2160/A New Teacher

A New Teacher
Date of Scene:	25 August 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Lara Croft, Colossus, Tendril

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Lara Croft has posed:
Well it was a fresh new year of school at Xavier's School and one of the brand new teachers at the facility had arrived this past Monday. She wasn't living at the school, but she was showing up for her class (which actually didn't start until September and had a light student load even then), Lara Croft... of some reputation. An archaeologist who hit the news headlines pretty heavily a few years back after a major ship wreck occurred that lead to stories of cannibalism and ritual sacrifices (among other things). Lara was heralded as a hero from thos eevents though, a savior of many ship crew members... and now, these several years later there was even a movie due-out about it in the coming months.

Of which, Lara herself, wanted very little to do with. Hollywood was a ravenous beast when it came to heroic stories being retold on the big screen these days. Her story's rights had been sold to a book author, who had pushed for a screenplay.. etc etc... snowballing into places Lara was uncomfortable with her life being shown off, but, what can you do?

As of right now, the new teacher was in the Staff Meeting Hall at Xavier's, she was assigned her own desk and she was standing aside it, a cardboard box filled with books and sundries. She was rooting through it and taking some items out and arranging her desk. Dressed in dark blue slacks and a white button-up blouse.

Colossus has posed:
Piotr makes his way into the hall, the giant of a man in no visible hurry as he goes about whatever errands or miscellaneous bits of business before the semester starts in earnest. Heading toward his own little cubicle-ish area in one of the rows of desks, actually at the end of it just so he has a little more room. Easier that way! Whatever he's come for, the man doesn't fail to notice a new, unfamiliar face busy unpacking, and unfailably friendly sort that he is, immediately diverts toward her to make introductions and maybe offer some assistance.

"Greetings, are you needing help with anything?" Everything about the man is very exaggerated. His heavy accent and deep voice, his big smile, even his movements, arms spread in some hostpitable gesture that accompanies his welcome. "I am Piotr. You are new instructor, da?"

Despite being a full X-man and instructor, he is among the younger of that group and perhaps not as much in the inner decision-making circle with the Professor like Jean, Scott, Hank and the like, so it seems he has not had a chance to learn about any new hires until they arrive.

Tendril has posed:
    Lexi is freeeeeee! Free at last from the wellness center, with a clean bill of health! OF course, this means she can't slack at her classes anymore, and she now has a small pile of makeup work she's got to do for missing a good chunk of the first week. But she can leave without someone firmly telling her to go back to bed.

    As such, she's almost skipping along in the main hall, as she approaches the teacher's area, because she still needs to check in with one of her teachers about homework and stuff..

    Her brows raise a bit as she sees Piotr stepping into the staff area up ahead, her ears twitching a bit. New teacher?

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara was pulling a picture of her and a couple of her friends from college out of the box when Piotr's voice first announces his presence to her, though his overall impressive stature sort of sends off those 'feelings' of someone being near by.

Lara set the picture down and she smiled at the voice and the accent when she turned around to see the rather large man. "Oh." She said to him. "Yes. Uh... Hello." Her own voice was a sharp contrast in accents, a thick London standard flavor to it.

Lara extended her right hand to him then and started to speak further, but now she was speaking IN Russian. ~It is good to meet you, I am Lara... Croft. Hoping to settle in here and offer my help to this wonderful place."

As of yet the presence of a student passing by the doorways wasn't known as they were several feet inside of this fairly spacious hall/desk area.

Colossus has posed:
The man's face lights up when the woman answers him in Russian. Accent aside, his English is surely passable, but there's still nothing that really compares to the ease and comfort of one's mother tongue. And while there are a few Russian students, its still a rare enough opportunity to enjoy. "Oh! How wonderful!" is his immediate reaction to it, along with a repeated, more complete and formal introduction: ~Piotr Nikolaievitch Rasputin. It is my great pleasure to meet you, miss Croft. You speak Russian so beautifully.~ Notably, even in Russian, he speaks quite formally, never skipping out or reverting to slang.

And as she's explained that is settling in to teach, he spares a brief glance around the room and then looks toward the setup on her desk, perhaps maybe to guess at her subject by a book or some other object on obvious display, although he doesn't spot one right off. ~It is wonderful to have some new instructors here for the new semester. What is your subject? I am teaching art, although I also do some physical instruction as well.~

Of course, on this latter point, he guages her reaction somewhat. Obviously, no one comes here thinking it's a normal school - the students are prone to goofing off with their powers in the halls, after all. But it's not like the specifics of the Danger Room are broadly shared with those who aren't actually authorized to use it, either!

Tendril has posed:
    Lexi slows further as she hears the woman's voice in the door. Why does that sound sort of familiar? She's definitely heard that accent, on TV? The voice even sounds...

    She drifts closer, tilting her head as the two switch to Russian. She blinks a bit, then her gold eyes go wide when she she hears the name.

    She practically teleports the rest of the way to the door, blinking as she gapes a bit at Lara, looking a bit stunned.

    Wait....LARA CROFT IS A TEACHER SQUEEEEEEEEEE!

    She manages to control her inner fangirl for the moment and closes her mouth with a little click, then realizes she doesn't actually know where to go next, saying a bit awkwardly in Russian. <I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, but...but...I'm...>

    She steps in, starting to ramble a bit. <I mean, you probably get this all the time, and if you're going to teach, then you probably don't need it here, but since I'm not in your class yet and..." She breaks back into English. "An' oh my god you're LARA CROFT." Her voice definitely goes up in the squeal range at the end there, before she flushes and fidgets. "I mean, um...it's...it's so really cool that yer teachin' here..."

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara seemed pleased to see Piotr's reaction to her shifting their introductions toward his own native tongue, sometimes people didn't like doing that... she'd discovered. A smile spread over her lips and she nodded softly to the taller man. ~I am hoping to make a real positive impact here.~ She told him still in Russian. ~I will be teaching World History and Archaeology, specifically to highschool level students, Juniors and Seniors.~ Lara was about to motion toward something on her desk and continue talking when the excited student came rushing in!

It all made the new teacher look over toward the young girl, her eyebrows lifting up and then a small smile creep across her face to replace the otherwise look of shock at the excitement in the girl's voice, let alone being recognized. She wasn't exactly a celebrity (at least in her own eyes).

A glance was given to Piotr... then a look back to Lexi. "Well... uh... hello to you! And... Yes! I am Lara Croft." She showed a big grin then and reached her right hand over toward Lexi. "Charles Xavier reached out to me in July and extended a job opportunity to me, and due to my pre-existing workload lightening up some, I've decided..." She looked between the two of them again. "To take a shot at this teaching thing. I jsut hope I'm not dreadfully awful at it."

Colossus has posed:
~Ah, that is wonderful. We teach so many special things here, but such a well-rounded education is equally important.~ For all his size, he does seem a rather introspective sort. ~It is important that the students understand the history of all those people who came before them, to look to their great deeds for inspiration and find warning in past follies, that they not be repeated.~ While still alight in a broad smile, then, there comes a sudden interruption, drawing Piotr's glance toward the girl who bursts in so excitedly.

"Zdrastvuite," he offers, an appropriately more formal hello for the younger woman, and also in Russian since she seems capable of it too! What a day! His friendly smile remains, although there definitely a sense of amused... confusion? Or something of that sort, as Atleee turns toward fangirlish squeeing. Obviously, whatever American TV and other media Piotr takes in may be somewhat limited, as he apparently hasn't made the celebrity connection for their new teacher, but can't help but pick up on something unusual from how Atlee treats her.

"You are already knowing Ms. Croft?" he wonders, falling back into his accented English as they do, perhaps simply by habbit or thinking it might be more convenient for the other two. "It is most wonderful she will be teaching," he agrees, though obviously not quite following the why. "I am glad to see a student with such enthusiasm for their studies!" Yep, totally over his head!

Tendril has posed:
    It's not like she doesn't realize she's rambling and stumbling over her words, but luckily, Lara saves her by offering her hand, which the young mauve-skinned girl takes after a moment, shaking firmly, before releasing, clasping her hands behind her back mostly for something to do to keep them still. "Oh, th' headmaster is great! He, like, totally listens to us...I had a nice talk with him when I first go here!" she says cheerfully. She pauses. "...actually, we were talkin' about archeology?" she recalls slowly. "Oh. OH! I guess I did mention you, maybe that got him thinkin' of it!" She grins a bit sheepishly. "I kinda go on an' on sometimes when people get me started on it...I mean, I'm not an expert, cuz I haven't really gotten to take any courses, but I read a -whole- lot of what I could find, an' all the articles 'bout what happened to ya on that island an' everything..." Annnnnd she's rambling again, before she catches herself. "...sorry. I talk too much sometimes."

    She perks as Piotr greets her, then nods firmly. "Oh yes! She's the one who found Yamatai! Well, her and a bunch of people, but she was th' one who figured out where it was, an' then she figured how to get outta th' storms that made ships crash there all th' time. An' there were, like, crazy guys on the island and stuff too, an' I guess a palace burned down or somethin'..." She's fairly religiously read the articles, of course, but likely a lot of it didn't make it in to the more public interviews.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara looked from the large Piotr, to whom she smiled toward, then back to Lexi who was rambling quite impressively about Lara's... past.

Not everyone believed Miss Croft to be a hero from those few days on that island, some outright blamed her for everything that happened on it. Especially James Whitman's Estate. The television personality who never returned from Yamatai. His lawyers tried to sue Lara fro everything in her family's name, but the case has never yet reached a court.

Lara listened to Lexi and it made her smile, to be polite of course. "I'm impressed." She said to the student. "You've known more about it than most who've ever recognized me... More than I think I've ever actually even told anyone, personally." Some of the other survivors had spilled quite a bit more information on what happened, than Lara ever had.

A breath was taken in deeply by the new teacher and she looked to Colossus and back to Lexi. "Professor Xavier was indeed inspired by you, it would seem. He told me one of the students here was eager to meet me. Which helped sway my decision for taking this job. So thank you." She smiled again. "I just... hope I don't do a terrible job!" She laughed softly. "I'm aware that this is a school for those with special abilities and powers... Of which, I really have none. But, I'll try yet still to fit in and do my part."

Colossus has posed:
Some explanation helps! Though Piotr still seems clueless of the actual incident, Lexi's recreation of it seems to cement at least the general idea in his mind. Which he interprets as, simply: "Oh! So Ms. Croft is not simply teacher, but true adventurer! She is like- ah, is famous American movie some students told me I must watch. The Doctor Jones of Indiana?" He gets it! Sort of! It may take him a bit of time catching up on American cinema to actually get to Lara's own version, but he's totally got the basic idea now, and seems suitably impressed.

"It is very brave of you, to be going and exploring at such risk to yourself. Facing danger to uncover lost things from history." A firm nod, the man's impressive arms crossing over his equally broad chest. "I am sure students will like you very much. But please be taking caution, da? Many are eager for their own adventures, but they must understand risks also."

Which does kind of dovetail with her mention of the special nature of the students. "Is true. But everyone is having different talents. Yours are still very important. Students must not think of everything as being solved with their powers. They must be people first, and is our responsibility to make sure they are *good* people who understand their burdens and responsibilities."

Tendril has posed:
    Lexi grins big at Piotr. "YES! Exactly! Just like Indiana Jones!" she says a little excitedly. Guess who her other big hero is? She even has a shirt to prove it. Well, it's actually a kitten in Indy's hat and whip fighting facist dogs holding a golden fish under his arm. But still!

    She rubs the back of her neck, flushing. "S-Sorry...I shouldn't bring stuff up if ya dn't wanna talk about it, too." She bounces on her toes. "I'm just sorta gettin' it out of my system, promise!" She leans in a bit, turning a bit more seriously. "But, um...I never believed th' people who wanted ta tear ya down for survivin' all that." She straightens, smiling. "An' I think you'll do great! I mean, you actually were out doin' this stuff, so you know a lot of practical stuff."

    The mauve-skinned girl grins big at the mention of it being a special sort of school, looking innocent as Piotr explains. "Yup! No one weird or nothin' here. Don't know what yer talkin' about." she says cheerfully, then leans in a little again. "...but, so ya now, I'm reeeeeally good at climbin' an' stuff like that." She flashes the older woman a quick grin. Now if she were only as good at typology and surveying...

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara would listen to the both of them speak on the subject of Indiana... and it immediately made her think of her first time meeting him, how it had started out like any other meeting. Except she'd been half-asleep on his doorstep in Madripoor waiting for him to come back to his home, and when he did... they'd been attacked by Hydra-Trinity agents after only getting a brief few minutes to get to know one another... motorcycle chases, gunfire...

Lara gently shook her head, she wasn't allowed to talk about Indiana Jones being alive, most who even knew he was a real person thought he had lived and died decades ago.

"I'm a big fan of his." She just said softly with a sly grin. "Those movies are very fun." She'd only just seen them in their entirity since she'd met him a few months ago.

"I... would love to offer more of my knowledge to the studenty body, if at all possible. Survival training, basic outdoors stuff. Perhaps even rock climbing, if it were at all possible." She looked from Lexi to Piotr. "I'm not sure if thats something I should wait on, let myself get settled in some first."

Colossus has posed:
Piotr is not actually trying to hide anything, because, once again, this is a fool's errand at best. It only takes someone setting their classmate on fire with a touch or thought, even as a friendly 'prank' and the whole pretense of 'normal' tends to collapse rather quickly. So, no sense leading Lara on! Instead he focuses a little on whatever negative press Lexi brings up, pointing out: "There are always those who will criticize, especially those who are doing good, because is easier to do nothing and succeed than try and do something and sometimes fail. Mutants are facing this every day." Yep, definitely no hiding the topic here!

"On behalf of school, I am sure we are all very happy to be having you," the man will then offer, quite genuinely in his very earnest-sounding tone. Then, somewhat thoughtfully, "I think some outdoorsmanship is good thing to be teaching students, also. World is dangerous and difficult, yet many students, even if they have faced recent hardship, grew up in comfort of suburban American home or big city. They should be learning self-sufficiency. Have you seen garden? I am growing vegetables in back of school, use for traditional, healthy, nutritious cooking."

Tendril has posed:
    Lexi perks, nodding at Piotr's approval and suggestions. "Ooh! You could maybe do it as a phys ed elective class an' stuff! There's a -great- cliff out by th' campsites, an' they got a neat room you can simulate stuff in too."

    By which she means the student version of the Danger Room. Not the dangerous Danger Room version. Cuz she still isn't sure who she's allowed to tell about that, really.

    She smiles a bit. "I don't know a lot 'bout outdoors stuff, I"m kinda a city girl, so I'd love ta learn stuff like that. Um, growin' an' cookin' stuff." She bounces on her toes again. "Oh! And what were ya plannin' ta teach? I mean, history, but are ya actually gonna do some archeology stuff? I know it's kind advanced though..." she says thoughfully. And of course most of the students here, in fact the majority, likely don't have the same interest as Lexi herself.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara smiled at Piotr's words on the hardships and trials that mutantkind have to go through, she'd bob her head down gently in a single nod. "I can't even begin to imagine how tough it is for a mutant... or anyone dealing with a similar situation. I just really hope to do my part to prove that I'm here, to help." She replied before glancing to the student again, her own hands held together in front of her lap while she stood there beside her new desk.

"Well..." Lara said with a grin. "My official title of subject is World History and Archaeology... But I have to preface this by saying that archaeology is not all that you see in an Indiana Jones movie, or in the stories you've read about me." A glance was given between the two of them. "In my case, we were trying to create a documentary about the discovery of a mythical lost island, but unfortunately we stumbled too closely to... evils we had no idea were real. Had none of those, evils, been there... it probably would've been a much more routine scientific expendition." Lara showed a faint smile then. "In translation, the average person would've probably been bored to tears."

Lara grinned then and there. "But yes, I hope to instruct those who truly do have a passion for the science of it."

Lara would then look to Piotr again. "A garden you say? Now that I can fully get behind. Fresh grown vegetables are a treat that everyone should learn to embrace and enjoy. Would love to see it."

Colossus has posed:
"Oh yes!" Piotr declares, looking pleased that anyone would be interested in this particular personal project of his. "I am thinking for many students... hmm, is not glamorous, yes? To work in soil and grow ones own food. But in mother Russia, I come from family of farmers. We know value of land beneath our feet, what it can give you if you know it well. So I am hoping some students can come to appreciate this also. Feel pride in growing for themselves, rather than going to super-market."

It seems he does not intend to linger long on worries over the mutant condition, for if anything, despite whatever sense of grim pragmatism he may have brought with him from his homeland, the man does seem an optimistic sort at heart. "I am having no doubts that you will help. The students will benefit greatly from such teachings."

Though on the more particular archeological bits, he cannot be quite as certain, as these may be a bit beyond his expertise. "I am not sure how much you will be able to teach on that topic, but I think... hmm, it will give you many insights? Is hard to explain, but, the... difficulties that we face, many times, they have... old roots? Am I expressing right? Is something you should speak with the Professor about, and with friend Scott and some of the others. I am thinking not just the students will be benefiting from your knowledge, Ms. Croft." A big smile then. "I should let you finish your unpackings. But please, do let me know if I can help you getting comfortable here. This place is like home for many of us, you should feel this way also."

Tendril has posed:
    "Oh, I know." Lexi says immediately. "I've read a lot on it, with what books I can find. Textbooks, though I don't get all of it. I mean, I don't got survey equipment or th' little brushes an' stuff, an' I haven't actually -been- on a dig or anythin', but I know it's not all super excitin' stuff like the movies normally."

     She frowns. "...an' I really, really suck at typology and figurin' out what order things developed in so far."

    She peers over at Piotr. "...but I'm willin' ta try growin' stuff too?" she says cheerfully. After all, the devouring maw that is Alexia's stomach tends to eat a significant portion of the food that's brought into the kitchen. There's a soft chime from her pocket as she blinks, looking down and glancing at it, then gets a very faint purple flush briefly, before quickly hiding the phone. "Um, I sorta, gotta, study thing with, um, a friend, an' I should really get goin', she's already wonderin' where I am. But, um..." She smiles at Lara. "It's really great to meet you, Miss Croft. I'm lookin' forward to your classes." She heasd towards the door, waving. "Let me know about the garden Mr. Rasputin!" she says cheerfully, then jogs back into the hall, headed back upstairs to the door rooms. Pooooosibly not to her room, however.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara listened to Piotr speak on the topic of farming and putting forth the work to grow something from the soil. She nodded in agreement with him while she gently sat down on the edge of her desk behind her, her hands going to the fronts of her thighs. "It would be hypocrtical for me to sit here and say that I did not grow up with a life of... generous living." Which was true, Xavier's Mansion--for all its glory and size--could probably fit inside of Croft Manor back in England. "But thankfully I was taken out of my comfort zones as a child and I was shown the rest of the world at-large, which lead me to respect the hard work one puts in to such a thing as a farm. I know how it can shape your life to make you into a better person." She smiled at the big teacher again. "So yes, I'm all for seeing this garden you've carefully crafted."

Lara would then look to Lexi and she'd listen to the girl explain her research a little further. This spurred the new World History teacher to stand up and move around her desk. She pulled open a drawer and pulled forth a small leather satchel that was rolled up.

"Here." Lara said, turning to offer it to Lexi (her biggest fan? she wasn't sure!) "This is a set of basic archaeology tools. I was going to use them as a display piece in my class, but... I'll find another." The set was clearly used, 'experienced' might be the better terminology for it. The lather satchel was worn and rugged, the tools inside were equally scuffed and put-to-the-test at some point.

Lara would smile to them both. "Thank you both for the warm reception. I can tell that I already feel a sense of home here."

Tendril has posed:
    At the unexpected offer, the silver-haired girl practically skids to a halt just outside the door, her golden eyes widening as she immediately doubles back. "Really?!" she says excitedly, taking the satchel like it was the Holy Grail almost as she cradles it. "Oh, wow..." she breathes, grinning hugely now as she hugs it to her chest. "Th-thank you!" she says, practically bouncing in place, then actually giggles a bit giddily now. "Um, yer welcome! An' thank you -so- much!" she breathes out, before she heads out, a bit more slowly, but definitely walking on air.

    Miss Croft has at least one student who's going to soak up everything she can teach.