[ well, shit, he's arrived earlier than she'd been expecting. or maybe the time got away from her, as it tended to these days when she is without the continuous display of the clocks on her phone and computer. hours passed like minutes and seconds dragged like hours; she doesn't enjoy either very much.
daisy takes his hand for a firm shake before leaning forward and propping her elbows on the table. ]
Daisy Johnson. And yes, I am — sort of. [ gesturing briefly to the stacks crowding the table, she looks a tiny bit sheepish as she explains. ] Sorry, I guess I thought you'd be longer and you've got an impressive library. How exactly does someone with an advanced degree from Oxford end up opening a boarding school, anyway? It doesn't seem like the most likely career path.
[ she'd meant to take her time getting to this point in the conversation but... well, to be honest, the ducks distracted her. he's got a whole tiny flock of them with him, or whatever the proper group noun is for paper birds, and it doesn't fit with the picture she'd had in her head. her expression is open and curious as she glances from the ducks back to her host, and even though she might give the impression of being someone who keeps their secrets close to the chest, her intentions are anything but malicious. ]
No. Books are meant to be perused, by all means. ( he doesn't mind that she's found so much that interests her, apparently. a surprising number of people don't care much for reading anymore these days. he blames the invention of the television for that. ) It's nice to meet you, Daisy. ( he takes a seat across from her, clearing some of the books off to the side to make space for himself. )
And that is a good question. ( it does seem strange for him to have decided to open up a school, especially considering his background in genetics. also, whenever someone mentions the professor, they usually imagine someone old and bald. at least, that's what he keeps being told. ) Just... Hold on a moment. ( he lifts a hand over the paper ducks, covering it. ) Johanna, my darling, what did I tell you about eavesdropping? ( he cants his head to the side, looking at no one in particular or so it seems. ) Show yourself, please. You know I can sense you there. ( a young girl of about six materializes right next to charles, pouting a little. they have a bit of a chat and he tells her to go back to class, please. before johanna leaves, he lets her take two of the paper ducks with her. ) And no more pit stops.
( charles then returns his attention back to daisy. ) I'm sorry, where were we? Oh, right. This isn't any ordinary school. Just like you aren't any ordinary person, are you? ( charles still doesn't know why she's here. but if he finds that he can't trust her, then daisy will be walking out of the school without any recollection of having ever been inside of it. it's the only way he can protect the young mutants who are living here. no one can know of their existence. not yet. )
[ daisy's breath catches in her throat as the little girl appears, looking sweet and innocent and— understanding crashes into her a second later, dealing such a blow that she feels like someone punched her in the chest. she hasn't even begun to pull herself together when johanna wanders off and her host's attention returns to her, though she does her best to contain her emotional devastation. it'll be followed by anger soon enough, a low-simmering rage to match her sadness. ]
Well, like you said. I'm not ordinary. [ she never has been. nothing in her life has ever been something so simple as ordinary. taking a deep breath, she shifts in her seat, leaning back and crossing her arms over her stomach. ]
How do they get their abilities? Is there a transformation or... [ thoughts tumble over each other in her mind, piling up and toppling into a jumble as she adjusts her approach. if there's even a chance that they— ] I'm trying to understand if we're the same kind of 'not ordinary' before I explain why I'm here. It's complicated, to say the least, and it'd be good to know if we have a common baseline.
[ is he different too? or is he trying to help these kids? she doesn't get the sense that he's trying to hurt them or study them, but now that the thought pops into her head, she can't help but think of whitehall and what he might have done if he'd gotten his hands on her when she was a baby. her anxiety spikes and she shoves those thoughts back down into the darkness where they belong, waiting to torment her nightmares. ]
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no subject
daisy takes his hand for a firm shake before leaning forward and propping her elbows on the table. ]
Daisy Johnson. And yes, I am — sort of. [ gesturing briefly to the stacks crowding the table, she looks a tiny bit sheepish as she explains. ] Sorry, I guess I thought you'd be longer and you've got an impressive library. How exactly does someone with an advanced degree from Oxford end up opening a boarding school, anyway? It doesn't seem like the most likely career path.
[ she'd meant to take her time getting to this point in the conversation but... well, to be honest, the ducks distracted her. he's got a whole tiny flock of them with him, or whatever the proper group noun is for paper birds, and it doesn't fit with the picture she'd had in her head. her expression is open and curious as she glances from the ducks back to her host, and even though she might give the impression of being someone who keeps their secrets close to the chest, her intentions are anything but malicious. ]
no subject
And that is a good question. ( it does seem strange for him to have decided to open up a school, especially considering his background in genetics. also, whenever someone mentions the professor, they usually imagine someone old and bald. at least, that's what he keeps being told. ) Just... Hold on a moment. ( he lifts a hand over the paper ducks, covering it. ) Johanna, my darling, what did I tell you about eavesdropping? ( he cants his head to the side, looking at no one in particular or so it seems. ) Show yourself, please. You know I can sense you there. ( a young girl of about six materializes right next to charles, pouting a little. they have a bit of a chat and he tells her to go back to class, please. before johanna leaves, he lets her take two of the paper ducks with her. ) And no more pit stops.
( charles then returns his attention back to daisy. ) I'm sorry, where were we? Oh, right. This isn't any ordinary school. Just like you aren't any ordinary person, are you? ( charles still doesn't know why she's here. but if he finds that he can't trust her, then daisy will be walking out of the school without any recollection of having ever been inside of it. it's the only way he can protect the young mutants who are living here. no one can know of their existence. not yet. )
Now how I can help you, Daisy?
no subject
Well, like you said. I'm not ordinary. [ she never has been. nothing in her life has ever been something so simple as ordinary. taking a deep breath, she shifts in her seat, leaning back and crossing her arms over her stomach. ]
How do they get their abilities? Is there a transformation or... [ thoughts tumble over each other in her mind, piling up and toppling into a jumble as she adjusts her approach. if there's even a chance that they— ] I'm trying to understand if we're the same kind of 'not ordinary' before I explain why I'm here. It's complicated, to say the least, and it'd be good to know if we have a common baseline.
[ is he different too? or is he trying to help these kids? she doesn't get the sense that he's trying to hurt them or study them, but now that the thought pops into her head, she can't help but think of whitehall and what he might have done if he'd gotten his hands on her when she was a baby. her anxiety spikes and she shoves those thoughts back down into the darkness where they belong, waiting to torment her nightmares. ]