ArchivedLogs:Raising Expectations

Raising Expectations
Dramatis Personae Billy Jack Rictor	2015-06-11 '
Location <XS> Back Porch
The back patio is a restful place to sit and relax, in most weather. Ample seating comes in the form of umbrella'd deck chairs and a cushioned porch swing, and the neighboring gardens attract butterflies and hummingbirds to make the viewing pleasant. The hot tub is usually open for use, though in snowy weather the transition in and out is a shivery one! It's a blistering afternoon at Xavier's. Between terms, the school's population thins somewhat as students and faculty return home to visit their families or take summer trips. Things slow down. Things get a little quiet. It's the perfect time to catch up on personal projects or just get in some downtime. It's also the perfect time for new staff to get acquainted (or, in Rictor's case, reacquainted) with the school grounds. Right now the back patio is solely occupied by Rictor, who sits at one the tables, feet propped up on a neighboring chair. His laptop is up and running, but the work on the screen is left idle as the man enjoys a glass of ice water and watches some students run around the yard a bit. He looks peaceful and right at home. Any other place in the world, a pair of sneakers, cargo shorts, and a bright red t-shirt with a wave logo on the front floating out onto the patio with no one in them might seem strange. Well, let's be honest. It might be strange here too. But either way, that's what it looks like when Jack steps out onto the patio. He looks out at the other students but doesn't head out to join them just yet. He's off in thought, just thinking for the moment, having wandered outside while lost in thought. Emerging from the gardens at a casual gait, Billy contemplates the remnants of some chardonnay at the bottom of the goblet he holds. The former student-teacher had been celebrating with some faculty off on the grounds, but made his excuses a few moments ago. Dressed in all white with a complexion as pale as a corpse, the blonde rises up the porch steps with a gloved hand poised just above the railing. He smiles in a tired but content way over towards the floating garments but doesn’t notice anyone else on the porch just yet, “Hey, Jack.” It's been a long time since Rictor has spent time around so many gifted people, but even this wasn't the case the sight of a floating outfit emerging onto the patio would still call his attention. And it does just that. He turns from staring out onto the grounds to consider the figure quizzically and looks about to say something when Billy comes around. Rictor doesn't add a hello to the mix just yet, but he does shift his posture and empty his glass, ice rattling as he downs its liquid contents. Jack jumps slightly, startled out of his thoughts. He looks around until he spots Billy and his sleeve lifts as he lifts a hand for an invisible wave. "Hey," he greets, a little sheepishly. The goblet gets a glance but no comment. He notices Rictor a moment later when the ice rattling catches his attention. "Oh, uhh...hey. Sorry if I just walked out here and interrupted something. I was...zoned way out..." In true scaredy-cat fashion, Jack’s jolt startles Billy enough to jump a little, himself. “No, you didn’t-” Fumbling to adjust his glasses, he chuckles and turns his attention over towards Rictor asif only too late realizing who the apology may have been meant for. The blonde is crossed with vague recognition, but only that. He offers a timid nod. Rictor lifts a hand, palm out, and shakes his head. "Not interrupting anything here." He glances over to Billy, returns the nod, and clears his throat. "Don't let me get in the way, though. I'm just getting some work done," he says, motioning to the laptop. "Or, I guess pretending to at this point." As if on cue, the machine goes into sleep mode. "Oh," Jack replies a little awkwardly. He shifts his weight a little before taking a breath and trying to shake off the awkwardness. "I'm Jack," he introduces himself to Rictor. "I'd offer a hand to shake but..." he trails off, holding up those invisible hands as he tries to joke. “Not pretending very well,” Billy smiles with his eyes. He laughs at Jack’s joke with innocent ease, “What is it you were working on?” Moving further onto the porch, he lingers along its perimeter so as to continually look out and admire the grounds. "Oh, don't worry about it," Rictor tells Jack with the slightest of grins. "It's nice to meet you." With a glance to Billy, he adds, "Both of you." As he says this he lifts his feet from where they were resting and places his empty glass on the table. The laptop is shut carefully and he leans forward to give the two young men his attention. "I'm working on course materials for the summer. My name is Julio, I'm new to the faculty scene." "Yeah, its too nice a day to work. It won't let you pretend," Jack remarks, amused. He glances over at Billy and then the grounds before attention returns to Rictor. "Oh, you're a teacher!" he offers an unseen smile. "What're you going to be teaching?" “Billy,” the blonde offers with a vague, modest gesture towards himself. “I’m in faculty limbo but like, welcome to the scene.” A bleach-white grin bursts forth as he meanders closer to the grouping. He doesn’t reiterate Jack’s question, but does look genuinely interested in the answer. "I can't imagine what faculty limbo might be like," Rictor tells Billy, eyeing what's left in the goblet he's holding, "but it looks like the parties are alright." With a smile, he leans forward to rest his elbows on his knees and press his fingertips together. "I'll be teaching a few computer-related courses. Are either of you on that sort of track?" "I'm...still not sure what sort of track I'm on," Jack admits with a sigh, shoulders slumping. "I will be taking some computer classes though," he adds. "I did a lot better in the ones I had so far than I thought I would anyway." “I teach elementary school, or could. But we don’t have that program in place yet,” Billy explains quietly with a dismissive shrug. He’s quick to deflect attention, nodding over towards the invisible boy in respect, “I didn’t know that. That’s awesome, Jack.” Rictor straightens his posture a bit and seems genuinely interested in Jack's response. "That's great! I look forward to working with you more then. Computer classes can be tough, but they have a lot to offer these days." To Billy, he adds, "I didn't know Xavier was considering expanding in that way." Jack chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck though all that can be seen is his sleeve lifting. "Thanks but...umm...my expectations were low," he admits. "I'm not a total failure like I worried I might be so, I'm happy about that," he says. "Are there a lot of mutants that young? For elementary school I mean." Billy smiles, "Well, maybe it's time to raise those expectations?" He brings up a gloved hand to the back of his neck, "There aren't a lot. But there are some. And Xavier might not be considering it for all I know," he shrugs, pouting thoughtfully, "But I can speak from experience when I say, there ought to be a better option than being sequestered alone at home." Two perfectly white eyebrows twitch up over the rim of his glasses and he looks down and away bashfully. Clearing his throat, Billy smooths out the fabric of his white button-down shirt, "I should probably head back to the city, though. Before it gets too late. Nice meeting you," he nods to Julio and then to Jack, "Try not to go too crazy out here." "I think you're right about that, and there's really no better place than here, especially if there's someone qualified to run the program," Rictor tells Billy. As the other man prepares to leave, Rictor also stands. "It's time for me to head off as well. Clearly, I'm not very good at pretending to work, so I might as well get to it. Nice to meet you both, and Jack, let's get together sometime and talk about just how well you did in that class. Maybe we can get you started on a project that will interest you." Jack stays quiet on the matter of whether or not the school is the best place. He does think it’s an improvement over a lot of situations, his own included, but after talking to two recently graduated classmates on the subject he is thinking a few things about how it could be better. It's a topic for another time though. He flashes an unseen smile Billy's way. "I do tend to try to not do the crazy stuff," he agrees. Rictor's offer surprises him but Jack still smiles. "Sure. Thanks," he replies. His gaze turns to the grounds and Jack stretches. "I think I'm going to see if I can get in on that game out there. Bye and nice meeting you."