. Even the firey gleam from his eyes and mouth look cool and faint. "You are back, then? Or soon will be?" Jax's fingers tighten around the small and misshapen beet he's uprooted; he glances up quick when he's addressed, expression somewhat impassive at first behind the large mirrored sunglasses that shade his eyes even in this dim lighting. The smile that spreads across his face a moment later is crooked. "Oh -- oh! Hola -- gosh." A sudden flush of pink tints his cheeks, his smile skewing even more lopsided. "Well, down on D block all my crew called me Needles, but that was only until --" He breaks off suddenly at /new/ greetings, hops to his feet a moment later -- his smile widens, quicker, brighter. "Oh gosh! Yeah! I mean no. I mean, ain't true about -- wait, what have you heard? It's /probably/ not true? But I'm back hi --" He's bouncing forward, arms already extended to offer /hugs/ (maybe a little bit sprinkled with dirt from his sad runt-beet) to the other teachers. "Shank related no doubt," Kisha fills in. "I suspect now is a bad time to ask but would you like to give an interview about the whole experience at some point? I promise to cut you in for fifty percent on any resales of the interview. You can of course vet the questions up front too." She tips her odd techy hat to Kyinha and Ororo. "Good day to you both." Over time her little filigree drones drift in a lazy orbit around her. Ororo doesn't need much of invitation before she's suddenly rushed forward, holding Jax close in a tight but warm hug. She holds it a few seconds before releasing and taking a step back, resuming her oh-so-professional demeanor. "Just that you were released," she clarifies regarding what she's heard. "After so long without a word, I was beginning to wonder if it would happen at all." "A shank-related incident seems just the sort that might /lead/ to people to call you 'Needles.'" Kyinha waits his turn to wrap Jax in a tight (warm!) hug. "Well, it is wonderful to see you, in any case." He steps back, looks past Jax at the row of beets. "So, what is the prognosis, hm? The erratic weather cannot be as big of an issue for plants in here as out there, but even so -- it must affect them, too." "A pox on the news, then, I can't make up no stories about my daring escape." Jax's nose crinkles up, here. "Though that'd probably make the school think twice 'bout giving me my job back, so all the best I guess." He presses the back of his knuckles to his lips, stifling a brief laugh. "You branching out into journalism now? What kinda questions you got lined up, anyway?" Kyinha's question gets him looking briefly confused, before he looks down at the vegetable in his hand. "Oh -- oh. Some of them's crowding a bit too close together. Won't none of 'em grow happy that way." Kisha shrugs. "On the one hand it'd look good on a college application, but more practically I could use the money as the down payment for a workshop space in the city for once I've graduated. I'm still gathering suggestions, I'll also have to run a poll to narrow down just which cupcake receipe is requested. Otherwise it'd just turn into a receipe book. I'm curious if you cut a deal to be released in exchange for quietly giving up on encourging people not to register or something like that. There may have been some about Captain America but some of those are.. ahem.. in poor taste." "You'd probably make a decent amount on that cupcake book idea," Ororo muses thoughtfully. She listens to the rest of Kisha's questions, pursing her lips gently as the girl gets right to the point but says nothing. She does crook a small smile at Jax's curse on the media. "Oh you'll have your fair share of rumors to dispell. I've already heard several versions of your daring escape. Speaking of rumors..." An eyebrow goes up inquisitively but not unfriendly. "That is also...true? About you and Captain America?" "You are indeed very enterprising." Kyinha tilts his head bemused at Kisha's explanation of her plans. "Perhaps Kisha's exclusive interview may put some of those rumors to rest! Though, about Steve Rogers...I should hope it's true! Else it is a very, very elaborate practical joke. The press release seemed both official and unambiguous." "If I cut a deal to --" Jax winces, his brows pulling down further behind his sunglasses. "I -- um -- I mean, /cupcake recipes/ I'd be glad to share." His cheeks flush deep crimson again, the air around him tinting faintly red together with this. "And it's true about me and Steve. And goodness have I ever been flooded with questions 'bout /that/ already. Though ain't like the media weren't already speculating enough. I swear every man I ever been seen with in public some tabloid's already assuming I'm --" He hesitates only a heartbeat, "-- datin'. Like gay men clearly ain't capable of jus' having friends." "You don't have to mind your language on my account," Kisha points out. "I'm fairly confident I could have graduated months ago. Practically an alumni already. You should try convince someone he asked you out because he's so patriotic he loves everyone in America equally, if only to watch people online have heart attacks. I'll look into a publisher if you want. I'm sure the sort of magazines who would buy the story have preferred partners for tie in novels." She hmms and glances from side to side at thin air, as if reading off a augmented reality overlay of some kind. "I can understand why the media is a popular industry for people. Being a literary agent seems like an easy part time job. Especially for fifteen percent local market commision, twenty for overseas sales." "I figured it was true I just...wanted to be sure. The media isn't known for getting the facts right, especially for people like us." Ororo glances towards Kisha, smiling faintly as the girl contemplates other career paths. "I never pegged you for the literary type." She turns back to Jax and gives him a faint smile. "Well. I can see why you've kept that fact quiet for so long. Though I wish you all the luck now that it's public. I feel you're going to need it." "Novels!" Kyinha's eyes widen. "There's much to chronicle, I suppose. Well, I look forward to reading the /article/, at least." He shuffles his papers together, neatening the edges of the stack. "It is unfortunate that you -- and he -- must bear with so much trouble from the media and...just about everyone else, it seems." Kyinha's glowing mouth twists down and to the side, though the rest of his expression -- a faint grimace -- is hard for anyone other than Jax to discern. "Tie in -- /novels/? Oh -- oh gosh. You got this all plenned out already, don't you?" Jax gives his head a very small shake. "I ain't sure I'm quite ready for the novelization just yet. I'm still working on the part where I -- settle back into /having/ a life before I let the media throw it all into chaos again." His hand rubs at the back of his neck, teeth dragging at his lower lip. "Anyway, that sounds like a plush deal 'till you figure on how few an' far between actually /finding/ those commissions is. Be lucky scraping together your monthly coffee budget, if you hustle." Kisha blinks a few times. "I just meant a cupcake cookbook, rather than novels... Not a huge concern, I'm not quitting my day job for it. Mister Stark pays pretty well considering I have no formal qualifications yet." She shrugs. "Take some time to think it over anyway. My office is open all hours to take calls." She smiles at Ororo. "A literary agent doesn't do any real writing. It's sales work. But in my time here I have read practically the entire library. I mean Bob did the reading for anything which isn't practically useful, but listening to it amounts to the same thing." "You know...novels might not be that bad of an idea. Memoirs can be surprisingly powerful and in your case, well, it may actually do more good for mutants than you think," Ororo says, glancing off to the side as she begins to entertain the idea. She does smile briefly to Kisha. "Well, that is an accomplishment. Literary agent may be a fair career for you. Though it is difficult to get into and difficult to be successful in." "Has the media actually /stopped/ throwing your life into chaos at any particular point?" One of Kyinha's eyes widens in a manner indicative of an upraised eyebrow. "On the bright side, if Kisha ever decides to get serious with this journalism business, she'll game the rest of the industry into the ground and you'll only have /friendly/ reporters hounding you for your life's story." His grin is broad, his teeth backlit in yellow light. "It'll be good to have you back, in earnest." "I'm -- glad s'been working out at Stark," is what Jax says to this, cautiously. Then less cautiously, with a deeper blush: "Oh! Oh gosh. You /won't/ have me back in earnest if I don't go talk to the administration like I'm meant to." He runs his fingers through his hair, straightening his colourful mop. "Fingers crossed they're -- even gonna let me -- um. Well. We'll see. /Gosh/ but it's good to see you all. I'll -- be 'round one way or another, m'sure." And with that he's darting off, the stunted beet in his hand shedding a last faint trickle of dirt as he goes. "Journalism seems like a boring fall back career. I expect there are programs in the works which can predict future events based on past news stories though. Which could be mildly amusing," Kisha muses, waving at Jax as he dashes off. "But you are a little mistaken in thinking I wouldn't have my own agenda. I'd be pushing pro-science viewpoints, which I guess is less damaging than the agenda most media firms are pushing. But for now I'll stick to the military industrial complex. Speaking of which I do have to make a work call. Almost time for my video call with the Tokyo office." "Oh, I don't think journalism is all that boring," Ororo says, glancing towards Jax as she begins running off. "Take care. And my office is always open, if you need me," she calls out to him before he runs off too far. Her eyes follow him the rest of the way, shaking her head gently. "It'll be good to have him back around here again."