X-Man to X-Factor: Kitty
X-Men: Movieverse 3 - Monday, April 20, 2009, 1:10 PM
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=XS= Jean's Office - Lv 1 - Xavier's School
Just another step in the grand tradition of renovation that dogs all great and old houses, Jean's office has been snuck nearly seamlessly into the footprint of the mansion library. Despite the headmistress' taste for clean lines and light colours, rich oak panelling and footstep-muffling carpet in a venerable shade of forest green are the order of the day. Light is freely admitted by a large leaded glass window that looks out over the Victorian garden and its fountain, although hanging curtains in the same emerald as the carpeting can be drawn to turn the room dark enough for presentations to be shown. The central feature of the room is an imposing desk, stained dark to match the paneled walls. A modern ergonomic office chair is positioned behind it, with two uphoulstered chairs in front. A laptop rules the desk, two filing cabinets, several framed diplomas and a bookshelf hug the side wall behind it. One corner holds a thriving ficus plant, and the central piece of art in the office is a framed representation of DNArt, a small brass plaque informing observers that this is the genome of Dr. Jean Grey.
Kitty knocks quietly on the door, and calls through it, "Jean? I got your message. Your student found me just a few moments ago. You here?"
April showers bring May flowers, but they also bring boredom to students cooped up inside a mansion that really -ought- to be big enough to house them, considering the Wii-obsession of a lot of them. But cooped up they are, and thus Jean is standing with her back to the door and her eyes for the grounds, focusing on finding a moment's peace and quiet. Kitty's voice catches her attention though, and a hand lifts to gesture at the knob and let the door swing open as she herself turns. "Unfortunately," she answers, a small smile brushing her lips. "I was hoping I might develop the ability to spontaneously teleport to Aruba, but..." A sigh. "No dice. Got some time to talk?" she wonders, padding over to pull up a chair for herself and wave Kitty towards another.
Kitty watches as the door opens with a slight smile on her face. It must be Jean's way of telling her that she doesn't appreciate people walking through them when they could just as easily open them. Crossing the muffled carpet quietly, she plops herself into on of the guest chairs. "Yeah, I do. Next class doesn't start for an hour or so," Kitty replies, glancing out the windows to the courtyard. "That is, if the students decide to show up at all with this weather." A twitch of her lips is vaguely reminescent of a frown, before she represses it.
"You might get better attendance just because there's nothing else to do," Jean offers, the smile blossoming a moment before she settles into her seat. "Although if attendence has been a problem, I can see about putting the fear of God, or at least Xavier, into them... that's not what I was going to ask about, though," she assures, folding her hands on the desk in front of her, and giving Kitty a thoughtful look. Silence holds for a moment, before, the door closing with another little push of power, she wonders at last: "Are you content here?"
It was bound to come up, wasn't it? Logan had remarked on it casually the other day, that she was seeming to have more off days lately than on. Kitty shook herself out of her thoughts, resulting in a slight movement of her actual head. "Well, yes. The students are great. It's... quiet, here. I mean, things could be better with Piotr, but that's relationships, right? Sometimes they come to a complete end for no apparent reason." With a exaggerated sigh, she shrugged her shoulders. She knew she shouldn't hide how unhappy she was from a telepath, but Jean couldn't afford to lose another teacher, Kitty though to herself.
"That they do," Jean murmurs, with a moment's wistfulness that concludes on a note of sympathy for the younger woman. "You're both complicated individuals leading an unusual life... but I don't think you're being entirely honest with me with that answer," she notes, tone gentle, but with a little tip of her chin. "I don't have to snoop to see that you're a little at loose ends."
"Well..." she paused, a hint of red creeping up on her face. "I just have been wishing lately to get away. Without any missions lately, it's just been Piotr and I stuck in a house together, all of the time. It gets fustrating." With a smile at Jean, she continues, "I'm sure you know. Living with Scott after you'd broken up. And well... At least Logan went away." Drumming her fingers on her pants, Kitty finishes lamely, "I just.. He doesn't.. Well, you know."
"Awkward?" Jean suggests, the sympathetic smile growing a little bit crooked. She studies Kitty a moment longer, before looking away and over towards her ficus plant, seeking who knows what amongst the leaves. She finds something, however, reflecting that "The lack of missions... isn't likely to be changing any time soon. This latest round with the kidnapped students really brought home to me, at least, that we're victims of our own success. Anything we do as X-Men has to be tempered by the fact that taking the team out leaves the students exposed."
Reflecting on the students, Kitty nods solemnly. That had been a fiasco, but there were opportunities for bigger mistakes since Xavier's School had publicly announced it's purpose. But, she couldn't help feeling that twinge, wanting more excitement, to contribute. "The students are what counts," is what she said out loud instead. "I just can't help remembering what it was like when I was a student. And a junior X-Men. There's so much out there that needs to be done," she finished with a wince, hoping not to offend Jean. She flashed her an apologetic smile. "I know teaching is helping, but.. It doesn't feel the same, I guess."
Jean looks notably unoffended. In fact, as much as can be read from features kept telepath-serene, she seems to be a little... relieved? "Exactly," is her answer, puffed out on a sigh as she settles back in her seat. "Teaching is long-term, it's planting seeds and tending them, and then ultimately having it be completely out of your control what they grow into. It's active, in its own way, but not the kind of active any of us signed up for when we agreed to be X-Men. And although Scott would argue to hear me say it, I'm wondering if that kind of action is mostly passed for us. But," she notes, lifting her head and lifting a finger. "There are other options open for you, if not for me."
With a slight lift of her eyebrow, Kitty leans forward, interested but still unattached. "And it might be better to have less teachers than ones who aren't full qualified, right, Jean?" she questioned gently. "If there are other options, I'd be interested in hearing them. Perhaps thinking them over. If there's any good ones, I'd be happy to train a replacement for my classes before leaving." Kitty smiled, internally berating herself for even considering abandoning the school and Jean. But, she'd brought it up.
"I wouldn't go so far as to say that," Jean demurs, fingers drumming against the desktop. "But... there are many people who can teach. The fact that other schools for mutants opened after we outed ourselves proves that. There -aren't- as many people who can do what the X-Men do. A fact which the government has taken note of."
"If you're saying what I think you're saying," Kitty pauses, staring at Jean for a moment. She looks out the window again, noting the fine haze of moisture that has settled on the ground. Before turning back to the headmistress, she continues, "They're using mutants to do government work? On a team? Like the X-Men?"
"Siryn was one of their first recruits," is the answer from Jean, level and even as she lets Kitty absorb this. "She and one of her fellow agents came to me during the kidnapping crisis to ask me to keep an eye out for people who'd be good additions to their group."
She frowns slightly, but everything begins to make sense. The members transferring away from Xavier's. Their stories always seemed a bit off, but they'd have been told not to inform everyone of their whereabouts. Thinking about all of this, she arrives at a firm decision. Flicking her eyes back up at Jean, Kitty states with resolve, "I'd be interested, if they'd want me and you could spare me."
"I have enough favours to call in that I could get a sub for your classes without any trouble," Jean assures, and reaches into a locked drawer of her desk to draw out a USB drive. "And this... well, this is a lot more important a use for you than grading papers and trying to drill basic computer science into teenagers. They're called X-Factor. Their head goes by the codename of 'Carpenter', and you'll be reunited with some familiar faces there. This is everything I'm cleared to give you on them," she explains, handing over the USB. "--they'll no doubt give you more once I deliver you, and, as usual with the government, it's classified, et cetera and so forth."
Kitty takes the USB drive, turning it over in her hand. "Deliver me where?" she ponders. She examines the drive closely, not finding any identifiable markings or even serial numbers. "When will I go?" Stuffing the drive into her pocket, she inquires with a giggle, "I'll have enough time to pack, right?"
"California... where the weather promises to be a lot nicer," Jean quips, with a crooked smile and a push to her feet. "I have to make phonecalls and arrangements, and you'll no doubt have some paperwork to sign, so we'll take a few days, at least."
Standing up as well, Kitty moves to behind the desk, catching Jean into a hug. "Thank you. I better go pack and tell Piotr I am leaving. I won't tell him too much, of course." She walked out of the room calmly, though she didn't feel that way at all. With an absentminded phase through Jean's door, she felt a flutter of apprehension. Better go read what's on that drive.
"Tell him to come to me if he has any questions," Jean assures, her hug surprised for a moment, but firm after that, in a way that's rare for the general public, but well-earned by Kitty. "I'm glad you're doing this," she assures, before letting Kitty go on her way with no such need as an open door.
Jean strip-mines a little more of the X-Man ore face. HI KITTY.