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Post by BijuuGuy on Sept 10, 2024 20:17:45 GMT
 Emma Frost's job demanded a lot of her. Keeping track of students, overseeing curriculum, ensuring her staff did their jobs, paying them fair wages for doing said job, making sure the school didn't go over budget, and so on. These few tasks were one of many which kept the school afloat, all because of their notorious Headmistress. Apologies, Deputy Headmistress. It was still Charles' academy, for better or for worse. Alas, the eponymous man himself was typically too occupied with other matters. Their agreement benefitted Emma just fine and she had never been one to shy away from running an establishment. It was one of the many things she excelled at.
What she additionally was very good at, was disciplining her students when the need presented itself. Which it did often. Keeping a meticulous record of each and every unruly mutant who had sat in front of her desk, Emma was keenly aware of the plethora of issues these younglings came to her with. Willingly or not.
And then there were those who simply didn't know better. They didn't act out of any desire for endless attention or "because it's funny." No, they simply yearned to be understood. To be included. To find a home. It was what seemed to be the case with her freshest disciplinary subject: Jason Villasmil. One who some thought belonged with the Morlocks. A notion both Emma and the rest of the faculty immediately dispelled. Unity was a word not to be forgotten, no matter how many times the next generation needed to be reminded of it.
However, his exceptional hearing had become an issue. Emma hadn't interacted with him much, admittedly. But she had seen his enthusiasm for being at the school. He was one who perhaps needed a gentler touch. As much as Emma Frost was capable of providing that, anyway. Which meant that she was going to be considerate of him, while making it crystal clear that there are certain limits that need to be enforced.
"Mr. Villasmil. Do you know why I've asked you here today?"
Admittedly not the tone she initially had in mind, but it did its job. As much as she cared for her students, they were not her friends. |
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Post by swapgo on Sept 10, 2024 21:54:30 GMT
Jason is very used to being disliked, and in spite of the fact of being in Cool People School, he realized little would change on that end. That was great! Business could go on as usual.
Not that he tried to cultivate some sort of unlikeable persona, no, it was his approach to making friends: Trial and Error. Just walking into whatever clique soundeed that would like him, be proven wrong, and walk out, and it works! Some miniscule percentile of the time but it works good enough for him to get a (former) handful of people that actually like being around him, or at least think it's amusing, they can be converted later. This is how it worked when he was a child in school, so he figured its how it should work in the new school, rather than how it works for children.
Being summoned to the headmistress office was the one thing that could somehow freeze him for a moment, the only thing that could make the mockery actually have weight. He did his best to respond to this in stride, and requested to know where that was, and after being told where it was, he stormed off in a terrifying sprint upstairs. To onlookers, it was unclear if he was fleeing or if he was chasing, his fear and his salvation were in the exact same place. Jason has gotten in no short amount of trouble with other students before, but he had a clean record with the school staff, so he never knew if it was truly as bad as the boogeyman they made it out to be, but for all the effort and trials that his parents went through to get him here to go to waste was a thought that needn't cross his mind twice. Hopefully the headmistress didn't hear all that, he did make sure to open the door and take his seat quite gently.
"...No?", Jason replied, or yelped, rather, a raspy, whispering plea. It was dificult to tell for the average person that he was terrified. He folded his wings together in an attempt to make himself smaller, but that just made him look sleek, his ears were flat and towards the sides, but that just made him look alert, he was trembling, but that's just how his freak scales work, isn't it? Of course, someone like Emma could deduce this by either experience or by her extraordinary qualities, but his voice confirmed it for her. "Did I hurt someone? I've been careful I promise", he asked, oblivious to the fact that there's a cavalcade of teenage drama sprung by the bat telling the wrong thing he overheard to the wrong person across the faculty, to the point where student are less scared of the fiendish steel bat and more of the kid that know that you talk to your teddy bear at night. After all, there was always something cooler to tune into than the fallout.
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Post by BijuuGuy on Oct 8, 2024 20:42:14 GMT
Emma took in the meek visage of the young student. He was a sincere one, practically always meant well. She knew the type. The type of people who went to great lengths to try and fit in, often to too great lengths. Social skills that clearly needed refining. But even then, that didn't mean that students like that deserved ridicule or punishment. Discipline, however? Indubitably.
She remained silent as he phrased his questions in a fearful tone. Almost instantly, a wave of compassion overtook the Deputy Headmistress. Just as instantly, she quelled it by a significant margin. Emma wasn't going to be heartless in this case. But she wasn't going to jump to soothe the young man either. No, he needed a balanced approach. Though for a moment, Emma mused to herself how soft she had become. Well, losing one's pupils does that. Especially when your own children are involved, in a manner of speaking. It hadn't done away everything she did in her past, but her change did garner the recognition of many. Most of those decided to bury the hatchet. Some remained wary of her. She didn't blame them.
Emma looked at him directly in the eyes and while he probably couldn't make out a pang of sympathy in her look, it was there regardless, in the midst of authority.
"No, you've not hurt anyone. You have, however, been eavesdropping. On conversations most would deem private."
She was mostly certain he would gather her meaning. But she wasn't going to leave anything to chance, to be misunderstood.
"Your enhanced auditory senses are a boon. Though like most of our gifts, they must be tempered. To be used only when a situation calls for it. On these premises, we discourage the use of abilities that would invade others' privacy. Hence the limiting of telepaths, for instance. As I'm sure you're well aware."
Her words were deliberate, as those of her rank should be. They were diplomatic, while pointing out his wrongdoing. Emma hoped he would see the wisdom in what she said, rather than the possibility of being solely singled out.
"Sharing details you've inadvertently heard falls under these limitations. The consequences are often not what you hope for, Jason. Trust me on this, I speak from experience."
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Post by swapgo on Oct 8, 2024 22:10:12 GMT
The boy seemed to have a visceral reaction to hearing that word, 'eavesdropping', his mouth opened for a moment before he regained composure and sat still, whatever came out of it was inaudible. Supercool school was still a school, and it made sense to Jason that it had to tell people to not fly in the halls or tear down the walls or to not light oneself on fire during lectures, he did not consider the implications of telepathy, exactly, or specifically, his own brand of expanded senses, to which he admitted "I was not...". Was he supposed to be wary of telepaths this whole time, instead of interested? Were other people supposed to do the same to him?
"I...are you sure? It's a bad thing?", Jason asked with honesty in their heart, his wings making themselves more comfortable. "My parents would...*snort*...agree with you, my house is very...very quiet for a reason, so I'm sorry if, Ms. Frost, if by asking this I sound silly, but is hearing people talk at the lunch tables rude?". He peeked a bit more from his fold, he hasn't been around more than a handful of people simultaneously in years, perhaps its a grown up thing. "If I hear someone say despicable things about someone else, someone that is cool and a good person, should I just...not say anything, because I heard it from the door and not from the next table?", the bat asked without a shred of conviction to defend this statement as an argument, Ms. Frost could just say 'no, you shouldn't say anything' and that would be the end of it, but that wouldn't be very constructive, would it?
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Post by BijuuGuy on Oct 28, 2024 21:22:14 GMT
Emma studied every inch of his face. Expressions both shown and on the periphery of emergence. Every twitch and every look. He was a sincere boy, genuinely intrigued by his so-called wrongdoing. He was also more contemplative than she would've initially given him credit for. Emma Frost had a knack for underestimating some of her students - is what a lot of people would say about her. She would call herself cautious instead. There was a time and place for trusting the younglings. Particularly when they were so adamant about their own skills and competence. She had been reckless before. Repeating that mistake was out of the question.
She listened to his questions intently, formulating a suitable response. His view was what many would call "simple." Black and white. Though she saw the glimmer of gray. His questions were valid so it would be only fair to respond thoroughly.
"It is not a bad thing in essence. However, when such words are spoken in confidence to another, it is often ill-advised to listen in. A lunch table is a public environment so most of what is heard is partially up to those speaking. Now, for someone with your enhanced hearing, it should be noted that even then, your capabilities should be tuned down. It is not necessary for you to hear the entire room by default, unless someone speaks particularly loudly. In which case, the consequences are for them to face."
Emma guessed he'd go into the minutiae of it all. They liked to overthink these things. To ensure they act right every time. An impossible task, yet their naivete told them otherwise. She was almost certain that her thorough answer may have been too thorough.
"An apt question. It depends. Talks behind closed doors are typically meant to be private. Listening in is frowned upon. If the information you hear is particularly malicious or dangerous, then you are to report such things to a faculty member. Myself, most prominently."
Jason's face went through several changes. Emma sighed to herself slightly. She was making it more complicated.
"What you mostly hear between these walls is the talk of children, teenagers. You are all people still learning the intricacies of society and how to operate within. It can be... difficult. Doubly so since you're mutants. Emotions are heightened, tempers run amok, unkind things are said. That is just a fact of life. How to operate in these circles is a lengthy process. You will hear many things here. Whether you act on them, is up to you. Yet, I implore you to think for a minute about possible consequences. Sometimes, despite what you may think, you sharing information not meant to be known, may result in unknown outcomes. Which could inadvertently harm you in the process."
She was, frankly, unsure how he would take this information. Perhaps she continued to sound complicated, but he needed to hear the viewpoint of someone who had been through exactly what he had. Albeit her outcomes were... varied.
"Jason, I do not want you to doubt your instincts. Though think about the possible consequences. How would they impact the one you see as the victim, the one you see as the aggressor, and yourself. In order to decrease such incidents, I will formally ask you to limit your hearing range to that of a baseline human. That is, of course, if you can control it?"
Emma finished her talk with a curious tone. If the crux of the situation was about control and not simply his curiosity, then she had measures in place. Otherwise, she would put her trust in her student to heed her words. Something told her, however, that Jason's anthropology lesson wasn't quite yet done.
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Post by swapgo on Oct 28, 2024 22:39:54 GMT
Jason was nothing if not cooperative, the thorough explanation allaying his fears rather than fanning them, after all, it's better to know what the rules are rather than be in the dark, conversations are such complicated subjects at time, it's so easy and seamless when you're both excited for the same thing, but it gets messier when nobody is excited to be here at all. Emma would seem his gaze drift for a moment as she brought up being mindful about actually acting on what he is picking up on, he stayed prim and proper and looked straight ahead, yet his tail swiveled gently to each side, perhaps he actually wanted to call attention to himself but hadn't found the words to interject yet.
"I am very sorry again Ms. Frost but I, uh, used to not want to think about the consequences of my every action. It...was terrifying, you know, and-...and I...I will t-...I will", Jason pushed through his choked throat, it was fine, this wasn't what the school was about, he would just try and forget about all that and have fun within the rules of the school, or somesuch. "Kind of? I wouldn't get much sleep if I couldn't. It's just that I don't really, uh, measure that distance well anymore, what with me being so large now, and just not-...", he breathed in for another moment. "Just not uhhhh being too uncomfortably close either. Right you, don't, don't want people to have to crane their necks". He hurriedly concluded his argument with something that at least sounded reasonable.
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