2013.09.12 - Choose Your Class

Classes have been running for a week or two already, the remaining faculty doing their best to keep the classes consistent for the students. Ororo is no exception, and yet, despite the extra teaching workload on top of her usual duties around the Institute, she is very much aware of when Ms. Kinney starts appearing in various classes. And to prove it, during the last class of the day as the other children are chatting animatedly on their way out, she calls over the general din, "Ms. Kinney, I believe you and I need to have a talk."

And of course when 'I need to talk' is said, Laura listens. And is there. Of course odds are she probably was expecting it, but still...

Still, as she's told that it's time for the 'talk', Laura goes where ever Ororo wants her to go. And then just stands there, silent, and with no visible signs of emotion.

Storm steps over to sit at the teacher's desk in the classroom, gesturing for Laura to have a seat at one of the desks. "It has come to my attention that you've been attending classes for the past few days. And yet, when I searched our files I did not find your class schedule anywhere on file. Is this an ... intentional oversight?"

And the answer? A single word.

"No."

Yeap. That's it. Just that one word as Laura stands there, looking as emotionless as ever.

Yeah. She's not exactly making this easy, is she?

Storm watches Laura for a long and silent moment. Did the Vulcan people ever practice the high art of the staring contest? After about thirty full seconds of staring, Ororo finally speaks up again. "Then do you plan to officially enroll in classes, or simply haunt your way through?"

Knowing the Vulcans, they probably invented it.

And yet as Ororo asks that question, there is a slight, almost barely noticable, nod.

"Yes." is said, before after a moment or two, she adds, "How do I....?"

Storm opens a drawer in the desk and pulls out a pad of paper and a pen. "Let's start with the classes you have been attending, and which have caught your interest." She jots down the one that just concluded and two others that she's noticed Laura attenting, along with the schedule times for each.

And what can Laura say to that...?

Well, for starts, she shrugs before she says anything. And she also pulls out an old, crumpled piece of paper. Namely her class list from /last semester/. One that has a whole bunch of remedial classes when it comes to the arts, sciences, and history, but also has some insanely advanced ones when it comes to languages. Strangely enough, there are no combat training, or even gym classes on her old schedule. Just classes where they teach stuff that should be considered 'common knowledge' and/or 'the basics'.

"All of them. None of them." is said in that tone that is still devoid of emotion.

"The one with the food was.... Interesting."

.... And that might explain any reports of home ec c;lasses where the entire classroom was filled with smoke.

Storm accepts the rumpled list and looks it over. "Well, we hope to have a new home economics class before the end of this semester, and the current schedule has seen some changes." A LOT of changes. "Did you take any assessment tests last semester?" That will help her determine where the girl is at, and what classes will best suit her this semester.

There is a slight reaction of the word 'Tests'. It's a slight... Twitch. It's almost a full body thing, like Laura might be about to do something, but she catches herself just as soon as it starts, before she... Shrugs?

"Did what they told me to do. When they told me to do it. How they told me to do it."

To be honest, she actually /DID/ take those though last semester. After all, she did get here well after the semester started and had to take the placement exams.

Storm notices the reaction to the word 'tests' but simply nods. "Good. Then we won't have to repeat them." At this point, though, she's wishing Scott or the Professor were about to wrangle that computer they use to help with class scheduling. She can use it if she has to, but despises the thing and avoids it if at all possible. But, looking at the courses on the list, she can already fairly easily start a general listing of what to recommend for Laura. "All right. Based on last semester, this class that just ended is already a good fit, and we can add a couple of others. History, science... how do you feel about an introductory music course?"

And there's.... Another shrug?

Yeap. By and large Laura looks rather unconcerned regarding the planning of her future.

Heck, she doesn't even speak up this time.

Storm looks up at Laura and laces her fingers together over the gradually forming schedule. "Ms. Kinney, we are not here to dictate every step of your existence to you. As much as this school's accredited status demands that there be core studies necessary for you to complete, it is the Professor's belief that every student should be given the option to choose whatever other studies they would like, as an interested mind is one that will better absorb information. If you do not voice your opinions, I have no way to know what you do and do not enjoy learning."

"..."

And yet again, there's a pause from Laura, as she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Said breath is then released slowly, before her eyes snap back open and she looks right back at Ororo, her expression, yet again, devoid of any and all emotion.

But instead of actually saying anything, she just sort of stands there her head tilted slightly at the teacher. That is before finally, she asks, "What I enjoy?" as her expression actually becomes one of confusion.

"Yes. Enjoy. A topic of study that gives you a particular feeling of satisfaction when you discover more about it." Yes, Ororo seems to understand how an emotion-deprived mindset works. Maybe it's because she's been accused of the same thing many times herself? "Is there anything you've studied here that you find yourself thinking about later? That you would like to study further?"

And here's where 'Setting food on fire' is said.

Kidding!

Actually there's a head tilt at that while Laura continues to look confused, all while she thinks back to what she's done this semester, and what she enjoyed last semester...

What was the one where they talked about all the people attacking each other with swords....?

"History."

Then there was that one with the moldy stuff...

"Art....?"

And since Ororo suggested it, she looks questioningly at the teacher and asks, "Music?"

Storm nods and jots those down on the paper. "History is a core topic of study, so that one should be quite simple. Art and music I will check for you, but as there are only so many openings available for those, I cannot promise. You might also like science -- it is a core study -- and is a bit like cooking with non-edible items." She tries to remember the scheduled days and times of the subjects she's already jotted down and again wishes someone with computer skills were here. Well, this schedule doesn't have to be finalized this moment.

Cooking? With non edibles?

"I can already make explosives." is said as Laura starts to slip back into being devoid of emotion.

Of course if Storm were to make a comment that Laura could catch regarding computers, she might have a suggestion there...

The explosives comment should have caught Ororo by surprise, but sadly, it doesn't. "Not just explosives. Did you ever stop to think why certain chemicals behave as they do? How they might behave differently if combined differently? That is one aspect of science. Chemistry. Other aspects include biology, the study of living things, astronomy, the study of space and everything that encompasses, and others." All of this would be on the computer... "Perhaps we should wait for the Professor or Mr. Summers to continue creating your schedule. They could do so much more efficiently with the computer."

"Or Doug."

All right, so he might not be a teacher here (or is he?) but The Young X-Mens mentor is really good with computers after all. Which is something that Laura has noticed, if only due to how he's managed to set some stuff up in regards to The Danger Room.

Plus he's someone who knows Laura, and might have an idea what she needs to take.

Maybe.

All though as the rest of what was said sinks in, there is a slight head tilt yet again. In fact there's an /almost/ comment at the sciences thing, but... Laura just doesn't make it.

Storm is nothing if not observant. She sees the head tilt and decides to not let it slide this time. "Perhaps I shall contact Mr. Ramsey, then. But, in the meantime, what is it that you are not saying?"


 * SNIKT!*

A single claw pops out, and Laura raises it up, and slices her arm. It's not deep, but it runs right down a vein on her left arm. And yet before her claw even retracts, it's already healing up and closing.

"Biology." is then said in her usual tone that is devoid of any and all emotion, as if to somehow hint that Laura is at least familiar with that science.

Storm watches Laura play slice and dice with her own arm, her expression as calmly neutral as always. Either she's impressively stoic, or she'd been told to expect this kind of thing from the girl. "That would be more specifically Physiology. Biology covers all living things. Does that mean you'd like to study that more, or something else instead?"

"Something else." is said with absolutely no hesitation. At all. Heck, it's so fast that it's almost enough to imply that Laura might have certain things connected to her knowledge of the human body in her mind that she'd rather not think about.

But still....

"Thank you." Pause.

"Why...? Why are you doing this?"

The 'for me' of course is left unsaid.

Storm doesn't try to offer Laura a smile as she might another student, but her face is subtly expressive enough to those who know to look. "I feel that every student here should be given the opportunity to not just learn, but to realize that learning something new and different does not have to be a chore, a task that they do because they have to instead of because they want to." To have the chances she didn't.

Or to look at it another way, to have a chance that Laura almost didn't.

Thus there is a slight, very, very faint smile from Laura before she lets out an equally faint, "Thank you." as she nods once, again, ever so slightly.

Of course, what 'Ro might not realize is that after a fashion, now Laura kind of feels like she will have to somehow pay Storm back for this someday, when she can do something to help the older woman.

Storm returns the very very faint smile with one of her own. "You are most welcome, Ms. Kinney. Until your new class schedule is finalized, are there any other classes you would like to visit so that I may inform the instructors to expect you?"

It looks almost like Laura is going to shrug at that, but instead...

She shakes her head.

"No."

"Thank you."

Storm nods and jots another note or two onto the paper. "Very well then, Ms. Kinney. Have a good afternoon. I believe some of the older students are playing a game of basketball outside." Ororo? Prodding Laura to interact with the others? Is that a wise idea?

Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't.

But one will never know until Laura actually does interact with them, now will they?

Thus with a slight nod, Laura just turns and leaves without so much as another word.

Storm watches the girl leave, then tidies up the classroom before leaving and taking her notepad to find someone that can use the computer to create a new class schedule for Laura. Heck, for all she knows at the moment, there's already a preliminary one created.

And who knows? There might be one. Heck, there may even be a full scheduale. After all, Laura was only gone a few weeks, thus something might be in place.

Then again, considering what happened right before she left...

Well.... Odds are the popular rumor may very well be that for some reason she attacked a couple of students after all...