167/Masakatsu Agatsu

Masakatsu Agatsu
Date of Scene:	27 April 2017
Location:	Xavier's School, Westchester, New York
Synopsis:	Summary needed.
Cast of Characters:	Professor X, Deadzone, Rogue, Phoenix

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Professor X has posed:
Charles has had the seats cleared out and instead there are small Japanese tables, tables with foldable legs that sit about 8 inches off the ground, with tea on each one. The only seating is the floor. He's gone ahead and told the teachers to extend homework due dates by a day (and thru the weekend for Friday) for any students who attend so they can do so without having this add to their workload. You're all told to come and dress comfortably - not to worry about looking anything special just cause he's teaching. For his part, he's in a pair of loose slacks and a linen shirt. Don't worry, the suit jacket sits off to the side by the wheelchair. He too, however, is on the ground, sitting indian style, his back against the front of his desk. Someone like Colossus or Hank obviously helped him get into position, but he looks very much at ease. Floating in the air are letters projected out to everyone to see, "Masakatsu Agatsu." The letters float in the air, spiralling slowly and turning like a screen saver. As folks pile in, he gestures to the tables on the floor for everyone to sit at.

Deadzone has posed:
Being told not to wear something comfortable is sort of against Tatum's whole wardrobe style. Comfortable? Okay, so corsets are out. The heels are a no go. Skin tight jeans? Better not. Skirts so short that they have to be worn with leggings around the students? Nope. The goth finally gives up and just comes in her pajamas, a tank top and long relaxed bottoms.

She keeps her feild close to herself when she arrives, not knowing how this class will be presented and hoping her aura of negation isn't going to make a mess of things. However, she also trusts that the Proffesor, knowing hse was going to be there, isn't going to rely on powers alone to get the point across.

Looking at the floating letters, she tries to sound them out. She looks to Marie to see if she knows what Tate just said, because she has no clue."

Professor X has posed:
"Masakatsu Agatsu. Any Japanese speakers out there want to take a guess at what this means?" He looks to you all before grinning, a little bit of amusement as he waits to see if anyone does speak. If no one does, he pipes up. "True victory is victory over oneself." He picks up some of the tea and takes a sip, letting the words hang in the air as he makes eye contact with each student and teacher in attendance. "I would say that we all struggle with our daily victories with our studies, with each other, with our abilities...." he says quietly. "So let me open this up to you before thi sturns into a very long lecture spoken by a somewhat well educated man with a good accent. What do any of you think that means?"

Rogue has posed:
Rogue is seated like the others, she's just wearing a big baggy hoodie and some track pants with neo yellow socks on her feet. She exchanged looks with Tatum and just grinned at her and shrugged her shoulders, but when the Professor started talking again, she mirrored him and sipped her tea as well.

"Its like that time, that I got my head stuck in the arm hole'a one'a my shirts... and I started flailin' around and fell back on my bed tryin' t'get my head back out of the shirt without rippin' it?"

Rogue sighed then. "I failed... the shirt was ripped and died. I really liked that shirt a lot too."

Phoenix has posed:
Someone like Colossus, Hank, or Jean, who has quite possibly been on Professor Positioning Duty more than once in her many years at the Institute; it's a great way to practice precision telekinesis on a live target!

Either way, the red-haired mutant is seated among the other attendees, wearing jeans and a Hill/Jean reunion tour shirt from '22. Since returning from her (presumed?) demise in space a little less than two weeks ago, she's wasted as little time as possible in trying to get back into the flow of working with students, but today is her first time attending anything approaching a group meeting, or faculty training session, or whatever Charles precisely has in mind. She arrived early, claiming a seat near, but not quite at the front once everything was set. Her expression is glassy as others file in, but shortly after Charles poses his question, she abruptly snaps out of it and gives the answer right along with him-- albeit desynched by a couple of words.

"After shaking and momentarily rubbing her head, she opens her mouth, only to pause when Rogue speaks. A briefly thoughtful expression is followed by a quiet suggestion of, "We're our own worst enemies."

Deadzone has posed:
Tatum raises a hand, not entirely sure of herself. She's never exactly been all that scholastic. She only got into Juilliard on account of her music, not her brains. Or at least that is what she would tell anyone that asked. "Ummm... We.... Umm, yeah, what Jean said."

Professor X has posed:
He is listening, a little bit of a smile as people start to pipe up. "It could be said that your lesson was more that you should pay attention to how you're putting your clothes on, Rogue," his voice playfully teasing. "But you are all correct in your own ways. The probably with studying Japanese philosophies is that you will learn there is no right or wrong answer. Instead, it is like a trick where once you're comfortable or think you know the answer, the truth changes because while the question is the same, the meaning becomes deeper, more meaningful. I mean, what is true victory? It's so ambiguous to start that you almost can't answer the question without defining that, right?"

And so he takes another small sip of tea, and a deeper breath before continuing. "But I'm going to address this, for now, in our role as the gifted. There is no secret that in the world there is conflict between humankind and mutants, and between mutants mutually. If anyone is surprised to hear this news, see me after class as we have a whole other conversation we need to have." Looking with a smile Charles continues. "So take that example again. Given that setting, given the setting of our place in society, how would you define it now?"

Rogue has posed:
Rogue looked to Tatum and Jean, expecting the two of them to know the answer to this question far better than her country bumpkin logic had just failed at truly solving.

But when Charles continued, she looked back at him and her eyes steeled a bit as she thought for a couple quick seconds. "I'd define it as us comin' ovah our differences an' stop fightin' each othah just cause we're not the same as the person across from us. Or because we don't undastand something, doesn't mean we should fear it, hate it, want it to burn'n die. Thats how we triump over ourselves."

Her shoulders shrugged and she sipped from her tea again. "What the hell do I know though. I'm not even a graduated highschool student."

Deadzone has posed:
Having seen Marie, and a couple of students, as well as Xavier himself sip at the tea, Tatum takes a sip. Not nearly sweet enough for her liking, but she will be respectful and not add any. Mostly because she can't find the sugar bowl or spoons.

New question. Tate takes a moment to think about it. The gears of her brain work fine, they just take a little longer to rotate. "Umm, well, " This time she points to Rogue. "Yeah. What she said."

Phoenix has posed:
"I think we're gonna have to define 'self', if we're going that route, here," Jean murmurs with a canted head. She then shakes it while folding her hands upon the table, rolling her shoulders gently, and letting out a sharp breath.

"I think what Rogue is saying makes sense," she then offers at a more normal volume. "Figuring out how to overcome that instinctive need to, just, //destroy// what we don't understand is valuable-- and almost as hard as not doing it to ourselves. Destruction - self or otherwise - is real easy-- and satisfying, to boot. Not especially rewarding, though, not in the long run."

Professor X has posed:
Nope, no sugar and such. Just simple green tea, stepped nicely but still. Looking at Tatum, Charles arches a brow slightly. "I'll let you have that twice. Next time, you're going to have to repeat what they say in your own words. I agree with what you've said on the topic, and yet there are other interpretaitons as well. But as Jean speaks up his fingers snap and he nods, "Excellent." He seems pleased by his most senior counterpart's answer, "Instinct. Or...perhaps as some would say, reaction. So to control the first move could be to choose our action rather than reacting to what is done. To not let someone else impose a reaction on us, but to connect, to be aware, and then to act from our own chooosing and design."

He lets out a deep breath, "Easier said than done, and it takes years of practice. If I throw a ball at your head, you're likely to duck or flinch. But control over oneself is to not flinch but to decide - do you duck, do you catch the ball, do you deflect it because the ball happens to be covered in so much psionic force that merely touching it will knock you off of planet Earth....to add an element of our world to the hypothetical...." he says with amusement.

"But...because I'm me, and I'm glad all of you are sitting down so you don't fall over with shock, I'm goign to push a little bit further. What if controlling the first move meant having such a connection to what goes on around us that we can sense the conflict before it starts, and we control the first move by acting to avoid the conflict all together? I'm not saying run away...but controling your own actions so as to not only control your reactoin to a threat or an enemy...but to control the situation so that the threat or the enemy don't ever come into play. Preserving yourself."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue was proud of herself that her words hadn't gotten the older folks to laugh at her. She sipped her tea and remained quiet then whilst Tatum made her grin and Jean made her smile.

The Professor made her just stare, however, in a dumbfounded look at all that he had to say. That was a lot for her muddled youthful mind to process but she slowly nodded her head. "Peace, love and harmony." She softly said. "Make love, not war." She grinned gain then.

"Thats the kinda stuff that my momma and dadda believed in. Thats why we lived in the community that was all about that sorta thing. Avoid conflicts, work togethah for a bettah tomorrow. Hippy as all hell, yeah... but... I liked it when I was little, and now that I'm oldah and can process it all more, I like it even more now."

More tea sipping. This sure beats where she was a year ago, living under a bridge outside Portland Oregon...

Deadzone has posed:
Hey, it's not her fault that before she opens her mouth someone says what she is thinking in a much more eloquent way. If this was a class on music or cooking or sewing, she'd be the first person to answer, but philosophy? Not so much.

The Professor brings up an idea of stopping something before it even starts. "So... like diplomacy? Talking things out before they get tempers all grr argh?"

Phoenix has posed:
"If 'true victory' is too ambiguous, 'hypothetical threat or enemy' definitely is," Jean points out after sipping her tea. "I mean, yes, sure, there are potentially dangerous people who could be talked down, or redirected from hurting us or the people around us-- maybe even rehabilitated meaningfully. But, still: what happens after //we're// safe? To the next person they encounter, if rehabilitation //isn't// an option? How far can 'controlling the situation' really go with heavily armed racists and super-tyrants-- how far //should// it?"

Professor X has posed:
"To give an example....seeing how you struggled with the shirt, knowing to grab a dress or to wait to put that on unti you were more awake would have allowed you to avoid the conflict entirely. You make the choice, you make the decision, and you avoid the conflict," he says and then nods to Tatum. "Yes...though I am thinking you're envisioning a pirate world with all this grr and arrrr. Bring some ale," he says, pleased with the itneraction and not afraid to poke a little fun at his students. And so he looks to Jean and nods. "You have a depth of experience that shows you that this is all fine and dandy in conversation but harder to put into practical application, hmm?"

He grins, and nods, "So that means I have to let out my little secret. Yes, in this scenario, to me true victory is harmony - it is the absence of conflict. SO true victory, avoiding conflict, requires being able to control yourself and keep yourself out of it. To not rise to the bait...." he says, and looks to Jean. "But how I expect you to handle conflict when conflict is unavoidable is a whole different class. I'm not naive enough to think we will never have to defend ourselves...but I like to imagine we can go a long way to being able to do so less often if we focus on controling ourselves instead of trying to control the actions or thoughts of others."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue was... out of her element, this was clearly the case. She'd come to this to try to learn something and grow a bit deeper as a person maybe, but just hearing Jean and Xavier talk she knew this was like a hockey fan at a football game. Rogue looked to Tatum, wondering if she was in the same boat as her.... Surely Taters was smarter than she was, right? She must be just being all casual-like like she always played it.

Rogue just nodded her head, sipped her tea and smiled. That ought to fool'em! Make them think she was right there with them on all of this!

Deadzone has posed:
Tate chuckles as Charles brings up the concept of not letting emotions get to hot under situations. She glances over at Jean for a moment, but says nothing. She notices Marie looking lost and simply smiles and nods her head. It'll be okay. "Philosophy has a way of hurting your brain. But it gets better the more you do it."

Phoenix has posed:
Jean's jaw is tight after her question and remains so until after the Professor mentions her experience, at which point she sips more tea and pushes another sharp breath out through her nostrils. She catches Tatum's look on the edges of her own brisk glance, then turns her attention squarely to the contents of her cup.

"Sure," she says, a bit quieter as she nods her acquiesence. "Ideally, sure, non-conflict is obviously desirable, because anything else just risks bringing us back to 'own worst enemy' territory." Once that's said, she casts a sympathetic look towards Rogue, whose unease is felt more than seen.

Professor X has posed:
Charles Xavier looks to Jean. "I didn't fully answer your last example, either. Because you start dealing about the what-ifs, the wht's next, the who's next and that gets to a whole level of moral ground this philosophy isn't equipped to handle. Back in the days, you have to remember the ultimate act of living right was to be the best self you could be and then you hoped to come back reincarnated to a higher station or closer to the truth, on a better level of consciousness. To do that you couldn't worry about what was next or what could happen - you had to focus on what you could control - you and your own understanding. So there is a lot to consider, and in some ways this question, this statement, isn't equipped to deal with all of it. Which is why we have summer school," he teases, looking ot the other students.

"Do you all think that I've talked enough tonight? Have I given you enough to think about? And have we learned that as much as this is great to talk about...philosphy is a hard thing to put into practice, especially when you have soeone in front of you seeking to do harm to yourself, or perhaps another, or someone you love. It is why we talk this through, why we think about it now...so that we can have an idea of what our options are later, and so we can make our own choices rather than having them thrust upon us."

He looks down, "My cup is empty. I believe that means that the class is over. IF anyone wishes to stay for questions...."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue's eyes went open a few hairs wider as the the conversation progressed and she got progressively more lost in the proverbial forest at night with no shoes, or clothes, and her hands tied and weights on her feet.

She visibly relaxed with the Professor said taht the lecture was over, because it meant nobody was going to ask her to respond to anything... whew... she'd made it.

Nervous hand lifted the tea cup up and she drank what was left of it. "That was fun!" She said and smiled nice and big. "I'm all signed up for summah classes, ready t'be less of a shitty person once I pass them all too!" She smiled nice and big then.

Whew!

Deadzone has posed:
"And that's just it. What Jean said. We really are our own worst enemies. Seriously, all the trouble I've had with HYDRA in the past? The trouble I made for myself made that stuff look like small potatoes." As class seems to be over, she downs her tea. "Well, I'm gonna go to bed early then. Thanks for the lesson, Professor. I will be thinking about this alot for the next while." Yes, she calls Charles Professor in front of the kids. Heffe or Chuck is only for the teachers.

Phoenix has posed:
Jean passes another look Tatum's way, leaving the 'HYDRA???' unspoken.

"Thank very much for sharing your time with us, Professor," she adds to the cellist's gratitude with a smile. Her own cup isn't quite empty, its contents swirling as she lifts it up for a moment of contemplation-- only to set it back down and stand with a small nod.

"I'd definitely suggest taking him up on his offer, guys," she says, pivoting in place to address the students in the room. Rogue - who tried her damndest, despite her confusion - gets a lingering look and another, more encouraging smile for her sentiment. "All of this - this figuring out how to act, and when, and //how//-- it's all incredibly important, both in here with each other, and out there with people who //haven't// had an opportunity to examine their own base tendencies. Plus, 'Not Being Shitty 101' just might be worth elective credit one of these semesters, so you'd be getting in on the ground floor, for sure."