9233/Balance

Balance
Date of Scene:	17 September 2019
Location:	Main Foyer - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Warpath and Pixie have it. Cypher does not.
Cast of Characters:	Cypher, Warpath, Pixie, Nightingale

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Cypher has posed:
It is roughly five in the morning when Doug Ramsey returns to the school - shoulders stooped, head low, dark circles under his eyes, shiny black and gold techno-organic hand hanging limp by his side, suit coat slung over his shoulder, visibly rumpled like he slept in it. "I gotta get an apartment in New York," He says to himself. "Or a cardboard box. Or *something*."

Warpath has posed:
If nothing else, Warpath has proven true to his name even as a teacher. He's set himself down the path of getting his students to learn, no matter how difficult the battle. That, perhaps, is why he's holding early classes for students who aren't doing so well. Doesn't seem to sleep much, himself. "Michaels," James calls forward, having them file into the classroom door he's seated next to one at a time. For each student, a graded test paper and open assessment. "Last but not least. Your grades are lousy, so is your gossip. Less social, more studies."

Pixie has posed:
Phew, it's pretty early. Actually it's waaay early, but that's okay because Megan couldn't sleep last night. And after getting lectured by Samuel about disobeying orders, it's probably not a surprise that she was ordered to take this super early class. IF only she could keep her eyes open. "Whyyyyy did it have to be sooo early?" she yawns as she stumbles towards Proudstar's open classroom. Hey, at least her grades were doing fairly well, but after that last mission...

Cypher has posed:
Doug looks up... and up... and up. He's a little bleary. "Now there's a face I haven't seen in a long, long time. Ishkiyíí dá ndeezí! Dagot'ee, James?" He extends that techno-organic hand to the Apache.

Warpath has posed:
James Proudstar, having dealt out his last graded paper and thoroughly denounced the quality of student gossip, lets Michaels head into the classroom. Megan, though, is cut off with a hand in front of the door. "You better wake up. This is the early class, for the ones who aren't trying to do half decent," he advises her. "Unless you think you need the help, anyway." Someone speaking Apache is like a knife cutting through what noise there is this early in the morning, especially to Proudstar's exceptional hearing. He turns his head and sights Doug from his bench, the characteristic extended hand accepted for a shake. "It's good to be seen, I think, at least in this place. Life's very different now." He releases Doug's hand to hook a thumb over his shoulder, at the door. "They've got me teaching social studies. Yeah, teacher. Academics, even. It was probably a safer choice for the kids, I guess, to put me behind a desk. You?"

Cypher has posed:
"Oh." Doug rubs the back of his neck. "I'm building the tech infrastructure for Sunspot's plan to change the world for Mutantkind." He looks at his hand, "A little less than man and more than machine," He says, flexing those fingers, before he adds, "Just coming back to get a couple hours of sleep-" He needs more than a couple, "Before I launch back into it again."

Then he says, "...Remembering the fire you can spit when the truth needs to be told, I think I'd feel safer getting thrown around by you in the Danger Room, James." He looks up at Pixie and gives a brief smile. "Megan."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn blinks and rubs her eyes, sipping cold water from her water bottle, and splashing a little over her face. "Hey! I'm awake, awake and eager..Well not eager, how about just..Ready!? to study!" her wings flutter slowly though, taking on a dull ash grey this morning, but at least she looks a bit more awake as she steps in the classroom. She pauses briefly as she sees the teacher, one whom she'd heard the name tossed around before, but had never had him for a teacher personally. "Wow...You're really really...Big." She swallows. "Er, I mean, good morning, Mister Proudstar!" Spotting Doug, she smiles and nods to him through a stifled yawn. "Good morning Doug, been a while, how are you doing?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon scoots in to class with her arms wrapped around her books, a thermos in hand, and her wings missing a few of the larger feathers near the tips. She rolls her shoulders a bit, wincing but otherwise looking fairly calm for the most part. She nods to Doug and Megan, smiling faintly. "G'morning." She's in jeans, a white t-shirt, and her favorite sneakers, with her hair long and loose. James gets an appraising look from her, but she nods in respect. "G'morning, sir."

Warpath has posed:
Seeming to ignore comments on his height but for a fleeting expression of amusement, James shakes his head. "Your grades are fine, far as I know. If you want to be in this class, though, it's your funeral. I treat the ones in here like it's life or death, because it usually is for their GPA." He randomly observes, more as a passing thought, "Seeing more and more with wings lately. I wonder if that's a trend that's gonna stay. Oh, and James. Mister Proudstar hurts my ears." He swings his head off to the other side, favoring Doug, after briefly raising a hand in greeting to Shannon. "That so? Well, make sure Sunspot and yourself keep your goal in sight. I used to work for some people who had the same idea, change the world for mutantkind. It didn't do them any favors as people." Especially considering his work often involved knives.

Cypher has posed:
"Yeah well... I don't think you'll have to use your special skills in our case." Doug says. He looks around, and then pats the pocket of his suit coat, before he takes a promotional brochure for X-Corporation NY that would be comically small in James's mitt. "Read up on our plan, it's good stuff. We're an NGO with the goal of enfranchising, improving, and assisting and improving mutant communities and emergent mutant culture." Then he says, "But if you decide to... not in the face." He looks up at Megan. "Oh, just tired." Fundamentally out of balance, to someone with a Shaman's sight like James. Leaning too hard into some stuff, pushing other things away, stretching himself too thin. "A couple of hours of sleep and I'll be right as rain, yanno?"

Pixie has posed:
"Okay, James! Don't worry, I'm a hard worker, eager to prove myself.." Even if she can be a bit impulsive and tenacious.. Megan nods to him as she clutches her books and takes a seat near the back. When Shannon steps in, she smiles and waves to her to join her. Towards Doug she raises a curious brow. "Oooh, what kinda thingy are you building? Can I help? that sounds like lotsa fuuun.." she nods, "I know the feeling, I do like sipping on lemon green tea in the morning, and going to bed early listening to some good, calming music the night before..I've got the tea formula down just right, I'll have to make you some, some time.."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon flutters a large, feathery wing at Megan, rolling her head just a little bit as if working out a few kinks. She nods towards Doug and smiles a bit, lifting her thermos. "Sounds like you need this more than I do. The true aqua vitae... coffee." She moves over to sit down by Megan as it looks like class is about to start, taking note as she hears James. Okay, no 'sir' for this one. "Hope I'm not too late for class... rough night."

Warpath has posed:
Taking the brochure, likely more to humor his old acquaintance than anything, James flips it over in his hand to inspect front and back. "Looks pretty organized. Like I said, just don't let your ego get ahead of your plans. I've seen that way too much," he comments. "And you'd be surprised about the skills thing. Today's letter is X." The Apache just drops that little hint for Ramsey, trusting he'll follow, and tucks the brochure away for later use. Shannon also announcing her intent to join the class prompts him to cant his head slightly to the right. "That's two unfamiliar faces in the 'emergency, keep my grades afloat' class. Well, everybody's welcome who wants in, but the regular class is a lot less rigorous." The way the Apache says rigorous makes it sound like an understatement. That Shannon has wings prompts further amusement, mostly at himself, mostly contained. Maybe he was right about wings becoming a pattern in mutants. "Doug, you need to take a day off, get some rest. More like a week. You're work so thin, you're like paper." Clearly, Warpath isn't buying the little bit of sleep act. He leans forward and pushes up to his feet. "Speaking of. I've got a bunch waiting in there who didn't work hard enough and /have/ to lose sleep."

Cypher has posed:
"...No time for a day off." Doug says. "Maybe someday, but not today." He lifts a hand in a gesture. "Anyway, I'm going to go catch a nap." He adds, "...Don't be a stranger, Proudstar. And I recommend this class. James and I were on rival teams when we were kids, but wait'll you see him when he's on a roll." He trudges up the stairs, steps heavy.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn arches a curious brow at Shannon, noting the kink in her neck and slightly ruffled feathers. "You run into more Sentinels or something?" she cringes at the memory, and the lecturing she got from Samuel after, probably the very reason she got stuck in this way-too-early-class this morning. Megan glances back at James, biting her lip, pen at the ready. "Soooo, what IS today's topic about, Si--I mean, James?" she's eager to get this over with, honestly. As Doug heads out, she arches a brow. "Awwe, not gonna stick around?" and she was so hoping to borrow notes off him. Or something. Darnit!

Warpath has posed:
James Proudstar gives Doug a weary look, though it's not because he's tired. More tired /of/. "As if I can't see it, Ramsey. You're working too hard. Our future won't be bright if you keel over from exhaustion," he comments. Then, a thought. "Mutant Town. You want to improve things for us, get them to change the name of that place, eh? It makes it sound like a shanty town for us. Something like... Daala Kuugha." The Apache nods approvingly at words Doug would recognize, One Home. He turns then to head into the class, commenting over his shoulder to Megan, "It's wherever each student's weak. I take each as they are. Think of it like summer school, I guess." Truly, a guess. "My education was a little different, but I think that's a fair comparison..." Into the classroom he goes, to the dread of the make up students.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon shakes her head at Megan. "No, rough night last night and Sam had me blowing off some steam in the danger room. It got a bit rough, but feel better for it, if a few feathers short." She looks strangely at James as he heads into the classroom, her brows knitting together. "Why does he think we haven't worked hard enough? Or we -have- to lose sleep? Did he even consider maybe classes like this are a welcome change for some of us?" She shakes her head, laughing ruefully. "Guess it's a pretty common assumption to make..."