Home!
What a day! I came rushing down here to try and check out those apartments but... Damn, this place just sucks you right in. I've decided to stay in the mansion. Everyone's right - it will allow me to be in constant touch with the students, the grounds here are amazing, and, hey, might as well save some money!
That's hardly what this is really about, though, the money. I'm surprised with how welcome I feel, like I'm immediately involved and gaining friends. It's a wonderful feeling, and, now I realize, something that was missing since Jerry retired from UNH.
A busy day tomorrow, filled with phone calls. I should get some rest.
OOC: This massive loggage was all backdated to last night, Saturday July 15th!
Considerably dressed more casually than the last time she entered this building - adorning casual jean shorts and a black shirt with a dragon on it proclaiming 'Trogdor! The Burninator!' - Eileen slips in through the invitingly open door. A full canvas rucksack supporting dozens of bright pins and buttons is slung over her shoulder. Within the Main Entrance, she pauses, dark eyes peering about for signs of life. "Knock, knock!"
In such a well-appointed traditional home as the mansion, one might expect to be greeted at the door by a stuffy English butler who is addressed only by his surname. One probably would not expect a tall, strapping Russian looking like he has just returned from a workout, but this is precisely what Eileen finds, in the form of Piotr. "Can I help you?" he asks, approaching the unfamiliar woman.
The day has come and is nearly gone already, much like the state Madrox is currently in, and a common sight this evening has been Madrox carefully trudging down the stairs with boxes and heading back up again for another. He's currently on his way down, large box practically obscuring his view as he carefully descends the stairs and starts off across the great hall towards the main entrance, occasionally able to peek over the box to keep track of where he's going.
Nisa wanders through he mansion, unsure of what to do with herself. She almost passes right by the entrance without a thought of it, but the small gathering of people catches her eye and curiosity. She approaches silently, standing halfway behind Piotr.
Not far distant, padded footsteps move through the hall, passing from the kitchen to the greater hall of the front door. Jareth turns the corner into that greater hall in the midst of a bit of sandwich. As a result, he swallows in haste and strides closer to the door. "Ah. You must be Eileen. Jean passed along the message you'd be joining us." He trades the sandwich between hands and extends the now free hand to her. "I'm Jareth Tarrant. This is Piotr Rasputin."
"Oh! Hello!" The strapping Russian receives a broad and warm smile, welcoming despite being the stranger. "My name is Eileen McEwan," she offers, stepping forward, out of the way of the stack of walking boxes with an extended hand, "and I've just been recently hired to teach here. Ahh, I called Doctor Grey earlier--" The sentence clips off with the approach of a sandwhich-bearing man and the woman completes the handshake. "Pleased to meet you, Piotr. And you, Jareth." Handshakes are exchanged, following through with social savvy politeness. "I apologize if this is short notice..."
Piotr returns both Eileen's smile and her handshake in kind, genial and polite, correcting Jareth's introduction with a hint of amusement, "Please, Peter. It is much easier to say." He also eyes the boxes, considering offering to help their beleaguered transporter, but as Jamie seems to be doing well enough on his own he returns his gaze to the new teacher. "Welcome to Xavier's School," he says, accented bass and sweeping hand gesture encompassing both a building and something much deeper.
The walking boxes continue walking closer, the steps faltering for a moment with the voices and Madrox peeking up over them to change his path around, although as he does, he pokes his head a bit to the side to peer around his armload with curiosity. "Oh! A new teacher?" This catches his attention enough to stop before passing her by, grinning widely towards her. "Welcome to Xavier's, Eileen! I'd shake your hand too, but- well, I guess I could, but I don't-...you're familiar with the...uniqueness of the students here, right?"
Nisa sticks her head out from behind Piotr, long blonde braid swinging over her shoulder. the tall girl dwarfed by the much taller man. "Hello," she greets in her Scandinavian accent.
One hand detaches from the shake. The sandwich-clad other waves agreement and remembrance, and Jareth nods. "Peter. Nice to meet you, Eileen." Another wave of hand dispatches her concern. "We live with the unexpected. It's a scheduled event in our day planners." His attention swings around, no logistical analysis forthcoming of this statement, to follow Peter's to Madrox. "You need a hand, Jamie?"
"Peter," Eileen corrects, speaking the name with a visual scan of his face, making proper mental connections for future encounters. And, lo! The boxes can speak! Shortly-shorn auburn hair gets brushed self-consciously at as the woman turns her smile towards the young man. "/Quite/ familiar," she assures conspiratorially before her gaze flickers towards the lean blonde. Eyebrows arch faintly with the need to tilt her chin upwards in order to look the young woman in the eye, though the Scandinavian is granted a now blushing smile and a proper handshake, "Hello! And your name is...?" A gentle laugh towards Jareth. "I just came down quickly to scout out the apartments in Salem Center. The landlady assured me I /had/ to do it /tomorrow/."
A glance over his shoulder elicits a momentary look of bewilderment from Piotr, dampened quickly as he offers a faint smile at Nisa, but allows her to introduce herself. He returns his attention to Eileen with a mild query, "You are not staying at the school?" even as he offers his assistance to Madrox with a simple gesture suggesting that he could bear to carry a box, should help be required.
Madrox snickers quietly and shakes his head. "Thanks Jareth, Peter, but I'm good. -That so, Eileen? Then, great!" With a stomp of his foot, another identical Jamie Madrox - sans boxes - appears just beside him with an equally large grin, leaving the box-laden one to dip his head in a parting nod and continue out of the mansion as the newly appeared Madrox offers a hand and greeting. "There, now I can. Jamie Madrox - s'good t'meet ya, Eileen."
"Nisa," she says, shaking the offered hand. She smiles back at Piotr and giggles as the second Jamie appears, though she offers no demonstration of her own powers.
A small flourish of hand extends Jareth's thumbs up to Jamie, allowing him to return his notice to Eileen and sundry. Much the same expression as Piotr falls across his face, settling identical silent question - or not so silent, already voiced - on Eileen. "You're familiar with the arrangements, I presume. All the teachers do have their own individual rooms here at the school."
"Nice to meet you, Nisa." Again, polite, but not stuffy in her greeting. "Ahh, well, is it common for staff to stay? I just have a lot of--" And then there's a second Jamie, which would take anyone unsuspecting off-guard. White rims around nearly-black irises and, for a startled moment, Eileen's smile falters. Then a blush and a quick offer of her hand as if to make up for the reaction. "That's- Wow. Useful," she manages with a bemused chuckle, shaking his hand. "You're like an ooze, Jamie. A pleasure to meet you!" Perhaps a little too chipper, with that one. Then: "Yeah, I'm aware that rooms are available. I have a lot of /stuff/, though. And people who may want to visit me sometime." Though her eyes flicker questioning between Jareth and Peter with the last statement, making it appear to be a question.
Piotr's gaze passes over Madrox for a moment, not at the appearance of the dupe, but to attempt to discern any sign of oozing. Slight confusion accompanies his inability to find any evidence of this occurring, but is gone by the time he notices and answers Eileen's implicit question, albeit missing the point a little. "Visitors are normally being fine, but we should clear them with Doc- ah, Jean first," he says, hesitating over how to refer to his former teacher. "It is... important in a school like this, yes?"
Laughter bubbles out of Madrox in perhaps too much enjoyment from that response by Eileen, "Ooze! That's /great/, I've totally thought about the similarit-oh wait, you...you /did/ mean that in a D&D manner of speaking, yeah?" His bright grin falters for a moment into a hopeful smirk, shaking her hand and nodding as he adds, "Useful in so many ways. One man moving crew these past couple o'days."
"Ooze?" Nisa questions, herself as well confused as she looks from Eileen to Jamie. Strange Americans.
Far be it from Jareth to pass up suitable opportunity for commentary. "Jamie is quite possibly the unholy merging of a human being and kudzu." Closing argument made in the form a dry smirk, he favors Eileen with a mild hoist of shoulders. "The rooms are fairly large. Closet, main room space, individual bathrooms. You shouldn't have much of an issue unless you're carrying an interdimensional pocket and some portion of the Louvre in that backpack, in which case, teach me that trick, O wise master."
"Is there any other manner of speaking?" Eileen counters Jamie before assess Nisa a little sheepishly with her query. "Don't mind me," she murmurs, excusing herself from attempting to explain. Jamie receives a thoughtful, if not plotting glance with his claim, though the new professor does not try to recruit. The bag shifts upon her shoulders - buttons with snarky statements and preferred bands clicking together. "Friends and siblings are allowed to visit?" she clarifies to Peter before Jareth receives a broad grin. "Just a bag. Unfortunately. Though this is hardly everything." Though the grin falters with a glance towards Jamie. The woman shifts, asking carefully: "How many of you are there?"
Utter bafflement settles on the Russian's features at the word kudzu, eyebrows peaked towards the centre, lips pulled tight in a slightly strained way. The confusion fades as Jareth continues speaking and the conversation takes a turn into realms that - bizarrely - do not make Piotr question his knowledge of English: interdimensional pockets? A regular occurrence around here. Perhaps not regular enough, suggests a momentary solemnity which turns to a smile as he nods in reply to Eileen's question. "As long as they are being cleared, yes."
"Jareth!" Madrox exclaims with a bright grin at Eileen's initial response, "I believe we are adding another geek to the ranks. Man, it's too bad I'm done here and going to Emerson next semester, you sound like a really fun person. I should be around still, here and there, though." His eyes flicker between the others as they speak, momentary confusion resurfacing and uttering with curiosity, "Kudzu?" Attention then slides back to Eileen with her question, chuckling for a moment as his eyes drift upwards in thought. "Um. Right now? Three."
"HOw many can you make at once?" Nisa asks Jamie, her attention moving from the confusing ooze to him. She never did find out prevsiously.
A skeptical sort of regard is all that Jareth can think to pass between the others. "No one remembers kudzu?" The regard swings from one to the next a moment longer, and Jareth's shoulders faintly droop as a fractional sigh escapes. Only a beat elapses before he straightens again, one hand flapping in Eileen's direction. "You're teaching... biology, wasn't it? Back me up here. Creeping plant, grows damn near anywhere, appears and spreads faster than zits the night before prom?"
Eileen's hand surreptitiously covers a button with an emoticon which reads 'Kiss me, I'm a Geek' and eyes Madrox with mock hurt. "That's a rather presumptuous thing to say," she murmurs, though amusement dances unmistakable within her eyes and about her lips. "Kudzu," she begins, her voice claiming a knowledgeable tone, perhaps a premonition to the fall season and start of classes, "is a deciduous vine which multiplies at an alarming rate, especially since it can kill trees and claim entire areas - even having been known to grow over houses and cars. Impossible to kill." Her eyes flicker back towards Jareth with a grin. "Sounds like a horrible B-movie, doesn't it?"
Piotr listens to the impromptu biology lesson with the gentle attention of one who is always willing to learn. The comment at the end draws a ponderous blink as he wonders if this new teacher understands exactly what teaching at a school full of mutants entails, but since the remark was not aimed at him he remains comfortably silent.
"I- uh-" Madrox seems at a loss for a moment to Eileen's mock hurt, holding up his hands before chuckling and scratching the back of his head. "Well, judging by the D&D comment which /nobody/ here has gotten whenever I've mentioned it-...Sorry," His grin does remain on his lips though, gentlemanly nature nudging forward in response to the new face. "I actually don't know, Nisa, I've never...been /unable/ to make more, at least, and I made a small room-full of me once." Attention flickers quickly back to Jareth with the description from both of them, casting a playful mock glare towards him but unable to completely wipe the ghost traces of a smirk from the corners of his lips.
Thumbs settle over the side of Jareth's pockets, there content to wait for the duration of Eileen's exposition. If it happens that he takes an ephemeral glimpse of the button, no indication is obvious. He meets her smile with a mirrored answer. "So have you had dinner? We can find some food and help you take your stuff upstairs." He tips a finger in indication to the curve of hall concealing the kitchen, then pauses to blink and abruptly draw his brows downward. "Wait. Are we talking about kudzu or the press covering Brad and Angelina?"
Eileen does not know what teaching at mutant-high means just yet, but boy is she about to find out! The stoic Russian is given an including smile, as is Nisa, though Jamie simply gets a few chuckles. "No, don't apologize," she murmurs towards the young man. "Dinner? A bite to eat would be wonderful. I only have one other box out in the car. I was going to hire movers but, now..." A considering pause is taken, along with a glance up the stairs to the halls beyond. "Does any of the staff live off-campus?"
Unable to offer any enlightenment on the abodes of the staff, Piotr gives an apologetic shrug. "I think I should be taking my leave," he says quietly, indicating with one hand his intended direction, towards the faculty wing. "If you are needing any assistance in moving," he adds to Eileen with a smile, "it would be my pleasure to help." A little nod is offered to all those present by way of a farewell before he turns to go.
Madrox shrugs and gives Eileen a renewed grin as he offers, "I could help with all your things, if...people wouldn't get too suspicious or disgruntled over the whole moving crew looking identical to each other, in your neighborhood. Where are you moving from?" He offers Peter a wave and a grin, "I'll catch you later sometime, Peter. I've still got a few things to wrap up around here this weekend."
"Bye Piotr," Nisa says, also waving to the retreating man. "Can help too," she offers with a friendly smile to the new teacher.
Jareth twirls a hand and gestures down the hall again. "To the food repository!" He beckons the others along, waiting as necessary to allow for anything set down. Another waggle of hand supplies a wave to Piotr while he shakes his head and begins to walk. "All the staff are residents. It's easier to go to and from classes, and makes it far easier to have interaction with the students. Since everyone shares a building, we fill a role of guardian for them, among other things."
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Peter. Thank you!" Eileen is quick to say as the man departs, offering a grin and a light wave to boot. "I'm coming down from south-east New Hampshire, from UNH, so it's a bit of a drive for helping," she explains to both Jamie and Nisa. "Thank you for offering, though." Red-tressed woman follows obligingly after Jareth, making thoughtfully-agreeing noises as she goes. "I know. I was considering that too," she murmurs before presenting another smile. "Perhaps it would be best for me to see the staff designated rooms before coming to a decision. It's a good thing I came down anyway. I've been excited."
Madrox follows along as well, glancing back out the door as the other Madrox returns inside and offers a wave and grin to everyone on his way back upstairs again. "New Hampshire, huh? OH! Hey!" Madrox suddenly seems quite enthusiastic again, "You're right near the ocean there! Oh wow, that's another thing that I definitely need to see sometime. I still can't /believe/ I haven't been able to go to the /real/ beach, but...quite the drive." He smirks as he glances between Jareth and Eileen, nodding quickly in agreement with Jareth's words. "Yeah, but, rather than 'uncle Jareth', some of the staff feel a lot more like good friends than anything else. For me, at least, like him and Sean."
Nisa follows along next to Madrox into the kitchen. "Is nice to have everyone togeher," she agrees with a smile. "What? Never been to beach?" she asks, head turning to Jamie, eyes growing larger. "Even I been to beach. You must go, is much fun."
Greeted in the Main Entrance.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Walter sits at the table, a meal fit for two people sitting infront of him. Well, a meal fit for one person, it's half finished. Reaching for the next burrito, he continues his goal of feeding his growth spurt. Maybe if he keeps eating like this, the short jokes will stop... Unlikely, but a boy can hope.
Thus it is that there is finally opportunity to conclude that interrupted sandwich, and so Jareth consumes several more bites along the way. In the midst of one, he casts a nod and agreeing noise of some form to Eileen. "Once we get some food, I'll show you around upstairs and show you some of the rooms." Freshly fed, he makes no beeline to the refrigerator once having entered the kitchen. He is content to wave to Walter and move to settle himself against the counter. "Knock yourself out. We've got plenty, but avoid any designs on the cheesecake."
"New York City is on the ocean, though, right?" Eileen wonders, skepticism briefly tainting her voice. The specific mention of a beach eases her quirked eyebrows and she nods, "Mmm, yeah. You would be hard pressed to find a beach, and a clean one at that, in this area of the country. -This building is beautiful." This last portion is a soft murmur, an outspoken thought. "And this kitchen!" Lips purse together as if to whistle, but the motion fails without the ability to make the sound to back it. Chocolate-coloured eyes round the room before landing upon Walter, who receives an inviting smile. "Good evening!" Then, tentatively, the refrigerator is approached.
Madrox tosses his arms up momentarily before Eileen makes the connection herself, and he chuckles with a nod, "Yeah, exactly. A nice, swimmer-friendly sort of sandy beach. -Hey, Walter. How's it goin?" he greets the younger roommate with a grin and a dip of his head. His attention returns to Eileen, and he moves to lean comfortably against the island counter. "Yeah, this place is pretty spiffed up, huh?"
Nisa enters the room behind Madrox and smiles brightly at Walter. "Hey Walter," she says. "Can amke food from scratch, if everyone is hungry?" she offers to the room.
Walter smiles, "Yeah, this place rocks, I kinda wonder how they pay for it all though." The newcomer is considered, visiting parent? No, too young for that, maybe an older sibling? Teacher? He smiles to Nisa, Madrox, and Jareth before looking back to the new face, "I'm Walter, Jamie's roomate. Nice to meet you Miss..." At Nisa's offer for food, "I think it's okay Nisa, you don't have to cook, Madame Varga has /plenty/ of food around here, and yeah, Jareth's right, the cheesecake is usually Doctor Grey's."
"Oh, you don't have to go through the trouble. I'm sure I can find something." The olive green rucksack is gingerly set onto the tiled floor, out of the way of people's feet, before the fridge is opened. Then closed. "A pleasure to meet you, Walter. You can call me Eileen, or Miss McEwan, if you're really looking to suck up." Her smile is briefly wry. "I'm the new biology professor." Might as well proclaim the title now! Then the contents of the fridge are assessed, along with a prized cheesecake. Eileen chuckles and opts for a cold noodle salad. "Thank you for the warning. Plates? Fork?" She looks around expectantly.
Madrox nods in quick agreement with Walter, and as Eileen reemerges with the request, he quickly strides over to the cabinets and the drawer, "Plate, and, fork. -It's pretty much an open kitchen for the most part," he adds with a grin, "so there's usually snack-stuff around too to munch on if you're not around for one of the meals, and always open to make your own meals as well if you want. I'm sure you'll love it here." A thought strikes him, and his grin widens a bit, "You should talk to Kitty too, she graduated a while ago but she's currently the RA of the women's wing. She's cool, I think you'd get along great."
Nisa nods and sits down next to Walter, hands in her lap. "Yes, Kitty is very nice. most everyone here is easy to get along with."
Walter smiles, "Long as you don't get on Cassy's bad side. I seem to find myself there a lot." He beams over at the professor, "Oh, then we'll probably see each other more once school starts back up, I'm gonna be taking biology next year. Figured it might help me understand" a moment's hesitation, they /did/ tell her exactly what /kind/ of school she'd be working at, right? Just to be safe, he finishes with a vague, "stuff." He scoots just a /tad/ closer to Nisa, his arm brushing against her own as he reaches for more food. "But yeah, the place is great, you'll like it."
Eileen begins to dish out a moderate amount of the salad, having noted where Jamie procured the items from. "That's nice to know, though it may take me a few days to settle in. I'm used to living on my own." The chill salad is replaced into the confines of the fridge before the fair-skinned woman begins to eat. "Kitty, hmm? I look forward to meeting everyone here, really." Then Walter receives her attention and her nose crinkles with her smile, understanding the pause. She swallows, "You can feel free to be open with me, Walter. It's fine."
Madrox nods slowly with a wider grin towards Eileen, sympathy in his voice at hearing she used to live on her own, "Well that's too bad, you'll be around a lot of people here though as much as you want- er, uh, if you /do/ prefer a bit of solitude there's always a bunch of places for that too. /Beautiful/ lake just down the path through the woods here, too, with a boat-house and everything." He snickers quietly and nods in reassurance with her towards Walter. "Yeah, it's cool, I'm the second 'me' she's seen so far, the other's upstairs bringing another box outside, probably."
Walter nods, a little relieved, "Oh well, back at the Safehouse, I was reading Doctor Grey's book, I only understood about half of it." He grins sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "And Doctor McCoy says the way /it/ works is that my... thyroid? is mutated, and that I can influence the production of... hormones?" Diving into X-factor biology, without even having a class in /standard/ biology, fun times.
"Oh, no, it was preference. My students kept me occupied enough other times," Eileen assures Jamie, though her smile briefly flirts with nostalgia. Her mouth is soon occupied with another bite of food, but she nods with the mention of the lake, knowing. "Doctor Grey showed me the stables as well. -You've read her work?" The query is aimed towards Walter while eyebrows arch, impressed before the lack of understanding causes her to smile. "I specialized in wildlife management as well as biology," she chats after Walter states what he's been told, "so I must admit that human physiology can escape me sometimes, but at least the physical mutations /tend/ to be easier to understand than the mental ones."
A look of mild surprise momentarily drifts over Jamie's features with the preference of living alone, although it's gone as quickly as it came, accompanied by a small nod. "Yeah, while you're here, there's /always/ something that you can do if you wanted to. The land around the place is just.../vast/, too. It's also great cause New York is like, just an hour away or so." He grins and settles back against the island again. "So, have you already decided on sticking around here, or are you still going to hunt around for some apartments?"
Nisa scowls a bit at the mention fo Hank's name, their earlier tiff still fresh in her mind. "Is nice gardens too, take care of them with Averillix," Nisa says quietly.
Walter nods to Ms. McEwan. He winces as Nisa scowls, the most likely reason passing briefly through his mind as he looks towards her right wrist. "Easier to control too. I haven't trashed my room, turned off gravity or /anything/." He beams, lets get the subject /away/ from Doctors.
Eileen shoots a wry glance over towards Jamie with his last question - the look carrying over towards Jareth. "I'm not sure. I'll take a look at the rooms first and think it over tonight," is the answer she gives before continuing to cleanse the plate of the salad. "This is a delicious salad. -I didn't see the gardens. You enjoy gardening, Nisa?" A curious question made for conversation-sake, her head tilted mildly to one side.
Madrox nods deeply as she says she'll think it over, then glances over towards Walter, "Speaking of - looks like the moving date's comin up /real/ quick, Walter. I mean, I'll come back tomorrow sometime I'm sure, probably crash here tomorrow night rather than the dorms already, but I'll basically be moved out after tomorrow night."
Nisa nods and smiles at Eileen. "Is what do. Plants," she explains, allbeit simply. "You and Alex both moving there, right?" Nisa asks Jamie, remembering something from last week. "Piotr going there too, if remember correctly."
Walter notices the bandages on Nisa's wrist. It happened. He smiles at Madrox, "So, I get the room to myself then?" Darn, gonna have to move with the plan quickly. Tomorrow night? Perfect! His expression sours a tad, "Or are they going to give me a roomie?" /Please/ don't be Luke, or River actually... Actually, if they so much as /looked/ at Nisa sideways, roomate material be they not.
Eileen gives a puzzled blink towards Nisa with the simple, broken answer, not entirely presenting a show of understanding with her current expression. The matter is dropped, however for the topic of moving away. "I remember packing everything up from home. I was nervous, but so excited, too. Are you excited, Jamie? What will you be studying?" she wonders before clearing the plate and bringing it to a dishwasher.
"Yep!" Madrox says with a wide grin, "Alex is actually my new roomie too, in fact - it'll be awesome." He chuckles quietly with Walter's questions, slightly raising an eyebrow. "Well, I think for a little bit, maybe, but I'm sure they'll set another person into that room soon enough since classes are going to start up again soonish." The beam is flashed towards Eileen and he nods quickly, "Real excited now, actually. Studying...um...a few things at least. Probably as much as I can. Focusing on computer science, and probably some legal classes, whatever the PI firm suggests."
Nisa nods along to the conversation and steals some food from Walter's plate, munching on it quietly.
Walter pouts at the lost of food, then decides to make Nisa pay. He's ended the secrecy, he might as well enjoy it. He pushes himself up, leaning towards Nisa, lips pursed /just/ a little.
"A few things, hmm?" Eileen arches an eyebrow at Jamie and chuckles knowingly. "You're lucky, Jamie. That's a college kid's dream, what you can do. Just be careful, alright?" A few words of precaution are sent towards the young man before a flicker of interest raises both brows. "PI? That's interesting." Her eyes pass - quickly! - over Walter and Nisa, landing on Jareth. "Would you mind showing me the staff wing now, Jareth?"
Madrox nods quickly with a pleased smirk and raised eyebrow, "Yeah, I know I am, and /grateful/ for it too, cause I'm really wondering just how far I /can/ use my abilities with my college courses." His eyes follow hers towards- over Walter and Nisa, and on to Jareth, then back to Eileen as he grins widely and stands from leaning against the island. "Well it's been a pleasure meetin you, Eileen, and hopefully I'll see you around again sometime."
Nisa smirks impishly and takes another piece of food while Walter searches for a kiss. "Will see you around then?" she asks Eileen.
Walter sits back down, Nisa is /mean/. "Just make sure people don't leave one room with you, and find you. Be like that Calvin and Hobbes story, but less funny," he offers to Jamie. He protects his food, eating quickly. Girlfriend who won't give kisses can get her /own/.
Engrossed in the fine art that is distracted silence, Jareth reverts to attention with a small jolt, regard fixing on Eileen. "Right. Let's go take a look around." So said, he pushes from his chosen spot and gestures toward the door. "The rest of you be good and try not to explode anything."
"The same to you, Jamie. Good luck with getting settled in and everything starting college entails." Eileen says with a friendly smile before allowing her eyes to land on Walter and Nisa this time around. "And I'll be seeing you two around! Have a good night." She takes her backpack up to ease it onto her back, mindful of whatever is delicate within. "Thank you for being so patient," she says to Jareth as she follows his lead.
"Thanks," Madrox says sincerely to Eileen before he dips his head in parting. "Same to you, too, but with 'everything teaching here entails' instead." He heads off towards the door, casting waves around as he departs. "See you all later."
"Have good night as well," nIsa calls to the two teacher and Jamie, stealing some more food from Walter's plate.
Walter smiles to Eileen. "Don't worry, it's weird at first, but you'll get used to it here." As Nisa steals more food, he frowns, wondering if he should attempt another attempt at a kiss. He goes for it.
To the Kitchen!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"So I guess one needs a little luck to survive teaching here, hmm?" Eileen asks of Jareth with a wry little grin as they reach the third level of the mansion, the one which houses staff-rooms. "What is it that you teach, Jareth?" she wonders.
A wry chuckle answers Eileen, along with a small and knowing exhale of breath. "Oh, I'd say that helps. Teenagers are enough to handle without balls of fire from their eyes and bolts of lightning from their ass. But then, the teachers have the same advantage. Here we are." A wave of a hand encompasses the length of the hall. "Computer science."
Eileen chuckles softly with the description of abilities, muttering something softly about hoping no student actually has elemental powers from their /ass/. "Still, I'm looking forward to it, which may mean I'm a little crazy, too." There's a nod, though no particular remark is made about Jareth's particular field. "Is there a free staff room I could see?"
As before, a chuckle gives answer, and Jareth spreads his arms. "I think a little crazy is a prerequisite for this place." As they proceed along the hall, he angles a finger toward one door. "We could look at mine."
Another glance by warm eyes stretches down the length of the hall, taking in all Jareth offers in the spread of his arms before Eileen returns her gaze to him. "That's fine by me, if you don't mind."
Jareth supplies a nod and alters his progress to arrive at the indicated door. A hand fishes briefly in a pocket for a key, unlocks the door, and swings it open. "Home sweet dorm-style home." He passes through far enough to hold the door for Eileen, then follows suit. Thumbs hooking in pockets, he exercises taciturn patience to allow Eileen a survey of the room, the room including a small black lump on the windowsill.
Dry chuckles follow Jareth's belittling evaluation of his abode. "Dorm-style. Yet you would still chose living here over having your own place?" she wonders, looking for personal preference, advice even. "It /is/ roomy, and the mansion, from what I can tell so far, is fairly quiet..." she allows as her gaze sweeps about the room.
Several more steps bring Jareth alongside the desk chair, where he turns and deposits himself without ritual. "There are still things to be said for living in dorms again. People are nearby. It's easy to visit, easy to organize gathering people. Besides, all this," and he sketches an expansive sweep encompassing anything in sight, "*is* one big home." His glance falls for an instant on the black lump and returns to Eileen, valiantly staving off the urge to look back to the window.
Eileen's eyes do pass over that small and curious black lump, but being new here and establishing herself, she does not go questioning over personal items. A fond smile does touch at her lips as he calls this entire place one large home and a long and considering sigh is breathed steadily from her nose. "You're right. This place does seem like a great home. It's wonderful, and the grounds are beautiful." Her eyes return to Jareth, curious. "I assume that- Well, are particular classes taught on control?"
Spurred by whatever confluence of factors, the curled lump shifts slightly, and a portion of glossy black tail dangles over the side of the sill. Jareth attempts to disregard this. "It's a great place. The kids have all sorts of things to do to keep them busy." He nods quick assent, scarcely a pause before this reply. "That's a good part of what we help the students learn. We work with them regularly on control."
Eileen disregards things, in general, until they move. That ebon lump - now with a tail! - is narrowed in on, stared at with blatant if not bemused interest. Her eyes do flicker to Jareth with his answers, though proceed to snap back afterwards. "I'd like that. I'd like to give them opportunities that I didn't have growing up, even though they seem to already have that here." Then, suddenly sheepish, "Sorry if I'm speaking too openly. I've just never been around, well, so many homo superiors before."
So too does Jareth observe the creature, lips curled with a twitch of smirk. "If we can make them comfortable being as they are, that's maybe the most important thing." He chuckles and flaps a hand in dismissal. "If there's any place to speak openly, it's here. This of all places should be free for people to talk about things like that." His gaze flicks from Eileen to the sill and back, a subtle glimmer of perhaps encouragement there in the blue-gray.
Eileen manages to oh-so-casually meander further into the room. Really, she's just crossing over to the window to see the view. "So I'll admit I'm not exactly socially adept at... Well, is it rude and out of place to ask what people can /do/? Or is it conversation fodder, like what people do for a living?" And what a lovely view it is, too! But eyes inevitably drop towards that mound with a tail.
Another smirk curls Jareth's lips, longer this time behind Eileen and fixed on the object. "Well, it's not like saying 'hey, baby, what's your sign.' For the most part, I think you'll find people willing to talk about it, but I think you don't want to bring it up quite as outright as 'hey, baby, what's your sign.'" All the while he speaks, he remains intent on the thing at the window, occasional glance directed to Eileen. The creature, for its part, uncoils further to stretch glossy black legs one by one, small claws flexing against the sill.
A distracted sort of nod meets Jareth's words, but it's apparent that Eileen's foremost attention is not on his answer. As the obsidian little form begins to uncurl, to take shape, the woman hunkers down next to the sill - closer and unafraid. Now, openly, she wonders: "What on earth is this?" A bemused smile still tugs at the corners of her lips.
As if in direct reply, the ebon head finally uncurls and raises, elongated, smooth, overlong - and even eyeless as it appears, forehead one long curve unwarped by so much as sockets, it sets nonetheless at precise angle to fix on Eileen. Jareth's mirth continues to creep through his expression, mouth curling farther upward as he observes. "That's Circe."
Eileen's eyes distinctly widen with the set of the creature's head, eyebrows arching with unwitting caution as she leans a bit to the side, as if testing the animal-like creation. Eye on the birdie. "Circe," she repeats and a delighted smile rushes about her features. "The Greek goddess of transformation. Through the use of potions, she would change her enemies into animals." A bright light dances in the woman's eyes as she glances towards Jareth, as if sharing some personal joke. "She was hell on Odysseus and his crew. Beautiful name! Is she like her namesake?" And, finally: "/Where/ did you get her?"
Just as might be expected, the eyeless head swivels to follow. The remainder of the equally unnatural body rests now in posture partly resembling the Sphinx, save for the back end tilted on its side. "Not strictly a goddess," Jareth points out. "A powerful sorceress, but that lessens her impact none." A light largely matching flickers in his own eyes, in turn matched by a smile. "I haven't started oinking or rolling around in the mud yet, so I wouldn't say she's too much like her namesake. The drapes might say different, though." The smile creeps wider. "With some help, I made her."
"Sorceress, goddess, depends on the person. I'm sure Circe herself would have considered herself a goddess." Eileen casts a wry smirk towards the eerily shaped creature upon the sill before rising, the rucksack once again shifted upon her shoulder. Oreo cookie coloured eyes scan again before flickering over towards Jareth, widened with disbelief. "No," she states, doubt colouring her voice. "Are you serious?"
A chuckle escapes and rolls free, accompanied by another wry smile. "Doesn't everyone want to consider themselves divine?" Assorted upper limbs settle against the chair, assorted lower stretched out on the floor. The upper raise again a beat later, hands upturning. Jareth's eyes continue to glimmer a deep shade of mischief. "Entirely serious. I just needed someone to help with the body."
Eileen's eyebrows instantly arch in an impressed gesture. Her lips twist in a manner of one who wishes to ask questions while her eyes carry themselves back to Circe, though she holds them at bay for politeness sake. Finally, an appropriate one is settled on: "Is this the extent of allowable animals within the mansion?"
.
Propped on stolid bedrock of amusement and admitted pride, Jareth's smile does not diminish. He regards Eileen in patient silence, awaiting questions that do not come. Formerly holding a degree of anticipation of some greater inquiry, his mouth splits a thoughtful crack open, and he adjusts himself to the smaller question that does receive voice. "I think she's something of extenuating circumstances. No fur to provoke allergies, no litter to clean up, and there's always a way to keep her from yowling at two in the morning."
"Hmm. Though Circe is impressive, /are/ there pets allowed?" Eileen wonders casually before smiling amiably towards Jareth - a look which quickly makes way for impishness. "I'm still not sure I believe you." Her arms cross, taking up a practically challenging stance. "This seems like something people over in Japan are struggling with, little robotic pets." Perhaps seeing that anticipation, she proceeds to question: "Who helped you make her? What's she made out of? I'll admit, I'm not really technically adept..."
Finally, allowed a distraction, Jareth's smile drifts onward. "We do have a number of pets. One of the students picked up a rat not long ago, or also... Well, talk to Kitty sometime." Naught but ignorant innocence meets Eileen's impishness, and Jareth blinks. "They are? Really?" Innocence disappears soon enough, bowing to similar mirth. "Yeah, I know. I'm confident every so often that the engineers in Sony's R&D department would shit themselves on sight." His lips curl upward again with this. "Another of the staff has a great propensity for engineering and building. The parts aren't so exotic, actually. The exterior is an arrangement of aluminum, she moves on fluidic muscle - looks like a Chinese finger trap - and the optics use a sensor that's in marketed cameras."
Eileen's expression eases into something akin to relief as the etiquette on furry beings are given. "That's nice. I know many schools are fairly up-tight when it comes to animals." Circe is examined once more and the woman eases away from the creature, as if trying to coax it from its perch. "Not bad! That's pretty amazing, really. So," her lips curl again as hope begins to touch upon her words, "if you were given funding in advance, for time and materials, you could reproduce her?" A quick chuckle, and her alto picks up before he can begin to answer. "Unless, of course, she's absolutely one of a kind, which would be understandable."
Circe's attention is an intentness born of unfamiliarity, and this draws the creature to her feet. Glossy black limbs press against the wall below, and the black body pours down after. Little feet pad along the floor in pursuit. Jareth observes until the point when the question reaches him, and then his eyes swing, quick and quizzical, to fix on Eileen. His mouth cracks faintly open, drawing out a moment of thought. "I *could*. The programming is easy enough to move around." Dry humor curls his mouth. "I don't know how many creatures of Giger we want loose, though."
"Creatures of Giger?" Eileen wonders, curiosity lifting the tail ends of her words up. "But how bad could more than one Circe be?" she asks with complete innocence, a grin curving the corners of her lips into a lop-sided grin. "She moves so fluidly." A compliment, for sure, and a display of admiration. "Like a dolphin. With legs."
Onto the bed Circe springs, the more easily to observe Eileen. So too does Jareth. "Don't you remember the Alien movies? H.R. Giger, the guy who designed the creatures. Theoretically, more than one would be no more problematic than just as many cats, and Circe doesn't breed." He casts the beast a glance. "She moves like a cat. Behaves like one, too."
Eileen suddenly seems a little sheepish, and it's not because she's being observed from a mattress. Her free hand reaches up to scratch at the nape of her neck, where shorn reddish locks brush against skin. "I've actually never seen the Alien movies," she admits softly.
Atop the mattress, the glossy beast pays embarrassment no heed, instead quickly folding legs beneath her to drape onto her side. Jareth fixes Eileen with another long and quizzical look. Finally, after doing so for a lengthy beat, he reaches out his hand. "All right. Hand over your geek card. You can have it back when you watch at least one." A beat more passes. "One of the first two. The others don't count."
Eileen sticks her tongue out, all indignant maturity, and folds her arms beneath her chest in a physical showing that no such card will be handed over. "Hey, I saw the Star Wars movies when they /first/ came out into theatres. I deserve my card!" A moment later, almost a little pouty, significantly softer: "I was too young for Alien. Sleeping Beauty caused me enough nightmares when I was young..."
Arms fold over Jareth's own chest in mirror, nose rising in dismissive contempt, however feigned. One brow hoists and weighs this argument. "...I accept your argument and concur with your continued status. So long as you had at least one corresponding action figure and/or lunchbox." The other brow rises to join its twin with this final declaration, and Jareth stares for another beat. "Why?"
"Of course I did! A lunchbox." Eileen seems to blush a little with some with-held memory, however she does share proudly: "I even made little Han Solo outfits for all my Ken dolls." Pride is squelched with a careful clearing of her throat as she's asked to elaborate. "Maleficent. She's the scariest Disney villian, in my opinion."
Elsewhere atop the mattress, the end of Circe's skeletal tail undulates slowly back and forth, dangling over the side of the bed. Conversation being beyond her provides no deterrent to regarding the humans. Atop the chair, Jareth offers a smile and raised thumb. "Then your status is confirmed, and in light dressing up Han Solo dolls, forever secure." This settled, he favors Eileen with a more somber nod. "She's the only character at all that I can think of to say the word hell in a Disney movie, and in the fifties, no less."
Eileen nods, frowning in a reprimanding sort of fashion, if not only for the sleepless nights she suffered when younger. "She's badass," she murmurs after a thoughtful moment. "I wish I could turn into a dragon." Says she bearing the image of Trogdor. Then, with an abrupt blink to carry her out of her reverie, she smiles towards Jareth. "I think you've convinced me. Staying here would be very beneficial."
Jareth favors this with a nod and affirming sort of noise. "Still, fun as it would be, no cow or subsequently part of the dairy industry would forgive you. Well, maybe if you only turned into a small one and ate rodents." He allows a moment for the reverie to end, then answers with a smile in similar fashion. "Well, I'm glad you'll be joining us. I think you'll enjoy it here." Atop the bed, for reasons unknown, Circe wriggles on her back, swatting lazily at the lump that is the pillow.
A few puzzled blinks accompany Jareth's mention of bovine populations before Eileen catches on and laughs. "A vegetarian dragon," she murmurs with an amused little grin. Then: "I'm certain I'll enjoy it here. Save myself some money in the long run, too." Circe, in turn, receives a bright, crinkle-nosed grin. Such a cute little Alien! Suddenly, a request: "Would you mind showing me a guest room I could stay in for the evening?"
Smile and laughter alike answer, and Jareth nods. A beat passes, and his shoulders subtly shake. "Something is so very wrong and yet so marvelous about a dragon chowing down on zucchini." His head shakes, laughter still rolling free, and finally snaps fingers. "Right. Let's see what we can find." Pushing free of the chair with a creak, he crosses the room to scratch at Circe's exposed belly. The black beast curls against his fingers, grabbing and chewing faintly but indignantly. Jareth shakes his hand free after a moment and continues to the door, small black beast padding in tow.
The laughter stretches Eileen's smile further - appreciation for the mirth. The scritch at the creature's belly is caught with rapt and amused fascination. "I can't get over how /fluidly/ she moves..." she murmurs, her voice again carrying praise. She allows the pet to follow on Jareth's heels, taking up the tail of the line which proceeds down the hall.
And so the trio marches here and there through the hall, meandering to this door or that, until Jareth angles a finger toward one and places himself at a stop adjoining it. "Here we are. This should do nicely." No lock here bars the way, and so Jareth simply swings the door wide, turning to smile. "She's a piece of work, isn't she? I can't claim credit on that part, but she does make you wish they had toys like these twenty years ago and growing up, doesn't she?"
"Yes," Eileen is quick to leap at the question. "Speak and Spell just never cut it." Fearful that she may be dating herself with that one, she hastens on to say: "And Teddy Ruxpin sucked." A content sigh is breathed, however, as she enters the room to set her rucksack down upon the bed. "Thank you, Jareth."
A cough clears throat, and fingers wiggle against it. Jareth continues in the voice of the aforementioned Speak and Spell. "Short-lived entertainment. S. H. O. R..." Another cough returns him to normal with a smirk, just as quickly swept aside in vague horror. "Oh, God. I think I still remember the cartoon for that, let alone the toy." Theatrical shudders contort his arms and torso. The contortions pass again, and he looks to Eileen. "You're welcome. Anything else I can help with? You have all your stuff for the moment, right?"
Eileen's eyes roll, though her grin is wry with the impression. "No kidding. I thought that thing was going to wake up in the middle of the night and start demanding that I played with it." The spasms get some well-deserved laughter before her gaze passes back to the bag upon her bed. "Hmm. Yes, I'll be fine for tonight. I have a couple boxes in the car, but that can wait till daylight to be retrieved." Her gaze swings back, ineffiably pleased. "Tonight has turned out much better than I had anticipated."
A scrunch of nose contorts this next part of Jareth. "Shades of WarGames. 'Would you like to play a game?'" Abruptly, he laughs. "A Speak and Spell on wheels, the first and failed prototype Terminator." He shakes his head, another chuckle escaping, then pauses to nod. "All right. If you're good and taken care of, I'll let you settle in and rest. I imagine it's been a long day, good night aside."
Eileen laughs brightly and points towards Jareth with a cheeky sort of wink. "Now Terminator I /have/ seen." Though, indeed, with the mention of the long day, she does cast an eye towards the bed. "It has. It's a long drive from New Hampshire down here," she murmurs, the repetition getting a foggy little blink. "Well. I'll have to bid you good night, Jareth. Thank you again." And with a sincere smile, she allows the newly acquired friend to scoot back into the hallway before closing the door.
To the Staff Wing! And she gets to meet Circe!
That's hardly what this is really about, though, the money. I'm surprised with how welcome I feel, like I'm immediately involved and gaining friends. It's a wonderful feeling, and, now I realize, something that was missing since Jerry retired from UNH.
A busy day tomorrow, filled with phone calls. I should get some rest.
OOC: This massive loggage was all backdated to last night, Saturday July 15th!
Considerably dressed more casually than the last time she entered this building - adorning casual jean shorts and a black shirt with a dragon on it proclaiming 'Trogdor! The Burninator!' - Eileen slips in through the invitingly open door. A full canvas rucksack supporting dozens of bright pins and buttons is slung over her shoulder. Within the Main Entrance, she pauses, dark eyes peering about for signs of life. "Knock, knock!"
In such a well-appointed traditional home as the mansion, one might expect to be greeted at the door by a stuffy English butler who is addressed only by his surname. One probably would not expect a tall, strapping Russian looking like he has just returned from a workout, but this is precisely what Eileen finds, in the form of Piotr. "Can I help you?" he asks, approaching the unfamiliar woman.
The day has come and is nearly gone already, much like the state Madrox is currently in, and a common sight this evening has been Madrox carefully trudging down the stairs with boxes and heading back up again for another. He's currently on his way down, large box practically obscuring his view as he carefully descends the stairs and starts off across the great hall towards the main entrance, occasionally able to peek over the box to keep track of where he's going.
Nisa wanders through he mansion, unsure of what to do with herself. She almost passes right by the entrance without a thought of it, but the small gathering of people catches her eye and curiosity. She approaches silently, standing halfway behind Piotr.
Not far distant, padded footsteps move through the hall, passing from the kitchen to the greater hall of the front door. Jareth turns the corner into that greater hall in the midst of a bit of sandwich. As a result, he swallows in haste and strides closer to the door. "Ah. You must be Eileen. Jean passed along the message you'd be joining us." He trades the sandwich between hands and extends the now free hand to her. "I'm Jareth Tarrant. This is Piotr Rasputin."
"Oh! Hello!" The strapping Russian receives a broad and warm smile, welcoming despite being the stranger. "My name is Eileen McEwan," she offers, stepping forward, out of the way of the stack of walking boxes with an extended hand, "and I've just been recently hired to teach here. Ahh, I called Doctor Grey earlier--" The sentence clips off with the approach of a sandwhich-bearing man and the woman completes the handshake. "Pleased to meet you, Piotr. And you, Jareth." Handshakes are exchanged, following through with social savvy politeness. "I apologize if this is short notice..."
Piotr returns both Eileen's smile and her handshake in kind, genial and polite, correcting Jareth's introduction with a hint of amusement, "Please, Peter. It is much easier to say." He also eyes the boxes, considering offering to help their beleaguered transporter, but as Jamie seems to be doing well enough on his own he returns his gaze to the new teacher. "Welcome to Xavier's School," he says, accented bass and sweeping hand gesture encompassing both a building and something much deeper.
The walking boxes continue walking closer, the steps faltering for a moment with the voices and Madrox peeking up over them to change his path around, although as he does, he pokes his head a bit to the side to peer around his armload with curiosity. "Oh! A new teacher?" This catches his attention enough to stop before passing her by, grinning widely towards her. "Welcome to Xavier's, Eileen! I'd shake your hand too, but- well, I guess I could, but I don't-...you're familiar with the...uniqueness of the students here, right?"
Nisa sticks her head out from behind Piotr, long blonde braid swinging over her shoulder. the tall girl dwarfed by the much taller man. "Hello," she greets in her Scandinavian accent.
One hand detaches from the shake. The sandwich-clad other waves agreement and remembrance, and Jareth nods. "Peter. Nice to meet you, Eileen." Another wave of hand dispatches her concern. "We live with the unexpected. It's a scheduled event in our day planners." His attention swings around, no logistical analysis forthcoming of this statement, to follow Peter's to Madrox. "You need a hand, Jamie?"
"Peter," Eileen corrects, speaking the name with a visual scan of his face, making proper mental connections for future encounters. And, lo! The boxes can speak! Shortly-shorn auburn hair gets brushed self-consciously at as the woman turns her smile towards the young man. "/Quite/ familiar," she assures conspiratorially before her gaze flickers towards the lean blonde. Eyebrows arch faintly with the need to tilt her chin upwards in order to look the young woman in the eye, though the Scandinavian is granted a now blushing smile and a proper handshake, "Hello! And your name is...?" A gentle laugh towards Jareth. "I just came down quickly to scout out the apartments in Salem Center. The landlady assured me I /had/ to do it /tomorrow/."
A glance over his shoulder elicits a momentary look of bewilderment from Piotr, dampened quickly as he offers a faint smile at Nisa, but allows her to introduce herself. He returns his attention to Eileen with a mild query, "You are not staying at the school?" even as he offers his assistance to Madrox with a simple gesture suggesting that he could bear to carry a box, should help be required.
Madrox snickers quietly and shakes his head. "Thanks Jareth, Peter, but I'm good. -That so, Eileen? Then, great!" With a stomp of his foot, another identical Jamie Madrox - sans boxes - appears just beside him with an equally large grin, leaving the box-laden one to dip his head in a parting nod and continue out of the mansion as the newly appeared Madrox offers a hand and greeting. "There, now I can. Jamie Madrox - s'good t'meet ya, Eileen."
"Nisa," she says, shaking the offered hand. She smiles back at Piotr and giggles as the second Jamie appears, though she offers no demonstration of her own powers.
A small flourish of hand extends Jareth's thumbs up to Jamie, allowing him to return his notice to Eileen and sundry. Much the same expression as Piotr falls across his face, settling identical silent question - or not so silent, already voiced - on Eileen. "You're familiar with the arrangements, I presume. All the teachers do have their own individual rooms here at the school."
"Nice to meet you, Nisa." Again, polite, but not stuffy in her greeting. "Ahh, well, is it common for staff to stay? I just have a lot of--" And then there's a second Jamie, which would take anyone unsuspecting off-guard. White rims around nearly-black irises and, for a startled moment, Eileen's smile falters. Then a blush and a quick offer of her hand as if to make up for the reaction. "That's- Wow. Useful," she manages with a bemused chuckle, shaking his hand. "You're like an ooze, Jamie. A pleasure to meet you!" Perhaps a little too chipper, with that one. Then: "Yeah, I'm aware that rooms are available. I have a lot of /stuff/, though. And people who may want to visit me sometime." Though her eyes flicker questioning between Jareth and Peter with the last statement, making it appear to be a question.
Piotr's gaze passes over Madrox for a moment, not at the appearance of the dupe, but to attempt to discern any sign of oozing. Slight confusion accompanies his inability to find any evidence of this occurring, but is gone by the time he notices and answers Eileen's implicit question, albeit missing the point a little. "Visitors are normally being fine, but we should clear them with Doc- ah, Jean first," he says, hesitating over how to refer to his former teacher. "It is... important in a school like this, yes?"
Laughter bubbles out of Madrox in perhaps too much enjoyment from that response by Eileen, "Ooze! That's /great/, I've totally thought about the similarit-oh wait, you...you /did/ mean that in a D&D manner of speaking, yeah?" His bright grin falters for a moment into a hopeful smirk, shaking her hand and nodding as he adds, "Useful in so many ways. One man moving crew these past couple o'days."
"Ooze?" Nisa questions, herself as well confused as she looks from Eileen to Jamie. Strange Americans.
Far be it from Jareth to pass up suitable opportunity for commentary. "Jamie is quite possibly the unholy merging of a human being and kudzu." Closing argument made in the form a dry smirk, he favors Eileen with a mild hoist of shoulders. "The rooms are fairly large. Closet, main room space, individual bathrooms. You shouldn't have much of an issue unless you're carrying an interdimensional pocket and some portion of the Louvre in that backpack, in which case, teach me that trick, O wise master."
"Is there any other manner of speaking?" Eileen counters Jamie before assess Nisa a little sheepishly with her query. "Don't mind me," she murmurs, excusing herself from attempting to explain. Jamie receives a thoughtful, if not plotting glance with his claim, though the new professor does not try to recruit. The bag shifts upon her shoulders - buttons with snarky statements and preferred bands clicking together. "Friends and siblings are allowed to visit?" she clarifies to Peter before Jareth receives a broad grin. "Just a bag. Unfortunately. Though this is hardly everything." Though the grin falters with a glance towards Jamie. The woman shifts, asking carefully: "How many of you are there?"
Utter bafflement settles on the Russian's features at the word kudzu, eyebrows peaked towards the centre, lips pulled tight in a slightly strained way. The confusion fades as Jareth continues speaking and the conversation takes a turn into realms that - bizarrely - do not make Piotr question his knowledge of English: interdimensional pockets? A regular occurrence around here. Perhaps not regular enough, suggests a momentary solemnity which turns to a smile as he nods in reply to Eileen's question. "As long as they are being cleared, yes."
"Jareth!" Madrox exclaims with a bright grin at Eileen's initial response, "I believe we are adding another geek to the ranks. Man, it's too bad I'm done here and going to Emerson next semester, you sound like a really fun person. I should be around still, here and there, though." His eyes flicker between the others as they speak, momentary confusion resurfacing and uttering with curiosity, "Kudzu?" Attention then slides back to Eileen with her question, chuckling for a moment as his eyes drift upwards in thought. "Um. Right now? Three."
"HOw many can you make at once?" Nisa asks Jamie, her attention moving from the confusing ooze to him. She never did find out prevsiously.
A skeptical sort of regard is all that Jareth can think to pass between the others. "No one remembers kudzu?" The regard swings from one to the next a moment longer, and Jareth's shoulders faintly droop as a fractional sigh escapes. Only a beat elapses before he straightens again, one hand flapping in Eileen's direction. "You're teaching... biology, wasn't it? Back me up here. Creeping plant, grows damn near anywhere, appears and spreads faster than zits the night before prom?"
Eileen's hand surreptitiously covers a button with an emoticon which reads 'Kiss me, I'm a Geek' and eyes Madrox with mock hurt. "That's a rather presumptuous thing to say," she murmurs, though amusement dances unmistakable within her eyes and about her lips. "Kudzu," she begins, her voice claiming a knowledgeable tone, perhaps a premonition to the fall season and start of classes, "is a deciduous vine which multiplies at an alarming rate, especially since it can kill trees and claim entire areas - even having been known to grow over houses and cars. Impossible to kill." Her eyes flicker back towards Jareth with a grin. "Sounds like a horrible B-movie, doesn't it?"
Piotr listens to the impromptu biology lesson with the gentle attention of one who is always willing to learn. The comment at the end draws a ponderous blink as he wonders if this new teacher understands exactly what teaching at a school full of mutants entails, but since the remark was not aimed at him he remains comfortably silent.
"I- uh-" Madrox seems at a loss for a moment to Eileen's mock hurt, holding up his hands before chuckling and scratching the back of his head. "Well, judging by the D&D comment which /nobody/ here has gotten whenever I've mentioned it-...Sorry," His grin does remain on his lips though, gentlemanly nature nudging forward in response to the new face. "I actually don't know, Nisa, I've never...been /unable/ to make more, at least, and I made a small room-full of me once." Attention flickers quickly back to Jareth with the description from both of them, casting a playful mock glare towards him but unable to completely wipe the ghost traces of a smirk from the corners of his lips.
Thumbs settle over the side of Jareth's pockets, there content to wait for the duration of Eileen's exposition. If it happens that he takes an ephemeral glimpse of the button, no indication is obvious. He meets her smile with a mirrored answer. "So have you had dinner? We can find some food and help you take your stuff upstairs." He tips a finger in indication to the curve of hall concealing the kitchen, then pauses to blink and abruptly draw his brows downward. "Wait. Are we talking about kudzu or the press covering Brad and Angelina?"
Eileen does not know what teaching at mutant-high means just yet, but boy is she about to find out! The stoic Russian is given an including smile, as is Nisa, though Jamie simply gets a few chuckles. "No, don't apologize," she murmurs towards the young man. "Dinner? A bite to eat would be wonderful. I only have one other box out in the car. I was going to hire movers but, now..." A considering pause is taken, along with a glance up the stairs to the halls beyond. "Does any of the staff live off-campus?"
Unable to offer any enlightenment on the abodes of the staff, Piotr gives an apologetic shrug. "I think I should be taking my leave," he says quietly, indicating with one hand his intended direction, towards the faculty wing. "If you are needing any assistance in moving," he adds to Eileen with a smile, "it would be my pleasure to help." A little nod is offered to all those present by way of a farewell before he turns to go.
Madrox shrugs and gives Eileen a renewed grin as he offers, "I could help with all your things, if...people wouldn't get too suspicious or disgruntled over the whole moving crew looking identical to each other, in your neighborhood. Where are you moving from?" He offers Peter a wave and a grin, "I'll catch you later sometime, Peter. I've still got a few things to wrap up around here this weekend."
"Bye Piotr," Nisa says, also waving to the retreating man. "Can help too," she offers with a friendly smile to the new teacher.
Jareth twirls a hand and gestures down the hall again. "To the food repository!" He beckons the others along, waiting as necessary to allow for anything set down. Another waggle of hand supplies a wave to Piotr while he shakes his head and begins to walk. "All the staff are residents. It's easier to go to and from classes, and makes it far easier to have interaction with the students. Since everyone shares a building, we fill a role of guardian for them, among other things."
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Peter. Thank you!" Eileen is quick to say as the man departs, offering a grin and a light wave to boot. "I'm coming down from south-east New Hampshire, from UNH, so it's a bit of a drive for helping," she explains to both Jamie and Nisa. "Thank you for offering, though." Red-tressed woman follows obligingly after Jareth, making thoughtfully-agreeing noises as she goes. "I know. I was considering that too," she murmurs before presenting another smile. "Perhaps it would be best for me to see the staff designated rooms before coming to a decision. It's a good thing I came down anyway. I've been excited."
Madrox follows along as well, glancing back out the door as the other Madrox returns inside and offers a wave and grin to everyone on his way back upstairs again. "New Hampshire, huh? OH! Hey!" Madrox suddenly seems quite enthusiastic again, "You're right near the ocean there! Oh wow, that's another thing that I definitely need to see sometime. I still can't /believe/ I haven't been able to go to the /real/ beach, but...quite the drive." He smirks as he glances between Jareth and Eileen, nodding quickly in agreement with Jareth's words. "Yeah, but, rather than 'uncle Jareth', some of the staff feel a lot more like good friends than anything else. For me, at least, like him and Sean."
Nisa follows along next to Madrox into the kitchen. "Is nice to have everyone togeher," she agrees with a smile. "What? Never been to beach?" she asks, head turning to Jamie, eyes growing larger. "Even I been to beach. You must go, is much fun."
Greeted in the Main Entrance.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Walter sits at the table, a meal fit for two people sitting infront of him. Well, a meal fit for one person, it's half finished. Reaching for the next burrito, he continues his goal of feeding his growth spurt. Maybe if he keeps eating like this, the short jokes will stop... Unlikely, but a boy can hope.
Thus it is that there is finally opportunity to conclude that interrupted sandwich, and so Jareth consumes several more bites along the way. In the midst of one, he casts a nod and agreeing noise of some form to Eileen. "Once we get some food, I'll show you around upstairs and show you some of the rooms." Freshly fed, he makes no beeline to the refrigerator once having entered the kitchen. He is content to wave to Walter and move to settle himself against the counter. "Knock yourself out. We've got plenty, but avoid any designs on the cheesecake."
"New York City is on the ocean, though, right?" Eileen wonders, skepticism briefly tainting her voice. The specific mention of a beach eases her quirked eyebrows and she nods, "Mmm, yeah. You would be hard pressed to find a beach, and a clean one at that, in this area of the country. -This building is beautiful." This last portion is a soft murmur, an outspoken thought. "And this kitchen!" Lips purse together as if to whistle, but the motion fails without the ability to make the sound to back it. Chocolate-coloured eyes round the room before landing upon Walter, who receives an inviting smile. "Good evening!" Then, tentatively, the refrigerator is approached.
Madrox tosses his arms up momentarily before Eileen makes the connection herself, and he chuckles with a nod, "Yeah, exactly. A nice, swimmer-friendly sort of sandy beach. -Hey, Walter. How's it goin?" he greets the younger roommate with a grin and a dip of his head. His attention returns to Eileen, and he moves to lean comfortably against the island counter. "Yeah, this place is pretty spiffed up, huh?"
Nisa enters the room behind Madrox and smiles brightly at Walter. "Hey Walter," she says. "Can amke food from scratch, if everyone is hungry?" she offers to the room.
Walter smiles, "Yeah, this place rocks, I kinda wonder how they pay for it all though." The newcomer is considered, visiting parent? No, too young for that, maybe an older sibling? Teacher? He smiles to Nisa, Madrox, and Jareth before looking back to the new face, "I'm Walter, Jamie's roomate. Nice to meet you Miss..." At Nisa's offer for food, "I think it's okay Nisa, you don't have to cook, Madame Varga has /plenty/ of food around here, and yeah, Jareth's right, the cheesecake is usually Doctor Grey's."
"Oh, you don't have to go through the trouble. I'm sure I can find something." The olive green rucksack is gingerly set onto the tiled floor, out of the way of people's feet, before the fridge is opened. Then closed. "A pleasure to meet you, Walter. You can call me Eileen, or Miss McEwan, if you're really looking to suck up." Her smile is briefly wry. "I'm the new biology professor." Might as well proclaim the title now! Then the contents of the fridge are assessed, along with a prized cheesecake. Eileen chuckles and opts for a cold noodle salad. "Thank you for the warning. Plates? Fork?" She looks around expectantly.
Madrox nods in quick agreement with Walter, and as Eileen reemerges with the request, he quickly strides over to the cabinets and the drawer, "Plate, and, fork. -It's pretty much an open kitchen for the most part," he adds with a grin, "so there's usually snack-stuff around too to munch on if you're not around for one of the meals, and always open to make your own meals as well if you want. I'm sure you'll love it here." A thought strikes him, and his grin widens a bit, "You should talk to Kitty too, she graduated a while ago but she's currently the RA of the women's wing. She's cool, I think you'd get along great."
Nisa nods and sits down next to Walter, hands in her lap. "Yes, Kitty is very nice. most everyone here is easy to get along with."
Walter smiles, "Long as you don't get on Cassy's bad side. I seem to find myself there a lot." He beams over at the professor, "Oh, then we'll probably see each other more once school starts back up, I'm gonna be taking biology next year. Figured it might help me understand" a moment's hesitation, they /did/ tell her exactly what /kind/ of school she'd be working at, right? Just to be safe, he finishes with a vague, "stuff." He scoots just a /tad/ closer to Nisa, his arm brushing against her own as he reaches for more food. "But yeah, the place is great, you'll like it."
Eileen begins to dish out a moderate amount of the salad, having noted where Jamie procured the items from. "That's nice to know, though it may take me a few days to settle in. I'm used to living on my own." The chill salad is replaced into the confines of the fridge before the fair-skinned woman begins to eat. "Kitty, hmm? I look forward to meeting everyone here, really." Then Walter receives her attention and her nose crinkles with her smile, understanding the pause. She swallows, "You can feel free to be open with me, Walter. It's fine."
Madrox nods slowly with a wider grin towards Eileen, sympathy in his voice at hearing she used to live on her own, "Well that's too bad, you'll be around a lot of people here though as much as you want- er, uh, if you /do/ prefer a bit of solitude there's always a bunch of places for that too. /Beautiful/ lake just down the path through the woods here, too, with a boat-house and everything." He snickers quietly and nods in reassurance with her towards Walter. "Yeah, it's cool, I'm the second 'me' she's seen so far, the other's upstairs bringing another box outside, probably."
Walter nods, a little relieved, "Oh well, back at the Safehouse, I was reading Doctor Grey's book, I only understood about half of it." He grins sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "And Doctor McCoy says the way /it/ works is that my... thyroid? is mutated, and that I can influence the production of... hormones?" Diving into X-factor biology, without even having a class in /standard/ biology, fun times.
"Oh, no, it was preference. My students kept me occupied enough other times," Eileen assures Jamie, though her smile briefly flirts with nostalgia. Her mouth is soon occupied with another bite of food, but she nods with the mention of the lake, knowing. "Doctor Grey showed me the stables as well. -You've read her work?" The query is aimed towards Walter while eyebrows arch, impressed before the lack of understanding causes her to smile. "I specialized in wildlife management as well as biology," she chats after Walter states what he's been told, "so I must admit that human physiology can escape me sometimes, but at least the physical mutations /tend/ to be easier to understand than the mental ones."
A look of mild surprise momentarily drifts over Jamie's features with the preference of living alone, although it's gone as quickly as it came, accompanied by a small nod. "Yeah, while you're here, there's /always/ something that you can do if you wanted to. The land around the place is just.../vast/, too. It's also great cause New York is like, just an hour away or so." He grins and settles back against the island again. "So, have you already decided on sticking around here, or are you still going to hunt around for some apartments?"
Nisa scowls a bit at the mention fo Hank's name, their earlier tiff still fresh in her mind. "Is nice gardens too, take care of them with Averillix," Nisa says quietly.
Walter nods to Ms. McEwan. He winces as Nisa scowls, the most likely reason passing briefly through his mind as he looks towards her right wrist. "Easier to control too. I haven't trashed my room, turned off gravity or /anything/." He beams, lets get the subject /away/ from Doctors.
Eileen shoots a wry glance over towards Jamie with his last question - the look carrying over towards Jareth. "I'm not sure. I'll take a look at the rooms first and think it over tonight," is the answer she gives before continuing to cleanse the plate of the salad. "This is a delicious salad. -I didn't see the gardens. You enjoy gardening, Nisa?" A curious question made for conversation-sake, her head tilted mildly to one side.
Madrox nods deeply as she says she'll think it over, then glances over towards Walter, "Speaking of - looks like the moving date's comin up /real/ quick, Walter. I mean, I'll come back tomorrow sometime I'm sure, probably crash here tomorrow night rather than the dorms already, but I'll basically be moved out after tomorrow night."
Nisa nods and smiles at Eileen. "Is what do. Plants," she explains, allbeit simply. "You and Alex both moving there, right?" Nisa asks Jamie, remembering something from last week. "Piotr going there too, if remember correctly."
Walter notices the bandages on Nisa's wrist. It happened. He smiles at Madrox, "So, I get the room to myself then?" Darn, gonna have to move with the plan quickly. Tomorrow night? Perfect! His expression sours a tad, "Or are they going to give me a roomie?" /Please/ don't be Luke, or River actually... Actually, if they so much as /looked/ at Nisa sideways, roomate material be they not.
Eileen gives a puzzled blink towards Nisa with the simple, broken answer, not entirely presenting a show of understanding with her current expression. The matter is dropped, however for the topic of moving away. "I remember packing everything up from home. I was nervous, but so excited, too. Are you excited, Jamie? What will you be studying?" she wonders before clearing the plate and bringing it to a dishwasher.
"Yep!" Madrox says with a wide grin, "Alex is actually my new roomie too, in fact - it'll be awesome." He chuckles quietly with Walter's questions, slightly raising an eyebrow. "Well, I think for a little bit, maybe, but I'm sure they'll set another person into that room soon enough since classes are going to start up again soonish." The beam is flashed towards Eileen and he nods quickly, "Real excited now, actually. Studying...um...a few things at least. Probably as much as I can. Focusing on computer science, and probably some legal classes, whatever the PI firm suggests."
Nisa nods along to the conversation and steals some food from Walter's plate, munching on it quietly.
Walter pouts at the lost of food, then decides to make Nisa pay. He's ended the secrecy, he might as well enjoy it. He pushes himself up, leaning towards Nisa, lips pursed /just/ a little.
"A few things, hmm?" Eileen arches an eyebrow at Jamie and chuckles knowingly. "You're lucky, Jamie. That's a college kid's dream, what you can do. Just be careful, alright?" A few words of precaution are sent towards the young man before a flicker of interest raises both brows. "PI? That's interesting." Her eyes pass - quickly! - over Walter and Nisa, landing on Jareth. "Would you mind showing me the staff wing now, Jareth?"
Madrox nods quickly with a pleased smirk and raised eyebrow, "Yeah, I know I am, and /grateful/ for it too, cause I'm really wondering just how far I /can/ use my abilities with my college courses." His eyes follow hers towards- over Walter and Nisa, and on to Jareth, then back to Eileen as he grins widely and stands from leaning against the island. "Well it's been a pleasure meetin you, Eileen, and hopefully I'll see you around again sometime."
Nisa smirks impishly and takes another piece of food while Walter searches for a kiss. "Will see you around then?" she asks Eileen.
Walter sits back down, Nisa is /mean/. "Just make sure people don't leave one room with you, and find you. Be like that Calvin and Hobbes story, but less funny," he offers to Jamie. He protects his food, eating quickly. Girlfriend who won't give kisses can get her /own/.
Engrossed in the fine art that is distracted silence, Jareth reverts to attention with a small jolt, regard fixing on Eileen. "Right. Let's go take a look around." So said, he pushes from his chosen spot and gestures toward the door. "The rest of you be good and try not to explode anything."
"The same to you, Jamie. Good luck with getting settled in and everything starting college entails." Eileen says with a friendly smile before allowing her eyes to land on Walter and Nisa this time around. "And I'll be seeing you two around! Have a good night." She takes her backpack up to ease it onto her back, mindful of whatever is delicate within. "Thank you for being so patient," she says to Jareth as she follows his lead.
"Thanks," Madrox says sincerely to Eileen before he dips his head in parting. "Same to you, too, but with 'everything teaching here entails' instead." He heads off towards the door, casting waves around as he departs. "See you all later."
"Have good night as well," nIsa calls to the two teacher and Jamie, stealing some more food from Walter's plate.
Walter smiles to Eileen. "Don't worry, it's weird at first, but you'll get used to it here." As Nisa steals more food, he frowns, wondering if he should attempt another attempt at a kiss. He goes for it.
To the Kitchen!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"So I guess one needs a little luck to survive teaching here, hmm?" Eileen asks of Jareth with a wry little grin as they reach the third level of the mansion, the one which houses staff-rooms. "What is it that you teach, Jareth?" she wonders.
A wry chuckle answers Eileen, along with a small and knowing exhale of breath. "Oh, I'd say that helps. Teenagers are enough to handle without balls of fire from their eyes and bolts of lightning from their ass. But then, the teachers have the same advantage. Here we are." A wave of a hand encompasses the length of the hall. "Computer science."
Eileen chuckles softly with the description of abilities, muttering something softly about hoping no student actually has elemental powers from their /ass/. "Still, I'm looking forward to it, which may mean I'm a little crazy, too." There's a nod, though no particular remark is made about Jareth's particular field. "Is there a free staff room I could see?"
As before, a chuckle gives answer, and Jareth spreads his arms. "I think a little crazy is a prerequisite for this place." As they proceed along the hall, he angles a finger toward one door. "We could look at mine."
Another glance by warm eyes stretches down the length of the hall, taking in all Jareth offers in the spread of his arms before Eileen returns her gaze to him. "That's fine by me, if you don't mind."
Jareth supplies a nod and alters his progress to arrive at the indicated door. A hand fishes briefly in a pocket for a key, unlocks the door, and swings it open. "Home sweet dorm-style home." He passes through far enough to hold the door for Eileen, then follows suit. Thumbs hooking in pockets, he exercises taciturn patience to allow Eileen a survey of the room, the room including a small black lump on the windowsill.
Dry chuckles follow Jareth's belittling evaluation of his abode. "Dorm-style. Yet you would still chose living here over having your own place?" she wonders, looking for personal preference, advice even. "It /is/ roomy, and the mansion, from what I can tell so far, is fairly quiet..." she allows as her gaze sweeps about the room.
Several more steps bring Jareth alongside the desk chair, where he turns and deposits himself without ritual. "There are still things to be said for living in dorms again. People are nearby. It's easy to visit, easy to organize gathering people. Besides, all this," and he sketches an expansive sweep encompassing anything in sight, "*is* one big home." His glance falls for an instant on the black lump and returns to Eileen, valiantly staving off the urge to look back to the window.
Eileen's eyes do pass over that small and curious black lump, but being new here and establishing herself, she does not go questioning over personal items. A fond smile does touch at her lips as he calls this entire place one large home and a long and considering sigh is breathed steadily from her nose. "You're right. This place does seem like a great home. It's wonderful, and the grounds are beautiful." Her eyes return to Jareth, curious. "I assume that- Well, are particular classes taught on control?"
Spurred by whatever confluence of factors, the curled lump shifts slightly, and a portion of glossy black tail dangles over the side of the sill. Jareth attempts to disregard this. "It's a great place. The kids have all sorts of things to do to keep them busy." He nods quick assent, scarcely a pause before this reply. "That's a good part of what we help the students learn. We work with them regularly on control."
Eileen disregards things, in general, until they move. That ebon lump - now with a tail! - is narrowed in on, stared at with blatant if not bemused interest. Her eyes do flicker to Jareth with his answers, though proceed to snap back afterwards. "I'd like that. I'd like to give them opportunities that I didn't have growing up, even though they seem to already have that here." Then, suddenly sheepish, "Sorry if I'm speaking too openly. I've just never been around, well, so many homo superiors before."
So too does Jareth observe the creature, lips curled with a twitch of smirk. "If we can make them comfortable being as they are, that's maybe the most important thing." He chuckles and flaps a hand in dismissal. "If there's any place to speak openly, it's here. This of all places should be free for people to talk about things like that." His gaze flicks from Eileen to the sill and back, a subtle glimmer of perhaps encouragement there in the blue-gray.
Eileen manages to oh-so-casually meander further into the room. Really, she's just crossing over to the window to see the view. "So I'll admit I'm not exactly socially adept at... Well, is it rude and out of place to ask what people can /do/? Or is it conversation fodder, like what people do for a living?" And what a lovely view it is, too! But eyes inevitably drop towards that mound with a tail.
Another smirk curls Jareth's lips, longer this time behind Eileen and fixed on the object. "Well, it's not like saying 'hey, baby, what's your sign.' For the most part, I think you'll find people willing to talk about it, but I think you don't want to bring it up quite as outright as 'hey, baby, what's your sign.'" All the while he speaks, he remains intent on the thing at the window, occasional glance directed to Eileen. The creature, for its part, uncoils further to stretch glossy black legs one by one, small claws flexing against the sill.
A distracted sort of nod meets Jareth's words, but it's apparent that Eileen's foremost attention is not on his answer. As the obsidian little form begins to uncurl, to take shape, the woman hunkers down next to the sill - closer and unafraid. Now, openly, she wonders: "What on earth is this?" A bemused smile still tugs at the corners of her lips.
As if in direct reply, the ebon head finally uncurls and raises, elongated, smooth, overlong - and even eyeless as it appears, forehead one long curve unwarped by so much as sockets, it sets nonetheless at precise angle to fix on Eileen. Jareth's mirth continues to creep through his expression, mouth curling farther upward as he observes. "That's Circe."
Eileen's eyes distinctly widen with the set of the creature's head, eyebrows arching with unwitting caution as she leans a bit to the side, as if testing the animal-like creation. Eye on the birdie. "Circe," she repeats and a delighted smile rushes about her features. "The Greek goddess of transformation. Through the use of potions, she would change her enemies into animals." A bright light dances in the woman's eyes as she glances towards Jareth, as if sharing some personal joke. "She was hell on Odysseus and his crew. Beautiful name! Is she like her namesake?" And, finally: "/Where/ did you get her?"
Just as might be expected, the eyeless head swivels to follow. The remainder of the equally unnatural body rests now in posture partly resembling the Sphinx, save for the back end tilted on its side. "Not strictly a goddess," Jareth points out. "A powerful sorceress, but that lessens her impact none." A light largely matching flickers in his own eyes, in turn matched by a smile. "I haven't started oinking or rolling around in the mud yet, so I wouldn't say she's too much like her namesake. The drapes might say different, though." The smile creeps wider. "With some help, I made her."
"Sorceress, goddess, depends on the person. I'm sure Circe herself would have considered herself a goddess." Eileen casts a wry smirk towards the eerily shaped creature upon the sill before rising, the rucksack once again shifted upon her shoulder. Oreo cookie coloured eyes scan again before flickering over towards Jareth, widened with disbelief. "No," she states, doubt colouring her voice. "Are you serious?"
A chuckle escapes and rolls free, accompanied by another wry smile. "Doesn't everyone want to consider themselves divine?" Assorted upper limbs settle against the chair, assorted lower stretched out on the floor. The upper raise again a beat later, hands upturning. Jareth's eyes continue to glimmer a deep shade of mischief. "Entirely serious. I just needed someone to help with the body."
Eileen's eyebrows instantly arch in an impressed gesture. Her lips twist in a manner of one who wishes to ask questions while her eyes carry themselves back to Circe, though she holds them at bay for politeness sake. Finally, an appropriate one is settled on: "Is this the extent of allowable animals within the mansion?"
.
Propped on stolid bedrock of amusement and admitted pride, Jareth's smile does not diminish. He regards Eileen in patient silence, awaiting questions that do not come. Formerly holding a degree of anticipation of some greater inquiry, his mouth splits a thoughtful crack open, and he adjusts himself to the smaller question that does receive voice. "I think she's something of extenuating circumstances. No fur to provoke allergies, no litter to clean up, and there's always a way to keep her from yowling at two in the morning."
"Hmm. Though Circe is impressive, /are/ there pets allowed?" Eileen wonders casually before smiling amiably towards Jareth - a look which quickly makes way for impishness. "I'm still not sure I believe you." Her arms cross, taking up a practically challenging stance. "This seems like something people over in Japan are struggling with, little robotic pets." Perhaps seeing that anticipation, she proceeds to question: "Who helped you make her? What's she made out of? I'll admit, I'm not really technically adept..."
Finally, allowed a distraction, Jareth's smile drifts onward. "We do have a number of pets. One of the students picked up a rat not long ago, or also... Well, talk to Kitty sometime." Naught but ignorant innocence meets Eileen's impishness, and Jareth blinks. "They are? Really?" Innocence disappears soon enough, bowing to similar mirth. "Yeah, I know. I'm confident every so often that the engineers in Sony's R&D department would shit themselves on sight." His lips curl upward again with this. "Another of the staff has a great propensity for engineering and building. The parts aren't so exotic, actually. The exterior is an arrangement of aluminum, she moves on fluidic muscle - looks like a Chinese finger trap - and the optics use a sensor that's in marketed cameras."
Eileen's expression eases into something akin to relief as the etiquette on furry beings are given. "That's nice. I know many schools are fairly up-tight when it comes to animals." Circe is examined once more and the woman eases away from the creature, as if trying to coax it from its perch. "Not bad! That's pretty amazing, really. So," her lips curl again as hope begins to touch upon her words, "if you were given funding in advance, for time and materials, you could reproduce her?" A quick chuckle, and her alto picks up before he can begin to answer. "Unless, of course, she's absolutely one of a kind, which would be understandable."
Circe's attention is an intentness born of unfamiliarity, and this draws the creature to her feet. Glossy black limbs press against the wall below, and the black body pours down after. Little feet pad along the floor in pursuit. Jareth observes until the point when the question reaches him, and then his eyes swing, quick and quizzical, to fix on Eileen. His mouth cracks faintly open, drawing out a moment of thought. "I *could*. The programming is easy enough to move around." Dry humor curls his mouth. "I don't know how many creatures of Giger we want loose, though."
"Creatures of Giger?" Eileen wonders, curiosity lifting the tail ends of her words up. "But how bad could more than one Circe be?" she asks with complete innocence, a grin curving the corners of her lips into a lop-sided grin. "She moves so fluidly." A compliment, for sure, and a display of admiration. "Like a dolphin. With legs."
Onto the bed Circe springs, the more easily to observe Eileen. So too does Jareth. "Don't you remember the Alien movies? H.R. Giger, the guy who designed the creatures. Theoretically, more than one would be no more problematic than just as many cats, and Circe doesn't breed." He casts the beast a glance. "She moves like a cat. Behaves like one, too."
Eileen suddenly seems a little sheepish, and it's not because she's being observed from a mattress. Her free hand reaches up to scratch at the nape of her neck, where shorn reddish locks brush against skin. "I've actually never seen the Alien movies," she admits softly.
Atop the mattress, the glossy beast pays embarrassment no heed, instead quickly folding legs beneath her to drape onto her side. Jareth fixes Eileen with another long and quizzical look. Finally, after doing so for a lengthy beat, he reaches out his hand. "All right. Hand over your geek card. You can have it back when you watch at least one." A beat more passes. "One of the first two. The others don't count."
Eileen sticks her tongue out, all indignant maturity, and folds her arms beneath her chest in a physical showing that no such card will be handed over. "Hey, I saw the Star Wars movies when they /first/ came out into theatres. I deserve my card!" A moment later, almost a little pouty, significantly softer: "I was too young for Alien. Sleeping Beauty caused me enough nightmares when I was young..."
Arms fold over Jareth's own chest in mirror, nose rising in dismissive contempt, however feigned. One brow hoists and weighs this argument. "...I accept your argument and concur with your continued status. So long as you had at least one corresponding action figure and/or lunchbox." The other brow rises to join its twin with this final declaration, and Jareth stares for another beat. "Why?"
"Of course I did! A lunchbox." Eileen seems to blush a little with some with-held memory, however she does share proudly: "I even made little Han Solo outfits for all my Ken dolls." Pride is squelched with a careful clearing of her throat as she's asked to elaborate. "Maleficent. She's the scariest Disney villian, in my opinion."
Elsewhere atop the mattress, the end of Circe's skeletal tail undulates slowly back and forth, dangling over the side of the bed. Conversation being beyond her provides no deterrent to regarding the humans. Atop the chair, Jareth offers a smile and raised thumb. "Then your status is confirmed, and in light dressing up Han Solo dolls, forever secure." This settled, he favors Eileen with a more somber nod. "She's the only character at all that I can think of to say the word hell in a Disney movie, and in the fifties, no less."
Eileen nods, frowning in a reprimanding sort of fashion, if not only for the sleepless nights she suffered when younger. "She's badass," she murmurs after a thoughtful moment. "I wish I could turn into a dragon." Says she bearing the image of Trogdor. Then, with an abrupt blink to carry her out of her reverie, she smiles towards Jareth. "I think you've convinced me. Staying here would be very beneficial."
Jareth favors this with a nod and affirming sort of noise. "Still, fun as it would be, no cow or subsequently part of the dairy industry would forgive you. Well, maybe if you only turned into a small one and ate rodents." He allows a moment for the reverie to end, then answers with a smile in similar fashion. "Well, I'm glad you'll be joining us. I think you'll enjoy it here." Atop the bed, for reasons unknown, Circe wriggles on her back, swatting lazily at the lump that is the pillow.
A few puzzled blinks accompany Jareth's mention of bovine populations before Eileen catches on and laughs. "A vegetarian dragon," she murmurs with an amused little grin. Then: "I'm certain I'll enjoy it here. Save myself some money in the long run, too." Circe, in turn, receives a bright, crinkle-nosed grin. Such a cute little Alien! Suddenly, a request: "Would you mind showing me a guest room I could stay in for the evening?"
Smile and laughter alike answer, and Jareth nods. A beat passes, and his shoulders subtly shake. "Something is so very wrong and yet so marvelous about a dragon chowing down on zucchini." His head shakes, laughter still rolling free, and finally snaps fingers. "Right. Let's see what we can find." Pushing free of the chair with a creak, he crosses the room to scratch at Circe's exposed belly. The black beast curls against his fingers, grabbing and chewing faintly but indignantly. Jareth shakes his hand free after a moment and continues to the door, small black beast padding in tow.
The laughter stretches Eileen's smile further - appreciation for the mirth. The scritch at the creature's belly is caught with rapt and amused fascination. "I can't get over how /fluidly/ she moves..." she murmurs, her voice again carrying praise. She allows the pet to follow on Jareth's heels, taking up the tail of the line which proceeds down the hall.
And so the trio marches here and there through the hall, meandering to this door or that, until Jareth angles a finger toward one and places himself at a stop adjoining it. "Here we are. This should do nicely." No lock here bars the way, and so Jareth simply swings the door wide, turning to smile. "She's a piece of work, isn't she? I can't claim credit on that part, but she does make you wish they had toys like these twenty years ago and growing up, doesn't she?"
"Yes," Eileen is quick to leap at the question. "Speak and Spell just never cut it." Fearful that she may be dating herself with that one, she hastens on to say: "And Teddy Ruxpin sucked." A content sigh is breathed, however, as she enters the room to set her rucksack down upon the bed. "Thank you, Jareth."
A cough clears throat, and fingers wiggle against it. Jareth continues in the voice of the aforementioned Speak and Spell. "Short-lived entertainment. S. H. O. R..." Another cough returns him to normal with a smirk, just as quickly swept aside in vague horror. "Oh, God. I think I still remember the cartoon for that, let alone the toy." Theatrical shudders contort his arms and torso. The contortions pass again, and he looks to Eileen. "You're welcome. Anything else I can help with? You have all your stuff for the moment, right?"
Eileen's eyes roll, though her grin is wry with the impression. "No kidding. I thought that thing was going to wake up in the middle of the night and start demanding that I played with it." The spasms get some well-deserved laughter before her gaze passes back to the bag upon her bed. "Hmm. Yes, I'll be fine for tonight. I have a couple boxes in the car, but that can wait till daylight to be retrieved." Her gaze swings back, ineffiably pleased. "Tonight has turned out much better than I had anticipated."
A scrunch of nose contorts this next part of Jareth. "Shades of WarGames. 'Would you like to play a game?'" Abruptly, he laughs. "A Speak and Spell on wheels, the first and failed prototype Terminator." He shakes his head, another chuckle escaping, then pauses to nod. "All right. If you're good and taken care of, I'll let you settle in and rest. I imagine it's been a long day, good night aside."
Eileen laughs brightly and points towards Jareth with a cheeky sort of wink. "Now Terminator I /have/ seen." Though, indeed, with the mention of the long day, she does cast an eye towards the bed. "It has. It's a long drive from New Hampshire down here," she murmurs, the repetition getting a foggy little blink. "Well. I'll have to bid you good night, Jareth. Thank you again." And with a sincere smile, she allows the newly acquired friend to scoot back into the hallway before closing the door.
To the Staff Wing! And she gets to meet Circe!