Office Hours (Open)

[Ororo Munroe]

Ororo lifts a hand to her temple as she concentrates on the papers in front of her. After a minute or two, she leans back in her chair, looking longingly out the window. It’s a beautiful day… too bad I’m stuck here inside. She makes a face.

If she hadn’t been deluged in work, she’d be going for a swim in the pool, or preparing the flower beds for fall. Winter was almost upon them, the last few months seemed to have disappeared in a flash. And I imagine that Bobby Drake is not the only one who’s looking forward to the change in season. She knew that Kitty, in particular, loved winter. She gives a bit of a laugh. The first winter, Josh had huddled under a fleece blanket until Bobby and John had taken him out sledding. Growing up in Florida does that to you.

Soon the holidays will be here. Ororo felt that was the best part of winter. Perhaps it was simply that everyone was in such good cheer. It was easy to control her emotions - many years ago, Westchester had been hit with the worst blizzard on record when she and Jean had gotten into an argument in December.

She makes a few more notations onto the paper in front of her. It was time to reorganize the X-Men. Months later, they were still reeling from the losses of the Professor, Scott, and Jean, and while the Institute would never forget them, none of the three would want their memory to interfere with what all of them felt was their life’s work. My life’s work.

At the school, it had been business as usual - summer break had helped with that. But the X-Men were a different story entirely. It was as if its entire command structure had been lopped off. Ororo knew that she was partly to blame for it, as well - she could scarcely believe that it all was up to her. But who else? Logan? She laughs a little. Logan was an able teacher when he put his mind to it, but he would never be a leader. In any case, he needed his freedom - being tied down in one place too long made him uncomfortable.

So really, the roster was in poor shape. There was Ororo herself. Hank McCoy was available very sporadically because of his position. Logan was unpredictable - one day he’d be teaching a group of students fighting techniques and the next the motorcycle would be gone, Logan nowhere to be found. That was it for the senior members. Bobby Drake and Kitty Pryde were X-Men, as well. But both of them needed experience.

Ororo lets out a breath. They were in need of several more members. Soon, she’d have to sit down and figure it all out… Her gaze strays to the window again.



(OOC - This is meant as a chance for anyone who’s been wanting to talk to Ororo about something specific to drop on in.)

[Bobby Drake]

(( OOC: well, as long as you're inviting... this picks up from Bobby in Sheppard's office.))

Bobby's a little surprised that Sheppard really does let him leave without objection. Maybe he thinks I'm bluffing, he thinks as he slams the office door behind him. Or maybe he's just curious to see where I'll go next. Or, I dunno, maybe he just doesn't give a damn.

Anyway, it doesn't matter - telepath or no telepath, Bobby's going to find a way to bring to justice the bastards abusing their mutant prisoners. And, sure, even he'll admit there's a particular case he wants to set to rights, but it doesn't matter... whatever his motives for getting involved it's still the right thing to be doing. Isn't it?

Ororo's office is down the hall, the door open. Normally that's Bobby's cue to go the other way, since there's just too long a list of things Ororo usually wants to lecture him about. But Logan's out of town, and Henry's at some kind of U.N. shindig, and Sheppard won't help, so that leaves her.

He doesn't have an appointment, but she holds open office hours. So, OK, here goes nothing. He doesn't stand around outside her office like he did Sheppard's. He's not sure why, really... certainly he's not any braver than he was a minute ago. Maybe it's that Ororo already dislikes him, so he hasn't got anything to lose. Or maybe he's just getting tired of dithering.

That doesn't matter either. He walks in and sits down in front of Ororo's desk.

" We have to talk. "

(( OOC: BTW, Bobby's somewhat convinced 'roro hates him, but this could easily be his own teenaged angst speaking... feel free to play it however you like. ))

[Ororo Munroe]

Ororo is still staring out the window when a disturbance in the air currents near the door causes her to tilt her head slightly. Oh, Gaia help me.

Bobby Drake is currently stalking towards her desk, definitely on some kind of mission.

> " We have to talk. "

Ever since Alcatraz, something odd has happened to Bobby - at least in Ororo's eyes. She's tried on numerous occasions to get something, anything, out of Josh, his roommate. Even if Bobby's clammed up, Josh should be more in the know than anyone else - especially because of his telepathic talents. Josh has become very adept at changing conversation topics. She's not sure what has happened to Bobby. He's gone from happy-go-lucky A student to some kind of moody, struggling incarnation.

And he seems to think she's got a vendetta against him, for whatever reason. Yes, she's had to have words with him about his academic situation, but that can be reversed. She's just worried, in a motherly kind of way. Gaia knows that Bobby's own mother wasn't much interested in him these days.

So she sets her pen on the wooden desk and closes her laptop screen, straightening up in her chair.

"What is it, Bobby?" Here we go. Let's see if the office survives this one. I am invulnerable to temperature changes, Mr. Drake.

[Bobby Drake]

> "What is it, Bobby?"

"Well, I just got finished explaining this to Sheppard, but he thought I should talk to you instead. So I am. Two things.

"First, Magneto's reassembling the Brotherhood. At least, he's re-recruited Pyro now that the Cure's worn off, and I'm guessing he's not stopping there. So I'd say it's a fair bet they're going to make a move pretty soon.

"Second, it's looking like the rumors about illegal abuses in the Mutant Containment Camps are legit, and I think the X-Men ought to do something about it. I was thinking Sheppard could use Cerebro to identify the abusers telepathically and then we could go in and collect evidence, but it seems like he's gonna wimp out on it. Without a topnotch telepath involved going the detective/interrogator route seems the only way to go. Figured I'd talk to you about it first before going off half-cocked on my own. You want in?"

Bobby tries his best to seem focused and businesslike... he doesn't want this to become another conversation about his personal or academic lives, because he's scared to death of Storm finding out about him and Pyro that's not what's important here.

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

He’s very passionate about this. And understandably so - it is our own kind languishing in those camps. Ororo steeples her hands together as Bobby talks.

“As to your first point - my sources have indeed told me that John Allerdyce has realigned himself with Magneto. Your additional confirmation of that is invaluable, however. It is likely he will not stop with John.” Ororo could never quite call John ‘Pyro’, as much as she tried. He was still a little boy to her.

“Your second point. I agree, and I’ll admit to you that I haven’t been quite sure how to proceed. Having Mr. Sheppard do some telepathic recon would be a good start - as long as he is willing, that is.” Ororo lifts an eyebrow. “A pity that Josh hasn’t quite reached that level with his own powers - he’s eager to prove himself.” A little too eager… but Ororo doesn’t say so, and she knows why Josh feels that way.

“With a bit of information from Jake, we should be able to pinpoint an information source, and raid it - or persuade it, if that happens to be the case. The raid would be a covert operation. The last thing we need is the X-Men on America’s Most Wanted.” She unfolds her hands and stares into Bobby’s eyes. “I’d like to you plan this once we have more information. Call it an exercise in leadership.”

[Bobby Drake]

> " my sources have indeed told me that St. John Allerdyce has realigned himself with Magneto. "

And you were planning on telling the rest of us when?!? Bobby manages not to say it out loud by an effort of will. He's in her office asking for her help, it's not the right time to get on her case, even if he is furious. " Yeah. There's also a cat-guy, Sherridan Kaine... remember, from Jubes' little set-to in the mall with the skinheads?" Bobby suddenly can't remember if he ever got around to filing a report on that incident. " Anyway, I don't know that he's with bucket-head, but he's certainly psychotic enough, and he seemed pretty knowledgable about Alcatraz and, um, stuff after. He's a little bit like Hank, I guess, in terms of his powers."

> " A pity that Josh hasn’t quite reached that level with his own powers - he’s eager to prove himself. "

Bobby takes another deep breath and counts to ten. Is she trying to set him off? Yeah, she probably is, at that. He can't quite manage to keep his mouth shut, but he manages to keep his tone reasonably civil. " You ask me, he's more'n proved himself already... he's sure as hell done more than I did when Logan invited me in on the Alcatraz mission. What standard are you using, anyway? It's not like any of the rest of the team can use the damned thing, either... that's why you brought in Sheppard in the first place, right? "

He stops short at Ororo's assignment, but doesn't let his uncertainty show. He nods. " Call it whatever you want, Storm... you get Dr. Who in there to cooperate in getting some names, facts and figures out of the shiny hat," he jerks his head in the direction of Sheriddan's office, wondering if Storm even knows who Dr. Who is, let alone ever seen the show, " and I'll take it from there. "

He probably ought to thank her, or something, but can't quite bring himself to. He settles for an ambiguous nod.

" Anything else? "

[Ororo Munroe]

> Yeah. There's also a cat-guy, Sherridan Kaine...

"Cat? Interesting. I see that Magneto is re-establishing his inner circle. I imagine that Mystique will be joining him, if she's forgiven him. That can only mean that they're on the move again." She'd be a fool to do so.

> You ask me, he's more'n proved himself already...

Storm represses the urge to roll her eyes. Don't. It's juvenile. "I quite agree. Josh has shown exemplary progress in his telepathy lessons with Mr. Sheppard, despite his initial hesitance. His telekinetic skills alone are an invaluable asset to the X-Men..." She lets a small smile through, "as is his enthusiasm."

She taps a pen against the wooden surface of the desk. "There is no formal procedure for becoming an X-Man. You and Kitty were fairly thrown into it - and performed wonderfully, I might add. We need several more members to round out the team, and rest assured - Josh will be joining you shortly. I will talk to Mr. Sheppard," Ororo makes sure to emphasize his name, but amusement dances across her eyes, "and as soon as we have a lead, I will be calling a formal team briefing."

A shadow crosses her face. "Things have been disorganized what with all the changes around here. I am to blame for that." She shakes her head slightly, and continues.

> Anything else?

"Actually, there is, Bobby. I have never been one to look at a gift from the goddess with suspicion, but I admit I am curious as to where you've gotten all this information." Ororo regards him with interest. And you're not telling me the entire story, either. Somehow things were easier when you were freezing your sheets in your sleep...

[Bobby Drake]

> "I imagine that Mystique will be joining him, if she's forgiven him."

"Yeah, didn't think about that. Guess he's gonna get the whole gang together if he can, now that everybody's getting their powers back."

Bobby's trying hard, and not terribly successfully, to treat this as just another strategic exercise, or at least look like he is. But the truth is, the thought of going up against a reunited Brotherhood scares the crap out of him, especially with the team at half-strength. And that's leaving aside the whole thing with John, which he can't think about coherently for more than a few seconds at a time and has no intention of thinking about at all while Storm is watching. She can't actually read minds, which is reassuring, but sometimes she doesn't have to.

So he appreciates the change of subject, and Storm's smile at the reference to Josh's "enthusiasm" evokes an answering half-grin, half-smirk. "Yeah, that boy's got all kinds of enthusiasm. It's cute. He's picked out a code-name and everything. Anyway, glad we're on the same page about bulking up the roster. " Bobby wonders, idly, when he stopped talking to her like a teacher or a team leader and started treating her like a peer. After Alcatraz, probably... that's pretty much when everything changed. Something else he isn't going to think about too much while she's here.

"So, who else are you considering?" Bobby hasn't given it a lot of thought, but there are a lot of powerful students in residence... and sure, not everyone's going to want to be an X-Man, or be any use in the field, but it's worth at least considering. Heck, Bobby doesn't even know what half of them can do!

He thinks about it now, out loud... " Mr. Wagner'd sure come in handy on stealth ops... so would that werewolf girl, whoever she is. And I'd love to have Pete as backup for frontal assaults -- well, not against bucket-head, granted. Same goes for the new bio/chem teacher, what's her name, the armor-plated redhead, and her brother the mountain... " he snaps his fingers a few times hunting for their names, but fails... they've been around the Institute forever but Bobby hasn't talked to them much. "Anyway, I bet those three could even give Juggs a run for his money. "

"Danny's got some damned useful abilities, but I dunno about bringing him into the field... boy wigs out way too easy. Same goes for Jubes, and... well, a lot of the younger kids, I guess. " It occurs to him that most of those 'kids' aren't much younger than he is, might be older even, but then again he's not really talking about chronological age, anyway.

He shrugs. "Anyway, just thinkin' out loud. "

> "Things have been disorganized what with all the changes around here. I am to blame for that."

Bobby hesitates for a moment, startled to hear Storm say that. Then, after a moment, he nods. "Yeah... though, y'know, there's been a lot going on. Guess everybody copes in their own way." Which, it occurs to him as he says it, is probably closer to an apology for being such an ass lately than she's ever gotten from him. He grins sheepishly and shrugs in acknowledgement. "But you're right: if we don't get our act together we're gonna get creamed next time bucket-head makes a move."

Which brings him all the way back around to being scared at the thought of facing the Brotherhood again, though picturing the whole team at his side does help with that.

> "I admit I am curious as to where you've gotten all this information.""

"Uh? Well, um..." Bobby stammers for a moment or two, suddenly unable to look her in the eye. Real smooth, Drake. When he finally gets his collection of embarassed flinches under control, it's too late to seem casual... but damned if he's going to tell Storm about John. At least not yet, not until he has some kind of understanding of what's going on. She's just going to ask questions he can't answer, assuming she doesn't accidentally electrocute him out of sheer astonishment -- or intentionally out of annoyance.

"Yeah, well... guess we all have our secrets, right? Anyway, I met psycho-kitty when Jubes got targetted by some skinhead wannabes at the mall, a while back... he was all eager to use them as scratching posts. He bought us lunch, sorta... it was weird. He's got cash, too." He stops there, tentatively, wondering if she'll let him leave it at that but very much doubting it.

[Ororo Munroe]

> Anyway, glad we're on the same page about bulking up the roster. […] So, who else are you considering?

“Very much so. We were able to survive the Alcatraz fiasco by the skin of our teeth. Things would have certainly been easier with a few more members, especially someone with Josh’s versatility. He can use his powers for both attack and defense, much like you. Others are narrower in their effectiveness, especially in a pitched battle scenario.” She thinks for a second, tapping the pen against her chin.

“Kur - Mr. Wagner and I have spoken about his possible involvement in the X-Men, and he has made it clear that the conflict with his nature is too great. Piotr is currently back in Russia right now, but when he returns I assume he will be rejoining the team. There have been so many new arrivals lately that I can barely keep them straight, as well. Warren, too, is another possible choice. He’s been rather busy, between Josh and mutant rights, however.” She lets amusement bleed into her tone at that.

She sets the pen back down. “Several of the other younger children do show promise, but I will not use them if I can help it. You, Josh, Kitty, and Marie are barely old enough, I feel. Especially when tangling with the likes of Magneto.”

> Yeah, well... guess we all have our secrets, right?

Touché, my dear. For a moment, it seems like old Bobby - the one that cared - was on his way back, only to be stepped on by new Bobby - the squirrelly, moody, foot-in-his-mouth version. Ororo catches herself. Things aren’t quite that simple. Bobby’s a teenager, with all the caveats and warnings implied. This could be only a phase. All of them had gone through a rough patch lately, to say the least.

“I shall have to ask the children about that encounter. If there’s anything else at all you felt was important, by all means, let me know.” Ororo decides to let him go for now. It’s definitely not the entire story, but that’s not important. As unpredictable as he had been of late, Ororo trusts Bobby implicitly. He has a good soul - an honest one.

“Otherwise, I think we can start right now. If you’d care to join me?” She uncrosses her legs, and stands up, stretching. With a glance at Bobby, she begins to walk towards her office door. I hope you’ve warmed up the metal hat, Mr. Sheppard.

[Bobby Drake]

> " I shall have to ask the children about that encounter. If there’s anything else at all you felt was important, by all means, let me know. "

Bobby remembers, now, why he never got around to filing a report on that incident. You mean besides Jubes going nuclear on the mall security guards and Riley dropping a goddamned skylight on a crowd of shoppers? No, nothing at all. A smile plays on the edges of his lips as he thinks about it. Hell, for once I’m not the one I’m covering for. Feels like old times, it does. " Nothing you need to worry about. "

He wonders if that’s true. He hopes it is… lying to Ororo never seems right. With Dr. Grey and the Professor it simply wasn’t possible, and he never had the balls to lie to Logan. On the other extreme, Mr. Summers pretty much asked for it. But with Ororo and Hank it’s different. Bobby doesn’t understand why, but it is, and he finds himself suddenly feeling guilty about keeping secrets from her.

Not that he intends to stop any time soon.

> " Otherwise, I think we can start right now. If you’d care to join me? "

Bobby grins. " Natch… that’s why you’re in charge, right? " He steps aside and gestures mock-chivalrously towards the door. " After you…"