12336/Planning a school dance

Planning a school dance
Date of Scene:	13 October 2020
Location:	Jean's Office - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Students get to plan a Homecoming Party for the school. Keep Megan away from the Punch Bowl.
Cast of Characters:	Siphon, Phoenix, Nightingale, Cyclops

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Siphon has posed:
    A month ago, Tabitha's world made sense. The orphanage, school, the other kids, Katrina. Wait until they were both eighteen, then get off the island.

    Three weeks ago, Tabitha's world was ending. No more plans. No more Katrina. No more normal.

    Two weeks ago, Tabitha's world changed more than she could have ever guessed. No more orphanage. No more Bar Harbor. No more normal. No more ignorance of who and what she is. New school. A new normal to settle into.

    Settling in to a new normal has been challenging since this place doesn't seem to have a 'normal' as she's defined it for the last sixteen years. But she's been feeling her way and this morning she finally got around to digging around on the computer to read up on the 'welcome packet'. It included a schedule of events for the year and she noticed a certain inconsistency. So since she already had about a thousand and six other questions and the office actually seems to be occupied today she's knocking on the door to the Headmistress's office. "Um... hello? Sorry to bother, but do you have a few minutes?"

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey could sympathize. The past few weeks had a lot of changes, and not just for the leaves.

After having gotten a long rest and getting cleaned up, Jean came down to her office to begin the arduous task of catching up on everything that'd happened in her absence. She's at her desk with a mug of hot tea and is going through an ungodly amount of emails and beginning to look like she regrets this whole 'coming back' idea already.

"Why do people not understand the intended function of replyall and when not to use it?" She grouses. Her head turns up at the knock on the door and she calls out, "Come in, come in, take a seat. Um, Tabitha? Right? I'm glad to finally get to meet you. I'm Jean Grey."

Siphon has posed:
    Tabitha nods as she enters, closing the door behind her. "Yes, ma'am. Tabitha Barr. Thank you for seeing me." She does the hop-scoot that is her short person's way of getting up into chairs, her feet dangling off the floor swinging out of nerves. "It's good to meet you, too. Given the reaction when you got here yesterday, I gather you've been away a while?" She says this with the sort of questioning tone that doesn't really expect an answer. "I wanted to thank you. For finding me, I mean. However that happened." The last is said at a lower tone, near but not quite a whisper. "It's been a good couple weeks, even factoring in the burning building."

    "I don't want to take up too much of your time, but the other students have dropped hints about some things. And I noticed some more things on the school schedule that got me thinking." She has gone from mild fidgeting to the straight backed stillness instilled on her by the orphanage caretakers. "Um... I've gathered that the school might perhaps have a provision for students who lack... personal resources. A sort of standard supplies package?" She says this clearly but her voice is reserved. Ready to be turned down. "And I was wondering if the posted schedule was for this year or last? There was a dance posted for this past weekend, but, well... I don't think it happened?"

Nightingale has posed:
     The grapevine grew strong and healthy throughout Xavier's. Word had begun to circulate the day before that Miss Grey had finally returned from her sabbatical. It was confirmed later with a memo. Shannon had breathed a sigh of relief; knowing bits and pieces of current and recent events, it had not been difficult for her to piece together what had very likely happened. However, she was keeping her theories to herself; they were definitely /not/ for general dissemination.

     The night before had seen her in the kitchen baking up a storm; the result was a fairly large plate full of macarons, in French vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate. So when Tabitha tapped her on the shoulder just before lunch with a note to meet her at Miss Grey's office, she nodded, and smiled. "I think you'll really like her," she told the other girl, as she joins her by the office door, plate of macarons in hand. "She's a total sweetheart."

     As the pair enter the office--with the door narrowly missing Shannon's wing tips--she yelps a little. "Careful, Tabby!" Extending a wing of greeting to Miss Grey, as much to check the state of her feathers as anything else, she smiles wide. "Beware healers bearing gifts!" she calls out, depositing the plate on her desk. "Baking challenge of the summer met and completed." She steps back to listen to Tabby for a second, listening to the part about the autumn dance. Hmmmm....

Cyclops has posed:
The sound of polished shoes can be heard tapping their way down the hallway through the faculty lounges. Scott Summers is dressed in his button down shirt, tie and a pair of slacks. He has on a pair of red shades over his eyes, stylish in the form of Ray Bans. He has in his hands a number of folders to present to Jean now that she has returned, all of which he has catalouged and organized for easy reading with color coded tabs.

As he opens the door, he tilts his chin towards the pair of students, then looks over to Jean as he clears his throat. Holding the folders up, he eases past the two girls so that he can place the folders down on the desk. "I see you're busy on your first day back." He presses his lips together in a thin line as he turns his attention to Shannon and Tabitha.

"Is there something I can help out with while you are catching up?"

Phoenix has posed:
"A few weeks. I had some personal things to work on." Jean remarks to Tabitha, the answer sounding far more casual than the reactions of some would suggest. "We're happy to have you here, and I'm glad to hear that you're settling in. If there's anything you're missing, we're happy to provide. Obviously we can't give all of our students cars, but personal effects, educational supplies, anything related to lodging here, and some allowance we can certainly look in to. Just email me a list of what you need." It's answered easily and without any judgement, she sounds genuinely willing and able to assist.

She's about to address the missing events as one hand brings up her calendar on her computer, but it's pauses as Shannon and then Scott arrives. "Hey guys. Good to see you again, Shannon. Busy as usual, I see?" She flashes the winged girl a grin before looking to the folders and Scott. "Thanks, and was just digging through emails when Tabitha here arrived. Sounds like the Homecoming weekend was delayed? Well, now that I'm back we need to see that happen. Homecoming is an important time, not just for current students but to welcome our alumni back to visit as well."

Siphon has posed:
    Shannon's exclamation gets side-eye from Tabitha after she's posed her questions to Jean. She whispers, "My wingspan is a lot shorter than yours. Move faster." Her eyes shift to the macaroons. "You made extra?" The latter still whispered but delivered with puppy eyes. Tabby is tiny and cute!

    She nods to Jean, then pauses. "Could I write the list instead? I don't really have much experience with computers and," her voice dips again as a sideeffect of her shame, "I don't have an email address." She goes silent as Scott enters and greets Jean, reverting to her oh so proper stillness and posture.

    She nods to Jean's remark. "Yes, that was it. I thought if it /was/ supposed to have been last weekend that maybe things just got sidetracked with all the, ah... usual crazy? Maybe it just got overlooked or something?" Her mannerisms relax a /bit/ as she gets into the topic. "There wasn't anything specific listed for Halloween..." Here she runs out of steam as she hadn't really thought so far ahead.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon just grins right back at Miss Grey and nods. "Figured you could use a pick-me-up while you were catching up," she replies. "Good to have you back."

     Turning to Tabitha, she makes a show of peeking behind the diminutive sophomore's back, and giggles softly. "Yeah, yeah, you too." But there is no rancor in her tone--only mirth and good humor. Mention of the burning building does elicit a rosy flush to her face, and a light cough. Nothing more was said on the matter, however. But, when it came to the macarons? She chuckles softly, and gestures to the plate. "If you think you can beat Miss Grey to them."

     All at once, homecomeing and Halloween seemed to tumble out, and anybody who knew the winged healer in training, knew the crossed arms, furrowed brows, and 'hmmm' meant the gears in her mind were a-turning. "Okay, well... since Halloween's coming up, and we missed homecoming, why don't we find a way to roll the two into one?" Her query seems to take in each in turn, as she glanced between Tabitha, Miss Grey, and Mr. Summers, the latter getting a nod of greeting and a smile.

Phoenix has posed:
"You should have a school email. Thankfully, we have no shortage of students who can help get you up to speed on technology." Jean says towards Tabitha, "Which'll be important for courses. So I'll see that you have some time set aside during the day for some technology training until you're comfortable. Until then, handwritten notes are fine."

She does claim one of the macarons for herself - vanilla - before gesturing to the plate in open invitation. "I'm fairly certain a dance was low on Ms. Frost's priorities, which is understandable. I saddled her with the job on short notice. It'll be a little bit yet before I'm back in the swing of things and I have a lot to catch up on, so if you two would want to get together with some of the other students and alumni to organize an event you're welcome to. Just assemble a list of what you need like supplies and decorations - within reason - and send it over so it can get ordered."

Cyclops has posed:
"Did you not receive the welcome gift basket?" Scott asks with a curious tone in his voice, then reaches up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "We give each new student a laptop with instructions on setting up their student ID and profiles which include their email, as well as a couple of gift cards for personal purchases .. towels .. branded hoodie."

"I apologize if I did not have it delivered to your room. I have not ran the school side in quite some time and I obviously must have missed it. We have just had a lot on our plates in Miss Grey's absense." Such as attacks, superheroing, Avenger basketball games, classes hitting at the same time, new students being shuffled about. He lets out a low sigh.

"But, yes, I would suggest reach out to some of the alumni, perhaps even Miss Carr and Miss Blaire who would be good resources."

Siphon has posed:
    Tabitha actually manages to shrink into herself. "I, ah... there was something on the dresser when I moved in, but it wasn't labled. I thought it maybe belonged to the last girl to use my room." Her entire manner, even her emotions slip into old 'stay neutral, stay unnoticed' patterns to overlay her growing shame. "I misunderstood the intent. I apologize. I will see about taking care of that." Her eyes do shift in the direction of the cookies, but she's slipped out of that mode for now.

    Shannon's remarks about the dance, and then Jean and Scott's acknowledgement do work to open her up a touch. Enough to contribute something, at least. She glances over to Shannon. "Maybe... I mean if maybe Miss Blaire and Andrea have time... Maybe we could record some background music? For the seasonal part, I mean."

Nightingale has posed:
     "Sure, why not? I mean, if we time homecoming for Halloween, tie the two celebrations together... well, the boys wouldn't have to wear tuxes if they didn't want to. Everyone could wear their costumes. Plus that'd give us a couple weeks ahead to plan." Shannon grins wide at Tabitha, nodding enthusiastically. "Ohhhh yeah. Get all of us together to record some spooky background music."

     Offering Tabitha a smile, she lifts her chin briefly towards the other girl. "Don't sweat it. If you want, I can bring some cocoa and snacks by later on and help you go through your welcome basket?" Scott is offered a look of sympathy and a nod, her brows furrowed slightly. "Everyone's had their hands full I think, sir. Please don't be so hard on yourself."

Phoenix has posed:
"It's okay, it's an honest mistake." Jean says with a reassuring smile, though she does look a bit saddened at hearing about Tabitha's misunderstanding. "I usually try and meet with all of the new students personally to go over everything and make sure that they have what they need. I'm just sorry you got lost in the shuffle of my sabbatical." And it's her turn to look just a bit ashamed, though it's fleeting. She's good at hiding her emotions.

"Ms. Blaire and Ms. Carr would be excellent teachers to partner with to oversee this, and I'm sure they'd have a blast helping to set up a social. I'll drop them a note, and the four of you can meet up with whoever else you'd like involved to get things started. We're a bit pressed for time, so just make sure to set a date and get word out so everyone can be prepared. The weather should hold up for an outdoor event, but if not I can see about clearing out the staff meeting hall so it can serve as the ballroom it once was."

Cyclops has posed:
"It was still our responsibility to meet with you personally. It was our fault." Scott says with a nod of his head to Tabitha, to try and offer some type of assurance it was not her fault. He is very good at hiding his emotions. He is built like a brick wall. Stoic. Ramrod back straight.

He listens to three, nodding his head here and there. "I am sure Shannon can give you Andrea's contact information. It would be good to see her and Jay again. I also am sure that Megan would like to help as well. She's alumni and very .. party .. motivated."

Do not spike the punch with LSD tripping pixie dust. Please. Please don't do this. Again.

Pulling up a chair, he settles in at the desk next to Jean, then starts to rifle through the files in front of him, sliding one in front of the Head Mistress.

Siphon has posed:
    Tabitha nods a tiny bit, her lips shifting upwards a fraction. "It's okay. Busy happens. And I'm small. Easy to miss." It's true. In her assortment of too big, faded to no color clothes Tabitha looks even younger than her size alone shaves off most people's mental estimate.

    When Scott mentions Andrea, she manages to both perk up and shrink more at the same time. "Oh! Um... She already gave me her information. Last week after we sort of brainstormed together." One of the curses of skin that's chalk pale? Blushes visible from orbit. She nods at each of the names Scott mentions, noting them in her mind and sure she can ask Shannon later for details. "Outside sounds good. Fall colors and all that." She puts a bit of thought, then shivers. "I'll need to manage a really warm costume. It's frostbite weather out there." It's the low 60's and a bit cloudy, but she seems earnest in her assertion.

Nightingale has posed:
     Apparently, Mr. Summers and Shannon had similar thoughts, because the moment he mentioned Megan, she openly groans and facepalms. "As long as we keep her away from the food preparations," she remarks. "That pixie dust of hers is potent stuff. Found out accidentally the hard way last year in science class."

     Glancing over at Tabitha, she just smirks, and crosses her arms. "You just keep letting people think you're easy to miss. Then they'll be that much more surprised when you show 'em who's boss. You can make it work -for- you." The talk of costumes and warmth has her thinking for a moment, looking the younger girl up and down. "Give me some idea of what you want to dress up as, and we'll find a way to make it so it'll be warm enough for you."

     Looking over at Miss Grey, she nods, and smiles. "I can get an e-mail out to them, see if we can set up a time in the next day or so to start hashing out the details of all this. And... please, both of you..." She nibbles her lower lip, thinking of how best to phrase her thoughts. "...please don't forget to take a little time for yourselves, too?"

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey picks up the slid file to look over it and multitask while she talks, "There'll be no shortage of jobs for everything. There's a lot to consider with events, but I for one will be glad to have an excuse for a party around here. I think everyone could use some fun. Just the general rules; keep it clean, don't burn the place down, etcetera. We have outdoor heaters if we do hold this outside, so we can make sure things don't get too cool."

She gives Shannon a look as she encourages herself and Scott to rest. "My leave may not have been restful, but it was illuminating. Rest assured, I am making sure to take care of myself and I have plenty of people who'll make sure that I do."

Cyclops has posed:
"Good. Then I will leave it in your hands. I am sure the dance will be exciting and memorable. Just make sure any pictures taken do not make their way on the internet. Just post them on the Intranet for everyone to view. If you do post them on the Internet, just make sure you have location settings turned off and that you don't have any of Xavier's branding featured."

Rules are rules. Scott looks around the office, then heads for the coffee machine as he takes out a mug and fills it up. After a quick sip, he winces, then adds a packet of sugar to stir in.

Siphon has posed:
    Tabitha hasn't exactly perked up. Mentally she's still mostly in 'hide and be unnoticed' mode. But neither of the adults has pulled a 'Miss Porter is Disappointed' or an 'Old Man Nate's Headshake' on her, so... maybe? In any case she nods as ideas are mentioned. "I, ah, I can start on logistics while Shannon gets everyone else called up. I'd been sort of in charge of the Big House's day to day for a few years." Her feet start to do just the tiniest degree of swinging over the floor as she really starts to feel bone deep that this place really isn't business as usual like before.

Nightingale has posed:
     With one more mildly concerned glance over at Miss Grey, she simply nods, her expression shifting into something of a smile. "It's all good. You've been missed, really." And that was that. "Okay, so we'll need contingency plans for both indoors and outdoors, because if there's one thing about New England, well... if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes." A soft giggle escapes her, and she actually grins.

     "Okay, so if you've got a knack for logistics, we'll run with that, Tabitha. I'll start working the phone lines, and see if we can get you, me, Alexis, miss Blaire, and Andrea together for a snack 'n chat. Then we can bring something solid back here to Miss Grey and Mr. Summers." And so, the ball was set rolling, and gears a-turning. It seemed like everything was going to be alright.